Life & Work with Cate Klepadlo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cate Klepadlo.

Hi Cate, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For 13 years I worked as a makeup artist in the film industry. Both my parents and pretty much entire family are or were in the industry. So naturally, I followed suit. I was lucky enough to work on a soap opera, General Hospital to be exact, as soaps are steady, local work. In 2018, I had my first baby boy. After having Ford I returned to GH 3 days a week instead of full-time so I could spend more time with him. Fast forward to 2021 and my second son was born. When I left on maternity leave I had planned on returning to GH but I believe the universe had different plans for me. Kayce was a hard baby and I struggled with some postpartum anxiety/depression after he was born. I quickly realized I had to figure out a way to be able to be around more for all of our sake. I’ve always loved my job so I knew I wanted to stay within my field. I sat down with my husband one night and told him I think I need to go back to school and start my own business focusing on esthetics. It’s actually something I always wanted to do just never thought I could after all this time. But I thought it was worth a shot to see what he thought. After figuring out the logistics to my pleasant surprise we agreed. And with the help of MANY, that’s exactly what I did. After some blood, sweat, and tears in November of 2022, I had found the perfect location and I was able to open up The Skin Poet. I’m the only esthetician with my own room in a salon atmosphere. Aurora Salon has been one of my biggest cheerleaders and I’m so glad I chose to open up there. It hasn’t been easy by any means but I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone that has helped me get to this point.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I feel like I can say it’s been both smooth and full of obstacles. Smooth as in I’m genuinely happy with the decisions I’ve made. I wasn’t happy anymore with where I was at in my career and I stepped up and made the change that needed to happen even though I was scared to death I would possibly fail. Full of obstacles as in having 2 young children (one a newborn), needing to go back to school at 34, having little to no clientele, and leaving a secure, well-paying job to pursue my own business. The last probably being the hardest choice because in Hollywood, jobs like that don’t come easy. And I had worked really hard to get to where I was. But it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I needed to take the chance.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a makeup artist, I have to say I’m most proud of my two Emmy awards that I earned being apart of the talented team at General Hospital. The Skin Poet has since become my passion. Facials are my niche and customizing treatments for each and every client is my favorite part. Not one person is the same and that also goes for our skin. I find joy in making others feel good about themselves. If you’ve left my treatment room with not only the ultimate glow but also feeling a little lighter and more centered in your being then I’ve done my job.

Express facials have become a fad and while I think it’s a great service, it’s not something I offer. I prefer to spend more time with my clients. The experience in all aspects is really important to me. I also have some of the fun machines that I love using like a hydrodermabrasion machine, the O2toDerm Oxygen+LED machine, and a nanoinfusion pen. I’m hoping to add micro channeling in the next year. My goal is to continue to grow in every way I can.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Family first. While I’ve always known this is important, having children has truly brought that to light.

I’m also a person who likes to plant roots and not ruffle too many feathers. In this journey I’ve learned a lot about self-worth and that change can be a really good thing.

Contact Info:

• Website: Linktr.ee/theskinpoet
• Instagram: @the.skin.poet