Flavia Leal is a beacon for the Brazilian people. She has made it her mission to help others, especially immigrants looking to find their way in the United States as she did. She is not only a motivational speaker, influencer and lecturer, but also a licensed manicurist with certifications in esthetics, artificial nails, airbrush, eyebrow design, personal hygiene and cosmetics products demonstrator, while also serving as a teacher in esthetics and makeup.
Leal is bound for Paris, France, and primed to receive her second Portuguese Brazilian Award for her contributions and successes, all while improving lives of Brazilians in other regions of the U.S. and internationally as well. The awards aim to spotlight Brazilians who are making a difference and Leal, with her four beauty schools in tow, is certainly doing just that.
“When I took my leave to work as a beautician, I found that many Brazilians had the same desire, but that they were not well-received or even rejected in American beauty schools because these educational institutions required documents that the state didn’t request or because of language barriers,” said Leal. “With the intention of helping these people and giving the opportunity for so many Brazilians to have a real profession in the United States, I decided to open my first school.”
Her Flavia Leal Beauty School and its curriculum both stretch far beyond traditional beauty teachings and services, as it also offers students the ability to shift their mindsets, both professionally and personally, as well.
Having garnered numerous accolades and beauty-related awards all over the globe and in being recognized on a worldwide scale, Leal has been primed to make a difference in her communities, as she has done since arriving in the U.S. as a single mother with no possessions.
Her mantle will soon boast a new Portuguese Brazilian Award and it is well-earned.
Her Story
Leal arrived in the U.S. at the age of 19, preceded by a daunting childhood in Brazil, one riddled with financial troubles and bouts of domestic violence. However, upon relocating to America, it opened a new set of challenges, where she was forced to endure less-than-average living conditions, all while working over 80 hours each week, attending college and raising her daughter, who was stricken with ADHD, as a single mother.
Things did not get better from there as she was forced to say goodbye to her father who died in 2008, followed by her mother in 2009, after a long-standing battle with pancreatic cancer.
“Since I was a little girl, I loved school so much and studied, my mother would dream that one day I would be wearing a graduation cap and walking across the stage with my mother in attendance,” recalled Leal. “My mother, my best friend, died in my arms 11 months to the day that we found out about her diagnosis of cancer. I was so depressed that I didn’t go to my graduation. It was a difficult week, but I dusted myself off and began to reinvent myself.”
And reinvent herself is exactly what she did. She opened her first school in 2011 and, in 2013, purchased her second school from a previous owner who ran it for over 52 years. Following the launch and idealization of her name-brand makeup line, she began dabbling in digital marketing, social media strategies and started to warrant real recognition as a force in the beauty industry.
Since then, she has guided students, from all walks of life, backgrounds and ethnicities, and skillsets to walk the halls of Flavia Leal Beauty School to create better lives for themselves.
“Everything is possible. It depends on what you want and believe in, despite where you come from or who you are,” Leal said. “I like to help people. No one can tell anyone that they are not good enough. I opened my school to help all students, regardless of where they come from.”
About Flavia Leal
Flavia Leal, Founder of the Flavia Leal Beauty School, is an award-winning instructor, serial entrepreneur and motivational speaker. For more information, please visit: https://www.flavialeal.com/