Dark to lighter hair - question

So I have pretty dark brown hair. I have a naturally blonde to dark blonde hair and died it 10 years ago to dark and wang to go back mainly cause my hair grows so fast and it looks horrible with dark hair and light roots lol. I have two small children and can’t keep up with coloring it. I do use a box dye sadly. And my hair is naturally curly so it is pretty dry. Well a few months ago I went into this very nice salon and told them I wanted to go lighter. Obviously slowly and not all at once. Maybe highlights to start and go from there. (I’ve had highlights many of times without issues) well she started and said my hair was breaking off and couldn’t go forward. She was brand new at her job but I was still sad. Should I try another salon or just keep it dark? I think maybe she was going too light for what my hair could handle all at once?