Hair What I'm Saying
"Hair What I'm Saying" is created to share real life experiences with real people in the beauty industry to promote healthy relationships with consumers and Beautyprenuers. We will get into the nitty gritty of the backend of hair/salon business to help consumers understand why certain policies are implemented in order to sustain a healthy balanced salon environment for both parties, while consumers share their unprofessional and challenging experiences behind the chair. The goal is to bridge the gap to understand one another's perspective in hopes of clarity and unity.
Hair What I'm Saying
“The Quiet Burnout: Unhealthy Social Media Demands on Beauty Entrepreneurs"
Watch the Video Podcast for this episode on Youtube!
Feeling the pressure from social media's relentless demands? Discover the hidden truths behind these platforms as we welcome back Minnie from Shag Noir Salon, a beloved guest and beautypreneur, whose honest insights offer both comfort and clarity. Together, we navigate the high-wire act of maintaining an authentic online presence in a world that seems to demand perfection. Minnie candidly shares her own journey from Facebook's familiar territory to the vibrant world of Instagram, highlighting both the creative possibilities and the mental toll that comes with constant engagement. So, how do we balance creativity with sanity? Join us to find out.
In the fast-paced world of beauty, the line between personal and professional often blurs, especially with social media's evolving landscape. We dig into the pressures of curating engaging content and protecting our mental health while sharing eye-opening stories, including a personal tale about my mother's transformative journey with Optivia. These narratives underscore the power of relatability and storytelling in connecting with audiences. By embracing authenticity and setting boundaries, we can redefine what it means to succeed online without losing ourselves in the process.
Have you ever felt trapped in the hustle culture, yearning for a moment of peace? We examine the cultural shift from glorifying perpetual productivity to cherishing rest and self-care, particularly for those of us in creative fields. Exploring strategies to maintain a healthy relationship with social media, we emphasize the value of word-of-mouth and in-house management over the digital rat race. Our conversation also touches on the simple joys that bring serenity, whether it's a quiet coffee with nature or meaningful interactions at smaller, intent-focused gatherings. Remember, while social media can expand your reach, it should never overshadow your true business identity or personal well-being.
Don't forget to rate and subscribe to "Hair What I'm Saying" to stay connected with our insightful discussions on the intersections of haircare, business, and community. Your support keeps the conversations flowing and ensures you never miss an episode. Hit that subscribe button, leave us a rating, and share your thoughts with a review. We appreciate your engagement and look forward to continuing this journey together. Stay fabulous, stay informed!
To connect with our guest, Minnie, follow the links below:
Minnie's Personal Instagram
Minnie's Business Instagram
Instrumentals By: duwhop_2.0
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Welcome back to another episode of Hair what I'm Saying, where we talk all things beauty, business and self-care. I'm your host, kenetra Stewart, and today we're diving into a major conversation that's been stirring up in the beauty industry social media and the unhealthy pressures it places on beautypreneurs. Joining me again for her second appearance is the incredible Minnie, owner of Chag Noir Salon. We'll be unpacking how social media's constant evolution is impacting our mental health, work-life balance and even how we do business. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the need of constantly posting or wondered if stepping back could hurt your business, this episode is for you. Let's get into it. Welcome to the hair what I'm saying podcast. I'm your host, kanetra stewart. Today we have many of shag noir salon joining us again.
Speaker 1:So far, her episode from season two and I believe it's episode three is the number one downloaded episode. It's called strands of wisdom, so obviously it must be some good ass information on there that y'all need to check out. Yes, yes. Welcome mini. How are you? I'm wonderful. Thank you for having me again. Yes, indeed, no, thank you for coming again. I really love the information that you have held with inside of you and I just feel like people need to hear this information and also your perspective is always your perspective Always get me thinking I'd be like yeah, I'm happy.
Speaker 2:I always wonder if I'm crazy for it, but yeah.
Speaker 1:No, so that's why I was like the only person I want to share, or at least have a conversational piece about this particular topic. The only person I could think of is Minnie yeah, so thank you.
Speaker 2:Let's jump right. Is Minnie yeah?
Speaker 1:So thank you, gary. I appreciate it. Let's jump right into it. Okay, Minnie, how has social media influenced your career?
Speaker 2:Ooh, so I would say it's allowed me to put my creativity out there. I was always into drawing and journaling. I have tons of journals I can go back and look into, but social media allowed me to bring in the graphics, the creativity that I used but didn't really take into as far as a career, but also add it with my journaling, so I can put little pieces of me, of my journey through life, onto social media and share it, yeah right, yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:I know. When I first started it was just like I'm just posting yeah, I don't know what's going on here? It's new picture my dog, right picture my shoe right right.
Speaker 2:I didn't know what it was for at first and I just thought this is really cool. I can, you know, connect with people from high school or whatever, because I didn't use Facebook. It was for at first and I just thought this is really cool. I can, you know, connect with people from high school or whatever, because I didn't use Facebook as much. But it's now you know which we'll get into, I'm sure, but it's become, you know, something you have to use for your business, and I still tend to just have fun with it.
Speaker 1:You do, and that's what I love about your content. It's like, if I want to share, this is what I'm going to share. I'm not following, you know, like an aesthetic, a certain theme.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:If I feel like it's worth y'all knowing, then I'll just share as long as it looks good right. Exactly yeah.
Speaker 2:So did you have IG first or Facebook first? Since you said you were more it sounded like you were more posting on Instagram than so. I had Facebook first, but I didn't go to well. I went to college for a year so I never had signed up for Facebook. And then when I came home from college from Texas Southern, you know everybody had Facebook. That was still in school and I didn't understand.
Speaker 2:So I got a Facebook but I didn't really use it. You know, Instagram was right behind it and I was like, oh, this is quicker and easier, I don't have to type out my whole.
Speaker 1:It was just visual and I was like, oh, this is quicker and easier. I don't have to type out my whole. It was just visual, yeah, and that's the part that I loved yeah, and it was. Facebook was at one time just for college students.
Speaker 2:If you have a college email, you can even have a Facebook. Yeah, and I don't even know if I ever knew my college email.
Speaker 1:Well, we definitely ain't going to go there, because I know I definitely don't even remember mine, but I remember that's how I started it and at first it was kind of like what is going?
Speaker 2:on it seemed cool.
Speaker 1:It seemed interesting, but where is this going to go? I really didn't think it was going to go anywhere.
Speaker 2:And then your parents were on it too.
Speaker 1:Later.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, it just seemed more on the professional side, like this citizen that you wanted to uphold for Facebook and Instagram allowed you to. To take it there a little bit, because you know your mom wasn't on Instagram ever.
Speaker 1:What you say, girl?
Speaker 2:we're gonna be more conservative yeah, because people from church are on there. Aunties, you gotta yeah, baby, yes listen.
Speaker 1:No, have a good time and I feel like snapchat.
Speaker 2:I was done with it.
Speaker 1:I tried it. I was like it ain't for me and I'm good with it. I just I was done with snapchat wasn't my thing.
Speaker 2:I didn't find that I could use it for business also, um, and it didn't seem like a place for creativity, unless I wanted to use the filters to change my face exactly the only reason why I found it funny, but it was for nefarious behavior, that's what I found the app to be.
Speaker 1:Yes, indeed, and then it's like Instagram. You know, it's just kind of like I'm not ashamed of what I'm sharing. This is just something I want to share with my folks, my family. Yeah, you know, but Snapchat was like Took it too far.
Speaker 2:Too far for me.
Speaker 1:Way too far for me, way too far girl.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, I haven't had that one in like six years maybe I only bring it out around the kids for the filter yeah, the little doggy, cute cat filters.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't remember the last time I used snappy chappy, that's what my grandma called it my dad.
Speaker 2:What was my dad? My dad was like uh, at one point with Facebook he's like y'all just make sure to face me. I was like yeah.
Speaker 1:Girl, what'd he say?
Speaker 2:You shouldn't have Facebook at all At all Girl.
Speaker 1:That's social media lingo, I swear it's just. I guess they're on hell, I don't know. So, Manny, have you ever felt stressed because you weren't showing up enough on social media and you know that constant pressure of like? You need to show up in order to get engagement and followers yeah, uh, this one.
Speaker 2:This one is difficult because it's like I have felt stressed in because I have a business. If it was just me, I wouldn't give a damn At all. But because I have a business and my business is not just me, a representation of me I feel inclined to show up all the time for my stylist in my salon and I've had an issue with handing over that control because there is, as far as my business, a certain aesthetic that I want to have and portray.
Speaker 2:yes, um because I still want it to be a little sassy, uh-huh and I don't want it to be cleaned all the way up. So I do feel stressed when it comes to my business's social media. But I mean it's a second year journey. I get you build your. You know, I hear like you build your brand through the journey yeah you know. So I'm not.
Speaker 1:It's not daunting to me yeah, well, that's a good thing, because it can be daunting for a lot of people. You know it's, it is I mean it truly is.
Speaker 2:Like you know, I'm just on the personal side, like talking to friends, hearing like I didn't really understand and had to have some compassion with people that were like I scroll, I doom, scroll through perfect people's photos and I start to feel bad about myself, like I didn't understand that yeah, um, but you don't give me that vibe at all, though. I know that I would feel that way. I mean, I, you know, I go through it. I'm like damn people. My thing is like, I'm like I wish I would have come up with that.
Speaker 2:Or I wish I would have had that idea, that I had. I wish I had enough nerve to put it on the internet at all times. But then I have to remember I'm building a brand, yeah, so I can't. I don't feel that it's the right position for me to always take if I want to just speak outwardly about this or, you know, play this game one day on the internet. And it's like oh, you have a whole salon of also people that you're representing, so be careful.
Speaker 1:Be careful how you do it. No, you absolutely have to be careful Because you know you can go viral for all the right reasons, for all the wrong reasons. Sometimes you'll post things and people take a complete lot of context.
Speaker 2:You'll see followers.
Speaker 1:Girl, but that's what's going on now, because I think they're cleaning it up, yeah. Getting rid of the bots. Okay, of people that are following you, so it might seem like there's like a decline in numbers right now for a lot of people. It's because they like going through and cleaning up all the spam accounts and all the bot accounts and things like that.
Speaker 2:And there is a certain I don't know which tab it is, but you can go to it now something on the top that's like, uh, I guess where it's like I guess a risky accounts, where I have like 79 up there that don't even care to check, whatever they've taken all of those away.
Speaker 1:Yeah and so, and it's because they feel like it's spam and bots. I know one um creator.
Speaker 2:She was telling you how to retrieve them back and I'm like, well, they bought signing, I don't need them yes, I don't know, I enjoy the true follower part of it, like it doesn't need to get wild for me as far as followers, because I appreciate those that do appreciate what I put out because it is, you know, whether it be comical or, um, educational or something that is, uh, more on the social side of it. I appreciate those that align with what I post and if they don't like it they can go, and I can admit when I've posted something that was probably distasteful absolutely.
Speaker 1:You know you can't appeal to everybody. It's just, it's impossible, you know, and I ain't going to try to either.
Speaker 2:Right, I think what stresses me out more is my mom's posts.
Speaker 1:Wow, I need to ask.
Speaker 2:I just told her the other day I'm like mom, y'all are not marketing to anyone, Like, whatever you're posting is not. Nobody knows who you are. They don't know what you're talking about You're just putting what is she so?
Speaker 2:she does Optivia and I will. You know I'm so proud of her because she's lost so much weight where she struggled with this Most of my childhood and into adulthood, and she's lost so much weight and with this program and with this program, you know, she wants to share it with other people and it's MLM. I mean it's MLM but it worked for her it was the one thing that worked and I've seen her go through so many different uh avenues to try to make this happen, but it really was truly like when she wanted it right. So I'm keep telling her I'm like mom, you, just you and my aunt just like posting a picture of like yourself and like I lost weight, join me, nobody knows what's going on Like you have to talk and share your story.
Speaker 1:First clean your lens. Oh, share your story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, clean your lens first, let's upgrade the camera or something.
Speaker 1:Girl be quiet, Don't you hate it, Girl, I be scrolling, I Girl, I be scrolling.
Speaker 2:I see a dirty little dirty smudge, just clean the lens. I got me wanting to wipe it off.
Speaker 1:I be like, isn't my camera there?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and she's like what no-transcript? And she's like well, I did this, I did that. And I'm like mommy, I'm just saying listen, just clean the screen.
Speaker 1:I've been doing it longer than you should.
Speaker 2:Share your story. Yeah, yeah, because people want to see what was so hard about it before. Where was your Mindset now, at 65 years old, with your kids out of the house, and they're not stressing you out anymore. I love that. People want to hear that, the normal people that you know sitting in their homes just doing the daily. And one day she'll get it, but until then they're stressing me out.
Speaker 1:They just need to understand that you need to be relatable, right and because whenever people find similarities in your journey, whenever you are speaking about your journey, then it's like follow. I want to keep it yeah keep in touch with whatever they're doing, because if she did it and I'm still at a place where I haven't done it, then I can do it. You know truly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so once you become relatable, that's they locked in as long as you can hold them because, girl, they be quick to not be locked, don't get canceled, damn it so do you feel like um did it affect your uh work and uh personal life balance at all at times, you know, trying to keep up with the, I think when it got into, when I got into that creative side, I had I not gone into hair, I was going to go into graphic design.
Speaker 2:Okay, because with me drawing I could replicate a lot of things. But very hard for me to like imagine something and then draw it and draw it to proportion, to scale. So I was really getting into the apps of social media.
Speaker 2:I was like, okay, this is cool and people have preset things for me and then I would, from the presets, I would go in and play and post and see what got a reaction, see what didn't, and that was cool. But then I would go in and play and post and see what got a reaction, see what didn't, and that was cool. But then I would find that I would want to break down the templates and how did they do that? And I could do it on my own. But then I'm reminded I'm like you can't only way you'll really find out how to use. It is hours.
Speaker 1:Hours, invest hours in it, you know yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think it's important to like set a time. It wasn't something that I did because I just got so engulfed in it. To like set a time. It wasn't something that I did because, yeah, I just got so engulfed in it, yeah, you know. And then next thing, I know I'm like okay, like I've been on canva for like eight hours, ain't got paid for, none of it and that's why I feel like it is another job.
Speaker 1:I mean, you can hire social media content creators, yeah, managers, etc. Because it is another job. Yeah, that we didn't ask for Shit I need somebody to perfect it for me.
Speaker 2:If they could share my brain and how I want it on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, get that visual out for you, Because that's the hard part translating the visual to the other person so that they can understand where you're coming from and give them your passwords.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that's a hard one. I struggle with that and I have one team member who has all my passwords and, uh, I trust her completely, but I still am just like what is this like? Is there a better way?
Speaker 1:why isn't it? Because you know we're wearing, you know, not just us in the beauty industry. There are other people that wear multiple hats, right. So we might just want to focus on the one thing that we, you know, specialize in, right, and let them focus on the one thing that they specialize in but also serves as an umbrella on our business, you know. So it's just I wonder why they haven't created that yet.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm sure there's a workaround, but to me it's too many moving parts. But you know, like sharing Dougalgox, Dougalgox.
Speaker 1:Put the D on the G, the G on the D.
Speaker 2:Dougalgox. What's the other one? Dropbox, all those.
Speaker 1:Dropbox, yeah, but it's just to me it becomes too many Things.
Speaker 2:I'm just like yeah, I'm just like take it. But then I'm like damn damn, I or access to all your photos. So I've just had to figure out like backtrack and lock that up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Social media is a lot.
Speaker 1:It is a lot honey.
Speaker 2:It is fun, though it's so damn funny.
Speaker 1:You know what I think, in order for it to be fun for me, I'm gonna have to tap into, um, like I was talking to jessica, who literally just left like she, we just did a podcast together, okay, and I have to tap into where she is with social media.
Speaker 1:She was like this is a place for blogging, just having fun yeah and focus really and and we talked about this when she was doing my makeup and really just focus on seo and stuff like that, you know, um, instead of like intentionally posting on social media because it is so time consuming yeah, she was. And then, like a photographer that I did a podcast with last season, she was like I'm just there for fun, right, and if you want to do business with me, you can resort to my website. She's like I'm just there for fun, right, and if you want to do business with me, you can resort to my website.
Speaker 1:She's like I'm just here to post and leave, she was like, because it becomes just too much too much yeah and it is you know. Let me backtrack. It is fun because I do like creating content, but I don't like balancing all of my hats. It's like I like every single hat in my job. I love it actually, but do I want to do all of them?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, no, no, no no no, and that's what takes the enjoyment out of it is whenever you do start like juggling all these different hats that you have in order to you know, run your business and that's what's been.
Speaker 2:it's been important for me to like step back and really gauge what is what matters, my social step back and really gauge what is what matters um my social media matters right. So I I do like to have fun with it and I do like to have my staff like be creative, and even those that don't like to do it, I'm like I'll just wait. I'll just wait and see, because maybe, like I have one that always had this like sour I feel like, like a sour feeling about it, like I just don't have time, but she's a new mom, right.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm not going to force her. I'm not going to force her. I'm going to just throw these little gems in her ear. And now she's showing up on social media and her feedback that she's not even doing much. She's putting a little product in her hair. She's product in her hair. She's gorgeous, she's fun, she's easy to get along with. She's, she's just amazing, she's talented.
Speaker 2:And now she's showing up on social media and she's like many and I'm like I just wanted to see. Yeah, like you know, it can be fun, it doesn't have to be as stressful and what I hear her with her clients, like I can tell she's made it stressful and it's easy to do. You know, like I've made it stressful there's days and I think it was more like we've talked about it, like with my drinking.
Speaker 2:When I was drinking I just didn't feel pretty and so I wouldn't want to post and I would find a reason to like cope with whatever shit I was wallowing in, right, and so I wouldn't post, and it would be, you know, time spent away from social media because I was wallowing. And then I'd take a break and, you know, not drink for two weeks, and then I'd feel amazing. Yeah, I feel better, but feel like at least even worthy enough to show up online.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I think it's important right to like take care of yourself, so you know like when's an appropriate time to like share my story or share what I want to share. Keep it fun. Keep keep it fun, keep it exciting, keep it funky yeah, keep it funky.
Speaker 1:Recently I've noticed several beauty professionals announced they won't be as active on social media because of time constraints and lack of interest. What do you think about that?
Speaker 2:burnout burnout it's like it's so I guess it was brought to my attention like really setting those intervals of time like it's important, because once you start spiraling, you look up and it's been hours, you know, and the return that you can get for so much effort sometimes, yes, can be daunting right you spend money on equipment or whatever, like one of my staff members was like, hey, can we get a pivo? And I had a pivo. You know one of those it rotates with you, yeah and I had one.
Speaker 2:It was broken during a you know south by southwest um. But I was like that we can keep spending money on equipment thinking it's going to make it better. But it's really your passion. You'll find whatever angle you need to get to get the shots you need right now, but use the bare minimum. But if you go in and investing all this money and all this time and then you get 12 likes, it could just send you into spiral time.
Speaker 2:Absolutely likes it could just send you into spiral time so I can get where it's. And it's too like shit, like understanding, like where do I have this control that I can't let go of? Do I need to share this space or this position with someone else? I offer more commission. If a, if a stylist comes on and says I will take over social media, wow, why you? You know, I'll give you more commission. It's a business deal.
Speaker 1:I love that and it's why you it'd be hard to pass up.
Speaker 2:As opposed to having somebody else that's not in house.
Speaker 1:do my social media and actually see what's going on and actually be involved with your mission and whatever the focus is for your business and how you want to see it grow.
Speaker 2:And take that skill. You'll be practicing it while you're in downtime, whatever, um take that skill somewhere else just from playing and practicing, and you can definitely put that on your resume, right?
Speaker 1:yeah, you sure can right.
Speaker 2:So that's what you know. I feel like it's definitely a thing if you have to take the time off like it has to be done, because I've done it, where I think it's like a week off, um, but I just like creating so it's fine.
Speaker 1:It can, like you know, I I had to even go back and check myself. Like girl, you do enjoy it, right?
Speaker 2:but responding can be a lot too right, like when you're having you, you get done with work and because of what? All the crazy shit on your stories you posted all night. You've got like 75 things to respond to.
Speaker 1:And you'd be like, in the moment you feel good about posting it. You know what I'm saying, that was so funny. And then you getting back, it's like three days later and I always tell them look, I'm always getting back baby.
Speaker 2:But look, Maybe I mean there might be months later at school and you see the dark, bold letters and you're like damn, damn damn, I didn't get back to deal. I mean, charge it to my head and not my heart, that's how I feel, but yeah. I mean if you have to take the break, take the break, don't announce it, whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't feel like you have to announce it Disappear. Yeah, I think either way works you know yeah. I know one of. She's a nail tech. I cannot think of her name, but she stated she just feel like I'm a veteran, yeah, and I'm just genuinely over it. Yeah, you know, I have my clientele that's established and what's been working for her is word of mouth.
Speaker 2:Right, and that's how. I feel, you know most of the time and it might be old school in my thinking, I do think when you are building in your new social media is free. Yes, it's free, and you can have a return if you put that authenticity and the time and the commitment and persistence into it. But I believe that word of mouth is way stronger.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because people want to hear from personal experiences. I think it's even better than reviews sometimes. I think, it right, that person is more likely to sit in your chair, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I've never I've heard, you know, when I first got in the industry. Word of mouth travels 10 times faster than any other form of marketing, and I truly believe it just from what I get back in the chair, I'm always asking like, how did you hear about me? Um, but yeah, yeah, like announce, announce if you're gonna be gone, if you have clients that would worry if you're not online. But you know, I think the melodramatic kind of like, oh my god, yeah, I'm leaving like save it because you'll be back, you'll be checking.
Speaker 2:You're the one that's actually checking it every night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely every night yeah, I don't think I've ever announced a social media break. I think I just took it one time I stayed gone for like six months. That's nice. I was like. I've never done that but I would log in, you know, just to kind of check, see what's going on Make sure you don't miss anything, right. Exactly, but like me posting, I was like, I just want a mindless scroll.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And let's see what everybody been doing. That's all I want to do. Yeah, do you feel like it's going to negatively impact their business in some ways If they did cut it cut?
Speaker 2:the cord?
Speaker 2:yes, I guess it could yeah, right, yeah I guess it could if you, if your following depends on, like what your following was built on, if your following was built on how you build in that social media and that's how they engage with you and that's how they expect sadly expect to engage with you, yeah, um, but if you practice setting those boundaries, like this is for fun, like this is not my existence and this is not who I am, yeah, uh, you know, I'm just putting this out here. Otherwise, there's a website or there's a consultation or you know an email you can send me to let me know. But I think if you do still keep you know the frequency out there that you're doing business word in people's mouths yeah, you won't fail.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:People still keep coming by.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what I love about those people, they'll say she's not that active on social media. Yeah.
Speaker 2:They'll support you, girl. What? Yeah, they'll talk.
Speaker 1:she's not that active on social media. Yeah, they'll support you, girl, what They'll talk for you.
Speaker 2:And it's perfect, it's perfect.
Speaker 1:Do you think private studio owners, such as like solopreneurs, are more likely to experience burnout since they juggle all of the hats, opposed to like a shared space where you can kind of help each other juggle all of the hats?
Speaker 2:opposed to like a shared space where you can kind of help each other. Yeah, I think it, and it too just depends on, like, uh, what your niches are like. If you're in a private studio and you love the privacy of being able to create, um necessarily don't want to do it in would be wonderful for you right um just being a suite owner alone in itself that's why I asked you, because you have both experiences.
Speaker 1:It is so hard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's, it's so hard. And I and I do see the duality where some people get into a suite and it's like I'm either gonna run this like a salon or I'm gonna run this just like this is. I'm running a chair like this is just like my, my thing, I don't need to sell retail.
Speaker 1:Never look that way yeah. I mean because you see people stay in them forever.
Speaker 2:and then you see those that like then branch out and start salons or go back to being a part of something. It's a lot to put on yourself and then have to realize like I have to create content for just me and what I'm doing in here and it has to spread so that I keep my books filled.
Speaker 2:So I do think it could be extremely stressful if that's not what you were ready to do or if that's not your strong suit, but I feel like once you move into a suite, it almost becomes something you have to do if you're not going to be word of mouth or invest. I mean, who's got tens of thousand dollars for marketing? So you've got to get creative, and it really starts with social media. It's the cheapest.
Speaker 1:It's the cheapest, go dance on the corner when you're booked Girl, what you say Dance on the pole.
Speaker 2:We was just talking about pole dancing you hear me Dance on the pole.
Speaker 1:Do some child.
Speaker 2:The way I'm looking right now. Right, you got to have OnlyFans. I mean you got to be doing something. No, I mean yeah. Yeah because it's slow, it's getting slow. I don't know if it's slow, it's getting slow. You know.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it's because of the election.
Speaker 2:That's how I feel, I feel like this is um. I'm like was I not just paying, paying attention to it in my 20s or my early 30s yeah um, but I do feel like this one is heavy. It's a heavy one. It's this whole thing has reached into people's pocketbooks, into their social worlds, into their parenting their children they're, you know, raising their children. It it's affected a lot of people and I think it's it's going, it's going to be interesting it sure is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I feel as though, since you know it's this, this particular election, it's like, really it's a sensitive topic and I think people are being very conscious about decisions that they are making because of these candidates. Yeah, I mean, and they like child look.
Speaker 2:And like, careful of where they want to share their conversations.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Everything you know.
Speaker 2:Where their mental health is right now yeah you know where their mental health is right now? Yeah, um, you know, I was just telling one of my clients. I'm like it was really dramatic the 2020 election yeah, and I noticed this just being a stylist who has different, like a varied group of people, but it did seem very way more dramatic to them to like live more more liberal.
Speaker 2:Uh, white clients where they were preparing to move right if trump was elected president, and so now we're at a repeat yeah, and I think they're like and I they're really drawing back now. Oh, yeah, I mean if not some of them have left. Yeah, so, now it's round two, after a pandemic, after a pandemic With social media. I mean now I feel like there are where I typically have a lot of fun with social media.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There's times where I'm like it's got to go off, yeah. There's times where I'm like it's got to go off. I can't look at another screaming child or another erratic behavior from somebody that is completely entitled. So I think it has played a huge part.
Speaker 1:Social media definitely plays a huge role, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean you hear it all the time. Now they're just trying to cut you down from, like reminding you to cut down that time, cut down the time that you spend on the news for the election. I mean I listen to npr quite frequently all day, basically yeah, um, and just they've been pretty diligent about reminding people to just chill out, because again it could be too much yeah, yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:So i'ma shift a little bit the subjects a little bit. Why do you believe rest is often viewed as a luxury and not something that's like a necessity?
Speaker 2:I feel like it's just a hustle culture thing, right? Do you feel like that? Yes, like it's more of. It's an industry where we're taught to move fast, like make money and move fast, that whole culture.
Speaker 1:Like you said, yeah, and if you ain't doing this Right and if you're not, doing anything.
Speaker 2:You're lazy or you're not working hard enough. Sleep is the next cousin to death. What are you doing? Yeah, sleep when I'm dead. I was there. I did it, me too. There. I did it, me too. Like I did not nap, I did not create times to eat food or just with like poured food.
Speaker 1:Yeah, go to the bathroom, right. You know how we are in the beauty industry.
Speaker 2:I appreciate. Rest now. It's a necessity, it's not a luxury.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know and social media helped push more of that agenda. To me, rest no To work, to work. In the beginning it was all about working, working, working, working Hustle yes.
Speaker 2:Grinding, waking up yeah.
Speaker 1:Now I feel like it's trying to shift because they see it's not working.
Speaker 2:No, it's not and it's not. Never going to work, not in working.
Speaker 1:no, it's not and it's not, never gonna work, not in the capitalist society because it's chasing the dollar.
Speaker 2:So I have I have been very serious about that lately because I did I just remember working, not eating double booking, hoping to level up to triple book and as I have gotten older, um, I can't like there's no way that I and I don't think it's cool to glorify not resting, you know do you look back back then and be like, how the hell did I do all that? How to do it.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, I mean, I had a young body that's true too, I had a young body a young mind in the that didn't absorb everything you know, like you, just you was just on the surface doing it, you know it was autopilot, like autopilot, yeah, and I don't think with uh a lot of intention.
Speaker 2:But now like I just I was telling one of my friends, I'm like I'll just find myself like staring out the back door. Now I've sort of cut the grass, the dogs out there playing. I'm just like I will stand there for like 30 minutes and I will be okay with this. Like this is totally okay to just be here with my cup of coffee.
Speaker 1:It's so serene, it's like such a slept on flex, you know it is Because my brain will just go and go and go.
Speaker 2:So I have to I had to, you know, really put that as a part of my thing, like I used to just be like I don't nap, I don't nap. Who takes naps? It's too hard to nap, but now I will take naps, girl, I'd be gone.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. I'd be gone, girl. I always took naps, really so tired. Yeah, like you know, like something, they you know, I think some people are you an extrovert and introvert, or a little bit of both, depending on what it is, I would say that, more introverted, but okay, yeah because I find to me seem like extroverted people can do that and don't. Now, you know, like after these podcasts, girl, I'm going to bed really see, because it take a lot out of me to like, listen and then give feedback.
Speaker 2:So, girl, that's why you don't really see me at these social events do you and see my thing was, I could get through it if I was just sipping also cocktails having a beer. And once I stopped drinking I was like, oh my God, I'm not sure if I'm really enjoying all of this and I have to take it in doses and recharge, but I was able to just push through. I'm like, oh shit, we're gonna stop and get a drink, so I'll be good, we'll just power up and keep moving oh, gotcha.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can see that too, because back then I would have more battery. I don know why but it did give me more fuel to interact like that, but not no more.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like we just did ACL, I'll never do it again. I'm never doing it. It was so many people. It was so many people that I just didn't even understand how many people got in there. And it was so hot and I'd never seen that many people. And by day two, I think, I just carried a face by day two, day three, we had the wristbands. I was like I can't do it. I have to give this away. I'm never doing it again and never doing it again.
Speaker 1:I'm fine with that. I ain't never did one, because of the environment. I'm like it's, it's too much for me. Um, yeah, it's just too much. You know like I love small intimate, you know settings.
Speaker 2:I can oh, I can do that all day I'm even trying to get used to that, like just even just being around people, yeah, in any settings, like small, big, but just not and not having a crutch.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Do I really like these people? Do I align with these people? I didn't want to say it. I'm working on it.
Speaker 1:I didn't want to say it, but that's where I'm at because that's why I don't yeah. You know a lot of the times. The dog and pony show girl, it's just too much, you know acting like you're really interested you know, and you'd be like, oh yeah, I'm not a dick you know I'm saying I'm not, it's just some. I just noticed like I hate I'm trying to get well-rounded with talking about conversations that are not necessarily of interest to me.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, and I would like to.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's just not today.
Speaker 2:I'm going to get there one day. We're going to get you out to one of these events. Yeah, I did just do the Austin Area Urban League Gala.
Speaker 1:Did you just go yeah, yeah so I was invited by my friend darian you and your mom went right.
Speaker 2:No, we were volunteering, so my cousins she does black mama, black mama's village in pflugerville okay, your cousin.
Speaker 1:What's her name?
Speaker 2:keely nicole mosley on she's like on facebook. Is that is?
Speaker 1:Is it Black Mamas ATX? Not that one. Okay, it's Black Mamas Village. Black Mamas Village. Yeah, so that's where me and my mom were volunteering.
Speaker 2:But I don't normally go to galas because it just seems like a lot to me.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And where you have to be performative. Yes, but I did go and I had a really good time.
Speaker 1:I stayed. Yeah, I did go and I had a really good time. I stayed out till two o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 2:Oh, you had a great ass time. You know it's over time, it was fun. I was like I'm glad I really needed it, like I. I was like I really needed to be at this and it wasn't a lot of talking, it was just like black excellence in the room and I was like, oh, this, I need to learn more about this group yeah, yeah, and that was your first experience with them, yeah okay, so it could just be just not ever being around it you really don't know until you go.
Speaker 1:You know I'm trying, yeah, we all there it's okay, we're open yeah, that's what matters. Yeah, for sure what would you say to beauty professionals who feel guilty about taking time off or prioritizing risk when it comes to posting on social media?
Speaker 2:I just say take all the time you need. You know, like, take all the time you need. I feel like this kind of ran congruent with like when, uh, that expectation on what you're supposed to do, it's free shit, like you don't have to do, that, it's not calling you, we're not meant, it's not mandated, um, but like talking to people about like when they're laid off and they have to get on unemployment and I noticed, like most people being a hairdresser, you know we talk to people all day long about things that are are that are personal, and I think one topic that feels shameful is like I got laid off you know, and I just got to get back to work.
Speaker 2:And it's like but you could take unemployment.
Speaker 1:And some people get severance and still feel.
Speaker 2:I was on unemployment for two years. I don't know if I'm supposed to be shamed by that, but I'm not.
Speaker 2:What'd you learn in that period I've been working since I was 15 years old, you know, and I got laid off. I put my whole ass into this company. It wasn't something I wanted to be when I grew up but you know, I was taught amazing work ethic from my parents and I started low level where I didn't even think most of us could see the a position that I got into and I, just from asking, I'm like I can't stay at 9 25 an hour. Is there any way that y'all can put me over here? And next thing, I knew I was working over here. I wasn't making much more, but it was giving me more. You know, I'm like, I know I didn't go to college but I can do so much more. But when they laid me off after six years of putting my whole ass into that company, I was like, oh no, I don't know. And that's when I went to hair school finished up hair school but I took two years off.
Speaker 2:I took two years off one to be with my little child, my son, who was at home, and I'm like when am I gonna get this opportunity? That's true, right didn't know there was a pandemic coming 10 years later, but, um you know, I was afforded two months off yeah, work, but you know, like I took the two years off.
Speaker 2:You have to take that time off if that's what you need. You're not going to be penalized for it. But if you can take that time off and just like come back to center ground yourself and figure out whatever it is that you need and maybe it's not social media that you need, like you said like bring it back in. Maybe I'll ask my clients to spread word of mouth. That's the kind of business I'm going to build. You can do whatever you want to do.
Speaker 1:You literally can Like whatever's just going to work for you.
Speaker 2:You can send out mailer flyers to everybody in your neighborhood and other neighborhoods, you still got mailboxes. You don't even have to have a website. Like Nairobi, the product sells. They don't have a website.
Speaker 1:They don't have a website? Why they don't have to? What? No, why didn't I notice that, Like I have to? You know, contact, you know, local distributors to get their product?
Speaker 2:Amazon or Amazon you know, but they don't have a website. But you can call them. I mean, I've called them and talked to them. That is so true. Selling like hotcakes.
Speaker 1:You just got gotta do what the hell work for you right at the end of the day. Whatever that thing that you find and it works, just go with it. Yeah, you know that's true. Yeah, I am really sitting up right there girl.
Speaker 2:I ain't never went to an aerobiccom no, no, oh, and they don't have any. They don't do any marketing, mm-mm-mm, they're probably still, I don't know.
Speaker 1:They've been around for a few years too, Probably the last you can find them is like Essence. Yeah, they like the Morton's iodized salt.
Speaker 2:You know, girl, they don't have to do it. Yeah, they're Girl, it's already-.
Speaker 1:You got the same logo, the same graphic design.
Speaker 2:Same color. I mean, I asked them to even change the product to make it more clean.
Speaker 1:They were like no because it's working for us and people ain't changing. Nothing is working for them Do you hear me? I was like yes, when it stopped working, trust me, they'll do it. Yeah, but right now it's working they ain't doing that.
Speaker 2:That was a pointless call.
Speaker 1:I tried it though no listen. If no listen. If you'd have never asked, you'd never know, you'd have never known.
Speaker 2:No, it's still an answer yeah, because I know that he was like ain't that much bad stuff in there. I was like, okay, did he say that? Yeah, uh-huh yep, he said ain't that much bad stuff I was like okay, and I was trying to tell like just I wondered how dated their industry had been without advertising and being a part of media lately. And sounds like men were running the company.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh, so Ah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just wanted to know.
Speaker 1:You know they ain't about to change. Yeah, I was like I'm going to need that one, though no, for real Men and beauty professionals. They feel forced to become content creators. Mm-hmm, have you felt forced or you know like? Do you relate to it Totally?
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, yeah, I mean going back, like there's just times where I'm like you know, and then to have friends who are in the industry and they can see or have a vision for you, like oh, Manny, I was just noticing like how you dress, or you're the plants, or you could just da, da, da da and in my head I'm like I don't feel pretty right now.
Speaker 2:I don't feel like I have anything to give. I don't feel like I want to grab my phone and figure out which angle in the light with the blinds up. I don't feel like doing all this right now. So I know that you can see this, but I don't want to do it.
Speaker 1:So there's where I felt forced, uh, to show up as, like a what people think is good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, yeah. But then I'm like yeah, I know, I think I'm just gonna resort back to like the goofy shit or the lifestyle shit I feel like I've always been in that mindset like what do people want to see?
Speaker 1:like what do I think they want to see?
Speaker 2:you know, and I think that's a valid question to ask. That's funny. You said that because I just thought of that yesterday. I'm like, well, and I've thought about this over and over again, but I'm like, could you just get online and be like, what do you want? Because I've heard people say minnie, I like hearing your voice. I don't necessarily love the sound of my voice. My voice is deep to me. Yeah, I haven't heard nobody say I love my voice oh yeah, I thought you were saying, no, we mostly don't like your voice.
Speaker 1:I was like, oh, no, oh my god you're like okay, no, yeah, you don't like the sound of your own voice. Yeah, you got a nice little flow. Like it's so just relaxing it is. Yeah, it's not like over the top, like it has, like it's a soothing energy yeah, yeah, I just think of it as like deep um nothing wrong with deep, but you hear the feminine in it. I mean, yeah, feminine in it, so it's all good touche yeah, um, but yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know when were we going with that. We were talking about hold on. It's right here, getting on social media and asking people what do you want?
Speaker 2:to do. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Back to that. So like, yeah, I think it's totally valid to ask what people want, but sometimes they don't talk back, and it's social media.
Speaker 1:So how do you get these people to respond? Do you intentionally tag them to talk to them?
Speaker 2:Maybe I mean to get them to respond, Because maybe they would think I think a lot of people are not okay with like being honest, outwardly honest, maybe on social media, With in that context, right, like if they were responding to you, maybe would not, wouldn't be careful about where they tread, like, oh, I like the videos. Like I personally like your videos of when you're you have a voiceover and it's you just being like being funny, or your educational videos. Girl, I love those. Your wedding, the bridal.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, relatable right, because I remember being in weddings, because you used to do bridal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, bridal. Oh yeah, relatable, right, because I remember being in weddings, yeah, and I did. I didn't love doing updos, but like watching you do them effortlessly, um, but I think it's hard for people to want to be like, oh well, this is what I would love to see. What would it? You know, would that be offensive or could it be? Is it well-rounded for everybody else? Yeah right or is it just like? Am I just serving myself by answering that question? I don't know, maybe that's thinking too much into it I don't think so I think it's questions to really ask.
Speaker 2:I think it's a valid question to ask, but yeah, you may not get the response. Yeah, in in mass numbers, like in a massive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you get a few, because even when I'm trying to create podcast content and I'll ask like, what do y'all want to hear, what do y'all want to know about, what should the next episode be on? And it'd be like crickets girl, and I'll get, and every now and again I'll get a one zero, two zero. I think you should cover this. This is exciting, or they'll be talking about something that's trending in the moment. I'm like y'all have to understand it takes time. To build this content.
Speaker 2:God man, I'd love to hear you talk to like Cynthia Loomsey or something like a wig creator, like how she broke into the business.
Speaker 1:Oh, who, I don't know she does the colorful black ladies?
Speaker 2:She does these magical wigs.
Speaker 1:I don't know her.
Speaker 2:She paints them. I have to follow her. What's in the paints? You know her IG handling by heart. Mm-hmm, it is that Cynthia Lumsey.
Speaker 1:Cynthia Lumsey.
Speaker 2:L-U-M-Z-Y.
Speaker 1:Okay, gotcha she's phenomenal.
Speaker 2:Okay, but like I don't, I've been following her for years. Mm-hmm Don't know that. I've heard her speak a lot yes, on IG, it's more so the visual part of it that I've latched onto, mm-hmm. I don't know that I've heard her speak, but I would love to see like somebody sit down and speak with her oh my god or just like more you know, girl, she making it work and not saying a word oh, she's like killing it in the way.
Speaker 1:You gotta see her I do, yeah, I'm pulling I can't.
Speaker 2:They're probably so expensive, it's not even funny omg, she's making a killing.
Speaker 2:I want like I think that's a part of what we were like when I came in. We were talking about where I feel like, uh, the industry has gotten maybe a little stale or boring. Social media, just, you know, you have those that are doing the stuff that's not going to get you paid every day and it's so creative, but it's like, where else can we go with this? But I would love to like tap into, kind of go back into where I was when I first started this industry, like putting yarn in my braids and playing with different textiles, things like that, not more, not so much for editorial, but just yeah, I don't know that I could go back to that, but just as a creative outlet, which I know you could do any day.
Speaker 1:but what are the psychological impacts of this expectation? You know what do you think it'll have psychological impacts. You know, this expectation of showing up on social media, a certain way, do you? Think it will have some.
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean just being an owner. I can see how it weighs on people when they feel like they have to look a certain way or they feel like they have to have this level of education or whatever. And you know the imposter syndrome and things like that OMG.
Speaker 2:So it's just like balancing that, because I do feel like it can weigh on people so heavily that they feel like less than and stop showing up for themselves, let alone their clients, and then salon things like that. So you know, depression, isolation, all of that plays. So, you know, depression, isolation, all of that, yes, Plays into. You know, like I said, I never even knew people were looking at people's bodies and comparing them and then having to go to therapy to like rearrange.
Speaker 1:Oh, I didn't know that either. Right, right right.
Speaker 2:But I had people like confess to me like I'm just, I'm doom, scrolling at where in my head I'm like well then, unfollowed them why? Because most of their bodies are photoshopped. We all got hair in places that don't need to be. We all got a fold, we all.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean like that's right, um, why put that on yourself? But people do that like I. Literally use social media to like, see what's funny, um, to see what is heated politically, what other businesses are doing, architecture um things I like to cry at sweet things, animals but some people do use it almost like as a weapon against themselves is what I did not realize I did not know that I mean, I'm sure all kinds of things will start to arise as we deal with social media.
Speaker 1:You know that's a lawsuit going around right now on social media, because I'm going to say, for what you just mentioned, I haven't looked into it From people hurting themselves, or yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 1:Specifically children. You know and I read through the comments quickly I didn't actually tap, you know, I was like learn more. I didn't actually tap on the uh, what is those links called? When you a cta? Um, I didn't tap on it just to read more about it because I kind of figured what it was. But the comments really shocked me because they were like, well, you know, you could just not allow your child to have a social media, which is valid, but for the ones that have already done it, that didn't enter the situation, thinking like this was going to negatively impact them.
Speaker 2:Well, now you see, like with streaming, like I keep which I sent my son this, but it's already expired because he didn't click on it. Look at it. Yeah, but it's already expired because he didn't click on it, Look at it yeah. But you know, like when I'm streaming my shows at night, Instagram is really pushing for parents to create that teen account to stop, because I'm sure it has led to a lot of self-harm, a lot of spikes in mental health. I mean, it's been going on.
Speaker 1:They said even before the, the pandemic, but of course it is skyrocketing absolutely yeah yeah just trying to, you know, settle back into the norm, the new norm after the pandemic too.
Speaker 2:It's just a lot, you know I mean they had rottencom when we were kids and then when I thought about it, like now and I see certain people that were of like my graduating class, that also were able, that were nowhere near me, were also like able to access rottencom. What is rottencom? Oh my god. It was a website that terrorized us as kids and I remember getting on it in like the computer rooms, the science labs, like computer science labs, but computers had just come out right, so we'd be in the computer labs and then your teacher would leave for 20 minutes.
Speaker 1:And you had the new internet. Now you go to ridingcom where you're supposed to be learning how to type.
Speaker 2:Famous Beacon teaches typing, but instead we're like watching people get their heads cut off. Oh my gosh, it was. We were watching all kind of stuff and then you know you'd have somebody different thing now I mean we. I mean it was like it was all kind of stuff that they had not. It was the dark web the dark web.
Speaker 2:god never heard of rottencom oh my god, the first like instagram video I saw of some woman who looked normal now, but she's like the things I've watched on rottencom and I was like her too. She's a victim. We are the 80s babies that got traumatized and I'm like. I just the end. Like social media can do the same thing, because there are things that you know for me, having been a child of that era, I mean I am cynicism is huge with me. I try to you know, balance that as much as possible, but I also do have a dark sense of humor, I'd you know I'm a part of it, so I'm aware of what can become hugely distasteful for people you know, like even the things I see on Instagram. I'm like, damn, my son can see this.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like this and for those who you know, don't have boundaries set up against social media it could be super traumatizing.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's what people have told me For sure. Yeah, how can beauty professionals manage the pressure to maintain an online presence while still prioritizing their mental health?
Speaker 2:I think it's important to to like, have agency, to know that, like, social media is an outlet, it's a way to make, it's a means to make money, it's a means to express yourself, um, be creative. But, like agency and knowing that you have agency to create the things that you want to create and that make you happy and fulfill you, and like, if you know that you don't have to do, you have the right to do whatever you want to do. You don't have to do, you have the right to do whatever you want to do. You don't have to do what other people are doing. Just knowing that can be helpful, right, and just remembering that, because I know it can feel like, oh my God, there's that trending thing, like I've got a trend. I mean, if you don't dance, then don't dance.
Speaker 1:Right. It's fine, Like you don't have to get out here and humiliate yourself or maybe you do, for you want to do that for, but remember that's going to be something you have to uphold, that's true.
Speaker 2:So make it something that's an expectation you'll unintentionally create yeah for um, and it could be something that's like I don't want to do this and I don't want to be this person. We see it with actresses, you know. And then too, I think advocacy just just stay advocating for the things that you love and the things that you believe in, um, you know, and then be authentic just be like, yeah, being authentic, and I know people hate that word, but just like allowing yourself to be yourself so that that is something you can uphold, or you can look back and say, oh, that was just like little me, but now I've grown into this and I'm you know.
Speaker 1:There's no shame in any of this that's right maybe some embarrassment there's stuff I posted from you know 10 years ago that I'm like cringe, just cringe get it off, I know, get it off, especially them old Facebook statuses.
Speaker 2:I'll be like girl. What is this? I know my girlfriend sent me one other day and I was like, oh, like, thank God for growth. I'm like I'm sure I could pull some trash up, but like it was a part of me. You know Like I'm not, that's right, yeah. You're not going to catch me out here doing like magic tricks. I don't do, that's not. I do what makes me happy and just be authentic love it.
Speaker 1:Mm Authentic, love it For sure. Okay, would you agree? The constant evolution of social media features adds to this stress.
Speaker 2:You know, especially you know like how Instagram started off as visual only.
Speaker 1:Facebook was more about community. And then here comes Snapchat, and then Instagram trying to be like Snapchat, and then Facebook trying to be like Instagram with the Insta stories, and then TikTok, and now they all trying to be like TikTok it Facebook trying to be like Instagram with the Insta stories, and then TikTok, and now they all trying to be like TikTok.
Speaker 2:It's like look OK. So you're saying do I think it? Do I think it like alters?
Speaker 1:You know, like trying to keep up, because they're trying to keep up with their competition, right? So do you feel like it's being forced on us to keep up with the features that they continue to, you know, incorporate into social media platforms in order to stay up with their competition? I mean, it's trickling down.
Speaker 2:It's totally happening and I get it. I I'm. I might be different for this question, but I love the new features. I like. I don't necessarily love all the new apps.
Speaker 1:There's some that I've just chosen to not use. Snapchat I'm not using it.
Speaker 2:Twitter I stopped using maybe 10 years ago and I have not been back on unless I've gotten like horrible service or a flight or something I need to like put a business out here for them to pay attention. But I love all the new features cause it's just like fun and exciting to me, but it is. It's only going to get faster.
Speaker 1:It is, but do you think that's playing a role for some people?
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, because, like I said, if that's not like your niche or what you're inclined to go do, or you don't have the capital to pay for it, yeah, it's going to become daunting. I mean, like I said, just even talking to my mother, where I'm like you just got to talk, well, I don't know how to. Well, I'm like, well, yeah, it's on, it's showing you how to do it on that. Well, I can't find it. And I'm like, yeah, it is, it's overwhelming.
Speaker 1:It's overwhelming.
Speaker 2:I told my mom, like I don't even do that I just me, I'm willing to sacrifice the sleep, I guess, um to learn it, as opposed to reading instructions, because instructions for me is just saying child overwhelming.
Speaker 1:Let's go back to overwhelming. When I get instructions, I read them from the bottom up, because I'll be trying to get to the conclusion, like, what is you trying to say to me? You just said all of this yeah, what are you communicating? Go straight to that conclusion. If I can't get the conclusion, then I'll find it Like what is you trying to say to me? You just said all of this what are you communicating? Go straight to that conclusion. If I can't get a conclusion, then I'll find it somewhere in the body.
Speaker 2:I just posted a story about it. Like just instructions. I'm like, oh damn it, here we go, where I had to like, even as I got older, I had to start telling people when they start giving me instructions.
Speaker 1:I'm like oh stuff, like I'm sorry, my brain doesn't work this way.
Speaker 2:So, unless you can put it in color, shapes letters visual yeah, absolutely Because. I'm just wasting your time standing here Like got it.
Speaker 1:I lied what if there's like an artist thing, since we're visually creative most of the time? But what if there's like an artist thing? Because, girl, I tell you, I don't like to play on words.
Speaker 2:I have to remind myself the same thing I probably shouldn't have said that no seriously. Yeah, because even with your email, when I text you, I'm like the address, I'm like learn to read instructions. She created an entire email and now you're texting about. I'm like it probably wasn't that I know, but it's like stuff like that where I don't think, I'm like, okay, just read, because it's probably in there exactly.
Speaker 1:It's okay, I do it too. That's why I think it's an artist thing. Yeah, you just want to get to the big picture yeah, and I always tell myself, girl, stop Like, you have to get disciplined.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's working though it's working, though I feel like the older I'm getting, the discipline I can hear the elders in my life is tapping in.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely, and you should have been listening all along. They just sound like they nagging in the moment, yeah, but nagging in the moment, yeah, you know, but I'm appreciating it. Now, all righty girl, can you share any self-care practices that have helped you or others in the industry disconnect from the demands of social media?
Speaker 2:yeah, um, I love to garden and I love to plant my plants and do those things. Yes, ma'am, um, so that's one thing I love to do, and I also love to just check out and lay in my bed, which I didn't love, like we talked about, like I never really took naps. So over the last few years I really appreciated um just being okay with like laying down, because it's not naturally like I will find things to clean, organize, arrange, do, because that's not naturally like I will find things to clean, organize, arrange, do, um that. And I think one of the main things that I've really gotten into now is stretching yes I'll just like take a little, so good, and just stretch um.
Speaker 2:I think, being a hairdresser, we forget how much we don't stretch I mean, if you're not inclined to like work out you just think well, I'm on my feet all day, I'm moving around, I'm you know, but I now spend like hours stretching, and this is a recent thing, but it's like quiet time. I think it's what ended up leading me to the back door where I'm just staring out, but stretching has really let me know where I've held a lot of it's releasing.
Speaker 1:Right, it's very it feels like you're releasing something you know yeah, yeah, I just recently started stretching, like two weeks ago, yeah, yeah, even perfect, and I was working out and I would just go right on in and work out and I was until, girl I was like, all right, yep, that's my back. Yep, I'm like I have a. Yep, that's my back. Yep, I'm like I have to stretch. Yeah, that's my back. Like, girl, you old now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's what happened. I had gotten straight into like squats. I was like I'm just take a little time out to like do squats and lunges.
Speaker 1:Mm, hmm.
Speaker 2:And my back went out.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so I out, yeah, and so I was like I have to stretch. I'm more inclined to stretch than I am. Then, once I get the limberness back, then I I want to get in back into weights absolutely got you.
Speaker 1:So, as we wrap up, what final thoughts or advice would you share with beauty professionals struggling with the pressures of social media?
Speaker 2:you know, it's just one day at a time. I like, if I look back now, I still don't have this crazy following, but I have fun with social media and I have learned to navigate it just by trying opening it up and trying and just take the content, take it. You may not be okay with it now, but you might be okay with it two weeks from now, you might be okay with it a year from now. You know, like, the amount of times we underestimate ourselves because you just don't feel pretty in that moment, or you don't feel smart enough, or you don't feel like you have a dog in the fight, the fight. You know it. Really. You have no idea what that time is, what it's meant for. In a certain time, like I had recorded videos in my phone at one point I still haven't posted them, but this was when my son was living here and I didn't realize that he had access to my phone and I had recorded video after video and I'm like I remember recording those videos. I was like damn.
Speaker 2:I'm not getting it right. This ain't it, and I always something happens when I do stuff like that my phone will die, and then I'm like fuck this, I'm mad because it's too much, you don't put too much energy in it, you know and my son got a hold of it, of my phone, went through my phone.
Speaker 2:I didn't know and he's like mom what I was taking to school. He's like mom, why did you never post those videos? And I was like he's like, you made some videos on your phone and I was like he was probably 10 and I was speaking on a specific topic, but sometimes I would feel like I didn't have a dog in the fight or I wasn't, yeah, tenured enough in doing hair like you ain't no homeowner you can't talk about you know?
Speaker 2:so it's just like silly stuff, like that. But you know, you just never know, uh, what what impact it could have. Just just take, just do the shit, you know. Yeah, and if you land on this isn't for me then it's not for you, if you, you know. But you may have so much fun with it and you don't have to have a million followers to be cool the first time I heard an artist say that was jay cole.
Speaker 1:He jay cole, the rapper yeah, I mean, but what? I'm sorry, basically he was saying sometimes I'll create music that I'm not feeling in the moment and I revisit two years and it's just for some reason it hit.
Speaker 2:You know I got it from journaling, like I would write down in my journal, and think that I was absolutely crazy yeah, and then you it, and then you go back three years from now and you're like this was amazing, yeah, like that was just like a hurt. Maybe it's just not the right time. A hurt young woman right Like I'm that much stronger now and now this is what got me here, so I'm grateful that.
Speaker 2:I recorded that to remind me of what is on the other side of the tracks, right on the other side of the tracks, right. So I find content in my phone all the time and I will recycle content just because I'm like oh, I didn't think it was cool then, but knew me now.
Speaker 1:That's right and maybe it's just wasn't the right time, like, maybe today is the right time. That's why you should never get rid of it, right? You know, touche, yes, indeed. So how can our listeners again just in case you know they didn't have an opportunity to find you on the last episode how can they connect with you from here on?
Speaker 2:From here on, so you can always go to our website, wwwshagnuarsaloncom. Follow us on Instagram at shagnuarsalonATX. I am at TrikaFile. Follow us on Instagram at at Shag Noir Salon ATX. I am at Trika File, and you can find us on Facebook next door, oh, okay, east.
Speaker 1:Magazine Mm. Hmm, black Life ATX. Yes, indeed, yeah, all right, girl. Thank you so much again Always For carving some time to come spend with us and share your interest in prospectism insights. You always have some valuable information and, girl, you might need to start your own podcast.
Speaker 2:I mentioned that the last time if I add another thing to the list. I know, I know, let me stop, because you know what.
Speaker 1:I got mad at myself because people's doing that to me. I was like, but it's your fault because you should have just sat down somewhere I'll just keep coming here, because I could not.
Speaker 1:Be sure to check out Minnie's work at Chag Noir Salon and give her a follow, if you haven't already, and if you found this episode helpful. Don't forget to subscribe, share and leave a review. Remember, building a sustainable business isn't about keeping up with every trend. It's about staying true to yourself. Thanks for tuning in to the Hair what I'm Saying podcast and until next time, keep showing up authentically, both online and off. Thank you, you.