Tracci Johnson is a well-loved public figure and an essential part of the beauty industry.
A trendsetter who has transformed women’s appearances and self-assurance for over 37 years, her signature cuts and reputation precede her.
She was named one of the top 10 African American stylists in the U.S. and one of the 50 most influential women in the beauty industry and has lived up to her accolades ever since.
Tracci’s passion for all things beauty and her drive to be the best is in her blood. Her paternal great, great grandmother made wigs for Madam C. J. Walker’s company; her paternal aunt was a celebrity stylist in the 70s and one of the first African American women to own a salon in Beverly Hills. Two of her sisters and her maternal grandmother were stylists and salon owners, while another sister was a barber who pioneered becoming a female barbershop owner in the state of Texas.
Early in her career, in her hometown Oakland, CA, she secured a coveted spot in the salon of master stylist Ron Newton, the son of the legendary Huey P. Newton, who was also her mentor, where she perfected her craft eventually branching out to L.A. and styling some of Hollywood’s best in TV, film, and music.
Tracci runs Legacci by Tracci, her salon on Melrose Ave. in Hollywood, CA, where she offers excellent customer service, hospitality, and ministry. Her salon is a place where supportive women come together to be inspired by her and appreciate her personable demeanor.
She’s unstoppable behind the chair with her signature cuts and discerning spirit. Word traveled fast that being in her chair was an experience. Clients leave feeling beautiful, and her gift of ministry brings them inner peace and confidence. She seamlessly integrates God’s word into her conversations with clients who anticipate a spiritual boost to start or end their day.
“My salons have always been a place of solace for many women,” states Tracci. “Although my job as a hairstylist is to beautify women on the outside, my calling is to edify from within. I know when a client is hurting or needs a hug or a good scripture to keep them going. I would be remiss if I did not share what the holy spirit put on my heart.”
She’s toured the globe with the legendary Babyface and EnVogue and has also made valuable contributions to ABC’s Extreme Makeover, the Oscars, the Grammy’s®, BET Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, countless films, music videos, and television shows.
Featured in many significant publications throughout her career, she has worked with a wide range of celebrity clients, she has styled the likes of Brandy, Kelly Price, Jada-Pinkett-Smith, Nia Long, Wendy Raquel Robinson, El Debarge, LL Cool J and business mogul wife, Simone Smith, Nicole Murphy, Kelly Williams, Elise Neal, Natalie Cole, the late Cicely Tyson, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, CeCe Winans, Lynn Whitfield, and many others.
While she specializes in beauty, she is also a transformational coach and author. As a transformational coach, she helps people better themselves and their lives by bringing about necessary changes and changing the way they see themselves.
As the author of Dangerous Mistrust: From the Death of Faith to the Resurrection of Destiny, she bares it all and rewrites her story based on the truth of God’s word, sharing how she got the better of insecurities, fear, divorce, and heartbreak; how she forgave and rid herself of bitterness; and how she dug deep and charted a new way forward.
Together, her book, coupled with her coaching, encourages women to live authentic lives; and to discover how to cultivate feelings of acceptance, self-love, and self-worth through Christ.
“I’ve always known Tracci to be a very compassionate and introspective woman,” states Shaun Robinson (Access Hollywood and 90 Day Fiancé́). “In Dangerous Mistrust, she passionately articulates the wisdom she has developed from her life’s experiences that is beneficial to others. She writes with a level of transparency that will challenge her readers to do the type of self-examination that is transformative.”
Tracci Johnson can give sound advice because of her past. Her private life, as she states, “was a total failure.” She appeared to have it all. But what many did not know is there was a storm brewing inside of her. A powerful disturbance that stemmed from a toxic relationship with her father shaped her thoughts and thwarted her perspective of self and God. The façade of success had obscured her true happiness.
The total of her worth was wrapped up in her public image, but her private life was punctured with threatening darkness, brokenness, bitterness, unforgiveness, self-loathing, pretense, and a constant feeling of being inadequate. She lived with the fear of losing her ability to project the confident person she presented to the world.
After a life of imitating happiness and fine-tuning, she now values authenticity and allows access to some of her most private situations to help others.
Her book will encourage and motivate you to ditch the pretense and live authentically; and discover how to cultivate feelings of acceptance, love for self, and self-worth. Also, it will encourage you to conquer negative self-talk and limiting beliefs to realize that you have a rightful place in the kingdom of God.
A powerful excerpt from the book’s forward reads, “She takes the reader on a journey through the battlefield of love and bears her heart as a wounded warrior turned healer who wears her scars and bruises as trophies of triumph.”
An astute businesswoman who never considered herself a writer but absorbs life’s lessons and possesses an uncanny discernment was suddenly thrown into an experience that she states “only God could have arranged.”
So, you might ask, how did this book come to fruition? Johnson explains, “God gave me the idea to write my book. I sensed His revelation that all the trials, pain, and heartaches I’ve experienced (caused by me) were not just for my spiritual growth or to draw me closer to Him but to encourage someone else to trust God a little more and avoid some mistakes I’ve made. I could have overlooked this revelation, but one night, He woke me up!”
On a sunny California day, I had a chance to sit down with the busy Influencer to dive deeper into Dangerous Mistrust.
Q. What would you like the reader to take away after reading your book?
A. The importance of self-discovery as it relates to your worth, an assessment of the source of your sense of worth, and a well-defined knowledge of whose report you should choose to believe about your worth.
Q. What is the aim of your book?
A. Short term: To share my experiences, which may resonate with others and encourage them to survey themselves. Long term: To challenge others to seek help to not only act better but to be better; for themselves, their loved ones, and for the Kingdom of God.
Q. What advice would you give women who are in a dangerous place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?
A. First, seek God with all your heart. Develop a genuine relationship with Him so you can discern His voice more clearly. Ask Him to give you the desires that He wants you to have. Sometimes we get discouraged by wanting something that God doesn’t want for us. Then seek counseling. And last, keep a journal to clarify the direction you want to go and the changes you want to make.
Q. What are you most passionate about? What do you care deeply about? Why?
A. I care deeply about the many lives that are shattered by unaddressed childhood trauma, abuse, and disappointment and the many people who fail to seek help when they know they have problems.
I am passionate about the need to address trauma in whatever form so that wounded people won’t inflict their pain on others. So many “good” people live “bad” lives because their unaddressed trauma torments them. They exposed their spouses and their children to toxicity that should have been dealt with before bringing someone else into their dark place.
According to the divorce rate, it is an epidemic, not just in the world but in the Church. We pass the dysfunction from one generation to the next because people won’t deal with their “stuff”. It’s selfish and just plain unfair to those who suffer for problems they didn’t create.
Tracci Johnson’s journey of deliverance is encouraging, liberating, and inspiring. She realizes she can do nothing without God. She stresses, “There is no time like the present to pursue your purpose and live the fulfilling life you deserve.”
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Dangerous Mistrust: From the Death of Faith to the Resurrection of Destiny is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com.
For more information about Tracci Johnson, visit www.traccijohnson.com
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