Why Elevé exists

I'm Michelle Sweetapple, founder of Elevé Beauty Academy, a licensed professional and passionate industry educator dedicated to helping beauty professionals expand their skills and advance their careers.

My experience spans advanced skincare, waxing, and professional esthetic services such as microneedling and chemical peels. I provide hands-on education in dermaplaning, chemical peels, dermal layering, and advanced waxing techniques, always connecting classroom knowledge to real-world salon and spa practices. Safety, sanitation, contraindications, consultation, and professional service protocols are at the heart of everything I teach.

I believe learning should be engaging. My goal in every class is to build confidence, precision, and continued growth, and to help students develop strong client communication and exceptional customer service skills. I weave career readiness, professionalism, retailing, client retention, and business-building strategies into my teaching, because technical skill alone isn't enough to thrive in this industry.

I'm committed to continuing education and staying current with evolving esthetics practices, and I'm passionate about mentoring estheticians as they build successful, sustainable careers. I believe in lifelong learning, hands-on practice, and empowering every esthetician to reach their professional goals.

I'm Heather Malstaff, and I've spent my career helping service-based businesses turn talent into thriving, profitable operations. At Elevé Beauty Academy, I bring that experience to beauty professionals who are ready to grow a business as polished as the work they create.

My background is in boutique fitness, an industry that has a lot in common with beauty: appointment-driven schedules, loyal clients, small teams, and owners who wear every hat. I started as a Studio Manager at Orangetheory Fitness, became a General Manager at YogaSix, led multi-unit growth as a Regional Sales Manager at CycleBar, and went on to serve as Director of Sales & Operations at Extraordinary Brands, where I oversaw 4 different fitness brands.

Along the way, I've worked side by side with business owners on the daily details that make or break a business: keeping the calendar full, building client loyalty, pricing with confidence, training teams, and creating systems that run smoothly even on the busiest days. I've seen firsthand that incredible skill alone doesn't guarantee a booked-out book. Strategy, consistency, and smart operations do.

That's why I create courses for Elevé like The Booked-Out Brand, Content That Converts, and Add a Premium Service. Each one is designed to give beauty professionals practical, real-world tools they can put to work right away, whether they're behind the chair, in the treatment room, or running their own suite or salon.

My goal is simple: to help you build a beauty business that feels as good as it looks.