The Conscious Salon
Welcome to The Conscious Salon.
Join Tessa and Nicola - sisters, best friends and founders of aHead, Melbourne’s First Mindful Salon. In this space, you’ll be empowered, inspired and entertained by the ups and downs of running a conscious, small business.
We chat mindset, culture, business and give you practical steps to make your life more conscious.
The Conscious Salon
The Queen of Blondes: Amelia Jane's Journey from Home Salon to Empire
In this riveting conversation, Amelia Jane—known as Australia's Queen of Blondes—reveals the extraordinary journey behind her meteoric rise in the hair industry. What begins as a shocking revelation (she actually abandoned hairdressing for six years and once hated colouring hair) unfolds into a masterclass on resilience, reinvention, and authentic entrepreneurship.
Four years ago, Amelia launched Milly the Space, naming it after her grandmother's nickname for her. With raw honesty, she recounts the heartbreaking warehouse salon chapter, withdrawing $40,000 from superannuation with her partner, creating a beautiful three-level space, only to have it shut down by council due to zoning issues. Rather than accepting defeat, while planning her wedding, she immediately secured a new location in Palm Beach, determined not to let her growing team down.
The conversation takes a powerful turn when Amelia discusses balancing motherhood with her expanding empire. "I was so fearful of people thinking I was a mum who put her business first," she confesses, addressing the internal struggle many entrepreneurial mothers face. Her vulnerability shines through as she describes finding strength in her son Hilton, who makes her "feel like a superhero."
Today, Amelia's influence extends far beyond her salon. Her international blonde masterclasses have revolutionized colour techniques, while her fashion label Molly Vie has redefined how hairdressers present themselves professionally. One client shares how wearing Amelia's designs literally transformed her leadership presence: "You literally become the CEO... we see you in your power."
For anyone facing setbacks or juggling multiple passions, Amelia's story offers profound encouragement. As she prepares for her European tour and new Molly Vie collections, her message resonates clearly: you can overcome any obstacle, pursue multiple dreams simultaneously, and define success entirely on your own terms.
Ready to transform your approach to business, creativity, or personal growth? Dive into Amelia's journey and discover what becomes possible when you refuse to let circumstances define your potential.
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Follow Amelia on Instagram @ameliajanehair to learn about upcoming masterclasses in Europe, Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne, and to explore her fashion line Molly Vie.
To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon
Welcome back to the Conscious Salon podcast. We are very excited, tess, because we have a very special guest here and we've actually traveled interstate for this moment, so we feel extra excited. But we have someone in front of us who has been really pivotal to a lot of people in our industry. She is a creative force who has reshaped what it means to be in the hair industry. Four years ago, she founded Millie the Space, a salon that would become a cult destination for modern blondes, a sanctuary where aesthetics meets artistry. Three years ago, she stepped into education, completely revolutionizing the way that colorists create high impact blondes in our industry.
Speaker 1:She's just returned from her iconic blondes masterclass tour around the U? S and she's not slowing down anytime soon, with London, italy, belgium, paris and Canada on her list remaining for 2026. A year ago, while, but while birthing her son Hilton, she was also giving life to something else Molly V, an anti-bleach fashion label that is as badass as she is. Her clothing is now seen in most salons nationwide, being practical, premium and unapologetically cool. She has redefined how hairdressers show up and express themselves in the salon. She's known as the queen of blondes here in Australia, but today we get to see her as so much more, it is our absolute pleasure to welcome to the Conscious Salon podcast Amelia Jane Standing ovation Holy moly, how do you feel?
Speaker 3:Can you rewrite my whole bio?
Speaker 2:Isn't that stunning.
Speaker 3:Wow, even just hearing where you're going, I'm like, I feel like you're busy it's so crazy how you can just be so in the zone and you just kind of have no idea that yeah that's what you think. Yeah, cool, rare that we actually like look back at the path that we've been walking and like also where you're going all the roses would you have ever picked that.
Speaker 2:That was about you. If you weren't hearing that your name was attached to that Four years ago, no Wild.
Speaker 1:Wild Fucking amazing Tess I want to say, when we do this series, so many of the women that we've interviewed have we've followed their stories really closely.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you sort of watch from a distance in admiration and you feel like you know so much about them and their success and it's really emotional writing those out and thinking about how proud that we are, even as people who are following their journey and they have no idea who we are some of the time and we follow so intimately and see all of these things that you do while you're a mum and building this business and building your team and building your brand and then building, you know, international education and the fashion label and doing all of these things while birthing your biggest project, which is, of course, having Hilton.
Speaker 3:but wow, I feel blown away. Thank you, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:So yeah, you're inspiring to like so many, but especially hearing that it's fucking phenomenal.
Speaker 1:I agree.
Speaker 2:Thank you, amelia, we kickstart every episode by asking our guest what is your key?
Speaker 3:to staying conscious. I think honestly. Just I was thinking about this today and so I have two days a week where my life is chaos. Right, I've got like my energy split between so many different things and people and projects, but I think what I truly am grateful for are my home days where I'm just fucking at home and I'm doing the washing and the laundry and the cooking and the cleaning. I just, I don't know.
Speaker 2:For me. I think that is just like it just keeps my feet on the ground.
Speaker 3:I don't know it. I think that is just like it just keeps my feet on the ground. I don't know. It's good. I really truly appreciate those days where I can just just be at home yeah dive right into that.
Speaker 2:I really resonate with that, because I'm someone that like gets like for me it's like joy is when I'm cleaning, which is like a really weird like I feel like that kind of sounded. If I was like 20 year old, me, I'd be like Tess, that's so sad, oh yeah, but hearing that now, I'm like that kind of sounded. If I was like 20-year-old me.
Speaker 2:I'd be like Tess, that's so sad, yeah, but hearing that now I'm like, no, it does. It keeps me like level, it keeps me in the moment, it keeps me grateful, it keeps me like yeah. So I really resonate with that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, isn't it amazing, it's an interesting thing.
Speaker 2:but yeah, even hearing that, like what's the thing? Like the duality, of it where you have this like jet-setter lifestyle and like all of these incredible opportunities and where you feel and you're already like you're always, so go, go, go.
Speaker 3:You're like doing so many different things and like so many different energies and like so driven. And then it's just so good to have those days where I can just like literally hang out in the washing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wild Soak some clothes.
Speaker 1:Normal things. Yeah, hang out in the washing. Yeah, wild, normal things, yeah yeah.
Speaker 3:Would I be right in saying that? Are you an introverted person? Totally yeah, yeah, wow so.
Speaker 1:I'm good on my own, yeah, yeah and I think I need that yeah, yeah, solace, yeah and so it's such a weird thing to see you like leading a team, leading an industry, um, you know, doing all of this public speaking and public education. You're so in the public light, but I've I would always think of you as being an introvert yeah, yeah yeah, interesting should we pause for coffee really quickly?
Speaker 1:so sorry, thank you legend my right over there. Thank you just coming in with the coffee. No, no, thank you, justin's really saved the day.
Speaker 2:Now, very grateful yes, please, thank you so much. Thank you, justin Legend. Thank you.
Speaker 1:I had the margarita. Thank you, thank you. We do need a sip of this, because this is my first coffee of the day. Are you kidding me? No shade, I had the worst matcha.
Speaker 2:You guys have got weak coffee as Melburnians. No, I know we need to be like punched in the face with caffeine. We don't have the surf at our door to wake us up.
Speaker 3:I had one the other day, Marvin, and I was like I'm going to have a heart attack. A hundred percent, that's what we're looking for.
Speaker 1:That's what we are chasing, we want to show in your words what your journey has been in a tiny four years, but I want you to express in your own words what your journey's been starting Millie the Space, then going to two spaces, downsizing back to one and then when you became an educator.
Speaker 3:Okay, so let's just like rewind back to where Millie the Space started and why my intention behind that space was. It is so not what it is now and like never was, and I never even thought anything now would be possible, but I really wanted to. I think I'd been working as a freelance hairdresser for like a year, wanted to. I think I'd been working as a freelance hairdresser for like a year and I really wanted to essentially slow down, and I don't know what slowing down even means.
Speaker 3:But I think I was like, oh, maybe like the next step is I'm gonna have a baby and I'll like work from home and I'll just kind of cruise or do a couple clients. And then I think in that point I actually really fell in love with hairdressing, because I'd had a huge break. I quit hairdressing for like six years, wow. And then, whoa, what were you doing in between?
Speaker 2:that's whoa.
Speaker 3:I'm like whoa, hang on wait what I know we could go, but way back um. So I was just traveling overseas, I was working um in different countries, like I traveled a year in South America, central America, I worked in Canada, london, um, honestly, just like I would say, I was one big lost soul, so I just kept on traveling um and then when I ran out of money I would come home work for my parents. They had like a pub and yeah, anyway so wow, it's like a whole new version.
Speaker 2:I'm like, wait, hang on, whoa, yeah, like a whole nother life it's. It's like a whole new version. I'm like, wait, hang on, whoa, yeah, like a whole nother life.
Speaker 3:It's crazy, it's such a. So what were you doing when you were travelling overseas? I was like I did like volunteer work. I was working in. I worked in a swimwear store in Canada.
Speaker 2:Fashion definitely seems like it would be. I mean, you are like a fashionista. I mean obviously creating your own fashion line as well. Wow, so this really creates like a lot of the like understanding for you, because I did not know anything, so you had a six year break.
Speaker 3:Yeah so I qualified um as a hairdresser and I think I might, I might have worked for like six, six months on the floor and do you know what, like I actually hated color and I was only cutting hair and I fucking hated coloring, hated foiling, I just like, I don't know. I just was such a short haircut girl like that's what I did. I just did all the cuts, um anyway. So I yeah, I don't know why I just kind of didn't love, love it at the time.
Speaker 3:So I quit, went overseas and just kind of kept going.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, amazing. So then you came back and you were like Came back.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I met my partner in Canada, yeah, and then we travelled a little longer together through like Europe and the UK, and then we I think I was like 28 or 29 at this point. So we were just kind of like, all right, let's go back and, like you know, start something, start a life. So we just moved to the gold coast. Um, I wasn't hairdressing when we first moved here. I was working at a surf club, in a bar, and then, um, I really didn't know what to do because it'd been so long since I was hairdressing and I didn't really know how to color because I hated it.
Speaker 2:This is mind-blowing. This is wild. I've never heard you talk about this. Does anyone know about this? Are we getting exclusive?
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I've like spoken about this in classes and, to be honest, I've never really done like a had the opportunity to, you know, to voice it like to. I guess a lot of people or whatever. Yeah, but I guess a lot of people or whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but yeah, it's pretty paramount to, I think, where I'm at now. That is just so because I've been off the tools, for we spoke off mic. Yeah, I've been off the tools for what's that? Eight months now. The idea of picking up and like foils and going Terrifying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm like no. I said that to you straight away.
Speaker 2:I'm not skilled like this anymore. I'm like, my team is my like, they're the ones, it's, not me. So I can't imagine six years not doing it and then going back in and like and you're like fuck it, I'm just gonna do my own thing as well yeah, I'm gonna become a color specialist. Yeah, I'm gonna become a lead educator. I'm gonna have one of the best salons in Australia.
Speaker 3:I, I think I just I had nothing. I had nothing to my name, nothing like no passion. I was so lost. I didn't know what to do and I was like you know, like what the hell can I do?
Speaker 3:And I knew that that was like in my background. So I actually went and like applied for a salon receptionist role and the position had been filled. But then they saw on my CV they're like oh well, you know, you have hairdressing experience Like would you like to do a trial? And I was like no, no, no. But anyway they talked me into doing it and then I did it and then yeah, what was it about?
Speaker 1:Can I ask, what was it about going back into hair that you were like, no, was there a certain thing? Yeah, I was so scared.
Speaker 3:I was like I even like looked into like redoing my apprenticeship because I was like surely I need to like learn how to do this again. And then, yeah, so super grateful that I had, you know, the opportunity to just like literally stand at a salon Oscar, oscar, actually, and I will thank Oscar to stay for giving me that chance. Um, and yeah, foil head blocks all day.
Speaker 3:I just it was kind of like I have to do, I have to make something work for myself. I'm almost 30, like not that it really matters, but you know what I?
Speaker 2:mean, yeah, that's so. It was like a single swim. That's so inspiring, because I know that there will be people that will be listening to this and watching this and being like, okay, I feel that totally and you can you can get yourself out of the short haircut. I don't want to be around color to being one of the lead educators with color globally. That is fucking amazing. And in such a short amount of time? That is incredible. I feel like we need to do a big clap for that. That is absolutely magical.
Speaker 1:What a great share, thank you. So then you worked at Oscar, oscar, and then what happened? How did you actually start? Millie the Spice?
Speaker 3:Okay, let's go back to that, sorry, anyway. So I worked there for like maybe six months and then kind of just really sort of felt like I was like really learning to love colour anyway. So, yeah, in I think 2021 was when, right when COVID happened, right, yeah, or 2020. Anyway, so, yeah, I was like, okay, cool, tyler. I think like I'm going to cruise, like maybe we should, because I was thinking, oh, like I'm almost 30. Is this now the time to have babies? And then, because you know, that's what I thought I was like, you know that's what I thought I was like you know, time to stick in. People are asking me um, and yeah, then I opened Millie's Space at Home. The reason why I named it was because I'd wanted, I wanted to have like an Instagram page for it and I wanted.
Speaker 3:I called it Millie, because that's what my grandma used to call me, and I wanted to like make it look. I was so conscious of it, of being a home salon, that I wanted it to look like a real salon online. Right, you know, I was like I just thought I would. People thought less of me because I was a home, home salon, but I wanted it to look like a real salon, even though it was like fucking the tiniest room you've ever seen.
Speaker 3:But it was just so cute, um anyway. So I think, like working from home for like I think, eight months, and then I realized that I started showing up on socials and my page started getting a little bit of traction, and I think the fact that I had to re-teach myself hair, I think I looked at hair a lot differently and I was just kind of like doing something quite different at the time. So then I think that was like gaining a lot of, um interest with other hairdressing, like how do you do that? Or like can we like can you come to my salon and do a little private class. And then, yeah, that kind of led me into opening our next space, which was, um, the biggest learning curve of my whole life so far.
Speaker 3:So we had the home salon for a year transitioned into a warehouse space, which we did not get zoned correctly through the council, hence, but we were told the real estate did tell us that it will. We were good to go like. We got the approval to like make a hair salon Anyway. So we like, literally I drew 20 grand out of my super, tyler drew 20 grand out of his super. We like put all our savings into fitting out this salon in this warehouse. Fuck me dead Sorry.
Speaker 2:No, don't apologise. That is such a fuck me dead moment. Fuck me actually dead.
Speaker 3:Wow, yeah. So and then we just like we worked so goddamn hard, like I'd work all day on clients I feel like I just lived and breathed. I was just like a workhorse, like saving, to open this space because I was like I really wanted to, um, have space where I could create a culture and a family and like a little home and to have people come and, you know, they wanted to learn from me. So I was like I need more space, anyway. So, yeah, I think we spent four months like turning this warehouse into the most beautiful like there's three levels. We just put a lot into it.
Speaker 3:And do you know what, like I think if we didn't do that, we wouldn't have put ourselves on the map, you know, yeah, because it was just such a fucking cool space Like it was like at the time no one was really doing. You know, like that you walk into a salon and you feel like you're in a lounge room kind of vibe, you know. So I think that really, as much as it sucked and as much as like I just like it was horrible. The horrible part, sorry, was when we had to shut down. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So you guys were like operating, operating, how long Knock on the door, like oh, my God.
Speaker 3:Like, I tell you like it makes me feel sick to my core.
Speaker 3:So we started, I think in February, just myself, and then I had two other girls who, um, were legends and they were like renting the space. And then so, february, we opened. By September we had 12 people working out of it, we had two car spaces and like I shit you not like I'd go to work, and I just knew because I knew this was like happening in the background that there was like this zoning issue that we were gonna have to like get approval for, but it just the price just kept, like just it just was like it wasn't going to be worth it, and so we would just I'd go to work every day and be like, is this going to be the day where the council are going to knock on the door and like that, that anxiety feeling of just like, can we just get?
Speaker 3:through this year, like I just need to, you know anyway. So one day, council was knocking on the door and I was just like, oh, this is it. So they'd received a complaint from someone because our business was. It was just heaving, yeah, and like there was no parking so it was just like it was never going to work. No, yeah. So then we were like, holy shit, we were getting married the next month and then Sorry, I'm in the middle of planning a wedding, sorry.
Speaker 2:And then it was from COVID too, of course.
Speaker 3:So then, oh my gosh, yeah. So we were like I was just like you know what, I'm not putting all my eggs in this basket, this one basket. Like I have too much to lose, like this business is, like it's pumping, like there's such a heartbeat I can't let it go. And I was also. I think probably my ego at the time was just like you can't fail. You know, you've only had your business open for like a few months. Like you, cannot fail.
Speaker 1:So we went straight out.
Speaker 3:How many months had you been in that space at this point? Um so like four months of fitting out so we were operating from like February, march, april, may, june, july, august, so about eight months oh, we didn't even get a good taste of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh my god yeah.
Speaker 3:So, um yeah, went out and found another space. We managed to get a three-month extension at the warehouse the first one so that we had time to bid out the next one like pulling money out of our ass Trying to. But then this was also, like you know, I was doing little classes and it was like that helped me kind of get financially back on my feet to then reinvest that into another fit out in Palm.
Speaker 3:Beach with a double like shop front, wild like wild. Wild. Freshly married and just like my husband was just like. This is like fucked up what we're doing.
Speaker 2:He's like I don't know about this let's go back.
Speaker 1:Let's go back home. Let's go back to the home salon. Wow, nervous system like at that point, oh my god, like, do you know what I was like?
Speaker 3:I wish I'd shed light on it at the time, but I just didn't even I was drowning in the fact of, like, I just have to work so much to just to be able to fund another space, another fit out because we couldn't get um, we couldn't get any business loans. We hadn't been out Because we couldn't get any business loans. We hadn't been in, you know, we couldn't get financial bank support or whatever. So I was just like I don't know. I was just so stressed because I had so many people that, like, worked at the space and I was like I need, I felt responsible because I wanted to, like we were their home, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And I was like I need, I felt responsible because I wanted to, like we were their hair home. Absolutely. I feel like, even with you, sharing that, like the pressure, I feel like, especially as business owners and entrepreneurs, and especially when we have that responsibility, that workhorse mentality comes back all the time. It's in all of us and I think it comes back when we have babies when we're like is this pressure of like, like, okay, I know how to make money.
Speaker 1:I can make money quick yeah, it's like I'll outwork any problem that we have financially, but at what cost? Like I will push myself to the absolute limit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like even hearing that now, I'm like, oh my gosh, there's so much to your story that is so much more than what we know, right? Yeah, fuck, that's never heard. You share like that.
Speaker 1:Can I ask you, amelia because there will be so many people listening in this moment who will be going through whatever struggles they're?
Speaker 1:having at this point and it's always interesting when you like look back and reflect on something that has been really hard and turbulent for you. I think there's so much power in even what you were sharing the other day online with the photos of when you found out that you were going to be a mum and how you felt this crossroads of like career versus motherhood. If you could look back at that version of yourself that was in the warehouse space hustling every fucking day, petrified and crippled with anxiety that the council is going to come knocking at any point, hustling and you and Tyler are just trying to do whatever you can to get through, If you could look at that version of yourself eye to eye, what would you say to her?
Speaker 3:It's going to be okay, like everything is always going to be okay, and I think, like even that experience has taught me that you know, like I feel like I can get through any hurdle you know, but I feel like you have to go through those things. But yeah, I wish I could just be like it's going to be fine.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Like time, it's going to be okay, you know.
Speaker 2:Did you have any like not to be not sensitive to it, but was there like a bit of relief when the council did actually come knocking? Do you know what? Oh my God, yeah.
Speaker 1:I was like oh my god, like I would take you. So long I've been waiting for you motherfuckers for six months literally.
Speaker 3:I was like, oh, this is great, now I can like go and do it again, but do it properly and make sure it's legit and like I think I wish in the time, at the time, I could.
Speaker 3:And you know what? I have a lot of people message me and ask me about that space and like how do you go about warehouse? And I just tell them the honest truth oh my God, don't even go there, like it's not worth it, like even getting the approval it's next to none you know, I don't think we've ever actually talked about this publicly.
Speaker 2:No, we haven't.
Speaker 1:We always talk about the nearly million dollar mistake that we made. We almost bought an incorrect zoning space. I'm talking pen to paper about just writing a dotted line Shut up Purchasing a commercial space.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Everything had been looked over. Yeah, all good to go. And then a friend of a friend said, hang on. I reckon there might be like no, it was actually.
Speaker 1:our mum was talking about it to one of, like you know, the girlfriend's tennis dinner or whatever they were doing, and she mentioned the girls were about to buy um a commercial space and blah blah, she mentioned it to her son, who was a commercial real estate um agent in that area, who was like hang on, I think it's like. No, he was like there's a part of that zoning that's not, that's, you can't do it accurate and we always talk about it was our almost million dollar mistake, but wild.
Speaker 3:So then talk us through what happened when, obviously, you closed the warehouse space so yeah, so when we um shut that down, it was like I just it was such a thing that I honestly, I never looked back yeah. I was so scared to even look in that direction. Have you gone past since? No, no, I like, I cannot.
Speaker 3:I physically drive an hour the other way, which makes sense, yeah I think, because, like I'm like, we just put so much and we just turn this, like you know this, nothing building into just such a beautiful space, and I think that's what really is hard to swallow, you know, the energy that we put into it. But you know, finance money, you can always get that back. I think it's just like the time. But in hindsight now I'm very, very grateful for the experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so good so then you opened the experience. Yeah, so good. So then you opened the lessons yeah.
Speaker 1:You opened the. Is it Mermaid Beach where?
Speaker 2:the salon is.
Speaker 1:We were just saying we've been Palm Beach.
Speaker 3:Palm Beach.
Speaker 1:We've been to the salon as clients and had a lovely time. We had a 10 am margarita, which was stunning, yep Great.
Speaker 2:No, we definitely were the only ones drinking in the salon. Yeah, I was like definitely cool yeah.
Speaker 1:I was like, yeah, one of the most spectacular Tess and I have the privilege of going into a lot of beautiful salons and it was truly a moment of like take your breath away stunning. The vibe, the feeling that we had in there and just the. It was an incredible experience. So then you opened the space, and what was that journey like?
Speaker 3:So we opened that. We opened it half finished because we just had to get in there and start working.
Speaker 2:I've got money to make.
Speaker 1:Don't mind the plasterers there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was like proper, barely, we were still waiting on so much furniture.
Speaker 3:There was like lights still to go in, but we were like we just need to get in here and get working um, and then, yeah, we kind of like, over a couple months after we opened, we, you know, we got to finalize everything and I just have such a um special like it holds such a special piece in my heart, that space Like it is even to this day, like I still walk in every day, and it's a sense of calm, like it's just a beautiful light feeling in there. So, yeah, I mean we've had some turbulent kind of I wouldn't say like super turbulent, you know, just a normal little like speed bumps along the way.
Speaker 3:But, yeah, it's home. Definitely you feel that energy yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, as I've shared with you, like I can feel your intention in that, with even just being in there, like I truly was, like I remember I know that the stylist that was working on me was like what do you do? And I was like I don't know, not this. Yeah, this feels really nice. But I think that energy, that you have that intention, it's there and it's amazing that it is there, and the fact that you weren't deterred with what had happened, totally that you didn't lose that.
Speaker 3:That intent can sometimes get a bit lost or it can change, definitely get a bit more, you know, murkier, a bit darker uh-huh, and I still wanted to like have that same feeling of like you walked in and you felt like you were in my living room. You know Special.
Speaker 2:You definitely get that yeah.
Speaker 1:I also imagine for you, amelia, being so new to business still like only four years in and your business blowing up so much, learning how to navigate a busy salon human beings and we talk about this all the time like the best and worst part of business for us has always been the humans in it. It's been the most humbling part and also where we've seen the biggest growth in ourselves and the people around us.
Speaker 3:But I imagine, with your business growing so rapidly in such a short period of time, learning to be a leader at that point from someone who was at a home salon by themselves would also be a massive part of your journey too totally and I feel like I like, early on, like I was, I don't think I was the the cruisiest person because, you know, I loved everything to be a certain way and like I wanted everything to run really efficiently and, like you know, in a certain and then I just had to realize, like I just realized, that not everyone has the like the mindset that I do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that took me a little bit to realize, you know, and not everyone has the exact same care factor, which is okay, and I think it took me a bit to kind of be okay with that. But I think also, I think over the past year, like you know, entering motherhoods- I think and also like how much more that puts on your plate right, absolutely, I think I feel the calmest I've ever felt and I think it's really I don't know helped me show up as the calmest version of myself as a leader.
Speaker 1:I agree. I think motherhood, like for both of us, has taken us to a level of content, almost, this feeling of being content, not sweating the small stuff and looking at things so differently, because I think what you value as being the most important thing changes so drastically when you have babies.
Speaker 1:I want to lean into that a little bit. So I want to talk about the post that you made recently, the carousel post that you did on Instagram, where you talked about your feelings and fears that came up for you when you found out that you were having Hilton.
Speaker 3:That um sorry that post sat in my drafts for about three months wow really yeah uh-huh wow okay, why were you hesitant to?
Speaker 1:post it.
Speaker 3:I don't know. I sat on it for a while and I think the biggest thing around that post and the biggest thing that I struggled with um, you know, becoming pregnant and like before I was pregnant was the fact that I love work so much and I love my businesses and I'm so passionate about it and I just didn't want people to read it the wrong way that I didn't love being a mum or that.
Speaker 3:I didn't want to be a mum and I, yeah, I just felt like I was just tiptoeing around it because I felt people may have like judged yes, you know yeah.
Speaker 1:I think it's amazing.
Speaker 2:It was so beautifully received like yeah, both of us are like wanting to jump in, so beautifully.
Speaker 1:Well, I actually have an extract from that post and I want to read it because I think I'm a fucking emotional person.
Speaker 1:I'm going to cry my eyes out already, because when I read this post, it spoke so deeply to me. Yeah, and the feeling of how we feel in motherhood. It is turbulent, chaotic, messy and hard, but specially grounding. It's raw and real and will shape you in ways that you never knew possible. I want to share this because everything is possible, you can do anything and you don't have to stop building if that's what you want. Passion doesn't disappear. It just becomes invisible. Sorry, it doesn't just become invisible, and with passion you can do anything. Thank you, hilly, for making me feel like a superhero. I am am still me, but a better version.
Speaker 2:I tried really hard thank you doing god's work there um, isn't that beautiful, though, like hearing that and the fact that you've dedicated that to your son and that you know that, like every, I don't even think it's about being a mum, though I think anyone that has littles that are looking up to them in one way or another. That hits at such a like Totally Massive level. The fact that that was in your drafts.
Speaker 3:I know Criminal. It inspired me to post about it because I wanted to post that for so long and I just didn't know how to bring it to light you know, because I it's. It's one of these things where you know a lot of people looking at your profile and like a lot of people especially when you're a new mum just fucking watch everything you do and like, criticize and like. But I think I feel so much lighter in sharing that post because I don't care anymore.
Speaker 3:I really don't. You know, people are always going to have their thoughts, and that's the one thing I can't control.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can't, and that's the thing I think. Even with that, with how you end it, with being like superwoman. That's how your son sees you. So who the fuck cares about anyone else's opinion? Like he idolises you.
Speaker 3:And it's also like I feel, like I finally feel like there's a reason why I'm doing it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, totally yeah, and that was so missing before.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's beautiful. So what? What did you feel when you actually pressed post on that? It started in drafts for three months. You poured your heart out into that and you may not have known the impact that it was going to create. But that level of vulnerability that your audience hadn't really seen from you before, how did you feel when you actually pressed post?
Speaker 3:I felt lighter and I felt relieved. I felt like you know what I want to, if there's anything that I can do with my voice or my platform or my, my journey or my experiences, if I can just help someone who was feeling those feelings that I was feeling, and like just let them know it's okay, you can do whatever you want to do and like it's not wrong. There's nothing wrong with, like wanting to show up for your business or wanting to show up for your team, and I felt that so much in my like you know, journey.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I felt good because I was like I just know that I wish someone had done this, when I was feeling that yeah, yeah, I think even with that I don't know if we've spoken about this is that like when you have that, I feel like when you like? I felt this too with when I found out that I was pregnant. I was so excited, I wanted it for so long, but then it was that thing of like oh, I'm like nervous to tell people. I'm nervous how people are going to respond, because I don't want to feel the pressure of like, when you're coming back, what does this look like? How does this?
Speaker 2:which is normal human beings yeah but with that even you know you're so comfortable with. You know showing your skill set and how you like work as a hairdresser, but then sharing that vulnerability of like actually I'm also a mum as well, and a really present mum that's really grounded and connected with their child. How do two things exist at once? And I think, with sharing that you have made so many and all of the people in the industry that are even like you know, I feel that our industry is having a real change in like you can have two things that exist at once.
Speaker 2:Totally and you don't have to necessarily. They might not look the way you like envision them to look.
Speaker 3:And it's messier, and it's more heroic and like that's okay. Just because there's mess and shit around doesn't mean it's falling apart.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 3:And I think that's something I had to realise as well.
Speaker 2:Like yeah, just because it's a shambles sometimes, but even that doesn't have to be. Yeah, yeah, you've known as Amelia. Like you're really, really known with. You know Amelia the space, and like Amelia Jane, and like you've got that like huge and like now Molly V, and now you've got this whole other side. I'm so sorry. Now you're bringing forward Amelia the mum with her son who is having all of this. It's almost like a new identity, but one that you know really well and Hilton only knows this version of you, and now you're bringing that forward to the post. It's fucking beautiful, it's so powerful and inspiring and just I'm so glad that you proposed.
Speaker 3:Imagine if you didn't Thank you, yeah, honestly, and just I'm so glad that you proposed Imagine if you didn't Thank you, yeah, honestly, and I it is such an interesting like no one talks about it.
Speaker 2:No one had spoken about it.
Speaker 3:Like I remember being like terrified of talking about it, like and I think you know I'm 35 and I think, thinking back, I feel like I did push out having a baby because I was like you know, yeah, my career is going to go away like I'm going to lose these opportunities. I'm going to like not be people. I'm going to come to my classes or because I'm going to have to take a year off, I'm going to have to do this and like yeah, no, no, look how you want.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like it's our own path and we can part like that is so much power in that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, We've got from day one. We've had Tessa's son in our calls in our salon, like normalising, running businesses and building empires with babies on our hips, Like we need to make this a part of our day to day, and it doesn't mean you're a fucking bad mum. No.
Speaker 3:It doesn't mean you're not showing up because you know what I mean 100% and. God, that was a battle Like that was such a battle in my head for so long and just feeling like, no, I must stay home. You know I can't go into the salon. Or you know I can't do this because people are judging me, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like either way you're fucked. Yeah, like you're either going to get judged for not being at work and not prioritising your business, or you're going to get judged for not prioritising your business and prioritising your kid Totally.
Speaker 1:How do you just do what you want Exactly?
Speaker 2:Fuck it and do what you want.
Speaker 3:Because that's the one thing you have control over 100%. It's what you do and how you show up to your family and your circle, and yeah.
Speaker 1:Amelia, I want to ask what was the most challenging moment that you've had becoming a mum and running a salon at the same time. What's been a really challenging part of that?
Speaker 3:Probably, I think the I feel like there's been a lot of things that I've you know have been quite hard, in the sense of just I feel like now I'm feeling quite comfortable with, like switching the hats difficult you know, also just with like such a foggy head like how soon after Hilton was born were you back in I.
Speaker 3:I think I started like working back with clients, maybe at three months, but I think when he was like four weeks I was like filming tutorials amazing, wow. Yeah, I was grateful that he was like four weeks I was like filming tutorials.
Speaker 2:Amazing, wow, amazing.
Speaker 3:I was grateful that he was able to like take the bottle and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But yeah, I think probably the biggest struggle. The biggest challenge, the biggest challenge, like, yeah, switching between the hats and honestly, just like dropping the fear around what people would think of me. Yeah, that's like yeah, there's so much power just in that, so fearful of just being, I guess, a thought of, as like a mum that put her business first or like you know, even though that's not what's happening. But I thought people, you know, I didn't want people to think that.
Speaker 2:It's such a complicated relationship, I feel and I feel like people, like there is no one in this that is not experiencing this, and being like it's the challenge of balancing the two and you're fucking well, I mean, you've done it. Then you've added a few more things, so I feel like if we're gonna listen to anyone.
Speaker 3:We need to be listening to you because you know what you're doing and um, I, I have to, would have to say. Probably my biggest, one of my biggest strengths is just getting shit done, though like you know, yeah, executing and just doing it and also like yeah, I'm at a point now where I think things are really starting to like move and I'm like, okay, this is my time to now delegate a little bit you know, like my husband, he's um, he has a business, but he's going to be leaving that at the end of the year to help me with the back end stuff amazing so that I can purely focus on you know more of the creative side of sticking your zone of genius
Speaker 2:yeah, how cool is that? Yeah, it's huge.
Speaker 1:I think it's, yeah, executing and implementing things at a fast pace. Tess and I say this often that we feel like that's been the difference with our success is just because we move fucking fast we don't procrastinate, we don't overthink. We don't allow any time for us to even think about it.
Speaker 3:No time to even overthink, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it almost gives you this unwavering sense of belief that just everything's going to work, because you don't have time to even consider it not working.
Speaker 2:Let's fucking go Delusion. Keep going with it. Yeah, love.
Speaker 1:Yes, I want to share something special with you.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm very excited.
Speaker 1:So this is actually a transcript, like a direct transcript, from a conversation that we had with one of our private one-to-one clients in our mentoring at the Conscious Salon. She purchased the espresso set from you.
Speaker 2:We've told her she needs to be buried in it.
Speaker 1:I want you to hear this she's like I've never that's one of our no power.
Speaker 2:She's just like. That's the thing you need to be buried in, because it's absolutely beautiful really, and that's from our very first collection, so this is special.
Speaker 1:Yes, thank you, this is really special so I wanted to include this and I got her permission to include this as well. So she took a photo of it. She purchased it. She purchased it ages ago and then she just had it sitting there and just hadn't put it on for whatever reason. She put it on, took a photo, tagged you in it and then she said her DMs from her community blew up and everyone was so excited and said how fucking incredible she looked and I can't even explain to you.
Speaker 1:When we saw her in that, we were just like that was made. That piece was made for you. It was like she needed to be born in. That. It was so it looks so incredible on and this is a direct transcript. So it says and this is something that Tess and I were both talking in this it says when you put that suit on, your whole identity shifts because she showed up to the call in it. You literally become the CEO. It's like a different persona. We see you in your power. It is the hottest thing ever. That outfit allows you to step into your power.
Speaker 3:Totally my God.
Speaker 1:Isn't that beautiful. That is so cool. How does that feel hearing that and hearing that?
Speaker 3:impact. Honestly, I get so shaky when I hear things like that. Like honestly blows me away. It's the coolest thing ever so cool.
Speaker 2:But even seeing her in it, I swear to you, when she's in that suit, her energy is different she's like the way that she shows up. She's like ceo as fuck like power dressing unwavering stillness, confidence, like so you know, so fucking cool you don't even. That's the impact that you're having without even like you can. It can be so missed how we can not even realize that sort of level of like. It's so much more than an outfit, it's like a persona, it's almost like yeah, put it on you and just get anything done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what you're creating which is so fucking cool.
Speaker 3:We're actually on that. We are our next collection or towards the end of the year. We have a whole thing around power dressing. We have the like three just absolutely iconic suits that are coming which are like so powerful, missing out so powerful but anyway, I just had to share that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, an exclusive. How good, lauren. Hope you're listening, doll. You'll need to get the credit card out. You know what I?
Speaker 1:really thank you for your beautiful words on molly b.
Speaker 3:That's so special, isn't that incredible? We need to put it in a review.
Speaker 1:And it's so funny because before then, like if I really wanted to include that, because I thought, if we've got the opportunity to sit in front of you, I want to tell you what your impact is. That is one item of clothing that you've sent out from your warehouse like one piece that has changed the way that someone leads in their salon like it's not even about change the way they feel, change the way that they look, literally changed their leadership and it's just.
Speaker 1:The impact is phenomenal, blows me away. Yeah, I love that. That, wow. Before we wrap, I want to hear about your single best day in business, the day where you're like fuck yeah, this is the dream, I'm loving this. And equally the duality. We love to talk about duality.
Speaker 3:Equally your worst day in business that you've had in my whole time of business yeah the worst day, I would say it would have to be the council knocking on the door. I was thinking, if it's been harder than that, like that was just my world crashed 100.
Speaker 2:Were you in the salon?
Speaker 3:when that happened. Yeah, they were like is amelia here? I was like oh, no, no, she's not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm here, can?
Speaker 3:I have a chat.
Speaker 2:I'll be like no, she's not. Do you want to leave a message? I'll tell her what did they say?
Speaker 3:they just said, um, your business is not supposed to be here. Oh, she's like what? What do you mean? I'm like, I know, I know, oh, I love it.
Speaker 2:You're like okay, I'll be waiting for you. I would have been like what that's so weird? You should definitely go and talk to Trevor from this real estate agent that told me that I could do that. Really, wow, okay. Yeah, that's definitely a shitty day, the worst day.
Speaker 1:Okay, what's the best day you've ever had in business?
Speaker 3:so that's like probably the hardest question ever because, honestly, there's so there's so many like best days in my business, and one of them would have to be when I finish my, finish a master class and when I get messages from people who just have had so many light bulb moments in that class and I just know that I'm going to help them back in Ceylon, um, so that.
Speaker 3:And then just being around my team when they have good, you know I love being with them and know I love being with them and launching Molly V, that was like there was so much I can't really specify one day, but there was so much lead up into, you know, building Molly V and like when we finally like hit go and like opened the site, that was that was pretty memorable so amazing we actually bought your aprons for all of our team as a gift and we were, we would have been like one of the first lot of orders that you had like we were like waiting on the side and like, yeah, and they still wear them
Speaker 3:still wearing them every day and are they the millie club, or are they? The millie club oh my god, I have to send you some ones they're they're black.
Speaker 2:we'll be buying it with the launch of the next one. That's so cool that you had the OG Millie cup and we gave them.
Speaker 1:We packaged them all up and gave them to our team as gifts.
Speaker 3:And when they opened them they were ecstatic. Oh god, amelia, where.
Speaker 1:I want to know, first of all, where can we direct traffic if people are watching you for the first time?
Speaker 1:I imagine that they're probably not, but where can we direct traffic for people to find you? And I also want to know what's next for you, because can we give you a little testimonial? We actually sent our girls to your master class with Kirstie Ann in Melbourne many years ago, yeah, and we sent three of our team and they still use your techniques every single day, with like multiple clients per day, and I think just the general creative inspiration that the girls had from that day was just amazing and the ripple effect has been huge since then. So one of the best investments we ever made for our team. That's so special. Thank you, what have you got coming up? Where can we direct people? Well, made for our team. That's so special.
Speaker 2:Thank you. What have you got coming up? Where can we direct people? Well, the Europe tour. We've definitely got that. Yeah, that's definitely a fair bit on.
Speaker 3:Fair bit off in like three weeks.
Speaker 2:Amazing.
Speaker 3:That's going to be a whole other thing with a walking baby now. So that's coming up. Molly V, I feel like, has some absolutely insane collections like in production. Yeah, I don't know, I feel like I'm just getting started. Oh, goosebumps there, incredible. Yes, I love it.
Speaker 2:She's like got so much on. She's like it's just beginning. We're going to the moon, we're going to the fucking moon. We're going to launch into space.
Speaker 3:I guess my main page, like Millie Jane Hare, and then there's like everything's on that in that world Head to.
Speaker 2:Millie Jane Hare, you'll find everything I mean, if you're not.
Speaker 1:And we've got the Goldie. You've got Goldie Masterclass in October.
Speaker 3:Yep Goldie's coming up, and then I think I'm also doing Sydney and Melbourne, oh yeah there you go very quickly.
Speaker 2:Be buying tickets to Melbourne. We'll talk about that actually okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at Mama West, oh what okay. Amelia, thank you for being here. I I just think you're incredible, I really do. I just think what you have achieved at such a young age and then showing a vulnerable side to you and our industry has been really special. But you are showing women what's possible and showing women that they can literally build an empire while you raise your son, and it's fucking beautiful and expansive and amazing. So thank you for being here with us.
Speaker 3:you so needed, and thank you god you push post and my inbox is always open also for anyone who is just thinking, you know can I do it oh how can I do it?
Speaker 2:you can do it yeah, living, walking, breathing proof of that. Thank you so much, thank you both so much special episode.
Speaker 1:Thank you guys so much for listening to another episode of the conscious on podcast. Love you guys. Stay conscious, really guys.
