The Pep Talk You Probably Need Right Now

Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. Today, I am letting you into our membership called The Modern Stylist Movement, which is our alumni-only group for our pre-visit pathway alumni, in which we have more advanced strategies that go beyond just the pre-visit experience, where we have very consistent one-on-ones with me, and then also very consistent live group coaching calls and different interactive activities with the group, et cetera, et cetera. And I will, every now and then, come to the table to our group coaching calls with some sort of class or some sort of, uh, motivational speech where I feel like it's needed, right?

I'm always trying to keep... Me and my team are always trying to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry and figure out what education is needed right now. What is the latest and greatest? What are c- clients, um, asking for nowadays?

What is the industry needing to be privy to right now? And I normally try my best to bring that to the table as much as I possibly can to this group. And in this particular scenario with this coaching call that I'll be sharing with you today, I just have felt like a lot of people are feeling the intense burnout right now. I think that burnout is just a freaking pandemic at this point within this industry.

And I just wanted to, you know, within our space, within this beautiful community that we have, really give everybody a kick in the ass and give everybody the fire that they need to get it popping and get it going and moving forward. And we got really great feedback from it. And I think that, you know, not just our group, but also every single hairstylist could use this, uh, motivational situation that I, that I gave them. And so, um, I'm gonna share that with you today.

So if you need a swift kick in the butt right now, if you're feeling like it's really difficult for you to get up and get the work done, then this one is for you. Hope you enjoy. So much love. Let's get into it.

Let's go. What's the tea, friend? My name's Hunter Donia, industry business educator for hairstylists, but my friends just call me Hunty. Whether it be growing your clientele, making more money, or automating and streamlining your systems, in the next 20 minutes or so, you'll be hearing realistic, actionable strategies to create a beautiful career for yourself behind the chair.

So if you're ready to get into it, welcome to the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. I know that people are fucking burnt out. I know that right now feels so hard. I know that we have poured so much time and so man- much energy into our business over the past couple years.

We have been through really hard shit. Our lives are fucking difficult. The world is crazy, very scary, unpredictable, and I understand how difficult and uncomfortable it could be to show up for ourselves when, at the end of the day, we are just so freaking exhausted and we just feel like we have nothing else to give. And I know, I get it, trust and believe I understand that, like, we did not sign up to be more than hairstylists, right?

Like, we did not sign up for this to do all the other things, like to focus on the business and do the social media and make the website and all of the fucking shit that we have to do. I get it. But truly, if you are sitting here... And there's gonna be a flip side to this, so hang on, okay?

Hang on. If you are sitting here and you have a bigger dream for yourself and your life and your business, if you are sitting here and you have a strong why behind what you do and why you do it, if you truly give a shit about the impact that you're making in other people's lives, because I know that we are a very passionate and powerful group here. Like, we're not just in hair just to, like, make some coin and leave. We are here because we love what we do and we understand the impact and the power that we hold as hairstylists, for the impact that we can make in our local community.

If you're sitting here and you have that dream for yourself and you aren't showing up even when it doesn't feel as good, or maybe it doesn't feel as aligned, or maybe it just feels uncomfortable or you're t- or you're tired to do it, right? Sometimes the why and sometimes you working your ass off to get to that bigger dream and achieve that dream just has to be enough. Sometimes things aren't always gonna feel fucking good. Sometimes your business is gonna feel boring, posting on social media is gonna feel completely uninspiring, showing up and implementing the education feels really difficult.

It's really easy for us to get distracted. And truly, the only answer is for you to buckle down and do as much as you possibly can to prepare yourself for as much suc- of success as possible. Ask, reach out to your peers within this community for accountability and support, and just get the damn thing done. Drink your coffee, take your medication, do what you have to do to get this shit done, because nothing, nothing is going to change unless you change your habits and the way that you're showing up for yourself.

Am I wrong or am I right? There is never ever going to be a space in time where your business feels so easy and you showing up to everything that you're supposed to do, you feel super motivated for. There is never gonna be a, a time and space where there's going to be nothing in your business that you don't want to do. I have a team of, like, five or six, and I am still doing shit that I do not feel like doing.

And I have delegated so much off of my plate, and I still have to show up and get shit done even when I don't feel like it. But my why for myself, my future, and most importantly, you guys and the impact that we're making in this industry, that has to be enough for me to show the fuck up and do the stuff that I don't wanna do even when I don't wanna do it.So I recommend, and I know it's corny, I know people talk about it all the time, but there really is truth to it. I recommend that you lean back into your fucking why, and your belief in yourself, that, like, you can make really fucking cool shit happen.

And the sacrifice that you may have to make, and showing up for yourself even when you don't feel like it, may be worth it for you. You have to believe that. Okay? Is that helpful in any way, shape, or form?

Your business is not here to entertain you. It's here to provide you wealth for your personal life. So, even if, like, let's say that you're fucking bored of what you're doing behind the chair. Doesn't matter if you're bored.

Are you making money? Just 'cause you're bored, like, why are, like, I think that relying on our business to bring us joy and fulfillment is actually kind of like a toxic relationship. I think it's actually not a really great thing to do. I think that relying on yourself and your personal life, and, and yes, of course pouring into the wealth that you're building from it, is very, very important.

But, like, if you're feeling bored in the biz, like, that's just a part of you being a business owner. We live in capitalism, we have to work, we have to make money one way or another. How fucking cool is it that we get to make money doing something that we fucking love, right? We were smart enough to take the bold path of going into something that everybody told us we'd be poor doing.

So, God bless us for going into this and being able to make a living doing what we do. And yes, to be super successful at it, to tap into the most potential, yes, it takes a lot of work, but guess what? It takes a lot of work to continuously do something that you absolutely love, and then build wealth doing it. Like, that is really fucking cool, that we have the privilege of doing that.

So, let's maximize that. I had somebody come into my, uh, to, come to a one-on-one call the other day, and they were just really, really burnt out and just felt like they were really done with hair. And my question to them was like, "If you went to college and you went and you just, like, started, like, a different traditional corporate job, do you feel like you'd feel the same fucking way that you're feeling right now?" Of course you fucking would, and maybe even more, right?

Because you don't get to be artistic, you don't get to, like, take care of people, you don't get to create relationships on the day-to-day. Like, that is so beautiful that we get to do that. Like, you get to be a hairstylist. And you get to tap into the maximum potential that is available to you, to make a beautiful living and have a very beautiful, flexible life, and work/life balance with what you're creating and doing.

But sometimes it's gonna take some sacrifice in times when you don't feel like showing up to make that shit happen for you in the long run. Right? Did I spill the tea, or am I, like, am I, am I ... Yes, Kelly, and we get to make the changes that make the industry better.

You and I here today, my friend, you and I are literally paving the way for the next generation of hairstylists. Particularly us, 'cause we are doing next-level innovative shit and we are reclaiming our power in a professional way, right? That makes it so our clients are having a better experience and we are b- having a better experience. And that's fucking powerful.

So, lean into that. On the flip side, now this is where you guys know that my approach has always been from, like, a place of compassion and a place of making sure that you don't feel ashamed and that m- m- making sure that you feel seen and heard. So, it's difficult for me sometimes, and Mila does a good job at, you know, balancing this out with me. It's really hard for me sometimes to toe the line of making sure that, you know, you are seen and that the burnout is so real, and that you have real life circumstances that get in the way of you guys feeling motivated and showing up.

And it's really fucking hard, and, like, there's outside circumstances right now that are really scary and may be working against what you're, what you got is going on. It's really hard for me to toe the line of, "It's okay, relax, take a break, take care of yourself," but then also, like, "Girl, show the fuck up and get some shit done for yourself, because that's what you deserve." You know what I mean? And, like, that's what's important, and that's what's actually gonna make things change and better for you at the end of the day.

It's hard for me to balance those things, right? So, this is me on the flip side saying that you may have been working your ass off for the past couple years. You may h- be working your ass off right now, and you may feel like all of it is for nothing. You may not be getting the results that you're looking for.

You, things aren't hitting as well as you wish. You may feel super, like, unmotivated to do them, or whatever it may be. And you may be hearing from other people, influencers, educators within this space that, like, "Oh, if you're not getting the results that you're looking for, then you're trash and you're not doing enough, or you're not doing it the right way, or there's something wrong with you." And then you feel like, "What the hell's wrong with me?"

Et cetera, et cetera. And I'm here to tell you that, you know, if you're showing up for yourself in one way or another, if you're even here on this call, if you're even caring about your business and your education at all, you're already well ahead. You're already very well ahead, even if sometimes it doesn't seem like it. It's really easy for us nowadays to go on social media, compare ourselves to everybody else who's doing better than us and being where we want to be, right?

And sometimes, I know for me, I will go on social and I'll look at the people that, like, are in my space or are my competitors or whatever it might be, and I'm like, "It feels like they work, like, 1% as hard as I do. And how the hell are they doing better than me?" Huh. Does anybody relate to that?

Like, I'm like, "Dude, I work my actual ass off, and I feel like I'm getting half the results that other people are. Like, what the hell is going on," right? I want you to know, you know, sometimes it just, sometimes it is what it is, that you are going to show the fuck up and go so hard, and think and feel like you're doing everything right that you're supposed to be doing. And sometimes, it's just not gonna work.

Sometimes, you're just not going to get out of it what you thought you were gonna get out of it. And that's okay, and it's important that, when you show up, when you put in the work, you understand that it's not for nothing, even if it's not working the way that you wanted it to. And maybe you're at a point where you're like, "Shit, like, doing all the things that I was doing is, it hasn't worked for me in the past. Why the hell should I even keep going?

Like, why should I even keep trying?" Right?You should keep trying, because every single time you try and maybe you fail, you learn something. And you become better equipped to handle things in the future, and you'll do it better and better and better.

And every single action that you take as the business owner, as you, as a human being, every single action that you take every single day, you are learning such an important lesson about it. And there are real factors, real outside factors right now with the economy, people's perception of the economy, big, uh, return to work policies as well, people's schedules, people's paces of life. They are very real. And if anybody's telling you, or if you feel like you're putting in a bunch of work and you're still being told that, like, you're not doing enough, right?

And that's why you're not getting the results, just know that, like, I'm not here to gaslight you and tell you that, genuinely. Sometimes I see you guys, like, doing the fucking most, and, like, I have no notes for you guys, and still you aren't getting the results that you're looking for. And guess what? That just is what the fuck it is.

We cannot predict anything when it comes to our business or the world or life, and we cannot control people's perceptions. We just can't. What we can do, what we can control, is how we continue to show up, and how we take care of ourselves as we show up, and the resources that we lean in- lean into, the support that we lean into, how we speak to ourselves, and, um, how we keep ourselves motivated along the way. You get to control only what you get to control.

So, as there's all these outside factors, and there's people telling you all this shit, and you just feel so nervous and, like, things aren't working out for you, just remember, like, you still get to decide whether you're going to continue to move forward and take into consideration the lessons that you're learning along the way as big wins, even when it seems like a failure. You get to decide your perspective on how you look at those things, and whether you're gonna learn from it and you're gonna keep it fucking pushing and you're going to think about the long-term instead of just right now, or if you're going to take a setback or a failure as something that is just, like, the end of your career and it's not worth showing up anymore. I think the, the latter, I'm gonna take this as a lesson, I think is wha- where we all wanna be. But it takes work to do that, right?

So put in the work. Get the help that you need. Lean into this community when you are feeling down. I mean, you guys have seen how big we show up for each other, right?

Like, we are here for you. We're here to support you. We're here to motivate you. Like, we have your back.

And again, it's really difficult for me to toe the line of kindness, compassion, and empathy, but also being like, girl, like, what's that one book? Like, Girl, Wash Your Face or whatever? I don't fucking know what it is. Like, that's what it's giving right now.

Like, it's very much giving, like, y- like, if you wanna make a change, if you're not happy with what's going on, you gotta show the fuck up anyway. You know what I mean? So just know I'm not here to shame you. I'm not here to furthermore make you feel defeated or feel like you're not doing enough, because a lot of you guys really are doing enough, and you're doing plenty.

You are working your asses off, and I recognize that and I see it, right? And if you are doing that and if you're showing up and doing the damn thing and you're not seeing the results, just know that, like, it's not you, and all you're doing is trying your best, and that's all you can ask of yourself. All right, my friend. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the Modern Hairstyles podcast.

I truly hope that you enjoyed it. Said with so much love, if you are sitting here right now, again, and you have a dream that's bigger than yourself, that is big for you and your family and your friends, um, maybe you have a big next step that you wanna take, or maybe you're just feeling a little bit stuck and in a hole right now, nothing is going to change unless you change it, right? So go put the work in right now. Make the commitment, get 'er done, all right?

So much love. I'll catch you in the next episode. Peace out, girl scout. Bye-bye.

End of transcript. © 2024 Hunter Donia LLC.