Name:
Estelle Arlaud
How your clients refer to you:
The Mermaid Chef
Company:
Mermaid School International Ltd
Contact Info:
ph. (264) 235-0467, email: themermaidchef@hotmail.com, website: http://www.mermaidschoolinternational.com, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MermaidSchoolInternational/
How many years have you been in business in New York?
My company is in Anguilla, I’m just traveling with a few mermaid tails. 3 years.
How did you get your start and what was your initial inspiration?
I was always a mermaid: I was an underwater model and a scuba diving instructor since I was 20, and now I pass it on to others. I had the idea for many years and when I saw others opening mermaid schools, so I thought it was time to do it and not only dream about it.
What do you feel differentiates you from others in your field?
There aren’t too many mermaid schools around. I put the first mermaid tail on to current Miss Mermaid America who offers some mermaid activities in Montauk and makes accessories, another one is about swimming retreats including mermaids, but I operate from the amazing beaches or five stars hotels of Anguilla, a mermaid paradise. I make accessories, take and edit photos, you can even get a video clip. We do games in the water, with shells that open imagination, and good swimmers can learn some synchronized mermaid ballet. I feel I have a complete mermaid activity in paradise without much competition.
How do you positively impact your clientele?
With the care, creativity and love I give them. Parents feel really safe to leave their kids to me, kids and adults live their dreams, and I make them the best mermaid/mermen I can. And I tell kids to listen to the ocean, to tell their secrets and maybe get some answers to their questions, if they believe, it will be, it’s a tool that can give them a lot of peace of mind. They also gain a lot of confidence in the water. They feel beautiful and lively and loved.
What is your favorite part of your job?
To see the happiness people experience.
What is your favorite secret NYC spot?
None! Haha! I m a nature freak!
How do you benefit mamas?
Mamas can have an hour for themselves! And they get back super happy children, who gain some confidence in the water and who get smarter too. As Einstein said: “If you want to make your children clever tell them fairy tales. If you want to make your children more clever, tell them more fairy tales.” So, I believe living the fairy tale can make them even more clever.
What is the most memorable feedback a client has given you?
“My child didn’t stop talking about the mermaid experience for a month, it was the highlight of her holiday,” “My daughter gained so much confidence in the water,” “This is really helping my child through the rough school year she had,” “I waited all my life to live that moment as a mermaid, a dream come true.”
Pay it forward and name your top colleagues in the same field or related field:
World of swimming, Hamptons Mermaid
What is the best advice anyone's ever given you? Or what is your "mantra" / words to live by?
Live your dreams, do the sport, and be the magic in your life!
As moms, the day can escape us, what is your best time-saving trick?
Meditate, contemplate nature, why should you hurry? Why should you hurry? Why should you know and do everything? Less is more.