If you met the poised and glowing Mae Monroe today, you would never guess that her path to self-made success started at age 17, when she left home with nothing but grit and hope. “You really need to have faith in life, and just go for it because it is a little bit better than where you are now,” she said. And so she exited bravely, out of a homelife she said was filled with darkness and confusion, toward the light.
This year, Mae is celebrating 10 years in business. But hers is not the typical entrepreneur story of funnels, followers, and Facebook ads. It is a story about lineage and healing. Her brand is equal parts beauty studio, healing center, and empowerment hub. It is also something of a living altar to the women who came before her. “My mother struggled with mental illness,” Mae said. “She was one of the best nail techs in Kansas City in the 1990s. All the wealthy women would go to her. And I remember her saying, ‘Mae, people with money love the best, and I’m the best.’ That stuck with me. I didn’t realize it then, but that was the blueprint for my business.”
In fact, that moment became the foundation of Mae’s entire business philosophy, which she expresses through the acronym B.E.S.T.: Beauty, Empowerment, Spirituality, and Transcendence. Her goal is for every client to experience each of these four stages. “Someone comes in for beauty, but it’s really about empowerment,” she said. Mae says healing facials are her most popular service. “A client comes in and I do a facial, but I also help reprogram their subconscious,” she said. “I do energy work and a great peel and mask, too. It’s beauty on the inside and the outside.” Mae calls herself a visionary. She’s not trying to fit into anyone’s box. Her business, like her spirit, defies tidy labels. Sure, she does beauty treatments to make skin glow. But she also does spiritual coaching, Reiki, business mentoring, and more.
As a proud Asian American woman, Mae’s heritage shows up in her work in subtle, meaningful ways. Her maternal grandmother once dreamed of being a geisha, but not in the way most Westerners often misunderstand. Mae said, “In Asia, geishas are respected. They are trained in music, art, conversation, and beauty. They are elegant, smart, and deeply admired.” Mae explained, “To be a geisha is to be the highest form of entertainment. They are multi-talented and very beautiful.”
That idea left an impression. To Mae, a woman who invests in her beauty, education, and personal growth is someone to look up to. While her grandmother never got to live out her dream, Mae sees herself as continuing it in her own way. She carries the hopes of the women who came before her. In Mae’s words, her grandmother could have a whole magazine spread to herself. Her story has all the makings of a dramatic film: war, escape, grit, and the American dream.
During the Vietnam conflict, she made the impossible decision to flee the country with her two small children in tow — Mae’s mother and uncle. She was just 24. She had already survived bombings and refugee camps, and said goodbye to her love who had gone off to war. And yet, somehow, she pressed forward, made it to the United States, and became — as Mae puts it — a self-made woman. “She would invest in properties and then flip them,” she said.
The reverence Mae has for her matriarchs is evident. It’s also clear these aren’t just family stories. They are the roots of everything she has built. Mae’s own story is no less compelling, having left home as a high school junior. “When you grow up in a household where mental illness is untreated, there is so much chaos,” she said. “I knew if I stayed, I would end up like my mom — or worse. So I left. I had to take a chance.” That leap taught her everything about survival, discernment, and reading people. “It’s why I’m so good at what I do,” she said. “I see what people need and I either have to do it or become it.”
Today, Mae thinks of her business not just as a beauty studio but a lighthouse. It is a place where women come not only to glow up, but come home to themselves. “I am really here to help women by empowering, elevating, and supporting them,” she said. “I have learned that if you want to be a woman of influence and impact, you really have to look the part and be the part. And those who are ready to listen to you will follow your actions.”
Mae says her leadership style is nurturing, intuitive, and deeply feminine. She wants to invite others to step into their own greatness by simply standing in hers. “I deserve the best so that I can provide the best, and I want everyone in front of me to receive the best out of me,” she said. “And it just becomes a beautiful, karmic cycle.”
Mae isn’t done evolving. As she moves into her next chapter, she is expanding her offerings, refining her messaging, and rooting deeper into who she truly is. Some legacies are written in history books. Others are etched into the hearts of daughters. This is one of those stories.
Featured in the May 3, 2025 issue of The Independent
