Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyse DeBellis.
Hi Alyse, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Alyse DeBellis, and my life has taught me how to begin again.
I was born on October 2, 1983, in Westchester, New York. From a young age, I was drawn to transformation. Not the flashy kind, but the quiet moments where someone remembers who they are beneath the weight they’ve been carrying. I didn’t have language for it then, but I was always paying attention to how people healed, how they rebuilt, how they softened back into themselves.
At fourteen, I started sweeping floors in local salons. It wasn’t about hair. It was about energy. About witnessing people arrive overwhelmed and leave lighter. That sense of restoration stayed with me, even as life continued to shape me in ways I never expected.
I grew up, built a career, married the man I loved, and imagined the future we were creating together. In March 2012, I met my husband. We were married in the Bahamas in April 2017. Our daughter Valentina was born in January 2019. By the end of that year, we were in our dream home, and in July 2020, I was pregnant again.
Then everything shattered.
In August 2020, my husband died suddenly from a Widow maker heart attack. He was 37 years old. I was twelve weeks pregnant. On the day of his funeral, I learned we were having a boy. Grief and life collided in the most unimaginable way.
In March 2021, I gave birth to our son. I became a widowed mother of two overnight, carrying heartbreak, responsibility, and love all at once. Life as I knew it was gone. But something inside me knew this was not the end of my story.
I needed a new beginning. So one night, exhausted and searching for hope, I opened my laptop and typed, “Best place to raise children in the U.S.” Apex, North Carolina came up. I didn’t have a plan. I had instinct. I trusted it.
At nine weeks postpartum, I packed up our lives and moved from New York to a town where I knew no one. That was May 2021. I had no safety net, no guarantees, only faith and two little humans depending on me.
Slowly, Apex became home. I built a village. My children found joy again. And over time, I found myself again too. Not the version of me before loss, but a deeper, stronger one shaped by love, grief, courage, and choice.
Now, I stand on the edge of something I once dreamed about but had to grow into. I’m preparing to open my own business, Hair Salon called CARBON HALO in Apex in the spring, in a new state, as a widowed, single mother, as a woman who knows what it means to lose everything and still choose to create. Instagram @carbonhaloxhair
I also am the author of the children’s picture books ValenTINY the Strong and ValenTINY the Brave, heart-led stories centered on resilience, courage, and inner strength. Both manuscripts have been submitted to publishers, and I am currently awaiting responses as the series takes its next steps. Instagram @ValenTINYthe
This chapter isn’t about hair, or children’s books. It’s about resilience. About trusting yourself when life breaks you open. About creating beauty after devastation. About remembering who you are beneath the pain. I knew the other choices were not options for me.
I’ve learned that transformation doesn’t happen all at once. It happens one brave decision at a time. Slow and steady heals the heart.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely NOT. After my husband passed I had to teach myself A LOT! Like a lot of married couples he handled the finances and everything to go along with it. That was a lot to manage and learn especially with two little kids.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about C A R B O N H A L O?
C A R B O N H A L O is a modern luxury hair salon where high-end service meets real artistry.
An elevated, intentional space designed to transform how you look, and how you feel. @carbonhaloxhair
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
YOU ARE WORTHY of Happiness and Love after loss. Everything is “figur-out-able”.
Pricing:
- CARBON HALO’s pricing reflects the level of expertise, customization, and care behind every service. Each experience is intentionally tailored, accounting for advanced training, premium products, thoughtful preparation, and an unrushed, elevated approach. Rather than one-size-fits-all pricing, services are designed to meet individual needs, because quality, consistency, and presence are always the priority.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carbonhalobeauty.com
- Instagram: @carbonhaloxhair and @ValenTINYthe
