Meet Sudonna Patterson of Chase Morgan Salon By Ashton Pike
“Beauty starts from within.” One may expect a famous woman’s name to follow this quote, but the woman responsible for such accurate words is better than famous. She is distinguished. After all, fame fades; but a distinguished woman will be known for years since she will stand out from everyone. Hair stylist and salon owner Sudonna Patterson meets these traits and more. Being a mom of three young boys, an adored wife, and a successful entrepreneur, Patterson has numerous accomplishments to her name, and this is only the beginning. Born and raised in Macon, Georgia, Patterson practiced the basics of cosmetology as a young girl when she styled her dolls’ hair and when she put rollers in her great aunt’s hair before bedtime each night. Eventually moving from Barbie dolls to actual customers, Patterson worked weekends as a shampoo assistant in a hair salon during high school. This job led her to pursue a career in cosmetology at Dudley’s Cosmetology University in North Carolina. After graduating, Patterson became an instructor for Dudley’s Advanced Cosmetology University, and then she took her skills outside national borders as an International Educator. Traveling to remarkable locations such as the Bahamas, Barbados, Aruba, and Jamaica, Patterson worked to communicate the latest techniques in cosmetology through seminars on product knowledge, hair care, advance cutting, and styling techniques. Taking into consideration Patterson’s spontaneous, extrovert personality, it was no surprise that she met her husband on a blind date in Atlanta while she lived in North Carolina. She and her husband are now loving and dedicated parents of three sons, Logan, 8, and twins Bryce and Blake, 4. The family of five resides in Lilburn, Georgia where they spend copious amounts of time together either at home or at Peace Baptist Church where they attend regularly. Amid college and starting a family, Patterson became an entrepreneur, opening her own hair salon called Chase Morgan Salon, which has been in business for
“Solving Gwinnett County’s staffing needs for over 16 years.”
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over 10 years. Named after her sister’s children, Chase and Morgan, Chase Morgan Salon, as Patterson states, “… was designed with the client in mind to create quality and efficient hair care services while being a positive environment for women to fellowship and relax.” Though the salon was originally located in Decatur, Georgia, Patterson recently moved the location to Snellville, Georgia to live out her dream of opening a conveniently located, upscale salon that would allow her to actively participate in her children’s lives at school. Having been in the cosmetology business for 23 years and counting, Patterson is highly dedicated to her career. Every day she goes above and beyond to ensure client satisfaction. Patterson commented, “My clients tease me because I am known for being the resource lady. As a hair stylist, clients confide in you about their personal struggles. I feel it is my responsibility as a Christian to uplift them and speak positive things into their life that will encourage them.” Being close to clients can also come with a cost. According to Patterson, the most difficult part of her job is losing faithful clients with the change in the economy and increasing unemployment. On one hand, she strives to help them until their financial situation is better; but on the other, Chase Morgan Salon is still an operating business and needs to make a profit in order to stay in business. Though being a successful entrepreneur comes with positive and negative aspects, the overall feelings of accomplishment and contentment with the Chase Morgan Salon trumps everything. A distinguished, devoted, and aspiring woman, Patterson has become a figure of hope, proving that with hard work and dedication, a childhood dream can become a reality. Patterson’s future at Chase Morgan Salon seems bright. “My goal for the salon is to always create an environment to derive success from teamwork and through education. As techniques change and products improve, I will prepare stylists through education to satisfy the new demands of clients, thus, ensuring a successful position in the future.” For contact information for Sudonna Patterson or information on location and operating hours of Chase Morgan Salon, please visit www.chasemorgansalon.com.
Diets Don’t Work! By Kelly Farris It’s that time of year again – panic mode has set in and you’re trying to get off the winter flub in time for bathing suit season. You might be considering a diet. Maybe you’re stuck trying to choose between the wide variety of options: 17 day, cabbage soup, weight loss shakes, paleo, and Atkins, just to name a few. Unfortunately, none of these work in the long run. In fact, fad diets can backfire and even contribute to weight gain. You don’t have to have a perfect diet to have a good diet. Eating normal portions of wholesome foods leads to the right body weight. Let your eating habits consist of 85-90% of quality calories, with the remaining calories of “whatever.” “Whatever” means you can have an orange one day or a cookie the next. The trick is not to deprive yourself of foods you really like. Sooner or later, you will end up binging if you make certain foods taboo. Take away the power to binge-eat by eating that certain food more often. Chances are, seven days of having a cookie for your “whatever” calories, will make it less desirable by day eight. I advise all my clients to make breakfast the most important meal of the day. I encourage eggs, egg substitute, turkey sausage, veggie sausage, grits, or oatmeal. These are all “fill-you-up” foods. Start your day with filling, healthy foods and you’ll set the tone for the rest of your day while reducing sugar cravings! So eat, but don’t deprive yourself. Make good choices!
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