Ty Hunter stepped out on faith when he quit his job at an artificial heart valve company in Austin, TX and moved to Houston, TX.

“I was ready for a change,” said the celebrity stylist, most known for his work with Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child.

After becoming depressed at his former job, Hunter gave himself three months to find a career that actually made him happy. Eventually, he kickstarted the next phase of his life as a mannequin dresser in Galleria Mall, where he met Tina Knowles-Lawson, whom he refers to as “my other mother.”

“She said ‘I’m [going to] get you out of here one day.’,” he recalled while described a call to Ms. Tina on his day off.

And the rest is history.

“I ended doing and the ‘Survivor’ video in two weeks and ended up at the Grammy’s as well in 2 ½ weeks.”

Through his experience as a stylist, Ty has picked up plenty of lessons, some of which he shared on the 2017 ESSENCE Festival Beauty & Style stage audience.

“I learned that you can be at the top of your game and still be humble,” says Ty. “Be in your own lane…[Beyoncé] looks at what she did the last time. Not what the other girls did the last time.” 

He also had a few words of advice for aspiring stylists and those looking to get into the fashion industry.

“When you have the opportunity to be around somebody you admire. You gotta speak up,” says Ty, who regularly shares inspirational posts decorated in bright yellow on his Instagram account.  @tytryone.

“This is life. It’s not a rehearsal. This is it. You have to go for it. You have to step up and speak up.”

Check out Hunter’s new athleisure clothing brand Six:02 at Six02.com.