How I began teaching Independent hair color education

 My husband and I were teen ministry leaders for our church...I had lived that life for 8 FULL years. It had been my life since my mid college years. Although I finished my degree, mid way through school when I was asked if I wanted to go into the ministry full time to help be a support to teen girls, I 100% gave up pursuing my career to pursue giving my heart and support to helping these girls feel a positive encouragement to live their best lives. Three years in, I married my husband who also made the decision to be full time in the ministry. So, together we spent our lives hanging with high schoolers, giving inspirational lessons (I hope), traveling abroad and across the USA, having our apartment be a revolving door full of teens and Bible studies...and coffee...because, well, we loved coffee lol!

 After the 8th year, our international church went through a MAJOR crisis. Things needed to change and well, God has a tendency to shake things up that need it. The church leadership changed, money was no longer being given because support and trust dwindled. There were financial cuts that needed to be made and we were a part of that madness.

 So, 8 months into my 1st successful pregnancy, two months after buying our first house and one month before Christmas, we found ourselves jobless. Good times!

 After the initial shock, I found myself in the hospital in the high risk unit for 3 weeks on bed rest while my husband spent his days pursuing his job hunt. He wound up taking on a full commission sales job and I ended up being a stay at home mom while we shared the one car we had. If you were not aware, ministry work doesn't pay much. We definitly hit the bottom of the ocean floor financially. He was out during the day chasing leads and I was at home with the newborn avoiding the phone calls from bill collectors (We had land lines back then). It was messy...very messy.

 After a few years of the same and one more kiddo later, I took on a part time mall job at Bath & BodyWorks. I called it my sanity job lol! That didn't last long...my pride couldn't handle having a college degree and getting paid minimum wage.

 I remember crying one day to my friend, Mary Tilton.  Telling her I was tired of wearing hand me down clothes, being stuck in t-shirts and yoga pants all day and I needed an out.  Well, she gave me one for sure!

 The hair salon she worked at was looking for part time help at the front desk.  Well...no way!! I knew the salon.  My old college roomie was a hairdresser there, I had been a client there a few times and Mary was training to be a hairdresser there too.  SCORE!  So I made the 45 minute drive to interview there.  When you're desperate for a change, what's a daily 45 minute drive anyway!? Well, found out a few days later that hope was still alive.  I got the job!! Whoop whoop!  I started and absolutely loved it.  I loved the energy, the people, the industry.  I felt alive again.

 After a few months, I was asked if I wanted to apprentice to become a hairdresser.  At the time my girls were 3 and 4 years old and the job was 45 minutes away.  I said no because I needed to put my girls first.  I spent the next 4 years part time at that front desk.  In the midst of that, I started a side hustle of creating a jewelry business because my creative side needed an outlet.  Didn't tell you, but I started my college career at The Fashion Institute Of Technology in Manhattan and ended with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Industry at Georgia State University.  Art and business apparently are my jam.

 There was definitely a time while working that front desk that I said I never wanted to do hair.  I saw the stress the hairdressers felt at times and some of the things they had to deal with and I said, NO WAY!  But life has a funny way of twisting and turning.  After 4 years there, my girls were a little older, The finances were still a struggle, and hairdresser life looked a little more appealing.  Sooooo...I did it.  I jumped head first into training.  I was scared.  

 Starting a second career at 38 where people were "old school" by the time they hit their 40's was a bit intimidating lol!  Remember, most hairdressers start in the biz at 18 or 19.  At my age, they had already been doing hair for 20 years.  I was definitely behind the ball and I felt it!  I became what my manager called a "heat seeking missile of hair color education".  I didn't just want to learn what to do, I needed to learn all the deets on why things worked the way they did. I'm a total "why" girl.  

 As I started to dive deeper into my training I realized there were pieces missing in the education on how and why to use the chemicals I was using.  I thought, If I’m going to walk away with a Master of Cosmetology license, why do they make it SO hard to find the information you need to Master this!?  

 So, I went on a hunt to find it and the people who could teach it to me.  I ran into the likes of David Velasco, Dennis Gebhart, Mags Kavanaugh, Gary Call, and John Halal .  These guys knew the inside scoop and so I learned it from them. I took their hair color classes, I read their books, I asked the questions, I trained in it thru experience and I've even gotten to teach with some of them.  I came up with my own way to communicate hair color formulation in a simple and clear way, so that we can reach more and more hairdressers.  There is A LOT of work to do in our industry.  Too many hairdressers are left uncertain and confused in their chemistry and color theory.  Our mission with the education company I created, Colors With Chemistry, is to help as many as we can.  If the information is available, there’s absolutely no reason anyone should get left behind!