Women of all ages, lifestyles and backgrounds are on the rise in East Cobb and surrounding communities. While these women have found success in a range of industries from sports to writing to mixology to massage, there are so many more where these five came from.
Hailey Willman - Marietta Country Club Golf Pro
Hailey grew up playing nine holes with her dad as a Sunday tradition after church. The memories and skillset must have stuck with her because she has since led successful high school and college golf careers and landed a professional role at the local Marietta Country Club. In high school, Hailey won two regional championship titles; while in college, she was a three-time Academic All-American, First Team All-Conference member and received multiple All-Tournament Team awards.
"To be honest, a career in the golf industry was never really on the radar up until a few years ago," says Hailey.
After graduating from Oglethorpe University in 2019 with a B.S. in business management, Hailey landed her first role as a revenue specialist in an Atlanta-based recruiting firm, where she enjoyed her work but longed to get back on the green. Luckily, Mike Berning, director of instruction at Marietta Country Club, contacted Hailey about joining their coaching staff.
"Fast forward. I have been teaching golf here at MCC for a little over two years, and it has been the best decision I have ever made," said Hailey. "Mike was a huge part of my professional development."
After mastering a few coaching techniques and working on her self-confidence, Hailey now prides herself and her job on the incredible relationships she gets to build with members.
"I am truly fortunate to work with tremendous people of all ages, and I cherish relationships that result," says Hailey. "Watching my students make progress and get more enjoyment out of the game is what motivates me each and every day."
Elaine Sterling - The Elaine Sterling Institute
She has been working in the beauty industry for more than 25 years, yet you may not know the name Elaine Sterling. She is a living testament that beauty changes lives.
In 2008, Elaine founded The Elaine Sterling Institute (ESI) with six students, a credit card and a prayer. A single mom of two and cancer survivor, Elaine created what has become a globally recognized center of learning in the esthetics, beauty and wellness education industry. Now up to 500 students, Elaine has captured the past 16 years of struggle, wins, losses, knowledge and experience in her debut autobiography, Beauty Beyond the Mirror, a roadmap to success.
Without any formal business training or college education, Elaine relied upon her street smarts and ability to learn quickly to get the institute up and running. She realized the beauty industry, with its appeal to creative individuals who may not see a traditional four-year degree as their path, seemed ripe for growth.
“My philosophy was to tap into talent and help convert that skill into prosperity. Considering the beauty industry's global worth of more than $500 billion, there was a significant opportunity for my students,” says Elaine, “'I've seen students go from cleaning houses to owning them, from homelessness to securing a stable job and residence. These are the moments that affirm the impact of our work.”
A licensed esthetician and esthetician instructor, Elaine holds international diplomas and is internationally trained and certified as a Beauty Therapist (LE, LEI, CIDESCO Diplomat, and ITEC). She is a noted speaker in the beauty industry and launched her award-winning corrective skincare line, Elaine Sterling Skincare, in 2008. Her student-run spa and salon offer state-of-the-art services under the direction of licensed instructors at a fraction of the price of retail spas.
Elaine is a native of Port Elizabeth, South Africa and has lived in England, Australia, Taiwan, Detroit and Atlanta. Her involvement in the philanthropic community is vast. She supports charities such as The Eleos Charitable Foundation, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Lost ‘n Found Youth, Flora Ann’s House, Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance, The Drake House, Bethany Christian Services, My Sister’s House, Atlanta Needs Help and many more.
Erin Watkins - Indian Hills Country Club Tennis Pro
As most athlete's stories begin, Erin grew up spending her summers enrolled in tennis camp, where she discovered her deep love for the sport. 30 years later, she still plays regularly and has found a successful career in the industry. Her track record of outstanding awards, including the Columbus Indoor National Tournament's Sportsmanship Award and winning the Western Open, also a national tournament, set her apart as a tried and true professional.
"My dad was actually the person who said I should teach tennis. I never had any interest in teaching tennis. I was working as an assistant store manager at a big box company and my dad had been pushing me for about a year to get my teaching license," says Erin. "During my group test, I had an 'aha' moment, and I was shocked at how much I was enjoying myself. I called my dad on the phone later that day, and I couldn’t stop talking about how much fun I had being out on the court teaching."
Thankful for her dad's guidance, Erin began searching for tennis teaching jobs in the area, where she landed a position at Indian Hills Country Club.
"It’s cliche, but the members and the staff at Indian Hills are what I love most about my job," says Erin.
The transition from player to teacher is not easy, and Erin tackled her fair share of obstacles on her way to becoming the outstanding instructor she is today. She relied heavily on the other dedicated staff members at Indian Hills to guide her knowledge of running and planning drills, but her hard work paid off in the end.
"Once I got into a groove of things, I was able to develop my own teaching style, and it gave me the confidence that I didn’t have when I first started teaching," says Erin. "I never understood when people said not everyone that’s played a sport can teach it until I started teaching myself. That’s 1000% true!"
Camille Brown - Owner of LaVida Massage East Cobb
In 2011, female-founded LaVida Massage hit East Cobb, bringing affordable and convenient massages to all residents. LaVida is on a mission to improve the lives of guests through exceptional treatments, products, education and customer care.
"Every body is different in what it needs, much like every guest's relaxation needs vary," says Camille. "At LaVida Massage, we customize each massage to the guest. This allows us to give a thorough, effective service to each and every guest who visits LaVida Massage East Cobb."
Their most popular services include a 60-minute massage and a 60-minute organic facial, both of which are quick enough to squeeze into a busy day while still allowing enough time for thorough and effective results. Camille invites anyone to stop in, get on the massage table and allow yourself to "clock out" for a short time while you indulge.
Though Camille is ever appreciative of the benefits of life as a solo female entrepreneur, her journey to where she is today has not been without obstacles.
"As a female business owner, you have to maneuver through the negative perceptions others may have of you and their limited expectations of what you can offer because you are a woman," she says.
However, the flexibility to be more present in her daughter's life and the support she's experienced from other local female entrepreneurs have made every challenge all the more worthwhile. At the end of the day, it's all about how LaVida Massage can serve the community to Camille.
"LaVida Massage centers are designed with your comfort in mind by creating a relaxing, neutral environment meant to convey the comfort of your own home. You will find our center calm, clean, comfortable and inviting."
Paige Parker - Founder and CEO of Happenstance Whiskey
Located in Nashville, Happenstance Distilling Co. is a 100% women-owned bourbon company that celebrates life’s moments that happen by chance. The brand was started out of a need for an approachable bourbon with a contemporary twist. The palate is blended to be a cabernet-style bourbon – full-bodied, smooth & naturally sweet with tasting notes of vanilla, hazelnut, toffee and caramel. Since almost 40% of bourbon drinkers are women, Happenstance seeks to include these women bourbon drinkers as part of its lifestyle & experience.
I started my career in the alcohol industry working in marketing for Anheuser-Busch. I respect the heritage and tradition of bourbons before me, but with Happenstance, I wanted to create a premium bourbon with a contemporary twist.
We’ve been grateful that the Nashville community has rallied behind the Happenstance brand. Some notable women and men in Country music have wanted to be a part of the Happenstance experience; We’ve even served Happenstance at weddings for Country artists HARDY and Caleigh Ryan, and Meghan Patrick and Mitchell Tenpenny!
Working in a male-dominated industry is an opportunity to do something differently than it’s always been done. Since women are such a large percentage of all bourbon drinkers, I think it's important to have more women innovating and leading in this industry. I hope Happenstance can be an example for many more women in bourbon to come!