Hi I'm Char

Commitment, meticulous attention to detail, and an unwavering passion for her craft has helped Charlene Stepney to make a name for herself as one of the premier esthetics educators in Illinois and Indiana. Born the middle daughter of internationally known American Producer, Charles Stepney, she learned the importance of being steadfast in business management.  After her father’s death, she became instrumental in rebuilding his music publishing catalog and increasing his notoriety throughout the world. Working and negotiating with Fortune 500 Entertainment companies has been her life since the age of 18.  Music Composition with a minor in business was her choice for college but as time went on, it was music that seemed to bring her down as it always reminded her of her father.

 

At the age of 19 while living in Japan, she decided to focus on wellness and wholistic health and beauty.  Upon returning to the states, she went to massage school and then to esthetics school. A few years later, she decided to become a licensed educator.  Char outlook on life changed as this was clearly her passion. And her journey in beauty became a lifelong passion.

 

In addition to being a licensed esthetics educator with three decades worth of experience in the field, she is also the proud owner of multiple successful beauty businesses and the published author of Brow Science, A Professional’s Guide to Brow Design. Charlene’s personal mission is to use her expertise to lead, mentor and encourage the next generation of trained beauty professionals to make their mark on the beauty industry and start successful businesses of their own. 

 

Charlene was trained in esthetics in 1992 and earned her title as a master educator in 1996. Since then, she has gone on to own a beauty bar, a skincare center and a skincare line, and has taught at some of the top schools in the midwest. She has operated as an instructor, curriculum creator, Campus manager and Advanced Educator. Her specializations include teaching, management, sales, and marketing. She is a natural leader with an eye for opportunity and a knack for increasing the revenue of every business she becomes involved in. Now, she is on a mission to utilize her formidable skill set to benefit esthetics students and the beauty industry as a whole through her latest trailblazing creation, Stepney Institute of Esthetics & Wellness.

 

Charlene launched the Stepney Institute of Esthetics & Wellness in 2021 with the aim of creating a progressive esthetics education program that embraced all races, genders and lifestyles. Her vision is for the Stepney Institute to serve its students with the innovative methodologies and expert training that they need to launch successful careers in the esthetics, wellness, skincare, and beauty industries. Charlene designed the signature Stepney Institute approach to address the primary need she had as an esthetics student years ago - a need for honest, reliable teaching, presented by industry professionals with tangible training objectives. Ensuring that all students at the Stepney Institute receive a world-class education at the hands of recognized and respected industry leaders. Charlene is not only expanding her own flourishing business empire but also putting real skills in the hands of tomorrow’s estheticians. As the Stepney Institute grows forward, Charlene continues to achieve her bold ambitions by enabling her students to go forth and make pioneering contributions to the global beauty sector. 

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Charlene is a speaker and teaches on beauty business and legacy building.  She has been featured in the UK's Guardian, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and more.