Kim Newby: 'Boundless optimism' buoys spirit of business owner battling breast cancer

“I was six years out. I’m so mad,” she said. “It’s inoperable; my doctors have me controlling it with medicine.”

Newby doesn’t carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation, the most common cause of hereditary breast cancer. After a double mastectomy and lymph node removal in August 2015, she underwent radiation treatments the following month.

Once she marked five years cancer-free in the fall of 2020, she believed she had defied the 40% recurrence rate.

A previous breast cancer awareness supporter, she had merely admired how charities helped patients through the diagnosis, treatment and recovery. When she needed similar assistance, she felt the impact profoundly.

“Once you receive that diagnosis, it’s like this complete support system swoops,” Newby explained. “If you need some help with anything, it’s there. You don’t have to worry about anything; they take care of you.

“You can’t imagine what that’s like until you get that diagnosis yourself,” she added. “So when I got better, I wanted to give back over and over and over; I wanted to help the way I was helped, times 10.”

Newby doesn’t dwell on her anger, shifting quickly to family, friends and the full life she continues building. Boundless optimism and positivity are her trademarks, according to nominators. She is owner and stylist at Goodlookin’ Salon in Cedar Falls, and owner of Blush Ledet Salon Spa & Boutique in Waverly.

“I’m thankful that I have an amazing group of people around me,” said Newby. “My husband (Chris) is the best of the best I could ask for. He takes me to all of my appointments, listens to everything I’m told right along with me and puts up with all of my moods,” she said, laughing. “My clients are my friends; they’ve been with me on this journey from day one.”

For Newby, that was Sept. 1, 2015. She opened Goodlookin’ Salon less than a month after her double mastectomy. Family and friends buoyed her through that time, just as they’d done in the past.

Prior to opening the salon, she worked as a bartender at the Elks Club in Waterloo and Catherine Doyle’s Pub. The job supported Newby, then a single mom, and paid her way through cosmetology school.

Her longtime customers showed up when she opened Goodlookin’ Salon, eager to support her in the venture.

“Any of Kim’s clients can tell you there is nothing like ‘hairapy’ sessions with Kim,” said 20 Under 40 nominator Lindsey Taylor. “She listens, supports and helps her clients through good times, tough times (and) everything in between, always making sure they feel beautiful when they leave her chair.”

Newby’s hair-side manner extends to community service. She and her husband, Chris, have two sons and are frequent volunteers at their sons’ schools, helping with a variety of extracurricular events. Newby also coordinated family events with friends, including Breakfast with Santa and the Mother/Son Dance.

“I love doing stuff like that with my kids and my friends’ kids,” she said. “Making memories is important to me. Providing a nice, fun event where no one is rushed or disappointed – that’s the best. My kids are not going to remember I got them a PlayStation and a game download. They’re going to remember the times we spent, the fun we had, that play we went to, or the silly things we did together. Those are the things you remember when you’re an adult.”

Newby’s parents did that for her and her siblings. They also taught her to set goals for herself and systematically work to achieve them.

“My dad owned a photography studio in Waterloo. My mom was home with us and then worked at the school full time,” she recalled.

Newby aspired to be like them — devoted to family, work and community. Their entrepreneurism helped her identify similar traits in others, like her uncle, who owned Gibson Specialty in downtown Waterloo. Many Elks Club patrons were self-employed, too.

“I always thought, ‘I’m going to be one of those people. I can work hard and do that, too,’” she recalled. “My dad, he had a real eye for photography — that was his passion, and he made that his career. I feel like I have that for hair.”

She also emulated her mother’s economic and organizational skills.

“My mom told me, ‘Don’t put anything on credit,’ so I paid for things as I went. While I was getting started in styling hair, I might only have 7 cents when I finished paying for everything that week. That was great; I’d made a profit! I was building my business; my bar jobs paid my household bills.”

It all paid off, said Taylor. Her business has grown over the years, from herself and one chair to now having seven full-time stylists.

In 2015, Newby added a second location, Blush Ledet Salon Spa & Boutique in Waverly.

Sometimes people tell Newby not to work so hard and loosen up.

“Hard work pays off, and it shows in other aspects of your life,” she said. “It shows in all your relationships. When you understand that, you appreciate the work.”