Richelle Brigola Blog Header

A School Stories: Richelle Brigola

May 30, 2016Nina KovnerA School Stories, GROW

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. My Mom

This A School Story begins with a little bit of history; I have known Richelle since high school. How? We both went to Dana Hills High School in Dana Point and graduated together in the Class of ’84. Richelle and I reconnected (yes, 30th!) at our 30th high school reunion last year, and that is when I learned she had created an awesome life in the world of hair. What a gift it is to work with such a cool human that I have so much history with. Love how the world works. I am beyond thrilled to share Richelle’s story with you…

N. What does passion look and feel like to you?
R. Passion to me looks and feels like that moment when you create an amazing piece of work on a salon guest and think to yourself “Damn!  I can’t believe I did THAT!”.  It’s going to bed at night thinking about what you will be creating the next day in the salon.  It’s waking up psyched to put plans into motion.  It’s realizing that you are looking at everyone’s hair, make up, clothing and in your head you’re giving them a make over.  It’s a constant buzz that doesn’t stop.

N. Why did you join A School?
R. I joined A School out of curiosity… I re-met Nina at our high school reunion.  She told me about Passion Squared, I checked it out, it sounded interesting and I signed up.  It’s probably the best business decision I have made!

N. What have you learned on your journey in A School?
R. My journey with A School has been more than just a learning experience…  A School has given me the confidence and tools to believe in myself and to trust the process. A School has made me feel part of a larger community of caring and supportive individuals.  I have learned not to compare myself, my salon, or work to others.  My journey is my own and it is okay to walk a different path.

N. Why did you become an owner?
R. I became an owner out of necessity… the salon that I was working at was falling apart.  The owner was dealing with some major personal issues which the affected the vibe and community of the salon.  It was never my goal, but I am happy how things have worked out.  I am fortunate to have found a small studio and I have three awesome stylists working with me as independent contractors.

N. What is your biggest lesson so far being an owner?
R. My biggest lesson so far as an owner is sometimes you have to put on the big girl panties and they’re not always comfortable!

N. How do you handle difficult situations with clients or team members?
R. In dealing with difficult clients or team members I try hard to take my ego out of the equation, take a step back and view the situation from the other person’s point of view.  It also helps me to let a little time pass so that I am not reacting. This way,  I can take the time to analyze the situation.  I will admit that I do not do well with conflict. If I am able to make it go away quickly and easily,  I will!  That is not always a good strategy and I am working on that.

N. What ONE tool would you say is the most effective in marketing your business and why?
R. The one tool that is most effective in marketing my business is still word of mouth.  I do post my work on Instagram and Facebook and my clients love seeing themselves or their friends on social media.  I think this helps drive the referrals.

N. Where does your inspiration come from?
R. My inspiration comes from my Mom.  She owned salons during most of my childhood and was a nail tech who developed her own acrylic line.  Interestingly enough, she was a salon owner and doing nails before California required nail techs to be licensed. Sadly, she is no longer able to work in the beauty industry due to health reasons.  I have learned from her the value of believing in one’s self and to take chances… you never know where it will lead you.

N. How do you practice self-care?
R. Practicing self care is just that, practicing… I try very hard to attend CrossFit three times a week, walk the family dog with my husband in the evenings and have regular massage appointments.  I also have started scheduling lunch breaks when I am working.  These things don’t always happen because some days or weeks it’s too crazy busy and that’s okay.

N. Coffee Bean or Starbucks?
R. Starbucks!

N. Favorite quote?
R.”If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” -My Mom

You can find Solo Capelli Salon and Studio Line on Instagram and Facebook!

A big shout out of love + gratitude to Richelle for sharing her story with us. I just love how the universe works and how we have been brought back together, so grateful to be on this journey with you!

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

If you are a creative small biz owner in the pro beauty world and looking for a ton of love, support and help with creating an awesome biz + life, A School may be a good fit for you.

#QandAwesome Overwhelm + Excuses

May 27, 2016Nina Kovner#QandAwesome, GROW

In this episode of #QandAwesome I answer a question about overwhelm and excuses. As small business owners, the most important thing we can do is get to the root cause of it, whether it be learning to say no to create more space or busting through fear. Either way, it’s no excuse to not follow your heart and be happy. Thanks so much for watching! Nina xo

Its All In Your Head Passion Squared

It’s All In Your Head: My Truth About Anxiety

May 6, 2016Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

“I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.” Steve Maraboli

(this post was originally published on February 10, 2014. I have gotten so many requests recently to discuss the topic of anxiety I chose to update it today)

Anxiety sucks. And its real. It can rob of us so much joy. It can paralyze us and isolate us. I am continually asked about this topic as I have shared openly that I live with anxiety and panic disorder, and on Saturday, a beautiful member of the Passion Squared community asked that I share some ways that I have been able to deal with it.

First and foremost, I am not a doctor. Duh. But I am in treatment and continue to battle this crippling condition, successfully (most of the time), thus, my ability to speak on the topic from MY experience.

Lets begin with the definition of generalized anxiety disorder explained by The National Institute of Mental Health…

“All of us worry about things like health, money, or family problems. But people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are extremely worried about these and many other things, even when there is little or no reason to worry about them. They are very anxious about just getting through the day. They think things will always go badly. At times, worrying keeps people with GAD from doing everyday tasks.”

So yes, it is all in our head, and for us, the fear and worry are very real.

The following are the ways that I treat my anxiety today…

1. Therapy
I consistently see a therapist. Knowing that I have a mental disorder, I have accepted that one of the best ways to keep my head straight is to treat it. When we have a physical health issue, we see a doctor. Mental health is no different.

2. Eating + Exercise
One of the best pieces of advice I was given that works for me was about keeping my blood sugar regulated, meaning, eating some type of protein every 3-4 hours. In addition to that, I am very mindful of how much I mix caffeine and sugar. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE espresso and drink it every morning. But I do not drink Venti Iced Mochas (sugar mixed with caffeine). Now on the exercise front, it works. And while I am not yet to the point where I do it consistently, when I do, my anxiety is greatly reduced.

3. Vitamin B
Again, I am not a doctor and am not saying what works for me will work for you, but keeping loaded up on B vitamins has absolutely helped me. And when I am not staying loaded up on B’s, I can feel the difference.

4. Music
Whenever I am absolutely freaking out, I throw in my ear buds and listen to meditation music, Zen type stuff. It seems to really help calm down my heart rate. At the same time, if I am getting ready to present in front of an audience and cannot catch my breath, which is often, I will listen to my fave hip hop song, it seems to work for me as well.

5. Gratitude + Meditation + Prayer
One of the things I have learned about anxiety is that it can go from bad and to worse the more we focus on it and all the things we are fearful of. When I make my gratitude list, for just that moment, I get out of my head. It works. Same goes for meditation and prayer. Now, I am not religious, but I do my own kind of prayer. The meditation thing, I do by listening to meditation music as mentioned in #4.

6. Take A Walk
I know, I get so angry when people are like…”Just take a walk, you will feel better.” OMG, do you have any idea what I am going thorough right now? But in all seriousness, removing myself from the current environment, just for a few moments, helps. So if you are at work, walk outside. At home, move to another room. Anything you can do to change your environment can help.

7. Give Someone A Hand
This is a big one. The more we focus on our fears, the more fearful and anxious we become. So again, like the gratitude list, its good to get out of our own heads. Helping someone out, a co-worker, a boss, a friend or neighbor helps me get out of my head, and move past the anxiety I am feeling in that moment.

8. Medication
Now again, I am NOT A DOCTOR. I am only speaking from my experience and plead with you to go back to point 1, see a mental health professional and together, decide what the best treatment for you is. I have chosen not to be consistently medicated. Reason being, I tried, and I had disastrous results. My choice has been to work my ass off to battle this disorder the most natural way I can. However, I do have a prescription for a medication that I take ONLY when I am in a serious and debilitating attack. I am proud to say, I only have to take this 1-2 times a month, at most. And it is always a last resort for me.

9. Healthy Boundaries + Creating Space
Last but not least, I have created a space of peace and calm in my world. I have removed toxic people, toxic places, and most toxic things. I have sacrificed a lot to do this, but as an adult, I get to choose. And so do you. This could mean saying NO more, pairing down that to-so list, removing projects that are overwhelming you, staying offline from time to time, etc. It is a choice. As hard as that is to grasp.

Living with anxiety blows but we do have a choice of how we are going to let it control our lives. And like anything worth having in life, it takes work.

A big shout out of love + gratitude to Duke Strange, who inspired this post.

If you are looking for some daily inspiration and help with keeping you on track, sign up for my Love Notes Daily, one of the most loved services I offer.

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

Aura Mae Blog

A School Stories: Meet Aura Mae

May 2, 2016Nina KovnerA School Stories, GROW

“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

I honestly can’t remember when I discovered the beautiful Aura Mae, but when I did, there was an instant connection. Her spirit is larger than life, and I just knew she was someone special. What inspires me most about Aura is how she has figured out how to do life in a way that feeds her spirit. Whether its creating art with haircolor, or creating art with food, or watching her with her sweet dog Gracie Mae play in nature, Aura just gets it. What an honor it is to share a little glimpse into the awesome biz, and life that is Aura Mae…

N. What does passion look and feel like to you?
A. Passion is the reason I get out of bed. It’s the knowledge that I make a difference and that if I didn’t show up, the world would be a less colorful place. That I matter. That we all matter.

N. Why did you join A School?
A. My salon is celebrating its Silver Anniversary this year. We have survived so much and I wish I could say that it is because of my brilliant business acumen, but it is most likely despite my best efforts that we are still here. Our current focus is on remaining relevant to a new generation of clients. I knew that what I had done in the past wasn’t going to be enough to reach the Connected Generation and I sought out A School to help me understand how to connect with them. Also, I had recently gone through what I call The Dark Night of My Creative Soul where I was struggling to find my passion in my business and in my work behind the chair. I knew that I needed something to help keep me focused and accountable if I wanted the business to survive.

N. What have you learned on your journey in A School?
A. Mostly that I am not alone in my struggles. That running a small, creative business is real work and there is real help available. I don’t have to figure everything out on my own. I can turn to my peers for insight, guidance and support.

N. Why did you become an owner?
A. My college jobs were in food service and medical care. I quickly realized that most of those customers were miserable and more than willing to share their misery with me. My Uncle Mike was a handsome, successful, suave hairdresser and salon owner. During one of my early Saturday morning appointments, I realized that his salon customers were actually happy to be there. I decided that I wanted to work with happy people and I wanted to run a business that created that experience. I left college and signed up for beauty school immediately.

N. What is your biggest lesson so far being an owner?
A. You can’t let toxic staff stay, not matter how much you believe in their potential and your ability to bring them to it.

N. How do you handle difficult situations with clients or team members?
A. I listen (a skill I have worked hard to be better at!) and try to understand their perspective. Then I focus on what I can do to resolve the issue. I am good at helping people reach compromise, but I won’t tolerate unkindness in the salon from staff or customers.

N. What ONE tool would you say is the most effective in marketing your business and why?
A. Because we have been in business so long, most of our new business comes from brand recognition that we have built over time. We have built a reputation for being on the cutting edge of new technology. We were one of the first salons in our area to have a website and online booking. We had a van with a 3M graphics wrap that spread our name well (years after it was decommissioned we were still getting new clients say it was the van that brought them in.) We used to have a 24 hour emergency haircolor hotline (the staff took turns keeping the pager.) We were among the first Board Certified Haircolorists and people know that we will be the first to try new service offerings (like keratin smoothers and Olaplex.)

We’ve tried lots of paid advertising that didn’t show results (newspaper, billboards, tv) and today most new clients say they initially found us online searching “best Tacoma salon” which brought them to our website/Instagram/Facebook/Yelp. By the time they actually get in the chair, they know who we are as a business, which staff they might be best matched with and are already invested in our mutual success! In the pre-internet era, we used to struggle with turning first time clients into regulars. Now that people can learn about us before they come in, we are seeing clients who are more likely to be a good fit from visit one.

N. Where does your inspiration come from?
A. My haircolor inspiration comes from nature. I am known for working with a bright palette and I often try to capture the colors of plants, water, sky and animals in my work.

N. How do you practice self-care?
A. I developed The Aura Mae Way to share with others the pieces of the puzzle I stumbled upon while trying to live my most beautiful life: Eat more vegetables. Spend time outside. Love yourself and others. Find a spiritual practice that speaks to you.

I no longer put my focus on what I don’t want, I just load up on so much of the good that the lousy (thoughts, foods, actions) gets crowded out.

N. Coffee Bean or Starbucks?
A. Gosh, I don’t drink coffee anymore! Guess I have to pick the local business: Starbucks

N. Favorite quote?
A.“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

You can find Aura’s salon, Azarra Salon & Wine on Instagram and Facebook and be sure to check out her other passion, as the Kitchen Beautician on Instagram.

A big shout out of love + gratitude to Aura Mae for sharing her story with us. You my friend are a total inspiration. We are so grateful to be on this journey with you!

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

If you are a creative small biz owner in the pro beauty world and looking for a ton of love, support and help with creating an awesome biz + life, A School may be a good fit for you.

#QandAwesome 43 Perfectionism + Courage

April 30, 2016Nina Kovner#QandAwesome, GROW

In this episode of #QandAwesome, I talk the dangerous side of perfectionism. It takes courage to drop the excuses and create. And while it’s uncomfortable, the truth is everything awesome in life is generally uncomfortable. Thank you so much for watching!