ep34 – Evie Johnson

This week’s guest is doing amazing things. She rose from homelessness to being one of the country’s most celebrated and respected stylists. She is a certified tricologist, a salon owner, a NAHA finalist, ABS Global Image award nominee, Behind the Chair One Shot finalist and so much more. I’m very happy to sit down with Evie Johnson on Headcases.

Listen to Evie’s amazing journey, how she started in beauty school at age 13

Evie has such a drive that she was appointed Artistic Director at age 23

She became a Tricologist (a specialist who studies the diseases and problems related to hair and scalp)

How the right mindset meant everything to her success

Complete Transcript

Chris Baran 0:00
How great would it be to get up close and personal with the beauty industry heroes? We love and admire and to ask them how did you learn to do what you do? I’m Chris Baran, a hairstylist and educator for 40 plus years, and I’m inviting all our heroes to chat and share the secrets of their success.

You know, today’s guest is really special because this particular lady rose from homelessness add to one of the country’s most celebrated and requested stylists, in not only hair, but in tricology. She’s a master stylist for Mizani international development team. She’s a certified Tricologiest of international association of trichologists. She co founded the Stuart Edmondson, Edmondson hair loss and restoration. She’s the co owner. I’m not the co owner, but the owner of Designs by Evie. She is a NAHA finalist in hair cutting. Behind the other awards are behind the chair one shot platinum finalist, ABS global Image Award nominee, she has been a finalist for the Loreal colors and style trophy for styling and cutting. And so let’s get into this week’s head case. Ms. Evie Johnson. Well, Evie It is a pleasure and an honor to have you here on headcase, as I always say that we’ve got to be head cases to do what we do. But first of all, it’s good to see you again. We got we see we don’t get to see each other regularly enough. But welcome.

Evie Johnson 1:43
Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Chris Baran 1:46
Well, I would say thank you for being ahead. It’s good to have you on board. Listen, I know we’ve spent a lot of time backstage talking and it shows etc. And it’s just a pleasure to have you on here. But even at the beginning, I understand that you just had a birthday. Is that correct?

Evie Johnson 2:05
Oh my goodness. I had the best birthday ever.

Chris Baran 2:08
Really? I did. What’s What happened that made it so special?

Evie Johnson 2:15
Well, you know, I like to be alone, like by myself. So I went away to West Palm Beach. Oh, nice, laid out meditated. Get my mind together. This is shopping. A mom and then went out my family. My friends, they listened. They took me to all the plant based restaurants and they will be nice things. And surprisingly enough, my daughter she she got me pole dancing. So it was It wasn’t my favorite. But it was

Chris Baran 2:52
well there. Hold on one second. So you said she took you pole dancing. Was that to watch? Or was that an exercise program where everybody tries the pole and

Evie Johnson 3:01
everyone tries the pole. Oh, wonderful.

Chris Baran 3:06
I was busy. And how did is you? Are you going to be launching a new career now?

Evie Johnson 3:11
No, that’s definitely not my thing. You can have it. I can I don’t even want to watch it.

Chris Baran 3:17
Now I just couldn’t even I can’t fathom, you know, first of all, I don’t think they’ve got a pole big enough that would support me. But anyway, it’s but it’s June 28. Right?

Evie Johnson 3:34
Yeah, June 28. And then the next day I celebrated my 25th anniversary wedding anniversary. So it was

Chris Baran 3:42
congratulations. So June 20 years. Wow. Yeah. You know, it’s like, like they said, you know, you’re gonna go straight to heaven, because, you know, we’ve been in hell long enough, right. Listen, the, the reason why I’m bringing that up, because I was doing a little research on you and I went June 28 That’s fantastic. We can here’s the interesting part. You know, most of the, the my friends all of my, my best. My besties have all been born on June 28 or June 29. Really? Yes. My wife is born on June 28. My best friend from high when I was in, in grade school, Cliff was June 28. That readers 28 June. Cliff was 28 and when he moved away, my next buddy who he believes he was born on June 28. And then after that, the one of my buddies who’s not with us anymore, he was out of Florida and he was born on June 29. And here you are June 28. So now we are officially besties because yeah I’m a copy so we we mixed together rule.

Evie Johnson 4:59
Yeah I was destined to be friends.

Chris Baran 5:02
Yeah. Oh, well, let’s see. That’s why I find it so interesting. I, my eyes open up when I saw in there that people are wishing you Happy birthday and I went in a little deeper. And so it was June 28. So it’s awesome. Yeah. So it’s it’s been a real pleasure. And I can remember I’m going back I think the first time that I really got to meet you and know you, I knew of you, as we often do in our industries, we there was a, there was that PPD event that happened, the Christine Schuster organized it. And I know that she came to come up to myself and Nick French and Ruth Roche, and Chris Sorby, who, you know, couldn’t be there at the time. And we said that we wanted to pass on and started get all of us to collaborate. And throughout all the ideas on how we do some of the avant garde stuff we did. I remember you being there. And specifically, what I remembered so clearly is when we were showing, I think it was Nick was showing how to make wigs. And we’re showing how to do the world on the top and he was putting a little piece of glue on the pig and then dragging a piece of hair on it. And then okay, we were going around after and then everything everybody was gathered around you and I was gonna tell what’s going on over there. And then you were showing the people. And I still teach it to this day, I just thought it was the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen where you took this weft and wound it all up. And then cut off the weft, put some glue on the end and stuck it down and then push the pieces around to make it look like a natural world. And I went, this girl is good. So that’s my that was my that’s when I went this girl. I’ve got to watch this girl because she’s some. And so that was Do you remember that? You remember that gig? Yeah, New

Evie Johnson 6:55
York? Yeah, New York. Off of Fifth Avenue, I believe and yes, definitely change it for me as well.

Chris Baran 7:04
Yeah, that was a fun gig. Now I want to kind of shoot back from this because to another event. And I can’t remember the name of the hotel. But I know that we’re all there. It was across from Madison Square Gardens at the hotel. And we were doing there was a training that was going on there. And do you remember the two monks? Yeah, two monks. Yeah, and, and the reason why I’m going there is that it blew me away when because just so the people that are watching or listening, know what’s going what was going on at that portion of the class. They were teaching people how to use their own story. And we call them the two monks, they actually were monks. And they’ve sort of went off on their own and started started a business on, on how to deal with corporate and how to deal with, with getting your message across and they were talking about your story. And everybody was raising their hand and telling their story. And then you stood up and told your story. And I think I can’t remember if I was sitting beside you, or if I was sitting a little ways away from you, you. And I don’t think that there was a dry eye in the house. It was when you told your story. It was

Evie Johnson 8:27
actually what happened was the name of that training was leaders are authentic. So that was the name of that training and

Chris Baran 8:38
much better memory

Evie Johnson 8:40
for me. And that was best when would like change for me. But what happened was I this is I’m not sure we even had this conversation ever. So it’s crazy that she brought this up. But I’m sitting there and I’m listening to them tell the story. And he was like, Who wants to share? And literally, I didn’t raise my hand. It was like my hand floated up. So here comes Chris Barron with the microphone. And I was saying to myself, No, I would have my hands go down, because I did not want to share and not always want to share but I just felt like this the way I was filling this, this is not gone. It’s not going to go the way that I envisioned. So then you had the microphone. You were like, I was like he was you so calm and very welcoming. And so at the time when I felt your energy being very welcoming, that’s when everything started to flow and the river flow for me, from you for everybody in the room. So yes,

Speaker 3 9:50
I remember that moment. Yeah. Is it Do you want to share it?

Evie Johnson 9:56
Oh, yeah, sure I can. I can actually speak about it now. And so I just want you to know, it has always been very, very, very hard for me to speak about, you know, this that moment, because I was ashamed of it. And I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me or feel like they were giving me a rat. I wanted people to just know, easy for her being her spirit. For me, just being who I am, you know, I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. So I always shut that part of my life down. So that’s why I never told my age and everybody like it for kids. And I was married with kids. But they didn’t know how old was when that first mother, my first child. And so there was the moment where, you know, shared with everyone in the world that I got pregnant with my son, and 13 and had him at 13. And I believe that year was the year he was graduating from college, which I was super proud of that first graduating in my family ever history. You know, I was just ashamed of knowing that, okay, I had this child at such a very young age, and I was homeless for a long time. You know, my family, and just that grant, I just, you know, go on to shelter the shelter limited. Team homes with my son, I wasn’t, it wasn’t, I didn’t want it to define who I was. And it only wants to know, I just wanted you to know, this Evie. And what happened was, I’ve done a lot of work on myself since that moment. Meaning I had shut that life off. So what I did was, I completely shut off 14 to 20. I shut it off. And what I did was I moved from Washington, DC, and the city moved to the suburbs and created this business woman that was very successful. You know, drive nice cars have a salon, very popular, that type of thing. But forget about that. 13 year old Evie had this amazing young man. And so I just finally relaxed what I did about four years ago, you know, yeah, it’s crazy how it works. And so yeah, that was just a moment I wasn’t so proud of, but I must say, that moment, there taught me to be be more authentic as a as a facilitator. And so I went from being in motion to, like this. And so I was able to facilitate, see things read the room better, just because it opened me up different. It was an experience where it really was.

Chris Baran 12:59
I just want to stop for a moment. And, you know, like, I keep hearing you say the words that either that have shame or whatever blocked that out, but I just wanted to stop for a moment, just celebrate that for you. I mean, the fact of what you, you know, where you were in, and I’m sure at that moment in life, you know, so many of us, we, we see people around us, and there’s people we see it on the streets, we see homelessness around and we we think it’s to other people, we don’t think it’s to us, or our friends, you know, and, and, you know, I can remember walking down the street with, you know, my good friend and yours, Chris moody. And we were walking down the street, and we saw this homeless person on the street. And, you know, it just said, you know, you know, there but I just said there, but for the grace of God go you and I. And Mr. Moody said, yeah, he says, you know, different only difference between us and that and then right now is one little or big mistake. And, you know, and and I’ve always believed that mistakes are the way and we are who we are because of the mistakes we made in our life. So, you know, and I’m certainly not implying that your son was a mistake that was by no means a mistake. It was something to celebrate because of who he is and who he has. I just want to stop for a second and and just celebrate, you know, what you went through. And and how you had a choice. It’s just a choice, and you made the choice. I just want to stop and celebrate that just for a second. Just because I think it’s just so amazing. And I’m just personally so damn proud of you for the choices that you made. And you could have went wherever but you said no, that’s Hit me. I will not let that define me and I. Yeah, Don so.

Evie Johnson 15:05
So one of my favorite quotes is failure is not an option. Because it’s not right. When I did have him, oh my goodness, because I was not a great student. I always hated school. I hated school. I hated it. So when I was pregnant with him, I enrolled myself in beauty school because I always knew I wanted to do hair. And I wanted to be this fabulous actress that everybody knew, I knew I wanted to be an actress and I knew I wanted to be a hairstylist. So I was like, you’re gonna be both. I couldn’t figure it out. But I knew I was gonna be a hairstylist first than acting thing came later. So a seven hair stylists. So 13, pregnant, enrolled in hair school. And I was like, Okay, if I stay on this path, I’ll be done by age 15. Gotta wait to get my license. You have to be 18 to go to the board, but I’ll have my hours. So that’s what I did. I went to Beauty School at 13. And I was like, I have to do. I have I’m pregnant with this. By the time I didn’t know it was a boy. I’m pregnant with his child. I gotta do better in school. So these D’s and F’s, that you’re, we got turned around. And so I dropped out of school and wrote myself a homeschool, so homeschool myself. Fears are my work in I will do things. To get ahead. I skipped grade because I started schooling. So I went from the 10 to the 12. So those Fs and D’s became straight A’s. So I graduated top of my class. And I never wanted to be a big that might live fairer, or anything like that, although we had homelessness, but I never accepted public assistance, never wanted that and wanted that to be my story. So I didn’t do it. So I’d received no services from the from the state. Didn’t want to do it. So I worked hard. I braided hair. I did hair did extensions, whatever I needed to do, to make sure that the MSA and at the time his dad was staying. So I didn’t have any support from him sounds like okay, I got to do it. But my dad, who’s my, my hero, he, he was incarcerated at the time. When I met with him, he decided on up so I was so embarrassed when I went to go say I’m pregnant. And my mom takes me to jail, Sam. And he’s like, you know, your dad has told us that we all got the same mother and father, but you know, yeah, girls is different. So he tells me, I pick the phone up and I’m like, I’m sorry, Daddy, I made a mistake. No, this is not a mistake, Jehovah makes mistakes. He said, You got to do what you got to do. I’m gonna help you. And we’re gonna make sure that you, okay, you and my grandchild. And so from that point on, knew I had to do variety. And so he came home, and then he helped me. I will go to nice school, he will go to school. So we help each other to get through. So what he did was he said, make their promise. I said, Okay, he said, I don’t have any more kids. And so you made. And I promise you, I will never pick up a job the day in my life. So we made that promise, trip free 33 years, and didn’t have any kids who feel like I’m there. Now inside of my family, so he kept his promise, I kept mine. But I wouldn’t be able to do any of that what I was telling my family, you know, we very closely knit, and whatever I needed to do to get through school, I did it. So I said I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Then I enrolled myself and have a university for theater, for acting, and I paid for my tuition, whatever I needed to do. And then one day I was there, I was like, I didn’t feel it in my soul. I was like, I kept thinking about doing everybody’s hair while I was in class. And I’m just like, This is my path. So I just enrolled myself and it’s been smooth sailing since then.

Chris Baran 19:16
Yeah, you know, it’s funny, I, you know, the I always have this feeling that the universe gives you what you need at the time you need it. And it sounded to me like that was what you needed. And that’s what your dad needed. So, you know, for whatever reason that was it. That that was, you know, I think for your dad, that was the cure, and it was amazing, amazing story. And so, you you’ve now you’re to the point now you’re you’re in you’re in hair, right and you put yourself through you’ve done it all yourself. So tell us what was this? What would got you into you went from there and Well, there’s a leap you, I don’t know if there’s a country that you haven’t been to in teaching. And but what, what give us that timeframe of like, for people that are listening and watching right now and they’re saying I want to be, I want to be able to be like a movie that give us that spread before you started doing platform work before you started doing, you know, teaching, etc. Give us that what what was that spread like and before that,

Evie Johnson 20:31
so, crazy enough? I’m in beauty school, and I was in a city kid in DC. So you know, you’ve raised a little faster.

Chris Baran 20:40
So I heard about had to grow up real quick.

Evie Johnson 20:44
Yeah, I heard about the New York hair show. And I’ve Yes. So I said, I’m gonna go there. Got me a bus ticket. And I went to do by myself to the hair show at 13.

Chris Baran 20:59
So when you were in school, when you’re in school,

Evie Johnson 21:03
and was at school, I was in beauty school, and the school was gone. I was like, I’m gonna get my bus ticket. I’m gonna go up there. So I went. And I seen rec in there. And I’ve seen everybody and tattoos and black clothing. And when I looked at the stage, I said, I want to do that. I’m going to do that. And so I was inspired when I see like, and I’m not sure if anybody ever know I’m not even told that story. And seeing everyone there, and I seen other product brands like Paul Mitchell, it was a few other, but everybody was dressed up and they look so good, prestigious, and I was like, I just see myself there see myself on stage. And yet remember, I want to be actress anyway. Hello. So the stage is right in front of me. So it was just, it was that was my I think my life flash right in front of me. And I knew that was going to be me. So the path it took was I was working in a salon. I just had my youngest son, who was about to be 23. So 24 years ago, I was approached, I work in a salon, my 20s Everybody’s coming to me for everything. They come in for hair cut and color. Like you wasn’t you didn’t have it. So I was very heavily sought out in my area. And so a young lady named by the name of Gwen Ali came to me know, her best friend work with me. And they said they was hiring promotions, which is Alberta Cooper. And they need a hairstylist and they were doing a hair show. So good to be here, Satish Pena. That’s right up my alley. But I had just given birth, like four weeks prior. So I was like, get the ball way for training. And I was like, I’m gonna go so my husband was like, going to switch you want to do you say you see yourself there? Just do it. So my mom at the time was staying with us. So she had the kids. So I was cool. And but at the same time, I was building this house out and now so we’re building it from the ground up, happens and oh, no, I don’t know. Then you don’t have to take this baby. So I’m like, Okay, this is go. So I win. And actually, like I’m on stage, and I froze. And when I tell you the guy who mental rock, Ron Hamel, he was very, very, very military that that working for motions was like the military. So he recommended me in front of everyone. And he goes by, I cannot believe you froze on stage. And he does that all the flowers outside. Okay, first of all, he embarrassed me. I’m never going to be embarrassed like that again. And I’m never going to freeze up again. And so from that point on, I was eager to want to be more on stage, because I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I wanted to I wanted it to be right. And so from there, they hired me as Artistic Director at age 23. So he’s 23 I’m an artistic director. And I’m running everything and so they put me through a lot of training. And so he asked me, I was on all the billboards, at Kent air campaigns and the magazines, jet ebony, all of it. And so one day he came to me Evie, can I talk to you for a second so yeah, sure. photoshoots he said, you know, this one is from this photo shoot. I was like, no, no, he told me. Oh, absolutely. Of course. So what else want you to realize this, that the hair that you are doing right now is very regional. I said, What do you mean by that? He said, When I look at your work, I know exactly where you live. What do you come from? I was like, what does that mean? He said, you used too much product look like you from Baltimore? Outside. Oh, okay. So he said, when a person looks at your work, they should not know the color of your skin and they should not know where you from. It should just be beautiful work. So let me ask you a question. What do you want to do? What do you want to specialize in cut or color? I said both. He said, No, you can only do one at a time. I said, Okay. I’ll do cutting. So they hired Tony Guy pivot point. And they may be trained for 30 days. And I’ll tell facilitation, cutting. So they trained me that’s all I know, is facilitation. All I knew is cutting. No, Color just cutting, cutting up cutting. So the work that you see that I do. That’s why I look the way that it is because they took me and he transformed everything. And that’s why I didn’t I don’t put a lot of curls. I don’t put a lot of ballet. My stuff is very she’chic very precise, because of how I was trained. Yeah. And so from there, I knew when I stepped on stage, I felt good. I knew that I spoke to people in a very nice way, because that they would speak to people, very demeaning. And so when I could see them speak, I would be like, I don’t want to talk to people like that I want to be different. And so I said that whenever I had the opportunity to run an organization or be with a brand, I would speak to my people in that way. So oddly enough, like I work with a guy named David Mahamuni. And he and I was the youngest people in the group. And they was like, at what they owe and what they knew. So number two new people who they just train like the military, Chris, it was insane. It was like I was a robot. But it was the best training I’ve ever seen. Yeah, I was preparing for my moment. It prepared me for this. And so Lee. So eventually, I left. Because I didn’t feel it in my soul. And it was a lot of stuff that was happening. And I just wasn’t be late. So then I was having problems at home. The kid is getting older, my husband’s like, Look, I know your mother. He’s our kids. And so I quit. I quit and stay home, let me say, the most anti job and

Unknown Speaker 27:51
that was

Evie Johnson 27:53
because that was where it needs to be. I’m part of a team I like loves bringing the best out of people. And so it got to a point it was so bad. Where Joe That’s my as his name. He knows here she’ll come in. And

so, you know, my Givens like no, I’m good. If I open this restaurant, and I’m not worried about it, let’s just get this money and raise our kids and make some easy, good shoes are not the same. And if I only came to me and said, I’m sorry. And he was like, I did something that I knew I shouldn’t have done. He make a choice, and he shouldn’t have chosen. This is the like God has given you in the way that he says, so whatever you do, and I hope you do it. I want you to get back out there and do what you do. And I will never complain or say anything about your travel ever again. As long as we together. I said okay, but I still didn’t do it. What happened was open the restaurant. David Muhammad called the restaurant Yeah, they’re hiring that was Ani. And we want you to come over. Because I was I build up a resentment as well, because I had to choose. So now I have a resentment. So I’m like, No, I’m good. And so eventually, this is the god honest truth. So I’m in the car. Coming home from the restaurant, we’re open three days. Now we were why they gave me the opportunity to come. I said, Well, let me see. So I turned the position down and magani And they said, Well, we already paid for you to come to New York. Can you send someone else in your space? I sent a friend of mine worked at my salon so he can do go I need somebody to take my space. You can be platform artists or whatever she was like Sure, so Rhonda blank. I’m leaving a restaurant to three o’clock in the morning. In my car, no clothes, no toothbrush, no nothing. And I find myself in New York. And I’ve been

Chris Baran 30:18
told that same voice, that same voice was talking to you again now. You gotta, you gotta go to New York because you

Evie Johnson 30:26
gotta go, you gotta go. And so when I went, I woke up that morning, I went to 711 got a suit brush and stuff, so I can be presentable in that way. And that scene exists in Mazani team. And this is the god honest truth. I stepped back. I’m not to take all the jobs and not in a bad way. Yeah, like, you got to remember I was trained like the military. So what I was seeing with them was was not what I was trained was like, not even holding the shears, right. They’re not holding my body, right. They’re not speaking. When people speak they not they’re not repeating the question on my show. I didn’t think obligates you to do anything. So I sat back. So what happened was, I had to shadow someone Her name is Gail fillet. She missed her flight here. She’s classes here because you know your new artist, you gotta you got a shout out. And so she missed her flight. So by the time she came cert class, you probably get that talk that whole class first. But the whole class is 30 minutes left. And so she finally came to me. She says we should come up with another say why came from? Oh, yeah. So she hits home very Nick, who was running a brand at a time before Kate was and she said that. This girl is special. I don’t know who she is. But she’s special. And she has a changeability I’ve never seen before. And what we got to do, and next thing, you know, it was that Bronner brothers hair show. And they would show it somebody gets sick, and I was there as an attendee. And he was like, put me on stage. She hasn’t. She’s an all black. I was like, give me the mic.

Chris Baran 32:22
Actress Evie came out again.

Evie Johnson 32:25
Yeah. And I was updating at the at my thing, we had the largest offense and sold the most product. And from there, they never took me off the stage. So it has been manager. And from here, I worked for Mizani. For years, Chris and I needed to put into invoices. Because I loved it.

Chris Baran 32:45
Let’s say that again. Say that again.

Evie Johnson 32:47
I’d never put an invoice there for like, three, four years. Because I was already making so much money doing what I was doing. I was like, it wasn’t about money for me. I love what I did. Those ABF phase came in. I was like, I’m not putting that stuff in. I got time for that. Let me just get up and do what I do. Because I loved it. So it took me a long time to do it.

Chris Baran 33:09
Wow, you know, we share a common thread there when I first started. I won’t say the year, but I’ll put it this way. Mobile phones weren’t even invented them. Way before that. And I remember them asking me to do L’Oreal. I started with L’Oreal professionnel. and Canada. And I think I was the same thing. There was about three or four years I never got paid. I didn’t even I didn’t even know that you were supposed to submit. They didn’t have abs for those people listening to start stands for artists booking forms. But they we didn’t have any of that. So I didn’t realize I was supposed to send stuff in and it wasn’t till I talked to a distributor. And he said, Listen, let me get on the phone. And he said, Listen, you got this kid working for you for three years and he hasn’t been paid. So I didn’t even know you got paid. So interest that’s very interesting.

Evie Johnson 34:04
Yeah. I didn’t care. I just wanted it. And so once I got with the brand, and Kay Kay, I started telling the PPD trainings and one of the first ones I went to you were the lead artists on that. And when I watch you

Chris Baran 34:24
and myself, Sam and Johnny,

Evie Johnson 34:27
Johnny, the three of you, yeah. And I was like, Man, this is what I wanted to what I wanted to and so at the time I was outgrowing Mizani because I’ve done everything. And I was like, Okay, what else can I do? And so Kate was not the leader at the time that she was at that training with us. It was Amman and a whole bunch of us. Michelle O’Connor it was a lot of us it was there and those trainers change my life. I repeated those trains train change my life. And the reason why is because I, it was a different type of facilitation. It was one way it was more personal development versus it being. So surface. And what I learned was surfaced. I didn’t learn how to connect. Yeah. And so when I watched the three of you, I’m sorry, bad friends. And but what I noticed there was no woman’s presence. And I said, I’m gonna be that woman that’s going into PPD training for facilitations for the brain, I thought envisioned myself there. And I put myself do anything I want to do. Chris, I envision myself there and I put myself there, I have no

Chris Baran 35:46
doubt in my mind. This episode is sponsored by the salon associate accelerator from trainers, playbook.com. Are you struggling with the time and cost of associate training? Do you feel like your salon is running you will get your associates on the floor, all with 90% Less time from you. So you can get back to building your business. Get them world class design, finishing color, and client care skills they’ll use every day for the rest of their career, while you focus on realizing your vision, go to trainers playbook.com and get the salon associate accelerator. And now back to the show. Because yeah, you know, because I was I was doing some, some research on on you as well. And, and I went through there, and you’re also a technologist, a certain type. So come about. So it was because that’s everything that’s on there is about, you know, about hair loss and alopecia, etc. So how did where did that come about? I mean, we’ve all seen,

Evie Johnson 37:02
do you just go 17 For honestly, gotta go back to stay. After I told you I went early. So I had to continue to just keep going on until I graduate high school. And so I had, like the money got like 2500 hours versus 1500 hours. In order to stay in high school. You had to stay in that program. So I’m working in a salon at 13. So the stuff that they was teaching. Already, I noticed. So I will always be sleep. Asleep. And that woke me up. It was like, What is this word? is the study of hair loss. And so what do you got to do? You got to go back and go to college. And I was like, Oh, I’m not doing that. Because I already didn’t like school anyway. And I was like, I gotta go to school for acting. I’m gonna go to school for tricology two can’t do it all. So I thought. And so eventually I started to all the clients I’m doing. I’m starting to see the hair falling out. I’m like, Why are these people hair falling out. And these people are not stressed, they have money, and they live off. So they’re not stressed because I’m asking questions. And so I’m starting to see a change in all these women and men. And so I wasn’t getting the answers that I wanted. I started to do Google was not a thing. We had dial up internet. So I couldn’t find so eventually, I found out where I need to get the training because no one wanted to share Chris here today. Nobody tells you about the training where they get their stuff from. This is the most secret society I’ve ever been in my life. And I will tell you how to trichology Yes. Yeah. Yeah, don’t tell you like how they can grow their hair, what remedies you product, they’ll tell you of it. And that is one of those things where if I just keep the mouth shut. So you know me, I want the train. So I’m wondering if I’m gonna get it. I’m gonna tell everybody about it. So eventually, I found the program out in New York. I think Joe asked me what you want for Christmas. I want you to take this class. It was like $8,000. And he said, Okay, so you pay for and I was the most difficult thing I ever had to do. It was a lot of work, writing papers. And so I want it to be I didn’t see a lot of black technologies. And I was like, I put myself here Chris. I was like, the first one. To do this. I’m gonna be the first one. So I eventually got certified. I think I was about 2829 When I got certified and so now I am the what do I do? So I am the basically the face of it when it comes to the chairperson and certify anybody that uses certification in the US. I speak all over the country with it. And my special I’ve worked in a lot of hospitals. So I currently have a hair loss restoration business while I do transplants who do their hair transplants. So grew from just doing the services grew into the transplant. And I just got my friend certificates, education, certification, for SMP, which is Scalp Micropigmentation. Like it’s a scalp tattoo. So I did get that certification about two months ago. So I’ll add that to my business. But it’s very lucrative. So what I wanted to do was how do I merge hair and hair loss together, because you got to remember, I’m making so much money doing here. I didn’t want to give that up. But I also knew what I was doing was going to help me on the hair side. But I couldn’t give it up. I would say to myself, God was like, Well, you got this gift. And if you don’t use it, I’m gonna take it from me. And I was scared. I was like, Well, I’m gonna take it my kids, I got my kids in private school got paid this bigger house, I got paid for these guys cards, get all this. It was very materialistic, and then no. So God was like, you do this, this is what you need to be. I promise you will make four times more than what you make now. Wow. And I was like, and if it says nothing about money, but I also was scared because I was missing out family. So I did it. I was able to merge the two, because I couldn’t understand how to do both. So I merged the two so now worked with John Hopkins and work with all the hospitals. Hello, a lot of cases in court court when they have um, hear both cases that you don’t matter, you know, expert.

Chris Baran 41:53
So you’re in as the expert witness. Yeah.

Evie Johnson 41:57
So everything I do is tricology. And so that’s where my career is headed. More. So. Training trichology. Not so much behind the chair.

Chris Baran 42:09
And you’ve been you’ve been I mean, from what I saw you were in Iceland, you were in Morocco, you’ve been in New Zealand, Australia speaking for this, is that’s pretty wild.

Evie Johnson 42:21
Yeah, I leave for London in August, and then I’ll be in Kenya next year. Yeah, so

Chris Baran 42:30
Oh, girl, you know, I think you’ve already proven that, that I don’t even think Is that what you put your mind to? As soon as somebody says you can’t have that, then you know, you’re gonna have that right away. So it’s, I mean, I’ve just watched you grow, and it’s been so amazing. And in what you do. And, and I know that because as an NA, you na finalist, and you’ve you’ve I mean, I know that you have your your bestie Mr. Mr. Edmunds that you’re always collaborating with, et cetera. So take us down the path now you you you’ve you do hair, your witness zani you’re with a team which international association of psychologists and you’ve got your own place that that you’re you’re doing hair loss and restoration? Where do you find time to put together your collections for not haha and etc? Do they do and do and you want him? Me elaborate on them? What do you do?

Evie Johnson 43:42
Yeah. Yeah, so last week, last week, they were just mad because we’re going to shoot eight. And to be honest, Chris, I have no creativity juice right now. And I tell him, I don’t I don’t have it in me, but I’m not gonna sit without him. And he’s not gonna shoot without me. I said, I’m just having brief thoughts. So when we shoot, we mean we talk about it. I’m logistics. So I handle all of the scheduling. And he’ll give me his vision and I’ll tweak his vision, my vision, he’ll tweak my vision. And we shoot together with ces one another, we are joined at the hip. And we always set out one. Well, first of all, when I first heard about Na, I was at the audio show. And I seen it and it was the wars and I went and I was like why do people to look like neediness? And I was so confused. This was about maybe 18, 19 years ago. Yeah. And so I haven’t even heard from all that. I had not had met him yet. I’ve heard of them but I just have met. So I was like I’m gonna do that and I’m gonna be a finalist always seek to be a finalist. I didn’t want to win it. I just wanted to be a finalist. I just wanted to see my name up there and you I had when I became friends, I had told him about it. He was like he was game. And he was going to let’s do it. So he started to research it and gave me information on it. And we said, whoever gets it, it’s going to be both for both of us, it’s not going to be for why laying it on the table, when I when you what you went, I went, how’s it works, it feels fabulous. I’m a finalist, claiming his team together. And so far, so good. Like right now, and I believe he has six finalists, maybe seven. And I have to, and he has won, but he won last year protection, it was the most beautiful experience, the fact that I was able to present him with that award, I mean, even still just makes me tear up now, because it was just amazing experience. And it was, it was a lot of hard work. And we take the amount of money to, to do the shoes like now and I tell him I ran this is looking like 20,000, maybe 25. He was like, Oh, I said, let’s pull back because I’m the one that’s gonna say that, let’s do this, let’s do because he wants to shoot two days. I was like, two days of me. One day, is I mean, right now, to be honest, like I said, I’m at a loss, I’m at a loss on how to navigate in this space. And I know, it’s, that’s more so the good work is to have the, you know, the older and you have someone else making a choice, whether your stuff is good or bad. And know my stuff is good. And I know, it’s definitely, you know, fabulous material. But I just I just don’t know how to move in IT space. Right? Because, you know, I have my discrepancies, like, the rules, women at the rules of this and then a bend the rules. I’m like, How do I operate in a space if we can’t follow our rules? And so I’m kind of stuck. That’s why I’m like, I don’t I don’t even know. But I’m not going to stop. I’m just set a loss.

Chris Baran 47:08
Yeah, well, you need you and I need to have a conversation privately, then no. If you want to talk, I’ll see if I can help get you unstuck.

Evie Johnson 47:15
Thank you. I need that. Because I mean, you can’t get anywhere by yourself. And right now I am seeking answers that I’m able to get. And so I do need to talk to you.

Chris Baran 47:27
Yeah. So I mean, I’m getting in my, you know, it’s funny. And here’s what I’m thinking of right now. Because read up to now and anybody listening to this would see you as a soloist. But yet I’m hearing you as this collaborator. Is that does that apply across the board? Where you’re always it’s more about the collaboration? Or is it? Is it more at the ethanol Hall level when you’re competing with Jamal or when you’re not competing? As a team with Jamal?

Evie Johnson 47:59
No, I’m always the image is good. It’s supposed to happen. It’s supposed to happen. Yeah, yeah, I can do either. Or you can’t remember I grew up in a house with both people. So you always got to collaborate. But I also know that over the years, I’ve also also because I’ve never worked alone, I like to have my longtime that’s why it’s important for you to be away on my birthday by myself. I like that time. Always traveled by myself, because I’m always giving myself to people. And I need to dis retrack pulled back and just have that time.

Chris Baran 48:31
Now I know that we both have a similar mentor in Blair singer. And he talks about that when you do what we do. We’re it’s he calls it giving out your lifeforce particles, you know, like, people are pulling stuff out of you all the time, and you’re constantly giving, constantly giving, and you’re not getting back? And is that what you would say what you do when you’re on your own? When is that? Why is that why it’s so necessary for you to be alone?

Evie Johnson 49:06
You know, like I told you that work that I’ve done, trying to figure out late my life like who who’s Ed gonna get a house with 11 siblings, and you have to take care of them. And you have to make sure to eat you got to make sure you look out for one another. And as long as I remember, I’ve always had to look out for someone and being a mom early at 13 and look out for someone that never really had the opportunity to be so when I was able to afford for it to be me, mainly financially. And I think I was 18 when I want to live by myself. I loved it. I felt close. I can get my thoughts. I can, like it rejuvenates me that It recharges me. It recharges me. And so I realized that early on. I need this every year in my life, not twice a year, once a year, twice a year that I’m getting to a point Chris is three, four times a year, you know, but I enjoy it. But in order for me to recharge to give you all of me, I need that time by myself.

Chris Baran 50:21
Yeah. Yeah, that’s, that’s, you know, that’s what getting those lifeforce particles back. That’s where you get to recharge. I think. I know that other people call it sharpening the saw and things as such, but it’s sometimes you just have to have some of that alone time. I mean, I, as much as my coach always makes it, he for a couple of years said, you have to book off at least two weeks out of the year, at least twice a year, you got to promise me you’re gonna did it, do it. And we did it for two years. And then that kind of went by the wayside. And, but so even now, my alone time is even, you know, I, I cherished my time with Rita. And what I love about being married. And now for instance, what 53 years, we, I love getting up in the morning. And I usually get up, I usually get up early, I’m usually up anywhere between 530 sometimes five, some if I sleep in at 630. But I get up and I just make a cup of tea and and watch TV. So I can just listen, not have to give out any thoughts, but just to be. And I like to do that at least till nine o’clock. So that my now my head’s clear. You know, I have some alone time. You know. And I find that’s the way we just went on a houseboat and went out with Lee and Susan Reed and I and, and it was just to be able to sit alone and just read a book. I’m so proud of myself, I actually read a novel, a fictional novel was your work related, I was called 2022 seconds was called to 22 seconds by I can’t remember the author’s name, but it was really good read. And it got me back into dealing with fiction because I can find I can escape them. So that was I just found that that really good. But to be up to the point about whether I can be alone in a room, I can be alone in a room with people if I’m reading. And to me that was that this really is kind of made my day and I love that. So I understand when you say going alone and being on your own etc.

Evie Johnson 52:32
Yeah, it’s important that I have that time. And I know that’s how I’m wired. And my family knows it. Thank God my husband knows it because he did keep his promise is not complete.

Chris Baran 52:47
Yeah, well, I’ll tell you a we’ve got to make sure that Joe and Rita don’t Mead don’t meet because we both have people in our lives that have let us do what we needed to do. So anyway, I want to celebrate Joe for letting letting the industry have you with us. So I’m gonna I’m gonna jump on just a minute here. I we’ve got to do this again. Because I’ve got so many other questions I wanted to ask you, but I I want to talk to you was there like, did you do you have along the way do you have like, first of all, what? What pushes you I hear that I hear the drive that you have. I hear that from whatever happened to you along the way you say this is what I want and I’m going to have it regardless. And you push yourself but what what is it what is it that pushes you what is it that gives you that drive so that you so you do what you do?

Evie Johnson 53:43
I love people Chris. I love love. I love growth. I love seeing people exhale. I love seeing bringing people today all discovery. When I say I love people I love I really really do you know, I like that you get giraffes me it really does. I love just love. Like even like my team that works with me my staff. And like it gets to a point sometimes what gives me goosebumps I just I love amazing people. I like to treat people nice. I don’t like to mistreat I don’t That’s what you said. I don’t like to see anyone being mistreated. But what drags me rarely. It’s just love

Chris Baran 54:37
you know, it’s I heard you say a little bit of this earlier when you were talking about seeing other artists and that they came from a different place. And even if you could talk about psychology, how they didn’t want to share and it’s it’s it’s interesting that we people either come from a place of scarcity or they come from up Use of abundance, you know, and then there’s just enough, there’s enough for everybody. And, and I think that this industry needs more people like you that is just willing to give, you know, recharge, yes. But to give without expecting stuff in return, you know? And yeah. And I think that’s what people love about you is that you, you’re just EV and you give and you give. And and I see that in you all the time that I think it’s just so important to be authentic when you’re on stage, and to be able to just give people what they need, and not worry about it. That’s going to come back to you. And I’m

Evie Johnson 55:43
sorry about that. Yeah, I know, I’m good. And I’m covered. And I’m always put in a position with the best people who encouraged me who supports me. I’m able to look at people like yourself, and be inspired without being in your face. I can see it. And when I see you helping, that helps me recharge to help others, you will say it’s like a domino effect. So you don’t have to be with that person. Like you said, we really get the opportunity to be together, but I don’t have to be with you to learn from you. I don’t have to be around you. For you to be someone that I look up to. All I can do is see your heart. I see your heart. We good. Yep. And it motivates me.

Chris Baran 56:35
Yeah, you mentioned earlier about energy. And I think that if our world right now, and I mean, I just I think that’s what’s so great about our industry is, I think we’re sort of healing agents at the same time. You know, we, we, you know, for the better part of our industry, I find most people are kind, they want to help they want people to grow, they want people to be better at what they do. And I just wished that you know, I think the rest of world takes and needs to take a little closer look at our industry and what we do, and adapt a little bit of that as well. So that everybody can be, you know, be and have come from a place of abundance. So I’m gonna just I want to I’ve got one more question I’m going to do at the end, but very quickly, I want to do a rapid fire round with you. And this is just, you know, I’ll run them out you first thing that comes to your head. And this might be interesting for you being stung. What a conversation we’re going to have eventually what turns you on in the creative process? Nature Hmm, interesting. What stifles the creative process

an event or a show that you love doing no one that I know there’s many but the one that comes to your brain first one

Evie Johnson 58:11
event that I love doing? Yeah, TBD trainings.

Chris Baran 58:18
I think I was gonna say why but I think that’s pretty much right there when you said his book training, passing on the things a thing in life in life that you disliked the most

Evie Johnson 58:32
people being mistreated.

Chris Baran 58:35
And the thing that you love the most love proudest moment in your life? Absolutely. The thing that you dislike most about our industry

Evie Johnson 59:02
I would not I don’t want to say what’s the word I’m looking for? I hate that we don’t have equal or equal opportunities.

Unknown Speaker 59:17
Yeah. Yeah, let’s

Chris Baran 59:20
change that. person that you admire the most.

Evie Johnson 59:26
The person Mm hmm.

Chris Baran 59:34
A person that you wish you could meet

Evie Johnson 59:40
it used to be

Oprah they used to be her. But I won’t, I wouldn’t say

Unknown Speaker 59:59
so Oh

Evie Johnson 1:00:02
I don’t know right now, but if I had to meet someone fun it will be Janet Jackson.

Chris Baran 1:00:10
Oh yeah there you go something that people don’t know about you

Evie Johnson 1:00:19
um let’s see. What do people not know about me? Oh, I like the race car

Chris Baran 1:00:31
you like to race cars I saw a picture of you in a Porsche that so yeah, you know you know how to find find the line in your corners then Right?

Evie Johnson 1:00:44
Yeah,

Chris Baran 1:00:46
there you go. Okay so yeah, I love that and if you open a gun range I’m gonna GOT TO COME OUT WATCH THE MONTH off a month off where would you go? What would you do?

Evie Johnson 1:01:02
Alright, so here we go. My thoughts I’m going to Antarctica to mount de Maldives to Tokyo. And I’m going to go back to Fiji Wow,

Chris Baran 1:01:20
you travel and kind of girl thing that’s tears thing that terrifies are a thing that you’re terrified of. Bam broke get in line girl.

Evie Johnson 1:01:38
For me. It is being broke. But it’s retirement like I have the worst fear of return the right way. Because the beginning here sadness in yourself. Yeah, retirement like, yeah, that makes us I want to be broke. Yeah.

Chris Baran 1:01:53
And you know, for me, it’s it’s, I mean, I watched my mom who had literally had didn’t have much money, but she was the happiest person that I knew when after she retired. But what get what, what terrifies me is that I my brain is always going and I won’t know how to channel it. You know, I’ve you gotta be making something doing something writing something. I my wife would just love it if I would, but but I can’t. Now I know you don’t curse. But if you had a favorite, what do you what’s a word that you do when? When, if you’ve got something comes up and you just got to express it? What what do you say? What’s the word? Shi T. You don’t even say that word. You’ve just got to spell it out. It will be so much faster just to say the word. And then you fill in the blanks. I’m expressing what I’m picturing right now. out of your mouth. You’re saying and you’re getting that s and the exclamation mark dollar sign and so on coming out of there

your favorite comfort food

Evie Johnson 1:03:09
cake girl love cut cake.

Chris Baran 1:03:11
Oh, this weird cake

Evie Johnson 1:03:16
oh my love I like any cable. But right now and this is more so later. Gluten Free be in tight case but I look at

Chris Baran 1:03:28
what flavor

Evie Johnson 1:03:30
Strawberry

Chris Baran 1:03:32
Strawberry ice cream for me strawberry ice cream. Ice cream. Oh no sorry. It’s gluten. vegan ice cream. Something in the industry you haven’t done but you want to

Evie Johnson 1:03:51
um, I would say Lee a symposium. And it be my ideas and not a brand’s latest piece

Chris Baran 1:04:06
of it. One do over something you would if you could do something over in your life. What would it be?

Evie Johnson 1:04:19
Honestly different wedding anniversary.

Unknown Speaker 1:04:24
Ah

Chris Baran 1:04:27
ha ha. I’m staying all out of that one. Up to Joe’s number. All right. Well, he and I’ll have a talk

Evie Johnson 1:04:35
that’s 129 Those two dates that day apart.

Chris Baran 1:04:43
Oh, that’s like see to me. That’s like I’m born on December 26. So for me it’s Christmas and then my birthday so yeah, so you’re not saying that you want the the anniversary to change you just say you want the date to change so that they’re not coinciding is that yeah I would that’s when you’re born on

Evie Johnson 1:05:03
July 29. Nine. Yeah,

Chris Baran 1:05:05
well, listen, you can do anything you want to just say the word.

Evie Johnson 1:05:10
Asking me a new date. I was like, I don’t know if I want to take over now,

Chris Baran 1:05:14
what do you see? Now? You just said you want a new date. So it’s going to be what date in July is going to be? It’ll be July 29. July 29. See now you got to do over you got to do over and you got to double up this year. Okay, just tell them. You love diamonds.

Okay, good. Now tomorrow, this one, I’m anxious to hear what you’d say. Tomorrow, you can’t do anything with hair or anything related to hair? What would you do?

Evie Johnson 1:05:50
Can I still train because I love facilitating No,

Chris Baran 1:05:52
nothing to do with the industry.

Evie Johnson 1:05:55
It doesn’t have to be it could be personal development, bringing the

Chris Baran 1:05:58
personal love it. Love it. Okay, last question. If you had one wish for our industry, what would that be and why?

Evie Johnson 1:06:11
The one wish I would have would be to draw that, that line that I see, bring it together, that we all have one, everyone is recognized as one. And then there’s no there’s not that gray area where it’s like, privileged, or everybody has equal opportunity, I will bring everyone together. Because you have really talented people all over the world. It’s fantastic people discouraged to speak the language, or whatever that is, I will definitely bring everyone together. And train but what I would love to do is bring like artists like yourself, me, whomever was very much on the spotlight and you have other artists that are not in the spotlight come together and teach each other, share each other’s tricks and learn from us that we’d like to them. Yeah, I would love that.

Chris Baran 1:07:16
I love that too. Let’s make that happen. Yeah. Listen, Avi, I just want to say it’s a it’s an honor that has been to have you on here. You know, I’ve always admire you and your work. And and I think is your ethic that you have is just phenomenal. And I want to thank you so much for giving up your time, and your energy to be on the show. And even more importantly, just thank you for letting the audience hear that. You got delta hams and you played it and you played it so that you you are where you are today. And I congratulate you on that. And want to thank you,

Evie Johnson 1:08:00
thank you, I appreciate it. I thank you for having me. And I wasn’t sure what you know, course we were going to talk about or whatever, but I’m comfortable with you. And I must say that today. It’s life changing, because I’ve never even shared some stories. And so you’re able to, you know, today, your viewers and yourself are able to get more of an authentic version of AV of my why and why I do what I do. Like people see me as like, okay, she’s cool. She really understand my why. And so, people say you should write a book, because it’s so much more everybody has a story. But definitely today, you know, share more than what I thought I would share. And I feel like I share my most intimate moments when you are around. So I think we are connected in some kind of way.

Chris Baran 1:08:54
We are you see, it’s our it’s our Cancer and Capricorn vibe we got going on. I don’t know anything about Australia. But I didn’t even call that Australia about astrology. But listen, thank you. And I want you to know first of all, as I said before, that phone call is open for you anytime.

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