Hollywood's Secret Hairdresser: The Untold Story Behind The Hunger Games with Cherry Petenbrink

[00:00:00] Oh my god Paula I have the most amazing course I'm gonna be doing it's the perfect one-link haircut and the perfect blow-dry I'm gonna be selling out shit left and right this course is gonna be fucking amazing just wait until I get it out there Jason not relevant real hairdressers telling real stories about their experiences from behind the salon chair and we are now saying the quiet parts out loud this is Sh!t I Told My Hairdresser hairdresser how you doing Paula

[00:00:49] I'm doing great Jason how's your day good look at me I got a new haircut like it I like it a lot telling you Jared at the keep thank you dude for fucking hooking it up again you guys go and blow them up it's to keep in Seattle go take out Jared's amazing anyhow you guys thank you so much subscribe to us on Apple podcast on Spotify all us on tick tock tell us your stories guys we want to go through and hurt little ears out there so we keep

[00:01:18] keep telling everybody about it so you guys been an awesome job with that he has been letting us know on Instagram that you're following us and you're telling your friends so we really do appreciate that keep the podcast going tell more people about it so we can get more information out to you guys and having said that we have one of my old friends from back from LA we have Cherry you want to say your last name is I always screw it up even though super easy

[00:01:46] it's Petenbrink very fine Pete and Brink Pete and Brink yep this is a woman who now she done movie you've seen her work without knowing you've seen her work Cherry is just awesome she's she's gonna mention something we're gonna talk about that we're gonna talk about some of the hair shows because she's like work for some of the big brand names out there Joico Olivia Garden the woman you're doing everything and so we want to kind of bring you on and talk about that

[00:02:15] and and uh just tell everyone a little bit about you Cherry how you got started and moving to LA yeah well thanks first for having me because this is always exciting um I kind of love to share my story because I know there's a lot of people out there that are just waiting to be inspired and they're just almost waiting for like permission for you to say like this can happen for you like this could be your career

[00:02:39] right yeah and I was one of those people so I am married 39 years I have three grown children seven grandchildren and uh my husband was in the navy my father was also air force so I have lived in so many places I've been licensed in seven states um a couple states multiple times because I gave it up in California and then I went back thinking I didn't know that I wouldn't go back so

[00:03:03] um so even some states multiple times but really what inspired me from the very beginning to become a hairdresser is that my mother did hair and so back in like the 60s and 70s it was very common for us to have wig heads all around the house with the balls or the little hair toppers and she would get everyone set for the weekend so they could get those big beehives going and stuff and it was normal for me it's like well her friends would bring the hair she would set it and

[00:03:32] you know go for it and then my aunt was also uh my mother was British she didn't ever get her license here in the U.S. so she kind of was doing that on the side as a little side gig which I love that about our industry because there's been times when it was my side gig too you know I was waiting for my license to come through and I was doing people in my laundry room and kitchen you know doing their hair so and then my aunt was also a hairdresser

[00:03:57] my dad's sister-in-law and she had the most happening salon in our little town and as I grew older and then we moved there when I started high school I would go into her salon and it was like the happiest place on the planet it was back when the women smoked and they'd be having a cocktail like martinis under the dryer with their rollers in and I was like I'm addicted I want to be in this environment aren't you surprised this didn't blow up with all the hairspray and the gel and shit I'm surprised it didn't just like blow up

[00:04:26] the fumes like the fumes of the chemicals and then under a dryer and then smoking and then a martini it's like what an environment right um very different from today but the women were always happy it was like that was their time you know they were there they weren't in a rush like just do my hair this is my time every week right so I loved what she had created so my parents wanted me to go to community college

[00:04:52] first so I went to a state college locally hated it failed didn't go to class it was a like I'm just gonna go to work I'm just gonna pick up more hours at work because I enjoy work so I got a gig at my big it was a mega grocery store before like the big mega grocery stores and I got to be in charge of the health and beauty aisle so while working there the manager his wife actually was the uh

[00:05:19] administration for the beauty school in town and she's she kept she would see me and work and we got to know each other and she's like why don't you just come here go to school I can get you financial aid da da da well I didn't well end up qualifying for financial aid so I worked my way to beauty school which I would recommend because the harder you work and the more you're challenged the more you appreciate what you end up with right yeah so all through school and let me tell you guys there were days I mean I'd be out

[00:05:45] all night on a Friday night and I'd go home and sleep three hours and my boy golly I was up and at school on Saturday morning performing and it was really the only time that I really shined I mean here I was already 19 years old and I'm like this was my moment to shine I didn't do great in school I was not athletic I didn't push sports or do any of that but I was like student of the month I was producing and doing the most clients and building the clientele at beauty school you know so I was like a star

[00:06:15] student I was in my environment so I knew I made the right choice I just knew it and so anyway that's kind of how it all started and then I I moved to Florida and get to your LA days because those were like that's where really really boomed you know what I mean so my husband's about to finish his 20 year career as a Navy the mariner and he's like you have followed me around for 20 years I met him

[00:06:41] right out of boot camp he's like where do you want to go what do you want to do it's your turn cool how beautiful is that and he is the most lovely guy we've had lunch together before I remember when we first had that stuff over in Santa Monica yes the nicest guy I'm telling you listen I wouldn't have my career if it wasn't for his support you know honestly he's been so supportive he's my number one fan he's the one that starts all the conversations with you know my wife is or my wife

[00:07:07] has done this and you know I'm always like honey just stay on the down low so anyway he's like it's your turn what do you want to do well I'd go on to LA I took a course with Susan Lipson called Onset Hair she still has something going on online so look her up if you you know if it's something you're interested in but um so she she walks you through so I'm a salon owner I have a very successful salon 31 employees commission full service salon and spa

[00:07:32] and a barber shop I have four barbers I've got a full spa all of this going on and I just said to my husband you know what I think it's time I try something different and challenge myself the the salon business was plateauing it was 2008 oh my gosh we all remember that year right yeah so I actually sold my salon we did almost a million dollars in services uh it was like gross that year but it was

[00:08:00] like I could see it plateauing and I'm like it's time to either trim the fat move into a smaller space do whatever we got to work this out through this recession or we just start over and that's what we did we sold our house we sold our business we put our two girls my son was already he's already enlisted in the military and the girl said let's go and off we went to LA so at the time I did have a job the job fell through my husband had a job and his job fell through oh shit so we moved there and I

[00:08:27] find out my corporate jaw with a brand that I worked for for many years has decided they're gonna go a different route and I was like when I moved here like what do you mean we're going a different route and his job he's a because he's nuclear electrician from being on nuclear subs he had a job at a power plant that gave me a pink slip the day he checked in because the plant decided or got shut down so

[00:08:53] and that's been known right when that was happening right when I met you yep so I had friends at that time I was with a different brand I had friends at Goldwell they were opening their academy on right off of the third street promenade a block from the beach and the Lynette was her name and Lynette said I want you to come on board I mean I want you I want to get you hired I want you to run the academy and the salon and you know do all of that and he did and then shortly after I was hired

[00:09:21] she left so not only did I take on this new role but I took on her role until she could kind of be not replaced but you know somebody else to come in but it worked out great and let me tell you that was the biggest challenge probably of my life I mean owning my salon that was one thing but when you get into the corporate world and all of a sudden all of that shit is on your shoulders yeah you're just like whoa there's no room for failure because it's not personal anymore you know

[00:09:48] so you have to prove yourself day in and day out but you saw the the Goldwell Academy it was gorgeous I got in just as it was getting ready to open so I I got in at the point that there was all the stuff like all the last minute things this isn't working that isn't working this isn't right this isn't right and and I'm working with all these contractors and I first time in the corporate world and I'm just like what is going on like how am I even doing this I'm a hairdresser like what are we doing

[00:10:16] but in the end we opened it was hugely successful the beautiful salon beautiful academy and it was it was great but those were probably some very stressful years in my life and then from there I had already taken the course I'd already worked on a film I'd already left Georgia and gone several times to LA to work on films and the interesting part was it's before the film industry went to Atlanta so even though I was I was about four hours out of Atlanta in a sleepy little town on the water that was a

[00:10:45] nuclear submarine base secret submarine base right um nothing was going on there so I move all the way to LA only for everything to shift that's that's your job in the end you got great jobs in LA though you killed it let's talk about what happened yeah I hosted a class this is the so I'm trying to get to the real beginning so I I hosted a class at the academy for the union hairdressers a friend of mine in

[00:11:15] the union that I had taken the course with um that was actually assisting the person doing the course name was Sherry Baker she got me on our union a non-union film that was going to flip right to union so she's like this is going to be quick you're just going to automatically be eligible for union was this the SAG union yeah to be in the 70 the yeah 706 so so anyway so I went I flew out for six

[00:11:41] weeks did the movie you know did all of that canceled out in my books which I also did by the way to audition for shared genius back in the day when that show only to fly to LA to say well we've made a choice of 12 and you're not one of them so they flew you right home after I'd rescheduled lucky you got so you got really lucky I think I dodged a bullet I do yeah I know you are very well from other people on the show but it was just interesting because I rescheduled a month worth

[00:12:08] of clients I very booked both to only have to go home with my tail between my legs and be like hey oh you didn't you won you won you won we know people are on that show too yeah do we know them so so anyway so then that is not a tip up there so then we took we hosted a union class at the academy and so that is what I think was really a turning point so hosting that class and having all

[00:12:32] those union people come in and we did a corrective color presentation cutting styling and all basically we're promoting bold well but what happened is it promoted me because I did color corruption and all of this and they were all like oh my god we want you to do our actors and our actresses for these character makeovers and stuff and that's when it kind of took off so I never joined the union because I never really I have a hard time being a part of that like my whole family's military and I'm like

[00:13:01] yeah no I'm not doing that I don't like to be told what to do I like to just kind of do my thing and go with the flow of course I obviously respect all of them right because they're a big part of my life but I was like you happen to wear that uniform every day I'm having a certain haircut and your boots polished and not kind of for me I'm very eclectic right so it it just worked out so I started working

[00:13:25] with some really big union people that were personals to some big actors so I don't want to take all the credit and luck has nothing to do with it because you have to perform at the end of the day oh fuck yeah you have to deliver you may get you may get lucky to be in a situation but what you do with that situation has nothing to do with luck you cannot fall on luck when it comes to that you're

[00:13:50] working on a ten thousand dollar wig that you're coloring for a academy oscar winning after and if you mess it up one time that's it there will be no stepping chances so you know and so I think at some point I grabbed on that challenge you know I'd have a wig overnight into me from a set in another state or another country and then I'd have like six hours to refresh it and get it back in overnight

[00:14:18] for them to have you know when they needed to shoot if it was like the hero wig so that was a very exciting time and while doing that I was working with three different brands doing hair shows photo shoots trainings all of that and I had a studio in Beverly Hills on Wilshire and San Vicente where I saw clients wow Jesus Christ yeah 10 years see that's what it takes when I tell people like they say oh I

[00:14:48] want to go work in LA I go go do it go do it do it Mike I give you one I'll give you one year if you can't make it a one year it's that yeah because let me tell you it takes more than just wanting to work in LA no one's gonna walk through the door and go oh you're the new hairdresser you're it oh yeah you're cute or you're pretty or you're funny or you're whatever you're hot no none of that matters it doesn't none of it doesn't matter without the talent it doesn't matter

[00:15:15] right you have to show up and I think that's a big thing too it's like accountability and a lot of people they they they just have a hard time with showing up like you don't get to reschedule you know if if I had a deadline like this wig needs to be colored refreshed and sent back to Tennessee let's say you know for where they're shooting or New Orleans or Atlanta or wherever it might be or we're gonna fly you when can you come you have to be able to drop of a hat I mean

[00:15:42] my husband again thank God for his support because I'd be like oh my god they want me to fly to Atlanta and he'd be like go go I'd get on a red eye I work all day I'd get on another red eye and come home and then I'd go to my studio or I'd go home and pack and go to a show somewhere you know yeah and that's what I did I mean it was great I ride on it I have no regrets but it's a lot you know at some point you start saying okay at some point you do have to prioritize right you

[00:16:10] prioritize and you say okay what's probably my most passionate what am I it's not ever to me it's never been about the money it's never been about what I get monetarily obviously that helps I want my bills paid because I'm not going to work for free but I never thought in my head like I'm gonna make blah blah blah if I do da da da you know it's it was just part of it it just rolled

[00:16:34] in and well you know you just did it yeah so I mean it was a very exciting time in life you know that I don't sometimes I look back now that I have a more quiet life and I'm like hell of that but I do that oh absolutely I know what that's like yeah also I had I mean my girl still needed me my son he's pretty self-sufficient boys are but like my girl still needed me they were just starting to have children

[00:17:01] you know things were just changing in our lives and it was like you know I I gonna weigh all that out too I don't want to miss every anniversary I don't want to miss every birthday I don't want to miss every everything everything you know I would Easter Sunday I was at an actor's house up in Malibu yeah and it you know something went wrong with his uh just for men and guess who showed up to

[00:17:27] save the day on Easter Sunday yeah but that's our industry though our industry is very malleable you can really make anything we want out of it and if you change your mind and say okay I'm heading in this direction this industry is vast and you have those choices yeah it's true who did yeah okay you might as well I want to go through and tell people whose wigs and hair and color did you do who who's your your most the ones you're most proud of that you've done that you really probably

[00:17:54] I would say the most iconic I don't know that I'm definitely just like proud of it but the most iconic was Effie for the Hunger Games oh I was wondering who did that I was wondering I just now I did the color I colored it but my the person that hired me uh she was a very dear friend at the time Linda Flowers she hired me for Hunger Games so she was department head she got the job she told me she

[00:18:20] was going to you know try for it and because they still audition kind of I think and they said what they can do budget and I can do this next I was already very much getting into all that fashion color stuff because they were just coming on the market right and it wasn't mainstream but I knew that maybe it could be mainstream which I think at some point it did become very mainstream like you walk to the airport and it'd be like one two three four women and then five blue hair one two three four five oh

[00:18:48] purple hair one two three four pink hair you know it became very very now I think it's kind of long off a little with certain demographics but it's still very popular my best friend lives in Chicago she's my age and she's purple and blue all the time and I mean so some for some people it never goes away it's just who she is right that is for her personality so I mean I do think that it really set off this whole

[00:19:13] trend of like it becoming mainstream so doing Effie's hair was very iconic because she is an icon right an icon now it was styled you know of course by Linda and the accessories and stuff was hers as the as her personal and the department head but but the coloring of it I was just like wow we had to read the book so when I got hired she's like you already do all of this I want you to do it can you give me samples so I

[00:19:39] gave her a bunch of different samples and hair pieces and wigs which goes back to what I was telling you about the company that wants to hire me to do a training for their team you know on wigs and hair and hair uh and uh extensions and stuff so I sent her with a plethora of different ideas and different things like cool combinations and ombres and you know all that stuff like you know kaleidoscope colors oil slits like you name it you know and of course it passed with playing colors so then

[00:20:08] I was hired and I set up my kitchen I didn't do it in my studio because I had to be able to do clients so what I did is I again thank you husband thank you Steve I set the kitchen up and it was all plastic and I had an opening for the stove I had an opening for the microwave and I left the plastic there for like probably two three weeks and it was just this constant because we had all that capital hair we had to do so it was wigs and hair pieces and extensions that we could make into the deep waves and

[00:20:37] all this stuff and it's like in my free time that's what I would do oh about three hours let me just color a few pieces and then back in the box it would go and then I flew out to uh North Carolina to Asheville I did I did Jennifer's makeover so I did Jennifer from uh she is a beautiful natural blonde with highlights to the brunette and again what went into that was insane she went on set

[00:21:02] and they they paid thousands of dollars to rent a bunch of wigs in different brunettes and different color combinations I was not present for it and so all I got was pictures and it's like this is the look this is the color we want and I'm like well it's a screenshot on my phone like how am I supposed to know really what it was like but I did it I pulled it off she came into the salon it was very

[00:21:26] secretive I was working at Marco Pelusi on uh there on um it's right by the um Vanderpump and um oh what's that other place on Robertson uh across a little bit Christian Louboutin was next four yeah yeah yeah and then Vanderpump had a restaurant here and then further down it was that I can't even think of the name I can't believe I can't think of the name that really really iconic gay bar that's

[00:21:52] right there um on the corner oh I don't what can I think of it oh the app not the abbey yes yeah yeah yeah so Marco's salon was right on that street so it was like the abbey Christian Louboutin Vanderpump and then he had this like Hollywood you know what I mean it's like he still was there he's still there it's a wow an amazing spot so I was renting a station down from him I'd let the uh

[00:22:18] Boldwell Academy and I was working independently she came in on a Sunday they it was very adamant like no one else can be in the salon no one else can be there it has to be this time quiet Sunday afternoon that that stretch is not busy she came in on a big sun hat and it was funny because it's before she was really well known even though she'd been nominated for an Oscar they said you know nobody should know she's coming in you can't tell anybody and she was she was joking about it she's

[00:22:44] like nobody knows who I am nobody cares and they're making it all this big deal and I'm like girl you have no idea what's about to happen you have no idea blows up right so like a week later there's all over TMZ and E! Entertainment it's Jennifer in the airport with brunette hair and they're like she's Katniss she has to be Katniss she had to be cats and I'm just like oh I know because I didn't

[00:23:09] I transformed her so then I went out to the North Carolina and I worked through the uh rest of the filming pretty much yeah and and then I the best part about the Hunger Games too I think that makes it really personal is my daughter's a hairdresser as well and she got to come out with me and work through the whole film in fact she stayed on when I had to go home for other obligations after a few months she stayed on through the end of the filming doing the actors and kind of stepped in you know

[00:23:37] so I'm very proud of her for that so yeah that's awesome thanks for her so you're saying this was very easy to do right this was like you just woke up one morning and it was right exactly listen I went into it thinking it was going to be fun right oh my kitchen look it's like the set Dexter and this is fun and then when I got to North Carolina and realized like the first film you know

[00:24:02] there wasn't a big budget so it was like all this capital hair that had to be we had a we had a like a zip line with like baggies and wigs snap to it that I mean it was a huge thing like every background actor had to come in and they had to be you know labeled like they had a number and then we'd have the zip line and we'd be pulling it to get their rig and their hair pieces for the continuity every day I mean we were on an old abandoned tobacco factory and we were on the third floor with our

[00:24:31] hair department there was no air con we had the windows open we're talking July in North Carolina fans pulling you're sweating your butt off and you're like why am I here why am I here but every night you go home you sleep well and you'd wake up ready for the next like challenge the next day and I loved it it was amazing you know and I think it really in some ways I think to have that happen

[00:24:56] early on in my like film you know sort of like say participation it kind of ruined me because after that I was like what's going to be better than that like how how are we topping it how are we making something more challenging than this it's not going to happen you know it's not going to happen so something leads me to believe you're not one to sit back on your laurels and just go okay no

[00:25:22] no no it was above and beyond you know in the days we were off we were at the local store hair store wig store you know they all every town has one you know where they sell the braiding hair and everything else and you're just recycling and replenishing and rebuilding and recreating more and more and more but I had almost the truth of it is like I had probably um there was almost 500 background people

[00:25:49] and everyone had to have some kind of splash of color of something to look very just for beer and they didn't cgi anything in the first one after that they kind of you know there was a bigger budget and things could change but in the first one there was not a lot of cgi and I I kid you not they brought in 40 union hair and makeup people of each whoa and it was an assembly line to prep everybody for the

[00:26:12] like arena scenes and that interview scenes and that scenes of the capital and um it so so it was it was big I mean it was really it was very organized yeah and I just mean everybody had to be and also know everybody had to be taken down and the wings had to be properly blocked or you know saved for the next day so we had I mean it was that you know that had to happen as well yeah and be respectful

[00:26:39] because not everybody did the same person on the same day but the it's funny because the original like the costume designer that was that one hair and makeup fell under costume design which I don't think it does anymore I think it's a separate it's separate yeah yeah yeah but that that it was under one so Juliana was like she was the like with her being costume design she was like over everything

[00:27:03] so every time I did one of the background actors they had to go down in the elevator to her in the costume department and get approved and you know you want to talk about an eagle crush she she talked because at the end of the day it comes up on her and her reputation her name so I mean I respect it I respect that I have no I never had any hard feelings but let me tell you there were there was moments that I was just like what else can I do I'm sorry that I've repeated something I did

[00:27:32] five days ago but we got a lot of people here I'm seeing 50 people a day and you have to prove it come back up and they'd be like prom 1960 uh tea party blah blah blah you know what I'm like just want to cry but I'm like okay keep it together and just focus you know figure something else out wow that is a lot of work we worked with a lot of Paul Mitchell students that I have to also give

[00:28:00] them props that were there at the time I mean I can't remember obviously everybody's name but there was a Paul Mitchell school there that was literally like sending him senior students to a princess and help like they were donating their time of course what a great experience for them so then each day it was kind of like okay who's coming do they know the routine or they have to you have to give them the spiel like you know that kind of stuff you know a lot of hands

[00:28:25] meet pins go get that piece go do that can you make these hard waves testing their skills as well because you have to delegate you can't do it all yourself so you have to delegate and the rest of the crew that that's for sure and the rest of the crew was out in the woods you know chasing them during the all the fighting scenes you know that were out in the Asheville woods in Asheville mountains while we were back in Charlotte by the Marlboro uh yeah abandoned tobacco factory

[00:28:53] you know and it was also everything was cherry nothing you know beyond social media so one of the other reasons we brought you on is that you had this like dual life you know what I mean so it's not just like LA doing the hair on actors and actresses changing them up but now you're still doing education and you work for some of the bigger names you know and one of the things that I wanted to talk

[00:29:21] to you about was like what in the fuck is going on with the hair shows now I know what the fuck is I know I you know I don't know yeah I've been seeing some of them online and it's it's it seems like the same shit show but elevated right right it seemed like back in the day we would go in all of like the tchotchke shit was in the very back of the show and now they're all the way up front and they're selling

[00:29:48] the fake Gucci watches and purses and and I'm like what as soon as you walk in you're like am I at the swap meet or am I at the hair show I know I know and you know this the biggest thing about the those two it used to be about deals like you go and attend a show because you also knew you could get deals you were going to get the best blow dryer for a discounted price none of that's going on any I mean there's not that either so I feel like they need to be it needs to kind of turn around and

[00:30:17] start being more appealing for the hairdressers of what what are they going to get back you know what are they getting back if they're not getting back like true education they can use in the salon true business advice they can use in the salon discounted on supplies that they use every day so that their profit margins can grow and it's things like you know it's all the things and it's hard I mean

[00:30:41] I went to premiere and I luckily I got to um I just got to be there and then I went to Naha and and again I mean I have my belt on that as well but it's like I went to some of the main stage and I thought you know I'm just gonna sit here and just be a student for a day and I'm gonna sit here for like three hours and watch three things happening and I it was just kind of like this is what I felt like I was watching

[00:31:05] when I was a beginning educator still you know early on my education life it's like almost like things just keep getting regurgitated but it's the same thing or they call it a new name it's like what are we calling it crazy I'm braid balayage you know we're transitioning I mean we for a while we called it recession hair because people couldn't afford to get it retouched organically yeah I remember yeah right and it was like yeah now it's a balayage because they can't afford to

[00:31:33] come in that's not a technique so then we were trying to mimic what natural reg you know outgrowth would look like to mimic the looks of people that just weren't having their hair done I mean that's how that's how it's evolving you know I I just think I think we need another another Sassoon another Muscalos another you know we need one of these great people to come a ball on that just really like makes you think like why am I doing this and this is amazing not just like

[00:32:03] watch me go and hair's flying and I you know I'm doing this or I'm doing that why are you doing it and why is that happening and how is that happening and what are the foundations of why it happens you know and I don't know just something different you'd go to the shows you show short long medium crazy fist that by level asymmetric like all these things going on now you go and it's just like everything's kind of the same you're not getting education is they're just

[00:32:29] trying to go through and get you to buy their stuff it's not yeah you're right it was like back in the day even when I was with my mom when I was a kid you know I mean I would drag me to the shows and she would get all the deals so you could test it out and get it at a better price and then see if you still wanted to buy it later on then distributor would come to your salon and see if you wanted to carry the line and you're saying that doesn't happen anymore it's just kind of like here it is problem is who the brands don't the brands are not developing relationships anymore with the

[00:32:59] hairdresser I remember when I had my salon in 08 I sold my salon at 08 which is crazy to think about but I'm telling you I would have representation from the brands I carried Dale's reps they would take me well they would offer to take me out for lunch I was too busy being a business one and doing hair so I'd be like I don't need lunch whatever else you can do for me you know give me a few samples that I can give out to clients whatever but they were all about that I mean that they

[00:33:26] were whining and dining and they wanted your business and there was a relationship and one of the biggest things I hear from hairdressers now is that there's no there's no brand loyalty on the brand or the person okay which whatever works but I just think about how nice it was the perks of being a part of the brand not as an educator or an artist but as a salon owner it was perks you know there were perks

[00:33:52] they'd come in and be like hey let me do your inventory today and let you know what you got and what need and they would just go in your back room and make things pretty uh fix things up and let you know you know and there's just none of that anymore and and so many again I mean I hate I'm not trying to dog on the influencers because good on them they found this niche and it's working for a lot of people but at the same time it's like it's no loyalty go do some hair on stage you know I mean I well I've had

[00:34:21] some experiences Jason that I I mean I'm never going to name names but I will say this that they wanted to come with me I agreed to mentor and have them come and do a like a live class or a live stage with me and I'm like great it'll be nice for me because they have all these followers so they're going to see me too right and now then I'm going to get the followers right so this could work out it's like a good gift and then the night before they call me and they're having a meltdown and they cried off all

[00:34:48] their lash extensions they'd shoot off all their acrylic nails and they're like my hot best I don't know I'm gonna if you can't do it like am I what like we're just gonna get up with people and share what do you mean why are we having this mental breakdown you do this right on Instagram that this is what you fucking do and when it comes right down to it you can't do it yeah and I've had that happen before they didn't show up and I was counting on their time and I was counting there

[00:35:15] and I would even tell production people I'm bringing these um assistants along and then they would cancel the night before or the morning of and so I wouldn't have and they made our models run late and the whole production costs money and then they have the audacity to call me the next day and say I'm so sorry but give me a call next time I'm all yeah no I think I'm over it yeah already the first time one time I've got it for 24 hours I'm over it now and I yeah exactly uh no not happening

[00:35:41] not happening I mean someone told me a long time ago one of my mentors in the film industry and she's retired now but she said to me she said if you deliver on a promise you're golden yep and that has stuck with me through thick and thin and even though it was early on in my in my like like film participation because like she said I mean she's working with people Julia Roberts Nicole

[00:36:09] Kidman Scarlett Johansson I mean big big big big names yeah Tom Hanks right and she's counting on me to help her with makeover work and wig work and coloring and stuff and she said that to me and I was like you know what that was that just that just stays with me in life period if I commit to my grandchildren if I commit to my husband if I commit to my wife my wife my husband you know any my

[00:36:35] neighbor whoever it doesn't matter if I make a promise and I deliver on the promise though that person will be there with me for life forever you know they will be there for me and will support me as well and and they don't understand like I want to say like most of the actors I work with were very much like real people and a lot of them would go out of their way to actually be real people like

[00:37:00] they wanted you to think they were cool like when I was working with Tom Hanks during Mr. Banks he would always be like he was shooting hoops or maybe washing his car or something when I would show up at his you know house and the gates would open and all this and I would always think like how cool is it like he's a real person you know he's really a real person like he's not Rita are the nicest people on the

[00:37:22] fucking planet they they're real they don't give it they don't throw up any they're just the nicest people you know and it's it's also what makes you think about too like their like the life as a celebrity I got I took a lot away from that because like even with her they have a salon in their house and it's super cute and she designed it and she was so excited to show me all around it right we've got all the blow dryers the brushes everything for that I know yeah yeah you've been there yeah and

[00:37:50] and it was just cute and like she said it's not it's not like because we're special it's because by the time I get in my car and try to drive down into you like Beverly Hills or somewhere to the salon paparazzi are following me on this busy windy road and I'm you know this is going on in traffic and blah blah blah she's like I would just rather compensate somebody to just come here and do it it's just it's it's it's it's a win for everyone I can pay them more than they'd make in the salon

[00:38:19] I can also you know it makes it easy I used to go to an actor in Venice he lived on the canal in Venice he got he got a lot of roles and he was naturally very uh white haired like like not even gray but white at a young age Tim Robin I'll just say yeah and I would go and I would foil in all these like shades of gray so we didn't make his hair brown or

[00:38:45] make it a natural it's just on camera would be like a halo so by adding in a little microweaves of black and microweaves of level seven gray and microweaves of level nine gray and do the whole part of the length you know where there was any length and it would just make all that difference you know like he said mention and adding yeah and but like he said by the time I leave Venice I drive to you

[00:39:10] where my studio was in Beverly Hills and then get my hair done and then drive home like five hours later you can have me come to the house an hour and a half later I'm out the door in because day is free you know and I charge mileage and I charged house call but they can do that I mean that's part of it it was beneficial to me it was beneficial to him and every it just worked out you know for everybody

[00:39:36] that was that was my Monday and it was fun that my Monday would start in Santa Monica do that you know a couple clients in here that there was a couple that I had do their hair driving to Bel Air do the hair in Bel Air for another client drive down to Beverly Hills and then back home Beverly Hills or West Hollywood wherever those are the point because you had it was like it would take all day to do three people like all day sure sure that's that was the life back then you had to go through and do that because they would they come to the salon like I was just telling somebody the

[00:40:06] other day I remember one time uh Charlize came into the salon and I watched her out the back and all of a sudden it was like the popper it was like popping and it was absolutely crazy and she looked at me now I didn't call him I didn't call and she goes no they've been following me so I left the fucking house she was assholes I know it's true you're afraid to get fired you know what I mean so but it's easier we go to their house there's a privacy you know one's bothering you you're

[00:40:34] behind gates you know what I mean and it's just like it's a lot easier the internet block the internet blocks because they always wanted us to send pictures like after you refreshed like a hair piece and the hair they'd be like send us pictures production wanted pictures to make sure everything was you know continuity and it was like I can't send pictures because I have no internet because there's all the walls up you know the internet yeah so that nobody can get in but I mean it's just that

[00:41:01] kind of thing but I you know I never had a really I've never had a bad experience with that I mean I think it's always what you make of it you know and even with brands there's times that I've been frustrated but I I just kind of have to step back and I think about like what have I gained from this experience instead of like blah blah blah you know we're getting angry I mean you know I've got stories there too that are just like unbelievable but you know what are you going to do you just

[00:41:29] they're still coming after you aren't they they're still asking you for stuff aren't they yeah I mean I think it's a small world it's a small industry so you do have to be careful to a certain degree what you're willing to put out and what you're willing to say I mean I am a very honest person I'm very much about communication if I'm having feelings a certain way I want to express them to someone and I hope I will say like I hope this doesn't offend you but I have to express this because it's sitting

[00:41:55] and weighing on my heart you know and I'll say it and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't but at the end of the day it's like I I have to do at the end of the day of think about yourself I mean I've seen people have complete breakdowns meltdowns become addicted become you know have all kinds of issues because they've let it get to them that was me like they need therapy you know you need therapy that's why yeah that's what I do that when got therapy I wouldn't got sober I

[00:42:22] mean the whole fucking thing you have to at a certain point I know you can get you yeah it kind of drives you to that it does and the insecurity is real the imposter syndrome there's times that you step back and you're like why why was I picked to do this why am I doing this why I was I am the one I mean there were nights honestly that I was in my studio at two o'clock in the morning and I was rushing to color a wig that had to be sent back and I would be in tears

[00:42:46] because I was like I signed up for this why did I make this my problem that they're so rushed right that that they had to rush this to me and now I have to rush and now I'm a I'm a wreck so I'd have to just like calm myself and be like you said yes you need to figure this out you need to make it happen and learn from this and next time maybe don't put it so right you know maybe next time you say no I need more than 24 hours to get this back to work I might need two days or you just got

[00:43:16] to be honest and you need to see that it works out do you feel like that's the benefit of getting older as you start to really discover your boundaries and then you're okay defining them yes I mean discover that myself where I'm okay with the word no other people yeah I'm okay with the word no and then let them know what I can do yes you're right Paula and you know that I also think sometimes like when you're ready to just express your feelings again people aren't used to that and

[00:43:43] they look at it as confrontation and they're like yeah yeah and they get all nervous and you're like I'm just trying to you don't you don't like me conversation especially as women because we're supposed to be pleased right yes I can do that I can do that yes I can and finally one day you just kind of break and say no and they're like oh yeah and I'm right they feel like it's computational yeah and when you get to that point it's like it's like you know sometimes where I'm at now with certain things going on and you look like you step back and you're like gosh my role has changed a lot all

[00:44:11] of a sudden I'm looking I don't recognize like where is my role like what am I really doing here what am I am I really participating yourself that's the thing yeah you're like am I contributing because if I'm not I'll move on and contribute elsewhere because I have a lot to contribute yeah and what I noticed on your insta and I mentioned this before what I noticed on your insta is you are the epitome of life balance I mean not always have the grandkids you you do education

[00:44:39] you're still behind the chair yet you found your balance and I think a lot of us hairdressers especially as we age we're trying to discover how to do that absolutely found it yeah I used to preach balance all the time oh you need balance well balance might have been two days at home changing out my suitcase and sleeping 18 of those 24 hours or 48 hours because I was exhausted and then I'm flying you know who knows India Russia I mean I've done a hair show in Siberia for heaven's

[00:45:08] I mean it's like that's like out there I have work like balance but I'm up till one o'clock in the morning editing a video for something for the podcast and I'm like oh work oh fuck I need to go to bed you idiot yeah you know what I mean but we gotta just say no yeah just say no and do it later right you can do it yeah and I know and now I have my daughter and two grandkids on our property they just rub in front of me we've got longhorn cows in between us and we just walk back and forth but

[00:45:37] they'll call up and they'll be like Nana we want to come and swim and I'm like hey so and sometimes I drop everything and I said come on other times I have to just like again I want balance so I said give me an hour let me wrap up what I'm doing and give me an hour and then come back and swim so I try really hard and it's nice because you can do that I volunteer at a donkey rescue now on Thursdays

[00:46:01] that's five miles from my house 200 donkeys and we do an outer loop on the golf cart walk into all the pastures yeah I feed them and I brush them and I give them carrots and they're so happy to see me and I'm like I love this I get so much like satisfaction out of that because they're so happy and they eat all the way up until you give them a carrot you're like okay god damn give them a carrot

[00:46:26] but it's that kind of thing that there were times like you said well in my career that I preached boundaries but there really were boundaries I was really focused on one thing and that was like the next challenge the next job the next accomplishment and then you sometimes have to step back and just say like I'm not going to do this forever like I can't I got to come to a point where I say okay this is this is this and this is that and this is where I'm willing to do and not

[00:46:52] willing to do and it becomes a hard conversation sometimes so now we say that now that we're we're well I'm going to say I'm a little bit older um you still you still feel like we have any relevancy in this industry fine I'm starting to lose faith I mean are you it's the little nuggets that come along that I'm like oh then I wonder to myself like why am I letting that define me

[00:47:17] right that's the part that's far because I I keep that's what I struggle with I'm like this cannot define me I'm going to be doing a modern salon boot camp in San Antonio at the premiere show so I'm excited about that to have them reach out and say hey as a legend and an icon we want you to come and sit on this panel or like you reaching out to me we want to hear what you have to say those little nugget it's a little not that that not not saying that being on your podcast is a

[00:47:47] small thing but it is it's one of those nuggets that just come your way that you're like wow you know this is a successful podcast and they they want to hear what I have to say or this is you know modern salon's boot camp at premiere show San Antonio and they want me to be on the panel you know so though it's like now I sort of kind of take those the small things and just really embrace them where before it had to be pretty big for me to be like they call oh how do you feel about doing

[00:48:16] so-and-so's here and I'd be like I'd get off the phone and I'd be like call my mom you know guess why I get to work what if it was such a thing and now it's kind of like eat done that been there and it's those little things that you haven't done yet the new things but you're still giving the phone calls though you know what I mean yeah they're coming in that's we're still relevant so relevancy has to be a state of mind I think you know what I mean because like I think some of the girls had to saw him look at me and like oh he's the old guy you know what I mean but I'm like really

[00:48:46] and how come I'm doing yeah I just want to do or how come I'm getting all these jobs that you would want to get how come I'm like you know they're still calling us we're still part of the generation that has that you know yeah and you know what you've got a really healthy sense of ego too because I know people you know getting to our age a little bit older when they're not feeling relevant and they're they're insecure about it and their insecurity comes out and in anger it's

[00:49:12] really strange to watch because I have a lot of clients going through that and other other people in the industry and they come across with their chip on their shoulder well I did this and I did this and then not humble at all and yeah with you you're like I get to do this this is exciting but yes yeah it's true I mean and there's times that I do it goes through my mind and I think oh I'm stepping backwards so I have to I have to also keep that balance because there's there's times when

[00:49:39] you don't want to go backwards like I'm not going to go completely backwards on something because it's like I've already gone here I'm not going to back up you know it's like your compensation let's say I'm not going to work again I'm not going to take a free gig to say oh I did this it's like been there done that I I'm not doing that anymore I'll just say no thanks I'm busy I mean I would love to get into the film industry here in Texas because they have the 484 I think in

[00:50:05] a local union and not far from me I mean they're filming constantly Yellowstone that's Taylor Sheridan is constantly filming out here all these shows I would love it but it's just really hard to break again you've got to find that right person that's willing to be like you can help me and you can enhance me so I'm going to take the chance because everyone is so afraid that you're trying to take

[00:50:30] over their life or their role or their place and I'm like I will come and do background for the day just to be back on set and enjoy myself and just get out out for a minute you know I love being on yeah it doesn't have to be that camaraderie there's nothing like a person I would love to find a photographer in the area that wants to just shoot like editorial fun shoots and even trade like the

[00:50:55] photographer the makeup the hair and let's find a model and let's just do this and create something beautiful but it's hard because again you start trying to reach out to these managements and stuff and it's like everyone's got their guard up like you're out to get yeah even in LA it was like that too getting into the union yeah it is it can be you have to find the right person and I think that's where that whole golden promise comes in right because if it is that person that takes that

[00:51:25] chance on you and they see that all you want to do is just really deliver on your promise yep they're going to be like I'm holding on to you and that's that's kind of my that was kind of my luck in the film industry was that I connected with these few people they've all retired now and when it when they were referring me to other people I sort of backed away because what ended up happening is then they wanted you to prove yourself all over again and I'm like I already done this I can't do this I

[00:51:55] can't prove myself anymore and like I'm over that if I if what I've done isn't enough to prove myself for you to take the gamble then I just have to kind of say I I'm not available because I can't do that anymore right you know because it's like when clients come in and they've been referred and they've been told like the stories built up right oh my gosh most amazing is snow you're not going to believe it you're going to look so amazing and they sit down with these expectations that they're

[00:52:23] going to look like a supermodel because you're going to do their hair and you're like girl you know you're you're not a supermodel it doesn't have you have three your hair three hairs you have three hairs like Jason and I can't make you look like you know here's a wig you're like fuck I know yeah I know I have people read my bio and they go like oh you've done that you can do you can do wonders in my hair and I'm like yeah I know and that's the beauty now of even with your clients now for me

[00:52:51] the beauty of it is like I don't need the referrals I'm not trying to build a clientele if I meet people and they work could they come into my world if they don't then they don't come in because you know it's not that old theory of like you need a bum in the chair because they're not making any money unless they're the bum sitting in your chair and you're doing this or doing this you know it's not like that anymore it's a good feeling streams of revenue now I thought I stuck it out because yeah

[00:53:17] I mean I do believe our industry is a forever industry it's a forever industry it really is because you can always find that niche even if it's just your neighbor coming over for a blowout for a special occasion or your grandchildren my granddaughter loves me to do her hair and so it's just even that you know it's like you're with this career you're like you're forever a hairdresser I hear people say that to me like

[00:53:43] well I'm licensed I haven't done hair for 35 years but I'm a licensed hairdresser it's like they're forever a hairdresser you know because forever they can say that you know it's true it's true true yeah and it's great because different from like a doctor or a plumber you know you know they they're forever a doctor but then people just want to tell them their ailments you know at least with us they're like they want it to be fun and fresh and exciting you know so forever hairdresser Gary it this was a great

[00:54:12] conversation thank you so much where can people see you at next be let me think let me think I'm going to be doing well I've got a training in August and now I'm going to be at uh premier san antonio on boot camp for boot camp I'm going to be on their panel so um all those details I'll be posting soon on instagram so that's coming up and then I've got some things in october so I got some things going on and

[00:54:40] I'll always keep it updated on my well give cherry and I love that yeah give cherry a follow on instagram follow her see what she's doing yes sure that you kind of see all everything just go and look her up please guys and what do you mostly enjoy are my bees and chickens because I'm extracting honey now I had I had my neighbors chicken la eggs the other day and I had eggs and I had fruit and

[00:55:08] everything and I'm all I'm already eating and I'm looking at your instagram I'm all we're living the same lifestyle this is awesome yeah it's like stay focused you know work hard and then know when to start segwaying into that other balance and your other dreams and and whatever because standing behind mature all your life it's not it's not enough and it will wear and tear on your body so you definitely need to have other other things that make you happy and compassionate so yeah well

[00:55:37] thank you so much for having me thank you so much cherry give her a follow thank you all right amazing all right thank you let's get into some shit with shitology hey jason I know I was supposed to show up um and help you out with that really big photo shoot and you had like what 10 12 models and everything but when I got up in the morning I just kind of wasn't feeling it and I didn't have my

[00:56:05] well um and then you know I just didn't my kit really wasn't to what I thought it should be even though you told me what to pack and um really next time if you next time you need me less and with that stay shitty and see you next time hey listener persons if you're enjoying this podcast

[00:56:30] please give us a rating on apple podcast spotify iheart radio or amazon prime podcast or wherever you get your favorite shit it definitely helps out our algorithm also check out our shitty posts on instagram at shit i told my hairdresser where you can give us a follow and like some of our content if you'd like to get your story on our podcast go to our website at shit i told my hairdresser dot com you can leave us a voicemail using the green mic icon or send us an email and if you like us tell 10 of

[00:56:58] your friends and if you hate us tell 20 and remember stay shitty listener persons