Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam

Artistry: Owner, The Pure Box Beauty and Lilu’s Luxury Consignment; Executive casino host, Bally’s Baton Rouge

Online: @pureboxbeauty and @iluxegoodsconsignment on Instagram

Walking under the warm glow of slot machine lights and a towering television wall, Tracy Ta looks surreally petite, but at ease, as she greets people with a smile and their names. This is Bally’s, the buzzy casino and hotel on the edge of downtown where she works as an executive casino host.

Here, her specialty is not cards; it’s connection. Ta makes sure high rollers, regulars and newcomers all have a memorable experience, and she’s been responsible for bringing many Asian entrepreneurs and C-suite executives to Baton Rouge for their first visit.

What looks like routine hosting or networking is, for Ta, something much more dynamic and personal—building genuine relationships with people from every walk of life.

“I’m just a people person,” says Ta, a longtime creative entrepreneur in the beauty space. “It’s not about titles or how much money someone makes at all. I always find something I can relate to with every person I meet.”

That instinct for connection has shaped Ta’s career. Before entering the casino industry—with no previous gaming experience—she worked in marketing for Hancock Whitney Bank while building a successful beauty business rooted in trust, relationships and word-of-mouth referrals.

Inspired by her family’s entrepreneurial background and her own passion for beauty, Ta opened The Pure Box Beauty in Baton Rouge nearly a decade ago and now operates multiple locations. Clients quickly became more than customers, and Ta has the invitations and memories from their weddings, baby showers and birthday parties to prove it.

“I genuinely care for our beauty clients, and everyone who walks through that casino door, too; they know I want the best for them,” she says. “I think people can tell when someone is not genuine; it just doesn’t work.”

Born and raised in Vietnam, Ta moved to Louisiana to earn an MBA from McNeese and eventually married a Baton Rouge native. Along the way, she has repeatedly embraced unfamiliar opportunities, trusting her ability to adapt and connect. She’s always planning her next venture, and the fact that she continues to learn is a lesson all creatives can appreciate.

She’s looking to expand her salons and, potentially, the kind of travel curation work she does for Bally’s into what she calls “an empire.” Though business boldness continues to define her approach, Ta believes ambition should never come at the expense of personal creativity, family or fulfillment. It’s all a balance.

“You can do everything,” Ta says. “I want my daughters to know that, too. Never believe in the myth that you have to choose ‘either or.’ You just can’t do everything all at once. So be patient, and pace yourself, and keep at it.”