Madison LeCroy knows that with great risk comes great reward.
As she prepares for not one but two major life changes, the Southern Charm mom took a walk down memory lane and revealed how she ultimately ended up in Charleston. The South Carolina native shared the story in a March 25 TikTok video after she was asked to discuss her career with students at the University of Oklahoma.
Madison said she received the invitation from her husband Brett Randle’s professor friend, who wanted Madison to shed more light on her life as a reality TV and social media personality.
“I’m like, ‘Are you messing with me? You really want me to tell these kids how to do this?’” Madison said about the request. “My husband thinks it’s a very interesting story on how I actually got to Charleston. I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody — well, other than the people who know me — so I figured I’d tell you guys here.”
Madison's move to Charleston began with a lucky gambling streak
Madison said her Charleston story started at age 17, shortly after she graduated from cosmetology school. She admitted there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding her future, as many of her friends were leaving for college in Charleston. Madison said she assumed she would stay in her hometown and do hair at a local salon; however, those plans began to change after she was forced to accompany her parents on a Norwegian cruise.
“Obviously, I can’t be trusted at 17. They were like, ‘You’re coming with us,’” she recalled. “So, my dad and I were playing roulette because, overseas, I could do that. And I went and was playing every single night. My dad would give me $50 and I would go play.”
Lady Luck was clearly smiling down on Madison because she managed to win $1,800 by the end of her weeklong trip.
“To me, I was filthy freakin’ rich,” she said. “I was like, ‘You cannot tell me nothing. I’m about to go buy a mansion.’ Not really, but you know what I mean. I had never had this much money. I was a freakin’ babysitter or a hostess.”
Madison decides to use her casino winnings to move to the Holy City
A day after returning to South Carolina, Madison met up with her friends who were leaving for college the very next day. At one point during the get-together, a friend informed Madison she was looking for another roommate in Charleston — someone who could afford the $700 monthly rent. Needless to say, Madison was intrigued.
“I was like, if I can survive for two months, I can make this happen,” she recalled. “So, that night, I literally gave her $700 cash and was like, ‘Here’s my deposit. This is my first month’s rent.’”
Madison explains how she was introduced to Patricia Altschul
She ended up moving to Charleston with the money she won on the Norwegian cruise and landed a job at an upscale salon.
“I somehow weaseled my way into this badass salon with the elite the people,” she said. “I was working for, basically, $8 an hour.”
Madison said her initial duties included shampooing hair and feeding parking meters for clients, including Southern Charm matriarch Patricia Altschul.
“I knew that eventually I’d be able to get on the floor, I just didn’t know when because, obviously, I didn’t have a clientele,” she said. “And, basically, Patricia’s hairstylist would flake all the time, to the point where Patricia just trained me… trained me on how to do her hair.”
Madison went on to become Patricia’s go-to stylist and one of her closest friends.
Madison urged her fans to take big risks: "Give it your all"
“So, that’s literally the story of how I got to Charleston and how I started working there,” Madison said. “I literally had $1,700 to my name, and to think that I’m here now is absolutely insane. If you would’ve told me that I would’ve lived in my dream part of town, buying my second home… and married and having another baby, I would’ve never believed you. I just think that you gotta take that risk. Even if it feels scary, who cares? You just gotta go for it and just give it your all.”
