Meet Haley Watkins: Master Hair Stylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haley Watkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haley, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Forget all of the reasons why it won’t work and believe in the one reason why it will” For the first half of my career I was so quick to give things up if I was failing at it. Whether it was failing at learning something new or failing at something I knew already, I always took the fail as a loss and would move onto something else. Then I would just be mad at myself for it. I remember seeing this quote one day and it really changed my mind set on a lot of things, professionally and personally. I became the person who would look a challenge in the face knowing I was going to succeed. Even if I would fail at first, I promised myself to keep trying until it was a success. In doing so, I have gotten so far with my career and who I am as a person. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In todays world, there are amazing hair artists EVERYWHERE. Some days its hard to compete with. I think the thing that sets me apart from most is the care I have for my clients. I’ve experienced being in a salon where the client is just a dollar sign. And although doing hair pays the bills, I really do love getting to know each and every person that sits in my chair. A lot of people think being a hairstylist is just doing hair, but we really do become apart of peoples lives. If they have a bad day, we are there for them to talk. If they have a job interview, we are there for them to get prepared. If they are getting married, we get to be apart of their special day. Thats what I love about my job. Being able to create amazing hair and making the client feel their best is seriously the most rewarding thing in the world. My journey to get to where I am at in my career was nowhere near easy. I have worked pretty hard to get to where I am at and I’m still busting my butt to get to where I want to be. I’ve learned tons of lessons along the way. But the most important one I’ve learned is that you are in control of your future and you are in control of your own happiness. There are things in this life that can always add or take away from both of those two things, but at the end of the day its your choice on how you move through life. If someone out there reading this only takes one thing away from my story, its to never give up on yourself. Never let someone tell you that you can’t. And never let things get in the way of your goals and dreams.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s difficult to say right now what is my favorite spot in the city with everything being shut down. But I’ve always been a fan of the Highlands for a “girls day/night” and some great food! I’m a huge ‘foodie’ and am always looking for new trendy spots to try something different. The highlands always has something new popping up and its in the perfect spot if you like the city feel without getting too far into Denver

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Zandi K family has always been the reason behind my recent success. Nicki & Faye (the owners) have always supported me and have helped guide me through my career. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am right now if it wasn’t for everyone at Zandi K. With that said, from the very start my parents have always backed me with every choice I wanted to make, even the most difficult. After hair school I made the choice to move to Austin, Texas. Always being so close to my family, it was a hard decision to make moving 1,000 miles away from them. However, they helped and pushed me every step of the way. Even being so far away from them their constant love and support really got me through. I got my foot in the door of a salon that started my journey. I’ll honestly say that it was the most exhausting experience of my life. I would think about giving up probably once a week. I have to give a ginormous shoutout to Andrea Cooper and Maria Secora during this time. They were the two master stylists that I was apprenticing under. They really kicked my ass but in the best way possible. They were my first mentors in my hairstyling career and I constantly think back to how much they pushed me to be the best I could be.

Instagram: @hairbyhalezz