My Core Value: Freedom

Freedom has always been at the heart of my work — not just as a value, but as a necessity.

When I founded Salon Benders, it was a love letter to my community. A rebellion against the rigid norms of the beauty industry. A place where queer folks, femmes of color, and anyone tired of performance could exhale and be witnessed in their fullness. But even that beautiful rebellion had its limits. The structure of traditional salon ownership — the hustle, the expectations, the capitalism — slowly began to chip away at my spirit, and eventually, my health.

After more than two decades behind the chair, I found myself craving more than just aesthetic transformation. I needed a space where healing, ritual, creativity, and rest could live side by side. A space that could hold the whole of me — my intuitive gifts, my reverence for ancestral wisdom, and my radical love for beauty as ceremony.

That longing gave birth to The Subliminal Stylist.

This new chapter is a private, sacred space where I work with people intentionally — blending hypnotherapy, energy work, ritual haircare, and visual storytelling into deeply personalized experiences. It’s not just about hair anymore. It’s about alignment. It’s about coming home to yourself.

I share my story in hopes that others — especially queer women of color — will know they can design their lives around their values. That they don’t have to choose between their healing and their success. That honoring your essence is a form of leadership.

Because joy, rest, and creativity?
Those are revolutionary acts.
Let’s lead by example.

Mucho amor,
Jessie Santiago
The Subliminal Stylist