Celeste Moore Image: Behind the Scenes

I am an image consultant and a dating coach for successful men in their 40s-60s. My clients have different careers and all are prosperous, but they need help with their image and with their confidence so that they can successfully date. I’m here to create the best version of themselves so that they can strive for healthy and realistic relationships.

On that note, I would love for you all to get a better understanding of who I am and what brought me to be in this profession. Hopefully you will get to know me as I give you a glimpse into my background on my life and my education. 

This episode, I talk about:

[1:50] The early years 

I was born in Washington state in 1975. My mother was only 15 at the time, and thank God I had the most amazing grandparents who helped raise me. After my mom graduated high school, she went into nursing. This enabled her to have stability and to help raise me and her growing family. In 1988, we moved to south Florida hoping for warmer weather, more financial opportunities, and a better quality of life.

My father had followed in my mother’s footsteps as a nurse, so I grew up around medicine and I thought that was what I wanted to do with my life as well. In high school, I worked for a podiatrist and I was able to assist with surgery, physical therapy, casting broken bones, and anything else I wanted to learn. I really enjoyed assisting in surgery, and for a while I felt that I wanted to be a surgeon. I had a few jobs before that one, but working in this office really showcased my ability to care for another’s well being. The relationships I developed with the patients were special, and I knew that I wanted a profession where I could help people in some way. When I graduated high school in 1995, I decided I wanted to stay in the working world rather than starting college.

[3:14] My experiences in the working world

After high school, I started a new job as an apprentice optician. I loved it, and this position taught me how to find the right colors and styles of frames for an individual’s unique face shape. This was something that came naturally to me. Another amazing part of the job was the ability to have a say in the frames we purchased to have in our store. I was able to use my opinion about what would sell well for our customers.

In 1998, I decided to move to Las Vegas to be near my family. I began working at a high-end eyewear boutique in a casino, which was the perfect fit. I could start college without having to learn another trade, and I began my college education as a biology major. After working at the boutique for some time, I wanted to make more money and work fewer hours. I had gotten married in 1997 and divorced in 1998, so I decided to work another job as a waitress because I needed more money to live. I was determined not to drop out of college, because I wanted to go into medicine and I knew that it was going to take years of schooling to get there.

When I was married, my ex-husband and I woul sometimes go have fun at strip clubs on weekends. At one of the clubs, I met a girl and we became friends. I was curious about how much money she made, and she told me that she made $500 on a bad night. That felt like $10,000 to me at the time, but I knew my ex-husband would never allow me to work there. I liked the idea of how much money I could make.

Fast forward to a few months later, and I needed $2,000 so I could move out and get my own place. I panicked, but I quickly remembered my friend and her job. She gave me a reference to talk to a manager, and I was hired on the spot. Working as a topless dancer, I was able to make my own schedule, so I didn’t have to drop out of college. 

In 2000, I moved to Los Angeles so I could go to a reputable four-year school and because that is where my boyfriend at the time grew up. I decided to change my major so I could go to law school. In 2003, I graduated from the University of California-Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Before graduation, however, I had decided I did not want to go to law school. I was unsure of what to do next, so I started working at a title company in Orange County, CA. I really wanted to put roots down and I loved California, but all of my friends either went to grad school, moved back home, or moved away from Orange County. I decided to move back to Las Vegas in 2005, and this is when all of my business ideas started.

[7:15] The beginning of my business ideas

Throughout the years, I had always dressed my family and friends for fun. I would take them shopping, and I remember my mother asking me why I didn’t do this for a profession. I was shocked that people actually get paid to shop, because it was so much fun for me. I completely light up when I get to shop, so I realized then that I wanted to work for myself doing something I was passionate about. 

I did not pursue the image consultant part yet, because I thought becoming a matchmaker sounded so fun. I looked up the Matchmaking Institute in New York and saw that it was a three-day course to train and then you could become certified. So I left New York certified, and I was so excited to start my matchmaking business. I opened my first S-Corp and it was called ‘The Celestial Connection’. I continued to learn about business and matchmaking, but I never had any clients. I really felt that I was too young and inexperienced to take it any further at that time, so I put it on hold. 

Then I looked into my other passion of image consulting and I decided to become certified by the AIC. This is an international organization that required an intensive 10-day program in New York. Once I had the hours and the training modules covered, then I could qualify to study for the first entrance exam. I completed all of that and passed the exam, and I became an image consultant in 2006. 

[9:08] Becoming a single mother

Literally the day after I took the exam, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. This delayed the start of my business for a year-and-a-half, and I then formed My Image Evoluation in 2008. I worked so hard to get my business up and running, and I have been a single mom from day one. I knew I would have quite a few obstacles to overcome on the road to becoming a successful business owner and a mother.

Motherhood has brought me so much joy, but at the same time it only allowed me to grow my business on a small scale because I really lacked the time it needed to grow. I have always been the sole breadwinner, caretaker, and parent in my daughter’s life. As such, I have always found it difficult to balance motherhood and my career. I knew that I needed to make enough money to raise her and to be able to put money back into my image business so that it could grow. I went into survival mode again and went back to working at the strip club part-time.

[10:10] A fresh start for the business in New York City

In 2012, I decided that we were going to move across the country to the New York City area. I knew that my options for success were bigger in New York. I had gotten a few clients, and things were starting to look up. I began to work more, little by little. It definitely was a struggle to live sometimes, as I was all alone with no family. I did, fortunately, have some amazing new friends. 

It was really trying to figure out how my business could grow. I didn’t know if I would eventually start a whole new business altogether, or if I would continue the image consulting. I knew I needed to create a new business model for it to be super successful, and then I decided to blend image consulting and dating together. I knew it would take my business to a whole new level, and in 2021 Celeste Moore Image was born.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode! Come and hang out with me on Instagram @celestemooreimage and let me know your thoughts on today’s episode, because I always love hearing from you all!