West on Wise Co.

Some places leave footprints. Others leave roots.
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Moments from May. A few days with family, old friends, and memories I’ll carry with me for a long time.

I think my soul was craving this more than I even realized.

The past few months have been full.
Building a business, making decisions, carrying a lot of responsibility… and just the normal weight that life brings sometimes.

Sometimes you don’t realize how much you’ve been holding until you finally slow down.
These few days by the ocean gave me that space.
Long walks. Quiet mornings. Fresh air. Time to just sit and notice everything around me.

I also got to spend time making memories with some of my favorite people and visit someone who has always felt like a second mom to me. Being back in the area where I spent so much of my childhood before we moved to Minnesota brought back a lot of memories. It felt really nostalgic in the best way.

At one point I found myself standing there looking out at the water, the waves crashing, wildflowers growing everywhere… and I was honestly in tears just taking in how beautiful everything was.

It felt like God gently reminding me to slow down and pay attention.
We move so fast through life sometimes.
The routines, the stress, the responsibilities… and we forget how much beauty and grace are actually surrounding us every day.

I’m really grateful for the quiet moments like this that pull me back to what really matters and give me the clarity I didn’t even know I needed.

And sometimes the reminders we need show up in the simplest places.
🤍🌊

ONE YEAR 🤍
What an accomplishment; and far from an easy one.

It’s so easy to focus on everything that still needs to be done or could be better, and so hard to pause long enough to truly celebrate the wins along the way. This felt like one of those moments worth stopping for.
Sagewood wasn’t something that was planned for years… or even months. It started with a random scroll on Facebook Marketplace, a salon for sale listing, and a quiet nudge I couldn’t ignore.

Two and a half months later, we were in a full remodel no business model, no stylists, no guarantees. Just faith, obedience, and the knowing that when God speaks, you listen. That’s the only way I can explain how this all came together.

This past year has held both highs and lows. The first year is often when people throw in the towel, when doubt gets loud and quitting feels easier. But that’s not the story here.

Today, I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by inspiring, uplifting women, loyal clients, and a community that has supported this vision from the very beginning. Sagewood is what it is because of the people who fill this space with talent, heart, kindness, and belief.

There’s so much more I could say, but for now, I’ll just say this:
Thank you for being part of this first year.
This is only the beginning 🥹

Spray tan:
Makeup:
Balloons+Decorating:

A Letter from a First-Time Salon Owner (Year One)

This past year has taught me more than I could’ve imagined.

Opening a salon wasn’t just about building a space. It was about learning how to lead, how to trust myself, how to make decisions before I felt fully ready, and how to grow alongside other people instead of trying to do everything alone.

There were moments of excitement and moments of doubt. Wins I celebrated quietly. Lessons I learned the long way. Things I would do differently now and things I wouldn’t change at all because they shaped me.

I learned that growth doesn’t always look like forward motion. Sometimes it looks like pausing, pivoting, having hard conversations, and choosing alignment over ease.

I learned that building a team takes patience, grace, and clarity and that culture matters just as much as talent.

I learned that leadership stretches you in ways no one really prepares you for.

Most of all, I learned how much I care about the people in this space, the work we do, and the community that trusted us from the very beginning.

This first year wasn’t perfect, but it was real. And it laid the foundation for everything still becoming.

Grateful for the growth, the lessons, the learning and excited to step into year two a little wiser, a little steadier, and even more rooted in what matters.
Here’s to continuing to grow together.

Xo- Nicole Renee

took my client back to a softer, more natural bronde + added one row of slim weft extensions for the subtle fullness she’s been missing. simple shifts… big difference.

Shoutout to my favorite extension brand
Colors tiramisu + peanut butter brownie in 22-24 inches were used to achieve this look.

It’s wild how God works sometimes, bringing people into your life right when you didn’t even know you needed them.

When I opened Sagewood, I had no plans to hire anytime soon… but then came Brooke. From the start, it just felt right. She’s been such a blessing, stepping in with so much heart, willingness to learn, and the kindest spirit.

Watching her grow these past few months has been so special — her confidence, her skill, and the way she connects with every person in her chair. I’m so proud of her and excited for what’s ahead.

Brooke is now taking her own clients when she’s not assisting me, and I can’t recommend her enough, especially if you weren’t able to get in with me before Christmas. She’ll take great care of you. 🤍

There’s so much people never see.
The chapters I outgrew.
The habits I had to release to become her.
The seasons where I drifted, searched, and slowly found my way back.
And the quiet faith that helped me return to who I was always meant to be.

For a long time, I said yes to things that didn’t serve me the drinking, the environments, the influences that kept me small. I don’t look back with shame, but I can see how much those choices dimmed the woman I was created to be.

My growth didn’t come from one big moment.
It came from honest decisions, quiet discipline, and choosing to walk away from the patterns and people that no longer aligned with the life God was calling me toward.

Finding my faith again became the anchor, the moment everything started to shift. It brought clarity, conviction, and peace, and it reminded me that becoming the woman God created me to be requires surrender, grace, and courage.
This season feels rooted.
It feels intentional.
It feels like alignment — not perfection.
A becoming that’s still unfolding, quietly but powerfully.
Thank you for being here for this version of me. 🙏🤎




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