When you do get overwhelmed or stressed, what steps do you take to feel a bit better?
When I'm stressed out, I try to remind myself that next week will probably be totally different and better. But I have started working out, which I think is helpful. I think taking care of yourself is important. And that's something that I always thought was like, “Oh, all of these people are always talking about meditating and working out and eating healthy.” Who has was time for that? But you really do have to make sure that you're okay, and that just passes on to your employees. So take vacations, take a day off from your phone, take little breaks. You can't totally leave it all but just take little moments.

As a hairstylist, your job involves a lot of travel and a demanding schedule. How do you make sure to take care of yourself on top of it all?

I’m traveling today, actually.

Oh, where to?

I'm in New York right now, but I'm headed to the airport to go to Texas to work with Solange. So yes, I travel a lot!

You have to set the tone for yourself. I messed up last year where I got so into my work that I forgot about me, and that is a very dangerous thing to do. So now I meditate, every hotel that I’m staying at I'm in the gym for at least one hour, and I’m also treating myself. I'm always doing a manicure, a pedicure, or a massage. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll wither away. I also try to eat well, and I must say that in fashion right now, the catering is usually healthy, so that's good.

Yeah, tiny improvements.

I just try to take care of myself in little ways. If there’s a day off, I’m with family or friends. It’s very important to balance out life and work, because you can get wrapped up in this industry very fast. It's not good for you. Don’t forget about yourself.

I also saw that you co-founded Weather Gurlz, which places a strong emphasis on taking care of yourself while being in a creative industry.

This industry can be a place where you're pushed to your limit. Sometimes you can’t take lunch breaks, sometimes you’re surrounded by negative energies, and sometimes you’re just simply in a bad situation. It's imperative to be that light and to not only do it for yourself, but to educate others how to look after themselves and care for one another.

That's something that my co-founder, Michèle Côté and I are constantly doing. We go out of our way to look after ourselves on a daily basis. Naturally, we thought, “Well, we should be helping other people do that as well.”

The responses that we've gotten since starting Weather Gurlz, have been incredible. With our workshops, it's been so special to open doors to a new community where people are kind and want to help one another.

It also forces you to ground yourself. It's really just about truth, and about making the space you want to create in, safe. So when you're at work, you're not really working for someone else anymore. It's less pressure, once you can take care of yourself and everyone around you.

So, when you say that you go out of your way to take care of yourself, what does that mean for you? Is that staying up an extra 30 minutes to take a bubble bath? How do these ideas translate into your daily life?

I have a checklist. If my mood changes, I’ll ask myself “Right. Have you had enough water today? When was the last time you had a snack? Have you been outside for air?” I literally live on this list.

Everyone thinks I'm really funny because every day at work I go for a walk. I say, "Right, guys. Going to go out, get a coffee, be back in a bit." I need that time to myself. People will also ask "Why have you been in the bathroom for 10 minutes?” but I'm actually doing a cheeky little meditation. You've got to do what you can in the situation that you're in. Even if you’re having a stressful day, there's always an opportunity to take a couple of minutes, pop to the bathroom to breathe and re-ground yourself.

It varies for everyone, there are a multitude of things that you can do for yourself. We all have specific needs that we should cater to. The more that you get to know yourself, you're aware of exactly what it is that you'll need. If you know that day is going to be stressful or busy, pack your bag mindfully, whether it's another bottle of water, a certain snack, or headphones to listen to a Ted Talk, etc. I’m always quite strict on that with myself.