Today we’d like to introduce you to Annamarie Cosgrove.
Hi Annamarie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Washington State, way up north (a few hours north of Seattle) on the Canadian border in an extremely small, remote mountain town. Throughout my childhood and into high school, I always had a sense of fearlessness and the knowing that adventure awaited me, despite not having traveled much out of my home state or having the technology to tell me what existed beyond the rivers and mountains. (When I say I grew up in the middle of nowhere, I mean it – no TV!) Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a dreamer, and a firm believer that the Universe has my back and will guide me to the dreams that chose me to live them out.
In late high school, it came to my attention that dressing up and hugging kids was indeed a real job – a Disney Princess, of course! I didn’t know how, why, when, or where, but I knew that I was going to become one. I distinctly remember one day in the summer after high school, I chose to decide that I was beautiful, capable, and ambitious enough to pursue this dream. In the months after graduating, I took a one-way flight to Orlando with two suitcases, a blanket, and a pair of shoes, and I never looked back. I accomplished the dream of performing for Disney within the first year of living in Florida, and I stayed with the Disney Company for several years.
During my time performing at Disney World, I realized my creative center was significantly blocked and I was not able to express my creativity or authenticity. I always knew I wanted to dabble in the beauty industry eventually, but after having my first luxury haircut experience at a salon near the parks, I realized I wanted to help other people feel THAT! I immediately chose to register at the Aveda Institute of Orlando for cosmetology, despite not knowing anything about hair and most definitely not being good at styling my own. I knew deeply on a soul level that I would be able to learn these skills and be successful. Although learning the techniques in school was challenging, and combined with my work, it was an exhausting year, I never gave up, stopped pushing, or stopped believing in myself.
My year at Aveda re-opened my creative expression and freed me from the imaginary chains I felt at Disney. Upon graduation, I decided it was time to refine the skills I had just begun to learn in the hair world. I moved out to Texas to be an apprentice at a high-end salon in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For nine months, I trained one-on-one directly beneath the salon owner, Teresa, who has 40+ years of experience in hair artistry (including lots of editorial work all over the U.S. and Europe) and 30+ years of experience in luxury salon ownership and management. This rigorous training, in combination with skills I learned from growing up in a small family business and world-class customer service I refined throughout my years with Disney, lead me to the inevitable success I experienced at that salon. In two years’, time, I nearly quadrupled my income and improved so greatly on my skills that I became very booked, even taking two-color customers at once.
In the fall of 2021, after three years with Mouton’s Salon in Texas, I chose follow the wind and let it guide me back to Central Florida to discover more dreams. Although I have known for many years now that I would own my own salon, Alpenglow Hair Studio – inspired by my hometown and upbringing, I had no idea it would happen so soon. By December, I couldn’t ignore the signs I was seeing and feeling to simply “just do it”. Just as Teresa built her dream salon in Texas after unsuccessfully searching for a salon to call home 35 years ago, I understood that a similar dream has chosen me to bring Alpenglow Hair Studio to life in Winter Haven, Florida.
About a month ago, I opened Alpenglow Hair Studio inside of a salon suite building. This is just the beginning of where I see my dream taking me! My vision for Alpenglow is to create and inspire beauty within every guest; to create a look for them in which they feel 100% safe to express their own unique self and creativity. The word “alpenglow” is an optical phenomenon that appears as a rosy hue during sunrise or sunset seen on high mountains. My dream is to help those around me Embrace their inner (Alpen) Glow… to encourage others to chase their dreams, live their purpose, and fully express who they are all the way from the inside out. I believe that pure authentic expression is the most beautiful thing we can create.
In the present, I am accepting new clients, encouraging others to embrace their own beauty, and opening myself up to miracles! I am meeting fellow artists around the community I will soon wish to co-create and partner with, and I am also seeking out eco-friendly, sustainable beauty brands to create hair and makeup art with.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road! In fact, my journey has truly felt a lot more like steep mountainous hikes rather than any type of road at all – which has helped me connect my vision for Alpenglow with my real life. Everyone knows that the best views come after the hardest climbs. I believe that as humans, we will face obstacles regardless; you may as well be working toward living out the dream that chose you.
Growing up in a small family business came with its own set of challenges: I remember being very aware of how difficult it was to make money and that we didn’t have a lot of it from a young age. Although I had a beautiful and rich upbringing in so many other ways, I was quite naive as I had not experienced anything outside of small-town life until the day, I set foot in Orlando. Moving alone across the country at nineteen without a car and hardly any money was a culture shock to say the least!
I would say that not having enough money to feel safe has been the challenge I have faced the most and for the longest amount of time, but I am no stranger to figuring it out! Once I arrived in Orlando, getting hired on to perform at Disney was among the first of challenges I faced. I attended eight consecutive auditions over a six-month time span with no less than 400-700 other beautiful girls; however, if I thought it was competitive to GET the job, it was ten times MORE competitive (for additional opportunities within the company) after I already got the job! Constant judgment of my physical features followed by constant rejection really took a toll on my self-worth and happiness. This process of overcoming rejection and not ever feeling good enough was something I battled throughout my years with the company, and I still struggle with at times today. I also severely struggled with jealousy and making friends in early adulthood while Disney was my whole life.
Similarly, I also faced great challenges while trying to learn how to be a wonderful hairstylist. There were many times throughout my training that I felt that I was not good enough to have the success I so longed for. My internship with the salon owner truly tested how much I believed that I could learn to do anything I set my mind to.
Out of all of the years of my life, this last year has been the most challenging of them all. I chose to leave a relationship in Texas I felt was no longer aligned with who I am becoming and who I am meant to be. I developed a great deal of anxiety that I am still learning how to manage and work through. I have loved lots, and I have lost lots. My faith that my dreams and intuition are guiding me toward the life I want to live helps me pick myself up and cheer myself on. Constantly being our own self’s #1 Biggest Fan is a challenge that I have come to know and still work through.
I believe that I have faced adversity while chasing my dreams to continue sharing the message that our dreams are so worth facing hardship for. The challenges I am facing in my life right now remind me of how important it is to continue fighting, pursuing, and encouraging others to do the same.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a hairstylist and now new-business owner specializing in creating beauty and making other people look and feel their most beautiful! My primary source of creativity right now is hair artistry through my recently opened hair studio. I am most well-known for blonding, balayage, highlights, and any other “lifestyle” or “lived-in” cuts and colors. To me, lifestyle hair design involves me creating looks that blend seamlessly with the person’s lifestyle: embracing their natural coloring and textures, who they are, what they do in the world, how they are looking to FEEL, and ultimately helping them express themselves through their hair, makeup, and fashion. I feel most proud when I can see that someone, I just created a look for feels most beautifully and authentically themselves.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Some people are surprised to find out that I had never been to Disney World (or anywhere in the East) until the day I started working there! I like to say (somewhat) jokingly that waving like a princess is my special gift.
I love expressing myself through hobbies like music and fitness, as well! I enjoy playing the piano and singing. I also love to write – from journaling and poetry to music and lyrics. Weightlifting and yoga have also totally changed my life and are huge components for me being able to express myself freely.
On a funnier note, I may be a future “crazy cat lady”! I have three cats that I love, and I am totally a cat person. But hey, they’ve been with me through it all!
Pricing:
- Haircut – Starting at $45
- Blonding and balayage – Ranging between $65 – $150+
Contact Info:
- Email: annamarie@alpenglowhairstudio.com
- Website: https://www.alpenglowhairstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alpenglow.hairstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alpenglowhairstudiofl/
