Meet Abigail Herrera of San Diego

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Herrera.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m a mom of three, and somewhere along the way, taking care of myself started to feel like one more thing I had to feel guilty about.

I still wanted to feel like myself. I wanted to get my lashes done, have my nails done, take care of my skin—the little things that made me feel like *me* outside of being a mom.

But every appointment meant more time away from my kids, more childcare to figure out, and more time away from work.

And the mom guilt was REAL.

There were times I would book an appointment and, when the day came, I just couldn’t bring myself to go. I’d rather lose my deposit than deal with the guilt of spending another two hours away from my kids.

Eventually, I realized this wasn’t really about beauty appointments.

It was about how easy it is for women to slowly put themselves in the backseat once they become mothers.

We give everything to our kids. Our time. Our schedules. Our energy. And without even realizing it, we can start losing pieces of the woman we were before motherhood.

I love being a mom. But I never wanted loving motherhood to require losing myself in it.

And I knew I couldn’t be the only woman feeling this way.

So I started thinking differently about the beauty industry.

Why should getting your lashes done take two hours, then your nails another two, then your pedicure another hour? Why are women expected to find separate days—or practically an entire day—to maintain the things that make them feel good?

What if we could do it differently?

That became the idea behind EXALT.

A beauty experience where multiple services can happen **at the same time**.

Lashes. Nails. Pedicures. Brows. Skin.

Instead of sacrificing an entire day, we can give women that time back.

Because prioritizing yourself shouldn’t mean compromising your time with your children, your career, or everything else that depends on you.

I created this because I needed it.

And if I needed it, I knew other women did too.

EXALT is about making room for the woman underneath all of the titles—mom, business owner, wife, partner, caregiver, employee.

You can give so much of yourself to the people you love and still save some of yourself for **you**.

That’s the beauty experience I wanted.

So I built it.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.

One of my biggest challenges has been building a business while also raising three young children. There have been seasons where childcare dictated how much I could work, when I could take clients, and how quickly I could grow. I’ve had to learn how to build a business around my life instead of sacrificing my life for the business.

I’ve also had to rebuild more than once. After moving away from San Diego, I eventually came back home and essentially had to reestablish my clientele and my business while navigating a major transition in my personal life and becoming a single mom of three.

Financially, that meant being extremely intentional. There wasn’t unlimited time or money to throw at an idea and hope it worked. Every new service, team member, piece of equipment, and expansion had to make sense.

But I think the biggest struggle actually became the reason EXALT evolved into what it is today.

I realized that the traditional beauty industry wasn’t designed around women whose time is already stretched thin. I was experiencing that personally. I wanted to maintain the things that made me feel like myself, but spending hours at separate appointments felt impossible.

So instead of seeing my limitations as something I had to overcome, I started designing around them.

That’s where the simultaneous-service concept really came from.

I’m still building it. There have been mistakes, changes, pivots, and plenty of moments where I’ve had to figure things out as I go. But I think that has made EXALT more intentional because it wasn’t created from a perfect business plan—it was created from a real problem I was experiencing in my own life.

And now I’m building the solution I wish I had.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
EXALT BEAUTY is a San Diego beauty studio built around one idea: *your beauty appointments shouldn’t take over your entire day.*

I’m a licensed esthetician and lash artist with nearly a decade in the beauty industry, specializing in lash extensions and Korean Lash Lifts. Over the years, EXALT has grown beyond lashes into a team offering nails, pedicures, brows, skincare, waxing, and other beauty services.

What really sets us apart is how those services are delivered.

We’ve created a beauty concept centered around simultaneous appointments, where multiple providers can work together so a client can receive several services during the time she would normally spend getting just one.

You can have your lashes done while receiving your manicure and pedicure, with services like brows or skincare incorporated into the same appointment. Instead of scheduling multiple appointments across multiple days, we’re creating an experience where women can get their time back.

And that is probably what I’m most proud of.

As a mom of three, I understand how valuable time becomes and how quickly taking care of yourself can fall to the bottom of the list. EXALT was created from a problem I was experiencing myself, and it has evolved into something that can make another woman’s life a little easier.

I’m also proud that we’re continuing to grow without losing that purpose. We currently serve clients in La Jolla and are expanding into East County with our Alpine location, allowing us to bring this concept to even more women.

Ultimately, I don’t want EXALT to be known simply as a place where you can get your lashes or nails done.

I want us to be known for changing the way women experience beauty appointments—because sometimes the greatest luxury isn’t the service itself.

**It’s getting your time back.**

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I love most about San Diego is that it truly feels like home. I love the diversity of the different communities here—you can go from the coast in La Jolla to East County and feel like you’re somewhere completely different, while still being in the same city. The weather, the beaches, the food, and being able to raise my kids here are all things I really appreciate. There’s just something about San Diego that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.

What do I like least? parking. Easily. Especially in La Jolla! I love having my business there, but finding parking can sometimes feel like an appointment of its own.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.exaltbeautyhaus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exalt.beauty.sd/

Image Credits
ayshacantin