Last week was a record breaking week for “Hair at Home” in terms of takings, best week to date in my 4 year history. Whoop! Whoop!!
It was also a great week in terms of the reaction I got from my clients and the difference I made to them, not only with my skills as a hairdresser but through the conversations we had. The places they are in their lives and the common ground that no matter how hard things get , we are all in this together, trying our best, f***ing up as we go along but able to laugh, cry and share our experiences with each other – sometimes total strangers – picking ourselves up, having the courage to change direction and the courage to know that we learn so much from our mistakes and that by learning to trust and believe in ourselves, everything will and is going to be OK……
Angie and I had never met before, she Googled for a mobile hairdresser in Hove and picked me from the list. We had a good chat about her hair, she hadn’t been happy with the previous colour, the highlights were too stripey and too much weight had been taken out of her hair which had left it flyaway and hard to control.
Angie was in a rut, staying with a friend as her anti-social neighbours had made it impossible for her to continue living in her flat. Where was she going to live? She worked in Lewes, should she leave Hove and move to Eastbourne where the rents were much cheaper? Should she leave her job? It wasn’t her dream job…
As I highlighted Angie’s hair she talked and as she talked she worked thorough her own problems, and underneath her underlying fear of change was anxiety and a little voice in her head telling her she “wasn’t good enough” (something I can relate to very well, as I’m sure most of us can). It transpired that to relieve her anxiety Angie practiced Yoga – for those of you who know me, you know that I have a regular Yoga practice and I contribute so much of my wellbeing and physical and mental health to my regular practice – something Angie had been doing at home alone since she was 15 !
By the time I had turned Angie into a super, natural blonde and restyled her hair, she had decided she was going to get a receptionist job at a Yoga studio so she could take her practice outside of her home and be around other Yogi’s and work toward doing her teacher training either here in the UK and make the leap and move San Francisco a place she loves…..
I re-trained to become a Hairdresser at the age of 32, having taken redundancy from a job in Telecoms at Ericsson. I used my redundancy money to go traveling, with the soul mission that I wouldn’t come home until I had decided upon a new career. I had been away for almost two years when I had a complete epiphany in Bangkok of all places. I woke up in the worst hostel with the worst hangover and my first thought was “I’m going to be a hairdresser” and I did! It was hard work, but I did it and now here I am my own boss, my own business and control over my life…. I am very, very lucky and I am grateful everyday for what I have achieved…..
…… GO ANGIE! IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!!
