Daily Inspiration: Meet India Clark- Stewart

Today we’d like to introduce you to India Clark- Stewart.

Hi India, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I always used to paint my nails. My mom and aunts would say, ladies, don’t go anywhere with chipped nail polish or bare nails. Lol, I even had an acrylic set that I tried to use. The fumes were so strong that the whole house smelled like a nail salon. Fast forward, I started doing nails during COVID-19 in 2020. I got pretty decent at it, so I thought I would go to school and learn it properly. While in school at Elaine Sterling Institute in Atlanta, GA, they offered an advanced pedicure class and a certified master pedicurist diploma, which allowed me to manage diabetic clients and other clients with healthcare issues and offer medical professional referrals. All I could only think about then was my grandmother, Shirley Clark. She passed away in 2022. she was a diabetic and in a nursing facility. It took someone almost 3 months to clip her toenails. That bothered me, and I wanted to ensure that didn’t happen to someone else’s loved one. So I finished school, started doing nails, and quit my job at USPS to pursue my passion, pedicures.

Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh no, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Lol. In the beginning, after I graduated school, I went to work at nail salons that didn’t even want me to offer the CMP option. They were just concerned about getting people in and out of the chair. I was moving on to the next dollar. My heart wouldn’t let me live like that. once I started at Dyvonne’s Nail and Beauty Bar in Forest Park, GA. The owner, Scott, allowed me to offer it, and my clientele started to build. It felt amazing being able to make the community aware of CMP. Then boom, I got a phone call that my mother was going to have a pretty major surgery, and I needed to come home to Kansas City. In August 2022, I returned to KC and checked on my mom and family. My children asked to stay in KC while finishing high school. So, I made the arrangements to move back. That meant leaving GA and the clientele that I had just built. I started working oddball jobs to survive and even returned to the USPS. I began to offer mobile services in KC and reached out about a salon space. It’s been sleepless nights when I can’t turn my brain off because I try my best to be considerate and proactive when dealing with my business for my clients.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a certified master pedicurist. I specialize in diabetic foot care, fungal treatments, thick nails, discoloration, and toenail restoration. I offer treatment for a client’s specific personal issue. What sets me apart is that I am taking steps as an African American woman to make the Kansas City community aware of what is available to them. Most times, we walk around with foot issues and think oh, that’s normal. I’m telling you it’s not, and here is how I can help. I also use my all-natural body care products in the services I render, from oils, scrubs, body butter, and more. I am not using a bunch of processed chemicals. That is something that makes me happy. It makes me proud to help build someone’s confidence and put a smile on their face one toe at a time.

What do you think about happiness?
Helping others makes me happy. When someone reaches out to me and says hey, I have this going on with my feet. Or hey, India, can you help my loved one? The lady who doesn’t want to buy sandals, or the man who never wears his feet bare. I feel good knowing I have the knowledge and tools to do the job. By the time I leave a client, we are hugging and laughing. Being able to put a smile on someone’s face and restore their confidence is meaningful to me. That’s my calling.

Contact Info:

• Website: yourhealingtouch86.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/yourhealingtouch86
• Facebook: facebook.com/yourhealingtouch86

Image Credits
Head shot by racquel “rocc” of Kamera Boss Photography