Today we’d like to introduce you to MaKayla Renee’.
Hi MaKayla , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story has evolved so much since I was first featured by Nashville Voyager several years ago. At that time, a big part of my story was Hair Like Kayla’s, the business I built around my passion for hair, beauty, and helping women feel confident. Today, I’m still an entrepreneur and licensed cosmetologist, but I’ve realized that my purpose extends far beyond what I can build for myself.
I’ve always had a heart for people. Even before I had a nonprofit organization, I found myself wanting to give back, create experiences, and help wherever I could. Over time, that desire became bigger and more intentional. I started looking at the skills I had, the people I knew, and the resources I could bring together and asking myself, “How can I use what I have to help someone else?”
That mindset has shaped so much of who I am today.
Hair Like Kayla’s taught me how to create something from an idea, how to serve people, how to build relationships, and most importantly, how to be resourceful. Entrepreneurship taught me that you do not always have to have everything you need in front of you to get started. Sometimes you have to take what you have, believe in the vision, and figure out the rest along the way. I eventually realized I was using that same mentality in the community.
What started as simply wanting to give back grew into organizing programs and experiences for youth, families and people in-need. I saw firsthand how much could happen when people, businesses, volunteers, and community organizations came together around a common purpose. I also realized that I genuinely loved the work behind the scenes—planning, connecting people, finding resources, building partnerships, and turning an idea into something that could make a real difference for someone.
In January 2026, I took the next step and formed Renee’s Impact, a nonprofit organization created to support youth, families and people in-need through mentorship, resources, and community-driven experiences that build confidence, faith, and purpose.
Renee’s Impact gave structure to something that had already been growing inside of me. Through programs like our annual Back 2 School Bash, Soulful Sundays, and The Love Lab/Prom Queen Experience, I’m able to serve people in different ways—from helping students start the school year prepared, to providing meals and basic necessities to people who are unhoused or simply in need, to using my own background in the beauty industry to teach and empower young women.
One of the things I’m most proud of is learning how to create impact even when I don’t have a lot of money or resources myself. I’ve learned how to ask for help, build genuine community partnerships, stretch what we have, and get people excited about being part of something meaningful. Some of my biggest accomplishments have come from moments when, on paper, I probably did not have enough to make the vision happen—but somehow, through persistence, relationships, generosity, and faith, we made it happen.
And I think that is probably the best way to describe who I have become.
I’m a builder. Whether I’m building a wig, a business, a community program, a partnership, or now a nonprofit organization, I love taking something that starts as an idea and turning it into something tangible that serves people.
Hair Like Kayla’s is still an important part of my story because it helped develop the woman I am today. But my definition of success has expanded. I still want to be successful in business, but I also want my success to mean that other people had opportunities, resources, encouragement, or experiences they may not have had otherwise.
I’m still building, still learning, and honestly still figuring some things out as I go. Renee’s Impact is a new organization, and I know there is a lot of work ahead of me. But when I look at the journey from starting Hair Like Kayla’s, to independently giving back in my community, to now building an organization designed to make that work sustainable, I can see how every part of my journey has prepared me for the next.
My story is really about learning that the things I was given—the creativity, the beauty industry experience, the ability to connect with people, the resourcefulness, and even the challenges I’ve had to work through—were never meant to benefit only me. I want to build something meaningful with them, and I want the community I come from to benefit from what I build.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. In fact, some of my greatest accomplishments and some of my hardest seasons have happened almost simultaneously.
From 2024 to 2025, I was working toward one of my biggest personal goals: becoming a licensed cosmetologist. I attended TCAT Nashville four days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., while also working overnight security at Belmont University from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. I would literally leave work and go straight to school— I would be late almost every day. At the same time, I was still trying to maintain Hair Like Kayla’s and keep up with life in general.
Something had to give, and unfortunately, my business was one of the things that suffered. I didn’t have the capacity to consistently promote my services or accept as many orders, and some of the clientele I had built naturally had to find other options. That was difficult because Hair Like Kayla’s was something I had worked hard to build, but finishing cosmetology school was important to me. I knew earning my license would ultimately make me better at my craft and open doors for what I wanted to do in the future.
I graduated in 2025, and I was extremely proud of myself. I had accomplished something that had been on my personal goal list for years. Around that same period, the idea of creating Renee’s Impact was becoming more serious. At the time, I had a job, transportation, and a sense of stability. I had no idea how much my life was about to change.
In 2026, the same year I officially formed Renee’s Impact, I experienced one of the most challenging seasons of my adult life. I lost my job, my car was repossessed, and I have spent much of this year without the income and stability I once had.
What makes this season so significant to me, though, is that somehow the work has continued.
People see the Back 2 School Bash, the Prom Queen Experience, the community partnerships, and now Soulful Sundays launching this fall. What they may not see is that much of this has been built during a season when I personally had very little. I have been creating programs, attending meetings, asking for donations, building partnerships, finding resources, and showing up for other people while navigating my own challenges behind the scenes.
My faith has played a huge role in how I’ve made it through this season. Even without a steady income or my own transportation, I can genuinely say that God has continued to provide. I have not gone without the things I truly need, and doors have continued to open that have allowed me to serve others. There have definitely been moments when I’ve questioned how everything was going to work, but somehow there has always been a way forward.
I’ve also learned that growth sometimes requires you to revisit things when you’re better prepared to receive them. I recently enrolled in Corner to Corner’s 10-week entrepreneurship program for the second time. The first time I participated, I was working overnight, attending cosmetology school during the day, running Hair Like Kayla’s, and trying to complete the program all at once. I simply did not have the capacity to give it the attention it deserved. At that time, my focus was Hair Like Kayla’s. This time, I’m going through the program with Renee’s Impact as my focus, and I’m excited to apply what I learn to building a stronger and more sustainable organization.
If anything, the last few years have taught me that progress does not always look like everything going right at once. Sometimes you are accomplishing one goal while struggling in another area. Sometimes you have to rebuild. Sometimes the vision continues moving even when your personal circumstances look completely different from what you imagined.
I certainly would not have chosen every obstacle I’ve experienced, but they have made me more resourceful, more grateful, more compassionate, and more determined. They have also given me an even deeper understanding of why community matters. I know what it feels like to need support, to have to figure things out, and to keep going when life does not look the way you planned.
I’m still in the middle of my story, so I can’t tell you how all of this turns out yet. What I can say is that I’m still here, I’m still building, I’m still serving, and I truly believe I’m on the right path. That makes me incredibly excited about what comes next.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Today, my work combines entrepreneurship and community impact. I’m a licensed cosmetologist and the owner of Hair Like Kayla’s, where I specialize in custom glueless wigs and high-quality human hair extensions. I’m known for creating beautiful, natural-looking hair solutions, but over the years, I’ve also become known for giving back to my community.
Through Renee’s Impact, I’m now building programs that serve youth, families, and people in need. Some of my strengths are program development, community outreach, building partnerships, gathering volunteers, and finding the resources needed to bring an idea to life.
I’m most proud of what I’ve accomplished in 2026. Giving back when you have plenty is one thing, but continuing to serve when you’re personally going through a difficult season is completely different. I started Renee’s Impact without guaranteed funding, a large team, or all the resources I thought I needed. I simply moved forward with what God placed on my heart, and the community has continued to help bring the vision together.
I think that’s what sets me apart. I don’t wait until everything is perfect. I use what I have, build relationships, ask for help, and find a way to make the vision work.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I believe the wig industry will continue to grow tremendously over the next 5–10 years. Wigs are becoming an everyday beauty option, and more people are learning to make them themselves. I see huge opportunities for wig makers, educators, and hair suppliers as the industry continues to expand and generate more revenue.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hairlikekaylas.com/aboutreneesimpact
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reneesimpact
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HhVshCyEZ/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/_zMHXonuISw
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/hairlikekaylas
