Today we’d like to introduce you to Keila Ortiz.
Hi Keila, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Keila Ortiz, but everyone knows me as Key. I was born and raised in Humacao, Puerto Rico, in 1977. I am the daughter of an Iraq War U.S. Military veteran and my mom was a stay at home mom. I had a great childhood, and I was fortunate enough to receive a great education while I was growing up. My parents made sure that we had everything we needed, and for that, I am very grateful–but everything changed once I decided to move out of my family’s home and become independent. I was hit with a dose of reality once I stepped out into the “real world.” A world where the protection and safety of my family didn’t exist and I had to face a lot of difficult situations and harsh realities on my own. At 17, I decided to move in with my aunt here in Kissimmee, FL to begin my college education. Soon after, I met my daughter’s father while we were both studying in college. After a few months, we decided to move in together, and not long after that, I got pregnant. At 19 years old, I gave birth to my firstborn, a beautiful baby girl. As the months went by, I soon realized that my daughter’s father was not ready to be a dad–neither emotionally nor financially. Our relationship was a disaster and started going downhill fast. I then made the decision to raise my daughter on my own and we moved back to Humacao. Raising a child on my own was not easy, especially when I had to juggle multiple jobs at the same time. I also had to discontinue my college education in order to focus on raising my daughter. I worked in all kinds of industries from housekeeping to fast food–all to put food on the table, a roof over her head, and clothes on her back. I wanted my daughter to have everything she needed. I knew I needed to further my education in order to give her the life she deserved, so despite working multiple jobs and raising a 4-year-old, I decided to go back to school to become a Paramedic.
Unfortunately, there weren’t enough jobs in the Paramedic field at the time because Puerto Rico is such a small island. All the jobs were already taken by others who have been working in that field for years. I had to keep working regular jobs in order to provide for my family. When my daughter was five years old, I met a family friend who was a police officer. We started dating and soon after we became official. Not long after, we got married in a modest, Christian church in my hometown. I was extremely happy with my husband and even happier that I was finally able to have a home that my daughter could grow up in. A year and a half later, I had my second child, a beautiful baby boy. Everything was going well up until my husband lost his job. We soon lost our house and all four of us had to live out of our car for three weeks. Every night, I would pray to God that He would get us out of this situation, and one day a miracle happened, and God sent a few people who extended their help and we were able to get back on our feet. We found a house, both of us found good jobs, and our financial situation improved to the point where I was able to open up my first business, a dance academy. I was a dancer from the age of 2, so I was very passionate about dance. Due to our tough family situation that we went through, I developed the backbone to become a business owner and be able to handle everything life threw at me. Through my dance academy, I met a lot of wonderful and talented kids who didn’t come from the best economic situations, so I wanted to make sure that they were able to develop their skills at my academy at the same time as providing a safe space for them. Despite all the great things that came from my dance academy and my career, nobody knew what was happening in my personal life behind closed doors. This is the first time I’m sharing my story and even my own family has no idea the details that I’m about to share. Progressively, my life did a 180-degree turn. My husband started emotionally and mentally abusing me. At the time, I thought it was okay and justified it as being related to the fact that he had just lost his career of many years, so I kept my mouth shut–but soon after, the mental and emotional abuse turned into physical abuse. This became a part of my day-to-day. I stayed silent because I was embarrassed and I never said anything to anyone. I had hope that things were going to change, so I stayed for the sake of my family. One day, I found out that my husband had been cheating on me with multiple women, and he even got one of them pregnant.
At this point, I decided I would no longer stay silent and decided to end the relationship. This is the moment I realized that I needed to start valuing myself as a woman and that the abuse and infidelity was not my fault. I see so many women in similar situations to mine, and I want them to understand that abuse of any kind is never okay and should never be tolerated. If there is just one woman out there reading this who is in a similar situation, I want you to know that you are not alone, and my doors are always open for you. After we divorced, I decided to focus on raising my kids and my career. My dance academy expanded and I was thriving in my career. I finally started feeling happy again, and I regained my confidence. We were getting so good that we were being invited to television shows, dance competitions, telenovelas, and even as extras in a movie called “Talento de Barrio” by superstar Daddy Yankee. Being part of these events, I needed to get my dancers ready by doing their makeup and hair. This is when I found my passion for the beauty industry. I quickly enrolled in a Cosmetology school in order to learn all the aspects of the beauty industry, I started achieving great success in my hometown with my dance academy and things were going great in my career. One day, I started feeling excruciating pain all over my body. I went to the doctor and they ran some tests and it turns out I have Fibromyalgia. With this condition, I was unable to teach dance and unfortunately, I had to close my dance academy. I had to start over, but at this point, I was no stranger to picking up the pieces and getting my life back on track. Throughout this process, I met a wonderful man who I am proud to call my husband today. My daughter was now a teenager cand my son was six years old. He helped raised both of my kids as if they were his own. I expressed to him that I wanted to continue my education, especially since my kids were now older and I had a stable home. My husband encouraged me and said he would support me in all my endeavors, so I decided to study Criminology, something I had loved since before my dance academy, my Cosmetology career, and my Paramedic schooling. As you’re reading this, you might wonder why I decided to study so many fields. My mom always taught me that education is the foundation for great success and this lesson lives on in my life today. After I finished studying Criminology and Cosmetology, I decided to open my own salon in my garage. My husband built me a beautiful salon from the ground up. I started doing hair and makeup, but as some of you know, the trends in the beauty industry are always changing. At the time, the concept of tattooing your eyebrows was on the rise, so I decided to buy a tattoo kit and learn on my own. After much practice, I started tattooing my clients and they loved my work. I wanted to master the art of tattooing eyebrows so, in order to better prepare myself, I enrolled myself in a Micropigmentation school. I became a specialist and soon became number one in my town and even became one of the best on the entire island. Word of mouth soon spread and I started having so many clients that I needed to expand. I then opened my very first beauty salon. Things were going better than ever, my social media for my salon following grew, and business was great.
In September of 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the entire island of Puerto Rico and I lost everything. Like so many others on the island, I found myself frustrated, sad, desperate, and scared. I went through situations that I could never have imagined, like would we be able to eat or drink water that day, when things would get better, and when we could get off the island for the sake of my family. As a family, we decided to start over in Kissimmee, FL. At this point, I’ve had to pick up the pieces and start over so many times, that instead of being scared, I realized that this is what life is made up of, and I could either remain frustrated and scared or continue fighting. We arrived in Kissimmee with the little savings we had, and thanks to God, we were able to find a small apartment to start off, a car to get around, and my husband found a full-time job. I rented a small room in a spa and started doing Micropigmentation, Microblading, and other beauty services with the clientele I had already established through social media. A year later, my business started thriving once again, my social media following grew, and word of mouth started spreading in the Central Florida area. I was now ready to take the next step, and I opened my own salon, for the second time, in Plaza del Sol in Kissimmee, FL where I have been for the last two years. To this day, my social media following has been the biggest it’s ever been. I’ve even had celebrity clients, and we keep growing every single day. My clients leave my salon extremely happy and with their confidence through the roof, which is the reason I enjoy my job so much. Since my clients leave feeling better than when they came into my salon, they are the reason my client base keeps expanding and my clients keep coming back.
My experiences have served as a lesson for growth as a person as well as to help others to overcome different situations. My massage table has turned into a safe space for my clients to vent, express themselves, and have someone hear them out, and to provide advice and words of encouragement. After I complete service, I usually make coffee for myself and my clients, and I’m fortunate enough to call them my friends. Instead of feeling sorry for myself for all of the experiences I’ve had to endure, I’m grateful to God that He has taught me all of these life lessons in order for me to be able to help others. Throughout the years, I’ve had highs and lows like any other person, but I’m extremely grateful and happy that God has given me the life I have today. He has blessed me with two wonderful children that are now both adults, an extremely devoted and caring husband, and an amazing career. As far as the next steps go in my career, I am launching a podcast where I will be talking about various topics to help others in different life situations and to be able to empower people in order for them to be able to fulfill their dreams, knowing that nothing is out of reach or impossible.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Brows’ologist by Key Ortiz?
We specialize in all types of Micropigmentations, Microblading, aesthetic facials, eyelash extensions, lip and teeth services. We also teach students how to apply eyelash extensions and how to perform Microblading services. What sets me apart from others is my relationship with my clients. I always make sure that they feel welcome and that my salon is their home away from home. I genuinely feel like my clients are my friends. I’m most proud of my growth in these last three years. My clients keep coming back for more and that is always a great feeling. I want your readers to know that we offer all types of the eyebrow, eyelash, and facial services that you can think of. We are constantly improving our techniques, services, and salon. I want them to know that everyone is welcome in my salon and it’s a safe space for all.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I have worked with different public figures and colleagues, and we have helped each other expand our business and client base. My only advice would be, don’t be scared to network or to reach out to a potential mentor.
Pricing:
- Microblading ($375 full service)
- Deep Clean Facial ($75 for 60 minutes)
- Dermaplaning with Deep Clean Facial ($150)
- Eyelash Extensions ($100 and up)
Contact Info:
- Email: keyort39@gmail.com
- Website: https://square.site/book/PH2F9X77H64XN/brows-ologist-by-key-ortiz-kissimmee-fl
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/browsologistbykey/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Keyortizmicrobladingartist/about/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UClObu9p2ojxIPpYhk_gwZwQ
- Other: Phone: (407) 419-1890
Image Credits
Gregory Moreno
