Joy Beat

Arun Rath: Let’s be honest — the news is heavy. It’s important, but it’s exhausting.

The Joy Beat isn’t here to ignore reality or give you an escape. We’re here to provide a balanced take on reality because every day, real people are finding real solutions in their communities and spreading some much-needed joy.

These stories are happening all around us, and they deserve just as much space as the headlines that weigh us down. So, from our newsroom to your ears, we bring you the Joy Beat.

This week, we’re celebrating the joy found in self-confidence. It’s no secret that self-confidence and a positive self-image can prime you for success and happiness. When you look your best and feel your best, you do your best.

But for people struggling to pay the rent, feed themselves and their families, or are facing serious health challenges, building the best version of themselves is an indulgence and out of reach. This Joy Beat episode is honoring those who declare that everyone deserves to feel beautiful and confident in their own skin.

First, we’ll head to Milton to the Sadiddy Lifestyle Beauty Studio, where joy is found in abundance — one act of service, one empowering conversation, and one beauty transformation at a time.

Skye Warren is the founder of Sadiddy Lifestyle Beauty Studio, a vibrant space where beauty isn’t just about appearances. It’s about impact. The salon is a community hub where Black and brown men and women find connection and support — a beacon of joy and resilience.

Skye is here to share more about how beauty and person can go hand-in-hand. Skye, welcome to the Joy Beat!

Skye Warren: Thank you so much. I’m so happy to be here.

Rath: Great to have you. I mentioned in the introduction that Sadiddy Lifestyle isn’t just a beauty studio, though it does offer those services. Explain more about what Sadiddy is about beyond that.

Warren: Yes, absolutely. When I think of Sadiddy Lifestyle, I definitely always say that our salon is deeper than beauty. When we say that our salon is deeper than beauty, we want to be clear in that we are existing to create a safe space for our community to receive these luxury services, but to also be able to be a space that is therapeutic and a space that is healing.

Rath: How does that happen? I know that in a beauty parlor or barber, great conversations can happen. Is it about fostering that kind of interaction?

Warren: Yes. So, I would definitely say that it’s about fostering sisterhood and fostering genuine connection. When we’re thinking about the community connection that we’re able to curate at Sadiddy Lifestyle, we are doing something that really allows us to go beyond the status quo.

There are a number of conversations that happen authentically with us and our clients, just based off of the people that may be in the room. When I think about being at Sadiddy Lifestyle, there are some times when we have politicians in our chairs. There are some times when we have educators, entrepreneurs, etc., and you never really know what you’re going to get when you walk into Sadiddy Lifestyle in terms of who’s there.

But you’re always going to leave better than you came into the space because our goal is to really fill your cup while you’re there.

Rath: Tell us about the training program you created.

Warren: Yes, thank you so much for asking about that! I love our training program. Our training program is something that is truly near and dear to my heart because it allows us to really have a very clear quality control for the members of our team and for the clients that we’re able to service.

Our training program goes beyond just naming what customer services that we require of our team but it goes to also servicing the community to name [some services], we offer Gel-X training, we offer acrylic training, we offer structured training that really allows nail technicians, whether they’re on our team or not, to be able to receive the training that they need to be able to be successful within those specific services.

Rath: What’s it been like working with young women and watching them go through this process?

Warren: I would say it’s one of the most rewarding parts of my journey. I’m also an educator by day — I’m a K-12 educator at a local charter school in Roxbury —

Rath: Something more than you should just mention in passing!

Warren: Yes, absolutely! But when I was opening Sadiddy Lifestyle, keeping education at the front was something that was really important to me. So being able to pour into the women that have worked at — or currently work at — Sadiddy Lifestyle has truly been a blessing for me, because I’ve really been able to pour into those that have been able to work with us.

Rath: You’re talking about it like it’s an extension of your day job — your educational mission.

Warren: Yes, it absolutely is. It is something that I feel like is my life’s purpose — to be able to not only teach someone a skill that is going to be able to make them the money that we need to survive, but also just the overall experience of the sisterhood that we’ve been able to foster.

Rath: Have you had any of your former students at Sadiddy?

Warren: I have! Actually, one of my students has been able to receive a service. She’s a nail technician herself, and I was able to — with the way she turned her behavior around this year — I gave her a free set for her birthday this past year. It was very full circle for her to be able to hear about the salon for so long but then to be able to step foot and really see it for herself. I know it was something that was very motivating for her, as she’s also a rising nail technician.

Rath: So, you know, our sort of ethos with this beat is that we really hunger for joy — for more stories like yours. We like to ask the people we’re talking to: What does joy mean for you? Where do you find it?

Warren: That is such a beautiful question. Joy, to me, is resilience. When I think of joy, I think of the resilience to persevere — specifically, being a Black woman in Boston, the resilience to continue to get up and make a difference every day is truly what brings me joy.

Rath: Skye, it’s been great talking with you. Thank you so much for sharing your work with us.

Warren: Thank you so much for having me. I greatly appreciate being here. I think the work that we’ve been able to do at the salon deserves to be showcased, and I think that this is just a perfect segment for us to be on — spreading joy in the community. So, I’m super, super grateful to have been able to do this.

Rath: That’s Skye Warren, founder of Sadiddy Lifestyle Beauty Studio. You’re listening to the Joy Beat.

Our next stop is on Newbury Street, where we head to one of Boston’s top hair salons. The Salon at 10 Newbury finds itself right at home among the many affluent designer stores, but there’s more going on here than fancy haircuts; it also helps cancer patients feel a bit more like themselves when experiencing hair loss from chemotherapy.

The nonprofit Wigs for Well-Being provides them with customizable and luxurious wigs to do just that. During this taxing period of their lives, cancer patients can find confidence in these wigs, which typically cost thousands of dollars.

We’re lucky to be joined by the founder of Wigs for Well-Being and the Salon at 10 Newbury, Patricia Wrixon. Patricia, welcome to the Joy Beat!

Patricia Wrixon: Hello, how are you today?

Rath: Doing well! It’s great to talk with you. So tell us, first off, about how Wigs for Wellbeing came to be and how it’s grown.

Wrixon: Well, I’ve been doing work with patients who have different forms of hair loss for a number of years—for probably over 30 years—when I moved to Newbury St. in 1995. We have a huge selection of wigs. We had this wonderful nonprofit where we actually give wigs to women who do not have insurance and do not have funds to purchase the wig.

The wigs are donated back by our previous clients who have outgrown the wig for various reasons—their hair is growing back. They’ve experienced the same thing that breast cancer patients or other cancer patients have experienced. Next month, October, is breast cancer month.

So when these women come in, they need to have a prescription from a doctor. They need to have a note or a letter of financial need from either a social worker or someone at the doctor’s office. It’s a very easy process without a lot of paperwork.

Then, we prepare these wigs so that they look like a woman so that a woman can look like herself. For those women, it creates a lot more normalcy — for all women, it creates a lot of normalcy back into their lives instead of feeling uncomfortable about their image or presence.

The other thing is that they would have a wig that’s valued at several thousand dollars. They’re beautiful, beautiful pieces, and they look incredibly natural. In our salon, at this moment, after many years of going through a transition, we primarily only do hair loss for women in this location at 10 Newbury.

Rath: I understand that you also worked with Boston Children’s Hospital.

Wrixon: We do some work with Boston Children’s Hospital. We also work with, actually, every medical center in the city and outside of the city. Our foundation is only from Massachusetts, but we could also do it virtually.

Rath: You mentioned the thousands of dollars that the wigs cost. Is there any kind of insurance coverage for that? I mean, in a way, it’s sort of like a medical prosthesis.

Wrixon: It is a medical prosthesis—that’s typically called the scalp or cranial prosthetic. But all insurance companies are different, and some of them provide a much bigger benefit, and occasionally the entire amount. But many insurance companies only cover a very small amount.

Rath: Tell us a bit more about this process. You’ve been through it with so many people—I have to imagine at this point—when someone comes in and goes through it. Talk about what that’s like. I mean, it must be pretty powerful.

Wrixon: It’s very gratifying work, and the people who work here with me have handled it so well. I do not do the coloring or cutting, but we do, also, cut and color them. We actually like to trim them on someone’s head, but if not, once again, we can do it virtually.

When a patient comes in, we would have a consultation—a relaxed consultation. Many years ago, I only saw women who had already experienced their hair loss; that’s rarely the occasion now. Usually, everyone who comes in has their own hair, which is really good for us because then we can really check the color and check the length. After we have the consultation, you know, the pieces are here, we would select a piece, and then we would customize it for that patient.

Rath: Talk about the emotional process for you and the women going through it.

Wrixon: I think that it is very emotional for women. Most of the time, they’re very nervous when they come because wig shopping isn’t something that particularly happens in department stores. So really, most people don’t know much about them, so they’re imagining the worst instead of a more positive outcome.

But once they’re here, they can see how much better it will be than what they thought. Many, many women look so much like themselves. I mean, they never really feel they look entirely like themselves because they’re the person wearing it, but when people see them, they will never look like they have a wig on. They’ll look very natural looking.

Rath: I mentioned joy in the intro. What’s been the most rewarding part of this for you? What brings you joy?

Wrixon: What brings me joy from my work? I really feel that it’s a Rath: I mentioned joy in the intro. What’s been the most rewarding part of this for you? What brings you joy?

Wrixon: What brings me joy from my work? I really feel that it’s a gift that was given to me because every day, I feel like I have a mission, and we provide such an amazing purpose. The nonprofit really makes me feel really good to know that I can recycle these pieces and give them to women who would never have the opportunity to do this.

Rath: Pat, it’s been really lovely speaking with you. Thank you so much for coming on and telling us about this work.

Wrixon: Thank you for helping us expose our nonprofit.

Rath: That’s Patricia Wrixon of the nonprofit Wigs for Well-Being. You’re listening to the Joy Beat.

Finally, let’s go back to high school for that rite of passage for seniors: the prom. The history of the celebration dates back to the early 1900s when the prom was actually conceived as a kind of counterprogramming to fancy debutante balls and social activities typically reserved for rich kids. Think of something out of The Great Gatsby.

Prom, then, became its own gathering — affordable, available and mostly open to all. But somewhere along the line, we lost the affordable part. Between dresses, tuxes, shoes, jewelry, makeup, corsages and boutonnieirs — not to mention the tickets themselves.

Prom, these days, is out of reach for many. It’s turned into exactly what it was meant to replace. That’s where real-life fairy godmother Maristela Rapo comes in. Through her nonprofit, Giving the Glam, Maristela provides underserved students with the full prom experience, including professional photos and a stylish ride.

Maristela brings so many students the joy of finding confidence and looking beautiful — all while creating lasting memories and making students’ prom dreams a reality. We’re lucky to be joined by Maristela today. Maristela, welcome to the Joy Beat!

Maristela Rapo: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

Arun Rath: Before we jump into Giving the Glam, tell us a little bit about your own story and how you became interested in fashion.

Rapo: Yes. I’m originally from Brazil — Rio de Janeiro. I left Brazil [when] I was 18 years old, and I lived in Denmark. You know, Europe is so connected; every two hours, you’re in a different country. I thought, “I love Italy.”

Eventually, I moved [to America] — fast forward, I moved here in 2000. I was in love with fashion and opened a high-end boutique called Wolford. They are well-known all around the world. And then [I opened] Giuseppe Zanotti at Copley Place in Boston and New York.

I sold Wolford back to the company, and I had to close Giuseppe — back to the [2008] recession time. I didn’t want to live in the suburbs, you know, doing nothing. Then I said, “You know, I need to use a little bit [of] what I know best — that’s fashion — to make a difference.”

Fast forward four kids later, my daughter Alexis made a small introduction between me and the METCO director from Dover Sherborn. Then, my daughter came to me and said, “Ma, why [don’t you] introduce yourself to Miss Monique — Miss Monique Marshall? Maybe you can do something for her students.”

I introduced myself, and I told her, “Hey, Miss Monique, listen: I work in the fashion industry. If there’s anything I can do to support your kids, or do anything with your students, I’ll be happy to do so.”

Six weeks later, she called me, and she said, “Well, I have this young participant whose father passed away. She was raised by a single mother, and she needs help with prom.” And I said, “Oh, boy — prom.”

To be honest with you, we all laugh now because I thought all the prom dresses [were] not that beautiful. I remember I connected with the store that I bought my wedding dress [from], and I told the lady, the owner of the store, “Dolores, could you please help me? I have no clue what [a] prom dress is like.”

Then, she says, “Maristela, really? A prom dress is a gala dress, you know? It’s just meta-refined; what’s better for the person?” And this is how I did it. I said [to the METCO student], “Kimberly, why don’t you get ready in my house and bring your family? I will have some food here, get a hairstylist, makeup. You’ll leave [from] here and go straight to prom.”

I didn’t realize how large I impacted her. And two weeks later, she sent me this beautiful text, saying, “Thank you so much for making me feel like a princess. My friends [were] so excited to see me.”

I remember Kimberly had short hair. We put extensions, we — I did everything, just like a Brazilian woman. We went for everything: makeup, hair, everything. The accessories, the dress — everything was new. She kept everything. You know, I was very excited about the result and how much I impacted her.

Several months later, the METCO director, Monique Marshall, called me and said, “Well, I guess you have 20 kids for next year that need your help.” And then, I guess, between 2014 and 2015, it doubled: 20, 50, 90 and to 100. We grew so fast that my husband came to me and said, “You know, I know you so well. I know that you aren’t going to [stop] growing.” And we all know prom is very expensive — on average, over $1,000 if you have to put everything in the package.

That’s when I started raising money, and I was able to grow faster and faster. Everything that I was doing was always volunteer, from 2014 to today, and for the rest of my life. You know, there [were] no other interests of anything. It’s just like volunteer [work], and I think it’s so rewarding.

I can use the passion, the gift that I have, and the reward is to see how the families and the participants [are] feeling. The feeling is hard to describe.

Rath: So, it started out primarily with METCO students and has just broadened considerably since then.

Rapo: Yes, yes. The whole idea — I believe that everyone needs help, everyone needs a chance. And we all know, prom in this country — don’t forget, I came from South America, I lived in Europe, and here I am in the U.S. — I’ve never seen something like that in another country. Prom is huge here! Prom is pretty much like the next thing to a wedding. There’s even a proposal now when they have [the prom].

I think it’s really unfair for my participants, the participants that I have, that not only face the financial challenges but face all the other challenges their life [has] thrown them to be left out. You know, maybe because they not only face the financial challenge, but their self-esteem is lower to the ground. Maybe they don’t have any guidance.

Some of my participants are alone. You know, they don’t have someone that can guide them. But for some of them that I help, it’s like they really are alone. Unfortunately, some of them think they don’t even belong to this world, and to have a stranger, someone they’ve never before, give them a sense of belonging and [say], “Hey, you can make this happen. You can feel good about yourself.” And that’s huge.

Rath: Yeah. When I think about that, especially in this moment, when young people are just being assaulted by social media, that really undermines their self-esteem. To hear a teenage girl saying that you made her feel like a princess is huge.

Rapo: Yeah. When I do everything for my participants, it’s like first class, because everything relates [to] where I came from. I said, “Listen. The participants that I help can easily give up on education because of all the struggles that they go [through]. But they don’t.”

They know that their education is the only thing that they really have. It’s really unfair for them not to deserve a new dress or new shoes, or have a ride, a limo, to the prom destination just because they financially cannot afford it. It’s not even, like — a discussion.

Rath: I don’t mean to sound silly, but you’re a veritable fairy godmother! You do it all — the dress, the shoes and the carriage.

Rapo: Yeah, this is what they call me now! It’s a new name, and the [participants] said, “Do you know about this Miss — they call me Miss — you are a fairy godmother!” And I said, “Oh! OK!”

Rath: Brilliant. Maristela, it’s been so great talking with you. We so appreciate you coming on and talking about your amazing work. Thank you.

Rapo: Thank you for having me.

Rath: That’s Maristela Rapo, founder of Giving the Glam.

Skye, Patricia and Maristela know the joy found in feeling beautiful and bring it to those who may need a confidence boost. That’s why we’re celebrating them for their tireless work on the Joy Beat.

If you would like to nominate someone for the Joy Beat, let us know! Leave us a voicemail at (617)-300-BEAT [2328].

Joy Beat is a production of GBH and is distributed by PRX. A big thank you to all of our guests and to our team, who helped make this show possible.

Kana Ruhalter produced and edited today’s episode. Jackie Martin is our senior producer. Devon Robbins is our editorial producer. Mei He is our project manager. Special thanks to Dave Goodman, who helped mix this episode. We had engineering support from Bill Piacitelli.

Don’t forget to hit that follow button if you haven’t already to keep up with new Joy Beat episodes that drop every other Tuesday.

This is: Joy Beat. I’m Arun Rath. Thanks for listening.