Asking & Answering the Hard Questions Faced by Craft Hairdressers & Industry Leadership
Welcome to HAIRCRAFT Podcast
I sometimes do not know where to start articulating why these conversations are so important, so I hold myself back. I’ve often felt like an outsider in the industry for not fully buying into the status quo. From the beginning of my career, I’ve struggled with my relationship to it, and to the expectations I always felt it had for me that directly conflicted with who I truly am and the kind of life I want to live.
I want to live in a more beautiful world; one that is more connected, compassionate and centered and that nurtures us by truly encouraging our unique self-expression. I want to live in a less wasteful, less consumerist society; a less superficial society; a less misogynistic society; one that is emotionally intelligent, respectful of diversity, and encourages radiance and warmth. I would love to see artists and creatives getting paid well for their contributions.
As beauty professionals, we get to choose what trends to embrace and carry forward, and which to reject. This is a big responsibility and an honor to be protected. We need to be creative, and aware.
We can’t stay creative and aware if we’re working inefficiently and unintentionally. If we aren’t well, creative and aware, we aren’t as beautiful (and I think that’s what’s driving me right now- it’s fucked up that we compromise ourselves in ways that conflict directly with our livelihood!).
Beauty is not a superficial means to an end. Beauty is art, it’s expression; it’s vitality!
Almost a decade ago I started asking challenging (and mostly very stressful tbh) questions:
What actually matters to me?
Why did beauty call to me from the very beginning?
What could be possible if we elevated this entire industry beyond anything it’s ever been?
Could we lead massive cultural improvements through this work?
What if we could nurture our spirits by intentionally designing a beauty career that supports the lifestyle we want to live?
Through massive trial and error, I have learned that to seek an answer, we need to know very specifically what question we are asking, which means we have to learn to see what we are missing.
When I left my corporate career building cosmetic & aesthetics businesses and set off on this entrepreneurial journey, I began consulting for salons and spas, which quickly evolved into business coaching for service professionals.
The experience has been so curious because what it revealed to me is that it’s the day-to-day stuff that we need the most support with. It’s designing systems to support the weight of the responsibilities, and learning to move intentionally in the midst of chaos. It’s the soft skills, the relational skills of communication, empathy and boundaries.
The evolution of a new project is one of my favorite things. I am unsure what shape this platform will take, but I know that it will be executed with the intent to support hairdressers in navigating whatever comes up, being compassionate leaders, and creating a career that supports them fully.
I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to figure out how to present this information impactfully to the people who are looking for answers; I am hoping that by conversing in this free-flowing fashion, the listener will receive answers to questions they didn’t know to ask.
I hope you’ll subscribe and get involved in the conversation.
With Respect,
Kelsey Furlong
Professional Services
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Check Out My Other Projects
Nurturing Nuance is my newsletter where I write about the human experience. I’m prone to writing about emotions, society, general concepts & (sometimes pop) culture.
Virtuish Podcast is an ongoing conversation about doing the best we can with what we’ve got.