Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Lightfoot.
Hi Stephanie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, the daughter of an Irish American paralegal secretary and an African American singer, ventriloquist, and radio entertainer. My parents’ marriage was an act of courage. At a time when segregation still shaped daily life, my mother chose love over fear and married my father despite the resistance around her. Their union shaped me deeply. I grew up understanding both the weight of history and the power of conviction.
My father raised me in the world of music. I watched him perform, host events, and connect with audiences, and I eventually followed in his footsteps, singing and performing myself. Early on, I realized music was more than entertainment—it was a force capable of moving minds and transforming communities.
After graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, I joined the United States Peace Corps and was sent to Jamaica. Serving in Kingston, I worked with a community rebuilding after a devastating hurricane. What began as disaster recovery became something much larger. Through grant writing and fundraising—often organizing concerts that brought together local artists, food, and community—we helped rebuild Mandela Terrace. During my time there, the community established a nonprofit organization, built a community center, and ultimately purchased the land they had once been forced to squat on. Today, they own it.
Music and the arts became central to my work. I founded a program called “Expression Through the Arts,” which grew into a performance group traveling to schools to educate young people about child abuse, HIV/AIDS, and other social issues affecting their communities. We also created summer excursions into Jamaica’s Blue Mountains to expand students’ perspectives beyond city life and show them broader possibilities for their futures.
When I returned to Baltimore, I continued working in community development. As a community organizer, I supported parent engagement in schools, strengthened neighborhood associations, and worked to increase civic involvement in East and West Baltimore. This led me to help develop a new school in West Baltimore, where I became Director of the Orioles Academy, supported by the Baltimore Orioles and community partners. The program served middle school students who had been removed from traditional public schools due to academic or behavioral challenges. With smaller class sizes, wraparound services, mentoring programs, arts education, and exposure to new experiences, these students began to thrive. Watching them transform reaffirmed my belief that when you invest deeply in people, they rise.
As I entered motherhood, my path evolved again. While raising my two daughters, I became a licensed massage therapist and eventually took ownership of The Face Place Day Spa, a business established in 1979. Since becoming its third owner in 2011, I have transformed it from a traditional skincare spa into a wellness-centered community space focused on holistic healing, organic products, and meaningful human connection. For me, wellness is not just about beauty—it is about restoring balance, health, and empowerment.
Alongside my healing work, I have remained active in real estate, viewing homeownership as a pathway to generational wealth and stability. I earned my real estate license in 2018 and was recognized as Rookie of the Year at my brokerage, Keller Williams Lucido Agency. Even as a part-time agent, I have maintained high sales volume while running my spa. I also serve as a board member of Columbia Community Cares in Howard County, supporting food access initiatives for families facing insecurity.
Across every chapter—music, community organizing, education, healing, real estate—the thread is the same: building community and elevating consciousness. I believe in the integration of health, wealth, and purpose. Through my music project, PEACENLIGHT, and through my businesses and service work, I strive to encourage connection, self-awareness, and peace.
My life’s work is rooted in a simple belief: that we have the power to choose love over fear, growth over limitation, and light over division. Whether through music, mentorship, healing, land ownership, or community service, my goal remains the same—to help people expand their vision of what is possible and to build spaces where peace, empowerment, and collective growth can flourish.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The struggles along the way have all been part of the learning curve. I’ve never been afraid to try something new, and that mindset has been essential because every stage of my businesses has required adaptation.
When I first started, the internet existed—but not in the way it does now. Marketing was built on word-of-mouth, signage, and personal relationships. I would put out signs, answer calls between appointments, flip through a paper calendar to schedule clients, and manually call them back to confirm. There was no online booking, no automation, no digital reminders. I did the laundry. I did the cleaning. I handled the marketing. Every detail was hands-on.
As technology evolved, I had to evolve with it. I learned how to build websites, navigate social media, understand search engine optimization, and adapt to Google-based marketing. Just when I felt I had mastered one system, another would emerge. Growth required constant learning.
Then COVID changed everything. Massage and wellness are inherently face-to-face businesses, and overnight we lost significant revenue. But instead of closing our doors, we pivoted. We implemented strict sanitation protocols, used masks and gloves, increased cleaning procedures, and focused heavily on rebuilding trust. Through transparency and consistency, we reassured our clients that they were safe. While many businesses were forced to shut down, we endured.
What I’ve learned is that you cannot become attached to one way of doing things. Survival—and growth—require awareness and flexibility.
Now we are in the era of artificial intelligence. Marketing has transformed again. Social media evolves daily. Automation has become standard. It’s remarkable to think that I once used a paper calendar and now have AI assistants that can answer calls and schedule appointments in my own voice. Real estate is automated. Music now includes AI-generated singers and writers. The pace of change is breathtaking.
There is a part of me that grieves how technology can dilute creativity and human touch. But I also recognize that resisting change leads to stagnation. The choice is not whether change will come—it always will. The choice is whether we evolve with it.
My greatest challenge has been thinking I had finally mastered the landscape, only to wake up and realize the rules had shifted again. But my greatest strength has been my willingness to learn, adapt, and keep moving.
Change is inevitable. Those who remain open, curious, and courageous are the ones who continue standing when the dust settles.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I truly believe that art is life.
We live in a world that often defines people by their careers. “What do you do?” becomes shorthand for “Who are you?” But I don’t believe our job titles define us. Art does. The way we create our lives—our homes, our friendships, our communities, our work, our impact—that is art.
How you spend your time is your masterpiece.
Some people move through life in a cycle of commuting, working, eating, and sleeping—existing simply to exist. But to me, living is about contribution. It’s about asking: What am I building? What am I leaving behind? How am I using the gifts I’ve been given?
If you have the gift of painting, it is imperative that you paint. If you have the gift of nurturing spaces, then the way you create your home is art. If you journal and describe what your eyes have seen, that is art. Your career may support your life, but it does not define your creative expression. What people remember is not your title—it is how you made them feel and the impact you left on their world.
Music is my deepest expression of art. It is how I translate what I see, what I feel, and what I believe into something others can experience. My lyrics are reflections of truth as I understand it. While I work in real estate, own and operate a wellness spa, and serve in nonprofit spaces, music is the thread that runs through everything. It is the voice of my purpose.
What sets me apart is integration. I don’t separate business from purpose or creativity from contribution. Real estate, for me, is about generational wealth and stability. Wellness is about healing and reconnection. Community work is about service. Music is about awakening and expression. They are not separate careers—they are interconnected forms of art.
What I am most proud of is not a specific award or title. I am proud that I have consistently carved out space to use my gifts fully, even when it required risk, reinvention, or learning something entirely new. I am proud that I have chosen impact over comfort and evolution over stagnation.
In the end, legacy is not about what you did for a living. It is about how you lived. It is about the energy you carried, the truth you spoke, the spaces you created, and the people you uplifted.
That is art. And that is life.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
The first book that truly captured my imagination was Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. It opened my mind to storytelling that was dark, emotional, and deeply philosophical. It was the beginning of understanding how powerful narrative can be.
A book that profoundly shifted how I see energy and human connection is The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. It introduced me to the idea that synchronicity, intention, and awareness shape our experiences. It expanded my spiritual lens and deepened how I interpret life’s interactions.
For mindset and personal power, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho reminded me that when you align with your purpose, the universe responds. Its message about following one’s calling continues to resonate with me.
Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur gave me insight into revolution, resilience, and truth. It challenged me to think critically about justice, identity, and courage.
And Beloved by Toni Morrison remains one of the most beautifully written and emotionally powerful novels I have ever read. It captures history, trauma, and humanity with breathtaking depth.
Influences
In the realm of mindset, manifestation, and the power of attraction, I’ve been deeply influenced by the teachings of Esther Hicks and Abraham Hicks, whose work emphasizes vibrational alignment and intentional thought.
I also draw inspiration from Joe Dispenza, whose teachings bridge science and spirituality, and Louise Hay, whose work on self-healing and affirmations reinforces the power of belief and self-love.
Together, these voices have shaped how I think about energy, intention, healing, and the responsibility we each have in creating our reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.faceplacespa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realestate4light?igsh=Nml1MGpibno0aTM4
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GsDU42c4A/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-fields-lightfoot-b233b2?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
