Episode #10: The Chair-apist Gets Interviewed

In this episode, stand-up comedian Shannon Koyano interviews me about how I got into hair! We discuss my early days of working in salons, how I found my passion for styling hair, and some of the challenges I've faced along the way. This is a fun, lighthearted conversation that will give you some insight into my journey as a hairstylist.

If you're interested in hearing how I got started in the hair industry, then this episode is for you! Tune in to hear all about my story, and laugh along with Shannon as she tries to keep me on track. You won't want to miss it!

Transcript

00:00:04 Shannon 

Second hi everyone, welcome to The Chair-apist, this awesome podcast. 

I'm going to be interviewing her. My name is Shannon Koyano and I am a stand-up comedian in the Greater Seattle Pacific Northwest area and we've been friends for like nine, getting close probably to ten years of friendship now. 

And you've actually really inspired me a lot with being a woman who's a business owner juggling being a mother at the same time and inspired me and influenced me and I just want to say you're doing an awesome job. 

Congrats on getting through this pandemic, still having this like wonderful successful business. And then on top of it, now you're you've started this podcast, so I just kind of wanted to interview you today about what got you into hair and then maybe we can talk about what made you decide to start the podcast. 

00:01:05 Cameron 

Thank you, Shannon. you always are an inspiration to me too. And when youu told me that you were inspired to open up your own store after you saw what I did with the salon and everything that I do. My heart was just burst because it's like Oh my God, that's amazing. Like I do, I'm just like working my rear end off as we all know you too and I was like along the way I inspired somebody even though I'm a hot mess all the time. That is like a win. 

00:01:30 Shannon 

Oh no. For a while you were a single parent and and doing that and running your own business, and you're also you're always like still going to trainings and learning and traveling and like yes very much inspiring 'cause you're like crushing it so getting it all done and you're not like 100% crazy yet. 

00:01:51 Cameron 

It's refreshing to hear 'cause I definitely have impostor syndrome. I know I've said that to you, before about a lot of things. 

00:01:58 Shannon 

All this yeah everyone. 

00:01:59 Cameron 

Totally honestly, I if you would have asked me in high school if I was going to get into hair, I don't think I would have said yes because my plan was, I went to a private school. So, my plan was go to school - you're going to be a doctor or lawyer, and you're going to make money, and you're going to support yourself and hopefully find an amazing man or woman. 

00:02:20 Shannon 

Yeah, I... 

00:02:21 Cameron 

I mean I'm always on the lookout for men. But hey, whoever grabs my heart. I wouldn't change a thing. 'Cause I look back and I'm like, oh, if I only would have you know followed through with Med school or if I only would have like actually applied to law school after doing my LSAT? 

It’s like all the crazy things that I've done in my life, but I wouldn't do it any different. 

I actually got into hair totally by chance and it's actually a little story we just did on one of my social media posts about. You know how did you get into hair? 

I was miserable because I took too many classes that were ridiculously insane and tons of pressure at UW, my second quarter in because I was like I'm going to get through this. I'm gonna just be like on top of it, but you know, they tell you to do things in a certain order for a reason and I'm, you know, always like I'm going to do it better. I'm going to be an over achiever while burnout happens, obviously. 

And I'm sitting in my hairdresser’s chair and she looked at me and she's like you're super tired, you're stressed out why don't you do something you love like I do. It's like I be a hairdresser? It's like yeah, you're creative, you can talk to a park bench. I mean she didn't say that. 

But I know I can talk to a park bench and so why wouldn't you want to do something that you can use your hands and you know make friends along the way?  

And I'm not kidding you. 

I picked up my cell phone and I called Clover Park, and I was like can I enroll? 

And I did, and I did enroll and I got through 3/4 of beauty school and I broke my arm riding horses. 

And so, I was a beauty school dropout, but I was determined to finish doing hair school. And if not just to get me through college and support myself. Maybe as being my full-time job but you know I always had kind of like what if what if I might do this, I might do that. 

So long story short, I ended up doing hair. It ended up being the best job I've ever had, and even though I tried other jobs and other things, I always came back to hair. 

And I'm so glad I did because really my life journey is to inspire other people and to help people and to create success not only in my business but in other people's businesses. And you actually sparked some of that because when you were like I want you to help me open my store and help me like what, what do you think I should do? 

I was just so taken aback 'cause like me really? You were just so awesome, and you really did, you actually inspired me to say I can do this. I can help people and I can educate people. 

That's how The Chair-apist was born as well. 

00:04:50 Shannon 

I love that. 

00:04:52 Cameron 

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00:05:15 Cameron 

I know I asked Shannon to interview me because I'm always interviewing other people and Shannon is one of the funniest people I know. 

Even if you're just having a conversation with her on your deck you will laugh so hard you will cry. 

And so, I thought well who else? Who better to interview me so you guys can get to know me, but then Shannon. 

00:05:37 Shannon 

That is so sweet. I definitely try to be funny, but mostly I think that it that also kind of came about like how you're saying you could talk to a park bench when my kids always make fun of me because I'm like that too. Like I can pretty much just talk to anybody and for whatever reason, people on the street. I think somehow sense that in my energy. 

I don't know if this happens to you, but I can just go to the grocery store or walk down the street and for whatever reason strangers will want to come up to me and talk to me about something. 

00:06:07 Cameron 

I literally have to say to myself. Don't make eye contact. Don't eye contact with people because as soon as I make eye contact with people they engage. 

It doesn't matter if they look like they don't want to talk to anybody. It's funny 'cause Cannon will be like don't make eye contact with that person. You're going to talk to them forever. 

00:06:24 Shannon 

Yeah, I would like to know how did you transition from you know, having your own chair in someone else's salon and then jumping into deciding I want my own salon and and kind of maybe walk us through a little bit of how you were able to accomplish. 

00:06:44 Cameron 

That that's a really good question. 

So when I first started doing hair... Again, like I said earlier, it wasn't something that I was sure that was going to be my forever job. And so I went into a few different salons that it didn't... It didn't really work out, you know, as commissioned salons all Commission working on their schedule. 

At one point I was not joking, you. An on call like I was an on call Doctor. I was an on call hairstylist for a big it was a big chain but also a very high-end salon in a hotel. And apparently, they were like in Europe and on cruise ships and all this other stuff. And I was like, oh, I want to work there and then I feel like you're on call. 

And then, eventually I ended up being a lead for a moment with them and then ended up in a longer-term situation where I basically started over, I learned how to pre-book clients. I learned how to treat a guest to have a really good guest experience client guest. I try to call my clients guests because it makes it feel a little more personable and a better experience instead of you're just a client because I do become you have great relationships with your guests. You know? 

00:07:56 Shannon 

Yeah. 

00:07:56 Cameron 

Almost you know friends behind the chair. But I ended up at this great space that created my wonderful work habits that I have today. They really were the foundation for it. And I'm not saying it was easy or it was a walk in the park. 

It was a lot of work and I worked as somebody's assistant for a long time, and I had been working behind the chair making my own money doing it myself, and then I had to step back to watching somebody do everything, learn how to do it from scratch, and rebuild my foundation. 

And that was probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. 

I'm forever grateful for all of those mentors, and I still keep in touch with most of them, and I still have friends that were at the salon. 

It was just long-term relationship building, but at the same time I always knew I wanted something more, something different, because what really snapped for me was when I wanted to go back and finish my four-year degree. 

I was at that salon, and I said I'm going to finish my four-year degree, and this is happening, and they were like you either do hair or you do this, and I was like no, I'm not choosing. I want to do both. 

I just want to finish something that is really important to me and so that pushed me out of that's one and that is where I decided to say I'm going to go and I'm going to try to do independent style like be an independent stylist. 

So, I moved to another salon and from there that's when I figured out this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to do hair. 

I'm putting my I'm diving in headfirst, and this is how my life is going to be. I'm going to have a great life. I'm going to be able to create my own schedule, have work, family balance. 

So, I was on a cruise actually, which is funny. Bring it back from the big chain cruise ship salons. 

So, I was on a cruise and my one of the guys we were on a cruise with was like hey, you need to go talk to this guy and just put his hardwood floors in and you could totally work with him. 

You guys would you know, totally hit it off. We did. Loved him, love him. 

We ended up opening up our own space together after that space 'cause he ended up losing his lease there with some building stuff that was going on. 

So, we ended up going into business together and that's what really pushed me into being my own business owner. Now, fast forward there was some serious addictions going on. He's completely sober now and I love him to death. 

I'm going to actually have him on this podcast, because I think it's important to talk about mental health and addiction and how creative people deal with that, but he had a problem I was going through a custody battle dealing with that owning a business. 

So, I ended up going back to renting. But I always knew I would go back to owning and I did. And here I am. 

Five years later, I've owned Hair Poetic now and I have been an educator since his salon. And I've loved every minute of educating. I'm still at the same company. 

I wouldn't change anything how everything happened. It has all happened for a reason and I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for all of those little transactions along the way. 

00:10:58 Shannon 

I love that. Thank you for sharing. 

00:11:01 Cameron 

That it's a lot, but... 

00:11:04 Shannon 

I think it's good because I feel like there are a lot of creative people out there that are like well what can I do that allows me to stay creative, not be stuck in a cubicle. It can still allow me to you know make an income that can you know, provide for my family and so I think everybody likes hearing those back stories of how people got started. 

Also wanted to ask you about. Ok, I feel that every hair stylist sort of ends up getting known for specific skills. 

How did you kind of develop your specific style and what would you say is the thing that you're really known for in the styling world? 

00:11:47 Cameron 

That's tough. 

00:11:49 Shannon 

You could, you know, be a couple things that you're known for. 

00:11:51 Cameron 

I mean I have to say I think I'm known for my capability to network because a lot of people are like oh I met so and so and you do their hair and you know so and so. And so I thought I'd come see you 'cause I heard you're great at hair. 

They don't ever. I mean, I definitely get people with curly hair sent to me because I am really good with textured hair. 

The clients that I see the most of our ones that I've seen for a long time. Gray retouches it's my partial foil all over color. But I really love Balayage, and I really love doing extensions. 

So when they want me to be pinpointed and. 

Like hey you should. Here's your pigeonhole. 

What do you want it to be? It's really hard for me to do because I love marrying all of the skills together to create a look for somebody you know, a Gene Juarez you have to decide if you want to be a designer or a colorist. 

And I could have never done that because I want to be able to do both. Now if one skill was taken away from me and I had to do cutting or coloring, I would definitely choose coloring over cutting. 

But I absolutely love cutting and in the future hope to do some cutting education with the company that I work for currently so. And I know there's probably other stylists out there like me who don't want to be pigeonholed into their specialty, but it does create more of a drive into your business when you do have a specialty so I have friends who are completely extension experts completely curly or texture hair experts. 

I am definitely all around and I think that speaks volumes because it is who I am as a person, I have 100 things going on. I ride horses, I have my child, I play I'm playing softball right now. I have a podcast. I'm an educator. Some people may think I'm overdoing it, but I love, I still get to go on vacation. 

I'm going on vacation twice next month. I'm going on a huge week hike trip with my girlfriends. 

I still have balance. I just love doing it all. 

00:13:45 Shannon 

That's probably why you're able to do all these things, because your driving force is these things bring me joy, right? 

00:13:52 Cameron 

Oh it 100%. It totally brings me joy to see somebody really excited about their hair when they leave. 

You know I had a guest on Saturday who is deaf. Her son did a lot of the... He made the appointment. 

I spoke with her and did a consultation, but he messaged me that evening said my mom had so much fun with you. She was really scared. She's she didn't want to have her hair done 'cause she couldn't find somebody, and I just want to let you know that she is just so stoked. And those little things just make my stomach tingle you know that little like. It's like passing in love, you know a little bit of love there. 

And so, when something doesn't bring me joy anymore, I will drop it and I won't do it anymore. 

We don't know what tomorrow brings or if we have tomorrow so live your life with love and do your best. 

00:14:40 Shannon 

Everyone had to shift and change due to the pandemic, how we think and how we deal with our emotions. 

How have you kind of adjusted for all of that? 

00:14:49 Cameron 

You know it's really affected my son being in school, but as a business owner it really brought my attention to having an experience for people because before people love experiences always. We've always loved an experience and that's when people say, well, what makes you stand out from other stylists? 

It's about the experience of being with me. How I consult my clients. How I do my consultations. How I set goals for them. Prebooking. I do a lot of things that we're taught but we don't always follow through with and I really do try to be consistent with that so, but mostly I've had to learn to pivot. 

People want change, people want things, and they want a bigger experience than they had before, which I am willing to give that and same thing with classes that I'm teaching. 

You know, I come into a class and I'm prepared to teach this class, but they really want this class. 

Am I just going to say no we're teaching this class 'cause this is a class that is is written in stone? 

No, I'm going to pivot for them 'cause it's whatever they want. And I do the exact same thing for my guess is I'm going to pivot how they need me to pivot if they want me to wear a mask, I'll put a mask on. 

If they don't feel comfortable being in the salon for a certain amount of time and they want to go for a walk while they're processing, you know, I think we've always done this in the in the customer service, but we've had to do it more. And obviously now I'm doing a little bit more therapy with it, which is fine, I'm just charging an extra 150 an hour on top of your service to do therapy. 

I'm just teasing. No, it's funny. 

I think I was telling one of my one of my longtime guests with that I she sit in my chair. I said ok, so if you need my advice or I'm going to provide you with any kind of emotional therapy, it's going to be an extra 150 add on today and she looked at me and she was like great. 

And I said, that's not. The reaction I was looking for I thought you're gonna say I won't talk to you then. 

Well, even if you don't want therapy from me, I'm always like how do we solve this problem and I love to give people solutions and I love to listen and just let them talk, you know? 

00:16:56 Shannon 

I do wanna know. Have you ever royally fucked somebody hair up? 

00:17:02 Cameron 

Oh, this is a good one. I'm like wait I have really have to do. 

This was probably two years into doing hair. I grabbed the wrong toner for a blonde which when I first came out of beauty school, tone, tone, tone, tone, tone, that's all I had to tone 'cause I could never get that perfect blonde and I was working for a salon in Gig Harbor. Very high-end clientele. 

Uhm, why they put me on the floor right after beauty school basically still baffles me. 

I have always been really good at color, so I ok, even though I couldn't get my blondes always perfect, I always could tone it just perfect. 

Well, I grabbed the wrong toner. It was like a Violet purple instead of a Violet ash, which was what I was trying to do. So I ended up with these purple, pink, purple roots and I'm panicking 'cause I've never dealt with this never never. 

00:17:58 Cameron 

Well, I had to go to the front desk 'cause there's another senior stylist and I'm like you've got to come look at this. Because I had enough wits about me to not be like, “Oh, my God, your hair is a mess” because I normally you know me, I wear my emotions on my sleeve. 

You can read my face, but she was like is there anything ok 'cause she could see my face? 

Because like yeah, I just I just have a quick question 'cause I want to make sure that I have your formula. I might have to just do one more tone on you. 

00:18:25 Shannon 

Oh my gosh. 

00:18:26 Cameron 

It was fine, she left blonde, but I have never been more worried in my entire life. 

And other than that I cannot tell you even maybe haircuts. I've done kind of not like the best haircut, but I don't think I've ever royally fucked up a haircut Even though there's been some interesting haircuts, we'll see. 

Well, and the craziest thing that's ever happened to me was I was in my salon before I moved and opened up my current salon. 

And I've been working with those gals for a long time. I worked with them back at the beginning and so we all know each other really well. Well, really, well, I can't talk now I'm so excited to tell you my crazy story. 

We all know each other really well and we all had a really good working relationship. A relationship in general, and so I had a guest sitting in my chair. 

And across the street is the bar Magoos 'cause you've been to that particular salon, and there were some drunk people out front, and she had her dogs in the car and they were not having it. 

It was not a hot day, but these people were dog vigilantes, so they're like trying to like feed the dog through the window, and then they're going to call animal control and it was I had to go out there and be like, hey, dogs are fine. There's water and food in the car. She cracked the windows; you guys it's cool and they're like we're calling animal control. 

So, my client gets up out of the chair and drives off with foils. Drives away goes home with in her head. 

00:19:55 Shannon 

Oh my God. 

00:19:58 Cameron 

And mind you, I still had to foil her hair or tone her hair, cut her hair, put her extensions back in and I was like you can't leave, but these people. 

It was just like these drunk people, so hell bent on getting her in trouble for her dogs being in the car that she had to leave. 

00:20:18 Shannon 

When did she come back? 

00:20:21 Cameron 

Well, luckily, she was my neighbor at the beach, so I was able to do her hair at home, but it was horrible because it wasn't even a bad guest experience. 

It was what the heck? These people were just being super nosy and want to turn her in because they're drunk and angry or whatever you know about dogs being in the car. 

And I'm not kidding you the dogs were set up like there is no way those dogs would die of a heat stroke in that car. You know, they're fine, they're happy, they're tail waving and not fancy things. 

00:20:49 Shannon 

In the 80s that would have been a car full of somebody kids, you know. 

00:20:54 Cameron 

I was just gonna say kids and dogs. Kids and dogs. 

00:20:56 Shannon 

When I was a kid, my mom will leave me my brother in the car for hours. 

00:21:00 Cameron 

Well yeah, exactly. 

Thank you so much Shannon for interviewing me on The Chair-apist and I'm definitely going to have you back on because you're hilarious. And it's important to talk to other business owners 'cause we all, most of the people in there, whether they're commissioned or an independent stylist, we all own our own air quotes our own business and we are our own brand so... 

00:21:23 Shannon 

I had such a good time being on this and I love you and adore you, and I wish you continued success and I'm happy to be on again whenver.