The Conscious Salon
Welcome to The Conscious Salon.
Here for the real talk salon owners actually need.
The Conscious Salon Podcast is where salon owners get clear guidance without the fluff. Hosted by Nic & Tess, we break down leadership, team culture, money, client journey, systems and numbers into simple moves you can use this week. Expect straight talk, real stories, lots of laughs and practical frameworks that help you lead well, grow profit, and have a life outside the salon.
You will hear from salon owners, industry leaders and working mums who have done the hard yards. We cover mindset that holds under pressure, meetings that improve your team culture, and the habits that build a self led team.
Follow the show and start with leadership posture, client journey design, and money mindset.
Listen in, implement, and stay conscious.
The Conscious Salon
How Jess Lewis went from a Home Salon to a Blonde Empire
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The moment you meet Jess Lewis, you feel it: a rare mix of warmth, authenticity, and unstoppable drive that has made her a legend among millennial hairdressers across Australia. From humble beginnings in a home salon with her sister as an apprentice, Jess built one of the country’s most recognised blonde specialist salons, attracting clients who would travel hours for her craft.
Her influence extends far beyond the salon chair. Jess pioneered live workshops that transformed the way stylists learned together and later embraced online platforms to make education accessible nationwide. She has inspired and mentored a generation of hairdressers who continue to cite her as one of their biggest influences.
Behind the success lies a personal story marked by resilience. Jess speaks with raw honesty about returning to work only ten weeks after her first child, navigating miscarriage and divorce, and redefining her identity as both a mother and an entrepreneur. Now a mother of three, she has reimagined family and business life with her husband Luke, launched JL Hair Tools, and created programs that nurture the next generation of stylists.
This conversation is filled with insight, vulnerability, and inspiration. Jess reminds us that it is possible to build something extraordinary while staying true to yourself.
🌟 Whether you’re a salon owner, hairdresser, or entrepreneur, you’ll walk away with practical wisdom and motivation to grow your business. Tune in now for a powerful story of resilience, reinvention, and redefining success on your own terms.
Follow Jess:
Instagram — @jesslewis
| @hairbyjesslewis
🎙️ More from The Conscious Salon:
Website: https://theconscioussalon.com.au
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Introduction to Jess Lewis
Speaker 1This episode of the Conscious Salon podcast is brought to you by Revlon Professional Australia. Welcome back to the Conscious Salon podcast, tess. Today we have someone very special sitting in front of us whose story is going to resonate with a lot of people in our community. If you are, I put a story on our Instagram this morning and I said if you are a millennial hairdresser, you know the person sitting in front of us.
Speaker 1So this woman began her career in the most humble ways, in the most humble of ways, sorry, running a salon from home where she took on her sister, darcy, as her apprentice. So she knows all about running a salon with family. You've given it away because you said Darcy. You should have just said sister. Okay, her sister, who shan't be named as an apprentice. From those early days she already carried the kind of drive and vision that would later set her apart in our industry. Not long after she took the leap into her first commercial space on the Mornington Peninsula, what started small quickly grew into being one of the most recognisable blonde specialist salons in Australia. I really hope you take this in by the way I always get so emotional reading these out when we do them.
Speaker 1So special Clients would travel from all over Victoria knowing that they were walking into a space that not only understood, lived in colour, but also had a culture of fun. But her vision didn't stop at the salon door. She was the first person in our industry to innovate live in-person workshops, creating classes that inspired stylists to elevate their craft and also fun fact I was hoping you'd mention it. I'm one of the students we sent our team. It was the first education that we ever invested in.
Speaker 2We sent our team because I really wanted to go, jess, really wanted to go.
Speaker 1She brought people together into rooms that were filled not only just with technique but with energy, excitement and possibility. And long before it was the norm, she was pioneering the shift to online education, building a platform that made learning accessible from anywhere. We were also online students as well. We were Her students as well. Her career has taken her around Australia as an educator, where she shared her skills, influencing a generation of hairdressers who now credit her as a major inspiration in their journey.
Speaker 1Most recently, she added yet another chapter by launching her own tools line. She generously gifted to us today as well We'll bust those out later the JL hair care line, a brand that represents not just practical tools but a symbol of her growth and unwavering commitment to her industry. And through all this, she's been raising three beautiful daughters, ava Hazel and Goldie, and navigating the push and pull of motherhood, entrepreneurship and learning how to be fully present in both. Her story is raw, real and inspiring, because she shows us what is possible when you commit to both your vision and your family. Well, that made me a bit teary. It is our absolute pleasure to welcome to the Conscious Selling Podcast Jess Lewis. Isn't that special, isn't?
Speaker 2that beautiful.
Speaker 1It's so special, isn't it? We're off to a good start, isn't that beautiful?
Speaker 3I know I think that was more intense than luke's vows to me on our wedding day well, they're her words.
Speaker 2Look, not ours how amazing is that it's so easy to forget how much you've like impact that you've had. And I think, even with that, like I know when we were speaking off air earlier, how it can be so easy to like think that, like um, what we're talking about, the um playing it small, like you feel like that imposter will come out yeah you're fucking one of the ogs like I'm gonna like. You're one of the few people that I actually know and recognize in our industry.
Speaker 1I feel like there's so many people, we people, whenever we go to these amazing industry events, I always say to Tess I'm like, oh, tess, there's so-and-so, and she's like who? I'm like what, who, what, who.
Speaker 2But if it's oh, there's Jess Lewis I'm like fuck where.
Speaker 1Or I'm pointing you out.
Speaker 3So what an amazing. Yeah, emotional, it was really nice. Yeah, I think you easily forget. Yeah, I don't know. I think just life's so chaotic, I feel like I'm still trying to do things and I don't know if they're right.
Speaker 2You, know what.
Speaker 3I mean so yeah, hearing that I think I've done. Okay, it's pretty incredible.
Speaker 2Done a fair bit.
Speaker 1It's interesting With this series, we've had so many women sitting in front of us who, like some of them, we've known and we've had relationships with beforehand, and some of them we're meeting for the first time. But we've followed their journey and it really is emotional when we put those words together because we feel like we have watched these women, and you included, evolve like right before our eyes. So we feel like we've been on the journey with you and there is that thing of feeling like really, really, really unbelievably proud of what you've achieved. But I think, further than that, you've shown so many women in our industry what's possible, because you were a really young mum yeah, you had a business with your family, and then now to go on and have three girls and to do your mat leaves in completely different ways, which we want to talk about today obviously, but massive massive, massive, massive, massive, massive.
Speaker 1I'm going to be glad, thank you. So, Jess, can you talk us through? For anyone who is living under a rock and is hearing about you for the first time, I want to talk through your business journey in your own words.
Speaker 3So starting in your home salon and then growing into the commercial space and now what the brand of HPJL is brand of HPJL is yeah, so it even probably started a little bit before that. Like, um, when I was in the first salon I was in I was there for seven years, so did my apprenticeship managed the salon. Um, and not a lot of people know this, but I was actually meant to buy the salon that I was working in yeah, wow.
Speaker 2And then it was sold behind my back oh dogs, oh my god, I didn't know that. Yeah, bit them in the ass.
Speaker 1That's the first ass that's dropped.
Speaker 3It's an exclusive, exclusive so many exclusives this podcast imagine, though, watching that being that person like egg on their face when that happened in that moment, because I was like nine weeks pregnant with ava, I remember thinking my world was like crumbling down, but I'm so glad it happened, because there's a reason for everything you know totally so yeah, I left that salon and then I worked for myself.
Speaker 2I was a subbie at another salon so did you have even sorry before we jump forward, did you have like things in place? Was it like all verbal or was it like yep.
Speaker 3So we had my boss at the time really close and don't get me wrong, amazing businesswoman, yeah, trained me to work really hard, um, and loved working there. So, long story short, yeah, I was meant to purchase it and then we had like a five-year plan type thing and then I fell pregnant with Ava sooner than expected. So then I obviously I knew how much the salon made and I it was, when I started Hair by Jess Lewis, like when Instagram first came along, so I knew how much I was making. If I wasn't going to be in the salon, I knew it wasn't going make money, so it wasn't the right time for me to buy it. So I told her that, shrek, it's all good, we'll just wait for next financial year. Just put down a $10,000 holding deposit. I was like yep, easy. So that was like on a Friday, I think we discussed or a Thursday.
Speaker 3And then on the Monday she'd let me know that had sold it to someone else, which is actually an apprentice of the salon. Yeah, wild. Well, do you get your 10 grand back? Okay, salon does not exist anymore. What a shock. So, but you know what? Like and you're still standing, I'm still standing and we didn't put in that song literally and the fit out of my first song was cheaper than what I was going to pay for the salon. So there's so many so universally like wow, okay um.
Speaker 3So, yeah, then worked for myself at a salon, um in frankston and loved doing that. Um, and then weirdly bought a house that had a home salon in it. So working from home was never a part of my plan. I wasn't a fan of home salons, no, um, but it just happened, so did that were you not a fan because you couldn't like have the balance like?
Speaker 2were you like struggling to like separate it?
Speaker 3With. I just used to think it was tacky, in all honesty, like that's how I used to. Now I would not think that at all, but it wasn't until I was. I was like no, like you've got to be in a salon for it to be like lux, you know. Yeah, and then, yeah, had a home salon. I was just like, fuck it, I'll just do do this and see how we go convinced Darcy to do an apprenticeship.
Speaker 2and then we outgrew that space, so then moved into my next space that I'm in now that I renovated three years ago, which was smaller because there was only one, and then you took over both. Right? Yeah, so three years ago we renovated it and made it it's probably nearly I'd say nearly triple the size it's like a kingdom. Now It'd be like. I reckon it'd be about about 200 square meters would it be listen?
Speaker 3I don't know the math, but where's luke?
Speaker 1when we need him actually. What's luke's um? Is it straight?
Speaker 3straight mate. Is that his company?
From Home Salon to Building an Empire
Speaker 1yeah, I'm like we need some straight mate tool to tell us that he would love that you just plugged it up by the way, I can't believe I remember the name of it.
Speaker 3I've got no interest in being a trainee ever, but it's a good name sold.
Speaker 1It's a great name um that's yeah, so I've actually been a client in your salon, in your space, and I came in and had we're really giving fans.
Speaker 2I feel like you're so safe with us, jess, because I feel like we're like I was a student. I was an online student.
Speaker 1I've been in your salon and here I am nervous sitting in front of you um, but it is such a beautiful space and a really special client experience really special and just the feeling when you walk in it, you know what vibe it actually gives me. It almost gives me like a bit of a palm springs vibe. I don't know if you're going for this at all, but the the actual decor of the salon, it no, it feels like tuscan.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's just very yeah, like bright white minimalist like yeah, I wanted that, but also one thing I learnt from having a home salon was I wanted to give that personal experience in a bigger space. So that's why the salon is laid out, the way that it is Like, even how people kind of walk in. It's not like a like we don't have a receptionist, we do that all ourselves. But yeah, I wanted that type of feeling in there, yeah you definitely have and you've got that with your culture.
Speaker 2Like you guys are known for having that real like fun, high vibe, like big, happy family, yeah, and like I see that with all your socials that you post as well with your clients, are all very into. What came into my head then. As we're talking about that Luke coming in in his underwear he's getting a real plug. I feel like he should be here now he is the fact that that was so like it was shocking, but not like everyone been like what the fuck is he doing? You know what's funny?
Speaker 3instagram. Right, it took off and even this company. Sorry, I'm going off on a tangent, but this company contacted me and they so what you can do is they can actually like, purchase the rights to the video and they can like, I know, right, it's a whole different world. So I was like fuck, yeah, like sure, right, you make some money off it, depending on how many views. So instagram loved it and I was like. That's why I was like perfect, like let's so good anyway it went viral on facebook.
Speaker 3I can tell you right now it was not accepted oh yeah, no.
Speaker 1I saw some comments of people being like you know this guy walking in like who's husband and I was like sorry, why are we complaining? Is this the best thing ever? He's a narcissist.
Speaker 3What he just wanted? Attention, that kid should be taken off them. And then, because Darcy goes over there, they're like he's sleeping with that girl. I'm like, well, fuck, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2Facebook is get it together. But you cashed out Totally, Got a little bit of money.
Speaker 3Got me money and I was good to go. But yeah, it's interesting Things are accepted on Instagram and also on Facebook.
Speaker 2Yeah, but yeah again our clients.
Speaker 3They know Hilarious, yeah, and because we share our culture on socials. That's not for everyone, but I think it's a big part of our brand.
Speaker 1Absolutely, absolutely part of our brand.
Speaker 2Absolutely, yeah, absolutely. Mick did dress up as santa once. My partner um. He definitely has more of the santa vibe than the underwear vibe that looks good, exactly as I say, not every husband we would recommend doing that the job I would. I would be happy with mick walking in in his underwear. Let that be known, babe, I love it and come in your underwear and come when the salon's closed um, but Jess what?
Speaker 1made you decide to move from the home salon to the commercial space? What was the big decider there?
Speaker 3I think just outgrowing, outgrowing the space, obviously, with having Darcy as well. It only had three seats. There was only so much we could do. But separating that home and business life was one of the biggest things.
Speaker 3I felt like I never left the house yeah like I hated that, like I was working a lot, obviously ava was there, but then I'd almost get like irritated if I, like my mum was always there helping or, um, ava's dad, ava's dad, my ex husband he would be there as well, but I'd be like he was crying, she's being like it's not her fault, which is the kid, or whinging, but I I'm like that's ruining the experience. Even though it was far away from the salon, it was still loud. Or I'd be like, oh, can you not cook that food, because I can like smell it coming, like it got to that type of point.
Speaker 3So I was like all right, done, time to move on. Obviously I'm very much always much growth I would have done there. So it served its time and purpose it obviously gave me you know, I could save a bit of money for my first salon fit out and things like that.
Speaker 2But, um, yeah, definitely separating the home and business life was probably the biggest thing I so um reckon that is such a big thing because we work from home as well. Yeah, and even with my son he's six months having that, even though I know that he's I don't have like he's got, he's with my mum, he's, yeah, but he's still there, he's still aware of like oh, I can hear that sounds like it's a bit longer than a usual cry or like, yeah, it's really hard.
Speaker 3So I can't imagine, especially with working, yeah, with clients and trying to give that experience and then if they come in, like of course it's lovely like the kids come in, but then it's like then they cry when they leave and you're like oh, my God. But even now, if the kids come into the salon, like Luke knows, it's a short duration that I can handle because I get like so, sensory overload with everything the kids, you say dial one quick lap in your undies and then you're out, and then out.
Speaker 3Just going to make sure everyone can see Next time naked, and then the salon's open. Luke Hear that Everyone book in.
Speaker 1Jess, how old was Ava when you went into the commercial space, and what was that like for you?
Speaker 3How old was she? Did you say? Oh, she would have been maybe three, I think. So like still in the thick of it.
Speaker 3Yeah, she was three, I think yeah, so like still in the thick of it. Yeah, yeah, she was three, but it was the best thing for me, I think. Yeah, because just being at home just was getting, yeah, a little bit toxic I think. And yeah, obviously I started doing my workshops too when I was working from home. So I used to have another hair care company called Hair and Me when I was with my ex and we had a factory, so that's where we did the workshops.
Speaker 1I remember that.
Speaker 2Yeah, peppermint shampoo and conditioner yeah that slapped yeah there was a mask, the mask was it I loved that Does that still exist, not anymore.
Speaker 3Okay, yeah, that's a shame, that's, it's a good product, okay great?
Speaker 2Probably not. I just worked out why that would have potentially stopped. We can delve into that later.
Speaker 3But yeah, so then I was doing the workshop out of the factory. So I bought like a portable basin to do it because obviously no one could come into my hotel, oh my gosh, wow.
Speaker 1So yeah, it's another reason I needed the salon, and that was originally where you did all the shampoo and everything. Yeah, so then you demolished that and then made the salon bigger yeah, wow, yeah, that's super cool piecing all the puzzles together.
Speaker 2Okay, now you get it done so.
Speaker 1Jess, you have also talked about like pretty openly, about being anxious and having anxiety, which we talk. We talked about a couple of um like in this series with a couple of guests about our industry being really performative.
Speaker 1So it doesn't matter what's going on behind the scenes with us, one of the pressures in our job especially. It is different with hair versus beauty, because beauty often the client's coming in to close their eyes and have a moment, but with hair, clients can be sitting in a chair for five hours and there is that part of all of us that is performative and is that people pleaser. It doesn't matter what we're going on behind closed doors, we have to show up and have that smile and happy face. Yeah, and you've also been really candid about some of the things that you have experienced in your time as a salon owner. What's been one of the hardest days that you've had in business where you've had to feel performative?
Speaker 3It's probably two, I would say First one was when I got divorced, I think, because I was very like you know, I was married so I'd shared my relationship. The clients were very aware my ex-husband used to also work within the salon space, so telling people that I was getting divorced or no longer with him was really hard.
Speaker 3I felt embarrassed, I think, like that kind of yeah, I still think about it because I feel bad. Yeah, but I only cried once at work about it. And he's a good guy, great dad to Ava. But that was really hard because I had to keep working and then had to navigate, ava had to sell my houses, like there was just so many financial things that was really overwhelming. So that was probably one of the hardest. And then I had two miscarriages which was, I feel, like the salons jinxed me. So, yeah, moving to that salon got divorced, I think maybe six or so months after I'd opened that space, after the moving from the home salon, and then when I was renovating and the new space I had, my first miscarriage Wasn't planning to fall pregnant then. So I remember when I fell pregnant I was like, oh, my gosh, like crap, I'm renovating this, like I need to be in here, like I can't be pregnant yet, and then had a miscarriage and like I was sad but I was like wasn't meant to be.
Speaker 3All good and then went again, had another miscarriage and I was like fuck, this is now hard. So it happened twice and I remember it was actually so Ava and Darcy share the same birthday, so my daughter and sister and it was their birthday and I was at work and I just bled. So then had to deal with that while still working and you continued working yeah.
Hidden Struggles Behind the Success
Speaker 3Yeah, I would never stop working. I'm a bit weird like that. I just keep going and also it's like out of sight, out of mind. You know what I mean. Like, if I keep going, I'm just like I just need to get through this. Plus, then I had to celebrate Ava and Darcy's birthday. Oh my gosh. So probably those two things were probably the biggest things that happened, that I couldn't fully show how I was feeling slash, I just like buried it Wow.
Speaker 1Yeah. What do you think it is in us all, jess, as hairdressers and people in this industry? What do you think it is that makes us stay in that moment and just go?
Speaker 3I'm just going to be here for my clients and just I think, resilience I think it's probably the one of the biggest things, like I don't. It's like almost like this safe, it's almost like you can forget what's happening because you're on show. Yeah, you know what I mean. Yeah, all the time all the time like, even if I've had a shit morning, like you know, I'll vent to the work girls. Yeah about like the kids or whatever.
Speaker 2Then as soon as that client walks in, I'm like morning yeah, you would not know it, I resonate with that a lot how much you can and like even with like sisters like Nikki and I can sometimes have like moments of, like you know, conflict or whatever we're not feeling super great. And then people walk in and we're like hello we can just like and then people go.
Speaker 1Do you have a fight?
Speaker 2Definitely not, right now, we're definitely not right in the middle of it, you'd understand that working with Darcy Literally yeah. But even with that, like I think about that, like there can be bad mornings, but like were you aware that you were like going to? Like did you literally just go to the toilet and you were bleeding, or was it like you knew that something was happening? And like we don't have to go into this if you don't want to?
Speaker 3Yeah, no, no, no. Yeah, I just needed to go to the toilet and then, because I'd already had the first miscarriage, and then I saw blood and I was just like oh my God, and I sent a photo to Luke. I was like it's happening again. He's like no, no, no, it's all good, it's all good.
Speaker 2And I was like no, no, then, if I didn't have those, I wouldn't have had goldie.
Speaker 2Yes, I just have to always think of things you are very good at finding there, but only after, only after you know the thing in that moment, like I'm hearing that, I'm like fuck, how the fuck did you go back out? I feel like I would have just been like sorry, no, like everyone will need to. Like I can't even fathom the idea of being able, like that is a real testament to your resilience, because I don't think there are many people in the planet that would be able to do that and be like okay, I can just like compartmentalize this and deal with this later, and I'm gonna go and like continue doing like how many more clients did you have to?
Speaker 3do. Oh, like the day, the whole day type thing.
Speaker 3It was like, yeah, it was and then you went home and then just like yeah, then I had the Ava's birthday and yeah and then we had Easter and it was just like and it's obviously hard too, it's like you know, we told some family members the first time and then the second time I was like to like we can't tell anyone because I can't be bothered going through. I don't want the sympathy, I hate the awkward sympathy yeah, yeah, I think, even with like watching you online.
Speaker 2Like I remember when you shared about um when, because when you fell pregnant with how old's Goldie 19 months.
Speaker 3Yes.
Speaker 2So I think this was around when because it took me about a year to get pregnant with my son, river, and I remember you sharing the fact that you'd had miscarriages and I was even with that because, like looking from it from the outside, like you've got Ava, you've got Hazel, so it looks easy, like you could just snap your fingers literally, yeah, wild. So this thing, when you shared that you'd had these two miscarriages, it was such a like I remember being like, oh my god, like she struggled with this, yeah, and again with that thing of you really don't know what the fuck people are going through and how that can look and what. Like there would be clients that will not even of yours now who potentially will be watching this, being like I wonder if that was me that day, if I was in there on that day.
Speaker 2And they wouldn't have even known that. That was what you were like. Going through this, yeah, unbelievably like heartbreaking, devastating thing, and you were still able to show up like fuck, you're a powerful bitch. I'm going to say that that is like unbelievable.
Speaker 3Thank you, you're a powerful bitch.
Speaker 2I'm gonna say that that is like unbelievable thank you. But when you did share that, I remember looking at you, just thinking like that really created like a really I think, one of the things that most people say with you. We feel like we know you because you share so openly and like vulnerably and you do you talk about things that people can relate to anxiety. You know those sort of things. Yeah, I can see you in that.
Speaker 2Yeah, and even when we start having that like that realization, I think one of the things that people really do get drawn to with you is you make people feel seen or understood, because these are things that you can show how, like the potential that it can be, or like that these things, these things can exist at once. You can still be you know incredible what you're doing and also be dealing with things that are really tough. Yeah, so I really want to acknowledge you in that moment because that's like a really fucking huge thing. I do also want to share quickly as well, when you did share your announcement of being pregnant with goldie, that video of ava finding out I know I still I hear that fucking uh billy eilish song from barbie it's so like straight away, it's so like that, isn't it?
Speaker 3Like you hear a song and, if you like, picture it with something it always just brings on the tears.
Speaker 2It does.
Speaker 3We've actually got so many songs, luke and I, that we remember, like with those moments.
Speaker 2Like I know it's not for everyone sharing everything online and whatever.
Speaker 3But like I love it, it was so beautiful To look back on and stuff.
Speaker 2And like, even seeing that, like I really felt that in that moment of when you shared about, you know the struggles that you'd had and even with you were talking, you talk really candidly. Everyone that hasn't seen it go through the archives and find those because they are. They're so, in that moment for me really struggling with like not, I haven't experienced pregnancy loss, but I really struggled with like not I haven't experienced pregnancy loss, but I really struggled with not snapping my fingers.
Speaker 1I've always been a high achiever.
Speaker 2It's different, but it's that feeling of of dropping down, but hearing that you'd gone through that from the outside, I would always thought that things were, you know, easy. So like humanizing yourself, like that. It was so valuable and I want to like really acknowledge you in that moment, even with the things that you've shared here now.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 2That stuff makes such impact, so thank you for sharing that. Okay, my pleasure Special.
Speaker 1Jess, I want to pivot a little bit. Okay, so obviously it was just you and Darcy. In the early days, the glory days, yep. And then, you scaled to have 10 10 on team at one point, yeah, and then now you team shrunk a little bit. Can we talk through why maybe bigger isn't always better?
Scaling a Business and Finding Balance
Speaker 3lots of personalities. It's always one of the biggest things, like I've always been really lucky in every team I've had in each season. It's been great. But then when that season ends I'm always like that's okay, there's a reason for that.
Speaker 3They've moved on, whatever, um, but it's like less responsibility sometimes, like obviously at the moment, with how expensive everything is, having a salon is hard, it's really hard, like we used to. You know, we'd be booked out months and months in advance. It's so hard to get in. Now it's so common to have cancellations every week, whereas I feel like probably ever since COVID and then it's just kind of gotten worse since then um, but I think the less responsibility on me has been a bit not a bit nicer.
Speaker 3I've had to work more though, so there's pros and cons like obviously, if I have a bigger team, there's less I have to be there so now it's smaller. I'm back more but I'm loving being back more.
Speaker 1So yes, pros and pros and cons to both yeah this is an interesting test, and I always talk about like and, as you just said, sometimes when you're in that season you can't necessarily see it. Sometimes we'll have like, we'll think our culture has never been this good, and then that season ends and a new one starts and we're like, oh fuck, it's so much better, so much healthier. You know all different things.
Speaker 1And like obviously there's a season for everything, but I think there really is something to being committed, to being present in the moment with what you're going through in your business, like especially for you right now. Like, yes, you're coming back into the salon after having you know mat leave with with hazel and goldie yeah I want to talk about the difference between your mat leaves. So when you had ava, when did you go back to work?
Speaker 3um, I think she was about 10 weeks. I went back, wow, very early, um, but obviously instagram was like fresh new thing and I'd started here by jess lewis and I was like, if I don't, if I don't go back like everyone's's going to forget who I am. And you know I would have been what 20, I think I was 23 or 24 then and, yeah, not very many people had Instagram.
Speaker 3So, yeah, I was just like nah, I think I want to go back and I always I thought I wanted to be a stay-at-home mum and then I experienced it…. …and I was like not quite for me and that I feel like now that's so much…like I'm so proud to say that.
Speaker 3Whereas back then I was a bit like… …you know, it can be an awkward thing. So, yeah, I went back ten weeks after having her. It was just like a couple of days, and then before I knew I was back like four days, um, but that kind of. I had the support of my mum, like Ava was the only grandchild, so there was a lot more help, um, which was good, um. So, yeah, I was back really quick, yeah.
Speaker 2Did you feel ready when you were re-entering, like coming back like at the start? Were you like a? Was it more out of I need to go back to continuous momentum of Instagram to build myself to get to where I need to? Or was it like I think I'm ready, now I can do it? Or was it kind of a bit of both? I think it was a bit of both. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense and I think too.
Speaker 3I was just like I wanted to make money. Yeah, like I was just like I can't do that just sitting here type thing and looking back on it as well. I don't think postnatal depression or anxiety was, like you know, as common or spoken about, but I definitely would have had it and I think that's also my way of dealing with it was like all right, I'll go.
Speaker 1I need to go back to work yeah, that's your happy place, yeah so, jess, then you went on to meet your beautiful husband, luke, and you went on to have have Hazel first and then Goldie. Yeah, what was your mat leave like with Hazel and Goldie? So?
Speaker 3Hazel was a COVID baby. So I was pretty much in lockdown my whole pregnancy, which is great because I was so fucking big, so big. So I'm glad no one got to witness that. It was actually bad because we'd not long kind of like restrictions had like softened when I came near the end of my pregnancy. I was like to Luke, no one can see me. Like no one seen me from. It's like Jess was skinny and now she's like 20 kilos heavier. So I was like, oh my god. So that was such a unique, weird experience of doing that.
Speaker 3Um, but like I loved that, like I got to just play on the couch, like you don't get to do that as a hairdresser, like you're on your feet, you're tired, you're back. I mean, there's obviously so many jobs are like that, but yeah, it's a very labor intensive job when you're pregnant, um, and then I god, I can't remember how long I had off with Hazel, but I was back. I think it might have been, might have been two or three, maybe I'll say three months. So again, still a short, short period. Um went back and then Goldie was then completely different again because I'd had her but I had a bigger team.
Speaker 3So when I was pregnant with Goldie, I kind of lost my drive a little bit in hairdressing. I've been hairdressing for 20 years, so I think I don't know just I couldn't be fucked. I could not be fucked. I couldn't be fucked talking, doing hair, creating content, showing up online. I was just like this is like I love showing up online for my personal life but not for my business. I was just like this is hard Like, and I think again, just being pregnant, having the two kids, it was a lot. So then, yeah, when I had Goldie, I'm like I'm just I didn't book any date to come back, whereas with the other two I had already bookings booked in before they were born so, but I was like no, I'm not going to do that.
Speaker 3My team's big the salon could financially support itself, so that was probably, I guess, more.
Speaker 3That's a career highlight, I think like that's you know at the you know at the end of the day, that's why you have a business. Yeah, so you've got some type of flexibility, so being able to do that and be the mum that actually got to go and do school, drop, school, pick up, be there at Mother's Day without having to leave early like all those types of things, and then obviously be there for goldie as well um, I went back.
Speaker 3I think she might have been maybe four months. I just went in on fridays and did two clients like so easy, like I'd make sure I picked my easy clients, and just you know yeah but I just wanted to be there for the salon. I think it's important for the girls. Like you know, if you own a salon, you do need to be in it. You are the brand, so I think that's another thing.
Speaker 3But then, yeah, when it hit six months for her, I was like okay, like I got the itch again and I was like I think I want to go back in and go back in like full force again, like I've been taking on new clients for five years maybe. So I was like, all right, I need to do two new clients a week minimum, like build my contact content back up, build my brand back up, um, and yeah.
Maternity Leave and Redefining Career
Speaker 2Then Luke and I discussed switching roles and that's what we've done how does, how's that gone for you guys like that's a big thing and like not the norm, something like we're in similar positions with our partners as well.
Speaker 1It's interesting hearing other people's perspectives yeah, when they hear if our partners are like hands-on with the kids, or my boyfriend was a stay-at-home dad, yeah, and people like, oh, he is amazing, he is just amazing. But it's also like, why is he amazing?
Speaker 3because he's got a penis and he's holding a child down the street and like an old lady might be like, oh, he's such a good dad, so hands-on what? Because he's holding a fucking his child.
Speaker 2His child, like what and it is world like that, like I might feel like you should meet his wife in front of you now but even with that, like it is changing that, like what it can look like and I think this is the biggest what I see within our industry, where we we see the resistance people don't believe you can have both. You can't have the family and the marriage, or the relationship and the successful business and the team and all of those things. Yeah, you can't have those two things existing at once, yeah, and this is where you get to define well, no, actually you can, and you can have it look differently each time, however, like even when you're talking about all three of your pregnancies, and like experiences with going back to work all rapidly different, but all what would have served you in the seasons that you were at, yeah when you were first with ava, you were young.
Speaker 2You needed to like, build it up, because if you didn't do that then potentially you may not have what you have now, exactly where you go to six months with being with goldie. Now, like cool, I'm actually going to go held a leather again yeah luke you're in and I'm sure he would be loving being in and like enjoying that.
Speaker 3Yeah, it was obviously like we discussed it. I can't. It might have actually been when Hazel was born, maybe, and I was like what's your like? Thoughts on this and even he admits it now. It's like a bit of an ego thing he was kind of like oh I can't you know, I'm a carpenter Like.
Speaker 3I can't do three days a week, I can't do four days a week. And I was like, oh okay, like I've got no idea, whatever, yeah, um. And then when we spoke about it again, he's got his um like side business at the moment straight mate and then he's like a lot of tradie husbands and boyfriends listening at the minute I think I want to buy the stuff.
Speaker 3I was like, okay, well, if he wants to do a bit of that, then I could go back more and financially, like I was sitting at home and I could make triple what he was making in a day.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3And he like do you know what I mean?
Speaker 1Yeah, it makes sense.
Speaker 3Obviously I was envious of him too, because he got to, like, drive to work. He got to sit in the sun and have his lunch and you know he's getting his own time literally and I'm like but also, you're not making the same amount of money like I could make triple that exactly. So please let me go to work, yeah, and once we, you know, then we had a meeting with the accountant and my account was like it's a no-brainer, like, and I was like his name's Luke too. I was like thanks, luke.
Speaker 2Accountant Luke is also getting a plug. Well done, luke.
Speaker 3So it was good having that too like yeah yeah, so that's how we kind of did that. And then it was actually just last week, um, because Luke was doing two days carpentry, three days at home with the kids, so one of us are always at home with the kids doing drop-off pickup, so that took the stress out of. Okay, if one of the kids are sick, we don't need to take a day off work like yeah, that sucks too, it's yeah, so annoying when they get sick, absolutely rude.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's really inconvenient. Literally when I hear that cough in the night, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna say the plane in this episode. What do you look at?
Speaker 3what I've gone through, take a pentadome get to school seriously, um, but yeah, last week he completely stopped carpentry wow, and he's doing straight mate, yeah good, go all in.
Speaker 2Yeah, I honestly believe that's when it really like that was the choice.
Speaker 3You're just like all right, let's just go for it. Fuck yeah, and like it's doing. I said I don't care what you do, as long as you can like still pay yourself. Yeah, similar to money to what you were making. He can always go back to carpentry. It's obviously that flexible type of job. Um yeah, so he's like I guess like full-time straight mate, but full-time half straight mate, half dad, that's right but yeah, but like doing going all in, that's literally fucking amazing I love that yeah, well done it took me a bit, though, like I, because it's not my yeah domain.
Speaker 3I was very like he'd be so excited about something and I'd like you back. I did this in sales.
Speaker 2I'm like, oh, how much you spend on ads oh yeah, I mean, I'm very much to come in and pop the bubbles. So we're like, oh, that's amazing. Let me bring you back to reality. I'm like, oh, we've got the same. Our partners have always got a million ideas. My boyfriend's a cactus farmer, so unique like that's a really, really, really qualified as a plumber, and then the next day he was like I don't want to be a plumber anymore.
Speaker 1I was like but the cash that I was playing so he became a cactus farmer. Um, and he he's always got like a new wild idea.
Speaker 3He's very good at it, he's really good. He's done a few things.
Speaker 1You either have two types of clients that come up the driveway because he runs it from home. It's either people who are like cashed up, people who are doing like a Palm Springs vibe around their pool.
Speaker 3Load me up with cactus.
Speaker 1Or there's the hippies that walk up and I'm like you're going to eat this cactus because it makes you trip.
Speaker 2Allegedly, I mean we're not condoning eating cactus.
Speaker 3I don't know how we segued there.
Speaker 1Jess, I want to read you something that you shared with us before the podcast, with your permission, which I'm seeking now, is that? Okay, I forgot what I wrote, but yes, I want to read you something that you shared with us before we recorded, and I just thought it summed up the push-pull so beautifully. So you said I was so scared about losing my identity. So, talking about when you first went on leave when you had Ava, yeah, I went back to work when Ava was just 10 weeks old to make sure that I didn't lose what I had built. My biggest hurdle that I have faced is always and always will be the mum guilt Trying to be the best mum while also trying to be the best role model to show my three daughters that I can achieve absolutely anything. I've always been the main provider for my family and I think that this is so powerful for my girls to see. How does it feel. Oh my God, am I?
Speaker 3okay, why is your voice so like? Emotionally, it's the husk.
Speaker 1Oh my goodness, that actually made me a bit teary. What comes up for you hearing that?
Speaker 3Again, I think I just like forget, Like I'm just go go, go all the time. I think one of the biggest things for women is not having financial stability.
Speaker 3So, if you don't have that, it's like you can't do anything, you can't leave a relationship because you're stuck. What are you meant to do? Like you've got no money for anything, or if you don't have that confidence, like all of those things that make you your own person, like you need to be able to survive on your own. I think that's probably one of my biggest teachings, even to the girls at the salon. I'm like you've got to make sure you always have your own money all the time, like never forget that because it is. It's one of those things that obviously, when I left my first relationship, I think without that, you know having it was always going to happen.
Speaker 3But if I it made it easier in the sense of, like I'm going to be okay, you're okay, like I've built this, I'm going to be okay, like. So I think, yeah, for the girls to see that and seeing me work, because the mum guilt all the time Like I'm like, oh, sometimes I'm not there for bedtime, or I snap at them because I'm so tired, because I've been talking for 11 hours straight that I don't want to deal with anything more. But you know, when they come into the salon and they're just like, oh, this is mummy's salon and go out the back and get chocolates all the time, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2On and go out the back and get chocolates all the time.
Speaker 3You know what I mean, they always know. But I think, yeah, being that type of role model, as a female is like, I'm not like, so like, oh, women, this women, that I'm definitely not like that.
Speaker 2Well, it's our first fight I am get out, so jesse will be I am like I'm all for women but, I just want the girls to know that they can do anything Like.
Speaker 3I love being a provider.
Speaker 2Literally look at you. And they will learn that from being in your presence. Like I feel like I'm learning that from being in your presence.
Speaker 1It's fucking amazing and I hate to tell you girlfriend, but you are like that because even what you're doing like you may not consciously be like I'm advocating for women, but what you're showing so many women, yeah is potential.
Speaker 3You're showing people what's yeah, I think I should reword that, but I think definitely advocating that women can do it, like even the when I went through my divorce, even to this day, the amount of people that still dm me. How did you know? What did you do? How did you go about it? How did you like, were you scared that you weren't going to find someone else? Like, yes, of course, I was fucking scared, like who's going to want to take on a divorcee with a child?
Speaker 2it's a really big thing, though, to be doing that, especially with the fact that you guys were so layered, like, yes, you were married, yes, you've got ava, but then you've also got the business. They're like so many, there's so many levels to walk away from that.
Speaker 3But then I got to the point where I was just like I don't like. Happiness is the most important I remember it clear as day I was actually. I took ava on my own to the royal melbourne show and we were driving alone in the car. And like I hate driving in the city today, Thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 3But doing those things independently, you know, when you're just like, yeah, driving to the city, or like filling out paperwork, just all that shit stuff. I remember driving to yeah went to the Melbourne show and Ava and I had the best day and I was just like I can do this, I'll be okay. It was like this oh, I'll be okay. It was like. I remember it clear as day and I think like, yeah, no negative to my ex-husband at all, but that you always have.
Switching Roles and Breaking Norms
Speaker 2I guess you have these moments in life where something switches doesn't happen often yeah, but that was that and you can't undo it like once it's done, that switch, I get that switch. I've had that switch that switch is like wild doesn't matter what comes after this. I can't, yeah, flip it back. It is, but that is. Any woman that is having those moments remember this, because that it means something is so defining and, like that, gave me goosebumps.
Speaker 3Yeah, just being yeah, knowing that I would be okay on my own.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3And love my own company as in not my business myself. Yeah, it took me kind of ages to be okay, to just enjoy being. I love being alone now, like having time to myself. It's so important to have that. But yeah, I remember that moment clear as day, oh that's so powerful. Oh my God, everyone's going to be buying tickets to the Melbourne show this year, if they're the ones that are questioning where they're at in their dynamics.
Speaker 3I'm not condoning separation no but I mean things run their courses like if you didn't have that, then you wouldn't have met luke, you wouldn't have hazel and goldie exactly it all works full circle.
Speaker 2I'm I'm a step parent and we wouldn't have that.
Speaker 1Undies video and you wouldn't, and the new one to come.
Speaker 2But it is. I'm a step-parent myself. It has to go that way and like we have similar dynamic where we're all one big, happy family now. But it needs to play out and do that. Because if that doesn't, happen, then our littles don't exist. Our businesses, our lives, yeah, nothing 100%. So I love that you shared that moment. Thank you, that's fucking powerful, jess.
Speaker 1I want to wrap on a question that I think is really powerful. I want you to think about how your three girls, what they would say about their mum. Obviously, hazel and Goldie's might change in a few years, being so little, but in a few years' time, if we sat down with your daughters and said describe your mum, tell us about, about your mum, what?
Speaker 2would they say? About you oh my god, that is so hard I can't even like I don't know how do you want them to like remember you.
Speaker 3I just want them to know the happiest version of me and I know that that is me working and giving them the best life possible, because I feel like I am a better mum working than I am being a stay at home mum. So I think that they're not going to remember that, you know, if I got home later and didn't put them to bed or whatever. Like I want them to remember. Like they'll watch this on YouTube for however long. Like Ava still asks all the time to watch my online academy, so I feel like they'll think I'm cool now you need to bring that back.
Speaker 2I'm telling you, because there's going to be lots of people that are like I need the online academy, so that'll be getting a resurrection, guys, don't worry my eyebrows are a bit dark and I might just need to change it.
Speaker 3Yeah, I just want them to remember that. Yeah I was happy and hard working and I want them to hopefully one day be like that, or inspire them to be like that, and know that they can yeah, do anything.
Speaker 2I love that. That is such a good like being known to being happy. That's fucking beautiful.
Speaker 3Yeah, because it's taken a bit. There's definitely lots of ups and downs in my life.
Speaker 2So, yeah, I love that you've shared that. That's so fucking special.
Speaker 1Thank you so much jess, what can we plug? I know you've got some things coming I'm gonna get these out right now. We want it well, we're very excited because we got the, the jl glide and the jl sleek if you own a hair salon. Oh, our uber eats is here as well, thank you so much um.
Speaker 3The've got some salons.
Speaker 1The JL Glide that's more of your wet brush and brushing out ways. Smoothing brush yeah, the Sleek which I'm excited to try because that's the best slick bun.
Speaker 2You look bald like me, nikki will be doing this after we get off, and I also feel like that's a good one for kids. Literally, literally. This is the one that Hazel does with her. Yeah, that's the one that we're after. So we've got the tools.
Speaker 1What else have you got going on? Are you still doing apprentice takeover, Yep?
Speaker 3so I've got a couple of education things which have been exciting. We need to do that in our salon too. We do.
Speaker 2We're just getting excited about everything we'll be doing. I mean, can I be the apprentice? I'm fully qualified and and I don't hairdress anymore. But so many people were like you know.
Speaker 3Oh, my apprentice. You know she doesn't like to drive on her own.
Speaker 2Yeah, I'll have to be there as well.
Speaker 3I was like, oh sorry, no, you can't. But yeah, doing a bit more education and just like easing back into it. So good, Because when I did so much of it, last time I got burnt out. Yes, I didn't like it, and, and then I felt like the industry was flooded with it, so I was just like just easing back and doing it when I feel like I love it, and it makes me excited as soon as something doesn't make me excited. I'm like, okay, see ya.
Speaker 3The best, yeah, you can really trust your gut, so yeah, the brushes, but I'm lucky enough that I've got Luke helping me with that too, so yeah and then, yeah, a bit more education next year.
Speaker 1And next year, and I think just yeah. So can you tell people about? Tell people about what you actually do with the apprentice takeover.
Speaker 3Yeah, so yeah, with the apprentice takeover, we keep it simple, we do one model. We don't have two models going at once, just so that they don't get overwhelmed or they don't feel uncomfortable, or, and yeah, just teaching them the fundamentals and even just letting them ask. My favorite thing actually was letting them ask me questions that they might not feel comfortable to ask their boss on, or how I would if they asked me that.
Speaker 3How I would. You know like I gave some hard truths, like someone. I can't remember what she might have asked, but I said I'll need to toughen up a little bit. Like you know, let's stop being so precious like. You're here to build a career. Yes, work-life balance, but we need to work hard to get that balance you know just get handed the balance on a plate.
Speaker 3It's what does my head in sometimes is the entitlement of people wanting that work-life balance, but you've got to work to get it. So teaching them about that, um, teaching them all things about social media, um, but yeah, it's just a really easygoing day, not too intense. That makes them feel like I mean, even I know when I go to workshops, sometimes I sit there and I'm like what the fuck are?
Speaker 2they talking about.
Speaker 3Because I'm not a smart hairdresser. I'm very much like if you tested me on a bit of paper.
Identity, Divorce, and Finding Strength
Speaker 2And people are like what are the chemicals? I'm like, yeah, what are the ingredients? I'm like peroxide yeah, I said that about an ammonia-free. We had that with a recent training and they were talking about hair cutting like angles and things I was like oh, I don't know, Literally ask the girls.
Speaker 1I was like have you heard?
Speaker 2of this cut.
Speaker 1I was like ah no, we're going to throw to a team member for this one.
Speaker 2I think I do know but I'll let you answer first. Yeah, that was what I was going to say, but teaching them that that's okay too, because everyone has different learning styles.
Speaker 3So yeah, it's such a cool unique concept.
Speaker 1No one's doing this. I think it's like we need to do this in our style and we need to get our girls in with you.
Speaker 3Apprentice is a dying breed at the moment, so it's trying to build them back up. And I get to do it alongside Kat that works with me as well, so that's nice because she loves education.
Speaker 1So being able to like, keep her motivated. She gets me motivated. So, yeah, it's huge, so exciting. Yeah, jess lewis, I want to really let you know how much you have influenced our industry and completely changed our industry. You have empowered so many women through so many different avenues being candid about mental health, showing women that you can have it all, showing people different types of maternity leaves have been so expansive, running this incredible salon working with family and then showing, also showing which is your, your one of the biggest legacy pieces to date a hundred percent.
Speaker 3But I really want to honor you because you've been huge for millennial women in business like us, especially with us.
Speaker 2You've been so fucking impactful.
Speaker 1It's been really pivotal and it's been a privilege to watch you blossom and bloom. Thank you for all the work that you do in our industry and for what you've done and for being here today we're so grateful it's so nice, no, you are magic.
Speaker 2I'm so excited. Ava, ava, enjoy this episode this month. We'll replay, you're right. We'll replay this, that's right. Mum's super cool. Mum is cool. Mum's the coolest.
Speaker 1Thank you guys so much for listening to another episode of the Conscious Ellen podcast. Love you guys, stay conscious.
