The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin

Morgan Franklin: Welcome to the
Aspiring Stylists Podcast with

Tracey Franklin. Where to begin,
grow and aspire to become the

best stylist you can be. Whether
you're thinking about becoming a

stylist opening a salon, or
developing your skills as an

experienced stylist the next
step of your beauty career

starts here. Each week we'll
discuss strategic ways to

design, plan and execute on
becoming a stylist that excels

behind the chair and above the
bottom line. Here's your host,

Tracey Franklin.

Tracey Franklin: So I'm going to
start today's episode by

reflecting back on a really
stressful time in my career,

when I felt the most burnout, it
was right before COVID I felt

like I was in this two year
slump, I was a stylist having a

really hard time being inspired.

And I was also a salon owner
struggling with recruitment,

struggling to find and add more
members to my team. I'd always

been really passionate, and I
couldn't figure out what the

issue was. I mean, I had always
been really deeply in love with

my job and my ability to make
people feel great. And although

I had experienced something
similar in the past, I don't

know that I would have
identified it as burnout. But at

this point in my career, I was
definitely feeling the burnout.

I felt like I was pouring from
an empty cup. Not to mention, I

didn't have any of the right
systems in place to run my salon

to recruit new people, I
remember how even my drive to

work would change. You know,
like in the past, it would be a

time for me to listen to music
and get amped up or listen to an

audiobook and try to feel
inspired. And there were times

during this period where I would
just drive in silence. And

sometimes I would even cry. I
just didn't feel like myself.

You know, social media had me
comparing myself, you know, not

blaming social media whatsoever.

It was definitely my thoughts
around it. But I was definitely

feeling like a little bit of
self doubt for the first time in

a long time. And I think social
media has the ability to make us

do that to give us that
comparison. But I'm just here to

tell you, you cannot compare
your journey to anyone else's.

It's so different in every
single way. But it didn't stop

me from doing that deep down
inside. I knew but I could not

stop myself, I could not stop
these thoughts around it. The

team I had at the time needed me
to snap out of it. I mean, I was

not myself, I was not the fierce
leader that they had come to

depend on me for being I knew I
had to do something I knew

something had to change, I had
to gain some inspiration and

some motivation from somewhere.

Thank God, it was time for me to
go to one of my favorite

business conventions called
serious business. I absolutely

love it. It's a great event for
salon owners and managers and

other forms of leadership. I
came back so inspired and ready

to get back at it to fall back
in love with everything. And

then after that five weeks
later, COVID hit and salons

everywhere were closed. This is
clearly not great for anyone's

mental health. You know, fear
took over not just fear for my

livelihood, but fear for my
health. Everything was just so

out of control. And everything
was just so unknown that

everywhere I looked, I was
feeling insecurity and I was

feeling scared. Seven weeks we
were closed, it went by insanely

slow. But we pivoted and I
learned a whole new respect for

connecting with people on social
media. It was all we had, we had

to show up for each other on
social media, I had to stay in

contact with our clientele with
our team with other members of

this profession, and just keep
each other sane and share the

things that we had learned and
exchange ideas on how to stay

engaged with our following
because you know, people look at

us as so much more than hair
stylists and their appointments

with us are so much more about
their self care. And without

that, I felt like I was letting
them down. You know, not being

able to do that made me feel
like I was letting them down.

Not to mention I didn't know
what to do with myself. I had

never had seven weeks off in a
row I was going absolutely

crazy. I had hired someone right
before the pandemic hit to take

over our social media and her
and I had to work really, really

close to develop interesting
ideas. It's hard to engage when

you don't have the pictures of
the work that you had relied on

for posting. I mean, that's what
we were doing. We were trying to

engage with people so they could
see the beautiful work we were

turning out and since that
wasn't an option, we had to

figure out new ways to gain
their interest. Her and I

actually became really great
friends and it is one of the

sweetest friendships a girl can
hope for. I'm so thankful for

her and I honestly do believe
that we bonded over this crisis

because everything she knew
about her job was in this you

know constant In state of
uncertainty as well, she

definitely taught me to treat it
like a business. And when I felt

like I wasn't doing it enough,
she encouraged me. And she

reminded me of the badass I am.

And I just needed somebody like
that in my life at that time. We

were also partnered with other
people that hosted webinars

about applying for PPP, and how
to get prepared for reopening

and you know, the things that
you needed to be working with

your accountant on and so many
things that we were not prepared

for. So I'm very thankful for
those partnerships and those

connections, because that was
incredible information that we

really needed at the time, shut
down for me showed me what we're

made of as a team and really, as
human beings, I felt a sense of

gratitude and unity with people
who were going through the same

thing that we were in May of
2020, we reopened and I got

super focused. You know, the
great thing about that time was

that everyone was so glad to be
back to work. everyone on my

team was so thankful to be
serving their guest again, and

the energy was just so positive.

You know, unfortunately, the
honeymoon always has to end and

the same struggles that I was
having. And my business really

started to affect me again. I
knew I needed something new to

keep me inspired. I had been
doing hair extensions for a few

years. And I actually really
loved it. But it definitely felt

like time to level up. I went to
a Bellamy masters class and

learned three new techniques and
so many better ways of doing the

services that I was already
pretty proficient in. I was

totally inspired by this new
certification. It was exactly

what I needed. I know I probably
sound like a broken record, but

I will never stop singing the
praises of continuing your

education. Burnout is real
crippling, stress is real. And

you have to figure out a way to
cope. And for a lot of artists

like myself, I find learning is
a great way for me to fill my

cup back up. And another great
way for me is creating. In

February of 2022, I decided I
was over all the recruitment

issues and created something I'm
actually really proud of, I sat

down and I wrote a curriculum
for an apprenticeship program.

And then my husband and I worked
with the state of Tennessee, and

we got it state approved. It
comes with funding and a pretty

great certificate for being the
first salon in Tennessee to do

this. So how do you know when
stylists in your own salon are

starting to burnout? What does
it look like from an owners

perspective? Well, being able to
see the signs really early is,

of course, you know best. And
it's pretty easy to do. If you

keep your eyes open, I usually
see at first in the numbers,

they stop hitting their
benchmarks, a little here and a

little there, maybe a few
clients start to drop off, their

attendance can also be somewhat
of a problem, they start

arriving late calling out you
know, just doing things that are

typically out of character for
them. A lot of them will also

start asking about changing
their schedule and mentioned

that they need more work life
balance, since I know what that

feels like, I tried to be as
understanding as possible and

meet them wherever they are and
find some solutions, you know,

so that we can find a happy
medium. A talented stylist that

is an asset to the team and is
having a temporary struggle is

definitely worth the investment
in my opinion. Now, if it

becomes more commonplace, and
they can't seem to overcome it,

it may be time for a change. And
that's okay too. It's important

that we try to understand
burnout as it pertains to the

salon professional, and what it
feels like for us outside of the

numbers. Stylists have a
responsibility to their guests,

other than just a great hair
service, we have to connect with

them, engage with them and bond
with them in ways that you

really wouldn't have to in any
other profession. They literally

tell us everything. We are there
for the good, the bad and the

ugly. And while we are with
them, we exchange energy and we

absorb it. Some of the highs and
lows that you can have as a

stylist throughout the day are
pretty intense, you know, your

morning appointment may come in,
and she may be on top of the

world. You know, she just
graduated college, she just

landed the perfect job. She's
got the best fiance ever and

life is just high after high,
you know, everyone's happy, the

conversation is positive, it
feels amazing. And then the next

client that comes in right
behind them just had a death in

their family and the energy is
really low and solemn. And you

have to just hold space for them
and let them dictate how that

appointment goes. The next one
comes in and she just caught her

man cheatin and oh my god, she
is pissed. And we're going to

spend the next three hours
talking about the other woman

and how can you do this to her?

And what about the kids and
gosh, I don't really even know

what to call that energy. But
unfortunately I have experienced

it and it is no fun. The point
that I'm trying to make is

everyone's going to come in with
something different and

throughout the day, we're gonna
have to almost do a little

cleanse in Between our guests
because if not, we can end up

taking all this energy from the
previous person into our next

appointment that can really come
off as like, you know, not

compassionate for someone if
they're going through something.

So you have to be aware of how
you're walking into the

appointment and how you're
showing up for each individual

guest. Burnout is really just
like a side effect for having an

unbalanced life, you know, 10
hour days behind the chair, six

days a week is a shortcut to
burnout, you can get there

really fast if you try to keep
that up. And I haven't even

mentioned the physical
exhaustion that comes with this

job. So if you're not taking
care of yourself physically,

then burnout will be
unavoidable. I'm not just over

here with carpal tunnel
arthritis in my back and

Crickety knees for no reason,
guys, I mean, this job takes its

toll on you physically, I have
had to overwork myself for years

for these badges of honor. So
honestly, listen to your body,

it's going to let you know when
you need some rest, nourish

yourself, take care of yourself
physically and mentally, and you

and your relationships with your
clients will be so much better

for it. This can be a high
pressure career. And I think

that we should talk about that
we should be open about that

there will be stressful days,
you're going to be under a lot

of pressure. And we have to
prepare for that we have to know

what's normal, and what's
abnormal, you know, what are

some of the normal stresses, and
when should I be worried, I

think the best way to prepare
for it is managing expectations.

Having good communication with
your guest is super critical,

you have to have a proper
consultation, or you're going to

have all this anxiety about
whether or not you have

communicated enough to deliver a
result that the guest is going

to be thrilled with. Of course,
we want them to love their hair.

But at the same time, the hair
is only going to do so much and

clients come in all the time
with really unrealistic

expectations. So you need to
have a proper consultation, or

you are just leaving far too
much room for error. You know,

you're going to feel the
pressure of meeting your client

standards. I mean, that's
normal. Of course, we want them

to be obsessed with us. However,
I'm not willing to compromise my

client's hair or my reputation
and make them happy. So if they

ask for something that's going
to take multiple processes, or

cost a lot of money or something
that just isn't possible. It's

up to me to communicate that.

You should also have policies in
place for no shows tardy clients

and clients that try to add
things last minute. These are

really unnecessary pressures
that are going to add up

throughout the day. If you don't
manage them properly. Clients

don't know what they don't know.

So make sure that your clients
know how you operate. And you

can avoid a lot of these common
stressors right from the get go.

Needless to say, feeling burnt
out isn't fun. In fact, it can

be so unfun that you want to
leave the industry forever and

some people do. It's so
important to have a strong

support system. You know, you
need people in your corner

reminding you why you love this
industry and why you shouldn't

give up on it. These people can
be fellow stylist or your boss,

good friends or close family it
doesn't really matter. But you

need to have these allies. The
important thing to remember is

that you're not alone. So
really, really lean into your

people, chronic stress and other
really unfun thing that can lead

to a whole slew of mental and
physical symptoms, including,

you know, high blood pressure,
heart attack or stroke, panic

attacks, depression, so many
things come from trying to take

on too much. So none of that
obviously sounds fun either. And

this is where you are really
going to have to advocate for

yourself and really make sure
you have some healthy boundaries

in place. You should be very
selective to who has access to

you and when. If you're feeling
overwhelmed by clients popping

into your DMS, then direct them
to your front desk staff or ask

them to contact you during
normal business hours.

Boundaries, guys get some. It's
so important that whenever

possible work stays at work.

Taking your work home and you're
stressed out on your loved ones

isn't who you want to be. So
decide what your hours of

operation are and stick to them.

The people waiting for you to
get home at night deserve the

version of you that sees value
and setting aside time just for

them. Let's talk about some
practical strategies like self

care, setting boundaries,
working on your time management,

and even seeking professional
help if necessary. So self care

looks different to different
people and there is no wrong way

to honor yourself. So just make
sure you're carving out some

time on that busy schedule just
for you. I personally enjoy

walking my dog in nature
spending time near any body of

water. I love time with my
girlfriends in date nights with

my husband and I also have a
massage booked every other

Saturday for the rest of my
life. And as we previously

discussed this industry takes
its toll on us physically So I'm

really here to tell you that a
good massage can definitely work

out some of those kinks. I also
believe a little structure can

go a long way, staying organized
and keeping a calendar of events

are two easy ways to reduce the
stress in your life. Literally

nothing stresses me out, like
realizing I forgot about an

important event or double booked
myself. Again, I'm still working

on this one. And most important,
please never underestimate the

benefits of professional help.

Talking things out with someone
that you are paying not to judge

you is actually pretty
effective. Your fellow stylist

should be a great resource for
you. If you have found your

tribe and you are in the right
place with the right people,

then lean into that and borrow
their strength when you don't

have enough of your own to get
through these tough times. Talk

to your more seasoned members of
the team and leadership, be

honest about how you're feeling,
they will understand because

they have been there at some
point in their career, and they

have come out on the other side,
there is something very unique

about sharing your struggles
with someone who fully

understands them and seeing them
come out of it on the other side

will give you hope and reassure
you that this won't last

forever. And there are things
that you can do to make it

better. When I feel the stress
building up or the burnout

starting to set in, I start
managing it right away with some

of the things that I mentioned
earlier, I learned a new skill,

opening my mind to a fresh take
on an old service really

reignites my passion for my
craft, and it gives me something

to be excited about. And we all
need that from time to time. I

love to create so I create
something for me, it's usually

something related to my
business, but for you and maybe

painting or restoring an old
piece of furniture. Something

happens when you create
something it is a beautiful

distraction from the things that
may be overwhelming us. A big

one for me is spending time in
nature. Being outside anywhere

really, really grounds me and
forces me to literally breathe

in fresh air and feel gratitude
for creation and how remarkable

it truly is. I like my feet in
the sand and the sun on my face.

But sometimes that's not
possible. And a simple nature

walk we'll have to do. Lastly,
unplug. Take some time just for

you doing whatever it is you
want to do. Binge a show on

Netflix, go get a pedicure, buy
that cute top in the window.

Treat yourself to an ice cream
cone personally is one of my

favorites. Literally anything
that brings you joy that doesn't

have anything to do with
responding to messages from

clients or worrying about the
week ahead. So Are things

getting too overwhelming? I
mean, how do you really know

what are the signs, if you open
up your schedule, and you feel

overwhelmed, that is a sign. If
being super booked doesn't hold

the same appeal to you as it
used to then you're probably

taking on too much. There is a
fine line between your career

taking off and your book filling
up and feeling accomplished. And

being overworked and seeing
nothing on your schedule other

than serving others all day
long. What used to bring you joy

can easily stress you out if
your life is out of balance.

Maybe it's time to reconfigure
your schedule. Or maybe it's

time to have the talk with those
clients that loom over your

schedule like a dark cloud.

Again, boundaries are one of
your most important assets when

it comes to living a balanced
life. Maybe it's even time to

reinvent yourself within the
industry. I've pivoted through

the industry so many times went
from you know, aspiring stylist

to successful stylist to salon
owner and educator and now

school owner and businesswoman.

I have absolutely loved every
single season of it. It has

definitely been about the
journey for me, and I'm not even

done. This is not where I land.

I don't know that I'll ever land
because I love the idea of being

in the middle of something that
just keeps getting bigger and

bigger and bigger. But maybe it
is time for a bigger change and

the industry is no longer one
you can see yourself in. That's

okay. People change lanes all
the time. And it is okay.

Listen, I am not a mental health
professional. And I know that a

lot of times as stylists, we try
to make light of things and

we'll joke sometimes about how
it might feel to be overwhelmed

and that we feel like we're
constantly overworked and not in

love with what we're doing
anymore. But you know, at the

end of the day, this is your
life. This is the only one you

get. And no matter what happens,
you are loved and the world is a

better place with you in it. So
please take care of yourselves.

Morgan Franklin: Thank you for
joining us on this episode of

The Aspiring Stylist Podcast
with Tracey Franklin. If you

enjoyed listening and you want
to hear more, make sure you

subscribe on Apple Podcast,
Spotify or wherever you find

your podcasts. The Aspiring
Stylist Podcast with Tracey

Franklin is a Morgan Franklin
Production. Today's episode was

written and produced by Morgan
Franklin editing and n by Mike

Franklin. Want to find out more
about Tracey and the Aspiring

Barber and Beauty Academy go to
aspirebarberandbeauty.com