Hairstylist or Hero? Changing the World One Head At a Time with Elizabeth Faye

Elizabeth Faye is a hairstylist turned globally-recognized business and life coach for beauty industry entrepreneurs and experts, owner of the House of Hair Salon, and Founder of Hair Love University. Not only is she responsible for facilitating thousands of full-blown career transformations through her soul retreats and business mentorship programs, she was also nominated for NAHA 2022 “Educator Of The Year.”

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Elizabeth to chat about the power of kindness and healing, how to have it all, and how to live an empowered and aligned life.

Many people view beauty and hair as ways to care for our physical appearance and well-being, but a visit to the hair salon can be therapeutic and healing. Can you tell us about your transformative experience that kickstarted it all?

The magic that happens in the chair is world-changing, and I know this because a hairstylist changed my world. I was a rebellious 12-year-old girl. I felt incredibly alone and didn’t fit in anywhere--not home, church, or school. Things were so bad all I wanted to do was get kicked out of school so I could be free. In an attempt for freedom, I cut and colored my own hair in a way that would surely get me expelled.

While waiting on the curb for my parents, a mother picking up her kids handed me a business card for a hairdresser and said “you should call him.” I booked the appointment, arrived at the salon, and plopped down into the chair. Like protocol, I shared every detail of my little 12-year-old life. The hairstylist soon learned I was a very troubled kid who needed some love.

At the end of the appointment, I was greeted by my father who was very upset about the price of my mandatory “color correction” and promised to never return. But I felt something in the chair I had been searching for and I was determined to return. In an attempt to make right with my parents, I did every chore possible to earn the extra cash to return to the sacred chair.

On my return, I plopped down and dropped a wad of cash on the table and asked “What can I get for this much?” The stylist laughed and told me to put my money away and headed over to talk with my dad.

He returned with a deal for me and said that if I come back to the salon with a report card with better grades, he promised to do my hair complimentary that day. Beaming, I took the deal and returned to the magic of the chair. I left the salon with a new sense of hope and feeling that magical feeling I felt during my first visit. I felt seen, heard, loved and beautiful fo the first time in my life.

That act of kindness by that stylist went on until I was 16-years-old and led to my career in the beauty industry.

Acts of kindness have the power to transform our perspective and our lives. What little things can we do to be more kind to each other on a daily basis?

What changed my life was not the highlight, color, or bangs, it was the way the stylist made me feel. What happens in the chair is sacred. Here we connect through listening, eye contact, physical touch, and storytelling. Hearts are open and walls are down.

Wouldn’t it be beautiful if we could bring this type of listening, space-holding and connection into the sacred spaces in our homes, workplaces and relationships? Here's a few ways you can:

• The next time your partner speaks to you, really listen;

• The next time you sit at dinner with a friend, put your phone away;

• The next time you interact with your co- worker, really find what you admire about them.

Part of your work includes helping entrepreneurs design and live their best lives. In your opinion, what is the key to success?

The key to success is through our own healing. Through our healing, we are able to figure out what is aligned for us and what empowers us to feel like we are living in our purpose. Everything we do in our business is an expression of who we are as long as we are living consciously.

You say that it’s a myth that one can’t have it all. How do we go about having our cake and eating it too?

For a long time I thought we could have it all but it would come with a cost, whether it be our values or our priorities. With my business specifically, I thought I had to sacrifice all the values that I had because there was not enough time in a day to do it all. However, I learned that it’s not about the end destination - it’s about the journey and who we become along the way. It’s about honoring our values and priorities such as health, family time, and well-being in order to be present and care for ourselves.

So often as entrepreneurs we tend to think that if I think I have enough, I just won’t get anymore. Enough is a feeling and gratitude is the magnifier. You are only going to manifest more of what you are grateful for.

I know that you are a Breathwork Practitioner that helps individuals align and heal. What does alignment mean to you, and how does somatic release play a role?

Alignment is when the thinking, acting, being, and doing is all aligned. We tend to not feel in alignment when the things we are doing are not coinciding with what our values are.

Meditating, breathwork, wellness practices and prayer are all different ways that bring me back into center when I feel triggered, or energetically off.

Somatic release is an opportunity to feel your feelings and release them. Emotions tend to get trapped in the body, so when we allow ourselves to feel what we need to feel, we allow those emotions a place to sit with as a visitor. When they pass, we can feel lighter, and less stressed, no longer carrying them as a burden.

In order to heal our trauma, we have to go through it, not around it. As a trauma-informed life coach, what is your advice for dealing with triggers on your road to empowerment?

As you desire certain things in your business, certain feelings may come to surface (triggers, challenges, etc) and the way to move through the path to empowerment is to really sit with them. You are going to want to pick each of these things up and really hone in on them. Don’t be afraid to ask yourself: “what needs are unmet,” “what do you need to feel seen, heard and loved?”

Eventually, you will be able to come back in and feel safe and be able to step back into your wholeness and back into your power.

What three things can we do every day to live a more aligned and empowered life?

1. Take 15 minutes a day to be present with yourself. It can be anything from journaling, to meditating, breathing, or sitting in stillness. It can even be dancing. It can be anything that will allow you to feel intention.

2. Listening to conscious music. I created my first conscious song called “I Am Loved Devine" (available on Spotify) and it is a great way to manifest the things you want to fall into your life. Sing songs into existence, and the universe will hear you!

3. Be very intentional. The meaning that you bring to things is so important. The intention of what we are doing brings beingness into our life. This doesn’t take much time and can be very profound.

Any final words of wisdom?

We created a documentary with Amazon Prime titled Hairstylists Change The World that ties in all of these topics really beautifully. The documentary is about making people feel seen, heard and loved and how we all have that power and are all a part of The Ripple Effect.