CLEVELAND — Mentors come in many forms.
WKYC Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling found hers in sisters Toni Hadad and Fran Di Blasi.
The duo are well known in Chagrin Falls for their popular businesses, Toni in Style and Chessie’s Salon, and Betsy credits them with helping make her the person she is today.
In fact, she calls them her “secret weapons.”
Toni and Fran have helped Betsy define her signature style over the years, and she says it’s their honesty that has made their relationship so strong. Fran fondly remembers when she told Betsy it was time to come in for a haircut: “Do you remember when I called you? I said, 'Betsy, when are you coming in? Get in here!'”
And Toni agrees that finding a sense of style takes time and trust – saying, “I think there’s a little bit of insecurity in all of us in what we can and can’t wear, so it’s nice when you have someone that you trust to say yes or no.”
Both women feel that a good mentoring relationship starts with listening, and that “it’s important to mentor with kindness, and with the idea that you’re there to work together.”
Betsy says one of the most important lessons she’s learned from her mentors is that when you look good, you feel good. And Toni and Fran have certainly helped Betsy and many other local women feel pretty great.