Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexa Roussos.
Hi Alexa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I will say that I whole heartedly believe that being stubborn is what has brought me through the trenches of this life. At 45 years young, I finally can stand firmly on staying true to who I authentically am, being hard working ( a glorified hustler) and never taking NO as an answer. There is always a way. Coupled with aLOT of caffeine, a great family of friends that have been an unwavering support system, my two girls, and lots and lots of prayers.
The story behind what started Glow Riot Studios
Born in Alexandria, Louisiana and raised in Mobile, Alabama, I knew from a very young age that what I felt around me growing up in the Deep South did not fit what I knew in my heart. That there was a big world out there that I wanted to see and experience. My first love was dance. By the time I was three years old, the stage was already calling me—and with it, a deep passion for performance, creativity, and stage makeup. And traveling as a dancer gave me a small glimpse of the world that in the 90’s only came from magazines and tv. Competitive dance gave me more than trophies; it gave me a spark that would fuel every chapter of my life that I wouldn’t even realize until my early 40’s.
After high school, I hit the road as a traveling dancer in a casino show while simultaneously teaching and choreographing for studios and teams all over the Southeast. In 2000, I took my first steps into the beauty industry, landing my dream job as a Third Key for MAC Cosmetics in Biloxi, Mississippi—a role I proudly held until 2011.
As a young adult anxiously trying to pave my path of life, the universe had other plans when my world was literally swept away from under me when Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast and that changed life as I knew it in a very short 24 hours . I had never seen so much devastation and destruction and to this day when I see a hurricane in the GULF my heart stops beating as it’s overcome with PTSD. In 2005, I relocated to Charlotte, NC with my boyfriend that would later become my husband and MAC transferred me to a location there. Continuing my artistry while beginning school for fashion marketing. My dad was so happy I was back in school!! After getting pregnant with my first daughter, I shifted gears to graphic design—realizing that with a partner in the military, a flexible, creative career was not just a preference, it was a necessity to move forward. So I took a hit for the team and put my dreams aside to support my family.
My creativity kept expanding. With a background in 35mm photography from high school and two little muses of my own, I started a photography side hustle—specializing in natural light lifestyle shoots. I styled brides, dancers, families, and boudoir clients using my skills in both makeup and visual storytelling.
We eventually landed in a small town called Southern Pines, NC, near Fort Bragg. I juggled it all: teaching dance part time 5-6 days a week started a competition team at the studio I was working at, while raising two daughters, doing makeup, photography and design on the side, and working the “real job” for consistent income.
In 2014, I became a full-time single mama when my now ex husband left the country for a “contract” position he never returned home from. Again, Life changed drastically and demanded everything of me. And I gave it. Never gave up. Just kept going.
For years, I chased the elusive idea of finding one job that could hold all of my passions and still support my family. In 2019, that search led me to esthetics school. After several false starts when the timing just wasn’t in the cards for me, I finally graduated in 2020 and started a new journey as an esthetician—pouring my heart into my craft, slowly phasing out dance, and focusing on building a more stable life for my girls. And elated that I found something that I loved as much as I had lived dance my whole life.
By 2024, I found myself in a place that I could make some big moves. So with a lot of hesitation I sold our family home and moved the girls closer to Raleigh to be near work and minimize the long commute. I thought I had finally figured it out—one job, one title, one version of success and everyone in one place. No more commuting and spending hours a day in the car. I was so happy!! Finally. Starting to feel like the tears of never ending hustle started to pay off. But something was off.
But I was hiding.
Asked to Cover my tattoos at my job, Quieting my voice. Shrinking my creativity to fit a version of professionalism that was never meant for me. Was told I was too much, then not enough, was told to be quiet then to be louder. It was exhausting.
I became everyone’s cup of tea—but my own cup was empty. Soul-depleted. Vision blurred.
I very hesitantly made a job change in mid 2024 that also didn’t work out for unforeseen circumstances and I found myself extremely depressed and desperate to find the happy that I had a short glimmer of. Then, like divine timing, photography gigs and choreography opportunities started to fall back into my lap in the fall after a few years of trending them out to focus on my new career. (Thank you, Holly, for always giving me space to show up however I could.) she’s been my biggest cheerleader anside from my girls and one of the best employers I’ve encountered in my life. A Godsend.
And I realized something huge early in 2025:
I don’t need to be just ONE thing.
AND I never was.
I am a whole brand.
And it was time to invest in myself the way I had invested in everyone else’s vision.
So I curated my own.
My way.
From every beat I choreograph, every face I touch, every photo I capture, and every brand I design—this is how I show up in the world.
Helping people feel beautiful, seen, and strong. Just as I see them whether it be from
Behind a chair or through a viewfinder. Beauty is was more then skin deep.
In March. of 2025 I Introduced GLOW RIOT STUDIOS to the world.
Aesthetics | Photography | Makeup
Creative services rooted in soul, purpose, and unapologetic artistry with a lot of love.
This is for every woman who’s ever had to be everything.
Every multi-hyphenate creative who’s been told to choose one thing.
Every mama building a legacy from scratch.
And more than anything, for my girls. You can be whatever you want. The story is yours to write. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone as long as it does to you. LIFE IS SHORT SO MAKE THE STORY A GOOD ONE.
So This is my brand.
My riot.
My way.
GLOW RIOT STUDIOS
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Haha. It’s all been a struggle!!! A struggle to believe in myself the way others do. To create a life I love without letting judgement of others interfere has been a struggle. Like so many women my age, we were raised by a different generation of women that were told how to be and how to act. Caring what everyone thought of them. Growing up in a very traditional Greek household with older parents, I was conditioned to sit back shut up and do what I was told girl, smile and be happy when I wasn’t girl. Reconditioning your entire existence is a struggle just to believe in yourself and change the narrative if it isn’t what you expected is a struggle. Being a full time single parent today is a STRUGGLE.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Glow Riot Studios is a bold, multi-disciplinary beauty brand founded by me, Alexa Roussos. Blending aesthetics, makeup artistry, and lifestyle photography into one unapologetically creative studio. Rooted from creativity, design, and self-expression, Glow Riot exists to empower clients to feel confident, seen, and celebrated—whether behind the chair, behind the lens, or in front of the mirror. With a signature edge and soulful attention to detail, Glow Riot Studios is more than a service—it’s my movement to defy the norm of the beauty industry that tends to set a bland and stuffy tone. Especially medical aesthetics. My passion is results driven skincare services and shouting my creativity from every rooftop there is.
What matters most to you? Why?
Being a kind a human and my Girls. Raising two teenage girls alone in the world we live in is extremely difficult to navigate while keeping my head above the water simultaneously. I want to raise a future generation of kind unapologetic females that know their superpower is lifting and supporting others along the way. A smile can change the world. And they are my WHY!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/glowriotstudios
- Instagram: @_aestheticsbyalexa_
- Facebook: @glowriotstudios
