Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Herndon.
Hi Carrie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a heroin addict. I have been sober for almost 8 years. I became addicted after receiving OxyContin for pain meds as I was diagnosed with cancer at 17. I was addicted pretty quickly after high school and was humiliated and scared so I kept this secret for almost 15 years before I finally hit rock bottom and had to surrender and had to go to rehab or I would surlily lose my children and die. I was there for 3 months and by the grace of God found my way in recovery. Right after rehab, I went to nail school thinking I wasted so many years fighting addiction that I would never amount to anything. Terrified of relapse I was determined to get great with acrylic and work every second I could and before I knew it I had too many clients and needed to open a salon. I was so scared and could not fail. My hubby built the nail salon for me and it’s been a huge success for the last several years and every day, I think… This had to be my higher power blessing me for changing my life and not giving up. I have so many clients in recovery or wanting to be in recovery that support me and I them. I shouldn’t be here. I overdosed and my family watched officers and paramedics try to revive me for almost 4 minutes and they finally were able to get my heart beating! God had a diff plan for me and the most amazing thing is … I get to show other woman in addiction that we Do recover! There is hope and life after addiction. I am not a business woman so I’ve learned everything the hard way and made every mistake I possibly could but I did it’! My salon is a safe haven for woman of all walks of life to come and be part of something so much more than a salon!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I struggled with boundaries… I came from death to running a successful booked-up salon yet had no idea what I was doing. I wanted everyone to be able to feel beautiful so I promise myself no matter how busy I became I would not take advantage of anyone and My salon would be diff. I would provide top-dollar nails and service with very affordable prices. I didn’t care about money. I wanted everyone to have a blasts and love my place. I had to learn how to be a boss’ and be a professional except I wasn’t!!! I can only be me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I own Carrie Nail Nook a full-service nail salon. I specialize in nail art and prep nails properly and my staff and I take our time to assure longevity and perfect adhesion. I also talk almost every day about my addiction and all the horrible things I did and all the awful things I went through trying to get clean. Almost every day I have a client hug me and cry and tell me they are struggling with drugs and are going to to rehab to get the help they need to get clean …. and I made them feel like a person again and things they had done in addiction does not determine who they are going to be!!! That is the greatest
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is my poppy watching the wizard of oz with me when it was past my bedtime!!!!! Every year he and I watched the movie
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Carriesnailnook
- Facebook:Carriesnailnook
