Meet Sarah Deacon

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Deacon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.

Hi Sarah, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
In my experience, it is impossible to avoid burnout. Failure, disappointment, and occasional burnout are as much a part of business as they are of life.

Sure, there are days when everything goes my way. Things definitely feel more balanced when I am hitting all my goals. But truthfully, some days seem to have gone sideways before my feet hit the ground in the morning. I dig deep and find myself reaching for more than I have to give. We can get so used to pushing our nervous system that it becomes a normal way of life. Instead, I try to exercise a little extra grace when I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. You can get so lost keeping up with the demands of life that you miss out on your very own life. Sometimes, doing your best at the time is all you can do, and that has to be enough. Mindful that our best will change from time to time, depending on our circumstances. Try to find moments in each day to be present and remind yourself the reasons you are grateful to be alive.

I often think of this quote by Iain Thomas “And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, “This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!” And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, “No. This is what’s important.”

The structure of our society thrives on burnout. It’s actually rebellious to be rested and joyful. From the time we wake up until the time our heads hit the pillow — the message is clear: more more more stimulation. If it’s not our toxic screen time, it’s nearly impossible to avoid the loads of harmful chemicals we are exposed to in our environment, body care products, water, food, etc. Even as your body works as a constant filtration system, it is hard to combat the compound adverse effects. I would encourage readers to research more in depth the effects of modern lifestyle. For the purpose of this article, I will do my best to summarize the central elements that have helped me move through burnout.

Nutrition: Prioritizing your health through sleep, exercise, and nutrition are essential. You absolutely are what you eat. Some foods energize and promote clear thinking, while some slow you down. The modern food system is fast and convenient, meaning lots of chemicals. Whenever possible, try to source food locally with simple ingredients. You may sometimes pay more for cleaner ingredients, but I have found that real food actually fuels my mind and body on those long days.

Routine: In most cases, no one is coming to your rescue. So, I have come to the conclusion that you will need to establish a routine that can sustain you to the best of your ability. If one cannot avoid burnout, instead focus on strengthening the foundation so that we can recover more gracefully. Take the time to identify and prioritize your most vital needs instead of scrambling at the last minute just to come up short.

Boundaries: If you are serious about taking control of your life, you must establish boundaries with yourself and others. You must know what you can tolerate and where you draw the line. When clear with yourself, you do not need to react in situations draining your energy constantly. You can sit with yourself and know how you really want to respond. Set limits for time dumpsters like social media. It would be life-changing if I could have back all of the hours I have spent scrolling. There’s nothing more draining than to start comparing yourself to idealistic snapshots. As you grow and change through life, check in with yourself to reevaluate your boundaries as needed.

Budget: Financial stress is one of the biggest drains of energy, both mentally and physically. Sometimes, giving up something you like at the moment will help you save for something you l o v e in the long run. Consider creating a vision board as a beautiful reminder of why you are working so hard.

Hoarding: Nothing stresses me more than an overwhelming amount of “stuff.” Even though I admittedly collect certain items and excuse them away because they may be very well organized. Too much stuff can silently drain your energy from the accumulated dust, prevent you from finding things, and prevent you from utilizing your space. The older I get, the more I have to agree; less really is more.

Currency: Where we spend our time, energy, and money is our currency. It is how we vote for the change we want to see in the world. Not with a ballot box on election day— but every day at the supermarket or the farmers’ market, screen time or quality time, flashy brand label or clean ingredients. It’s not always easy to spot the difference, but I promise you these changes can profoundly impact your life.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a Hair Colorist. Responsible for many roles within my business, but that is how I always see myself. I love meeting genuine individuals and sharing education, writing, design, photography, and all things hair color. Ever since I can remember I knew I couldn’t resist the magnetism to the beauty industry. As a proud career tech graduate I have always had an independent side and hoped to open my own shop one day. After several years of failure, growth, and success, we eventually opened Deacon Hair Co. in 2019. After that, everything felt like a whirlwind as the chairs began to fill one by one, and the building was no longer just a shell of a dream. It became alive with the heartbeat and soul of the stylists and clients who came into the space. There will always be more work to be done, but I can honestly say it feels like we have found a place where we can gradually let down our walls and be met with compassion. A place where we belong.

Our mission is to “Refresh your hair. Renew your soul.” And we really believe those two things go hand in hand. When you step into our salon, you may notice a hint of sage in the air or the lush plant life thriving in many corners. When life is stressful and seems to be pulling you in a million directions, I wanted our space to be a calming place where you can just breathe. A more relaxed pace environment centered around quality over quantity.

Our salon is most known for healthy hair, vibrant colors, natural curls, and individualized cuts. We focus on healthy hair above all. We believe healthy hair is the basis for beautiful colors and cuts. We love to share education whether we can attend class or host in the comfort of our salon home. Each stylist is independent and focuses on learning a limited number of particular skills really well. This allows each of our stylists to develop their expertise further and specialize in services that set them apart. Depending on what you are looking for, whether it’s the perfect blend, blonde, color, curls, fringe, etc. We have someone or know someone who can help you. We do a lot of corrective work, especially working with new clients. If you have been struggling with your hair and are ready to try something different—visit our website www.deaconhairco.com to learn more about our team and how to schedule a consultation with one of our stylists. If you want to make changes for healthier hair, it doesn’t really matter where you are starting; we can help you move in the right direction.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Patience: Because lord knows not one of my carefully planned timelines has gone uninterrupted. Knowing when to compromise instead of demanding things in a certain way at a particular time will get you much further. Patience for when you misunderstand or are misunderstood. Just know you’re going to need a lot of this. It’s usually not about you, so just breathe and let it go.

Resilience: The ability to endure and accept failure without giving up. You may get lucky and succeed the first, second, or even third time. However, in many situations, you may have to try and fail 100 or more times before reaching a goal. There is also resilience when life’s catastrophes come to sweep you under. It is important to remember no one can avoid feelings of failure or the painful sting of loss. No one is immune to these disruptive and traumatizing events. We can only do our best to keep returning to the little spark inside us that whispers, “There is still hope; don’t give up.” And with time and perspective, you will trade some naive expectations for a profound appreciation for the depth of life.

Organization: When my life is a mess, I tend to struggle more with my responsibilities and miss opportunities. You do not have to be the most intelligent or most attractive person in the room to be the most successful. You do, however, need to be able to structure your time and flow of information efficiently. I cannot tell you how much time I have wasted trying to find something digitally or physically that I could have avoided by organizing it correctly initially. I am a paper girl, and I love my planner as it helps me stay focused and check-in. If you have trouble procrastinating—consider breaking your goals down bite-sized. If you find yourself in a waiting room scrolling on your phone- jump over and answer an email or text message that’s been waiting. Take opportunities to get little things off your plate when you can vs. trying to do everything simultaneously. Because sometimes, that window of time that is big enough to get everything done will never come. Life happens every day to us and around us. Do your best to flow.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We love to collaborate with entrepreneurs in general: Stylists, educators, photographers, designers, makers, and artists.

We work with cosmetology schools and students to share real-life work experience and training. We mentor through internships & apprenticeships for young stylists passionate about elevating their craft.

We are always looking to grow our organic brands and locally-made product lines.

We enjoy collaborating with local businesses in Chillicothe, Ohio, through giveaways, social media, etc.

To learn more about what we do and get to know our team, you can visit our website www.deaconhairco.com.

To reach me directly regarding collaboration, you can email [email protected]

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Cassidy Dawn Photography Coraline The Great

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