Pairs Well With...Starting Over: Meredith Morris's Reinvention Story

What happens when the life you've carefully built gets completely upended? Meredith Morris never imagined returning to Mississippi after establishing a successful 20-year career as a hairstylist in Beverly Hills. Then the pandemic hit.

When California's strict lockdowns shuttered her salon indefinitely, Meredith packed up her dogs and drove across the country for what she thought would be a temporary summer escape to her home state. What she discovered instead was space to breathe, reconnection with family, and possibilities she hadn't considered. "I kept thinking what if I wake up in 10 years and all I have is my success? What if I wake up and that is all I have?" she reflects.

In this candid conversation, Meredith shares how her temporary relocation evolved into a complete life reinvention. She founded her Oh Meredith brand after returning to Mississippi, found love through an unlikely Bumble match, and discovered that success means something entirely different than what she'd pursued for decades. Her journey beautifully illustrates how sometimes the changes we resist most lead us exactly where we need to be.

Meredith's story resonates with anyone facing unexpected transitions or contemplating deliberate change. Her refreshing perspective on reinvention emphasizes forward movement over perfectionism: "I'm afraid of everything... It's not brave. I just don't really see there as being an alternative other than just keep moving." She reminds us that our lives are constantly evolving - "this is just version 1.0" - and that being open to possibility creates space for joy and fulfillment beyond what we might have imagined.

Whether you're navigating an unexpected pivot or seeking inspiration to make a change you've been considering, Meredith's journey from Beverly Hills to Mississippi offers wisdom, encouragement, and a reminder that sometimes going back leads us forward in the most beautiful ways.

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Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Although your hosts are attorneys, Pairs Well With… does not provide legal, medical, financial, or professional advice. Listening to this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship. Always seek the advice of qualified professionals regarding any specific questions or concerns you may have.

🔗 Stay connected with Pairs Well With…
Follow us on Instagram: @PairsWellWithPodcast and Watch us on YouTube: @PairsWellWith...Podcast.

Have a story or guest idea? Email us at: PairsWellWithPodcast@gmail.com 

🎧 New episodes every month—subscribe, rate, and share if you enjoy the show!

Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Although your hosts are attorneys, Pairs Well With… does not provide legal, medical, financial, or professional advice. Listening to this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship. Always seek the advice of qualified professionals regarding any specific questions or concerns you may have.

Transcript

Introducing Meredith's Reinvention Story

Speaker 1 0:09

Welcome to another episode of Pairs Well With , where we explore the big and small pivots of life .

Speaker 2 0:16

We're Sheila and Serena , two longtime friends , navigating our own journeys of reinvention and talking with others doing the same our own journeys of reinvention and talking with others doing the same .

Speaker 1 0:26

We are here today at a beautiful nest of a woman who's become a good friend of ours , and I'm so excited to interview her and have her on here , and she really does encompass everything that we've been talking about with our podcast everything from reinvention and facing tough times to being able to transition in life and just create a beautiful space for the world and for us as her friends and her clients , and I'm just so excited about introducing her to our listeners .

Speaker 2 1:00

Yes , so the guest that we will reveal to you in just a few moments found herself facing unexpected change and had to do a large pivot in life , and so , whether you're facing unexpected change or change that you forced to come into being , this is the episode for you .

Speaker 1 1:16

Yeah , maybe a little over a year ago I think , you and I were out and I noticed how good your hair looked and I was going through a phase where I thought , as I was getting older , I needed to lighten up my hair . It used to be really dark , brown and just . I think , as a lot of women do . I wanted to lighten it up and kind of go into the aging , not going to ever let it go gray . I promised my mother one day I would never have gray hair . So I just was not going to have beautiful gray hair . I think there are some women out there who have beautiful gray hair , but that was not going to be me .

Speaker 1 1:49

So I thought , maybe lighten it up . So I was envying your hair and you said , oh , I found this new hairstylist and she's so awesome . And it was not even more about the hair , it was really just about Meredith and her personality and her shop and everything that she has done to create this wonderful life for herself here and for other people . And so I called her right up and she called me right back and it was really one of the best calls I've ever made and it's turned into this very enriching experience .

Speaker 2 2:20

She's helped us along the way with our podcast On the own personal journey that I have been on this year . She's been a huge cheerleader for that and encouraged her along the way , so a lot of the changes that are going on in my life . I owe thanks to her for the encouragement and helping kind of push me out the nest to launch my Green Butterfly project , and so I think that when our listeners hear her , her personality is just so dynamic and energetic and her story is really incredible . There were a lot of things that happened during the pandemic . Some people were able to sustain their businesses and some people , like Meredith , had to do a complete pivot , and so we're going to hear her story coming up next .

Speaker 1 2:58

We are thrilled to welcome Meredith Morris of O Meredith to our show today .

Speaker 2 3:04

Meredith is a Mississippi native and a powerhouse in the beauty industry . She built a thriving career in Los Angeles before the pandemic completely changed her world .

Speaker 1 3:14

When COVID-19 shut down her salon in Los Angeles , she returned home to Mississippi only to find love and a thriving business and really reinvented her life in a way that she probably never expected would happen , and so we're so happy that we got to meet her and learn about her and now share her with the rest of the world .

Speaker 2 3:34

Meredith has developed her own brand , oh , meredith , and she's here to tell us about the journey of letting go of dreams that she had for a long time , starting over and leaning into reinvention .

From Mississippi to LA Beginnings

Speaker 2 3:46

Welcome , meredith .

Speaker 1 3:46

Well , meredith , we welcome you to our show , but really you have welcomed us into your world this morning and we so appreciate you being here with us today .

Speaker 3 3:55

Oh my gosh , that introduction . I feel like I hope I can live up to the expectations that you guys have set for your audience . I'm so excited to be here . I feel like I've heard so much about the podcast over the months leading up to the launch , just because both of you ladies are clients of mine and so you come into the salon , and so I'm just so excited . As today has gone on and I've been watching sort of the behind the scenes and the prep work that's gone into it , it's really remarkable to see y'all achieve this dream of yours and then to get to be on the other side and be a part of it .

Speaker 1 4:26

It's so fun and we've all been a little bit nervous this morning , like getting started . I know we're just going to start rolling with our conversation any minute now and you know we don't like a lot of structure . We want it to be casual , we want the listeners to learn more about us and learn about you and we want it to be a conversation . So I know we'll all sort of warm up to the idea of being here . We did explain a little bit of your story , basic overview you were from Mississippi and then decided at some point in your life you wanted to move out to California . So why LA ? Why Los Angeles ?

Speaker 3 5:00

You know my journey . You know I grew up in Mississippi . I went to college . I actually went to college at Mississippi State and Ole Miss . I think that probably me going to college was a little premature . I think I was definitely ready to make a lot of friends and have a lot of fun , but probably not really focused in knowing exactly what I wanted to do for a living or even really understood what having a career meant . So after my junior year of college , and still kind of like aimlessly wandering , I had several friends who were going to move to Washington DC for the summer and they were going to intern on Capitol Hill and I had waited too late in the year to try to get an internship . But my mom told me that I could go with my friends if I could get a summer job . So I get up to DC and my summer job was at a very exclusive high-end hair salon and it was wild because when I got there , you know I was like just turned 21 , bright-eyed , bushy tail , just you know , from Mississippi , and I worked amongst these people that were from places like France , afghanistan , italy , cambodia , and it was like Pandora's box opened to me . And that's when I was like , okay , I don't think I can go back home Like . I feel like this was the kind of thing I was looking for . There's something bigger and more . Sorry , this will be a little bit long-winded , but I ended up staying in DC for about four years and that's where I trained to do hair .

Speaker 3 6:13

I really thought it would be like my launch board to go to New York City and that's where I sort of thought I would land . And after several years of working there and apprenticing and training and going through all of that , I was approached by a group of people in DC that were going to leave and open up something in Los Angeles , and at the time I was 24 years old . I knew some people in Los Angeles . Obviously it's sort of the beauty epicenter internationally , so I mean , not a bad place to be . And I was like what's the worst thing that happens ? I'll go to New York or I'll go back to DC or you know , somewhere else .

Speaker 3 6:42

So that's how I ended up in Los Angeles and so I went out there with this job , thinking I was going to do all these things and sort of nothing worked out as planned . But that's sort of how life unfolds . But I really kind of doubled down and committed to building a life and career in Los Angeles . How long were you in LA ? From 2004 until really . I mean , I was still commuting back and forth after the pandemic until 2024 . So you know , my attachments there ran over 20 years .

Speaker 2 7:08

So leading into the pandemic . You had no intention of returning to Mississippi , from what I understand .

Speaker 3 7:15

No . So in January of 2020 , I turned 40 years old . I mean , I would have thought I would be living out all of my days in Los Angeles . You know , I think being in a city like that and working your way up the ranks as I did in my career , you know , starting here , kind of building up , building up , building up , and for about the last eight years that I was there , I was , fortunate enough , you know , I opened a successful salon of my own in Beverly Hills and so , no , I would have never in a million years .

Speaker 1 7:49

I mean , I didn't really even think there was anything here for me and , to be honest , I rarely ever even came home , maybe like once every couple of years to see my mom , who still lives here . So , being from the South as we all are , family is such a connection for all of us . And what did your family think about you moving out to Los Angeles and having this life out there ?

Speaker 3 8:03

You know , not great , I think many people you know . Like I said , I kind of bucked the trend when I didn't come back and finish college , you know I didn't settle down , I didn't get married , I didn't have like the traditional life that probably my mother thought that I would . You know the trajectory of my life , the way that she had envisioned . I think I let that fuel my fire to succeed in Los Angeles because I was like I'm going to show everybody that I'm going to really make it in a way that you can't really negate my decisions in any kind of capacity . Over the years my mom would be messaging me . I mean , just the constant conversation was how I could have so much more here for so much less , you know , and so I would just really reject that phone call .

Speaker 3 8:44

And when I came back into Mississippi , you know , during the pandemic , it showed me the connection of family in a way that I'd never really had as an adult . Having left home at 21 years old , I had really like become so scrappy and self-reliant . And now I'm in a season where I'm back close to family here in Mississippi and it's really taught me a lot about how wonderful family is and how dependable family is and how there's just nothing like that , and so I had built my own family in Los Angeles through friends , but coming back to Mississippi and reconnecting and having that family connection has been really meaningful .

Speaker 2 9:15

Yeah . So the change for you , though , to return home was kind of a forced change . It was not something that you decided . One day I'm ready to return to Mississippi . When , during the pandemic , did you realize this is , you know , altering my world

The Pandemic Forced Return Home

Speaker 2 9:30

in a way that I was not expecting , and I've got to reevaluate the rest of my time .

Speaker 3 9:34

Right . So I mean , you know I'm sure your listeners are from all over the place and I think , depending on where you lived , you had a different experience of what the pandemic was . I can say that in Los Angeles it was extremely shut down . It was , I mean , funny , not funny . But I can remember back in February I started talking about the pandemic and what I thought was coming , and I remember going to the store and buying all of the toilet paper . I remember Lysol-ing every single thing in the salon while people thought I was crazy . But I was like , no , we're going to show people that we're ahead of this and we're on top of it and we care about the cleanliness of everything because we don't want to be , you know , a place where people can get this illness . And so when everything shut down in March , I had sort of I was prepared for that . But I had sort of imagined that the best case scenario would be that we'd be reopened in June Realistic , probably , like July . Worst case scenario July 15th was sort of what I had thought , so honestly , like I had been on a pretty hard grind for a , you know , 15 years with no real vacations , no real time off .

Speaker 3 10:34

So at first I was settled in . You know , I just turned 40 . I was single , I mean , I was with nobody , but I loved like sleeping in . I was like , oh , I could just like drink wine in the middle of the day . I could do puzzles Like you know , I'm tie-dying t-shirts , you name it , and I was just kind of creating these activities for myself . So I was alone in my apartment . I had three dogs and a cat , so I had all these animals to tend to . But in Los Angeles we were not in a part of the country where people were gathering together at all at all , so I was not seeing any of my friends , no loved ones . I mean . I can remember people like doing drive-bys and dropping off cookies that they had baked , you know , and waving from the window .

Speaker 3 11:09

And then it sort of became , you know , as April rolled in , you know I was sort of growing tired of just the confinement , you know , the waiting and watching the news . And so I think it was the end of May that someone on television had interviewed Gavin Newsom , who's our governor , and had asked him when he expected hair salons to reopen . And I believe his answer was something like he's very tired of answering his questions He'll open hair salons when he opens sports arenas . And I think hearing that was like we're not opening anytime soon . You know what I mean . Like nobody's not opening anytime soon . You know what I mean . Like nobody's opening anything anytime soon .

Speaker 3 11:47

So at that time I called my mom here in Mississippi and I was like I think I'm going to have a nervous breakdown , like this has been fun , but like really missing work . I'm missing making money . I mean a lot of people talk about the people who took advantage of the government during times like this , but you know what about the people who were really successful , who basically just got put on welfare with successful people type of bills ? So I called my mom and I was like I don't know what to do At this point . Everything in Mississippi is pretty relaxed and pretty open back up , and so she said well , you could come here , but you can't bring all those dogs here . So I did a little bit of research . I had never driven across country , I never even drove to Los Angeles . I shipped my car and flew out there , much less during a pandemic . So I did a little research , I found a house to rent for the summer and I thought I'm just going to go have a summer , you know , footloose and fancy free in Mississippi . Now , to be fair , I had gone to college here , I grew up here , so a lot of people here had followed my career . So it didn't take much for me to kind of announce that I was coming back .

Speaker 3 12:50

And different people were like oh great , you know , do you want to come to Greenville , mississippi ? Do you want to come to Laurel , mississippi ? Do you want to come to Oxford , mississippi ? I've got a girlfriend of mine because I wasn't sure about a road trip with the cat and we began that journey and it was wild because I mean , I'm just by myself , like you know , driving out of Los Angeles and I , la at that time , really felt like a pressure cooker to me .

Speaker 3 13:21

I was like this is not sustainable for everybody to be so locked up like this and I really felt like somebody's going to strike a match and everything is going to for lack of a better term just kind of burn around here . I drove away and I remember I rolled the windows down and had Fleetwood Mac playing and I just thought this is like the most free I have felt . I just feel like I don't even know . I made a choice . I made a decision and I'm moving forward , which had been a real problem for me during those few months of isolation . So I don't know , in a long-winded way , that's how I ended up kind of back here for the summer was just making a choice and a change .

Speaker 1 13:54

Well , that trip for you driving home was , I mean , not only I'm sure arduous and it sounds like a little bit of a relief , was , I mean not only I'm sure arduous and it sounds like a little bit of a relief , but it was also probably your life kind of going before your eyes as you traveled all those miles right .

Speaker 3 14:09

You know , I think , like I said , I've never even made that trip with people , much less alone . And then you know I'm in the gas station . I'm like hosing everything down . I had things packed in my car for the summer , so every time we'd stop I'd have to find some motel that allowed my dogs to go . I mean , it was a whole journey in and of itself .

Speaker 3 14:25

And then I would be like having to take every single thing out of my car and put it into the motel because I didn't want my car to get broken into , and then trying to wipe down every single surface because , you know , that's how we were living at that time . What I realized

Creating the O Meredith Brand

Speaker 3 14:37

later is that I had felt so stuck for those few months . While I made the best of it , I felt like at least I was moving in any kind of way , you know , like and moving across the country , literally , like with all the different topography and all of the different elements and things around me . I just felt like I was moving forward into something not really , not really precious about any outcome , just thrilled that I was going to be able to see people , see family and be , you know , have some physical space .

Speaker 2 15:05

When you were making that trip ? Did you know at that moment that you were coming back here for good , or did you feel that you might ?

Speaker 3 15:11

Oh , no , no no , I rented that house just for the summer . I was going to be going back to Los Angeles August 1st and so you know , I owned a business in Los Angeles . I had spoken to my business partner about this , so she knew that that was the plan and that I would be coming back to Los Angeles August 1st , and it wasn't really till I got here . I mean , you have to think , you know , even very successful people in a big city like Los Angeles still live in very small , confined spaces . And so when I got here , I had this beautiful house rented down in the Fondre neighborhood of Jackson .

Speaker 3 15:39

I had a huge yard . My dogs had never had a yard before . I had never had a yard . I had so much physical , physical space that , like I really did not have , and I really didn't even realize that I didn't have until the pandemic , until I was forced into that tiny little space . And then when I moved here , I was like or when I got here for the summer , I was like , oh my gosh , this is incredible . Like I can breathe and everybody's not on top of me . I can breathe and everybody's not on top of me . So I would say that my eyes started opening very quickly to life here and I started considering what life here could maybe look like for me .

Speaker 1 16:12

But no , I did not come here with any intention on staying . I think that's such an important thing to talk about with people who are in positions like that , either because you're forced to be in it or because you sort of drift into a life that just doesn't feel comfortable , but you don't really know how to grow out of it and how to shift out of it . And sometimes it's just taking that first step or getting in your car and driving and giving yourself space . I love that analogy . For you it was a reality . But to have the analogy of having space to really think about what it is that you can do to pivot your life , make a change , do the things like you and I have talked about doing in terms of change . It's either dumped on you that you have to make a change or you just feel it yeah , it's in your gut Like something's not , something's not working in my life , you know , and I feel like there's times when you just have to take a breath and take a step or take a drive .

Speaker 3 17:17

That's right . That's right . I think too , as I was making the drive and I was coming here , I mean you have to remember I had just turned 40 years old . I mean , you know , I've never been married , I have no kids , I have a very successful business . But when I got here I kept thinking what if I wake up in 10 years and all I have ? I'm so proud of my success . But what if I wake up and that is all I have ? And that is all I have ?

Speaker 3 17:42

Like I said , when I came back home , realizing the dependability and the closeness of having like meaningful , like in-person relationships with my family , other than hosting them and taking them to fabulous concerts and restaurants , like just in a day-to-day interaction , that sort of blew my mind and I don't think I was prepared for how good that would feel . I can remember like there was something that had upset me and my mom , when she called me , she was like well , this is what family does , and I just had never even really considered that because I had been , you know , just doing everything so independently of that . And so I think I was sort of if I'm honest now looking back , I was sort of at a time of my life where I was searching for something different and searching for something more . But again , I had invested so much into that career it was hard to figure out what the something more was going to be . So , to be honest , had the pandemic not happened , I don't know that I could have created something like that for myself .

Speaker 2 18:36

So when was the O'Merideth brand first of all in your mind ?

Speaker 3 18:46

Meredith brand first of all in your mind . So I mean we laugh because I think I mean I have a list of a list of fabulous names that I would open and name a business . Oh , meredith was probably not on that list but it made the most sense . So when Instagram first came out , people were not using their actual names for their handle . And I can remember I was having a conversation with my friend Mark and I was like what is your Instagram , mark ? And I was like what is your Instagram going to be ? And I was like what should mine be ? And he just was like it should be oh Meredith , because it's an expletive that can mean so many things . It can mean something enthusiastic , it can be like oh Meredith . You know I noticed half the time when I do hair people's response is oh Meredith . So I felt like that became sort of the when . So I felt like that became sort of the when Instagram came out . That's sort of where O'Meredith came from and I was lucky and fortunate in a place where you know I was able to build a following . People kind of knew that branding from O'Meredith and sort of the tagline was that living is a lifestyle and I wanted people to really understand that it was finding life and joy in every small little thing . And like living is a lifestyle , like you know , every single moment , every small thing , that's the lifestyle that we're choosing to live .

Speaker 3 19:46

So when I got back to Mississippi , you know , I was traveling all over the state packing up my car , seeing different clients doing different things . I also was used to remember having like complete autonomy , and at this point I was seeing clients out of my mom's house because she did not have three dogs to you know . So we had privacy . I had privacy to see house call clients , but every day my mom would be like well , who did you see and what did they say ?

Speaker 3 20:13

And I was thinking I have had complete autonomy for like 20 years . I don't think I can do these daily check-ins . So I ended up going and renting a chair at a salon here where I kind of to be honest , I should say , when August came I did start commuting back and forth to California and I had sort of imagined that my life in Mississippi would be not working . I sort of imagined myself like learning to speak French , taking art , reading a lot of books and traveling , and I was like and I'll just fly out to Los Angeles and I'll do that job and I will make my money and I will just live this like footloose and fancy free life here . So that was the original idea of what my life here was going to look like .

Speaker 1 20:51

And so how does oh Meredith now your brand and this beautiful world that you created here ? How does that reflect where you are now in life and in business ?

Speaker 3 21:02

Every single thing has led me to exactly where I'm supposed to be . And I say that with like , just like , the deepest sense of gratitude and you don't see it in the time . I'm so proud of myself for , like , having the resilience and being able to pivot every single step along the way . I can remember when I opened my salon in Los Angeles , my very good friend Megan , who's a fabulous meditation coach , she told me not to be so precious about an outcome . You know , because in my mind I think I thought that to be successful I needed 10 stylists working for me and I needed this big thing and it had to look exactly like this . And I've really taken that , that sentiment to heart . And so every moment everything just kind of kept evolving and kept growing . So you know , of course , like having a successful business out there , that looked very different eight years , you know , from the concept of that business . And then coming back here , then you know reconnecting with my business partner and then commuting out there and back and forth and all of those things , building a brand and a business .

Speaker 3 21:57

Here I feel like bringing O'Merideth here . My intention was to sort of bring that tastemaker level status of work that I was accustomed to having . I mean , in Beverly Hills alone there's over 600 hair salons and the area is smaller than Ridgeland , mississippi , and these are the best and the brightest from every single part of the world . So the competition is steep and attention to detail is important . And when I moved here , I noticed there were some gaps and holes in some of those things that were just like foundationally part of how I built my career .

Speaker 3 22:30

So I felt like bringing O'Merideth here to Mississippi was sort of eye-opening , going to open eyes to different ways of doing things . You know , I didn't want an all-white salon . I didn't want it to feel sterile . I wanted people to feel really like they were getting personal one-on-one time with me , because that's what people are coming in for , I feel like . So I don't know . I mean , o Meredith is ever evolving and ever changing . I mean now I have a whole fuel , you know , curated gift store of all kind of my favorite things . I have an online business , you know I service my clients . But yeah , I've just kind of let

Finding Love Back in Mississippi

Speaker 3 23:00

. I've sort of let it unfold in whatever way felt right in whatever moment .

Speaker 1 23:06

And I think it's so important to think about what you said earlier in your evolution is when you start and you either have a spark or you start to think I've got to pivot or maybe I want to pivot . Sometimes you get so held up I know I have in the past with the outcome and saying , well , if I start at A , how am I going to get to Z right ? And then you want to have it all . Of course , the listeners have learned I'm a planner , so I would want to , you know , have a plan for the whole alphabet to Z . And yet you can't . I mean , you know in life , you just you can't have that . Mel Robbins , who's one of my favorite podcasters and authors she recently said in one of her podcasts and said you're making it too hard on yourself , like you're making it way too hard by trying to , you're trying to put too much on your plate , like just take that step and then take another step . Have you found that , serena ?

Speaker 2 24:03

Yes , and Meredith was a big impetus for me , realizing that myself and my own creative journey and , you know , being in the salon with her and seeing what she's done with this space . It doesn't have to be perfect at the beginning . Just take a step and get started with something . She kept encouraging me with my green butterfly store just at least go to a pop-up . And then , because we found a space earlier , I did , I pivoted with that again because I was going to do a pop-up and go online , which is she was like , just get started with that . Well then we changed to now a storefront that's about to open . But I mean she has been such a great coach for me in that creative process and not getting caught up in the end result but just letting it evolve along the way .

Speaker 1 24:48

And I think that's one of the things Serena and I discussed about having you on as one of our first guests , because we've both been able to see that your journey is so reflective of others who would like to do what you've done , wouldn't know how to go about doing it . You probably couldn't have written a book about how to do it when you got in that car and started moving across country , right ?

Speaker 3 25:11

Oh , completely . I think I always tell people I mean I'm very blessed and lucky that I mean I've been in the hairstyling industry for over 20 years and I do work with women of all backgrounds and all lives . So I feel like I've been fortunate enough to learn so much from so many different people and I'm able to share things with so many different people . But yes , I think the whole thing is just forward movement . You know , don't stand still , don't wait . You know , if you have a logo , put it out there , it's okay .

Speaker 3 25:39

If it's generation one of seven generations that it turns into , you just have to get , you have to just make the step . And the thing is , someone once told me they're like oh , you're so brave , you're so brave . And I was like I'm afraid of everything . I mean I am . You know what I mean ? It's not brave . I just I don't really see there as being like an alternative other than just keep moving , like it's not , like I'm so brave . I'm scared too , and I have insecurities too , about decisions and things that I'm doing , but I'm just going to keep making forward steps . And should I need to turn or if something doesn't feel right to me , I'm just going to keep moving in one direction or another , right ?

Speaker 1 26:13

I mean , sometimes you don't have a choice but to make a move or to make a change . It's not always just that you don't feel like going to that job anymore , you know , at some point , because I've had people tell me that too , in different aspects of my career and moves that I've made . I mean , some have been just because I thought the grass was going to be greener , and some have been because I needed to pay my mortgage , you know , or send my child to school or whatever it might be . Sometimes you make choices because you have to and they turn out and obviously you want to , you know , build a nest and make it the most beautiful nest and make it work for you and be happy , because you wouldn't be happy doing something that now is here , but you wouldn't have even known about this had you not made that first step .

Speaker 3 26:59

I think that was really when I started commuting back and forth to Los Angeles . The pandemic was still very much in effect . I mean , it was very much in effect for like two more years out there I really could see the difference in the decisions and choices that I had made and see the difference in the ways that some of my friends just didn't Do you know what I mean ? And they're just feeling like so stuck and unable to make move , based on whatever their job is or wherever they felt like they needed to be . So I had a lot of gratitude that like my gut feeling was to keep moving forward , because I could see that it wasn't so easily or readily available . I mean , I didn't have anything attaching me other than owning a business out there .

Speaker 3 27:40

But yeah , I think that's like just one of life's struggles , right , it's like when things get really hard , what do you do ? And I always I mean I preach behind the chair all the time to everybody just keep moving , like , just get started , just do something . If you have this passion or this dream or this idea , you just can't care . You just have to do just something a little bit at a time . And just like Serena said , I mean , at first it was going to be the idea of this , and then this opened up and then all of a sudden , I mean , the doors that opened up are unbelievable . And that's how it's been for me too , if you just are open to the idea , open to visualizing the door , yes .

Speaker 2 28:15

And then , when they open , walking , walking through them .

Speaker 1 28:24

Yes , yeah , I love that . So Mel Robbins , who we've talked about before really another transformative book that impacted me greatly and everybody that I've given it to talks about you , let them . If people are going to judge you , let them . If people are going to say bad things about you , let them . But as long as you're doing your truth and speaking your truth and living your life , let you do you , let them do them , and never the twain shall meet , because at some point you've got to live this life right . That being said , being from the South , I do think that there is even more pressure to think about what other people think , your family , your friends . But you must have also had the pressure of your life in LA . You had been there for so long and , having sort of Maybe not overt judgment and maybe overt judgment , I don't know , but somebody somewhere along the way had to say two things One , you're going back home to your family and two , you're going to live in Mississippi . Why are you doing that ?

Speaker 3 29:28

So how did you handle that ? As we've just spoken , the last 25 years of my life , I feel like some of these things have fueled all of my decision making . I feel like when I went to LA , I had everybody from here judging or undecided about the decisions I was making . Being out there , then coming back home , it was challenging . Like I said , I had built a whole community of family . My clients out there had been with me 15 plus years . I mean , they dealt with me , commuting back and forth and they all committed their entire schedules to the limited availability that I was able to offer . I mean , these are people that really , really mattered to me . And , yes , I think when I announced that I was coming back home , it was just it was .

Speaker 3 30:08

It was a hard thing for people to grasp and understand because obviously the life and lifestyle here is so different than how it is in Los Angeles .

Speaker 3 30:15

You know , I don't know there are wonderful , beautiful things about both lives , but you know what ? Honestly , my friends were supportive because I believe the shutdown happened and everybody was so still , and I think that people were able to see that I was building something for myself and even my clients or friends who had , you know , issue or sadness . They were all really proud of me and really happy for me because I think they could see that my life was opening up in ways that they had watched it not be for so long . And so , like I said , I have incredible work ethic , you can build an incredible job , but there were things that were lacking in my personal life . So I feel like the overall happiness was , you know , that was something that people couldn't negate or couldn't argue about . So I feel like everybody was really happy for me . But , yes , I mean , it's a much different life that I live here than I did in Los Angeles .

Speaker 1 31:03

And not being from Mississippi , being from the South , you know I had certain preconceived notions about what life would be like here . I didn't really intend to make my life here , but did and have , and it's home and I love it . And I think you know , wherever you may live in the country , you can build a world , wherever that might be , and other people may have preconceived notions about where you're living , but it almost doesn't really matter because you're living there , right ? I mean , I always thought and I've lived in different cities in the world I've always thought , you know , as long as I've got a grocery store , a dry cleaner , a hair salon , you know your basics . Almost every place is very similar .

Speaker 1 31:46

I mean , unless you're in an LA or a New York , you know where things are . Your living arrangement is much more congested and I think it is a whole different way of life in one of those places . But you know , I've met people and they say you live in Mississippi . Like how , why ?

Speaker 3 32:04

I will sing to the rooftops .

Speaker 3 32:06

Mississippi is like the most untapped place in the country . I mean I'm just waiting for any moment for some huge corporation to come . I mean it is gorgeous . I will tell you that when I went to Ireland with my friends in Los Angeles and they just could not get over how gorgeous it was , I said to them this is exactly what Mississippi looks like . I mean , it's so green , it's so vibrant , the culture is so rich . There's Mississippi . It's just people don't know and people tend to not understand things that they don't know about .

Speaker 1 32:33

And I think that's fine that they don't know if they don't , Because you know , I think Nashville was like that for a while . People thought well , you know Nashville's in the South and it's just country . Western people at the hoedown or whatever they might have thought . I mean Nashville's now vibrant and I'm sure the people who are native to Nashville kind of wish that maybe it would still look quiet .

Speaker 1 32:55

It would still look with the old school honky tonks the secret of its prosperity was not known , because , yeah , I mean you can't buy a house there , it's expensive and congested and all those kinds of things , but I always feel like where we live is an untapped little gem in the world , and I mean , other than it's super hot during the summer , we've got wonderful restaurants and beautiful hair salons , and we all wear shoes , and so there's my plug for our home state .

Speaker 2 33:26

So , meredith , when you were talking a while ago , you said you realized that there were some things lacking in your personal life , and there's been a big change in that area since you came back home , and I think the listeners would love to hear about you finding love and returning home .

Speaker 3 33:40

And this is actually a very funny

The Joy of Progress Over Perfection

Speaker 3 33:42

story . So when I decided to really commit and come back here and make Mississippi my home base , I began commuting to Los Angeles and I realized pretty quickly that , like I mean all my friends , I have a lot of friends here . I mean , like I said , I had grown up here , I was , my business was building and you know , but I'm still a single person , and not one person that I knew here was , in fact , a single person . And so I was noticing that maybe I was having a harder time building a social life because I couldn't find like all of my friends were so committed with their partners and their kids and all of these other things . And so at the time , one of my good friends in Los Angeles she was the marketing director for Bumble , the app , the dating app on the phone , and so she kept asking me if I was online dating here , and I was like , oh , I haven't even opened up that app .

Speaker 2 34:26

I can't even imagine what it would be like .

Speaker 3 34:30

Not to knock any of the men in Mississippi but I can't even imagine what that would be like . But after time , I mean , I was a little bit lonely here because I just sort of felt like my life was active and going till about 4 pm and like , while I love having dinner with my mom and my aunt , you know what I mean .

Speaker 3 34:44

I was like craving something a little bit more . So I actually I was in the car with my friend Lindsay and she was like I really think you should start online dating . And I was like I don't know . And look , I've dated online . I could write a whole book about the dating rules for dating online . So I get home and I'm sitting there and now my friend in Los Angeles who worked at Bumble I had mentioned to her I was like , well , here's the thing that really bothers me about the app . And I was like the text is in a light yellow box and the whiting is right and I can't read it . I can't read the messages back and forth , and this was something that irked me for years . So anyway , lindsay tells me I should date online . I get home and my friend texts me that night and says I just wanted you to know we took care of that irritant that you had on bubble , so you're welcome .

Speaker 3 35:29

Yeah because it's a black box with white writing and you can read it . The font has changed .

Speaker 3 35:35

The font has changed so you can read it you don't need your readers , you don't have to screen grab and make it bigger . So I was sort of like , well , maybe that's a sign . And so I went back on Bumble , which I had spent years off and on , you know , in Los Angeles , and one of my first matches was this guy , jason , and he asked if he could call me and I was like okay , and he calls me . And you know , I don't even know , I can't even remember what he said to me , but I remember going to my mother's house and being like , well , this is like the only guy I've really matched with and I don't really want bad dating karma , so I guess I'm just going to go out with him and we'll see . And then , you know , here we are four years later and like I'm madly in love with Jason and he's like the greatest thing .

Speaker 3 36:14

But I'm like the timing how kismet was that that , like I'd had that conversation with Lindsay , like Shahar had messaged me . I should say Jason is like an analog man . I mean , he uses AOL as his primary email address . He has no social media , he has no anything . He doesn't even keep apps on his phone . So the fact that he had Bumble was wild and he just like also happened to be at work where someone was encouraging him to get out there , and I believe they told him to sign up for a different app . But when he Googled it , I think Bumble just showed up first , and so that's just how we connected . We were the same age , We'd been at college at the same time , we knew mutual people , and he just says it was like he was just waiting here for me to come home . Oh , that's so sweet .

Speaker 1 36:52

That is so sweet . I mean , Mary , do you think having to start over with your life here made you see life and love differently , like through a different lens ?

Speaker 3 37:03

Yeah , I think so because I feel like my heart was opened in so many like radical ways very quickly . I mean , you would have to imagine that , not having lived here for so long , there were so many people that I had not interacted or interfaced with in a long time . I would tell my mom that every time I left the house it was like one awkward run in after another . I'd be like so , hey , and so I felt like where I had been guarded in a city like Los Angeles . I was opening up . I was remembering , oh , when you walk into a restaurant here , you look around to see if you know anybody , which that was not something that I had Not as good and bad things about it , I would say , being back close to family , and I think just the stillness of things here allowed me to really think about myself and like what I actually wanted for my life .

Speaker 3 37:47

I mean , I feel like I spent years in therapy being like I'm so successful but I can't remember who this is for . Is this for me ? Is this to show everybody back home ? Like , is that like why I don't know my why anymore , of like why I'm doing this ? I'm just like on this grind because I don't see another way , and I feel like moving back here is really added so much purpose back into my life in a way that maybe I was desperately in need of . But yeah , I can't even . I just can't believe . Sort of . It feels so crazy Because if you'd asked me , like I said , in January 2020 , I would have never come here . And now here I am with y'all and I'm in your great friends of mine , and I feel like my life has just grown and expanded in all these ways , which is so funny because it's not what you expect to happen when you return home .

Speaker 2 38:31

So going back to the reinvention of yourself and your life , and then finding love . What about that ? Reinvention has been the most surprising aspect of it .

Speaker 3 38:42

Well , I think in the finding love element . I've had a lot of love in my life but what I will say is unique about this love is that I have a partner who really celebrates me and I don't know that I had ever felt that before . Have a partner who really celebrates me and I don't know that I had ever felt that before . I feel like in my past relationships the thing or the spark or the reason people were drawn to me or the reason guys would be like , oh , so in love with me , would be the same reason that we would break , that we would break up . And it was like when I met Jason , my ambitious , my ambition , my drive , my focus was not a deterrent to him at all and he really celebrated that and he really let me be me . So I feel like I didn't know that type of relationship existed and that type of partnership existed and I didn't have to like dull my shine for him and that was like huge and I don't think I had really understood like loyalty in a relationship , like in a romantic relationship , and just true dependability . So that changed my life in a lot of ways because I feel like I was able to move through this , you know , romantic relationship without insecurity and without judgment and without fear of like the other shoe dropping . It just felt like the closer that we got , the more we just kind of were so simpatico and I learned about having relationships where there's a lot of laughter instead of a lot of like fear and a lot of you know all of those kinds of things . So I will say that changed my attitude there , I think .

Speaker 3 40:07

As career goes , I was lucky enough to work with a business coach when I first moved back here because I was trying to recalibrate . What does it mean ? What does it mean when you work in Beverly Hills and you do hair in Beverly Hills ? And then what does that look like when you come to Mississippi , like , what do you charge ? What are your pricing ? How are you going to build your clients ? And I think it's so fun because now I still feel like I'm on the beginning of the big thing , even though I've had all this success and I've had different businesses and different things . I feel I don't know . Every day feels reimagined and even you ladies are so inspiring to me because I'm sitting here with you watching this in your season of your lives , open up and try new things and it's reminding me , oh , to keep being creative and keep thinking outside the box and keep don't be stunted . This isn't it . I don't know what the next thing is , but anything's possible .

Speaker 2 40:55

I know one day I was in here with you and we were talking about my green butterfly project and you said this is just version 1.0 . She said you're going to have version 2.0 , you're going to have version 3.0 . And so I've kept that in mind , not just about that project , but I've tried to make that be my mantra in everything in life . That's right . So you don't get stunted by seeking perfection , and you know this was something I mentioned in one of our first podcasts don't let perfection impede your progress A hundred percent . And so that's something that I had heard a long time ago and I thought that I practiced .

Speaker 3 41:28

But you've really helped me remember that and that's one thing I've said that you've been such a good cheerleader for us in so many ways , and like I said , I have my friend Megan to thank for that , because she's the one who told me it was like don't put a square peg in a round hole , like if something's not working . Success does not have to look like one certain thing . You know what I mean . It doesn't have to look like , oh , I do these A-list celebrities . It doesn't have to look like , oh , I'm doing this . Success can mean so many different things and I have had the luck of being able to work , you know , amongst the most the biggest names in the industry and the biggest names in the business , and I would say that the most successful that I've ever felt is right now . You know , because I feel like all my life is firing on all cylinders in a way that just gives true meaning .

Speaker 1 42:10

So we're going to talk about those A-list celebrities off camera . In the times that I've ever been to LA , I'm just like and they all look so different , like , so different in real life .

Speaker 3 42:23

Have you ever seen them out in the wild you know , out in the wild I can remember when .

Speaker 3 42:27

I moved to LA that I can remember , in the very beginning , my dad telling me he was like you'll be just like everybody else in LA , You'll become jaded and it just won't be a big deal . And the truth of the matter is , you know , I mean , people are just people , you know what I mean their line of work is different than ours , but how right he was . I mean , things became so like second nature that I was like I really feel like I have to write all these things down so that when you know , in my elder years , I'll be able to like , know how cool that was , or to tell those stories I know .

Speaker 1 42:55

I know I had a big crush on a movie star who will remain nameless , but I was in LA one time . I was on Rodeo Drive and of course I'm like I'm on Rodeo Drive and I had to have the right outfit and everything which I'm sure I didn't , I'm sure around , and all of a sudden I'm in a store and I look around , I'm like I think that's it . There was what my girlfriend like and we look , he was so short , he's kind of bending over and she's like it is , and I'm like but look how short he is sometimes it's better to have those love and I know right and I guess it's true , like they're up in the movie screen .

Speaker 1 43:42

They just look so tall and debonair and I'm like , well , we can never date because look at me , look at him . He's not gonna work out . So that ended , but it was kind of funny to see that .

Speaker 1 43:51

So one thing that we do like to ask our guests is sort of like being able to talk to your younger self or yourself before you made this major pivot , even though life is going to probably bring . You're still young , so there's more pivots to be had . But if you could send a message back to yourself in LA in 2019 , 2020 , what would it be ?

Speaker 3 44:12

Go to therapy right now . I feel like half the reason I've been able to make such wise decisions is because of all the talk therapy that I've had and all the counseling that I've had to kind of work through different things . But I think I would just tell her that like she's going to make it you know what I mean Like it's going to be hard and there's some heartbreak ahead , but it's worth it , you know and you're going to end up where you need to be .

Speaker 1 44:37

You didn't even know what that meant yes , you know , and you're going to end up where you need to be . You didn't even know , what that meant .

Speaker 2 44:40

Yes , and I still don't know what that means .

Speaker 3 44:41

I don't think . I don't think people that are in success even I still don't know what it means , Right .

Speaker 2 44:49

I love how you're just so open to everything and you're open to even though what you've built here is so amazing . You're not settling for this . You're still open to whatever comes ahead .

Speaker 3 44:54

Forever is a long time . I always tell people I was like , oh , I don't think this is the end of it . This is not like the last , this is not the third act .

Speaker 1 45:02

I have no clue what it's going to be Period at the end of the sentence and I always do , really and I find it so hard , it's been so hard for me sometimes to enjoy the journey .

Speaker 1 45:13

And now , looking back , I don't like to say I have any

Life Lessons and Pairs Well With Game

Speaker 1 45:17

regrets , but I do wish I would have enjoyed some of the journey more than I did , because I was too busy looking down the road and I feel like if I have a younger self that I could go tell that to and to say so , I'll just tell our listeners , whoever might be listening enjoy the journey , because you're never going to get that journey back . You can't ever get those years back , you know , and striving for more and new and different and bigger and better there's nothing wrong with that and that keeps people moving along and that keeps life fresh . But enjoy the journey while you're doing it . Even what we're doing with this podcast , I'm really trying to enjoy the aspects of it that make it what we want it to be , which is sort of a pivot from our real world and learning new things and getting to connect with people we already love and people that we want to get to know better .

Speaker 2 46:16

And just the process of learning again . When you've been in a career for a long time , you're always learning new things . I mean , you and I were in a CLE together last week and I learned something amazing that I was able to take advantage of tax-wise this year . But just the process of learning in and of itself . The podcast has really fed that in me , because I've never done anything like this before , and the technology side of it you've gotten so good at that .

Speaker 1 46:41

Well , and you brought up a good point this week via text and then when we met in person , when I was stressing out about some deadlines and things , and you basically said this is our deal , Like , this is our escape from deadlines .

Speaker 1 46:58

Like we don't have to , this is our deal , Like we are our escape from deadlines , like we don't have to , this is our deal , like we are controlling everything about this . And so you know that again that internal pressure to do what it is we said we were going to do , and to do it right and to make it what we want it to be trying to release some of that and to say , look , you know , this is our pace .

Speaker 3 47:18

We do it .

Speaker 1 47:21

We don't do it . Yeah , let it be fun , let it be what we want it to be , and that's what I'm hoping that it's going to be . And I mean , merida , I can't walk in your shop and think that every day , you say this is what I want it to be .

Speaker 1 47:31

I mean you know , it's just it's just and I know you talked earlier about with me about you know , sometimes you you're just used to it , you know , and so it's . It's also tiring to like have to show to other people , but your audience never gets tired of it and I know it's ever evolving , because every time I walk in it's it's something new and you know something else . I do want to put this in that you've been in my life just in the last year so that I've gotten to know you and , of course , the tidbits that I get from Serena , from you . You offer so much to people when it's not just a haircut and color . You offer wisdom and what you said about learning from your business coach and your therapist and your other meditation folks out in LA , and you bring a lot to that chair when someone's sitting in it , and it's an experience , it's not just a service , and so I just want you to know that it's really appreciated .

Speaker 3 48:27

Yeah , that's what I've always told people . I was like if I had , like a superhero cape , I would just be a day maker . And when I think about , even when I have hard days , I think I remind myself . Or when I'm like I'm over it and I'm tired , I remind myself that someone's either saved their money or someone's been looking forward to this and no one's coming in here and they're going to leave feeling worse than when they got here . Everybody's leaving feeling better and I'm part of that .

Speaker 3 48:50

And so I just allow myself to be open to that whole experience and I think , truly at this stage in my career , working one-on-one with clients I mean , no one works in here but me , I don't even have an assistant I'm able to have such meaningful connection with people and like that to me , that's the success . It's like that matters to me more . I've worked with three assistants and done all the things and I would rather have the one-on-one connection because I feel like when my clients leave , they feel better about themselves from a physical standpoint , but each of us feel like we've taken something entire own lives that we can grow upon . So I'm so grateful for just everything that and my community and my clients , and you know that I just really get to be authentically me at work and , yeah , I'm very grateful .

Speaker 1 49:32

Yeah , it's fun when we , whenever we get together , I feel like it's part therapy part like people magazine . Yes , Whenever we get together , I feel like it's part therapy part like People magazine .

Speaker 1 49:43

Yes , we cover all of the topics , bitch session about everything , and yet I know it's going to be in a vault when I leave , you know , and that's just not something that you get with most people that you know you're doing business with , certainly . So it's just been a joy to be able to share you with our audience and obviously so grateful that Serena made our connection as well . It's just been wonderful . I love you , ladies . Thank you so much . Thank you so much .

Speaker 2 50:11

We're going to take a break here , and then we've got a little fun game when we come back for the next segment . So , meredith , we have this fun game we we like to play with our guests called pairs Well with rapid fire . So we will put a topic out there and then follow it with the phrase pairs Well with and you let us know the first thing that comes to mind . Okay , so you mentioned earlier in the episode that you attended both Mississippi state and Ole Miss , which in Mississippi that's quite a pivot . Going from one of those to the other . I want to hear what you think pairs well with the Grove Solo cups . All right . So what pairs well with Duty ? Noble Field Cowbell , perfect .

Speaker 1 50:56

Well , on the Mississippi theme , what about Mississippi ?

Speaker 3 50:59

mornings pair well with Diet Coke All my mornings . Pair with Diet Coke , I love that .

Speaker 2 51:05

What did leaving LA pair well with Fresh starts . That's a good one , that's a good one .

Speaker 1 51:12

How about falling in love ? What does falling in love pair well with Peace ?

Speaker 3 51:18

Nice .

Speaker 2 51:19

What about your salon O'Merida ? The brand pairs well with Peace , nice . What about your salon O Meredith ? The brand pairs well with Joy . That's a great one , great answer .

Speaker 1 51:27

What about building something new ? What does building something new pair well with ?

Final Thoughts on Reinvention

Speaker 2 51:32

Resilience . I love that . Meredith , thank you for joining us today . Your journey has been such an inspiration to us , and you have shown us that it's never too late to start again , whether or not it was a forced change or one that you picked on your own accord .

Speaker 1 51:46

I mean you have reinvented not just a career but a life for yourself , and your journey is inspirational and we're just so impressed with your honesty and , obviously , your artistry . So thanks so much for being with us . Thank you all so much for having me .

Speaker 2 52:01

To our audience . Whatever life is asking you to walk away from , trust that there might be something bigger and better waiting to pair well with you wherever you're going .

Speaker 1 52:11

Absolutely . We'll see you next time .

Speaker 2 52:13

on Pairs Well With the content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only . The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only . Although your hosts are attorneys , pairs Well With does not provide legal , medical , financial or professional advice . Listening to this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship . Always seek the advice of qualified professionals regarding any specific questions or concerns you may have .