Bethanie Jean shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Bethanie , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
It’s been years & years since I’ve been in a dance class & gifting myself this time has made me feel truly alive in my body. I have picked up cardio dance & yoga/pilates again. I was always passionate about dancing growing up & with motherhood, it always felt sort of ridiculously selfish to squeeze my own ballet class into the schedule, but I’m thrilled! I am still me & I am finding space to honor that again.
My little one started taking yoga class with me, as well this summer & it has been such a joy sharing this active hobby with her. It feels like a huge blessing & milestone to have an activity that is for both of us. I am soaking up this precious time of growing together.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I own a highly unique business with life-styling & makeovers. This trifecta of hairstyling, personal styling & interior designing all works together to seamlessly support my clients in the most intimate way.
For over two decades, I only focused on my salon & set work. I was (still am) a celebrity hairstylist. I spent most of my days cutting, coloring, styling & installing hair extensions for my entertainment industry clients.
This is what I am most known for because my hair styling is seen all over television/film/music stars. From Red Carpets, magazines to television & film. It’s been a long hair affair for me with many notable & talented people, even a few legends & icons along the way! I’ve have even cut & colored the hair of Oscar winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners etc! It’s been a great honor for a little girl from the country. I have to stop sometimes & play back my resume with gratitude because I know it has all been a blessing.
While enjoying my decades of fulfilling time in the beauty industry, I always knew that my corky mind was meant to expand into other realms of creative direction and styling. Alas, I’ve really found my niche with adding design & personal styling to my professional repertoire.
My business is now bursting in all realms & it feels like I’m riding a rainbow of opportunities!
I recognize that I owe this all to a personal season in the pandemic when I finally had the time to not only forcibly step away from the salon for public safety reasons but to actually study design & take on these huge projects! It was a scary leap of faith & with every year I see my vision coming more & more to fruition.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
When I was in 6th grade I was diagnosed with what they now call ADHD. I had a terrible time harnessing focus in school. I was falling behind because my brain was simply doing too many imaginative things at once. It was mostly dreaming up fashion concepts and redesigning the world around me, & just analyzing people‘s personal style. Ie: Why would they were their hair like that or how do they have such beautiful curls ? What is it about that shoe design that could be adjusted to be mimic a certian trend, etc.… Not in a judgmental way, at all! I just saw possibilities & curiosities everywhere I looked. I still do! This is what my brain is like.
For a 6th grader, this was neither the time nor place for a brain pulsing with such silly irrelevance.
I had a really amazing guidance counselor at my small school out in the middle of the country and she was actually a very artsy, cool person unto herself! She saw my creativity and she nurtured it. Mrs. Banta made it a rule that I could draw my fashion sketches during class because when my brain was engaged in sketching clothing, it kind of allowed my ears to open to what I was hearing. She even on her own dime, bought me sketching materials, and a little file portfolio to show off all of my fashion designs. What a meaningful gift. PRETTY COOL! Now, as an adult I can really understand how truly special it was that she invested in me.
It really goes to show that even the littlest gestures & believing in a child that feels left out or left behind can give them a piece of confidence that would never develop otherwise. She believed in me when I hadn’t yet believed that I could even leave my small town because I could barely even get through school. What hope was there for a little strange brain like mine to get out in the world & find a way to transform my “gifts” into a profession? At that point, I didn’t even think of my brain as a gift to be honest I think I thought of it like it was broken! Now I look at my neurodivergence completely different. It’s true that it can be hindering for me sometimes when I need to pay attention to something that doesn’t naturally interest me, but it’s also my superpower because it allows me to create, inspire and cultivate celebration in the individuals that partner with me in discovering themselves. I get to polish up & reveal to people who they are, in the best way. That is because I can observe the beautiful complexity of an individual and can inatly understand how it can correlate from the hairstyle on their heads to their newly purchased shoes & on to their personal surroundings.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell her that she has a good brain; it’s unique & that alone is good. I also would encourage her that there is whole big world waiting for her beyond this lonely bubble. It gets better & better; just show up as herself & keep being kind. She is fearfully & wonderfully made.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I am unlearning this dangling carrot ideology that is known as “The American Dream”. Which sounds almost like an abominable, sacrilegious statement to the older generation because we have all been deeply brainwashed to believe that America is just simply the best. Don’t ask questions, folks; everyone agrees; just work yourself to death to hopefully get a mortgage that you can’t really afford and never leave that green grass yard and go see the incredible world out there that’s waiting for you because that would be an irresponsible luxury.
The mindset, I am learning more and more with every passing year is that the real measure of a good life is living authentically, feeling healthy & strong, surrounded by loving people, in a career that brings you joy and maybe even feels like something you would do whether you get paid or not! Now, I understand, I’m one of the few that has a job like this! Its a privilege to be in this professional minority &
I don’t take it for granted to be able to “make a living” doing what I love.
The highest value beyond making a living is to make a life! I think about the value of holding the hand of someone you love and exploring a far-off land and then maybe even knowing that there’s healthcare there for you and that the little home you can afford there will bring you just as much joy as the McMansion in the suburbs that you dream of buying at a pricetag that doesn’t match your wage.
It’s really hard to “act your wage!” Especially when your wage will never add up to American societal pressures.
I personally don’t want to wait to retire to experience all of the beautiful cultures, architecture, food, traditions, smiles that are happening right now in many other parts of the world. Whilst we all are sitting here in commuter traffic stressing about the next milestone debt that needs to be paid for. We must start asking ourselves what it means to truly live?! What are we going to do with this tremendous blessing called “life”?
This might just be my American Fatigue talking; self-diagnosed!
I recently heard in a movie, a quote that deeply resonated to the core of my bones.
“You Americans, you don’t know pleasure. You know entertainment but you don’t know pleasure.”
Our hustle culture paired with unrealistic American dream expectations doesn’t cultivate an environment for living in the moment. I have decided I want to marinate in the joy of the moment; knowing my needs are met & I have all I need with my loved ones. We are blessed with the things money can’t buy. I don’t see how America offers this ability.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
My fear is that people would think that my profession was shallow because it’s surfaced all in physical appearances.
I used to have a complex about this; that I wasn’t doing enough meaningful, change-making work in the world. I quit working for about 7 months & went & volunteered in 2005 & quickly found, my work in beauty & style does make a difference in people’s lives. It isn’t food, clean water & shelter, but it is in self esteem, hope, joy & the holding of their hands as they step into the future they desire.
My career is deeply personal. I want to nourish my clients souls & reveal to them how beautiful their unique life is. I want them to feel celebrated to their core & know they were created with intention.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bethaniejean.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethaniejeanofficial?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyrevision?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: I have 2 accounts on IG
Image Credits
Jet Pack Studios
Cali Bloom Photography
Tina Michelle Photo
