Episode 48: Rafeala Thomas and Cara Beautiful

Rafaela Thomas said her father always told her that education could take her anywhere she wanted to go. And he was right. Her education helped her travel the world, become a high ranking officer in the Army, a licensed Family Nurse Practitioner and the owner of her own business, CaraBeautiful, a cosmetic dermatology salon in Greensboro. 

 

Born in Panama, Thomas recalls her family moved to Brooklyn, New York when she was 10 years old and they didn’t speak any English. The seventh of eight children, she noted that her parents stressed the importance of education and the need for them to learn the language. “I come from parents with third and fourth-grade education, but they instilled in us that it was necessary to get an education. We all graduated from high school and went on to be successful in our career paths. So when you come from such a strong family unit, it inspires you to strive for more,” said Thomas. She first established her business in 2016, and in February 2019 she was ready to move CaraBeautiful into Sola Salon, Suite 110 in the Friendly Shopping Center on Pembroke Road.

 

“Coming here from another country, I learned that the world has so much to offer. All you have to do is strive hard and do the best you can. My father always said, ‘No matter what you end up doing in life, you do the best you can and you be the best at it.’ So that is how I’ve always lived my life,” said Thomas. Thomas graduated from the High School of Fashion Industries in NYC, and joined the Navy in 1978, and worked as a dental hygienist and assistant. She explained how she noticed that a simple procedure, like applying braces, changed a person’s whole outlook about themselves. “For me, teeth and smiles and faces have always been a part of medicine that I enjoyed. Seeing the smile on a patient’s face in reaction to the change they saw would make me so happy. I knew back then that I wanted to work with faces,” she said.

 

At CaraBeautiful, Thomas provides Botox and dermal fillers. Each product requires a different procedure that is placed in different areas of the face, and both are temporary results. Thomas ensures she provides detailed information to each client about the procedures and what to expect.

 

While about 75 percent of her clientele has been women, Thomas noted that she is slowly starting to encounter more male clients who are interested in facial treatments.

 

Rafeala says, "My greatest accomplishments have been serving this country, reaching the rank of a Major Medical Officer, being a nurse practitioner and finding my greatest passion in life, which is CaraBeautiful. Coming to CaraBeautiful is not work. It’s a passion to do what I do and I love it.

To learn more about Odell Cleveland and It's My Turn Now: Care Giving 101, please call 336-895-8995 or visit his website at www.revodellcleveland.com

To learn more about Huami Magazine please visit our website at www.huamimagazine.com

You may also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by putting Huami Magazine in your search box.  You may also follow this podcast on Facebook and Instagram by putting This Is Who I am in your search box.