Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsie Jackson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chelsie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

When deciding what to call my business I really wanted to find something that would be personal, but mainly I wanted it to embody the passion I feel for what I do.

The entire reason I love what I do is the human element. I love getting to know all kinds of different people and having a space that is safe to be vulnerable and share whatever is going on in life. I love the idea of my clients feeling like no matter what is going on they will always have a friend behind the chair.

The definition for Sonder is ” The profound feeling of realization that each random passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.” I discovered the name for this just a few months before starting my business and it just fit perfect. I decided to add Sage as a nod to my home state of Nevada. The state plant is sage brush and a scent that immediately takes me back home when I smell it. You may notice if you look closely that in my logo that there is a sprig of sage brush along with a very subtle outline of the state of Nevada.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In high school I envisioned myself working in therapy, but did not feel adequately equipped for the schooling requirements. I have ADHD and that severely impacted my schooling experience and confidence when it came to the typical suggestion of pursuing a college degree. I was nervous to graduate completely unsure of the future, but decided to go to cosmetology school with hope that a trade working with my hands would be more compatible with the way my brain is wired.

At that time I didn’t know this decision would pave the path for the career I have today. I remember feeling so worried I had made a mistake when I began school, it was evident so many of my classmates had a deep passion for the art of hairstyling. Though I have always felt drawn to creativity, I did not feel as passionate about the technical side of cosmetology. It wasn’t until I got on the floor working with clients that I discovered where my passion fit. While being in a hairstylist’s chair is not a replacement for therapy, there is something so unique and special about the human connection that happens within a hair appointment. It takes a decent level of trust to allow someone to even touch your hair let alone alter your appearance. Whether it be for a routine color appointment, a job interview, a monumental life moment like a wedding day, and sometimes during life’s most devastating moments like the loss of a loved one. I realized very quickly that the human element to working behind the chair was a sacred responsibility. That is what made me fall in love with the vocation.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Something that has been very difficult throughout my journey and at times has felt impossible, is navigating my mental and physical health. By nature I tend to be a very shy and introverted person which can have some contradicting consequences working in such a vibrant and social industry. This alone can be energy consuming, but when paired that with auto immune disease and other chronic conditions it can become the perfect storm. About a year before starting Sonder Sage I found myself in a very low place. With gentle, yet persistent encouragement from my husband and friends I decided to seek out help to sort through things I had become very good at avoiding. This lead to therapy, and many visits with various Doctors. I was pleasantly surprised when I l realized that starting a business would allow me to focus on my health and begin learning how to balance doing what I love and taking care of myself so I can continue doing what I love.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

You know the saying “fake it ’til you make it?” this is something we were taught in cosmetology school and for the first couple of years that is a lot of what I did. Around year 3 of my career I began to feel that I wasn’t growing as a stylist. I decided to stop pretending that I was some kind of hair wizard who was expected to magically know everything. I started being honest with clients when something intimidated me or if I felt I may not be the best stylist for the job. This lead to so many opportunities to learn from other stylists around me both in person and on social media. It was a big relief when I realized that no stylist knows it all. Things will always be changing and there will always have more to learn. I have also found transparency is a more sustainable way to build a clientele who trust you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sondersagehair.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sondersagehairstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonderSageHairStudio/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sondersagehairstudio

Image Credits
Zach Giesting