Our name shapes our identity. There was a time and place when, if your surname was Baker or Fisher or something with Smith in it, people automatically knew what you did for a living. Even today, what we’re called has been linked to a host of outcomes, including employment success and likeability. While last names are automatically passed down along family lines, there’s creative freedom in choosing a first one. So every parent who has named a child has been asked some form of “what’s the story behind it?” (Those of us who gave our kids weird names get asked that question with the subtext of ..read more

As a woman who acknowledged and overcame many obstacles herself, owner Joanne Le has developed and practiced a passion for raising girls up to be the leaders in our world. Using her own experience, her business expertise, and her incredible determination, Joanne empowers the women in her life, whether they be part of her family, her staff, or her greater Reno community. As of April 2022, she has taken a role in supporting the Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada, whose mission it is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. May 2022 marks Nirvana Beau ..read more

    Diverse human stories are what makes Reno so remarkable. Joanne Le, the owner and operator of Nirvana Beauty Lounge, brings one such story to our community. She was born in Saigon near the end of the Vietnam War and has lived a lot of life between then and making her way to Reno.  Throughout her childhood, Joanne witnessed waves of political unrest. Eventually, peace came to Vietnam and a government-controlled collectivist economy was established. As the owner of a small textile shop, Joanne’s mother knew first-hand the difficulties of running a business in the wake of war ..read more

We’ve all had someone special step into our lives to lend a guiding hand, whether for a few hours or for several years. These people are our family, friends, our mentors, and our teachers. Oftentimes, they change us forever. For Joanne Le, the owner of Nirvana Beauty Lounge, that person was her namesake.  You might know Nirvana’s owner as Joanne, but her birth name is Bình. She decided to start going by Joanne a few years after she moved to the United States from Vietnam. This is a story about how she chose a special name for herself and about the older woman who empowered her to seize h ..read more