Leading a 20-Person Salon through Grief | Prue Taylor’s story

How do you keep leading when your world changes overnight?

In this episode, we sit down with Prue Taylor, founder of Lady and The Hair, for a heartfelt conversation about love, loss, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up for your team while navigating deep personal grief.

From starting in a garage in Melbourne’s west to building a thriving two location salon, Prue shares the journey behind her business and the life experiences that shaped her leadership. When the sudden loss of her partner Damian changed everything, she had to find new ways to care for herself while continuing to support the team and clients who relied on her.

Inside this conversation we explore:

• Building a salon from a garage into two thriving locations
• Leading a 20 person team while navigating profound personal loss
• The emotional weight hairdressers often carry for their clients
• What the first year of grief can really feel like
• Learning when to step off the salon floor to honour healing
• How breathwork helped regulate the nervous system during overwhelming moments
• Simple ways salon teams can reset and support one another
• Creating services like extensions and hair loss solutions that restore confidence for clients
• Showing up honestly and vulnerably as a salon owner online

This episode is about more than business. It is about humanity, resilience, and the courage it takes to keep going when life does not unfold the way we expected.

If this conversation resonated with you, follow the show and share it with someone who might need a little strength today.

To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:06

Welcome back to the Conscious Salon podcast. Tess, we've got someone very special in the studio today. And this I feel even more special because I've watched your journey literally from the ground up. I've written you a little intro as well. Thank you. So from a literal garage setup to a full-blown salon empire in Melbourne's outer western suburbs. Northern, Western, Western, cool. West Side. West side, exactly. Please don't do that. You get hate for that actually, to be honest. Today's guest is proof that grit vision and a little bit of chaos can build something massive. She's grown Lady in the Hair into an empire, leading a team of over 20 people and manufacturing her own lines of extensions. Not only is she known for her work behind the chair, she's also built an incredible online platform, and she is the creator of what might be the most important contribution to the Australian salon industry, Siggies in the Salon Day.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Iconic. Iconic, I feel like we should make it a national thing.

Love, Loss, And A Shattered Year

SPEAKER_05 1:19

I swear it needs to be Siggy's in the It's the best thing I've ever seen, which we're going to talk about in a second. But the this conversation isn't just about business wins. In 2025, her world was cracked open when she unexpectedly lost her beloved partner, Damien. And while raising nine kids, yes, nine, she's been navigating grief while still showing up for her team, her clients, and her mission to keep changing the hairdressing industry. It's such a privilege to have you here today. Thank you, guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

You feel really special. You are special. Thank you. Thank you for coming.

SPEAKER_05 1:54

What a woman. How does it feel hearing that?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Oh I feel actually really good. I've been struggling this past couple of weeks. So to hear that, I'm like, maybe I'm doing something right, you know? Because losing Damien has been literally the hardest thing that's ever happened to me. And for the last probably seven months, I haven't really cared about the salon too much. You know, I've just been trying to get through life. And I've been doing my breath work and stuff like that. And I started feeling good. And I was like, right, I'm coming off the salon floor because I absolutely cannot deal anymore. And I just like went into the salon, hammer and tongue, fixing everything, doing this, doing that, and I've crashed a little. It's like you hear the first year of grief, I think people tell you your body remembers things. And I'm like, as if. But it does. Yeah. So this week is my anniversary with Damien. It's also his birthday. And even though my head is like, I'm doing good, I'm doing so good. My body started just, I had full body pains. I had, I've had everything. I've started crying again, yelling, like so. I've had to come back to myself and try and zen out a little. Um, but yeah, it's been an interesting ride.

How Grief Lives In The Body

SPEAKER_04 3:18

It really does even hearing you say that, and it does, like your body will have a way of slowing you down and almost like it's gonna force you to like stop and feel. And especially in that first year of grief and having so much connected in like such a small period of time, like his birthday or anniversary, they're a really big thing, like huge first. Yeah. And I think people that have experienced losing someone close, I can't imagine from your world of losing literally like your soulmate. The the first uh usually the thing where it's like that almost like you have that anticipation of you know, what's what's it actually gonna look like? Am I gonna like it's it's almost like we have this expectation of what grief will look like. Like I should look like this version or it should be this or it should be that. And then when we don't have that, when you can function through it, or if you are able to continue on, it it can constantly make you feel like I'm not sure if this is right or wrong or in between. But now hearing that your body's starting to like putting things, and even before we got on, having that conversation of like I might be emotional and this and that, just even like I might be or I might not be, just that thing of like either way, it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Yeah, you don't know, you really don't know what you're gonna do. It is the most out of control emotion grief, if grief is an emotion or whatever it is, but it's out of control. It's the first time in my life I haven't had full control of myself, and I've had to go, okay, like I I've had to make a conscious choice to go, no, you have to beat this. Yeah, you can't let this take you down. He wouldn't want you to, yeah. And like he was always really, really proud of me. Um he would say, like, everything you've achieved in your life, I'm so proud of you.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

And there's been days I just want to give up. I don't want the sounds, I don't want to do anything, you know. But I think he won't want me to do that. You gotta keep going, you know.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

And so that's what I'm trying to do. It's really what I'm trying to do. And you know, you get a lot of judgment as a widow. Like, I'm I don't know if I'm a widow or not because like we weren't married or anything like that. Oh, that's just a piece of a job. You're a widow, yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

But you get it so much judgment and you cop a lot of hate, yeah. You wouldn't think so, but you do, yeah. I feel like you're the easy target, and no one really understands the pain you go through because you lose, you lose everything. I lost my whole family in terms of the family we had created together.

Widowhood, Judgment, And Sharing Online

SPEAKER_01 5:59

You know, my three kids, I've got four kids in my home, but um three of them don't have a dad because they're foster kids, they're my cousins, but their parents are not involved in their life. And he made that choice to be their dad. Yeah. I feel like, oh, they've lost a dad again, you know. There's so much. Um, you know, I got a message from my mum today to say, hey, the deposit went through on your land. That's great. Like I am happy because it's one less thing I don't have to worry about, but it's also a bit of a kick in the guts, yeah, because that was our future. Yeah. And it's just coming in that week of anniversaries and stuff like that. So it's a lonely experience because I can't call my mum and be like this, that, the other. I can, but it feels like a bit like a burden because no one really understands that feeling. Yeah. So when I meet someone that's lost a partner, I I like it to be honest, because they I feel like they do understand. And that's why I share so much on I've got like a grief page. I turn my personal page into a bit of a grief page. Um, it's only got like 2,000 followers. It's it's honestly, it's just a bit of therapeutic healing for me to share. But through that, I've met people, like I've met other widows and other people grieving, and that's been really nice um to have. But it's also a little um I like making the content about him sometimes because it's a really beautiful way to keep him alive.

SPEAKER_04 7:46

Yeah, and I see you when that I I haven't lost my partner, but I lost my best friend who was like she was my she was my soulmate. She was and I went through that experience with her and I I s I don't work with my escape and my outlet, but then I didn't know what to do with the grief. It's still there at nearly nine years since she's sorry, yes, nearly it's nine years, I think it just passed. And it's still there. You tap into that and that pain, that rawness, that drive to want to continue and honour that memory. Keep speaking about her like she's still here and keep speaking about Damien like he's still here and it does, it's but it's a huge burden and like it's a huge weight that you're holding. Because not only you having to be strong for you losing your partner, you're having to be strong for all these littles and all of these people that are around who are also looking for that. It's a massive thing. But I want to really take a minute for the fact that even just hearing you say that you know you're now wanting to create a page and a space for other people to come to. Like I feel like that if that doesn't really tell everyone who you are, and the fact that like you're copping any shit on that, fuck all of that.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

I don't cop shit on that page.

SPEAKER_04 8:58

You no I don't cop shit on that.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Uh some people write some rude things.

SPEAKER_04 9:02

It's it blows my mind the confidence people have behind a screen. I know because you would never say that to someone in real life. In their face, but then also I think about the intent of thinking about like going and doing it's so bizarre. If you're a person that does that, just stop. It's so fucking weird. But the fact that you are still creating a space to have that and to like I really feel like that is you summed up. Like that is a really beautiful, incredible aspect of like not only you, you as a human being. Yeah. I really want to celebrate that.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

I feel like you ladies really see me. We fucking see, sis.

SPEAKER_04 9:38

It started with the ciggy's in the salon. You were like under Mendel. I was like, there she is. There's my girl. Like, I love this one. It's like, give me the Marlboro red.

SPEAKER_05 9:48

For anyone who doesn't know what Siggy's in the salon is, can we give some context because we also we speak to hair and beauty? The beauty therapist would be like, oh my god, they couldn't handle that the beauty therapist.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Sorry guys. Um so I used to have the garage salon, yeah. And so cool. I was a bit wild back then. Yeah. And then I'd always end up partying in the salon. And then all of a sudden, I remember one like Christmas, like 23rd of December, talk to the girls at work so hard, I was like, fuck it, let's have a sticky in the salon.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

You've all done such a great job to know the cigarette. As soon as this day's ended, we're gonna light a sickie at the colour table. Yeah, it's Windfield Blue Time. I've never seen a team get so excited.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

It's naughty. It's like inside. You can have a sticky inside, and worse than that, at your workplace price. It's okay. That's gone. So then it just became an annual thing, and we would talk about it all year, and we just get excited for it. And even people who don't smoke will start to have a sticky, so they're like, it's probably not gonna do their work if others need to work waiting to have it.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

I'm not gonna give the address of the stuff. Nobody is forced to. I absolutely don't have to, okay. But they love you're strongly invited.

SPEAKER_04 11:08

I'm coming this year.

SPEAKER_05 11:10

I think we need to open it up to the hair industry because how many people have commented on that saying this is so amazing, I haven't had a cigarette in 10 years, but all of a sudden I want to smoke in your salon.

SPEAKER_04 11:19

Watch everyone like cough up a lung trying to like stuff again very humbling.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Love a sticky in the salon.

Building Two Salons And A Legacy

SPEAKER_05 11:26

Um so, Prue, you have two salons. You've got Lady in the Hair in Melton, and then you've got Lady in the Hair in Sunbury. Yeah. A team of over 20 people, which is like insane. And then in 2025, your world was completely turned upside down. And I think so many people in the hairdressing industry felt so connected to yours and Damien's story because of like I feel like I went on that journey with you guys. And to see how special and and connective your love was. Um, and how supportive he was of your business.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Yeah, he was. He he loved the shit out of me, that man. Yeah, like that type of love you only get once in your life, yeah. He was literally my soulmate, yeah. And I only it's so weird the way the world works, yeah. Because when we were together, he would say, I can't believe how much we've achieved together in such a short time. He used to be like, All right, settle down, like we've got the rest of our lives, yeah. But it was like he knew he didn't, but it was like his soul knew, yeah. And he was just so happy to achieve all of these things. And he would say to me, No one's ever treated me as good as you have. And I was like, I'm just being normal with you. And like he would, you know, I remember one day I had my bed t-shirt and it was a metallica t-shirt, and I just never had worn it in front of him before. And he was like, he said to the baby, Is mom wearing a Metallica t-shirt? This woman surprises me every day. Just little things, you know, like just little things, you know.

SPEAKER_05 13:06

Um you could really see that authenticity between the two of them.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Yeah, he's um one of his funeral songs was, I don't know if you know it. It's called um Heaven is a Half Pipe.

SPEAKER_04 13:18

Oh my god. That's uh yeah, I do know that song. Oh my god, that's going back to like the Tony Hawk days. Like um what like Jack Arsy sort of dream.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

And that is Damien, yeah. That's getting into a T. So he um like his password to get into his phone was 1080 backwards. And I never knew what that meant until his brother told me, oh, like 1080 is a skate trip. And I was like, Oh, I didn't know that, yeah. Um so I don't know why after he passed away, that song just popped into my head, and I was like, I have to, I have to use that song, yeah. You know, like that's him. He's up there writing his BMX bike just loving life. Well, not life, the afterlife, but yeah. I love that even the funeral directors must have been like, we haven't happened this before. I actually have the coolest funeral director, I will say. Like, I recommend him to people now. It's actually he's a cool dude. I met him at um, he was trying to get the license for his funeral home. And I was I was trying to get a license for something we're both at the lawyers, and I met him when he did my grandma, and then he did one of my staff members' brothers. No one so now he did Damien, like he's like a friend now.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

Well, shout out to him. Yeah. Anyone that's um needing a live help.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Yeah, if anyone passes away, reach out to me, guys.

The Day Everything Changed

SPEAKER_05 14:32

I've got contacts, condolences that also get in the DMs. Um, Pru, so for people who aren't aware of your story, when you lost Damien in 2025, you lost him really unexpectedly. Whatever you're open to sharing with.

Choosing To Live And Seek Help

Breathwork As A Lifeline

SPEAKER_01 14:47

So um I had a DHS appointment with the kids in the morning. So normally I'd be at work, but because the kids are in foster care, they just come and have meetings sometimes. So they had a meeting, Damien had just got off night shift. I slept in, I think. I can't even remember. Anyway, I got up, ran downstairs, got the kids ready. It was school holiday, so every child of ours was home. Um I didn't even think, I didn't even look at him. I just ran downstairs, had the DHS meeting, come back up to have a shower, just looked at him and thought, no, he's not right. And he was gone. And so that's how shocking it was. Like I didn't expect it. Um and then yeah, everything just unfolded from there. Um like he just it's completely shattered my nervous system, yeah. Because you don't expect you to, I just thought we were gonna spend the rest of our lives together. Yeah. But you know, the night he passed away, I've shared it in some of my TikToks. He just said some of the most beautiful things. Like he said to my son, um, like, Bentley, I love you. And he's like, No, you don't understand, Bentley. I really love you. Yeah. Like just things like that. And he told me, like, I can't wait to marry you, not because I feel I have to, or because it's the next step and I should do it. He's like, I just really want to stand in front of God and our people and tell them how much I love you, you know. So I feel like that's a blessing for me to be able to take that, you know, just things like that. But yeah, it's I've been lately the the phase that I'm in with my grief is that I would do anything for it not to have happened. But it has happened, yeah, and I can't change it. And it's changed me as a person forever. Yeah, I will never ever be the person I was before. But I'm a better person now than I was before he passed away because I've walked the hardest days of my life and I've had to go internally into who I am and make the decision to get better, you know. Like I I had days where I looked at myself in the mirror after he died and I didn't know who I was anymore. Like I've never ever experienced that. And I thought, you know, I didn't get out of bed, I didn't I didn't care about anything. Like this is gonna be shocking when I say this, but I I hoped that I would get diagnosed with a terminal illness because I didn't want to be a coward and take my own life, but I didn't want to leave anymore because I just didn't. Yeah. And that's such a selfish thing because I have my kids and I would never do that because I need I I need to be their mum, yeah. But those were how hard some of the days were and I found um breathwork um through Hope Cartel, and that has changed my life. It saved my life, to be completely honest with you, because it I don't I can't explain to you. If you haven't done breath work, I can't explain to you why it saved my life and how it helped. You have to do it to sort of know. But um it it just released so much from me and it helped me get to the next point. And I think it's opened my mind as well. Um especially through losing Damien. When you lose someone so close to you, you start to question life. What is life? What is the meaning of life? What happens after you pass? You know, and it's a little woo-woo spiritual, but that's where I am now. Yeah, that's where life has taken me. And um the breath work has helped in that space.

SPEAKER_05 18:52

It opens up a a different, um, a different layer, I think, to most people. Like whether you use it as a a preventative tool to keep your nervous system at bay or whether it's something for release and to deal with grief. And you're doing more of, like I know you said before, that you're doing more of the 9D breath, which is that really intentional um breath work journey designed to help you release is so powerful for so many people.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Yeah, it really is. And I've had the opportunity to go down and um hold space for people in a group setting. Um, twice I've done it, and even that is healing. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 19:27

Oh, it's so powerful!

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Like it is so powerful, it is beautiful. It I can't thank the guys enough for letting me in on that. Like, it's an honor to be a part of that space and to help people. And like, you know, I remember how I felt the first time. Even when I still go, I still feel nervous because you don't know what you're gonna experience on that day. And I see these people come in and I feel like through my lived experiences with losing Damien and just being in hairdressing as well. Um, I've got that skill of being able to read people a little bit and make people feel at ease. So that's my kind of role when they rock up, I feel. And like it's a privilege, yeah. Because you see these people come in so scared, but when they leave, they're like a brighter new human. Yeah. It's so incredible, isn't it?

Holding Space And Group Healing

SPEAKER_04 20:23

I I think it's still like one of our biggest uh that's like we got into facilitating because it is such a privilege to be in those rooms with that energy, because no matter what what you can go in and be like, I'm not gonna break, I'm gonna be, or like I'm gonna set this intention, this is what I'm gonna get out of it. And when you close your eyes and you're in your breath and you're it doesn't matter, you can't control it. There's you know body responses, there is energy that comes out, there is like you can feel it in the room, it's palpable, it's like you people can be having incredible experiences, they can be releasing trauma. The fact that you've gotten so much out of it and it's been such a incredible support for you during this period and now where you're I can hear taking it because I don't think this is something that you're only gonna do as someone I truly think now you're gonna be stepping into this as you should. Because I can hear that passion and that that love for it.

SPEAKER_05 21:17

Do you know but uh uh when you were saying that with for not facilitating necessarily, but being in the realm of it and being witnessing it really. At our retreats when we run breathwork journeys, like the the big journey that you're talking about. Yeah, we called Tay, one of our team members, in recently. Usually she'll just shoot a bit of content and and sort of sit on the sidelines. And at our last retreat, we said come in and and offer touch to the people who are laying and and really be a part of it. And she was so unbelievably emotional, just witnessing everyone's journeys and everyone's emotional releases, and it's such a powerful, so incredible thing.

SPEAKER_04 21:52

There's so much healing in it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

So much healing. Like I cried the first time because of there was uh something that was going on there, and it's funny, you know, each breath work is different, yes, for yourself when you breathe, but when when A group of people are breathing as well, it's different. The first one was different. I was real nervous at the start because I was picking up everyone's energy. The second one, I was more chill. Everyone, the room was more chill, but they had a huge release on the second one. Like it's incredible. And I'm constantly like, I have a Saturday off every once a month, but they're always interstate doing uh breath work. So I can never go on those ones. So I'm going to Gippsland in a few weeks. I was like, Gary, I don't care, I'm coming.

SPEAKER_04 22:37

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

It's like, it's a big day. I'm like, I don't care.

SPEAKER_04 22:40

Well, and even I guarantee, like it's always different every time. So like and hearing that, like that that's often the thing people try and like guard themselves and all of those things. But when you you're actually like all your senses are gone, you're in your breath, you you can't control it. You your control's gone. Hearing that one person that will release, then that can create that opportunity for other people. And then suddenly that whole energy can shift like that. Oh my gosh, yes.

Regulation After Big Journeys

SPEAKER_01 23:03

And it's like a spiritual thing, they're all there together doing something like on my second um, because I've only ever done one-on-ones, I've never done group sessions when I've breathed personally. Really? No, I've never breathed in a group. Wow. So I've only breathed.

SPEAKER_04 23:16

Well, you should breathe in a group.

Becoming A Facilitator

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Yeah, I know I should. I know I should. Um, you know what's hard for me is I come out of it not the greatest. So it for the next couple of days, because my nervous system is all over the place, I can be all over the place. So it takes me a little while to regulate. So this time I've booked in a down regulation a little bit afterwards, so I can sort of You are our girl. I'm telling you, I'm falling in love, I think. I'm I'm very smitten with pros. Thank you, thank you. Um, but yeah, it this is my I do want to become a facilitator. I told Gary that. I said and he was like, I think he's like, Pru, just chill out here a little bit, you know. But um, I definitely do want to because for no other reason, just like I love being around the space, I love helping other people. I love that you know, when you've spoken to someone else who's done it and they're like, Yep, yeah, yeah, I get it. You're like, I see you.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

Well, like a little cult. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:16

If you know you know, and if you don't, well, get to a class. Yeah, and do you know your kids any breathwork techniques?

Teaching Kids To Breathe

SPEAKER_01 24:21

So, okay, it's funny you say that. I was in the bathroom the other day and my son is watching Five Nights of Freddy and he goes, Oh, mum, these people need to breathe. They need to do breath work. I was like, okay, so um they do Gary's gonna start facilitating the kids because I said to him, one of my um kids is got a lot of disabilities and he is gonna struggle through life. He does now. And I really think that the breath work is gonna be amazing for him. So I do want to get him in that. Um, they haven't done it yet, but I definitely it's something I'm open to because I think they need it, yeah. Like it's the medicine, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:03

And we've got some kids' breath work videos, I'll send them to you.

SPEAKER_01 25:06

Yeah, good, good, good. Because I definitely think they need it. Uh, John definitely needs it. And also, you know, like I was never taught to regulate myself emotionally. So I didn't realise that someone could have taught me that took me till 40. So I'm trying to teach my kids that now because I think that's such an important lesson. And if I can give them this gift, man, they're gonna dominate in the world. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:29

It's oh my yes, yes, yes, yes, more of that. Like, and that's the thing I think it's so needed in our like my son's one. And when he's dysregulated, the best way for me to soothe him, it's not by telling him it's okay and to smile and to do this and the other, it's to hold him and breathe with him. Co-regulate. And he will we'll regulate to regul regulate together. Yeah. Because it is, it's such a it's something that we're not taught, and we just assume, or you know, people will you don't put the importance on it, but you can truly change your entire nervous system makeup purely through breathing. Focusing on your breath. Two minutes. I know completely changed your minds. It's crazy stuff.

Emotional Tools For Salon Teams

SPEAKER_01 26:05

We're all I love it, I love it, love it. Like they really should be teaching us this stuff in school. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 26:12

We bring this into the salon with our team as well. You do. Even though, you know what's funny? I was talking to someone the other day, a salon owner, and she was really passionately telling me, like, my team's regulation is not my pro basically my not my responsibility, which I so understand. And it is that question of, you know, do we cross over that boundary of how much do we go out of the realm of being someone's employer at the end of the day? Um, we brought it in, brought in mindfulness and and regulation practices about 10 years ago, and then really seriously about five years ago. And all these things that we were learning that was life-changing for us, um, and then obviously we went and got certified, but we brought it into our team because as hairdressers and as beauty therapists, we need to learn how to regulate our nervous system. We're empaths, we carry so much energy, we absorb people's energy. And if we see 20 people a day, we're absorbing 20 people's energy. And even if that feels too woo-woo for some people, even just holding conversations of people who are sitting in your chair, who are going through divorce, grief, you know, so many different things, fertility journeys, like people around them passing away, having illnesses, all different things. We're absorbing those conversations every single day. And it's that old, like, lifelong joke of head, my hairdresser's my therapist. That is so much to hold. And we don't actually learn and get trained on skills of how to deal with that. And so you've got people who are 20 years old standing behind the chair holding these fucking high-level conversations with no tools and also no support of how do I switch off from that when I go home at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Honestly, everything you just said is such a massive conversation within our industry that if we could get this type of stuff into trade schools, we would change lives.

SPEAKER_05 27:58

We need to go into trade schools.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Yeah, we literally do.

Performance Pressure In Hairdressing

SPEAKER_05 28:01

Wow. Are we gonna look at me? I was just like, yes, we do not know being like Um I actually think as an industry, that's what started up the contract salon. We just started by literally wanting to to help people to regulate. That's all we wanted to do, and then it had obviously changed different directions so many times. But I think it's an epidemic in our industry. And for salon owners and and especially for you, Prue, the last seven months, what you've faced, like literally staring down the barrel of the gun and having to keep yourself regulated, and then having not a team of two, a team of 20 people who that suddenly they're leaders stepping to the side. And and I also think there's something really powerful in that of taking a pause and taking a moment to show your team that when you're not okay, you step away. And it's really interesting when you announced that you were coming off clients. I found it so powerful because as salon owners, if a team member experienced what you experienced, immediately we'd say to them, You're gonna take three months off, and you know, then we'll reassess maybe it's six months. It'd be no questions asked. We would never expect them to be back behind the chair within a few months. And then for ourselves, there's that feeling of like this performative job that we have where we have to just dust off and get back out there.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:21

And I think people, if they're not in the industry, they don't understand the performative nature of our industry. And I saw this for Tess when she was grieving her best friend. She literally was like went, you know, to her best friend in palliative care, said goodbye, and then came and did clients two hours later. Like it's so fucked up how performative we are in our industry. I want to share this with your permission. So every guest that we have on the Conscious Talon podcast, we ask them to fill out a pre-questionnaire prior to recording. And I really want to share this because I think this sums up how grief feels in a performative industry. And I think if you haven't been a hairdresser or a beauty therapist, I'm gonna cry.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

If you haven't been in a performative industry, I don't think you can understand it.

SPEAKER_05 30:21

You're actually the first guest I've ever felt nervous for to record a podcast because like I we've literally interviewed some of the biggest names in our industry and I felt really nervous to interview you because she really loves the singing's in the salon. Um watching your story unfold with Damien.

SPEAKER_02 30:49

I really didn't want to fuck this up. Yeah, it's such a sensitive story.

Leading While Grieving

SPEAKER_05 30:55

And when I read this if I can read it, um when I read this, I just was so blown away by how incredibly articulate you are and how beautifully you captured this feeling. Is it okay if I share? Losing my partner seven months ago is the hardest thing I've ever had to endure. The trauma and the shock of how he passed, and then the reality of setting the and then the reality of it setting in changed me forever.

SPEAKER_02 31:29

I've had days where I thought of taking my own life. Because I honestly didn't know how I would get through the day.

SPEAKER_05 31:40

I contemplated closing my salons many times over the last seven months. I pushed myself to go back onto the salon floor when I wasn't ready. I would break down mid-client and have to leave, or I'd make it through the day of clients and be emotionally exhausted and get home to my kids and just crawl into bed. One day I just decided enough was enough. I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't be this sad forever. It wasn't fair on my kids and it wasn't fair on myself. So I took a step back on the salon floor. I started putting back into myself. I made the decision to be this no matter how hard it was. I stared Grief straight in the eye. I know Damien would want me to find my love for my salons again because he was so proud of me. I use this to drive me on the days that missing him is a little louder than normal. And I think the way that you've captured how it feels in a performative industry to be going through something personally is just so unbelievably powerful, especially for people who aren't in our industry and don't know how that feels. What comes up for you hearing that?

Humour, Family, And Remembering Damien

SPEAKER_01 33:02

I think honestly, you know what I was thinking about? I was thinking about my team. And I was thinking about when they've got something going on and you see it affect them in their work. And it's really hard because as a business owner, you can't have that. Yeah, like but you want to do everything you can to try and fix it. And you get told leave it at the door. I've been guilty of saying that. Yeah. And there has been days I've had to leave it at the door. Yeah. Because I I have to, yeah. I have rent to pay in my salons, I have wages to pay, I've got things to do, life goes on. Yeah. But it's I want to find the answer. You know, like I wanna work out what is the right thing to do in this situation when people are mentally struggling because of something that's going on, you know, not everyone has the opportunity to just go, oh, I'm just gonna work on my business and only do one and a half days a week on the salon floor. I do have that because I'm 25 years in and I've done all this work, right? But your apprentice that is three years in and has got shit going on, she doesn't have that. Yeah. But as a business owner, how can I change that? I don't know the answer, but that's what I was thinking during that time. And I know that that was all about Damon and my story and all of that, but I live that every day. So that's normal for me, yeah. And I was also thinking, yeah, it's been it's been really hard. It's been hard. But like I said to you, I'm a better person now than I was before. I'm a stronger person, yeah. And in the last couple of days, I'm back to crying in the car. I didn't cry on the way here because I didn't want to mess up my makeup, so I just didn't listen to any music. Um, but you know, I I I tell myself now because I I know my my thoughts are my most powerful thing I've got. And I have to say, uh-uh, you're not it's not getting you today, Pru. Yeah, you're not giving up. Just keep going. Keep going, keep going, keep going.

SPEAKER_04 35:17

You are so fucking powerful. Like just listening to the I've read it and then it got both nicked. We were talking about it last night, just how powerful that was. And I think like even hearing it then, it was still hitting, hitting, hitting. The power and the fact that what I can really hear in your power is that Damien's now such a huge motivator for you to continue on, to keep going to it's funny because that thing of feeling like you can't go on, that person not being here anymore. And and and I I get it, I get the it's like a limbo. You haven't gone with them, but you don't feel like you're living anymore, you're just existing. And it's a it's fucked until you go through it, you just you won't understand that feeling. And I don't understand it to your level, but I I see you in that. But then what I can hear with that is that hearing the way that you speak about yourself, like you're you if this hadn't have happened, this version of you wouldn't be here. This, you know, powerful, conscious, incredible woman. Not saying you weren't those things prior, but not to this level. And it's almost where we can start. Not I don't like the word silver lining because I think that shit's thrown around, you know, like when people are like it's a journey. Like it's just it's all it's all just words. But it's I can hear that determination to continue and to to keep going and to keep getting better and to keep continuing. Yeah. It's it's there.

Keeping Him Close Through Work

SPEAKER_01 36:56

It's hard to find the words, and I can see that you're struggling to find the words, and I do as well. Yeah. That's why I started off by saying I would do anything to make sure that if I could take that Damien was here again, I would do that and be the person I was before. Yeah. But that's not the reality of my existence anymore. So I have to make the best of this situation. Yeah. And some days I feel guilty for being this sad because I think Damien has a a nine-year-old son that doesn't have a dad anymore. Yeah. And that breaks me. You know, I feel I hate that. Yeah. I watch his yeah, I don't want to talk about his kids on here because I'm not their biological parent, but um yeah, I hate that. I hate that. Um, but I will say about the girls and the salon. Both the girls work in the salon. I love the girls. They're like an extension of their dad. They they're just beautiful. And he was the type of person that he has the weirdest sense of humor, yeah. He's the type of guy that says the inappropriate joke when you shouldn't say it. And like you'll have a fight with him about it because he shouldn't have said that, yeah. But it's funny, yeah. He is funny, and they're exactly the same. And that humour has got them through his passing, and it's got me through it, yeah. And we've copped a bit of flack with it sometimes because we'll make social media things and people will be like, oh, that's so disrespectful. I'm like, well, he would laugh.

SPEAKER_05 38:31

He would. I did I did see you talking about like insinuating that you'd gone home and chagged each other in front of Dakota, I think. In front of Dakota, like we talked, you didn't chag in front of Dakota. Sorry, no, I mean you're talking about it in front of it. He started that to be more choice of that.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

Like the first time he would talk about things like that in front of his kids, I would was mortified. But then I was like contagious. Yeah, and you could just see how uncomfortable they were, so you just kept doing it more. It's actually quite funny. Absolutely. Yeah, um, but Dakota, I think I know what video and you said all I've got is my memory.

SPEAKER_04 39:06

Yeah, like and I I I zoomed in on her head because she was like, Yeah, that's it again, that's the way that you honor like he would laugh as you said. Anyone that thinks that like this is what I mean. It's the expectation, what it should look like, what you should say, what you can't say. Fuck all that. You just feel how you feel. And like, if you're gonna judge someone on that, then that says so much about you. Like, I just absolutely cannot. I love that that wicked, like that wicked sense of humour.

Workshops, Extensions, And Purpose

SPEAKER_01 39:33

Yeah, but even his even his littlest child has it. It's the best. Yeah, like we went, um, he'd been passed away not that long. We went to um Woodgrove to get some shopping. And we were with my nieces and all this, and anyway, he wanted to sit in the front. And we were like, nah nah, so-and-so sitting in the front. He's like, Well, my dad died. We were like, All right, get in the front. We played that card, get in the front and when the dead dad died. And so this one makes me really proud about having the girls in the salon. Is I listened to Dakota do her consultations with her clients and stuff like that, and I know how proud he would be of that. Or I watch how ambitious Deacon is. She does my social media, and honestly, she does a bit of everything. I had a washing extensions on the weekend, had doing everything. And she never worked in the salon before he passed away. It's only since he's passed away that she started working in the salon, and he would be so proud. He would love that they're around me and in the salon and part of it and stuff like that. And I just love having him around because it's like having him. Yeah, yeah. Like, I love it. That's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 40:44

I can just hear all of you really like the most beautiful part of that is you're all united and together. Yeah. And connecting to each other to continue, and like what a fabulous way of honoring him. Yeah. And having that continue on. Beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

We are, it's for his birthday this week. We're going out for lunch together, the whole crew. So all my kids, all Damien's kids.

SPEAKER_04 41:07

You're neither tour bus.

SPEAKER_01 41:09

Yes. So it's not often that will get us all together at the same time. So when we do, it's a pretty big deal. Wow. And we're gonna do, we don't know exactly what we're gonna do yet, but we're gonna release some balloons and stuff like that. Beautiful. Um, the girls want to make a TikTok about um, you know, the things that would send my dad dad into a coma if he knew what had happened since he passed. So we're gonna do a couple of those because we've got some pretty funny things to share. Oh my god, yes. Um yeah, so we're gonna do that.

SPEAKER_04 41:35

What a beautiful way. He he he's up there listening to um what is it, the the halfpipe, the 1080 half pipe scene watching all this and loving it. So that's a beautiful way to honor him. I think so.

SPEAKER_05 41:46

Crew Taylor, you are just such an incredible and brave and transparent human being, and you have helped so many people online from sharing your story. And there's so much more that I know that's coming from you. I want to talk about what you've got coming up because you've got a really exciting workshop.

Hair Loss, Niching, And Impact

SPEAKER_01 42:07

Yes, I do. I've got um my first WEF masterclass, it's only a little small class, but I'm I'm happy, yeah. So I was just about to rip the band-aid off on that business just before Damien passed. So it's a slow burn, and I'm not pushing myself too much, but I just thought, just do it, book it, get it done, do it. So it's this weekend, and it's gonna be great. So exciting.

SPEAKER_04 42:32

Oh, hell yeah.

SPEAKER_05 42:33

So for anyone who doesn't know, you have your own, you're like an extension extraordinaire, and you guys do such an incredibly large clientele of extensions.

SPEAKER_01 42:43

Yeah, we do.

SPEAKER_05 42:44

Which is amazing. And you've talked about the fact that it's a game changer for people in our industry. I think so many people who are listening to this maybe don't know the potential of what can what it can do for obviously their clients' confidence and things like that, but also for their business from a profit lens.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

Yeah, it definitely is a great profit for your business. But for me at the minute, I need um I need purpose in my work, yeah. Because like you said, the breath work, you can see that passion in me with that, but my business is hair, yeah. So I was like, I need to find that type of feeling in here. So I'm starting um hair loss. So good. Yeah. I'm gonna do the sculpt, I'm doing the sculpt 360 at the end of March because that's purpose in my work, yeah. I can have that feeling of being able to transform people and make them feel good, which makes me feel good, which is everything. Yeah. I also think that um in the hairdressing industry, big salons are like gonna become a thing of the past. I'm scared of. I don't want that to happen. So I feel like I need to niche down a little bit so that I can have more big ticket clients, so that I still can be a big salon and employ all these people and be the community hub and do all of those things. So Yes, hair extensions are a massive game changer for your son, but they're a massive game changer for your client.

SPEAKER_04 44:11

Yeah. I think even hearing that as I'm a postpartum bitch. I've I've had I've got all the hair losses. I feel like washing my hair now is like almost traumatic. Yeah. So hearing that, I'm like, yes, that is so what's needed, not just from a postpartum lens, but from you know even things like we we've got so many more people on uh different medications, you know, weight loss drugs. No one talks about their shedding that comes with that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 44:30

I lost all my hair from a weight loss drug. So did I. Yeah. Well, lost 22 kilos, but like 22,000 hairs as well.

SPEAKER_01 44:37

That was the um that sort of I've I've been on and off with hair extensions for years in my own hair, but I've never really struggled with thin hair until I had weight loss surgery and got skinny and then got bald. And I was like, well, that's not fun.

SPEAKER_05 44:50

You do one to the other. I'm trying to be beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 44:52

I can be beautiful when I'm bald, I'm Oma Simpson.

Social Media, Authenticity, And Finding Pru

SPEAKER_04 44:55

You know, I've got three strands on the top. So I that is smart though, just even with kneaching down, I'm like that, that is the shit where yeah, this is where your revolutionary, like iconic behavior again. But that is like that's super smart, super cool. Honestly, listen, if you're not listening and inspired by Prue, I don't know what you're doing, clean your ears out. Agree. Blink your eyes open.

SPEAKER_05 45:20

Where's the best place for people to find you, Prue? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

Uh, so you can find me on TikTok Lady in the Hair. Well, it's underscore Lady in the Hair because I accidentally got locked out of Lady in the Hair and I can't get back in. Oh no. But there was I had like no followers and whatever. Then I made this one and it's awesome and I love it. I love making content. I especially love making funny content. I think I'm a comedian. She is. I need to share this story though. So you know, um, you're how old are you guys? If you know my friends. 21. 30.

SPEAKER_05 45:50

35. Oh, 35? 35. 34 and 36.

SPEAKER_01 45:53

So I'm 40. I grew up watching Nickelodeon, right? You know, Nick Kid? Are you a Nick kid? Yeah. Oh, I think I spoke about this on Caitlyn's podcast. Yeah, yeah. But do you remember they used to go around and be like, hey, my name's so-and-so, and I live in wherever. That was literally the first influencer, yeah. And I wanted nothing more than to be a Nick kid. So I'm living my Nick Kid dreams on TikTok.

SPEAKER_00 46:18

I love it. Like, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 46:19

That's what I'm here for, yeah. So you can find me on TikTok, that's where I do my best work.

SPEAKER_00 46:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

And you can find my hair stuff on Instagram.

SPEAKER_05 46:26

Yeah, perfect. I will say, Prue, I consume very little social media. You are someone that I will always look for on social media to consume your content because I find everything that you have to say, you go so deep, so funny, so entertaining. There's so much depth to what you do while also being one of my favorite favorite people to watch on social media.

SPEAKER_04 46:47

You guys are the best. No, I think it's a you really do. You create like you're so authentic. And I think that's the thing. It like there's no performative. It's not.

SPEAKER_01 46:55

I'm literally that's who I am. Yeah. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and what you what you get is what you see. That rubs on people the wrong way. It's taken me to 40 to work that out, but I don't care. No, because this is who I am, yeah. And I'm you are fabulous. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 47:09

It lands with the right people.

SPEAKER_01 47:10

It does, it definitely does. Yeah. Pooh Taylor, thank you. Thank you so much, guys. It's been incredible.

SPEAKER_04 47:16

Oh, what a gift. What a that's special, special. This is I'm so this is save this to your favourites. This is a really special one. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 47:24

Thank you for sharing so vulnerably, and thank you for sharing such a sacred part of your relationship with Damien. It's not something that we take lightly. Thank you. And we really appreciate you being here today. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 47:34

We're all gonna go and play play. Season Zellon or God, a big one. Oh, um Heaven is a half pipe. Heaven is a half pipe.

SPEAKER_01 47:41

If you haven't listened to it, it's iconic. Everyone's gonna be with a ciggy while you listen to Heaven Zellon. I don't even smoke Siggies, but I'm gonna go get some.

SPEAKER_05 47:52

Thank you guys so much for listening to another episode of the Conscious Zellon podcast. Love you guys, stay conscious.