We’re celebrating International Women’s Day today with our superstar artists, as they reflect on the remarkable women who have inspired and influenced their careers. Come listen in to their very joi-ful thoughts….
Richard Mannah, Joico Global Brand Artistic Director:
“Odile Gilbert has been described as France’s “most celebrated female hairstylist,” and is the only woman in that profession to have received the French honor of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.* Her career has been based in Paris and New York, and she has been an incredible source of inspiration to me for many years. Odile’s technical work and creative taste is outstanding; she’s always made me appreciate the creative side of hairdressing. I have never had the chance to work with her, but admire her from a distance.”
Tiffany Molina, Joico Artistic Educator:
“I have had a couple of women inspire me over the course of my career. My mom is the first one — she is the strongest woman I know and has always been so encouraging. When I told her I wanted to go to beauty school, some people looked down on me. Not my mom! When I wanted to open my salon, some people tried to talk me out of it,. Not my mom! She tears up often when she comes to my space because she’s so proud. And she’s one of those people who just shows up and helps. I don’t even have to ask her…she just knows what to do. I love and appreciate her so much! ” I’ve also been greatly inspired by Joico Global Brand Ambassador, Larisa Love. She’s never been afraid to take risks; she thinks outside the box; and is honestly so dang creative, it’s amazing! I love how she doesn’t just specialize in one type of hair. She literally does it all. It’s inspiring because a lot of stylists stay in their comfort zone, and she’s never been like that. And I love that even though she’s a huge platform artist, Larisa will still sit with you and chat with you about hair and life!”
Ricardo Santiago, Joico Global Education Expert:
“It sounds kind of funny to say but honestly my biggest inspirations in my career are two women: my wife, Angela Santiago, and my mother, Noemi Santiago. Although neither of them are rooted in the industry, they have inspired me in ways that have framed everything about how I work and who I am. My wife is one of the hardest working women I know, with a mind that never stops trying to create! A lot of the techniques that I’ve been able to produce over the years came from her creative thinking. She’s also my biggest support and teammate, and inspires/pushes me every day to be better and step outside of my comfort zone. My mother…well, she’s the biggest caretaker I’ve ever known. She literally would give the clothes off of her back to anyone and has a heart of pure gold. She taught me what it means to have a servant’s heart, and to put others ahead of myself – and that’s shaped how I care for my clients and everyone in my life.”
Meagan Gallman, Joico Artistic Educator:
“I like to think of myself as an extremely driven woman with a strong work ethic. And multiple women have contributed to that — I truly do not believe that I would have the success as an artist and entrepreneur without all three of them. First, my mother, Tina, played a huge part in shaping who I am. She’s one of the hardest-working individuals I’ve ever known. I grew up seeing her work for the postal service at least six days a week, 8 -12+ hours a day. She taught me what it means to be dedicated to your work, and how to be incredibly independent and financially savvy from a very young age. My stepmother, Penny, taught me to take pride in everything I do. No matter what the task at hand, she always approached things as though she would be graded on her performance, and passed with flying colors every single time. And lastly, I rarely hear hairstylists speak very positively about their experience in cosmetology school. But I can honestly say that I don’t think I could have had a better instructor than Mrs. Robin. She went above and beyond to give us opportunities to learn things outside of the standard curriculum; she pushed me out of my comfort zone; and saw my potential before I did. Thanks to these three amazing women, I am the owner of a multi-award-winning salon with an amazing team, and love my career more than I ever thought possible.”
