I found a WAH deck from 10 years ago—and nothing’s really changed

Today I stumbled across an old Google Drive folder. Inside it was a deck from a decade ago titled WAH Vision, Mission and Culture. We used this to train the new WAH Nail Artists who joined when we opened WAH SoHo in October 2016.

I opened it expecting to cringe. I didn’t. I felt proud. Emotional, even. Because there it was—in our signature purpley pink—everything I still believe today.

“To connect creative like-minded women and be part of international girl culture.”

and

“We act aspirational but inclusive. You can always sit with us ;)”

WAH was never just a nail salon. The nails were the excuse. The real mission was always to create space for women. To gather them. To elevate them. To give them ownership over their creativity, their time, their money, their image.

That’s still my work. It’s always been my work.

Even if the medium has changed—from zines to salons to software to books—my message hasn’t.

Gender equity is the through-line.

That women should be able to live fully, creatively, and economically empowered lives.

That beauty, when used with intention, can be a tool for self-actualisation. That work can be playful. That communities can be built through style, taste, and shared cultural fluency.

The only thing really different is that I raised the money to start Beautystack, not open more salons.

Reading that deck was like looking at my younger self and thinking: She already knew. She just didn’t have all the language yet.

If you’re in a season of questioning your direction, try this: Go dig up an old deck. An old blog post. An old journal. Not to mock it—but to mine it.

The core truths of your life’s work are usually already there. They whisper. And they follow you.

The full deck is below for Premium Subscribers! Don’t laugh at the typos! Grammarly wasn’t a thing then.