Meet Bethany Northcott

We were lucky to catch up with Bethany Northcott recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Bethany, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

Toxic positivity is something I’ve really had to unlearn in order to be truly optimistic. I tend to get upset when I feel something is unjust, or even could just be done better. Many times, I’ve been told to “just be positive”, “stop getting upset”, “don’t think about it”, “focus on the good”. When I took that advice, tried to shove those feelings down and plaster a smile on my face, I actually became more bitter and upset. Because wanting more for everyone is true optimism, at least in my book. Truly, my optimism comes from a deep desire for growth and I put that into practice by allowing myself to feel every emotion associated with that desire.

For example, when I’m upset that a project at work didn’t turn out the way I wanted, I don’t dismiss that and tell myself to “just be positive”. I dig deeper. Well, why am I upset? Because I wanted to do a good job. Why did I want to do a good job? Because I want to provide value to my clients and make them happy. And then I remember that’s why I do what I do and I give myself a little grace; I’m not just a terrible person that ruined someone’s day and doesn’t even know what they’re doing. I’m an honest person that loves what I do and wants to help people, so where did I go wrong? Okay, this is the mistake I made. How can I make it right and make sure I don’t do the same thing again? By digging through the negativity that I wanted to either bask in and throw a pity party or avoid and slap a positivity band aid on, I worked my way into true optimism that’s rooted in a desire for growth rather than a need to stroke my own ego or make others comfortable in their own avoidance.

On a grander scale, I apply the same principle. So many terrible things are happening all around us, from unhoused people suffering on every street corner to brutal wars in the larger corners of the world. It can be easy to fall into despair and lose focus. But again, I look at why it hurts so deeply. Because I want more, I believe in more. I know there is so much good out there, people wanting to do better and be better. Am I going to make anything better by focusing on the terrible? Or am I going to lean into why I’m upset and choose to amplify the good I seek? It sounds cliche, but we can either wait on the world to change or we can be the change we want to see. Even if you don’t have a deep desire for growth and change, I still believe working through uncomfortable emotions is the best way to arrive at a truly optimistic outlook that grounds you to move forward. Fake positivity is like downing an energy drink before a race, it will give you a boost for a little bit, but you’ll crash. It simply doesn’t beat a balanced diet, consistent sleep schedule, and diligent practice that keeps you going strong until the end. I’ve found that embracing and working through the hard, identifying my “why”, and realigning my focus keeps my perspective ultimately positive at the end of the day.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Hello! My name is Bethany Northcott and I am a self employed hairstylist and beauty entrepreneur in Colorado Springs. I have had a passion for all things beauty since I was a struggling, insecure teenager. Through aesthetic exploration and creative expression, I found my confidence. Feeling for myself the difference it makes when you walk through the world with your head held high, proud to be seen rather than staring at the ground, not wanting to be noticed, I knew I had to be a part of fostering that confidence in others. Throughout my beauty career, education has been my cornerstone. In cosmetology school, I was introduced to a 34 year industry veteran that wanted to take me under her wing so, while in school full time, I also assisted her behind the chair and learned hands on. Once I graduated, I nabbed a spot at what was, at the time, the largest salon and spa in America with an amazing education program. There, I continued assisting for another year, learning from different stylists in rotation, taking what worked for me and still learning from what didn’t. This education really fueled my passion and helped me to create my professional identity. After a few years, I began leading my own assistants and teaching my own classes, which ended up being even more education for myself as well. Teaching others is the greatest way to really get a firmer grasp on your own methods, to recognize your shortcomings, and to understand others’ needs. Truly, understanding people is the greatest tool in any professional’s tool belt. I always say—my business is people, hair is my medium.

After an injury, I stepped away from hair and pursued education in Film Studies while working my way into leadership at a big coffee chain. Even though my passion for the beauty industry pulled me back after I had learned ways to better take care of my mind and body so that I could re-enter sustainably, my education in those areas still served me immensely. I don’t view my time in leadership at Dutch Bros Coffee and my years studying film as time off or even as a detour, they were necessary stops along my journey that made me a stronger leader, more expansive creative, and an over all well rounded professional. In many ways, consistently pursuing education and maintaining a thirst for discovery has been my secret weapon. When you know what you’re doing, you’re effortlessly confident. When you have that confident energy, people are attracted to it. Clients want to work with someone that they know they can trust!

I now run my own small business, renting a chair out of a beautiful boutique salon in Old Colorado City, Lush + Lather. Inside that cozy space I specialize in dimensional color looks that are low maintenance and look natural but elevated, adding value to their lives. Recently, I also became a certified Color Analyst, so that I can not only create even more custom color looks but also add another layer of value, helping people to become aligned with who they are by knowing which colors harmonize with them and which ones fight against them. As I said, I really dove into this industry from a young age because I believed helping people feel their best selves was my calling in life. Gaining my own confidence is the only reason I’ve been able to accomplish my dreams and I truly believe that not just giving people beautiful hair or their seasonal color palette, but connecting with them, valuing them as human beings, listening to their stories and encouraging them in their struggles, helps foster the same confidence that will hopefully continue to trickle outwards. I’m currently working on expanding my creative horizons further by creating and building a space where artists from varying fields can operate their businesses with both autonomy and community, a place where art can benefit the artist and the consumer and be profitable on both a personal and professional level. I can’t wait to see what this next phase of growth has in store!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

There’s so many lessons I’ve learned that have impacted my journey, but I keep coming back to these three. They’ve genuinely molded my perspective and changed the way I approach life and therefore business, as the two go hand in hand. You are your brand, you are your business, so when you get yourself aligned, all other areas of your life fall into alignment as well.

I’ve always considered myself to be a perfectionist and tend to live by the mantra “go big or go home.” There are times this mentality has pushed me, but more often than not, it hinders me. Ultimately, it prevents me from taking action because the possibility of not getting every detail perfect paralyzes me. If I can’t do it right, why do it at all? This is a mentality I’ve really had to battle over the years and honestly, still do. But realizing that perfection is the enemy of good keeps me moving. I literally repeat that to myself every day. You don’t have to get everything right and that’s actually a great thing! You get to learn from what you get wrong, or even what you just don’t nail 100%. I will never know it all or be a master at everything and neither will you. However, I’ll certainly get a lot closer to that goal post by putting myself out there, learning the areas I can improve in, and taking action to actualize those improvements. Even if it’s one baby step at a time, it’s better than staying put.

In a similar vein, to get to where I am, I’ve had to really digest the concept that it’s simply not personal. We can apply this to multiple common scenarios. For example, when someone says something hurtful, it’s rarely a true judgement of you and rather a reflection of their own inner struggle. Or, if it hurts because it does ring true, then it’s ultimately not hurting you, it’s helping you because now, even though it stings, you’ve identified an area you can work on. Similarly, when things don’t go according to plan, from a flat tire when you’re running late for work all the way to an unexpected betrayal from a close relationship, it can be easy to ask “why is this happening to me?”. The fact is, it’s not personal. The universe really just doesn’t revolve around us. Instead of asking “why?”, ask “what?”. Because does it really matter why, will that change anything or will that just send you down a rabbit hole of confusion and self pity? What propels you out of that rabbit hole and marching forward is asking, what is this teaching me, or what can I gain from this situation? Maybe even, what greater suffering is this preventing me from later on? Things happen, people hurt us. We’re really all too wrapped up in our own lives for anything to actually be personal towards anyone else. That doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be upset when something goes wrong or someone says something mean, it just means making it about you at the end of the day doesn’t help anyone, especially you.

That really leads me into my last and most important lesson— everyone has a story if you’re willing to listen. That person at work you can’t stand? That client that is super awkward? That stranger that bumped into you on the street and didn’t even say sorry? They have a story. They have a childhood you’ll never understand and reasons why they are the way they are. They’ve been lied to and betrayed, just like you. They have hobbies they enjoy, content they consume, memories that keep them awake at night. We don’t have to like everyone, that’s not what I’m saying. But we can surely empathize with them. We can put forth the effort to finding common ground, connection. As I said above, we’re all so wrapped up in ourselves, our own hopes and dreams, fears and struggles, our own narrative. Stepping outside of yourself and making an effort to understand someone else is the surest way to hammer home the lesson that nothing is personal and in business, it’s the surest way to succeed. Whether you sell a product or you provide a service, you depend on people to do so. The better you understand people as a whole, the better you can identify a need and create a solution. We need each other to do this thing, so let’s take a step back, get out of our own heads, and connect with one another. I win when you win when we win.

These lessons may seem obvious or simple to some, but I’ve found those are the hardest ones to really embody, because they don’t just click one time, they take constant practice. Catch yourself refusing to move because you’re afraid to fail and remind yourself, one step at a time. Catch yourself throwing a pity party and remind yourself, it’s not personal. Catch yourself judging someone else and remind yourself, they have a story too. Perfection is the enemy of good, just practice and give yourself, and others, grace. This is, as far as we know, our first time being human. It’s a gift to learn the lessons. When you have that perspective, I believe there’s nothing you can’t tackle.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

This may sound crazy, but the most impactful thing my parents did for me was to fail me at times. They loved me and provided for me and really did the best they could at every turn, and they still failed me. That’s what we do as humans. We hurt others, maybe intentionally but typically not. We forget important things. We project our insecurities. We neglect our responsibilities in pursuit of our own pleasure. When my mom was her own biggest critic, leading to a critical attitude for everyone else as well, she taught me what I didn’t want to be. When my father neglected to show up when I needed him, he taught me what I didn’t want to do. Hurts I’ve experienced have made me more aware of my own actions towards others and have both helped me forgive others when they hurt me and forgive myself when I hurt them. I guess, in that way, my parents really are the first people to have taught me all three of those lessons I consider to be my most important lessons in life.

Of course, I didn’t have this perspective when I was young, but looking back now, I’m grateful. If you can’t tell, I tend to view just about everything I can in life as a lesson. Today, I’m grateful that these people who I thought, as a child, were supposed to have it all figured out, didn’t. It taught me that there’s no such thing. That someone can do their best and still hurt you and both things can be true at the same time. It taught me that life isn’t about the blame game, it’s not about labeling people as “good” or “bad”. Life is about embracing every single up and down and getting the most out of the ride. My parents, by being the first people to let me down, showed me how beautiful it is to be imperfect humans figuring it out, together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautybybethany.co/
• Instagram: @beautybybethany.co
• Other: Tik Tok: @beautybybethany.co

Image Credits

Kira Whitney Photography
Megan Mckinzey Photography