Small Town Stylist, Big Heart w/guest Alisha Gordon

A salon chair can be the most honest place in town. I am joined by Alisha Gordon, a longtime Ellensburg hairstylist and salon owner, to unpack what really happens when people sit down for “just a haircut” and end up sharing their whole lives. We talk about growing up with constant moves, how coming back to a small town helped her get steady, and why deep roots and familiar faces can change your trajectory when you’re headed down a rough path. 

Alisha also tells the story of meeting Jason in high school and building a relationship that lasts through distance, uncertainty, and the messy early adult years. We get into her road toward cosmetology, including the wild alternate timeline where she could’ve gone to beauty school back east and worked around New York City productions. If you’re searching for real talk on marriage, community, and finding work you actually love, her perspective hits home. 

Then we go deeper on what makes the beauty industry so personal: loyalty, trust, and the way stylists quietly become part therapist, part historian, part friend. Alisha shares what it means to serve clients through weddings, babies, hard days, and even hospice and funeral moments where helping someone “look like themselves” becomes an act of dignity and love. We also break down salon leadership, building a welcoming space, and why “Happiness is a choice” can be a daily practice, not a slogan. 

If this conversation makes you think of your own people, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one place or person that helps you feel seen?

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Transcript

Welcome And Father’s Day

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You ready to get started? Yeah. Okay, here we go. Welcome to Deep Dive with Dr. D. Uh, I'm glad you're here. I have uh I always say this every time a special guest. All my guests are special. But I'm just gonna say you're really special in a lot of ways. You're special. But um my heart has always been with you. I don't know if you know this, but the day I called you and asked you to come do my mom's hair when she was in hospice. That's when, and you just didn't even skip a beep. So I have Alicia Gordon with me. This is gonna be a great episode. I think we're gonna have some good laughs and some fun. And what I've learned through doing these is that like I know Alicia pretty well. Um, I get to know people even a little more, which is kind of cool. So we're gonna have a conversation today. Um, it's a beautiful Sunday. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. I just did a post. This really in my life has been my most important role being a dad, um, and now being a grandpa, all of those roles are important to me. So happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Uh, and if you're in memory of your dad, um uh that's um good. Okay. Yeah. You ready?

SPEAKER_02 1:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Okay. So, Alicia, introduce yourself. Now, keeping in mind that people listen to these that maybe don't know you. You know,

Growing Up And Finding Home

SPEAKER_01 1:23

who are you? Where are you from? What do you do for you know to earn a living, your family, whatever you want to share.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Okay. Um, I'm Alicia Gordon. And I am born and raised here. I did leave for a little period of time. Uh we left when I was in second grade.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Okay. Oh, the whole family did.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

It was my parents and my brother and I.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

We moved to Redmond.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Washington.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Um for work? My dad's work.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Okay. What did he do?

SPEAKER_00 1:58

He was he was in the asphalt business and he worked for Chevron.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Oh. Yeah. Really? For years and years and years.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

So this we're talking about This was in 198 maybe three, four.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Okay. So you're young.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Second grade. Yeah. Uh, but family was still here. So I still ever family was historical. Absolutely. Everybody else was still here. Grandparents, remind me of your maiden name. My maiden name, well, I have two. My maiden name was Webster. Oh. And then I was adopted, and so my maiden name was Jones. See? I yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

I oh, of course it was. Oh my gosh. That's Tyler's mom's maiden name is Jones.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Okay. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Webster Jones.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Okay, so keep going. So you pretty much have been here your whole life.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

I've been here my whole life.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

How long did you guys stay in Redmond?

SPEAKER_00 2:52

We were only there for so that was second grade. We moved to Vancouver, Washington. Like within a year, probably.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Because of the job again. Uh-huh. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

And then I did fourth grade, part of fourth grade, third and part of fourth grade in Vancouver, and then moved back to Bellevue.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Oh, oh. I remember you saying that.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Um and I did.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

So this is late 80s now.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Yeah, fourth grade all through middle school.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

In Bellevue.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

In Bellevue. Eastgate. Sami Sharia. Oh wow. And then um moved, and then I moved, me without my parents. Yes. I um How old were you? I was 14. And I was my mom would say that I was perfect until I turned 14, and then I turned into the devil. AKA Road Warrior is what my nickname became.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Okay. I jump ship.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

I did. I moved here two weeks before my freshman year of high school.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Really?

SPEAKER_00 3:52

And I lived with my aunt and uncle.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Yeah. Okay. So you stayed with family. Yeah. But you're like, mom and dad, I'm out.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

Yeah, they they they They shipped you off. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

I got into the city.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Did that turn out to be a good thing?

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Absolutely. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I was only supposed to be with them till December of that school year.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

I wasn't ready to go home and my parents weren't ready for me to come home. Okay. So I decided to stay my freshman year.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Here.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Here.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

And then I was just doing awesome. I tried out for cheerleading and made it. My grades were in the middle of the year.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

What do you think the difference was? And and you know, not to beat up your mom or your dad or your aunt or anyone. What do you think the the difference was that caused you to kind of shift course?

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Well, I think that um I mean I was going down a pretty bad path at a very young age. I mean, I'm surprised I'm alive.

unknown 4:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Actually. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Um, I think, and my aunt always says this.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Um have I met your aunt?

SPEAKER_00 4:53

You've met my aunt. My aunt Pam. Oh yeah, good. Yeah, yes, my mom's sister. Yes. Okay. So she has always said you just needed to be in a small town. You you needed Ellensburg. Ellensburg is your home. Okay. Your roots are here. You're, you know, she's always just like you just fit in, you know, better in a small, calmer. Um, you know, I needed to get away from the people that I was hanging out with. And I just wasn't making good decisions as a 14-year-old.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Well for you to be in the smaller town.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

With more connections, maybe. Yeah, I know. Yeah, friends here.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Absolutely. I mean, I still, it was like I never even left. I picked up right where I left off with the friends that I had in grade school. And and throughout, you know, coming to visit. Mandy I didn't meet till later. Okay. But Katie Bales. She's full of floor. Um, Sarah Betsall. Yes. Okay. You know. Oh boy, weren't you guys accrued? Gosh, there's Kelly Sorensen, who doesn't live here anymore, but her parents are here.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

But they were people you had known.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

I had I've known since before kindergarten. Okay. And, you know, ended up Fang.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Liang.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Was is probably one of my longest standing.

SPEAKER_03 6:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Okay. He was one of my good friends starting in. He was in first grade, I was in kindergarten.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Um, and we've remained friends forever. Forever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

Okay, so um born here.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Born here.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Started life here, moved away for a bit, a little bit on the west side, came back because your trajectory was going not in a good direction. So you were able to write that ship over here, graduated high school.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Graduated high school.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Uh did a year of cent of central. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

And then So we're talking what year did you graduate? I graduated in in 93. 93. Okay. Okay. So did a year at Central.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

I did a year at Central. Um hated school. Sure. I I really I didn't hate Central. I hated school. I think I would have done better in college had I moved away. Oh yeah. It was too much like high school. Sure. You know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

It was kind of like an extension, really.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

Yeah. I mean I didn't I didn't make a point to meet people. I didn't this is shocking. I did not attend one sporting event the year I was in college. Okay. Okay. Which is unheard of. What were you doing? What did you do? Uh just hanging out. Hanging out? Like, yeah. Yeah. It was an extension of it. It was just an extension of high school. And so, you know, I'm so left central. Left central. Um, and to uh New Jersey. Because that's where my parents were. Oh god. And I needed to get out of Ellinsburg. Oh shit.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

I needed to they had since they probably had some moved.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

They've moved all over.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Right. So now they're in New Jersey.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

Yep. They moved to New Jersey my senior year of high school.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Okay. With your brother.

SPEAKER_00 8:03

With my brother. My brother stayed with them. He did. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Okay. So you moved to New Jersey.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

I moved to New Jersey. I needed to get out of Ellensburg. I needed to figure out is is Ellensburg where I want to be?

SPEAKER_03 8:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Jason, you know, we we were like, do we want to be together? Do we not want to be together?

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Oh, pump the bricks.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Jason, he's in

Jason And A 35 Year Love

SPEAKER_01 8:25

the picture now.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

Oh, Jason and I started dating our sophomore year of high school.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Wow. Okay. Now I was he was my grubtolo date. So hold on, I'm gonna put the camera on you. Okay. So tell me about. Do you remember the day you and Jason met? Um around that time. Do you remember when you guys met? We You knew of each other?

SPEAKER_00 8:46

We knew of each other.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Um, because we had the same group of friends.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

Great. So when did it turn into Jason and Alicia? When was the day you knew it was gonna turn into Jason and Alicia?

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Oh. Um, okay. Well, I needed a Grabtolo date. Okay. Okay. Okay. And I wanted to go with someone who kind of ran around, you know. Someone you knew. Yeah. Someone that, you know, I didn't want to bring a stranger into the friend group, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:15

So you asked him.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

Jason was the only guy left.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

Jason, you were the only guy left. Okay, this is great.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

Okay, so you went on the you went to the So we went to Grub Tolo and um had an amazing time. Ah, so then it shifts. So from that night on.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

On.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

That was sophomore. Sophomore year of high school. Sophomore year. You guys 16. 17. We were 15. 15.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

And you guys have been together ever since.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Yeah. Yeah. 35 years.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Wow. We've been together. That's a long time.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

I don't know who I should uh give my condolences to more, Jason or you. It's kind of neck and neck. With me and Katrina, it's always, you know, to Katrina. Yeah. But that's super cool. Yeah. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

So we got to.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

So you guys both move to New Jersey. No. No.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

He stayed here.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Whoa.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

I okay. So college, I kind of had a rough year.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

What's Jason doing post-college?

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Um post-high school. Oh, so he was working for OST.

SPEAKER_01 10:21

Okay. Oh, driving truck?

SPEAKER_00 10:23

No, he was a mechanic.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Oh, a mechanic. Okay, of course. Okay, so he's mechanics.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

He's mechanicking. I'm going to school.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

We just kind of grew apart a little bit that year. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

So I mean, we're going to be able to do that. Yeah, we kind of were on and off, on and off that year.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Um, and then I was like, you know what? I need to get out of here. I need to figure out is this where I want to be, you know, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

So you head to New Jersey. I head to New Jersey. So are you guys together or just Yeah, we stayed together.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Okay. All right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

So you go to New Jersey.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Um, yeah. I left in October.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

He came out for Christmas. Oh, he did. Okay. We got engaged. I came home in February.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

So Jason's like, I don't want to lose her.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

I mean, maybe. I don't. Well, I I I hope so.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

He went out there and you guys got engaged. Yeah. Did he ask you to marry him? Yes, he did. Yeah. So he didn't want to lose his girl.

SPEAKER_00 11:25

So I came home. I came home in February. You came home. I f I surprised him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

Well.

SPEAKER_00 11:30

I was supposed to be out there for a year.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

So he comes out Christmas. When did he uh propose?

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Christmas morning. On Christmas morning. Yeah, yeah.

unknown 11:38

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

That's cool. Yeah. What year is this?

SPEAKER_00 11:41

This was 90. 95. Christmas of ninety five. No. Christmas of ninety five. We got married in April of 96. So no.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

No.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

We we were engaged for a year. A year. Okay. So 94.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

Christmas of the year.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Christmas of it must have been Christmas of 94.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Um.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

And so then you came home right after that.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

I came home in February, yeah. February. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Okay. Those were my dark years.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

Yeah. I I surprised him on Valentine's Day.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Oh, wow. Wow. And moved back though.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

Yes, I moved back.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Did you guys move in together?

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Uh right away. No.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

No.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

No. Where did I live?

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Yeah, where were you living?

SPEAKER_00 12:25

I think at that point my grandma had a house out in Kiditas.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

Right next door to my other grandma.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Um, and I think I moved out to her place.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Where was he living?

SPEAKER_00 12:36

He was living at home.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

He was?

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Yeah. It was just him and his dad. Oh. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, his parents were um divorced when we were in high school. So this is very cool.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

Okay, so the story of Alicia and uh Alicia and her man. So you guys get engaged, you get married. Um uh what were you doing for work?

SPEAKER_00 12:57

Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Okay, so of course the printer decides right now to go through its cleaning process. Excuse that annoying noise.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

Um, okay, what did I do? I came back. So when I went to New Jersey, I worked at a coffee shop in a mall. Oh. Barney's coffee and tea cookie.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

In a mall.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

And I had previously worked at um, you know where Genesis is, your favorite Mexican place.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Yeah. That was a coffee.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

That was a coffee stand. It was called Incredible Espresso.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

And you worked there.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

And I worked there.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Who owned it?

SPEAKER_00 13:28

Um the Barrett family.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Um, and then they were the lunchboxes, they expanded and went there and then they changed to Valet Espresso.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Oh. Right. Okay. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

So um back in in February, I started beauty school in March.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

You did?

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Yep. Of that year.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Where?

SPEAKER_00 13:49

In Yakima. Yakima. Socks. Didn't have it here yet. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

What what

Beauty School And Career Choices

SPEAKER_01 13:55

uh what drew you to that the field you're in now?

SPEAKER_00 13:58

Um, well, I, you know, I've always liked to do I'm not girly at all. I I didn't play with dolls, I didn't nothing like that. You know, tea parties, but no. Uh, but I loved doing playing with their hair.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Um, and I have an aunt who was a hairdresser.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Um, Debbie Rue. She lives here.

SPEAKER_01 14:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

Um, and I just always wanted to do hair like her. That's cool. And um my original plan was to go to school, beauty school, have a good job, and then go to college for something else. Sure. And but I'd have, you know, a decent job or whatever. And um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

Just never happened.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

No, I didn't like college.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Uh now, okay, because we know Jake's watching, he's probably already upset because he hasn't been brought into the picture yet. But here here, Jake. So what year was Jake born?

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Jake was born in 99.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

99. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

We were married in 96, he was born in 99.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Okay, so three years in, yeah. Jake comes into the picture. Yes. Okay. And only child, right? Yeah. Okay. He's a handful of.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

We tried for a long time. Well, oh God, yeah. He's a handful. Still. No, we uh, you know, he I had he was probably not meant to be here. Oh wow. Uh he a very traumatic delivery. I mean, my pregnancy and everything was great. It was fine. He was every problem imaginable during a delivery process, he Oh wow. Yeah. Um he spent a week in the Nikyu and memorial in Yakima.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

Um and you didn't know any of this. No, no, there was no everything was normal up until the bells are going off and oh boy. Ooh, scary.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

So scary. Never really have him up here and then I had him in Ellensburg and then he and then they took him the day after he was born. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:57

Okay. Um I just um your mom and dad moved back here.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

They moved back to Washington State this the year I found out I was pregnant with Jake.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Oh, they're like, we're going back.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Well, they didn't know. Oh they were being transferred back.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

Oh, okay. With your dad's job. Um with my dad's job. Yeah. So they were coming back.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

And they came back to Ellensburg?

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Nope. They moved to Bothell.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Okay. Yeah. Wow, he really moved around a lot.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

Okay. Was your mom working? Did your mom work for it?

SPEAKER_00 16:26

Yeah, my mom. Um, she was a travel agent.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

Oh. Um back in the day when travel agents were big.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

She worked here locally for years and then, you know, worked for other law offices. When they moved to Georgia, oh, wow. Uh she went to work part-time for a travel agency there and loved it.

SPEAKER_03 16:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

She, you know, when she was in high school or shortly after high school, she worked at the Yakma Airport. She wanted to be, you know, like a flight attendant or something. But she worked there, and so she was always interested in, you know, traveling. Traveling. Um, so she worked at the place in Georgia, and then when they moved to New Jersey, she got a job at a travel agency out on the shore and ended up buying it.

SPEAKER_01 17:15

Oh, good for her.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

And so she had her own travel agency for years.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

When they were transferred back to um Washington, she worked at a travel agency in uh Crossroads, which is Bellevue, part of Bellevue. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Boy, back in the day, that's what you did. You called the travel agent.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Yeah, and then, you know, 9-11 happened and travel and stuff kind of went.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

I remember that, it did. You know, and then people slowed down.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

And I think people um then the internet. Now they can do their own. You don't need a travel agent.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

I remember way back, you know, we would call Montgomery Ward. This is going way back, Montgomery Ward Travel. You know, and they set you all up and everything, and then the 9-11 happened, the internet became a thing. Yeah, you know, your thing.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

Boarding passes and your itinerary. Yeah. Now they don't do that.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

So Jake's in the picture. Um, you've been working, you know, this is in the question. You've been in the cosmetology, is that right? Yeah. Industry for a long, long time. Jason has been mechanicin for a long time. Um, Jake's now driving truck, um, doing that. He seems to be enjoying that. I just saw him downtown with his buddies.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

Um uh pets?

SPEAKER_00 18:37

Well, we have a dog, Oakley.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

Oakley. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Have you always had a dog?

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Did you have dogs growing up?

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

We had me growing up, we had chihuahuas.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Oh, really? Little dogs. Okay. So you love dogs.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Jason growing up had big dogs. Boxers, labs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um the marine of big and little dogs. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

I'll never forget the day Katrina says, I think maybe I want to have a little dog.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

And then we got Daisy.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Then you got Daisy.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

The Chihuahua, Daddy's little girl.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

So thanks for the great introduction. See, I learned that. I learned stuff. So you're you, your family, your mom and dad moved, that's what they did.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

Real quick, before we go to the first question, your brother.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 19:21

When did he move out of the home? What is he? Okay, so I've met him once or twice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

So Dustin is two years younger than me.

SPEAKER_01 19:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Of course, he followed mom and dad, obviously. Sure. Um, and then he graduated. So he graduated from high school in New Jersey.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Did a year, I think, of college, community college, all that. He came out here to Seattle to visit his lifelong best friend, Ryan.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:52

Um, who Ryan's parents and my parents grew up together. Well, my mom. Um, and and Ryan's parents grew up together. We stayed in contact, you know, our whole lives. The whole time. So, so Dustin and Ryan have always been, no matter where we live, whatever. We all we lived in the same neighborhood in Bellevue, you know.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

So anyway, uh, Dustin came out here for a trip to visit Ryan and called my parents and said, I'm staying.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

I love it out here. Okay. I want to, I want to stay out here.

SPEAKER_03 20:23

Okay for him.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

So he moved out here, I want to say it was like 98, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

Um, because Jake was born in 99. And you know, of course, he and Ryan lived together and and all that. And then he ended up with a gal, and they had my oldest nephew.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Um Damon, who just got married last weekend.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Uh is four months younger than Jake.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Okay. Yeah. Pretty close.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

So that's cool.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Yeah. So Dustin is now, he's done a lot of things. He's gone to college, he's worked for, you know, Microsoft, he's done computer stuff. He is a avid surfer. Oh. Has been since Jersey. Oh. You know. Um, and he opened up his own surf shop in Port Angeles. You're kidding. That's where they live. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

Oh, cool. Good for him.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

So he does uh he sells surf stuff and skate stuff, snowboard stuff.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

Uh, but mainly surfing. And then they do rentals and uh he did get into training or you know, teaching teaching. Yeah. Um, but not so much. No, he but he just wants to go surf. Yeah, good for him. Yeah. So he doesn't want to waste his time. I'm I shouldn't say waste. He he just that took up a lot of his surf time. So he doesn't want to do that.

SPEAKER_01 21:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

All right, here we go. First question.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Oh gosh. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

You've been doing hair and helping people look and feel their best for decades. That's what you do.

Why Stylists Become Confidants

SPEAKER_01 22:08

What first drew you to this profession and what has kept you passionate about it all these years? You've done it a long time.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

I've done it a long time.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

So go back to you know, you talked about your aunts a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

Yeah, I I think I just I really loved um playing with hair, obviously, and painting nails and things like that. Um side note, when I was in New Jersey, I was planning on going to beauty school because um I had had a job I had a job waiting for me.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

If I went to beauty school. Um my brother was actually in um some modeling and acting at the time, and his um agent um was in charge of all the hair and makeup of the soap operas that were filmed in New York City.

SPEAKER_01 23:03

Whoa.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

And he offered me a job.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Oh my gosh. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

So I was gonna go to beauty school there and do that.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Oh, you could have been in a whole different world.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

Yeah, well, Jason didn't want to move to New Jersey.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

So we can thank or be upset at Jason, either way. Yeah, because you could have been a stylist.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

I could have been a yeah, thank you. Stylist to the stars. Uh so anyway, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

That kind of got me, that pushed me so that was your like, oh, maybe I want to do this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

Um, but then I found out, you know, I would have had to uh transfer hours, do more hours in Washington State, you know, because it's different. And so I was like, well, I don't want to go to school here and then go back home and go to school there. So moved to one or the other.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Went to school here.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Um, and I just fell in love with it.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

I you get to meet so many people and different from all walks of life. And um and I'm a I'm a people person. I love to really ask questions and find out who you are and and help you if I need to, or whatever. So this job seemed like the perfect way to get into people's job. We met, I had to look up the date. Okay, good. Um we got together, uh Super Bowl, um, was that 15, 14? We worked together on planning the downtown rally for Super Bowl that year.

SPEAKER_03 24:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

Um I think did Ivy maybe get us cooked up together? I think so. Yeah. I think it was Ivy. In fact, she might have introduced me to you uh at Fred Meyer originally.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

That would make sense.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

But then we, you know, with our love of the Seahawks, we planned the rally.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

Because you did Anthony's hair and that was in that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:23

Yeah.

unknown 25:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

Okay, where were you working?

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Um, Bahama Bronze, which is now the Roost. Next door to the Palace on Main Street.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

Oh yeah. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

Okay, that's about so four what year?

SPEAKER_00 25:39

I think it was 14 years. 14 would be about right.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

Well ish.

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Or 15. I can't remember which year that okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:47

It was probably Seahawk season 14, but you know, the Super Bowl was in 15. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

So your your love of what you do, what's kept you doing it is is really I mean, you love you. You love people.

SPEAKER_00 26:03

I love people. Yeah, I'm a pretty person.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

You know, I know Katrina just looks forward to like hair and nails in our house is really important, but it's more than hair and nails.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

Yeah, it's just a fun, it's a gab session, it's a solve the world problem session, it's uh you know, advice, yeah, um information.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

Information like you oh you and baristas, hairdressers and baristas are local community sources of information. If I want to know something, I'm gonna ask Sarah or you about you know different pockets of the what's going on here, what's going on there? One between the two of you, you're gonna know the answer.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

And then if you add someone who's from here, I get this all the time. Well, you're from here, you know everybody, you're related to everybody.

SPEAKER_01 26:51

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

Where was this at? When did that happen? Who, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

Who's who's that person related to?

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

Okay, that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Yeah. I mean, there was at one time, you're still doing Mom and Dad Kills Her.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

Yeah. Yeah, just something.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

You're still doing Katrina's. Yeah. You've done mine along the way. I left you for Bailey.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Yeah, but Bailey's.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

If Bailey moves, she's moving. I might come back.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

So maybe you'll come back.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

And I don't think I'm alone in this. That you if you decide to go to someone else, it's a real struggle making that decision. It is. Because we feel like we're cheating on you.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

Like, oh God, I can't go. And because of that bond that connects you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

But in my, I tell my people all the time, like, I don't want you to feel like you have to come to me. I have family members that don't come to me.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

And that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

I, you know, I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

But from our side, it's a real thing, Alicia. It is a real.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

I know.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

It's like, oh, oh God. It feels like when I used to live a different life and I cheated, it's like, oh, I gotta tell her I cheated on her. Oh, this isn't gonna go well. You know, you just because you have that connection, you have that relationship.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

Yeah. Huh.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Well, I'm not offended.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Well, thank you for that. So, world, if you're thinking of seeing a different stylist, it's okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:10

It's okay. She's not gonna be offended.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

She will be, but she won't tell you. So question number two. Okay. Okay. You've become more than a stylist to so many people and so many families in Ellensburg. You've celebrated weddings, graduations,

Clients As Family Through Grief

SPEAKER_01 28:26

new jobs, and life's milestones alongside your clients. What have those relationships meant to you over the years?

SPEAKER_00 28:36

You know what? I feel like my long-standing clients, they're family. You know, I it I feel like I've I've lived, I mean, I have people who, you know, I've done since they were two years old, and now they're adults having their own children, and and it they just feel like family. It's an extension of family.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

You're family. I have you and Jason are family.

SPEAKER_00 29:04

Right. I have, I was thinking about this. I have a client that I have seen since 1997. Wow. So a year out. She is now 104, and I still get to cut her. Oh my gosh. She's one of my longest standing clients. And I have gone through lots of you know, her raising, well, not raising her children were, you know, adults by the time I started doing her hair. But I've you know having grandkids. Her grandkids uh are, you know, my age. Um and I and I knew her her I know her grandkids. Um her great-grandkids um her went to school with my son. Um her great-great-grandchildren are, you know, I see them. I mean, I I love that. I am huge on I think history. I never thought I was into history, but I love the generation, you know, that thing. Um that keeps me drawn into my people. Um I also think that I just think it's cool to be able to say, like, oh, I used to, you know, do your grandma's hair, or you know, I worked with your, you know, your daughter, or I go to the nursing home um once a month.

SPEAKER_02 30:46

Oh, you do.

SPEAKER_00 30:47

And the one that I go to has a lot of local, very local people, you know. Um and Marge, my my gal, who's 104, she's the reason why I go there. She moved there when she was 99.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

From living on her own.

SPEAKER_03 31:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

She lived on her own until she was 99. She moved there and couldn't get to the shop anymore. Well, before that, I was going to her house. So I started going there to do her hair. And then they asked me, you know, would you do others? Would you do others? And I'm like, absolutely. Why not? And I've met so many people that knew my grandparents and grew up with my family, and we just get to sit and reminisce and all that, and I love that. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

I say to certain people in our community, like I um, there's certain people, and you're one of them, you're walk your walking history book. You're not just a walking history book of your own experience, but of other people's experiences in our community, and that's pretty powerful. You know, as I was sitting here listening to you, you know, we've only known each other a short amount of time compared to some. You know, I've lived in Ellensburg for 26 years. You and I met in 2014. The first time you you touched Anthony's hair, he was two or three.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Yeah, he was a little guy.

SPEAKER_01 32:10

Yeah, now he's he's 15 and a half. I don't know if he'd let you touch his hair an hour. Probably not because he's so cool.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Because he's too cool.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Yeah. But it's it is cool. You get to learn those, those, those connections, you get to have those connections and learn about those different relationships. And you know, I've said this to you a million times. Mom loved coming and getting her hair done. She loved coming to see Alicia, and Katrina loves coming to see you. And you know, when mom went in hospice care and and we were mom wants her hair done, and who did I call? I called Alicia. Hey, would you be willing? And you didn't skip a beat. You were the last person to give my mom a good look, you know, before she left this earth. And that that's huge.

SPEAKER_00 32:56

You know, I love that. Yeah, I love that. I would never turn something like that down.

SPEAKER_01 33:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

I've even done people at the funeral.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Sure. Oh, wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Some clients and some strangers, and it actually um it's very rewarding and it's very emotional.

SPEAKER_03 33:17

Especially if you know them.

SPEAKER_00 33:18

Especially if I knew them. Um, but at the same time, uh making your loved one look like they did before they were sick or whatever is um super important.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

Um, I have a ex-sister-in-law who worked at the funeral home and she did makeup and stuff. And she made my grandpa Webster, he was sick for years and didn't look like my grandpa for a long time. And she took his picture and did makeup on him.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

Wow, people that do that is like, wow.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

I stood at his coffin for probably five hours. Because he looked like my grandpa again. And so when I've been able to do that, you know, like she did, um, it just feels good. It's powerful and it's powerful, yes, very powerful.

SPEAKER_01 34:19

Because if that last image you can have of that person can be when they were healthy.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Yeah, when they were healthy or or younger looking, or you know, uh if if it was, you know.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

Do you do Jason's hair?

SPEAKER_00 34:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

Oh my god, yeah, right at home.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

No. Does he come in? You make him come in? Do you make him pay? I hope you make him pay.

SPEAKER_00 34:41

Well, he has to sweep. He has to sweep. Okay. You know, usually he has to bring me a coffee.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

Okay. So things like that. Yeah. Wait, okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:52

I don't like to do hair at home.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Oh, I bet not. Of course not.

SPEAKER_00 34:56

And I don't have any tools at home.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

That's even better.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Because I don't want people to be like, oh, can I just get a yeah?

SPEAKER_01 35:02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

Um, and I need my mirror, I need my space, you know.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Make an appointment.

SPEAKER_00 35:06

My mojo has to be right. Yeah. Yeah. Jake comes in the shop and he sweeps.

SPEAKER_01 35:12

Uh oh.

SPEAKER_00 35:13

Sometimes he'll bring me a coffee if I ask, but most of the time he just sweeps.

SPEAKER_01 35:18

You better bring a coffee. Right. Dude. Yeah. Okay. That's great. That's great. Okay, here we go. You have two more questions of yours and then two closing questions. So owning a salon isn't just about hair, right? It's about leadership, customer service,

Building A Drama Free Salon

SPEAKER_01 35:34

manage your business, and creating that welcoming space. What have been some of the biggest lessons you've learned as a business owner?

SPEAKER_00 35:42

Um, okay.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Because this is kind of new.

SPEAKER_00 35:44

This is new. Now I I've been my own since 1998.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

Uh I did two years of hair prior, and then I became they call you a booth renter, okay. Okay. Booth renter. Yeah. Okay. So now it's a booth renter. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

Okay. But now you own the own the place.

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

How's it changed?

SPEAKER_00 36:07

Um really, it hasn't changed. For me, it maybe it's changed for the people that I work with, but for me, it hasn't really changed because we're all independent. I basically just pay the taxes. Uh my name is on the you know, the the lease, the, you know, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

I would argue, I would argue that um if you had stylists in there that didn't feel comfortable, didn't feel like it was a good working environment, they would leave.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Right.

SPEAKER_01 36:42

You don't have that.

SPEAKER_00 36:43

No, we have a we have a really, really, really good, solid crew. And we're full.

SPEAKER_01 36:50

So define that.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Um, well, if you can imagine there's seven women that work together, and there's never been a day where no drama. Oh god, no, no gossiping. Everybody loves everybody. I feel like. I mean, this is, you know, um, just from observing, we all get along.

SPEAKER_01 37:14

We've all known me, Mandy, right? So Mandy They've been there a while.

SPEAKER_00 37:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Long while yeah, okay. Teresa and I have worked together since she started doing hair, and I think she's been doing hair now for 17 years.

SPEAKER_01 37:28

Okay. So you guys have been together the whole time.

SPEAKER_00 37:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:31

You're like sisters, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:32

Okay, and and then we knew each other prior.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

And then Mandy.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

And then Mandy, um, I mean, I knew Mandy, I actually knew her brother. Um, they they went to Kid at task, but um he he and I are the same age. Okay. Um I knew him, so I've known who she is forever. And then, yeah. Um, and then I have Teresa's niece, Cora.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

Oh, okay. She's now there.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

She's now there, and I, you know, I've known Cora since she was in the womb. Um, and then the newest gal is Amy, who is one of my very best friends. We've known each other since high school. Okay. Um, and um the salon that she worked at, um the gal retired. And so Amy was kind of like, oh gosh, I don't know if it's gonna sell, is it gonna close down? So she hurried up and found another job.

SPEAKER_03 38:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 38:32

So she called me and I'm like, absolutely, I would love to have you.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

Great.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

This would, you know. Um, and then actually my niece ended up buying the salon. Um, but anyway, so we have Amy and um and Amy has been doing hair now. Oh, I'm 30, she's like maybe 28, 29 years now.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

So a long so the people have been doing this a long time.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:00

And then of course And you guys are I don't want to say older, but you've been in your careers for a while.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

So you maybe don't have so awesome having Cora because she's young.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

That's nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

And and you know, I mean, we're all we're old school, you know. I mean, we're but I think she brings in a fresh, yeah, younger energy, trendy, like I love watching her.

SPEAKER_01 39:24

Okay, good.

SPEAKER_00 39:25

I mean, I love watching her do hair and how she does things, w finding out some of the things that we were taught she's not taught, and vice versa. And um, yeah, it's fun to have someone cool half my age.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

She don't see a lot of negative side of now that you're the owner of the the business itself. It's because you guys are all independent.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

Because we're all independent. I mean, I take care of like retail and you know, paying the garbage bill and you know, things like that. Um, but other than that, I feel like it's everybody's space, you know, it's it's everybody's business, not just mine.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

But I would also argue that there are probably some salons where there's not that feeling.

SPEAKER_00 40:09

Maybe, yeah. Right? Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

But you've you're like, no, we're all in this together.

SPEAKER_00 40:14

We're in it together, it's yours as much as it is mine. If you want to bring in a piece of furniture or a new product or whatever, like feel free to do that. Just talk about it, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:28

And you've never, you know, we've had a you and I have had many conversations about a wide variety of topics, and I've never felt like you're a drama person. No, like we gossip, like everyone gossips a little bit. What's going on? But it's not gossip in a way that we're wanting to, you know, bring people down or whatever. We're just wanting information, but you you just even Jason's the same way. Like, let's just live life.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Yeah, exactly. And you know, dramas for I mean, that's you do that in high school and maybe in your early years.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Well, there are some adults that still do.

SPEAKER_00 40:59

Right. And I, yeah, I have no nope.

SPEAKER_01 41:03

Yeah, good.

SPEAKER_00 41:04

Life's too short to freaking worry about other people.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

Don't we know it? Okay, your last question. Okay. Here we go. You've spent your career helping people feel confident, cared for, and seen. What is it about that work that continues to to bring you joy after all these years? Um because you're still doing it and you still seem happy.

SPEAKER_00 41:27

And I absolutely I love my job. First of all, my job does not feel like a job. And I think that's why I love it. I hear that a lot. Or, you know, like if you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work. Sure, there are days where I'm like, oh God, I don't want to get up today. You know, but for the most part, I love what I do. I love making people feel good. Smiling is my go-to. Like, I just I want to make people smile. I want to make people feel good about themselves. If you're having a shitty day and you come to me at the end of the day, you know, your appointments at the end of the day, you had a crappy day, like I want to make your day end with a smile.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

And make you look good.

SPEAKER_00 42:12

And make you look good, feel good, because if you yeah, like I say, if you look if you feel good, you like the way you look, then you like your makeup, you like your jewelry, you like your clothing, sure, you like the people around you. Like you just if you feel good, you you look good. You you know, and vice versa. Yeah, and so I I hopefully provide that to every person that sits in my chair.

SPEAKER_01 42:39

Well, I don't think you have to say hopefully, you do it. I mean, it's just the reality of it. My my little microcosm is Katrina and mom and dad and me when I went to you and and just knowing and just the environment, the space. Like sometimes when Katrina's getting her hair and nails done, I bring Johnny and Jerry. I always enjoy going in the city.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Oh god, and we want people to to come in and feel welcome and like it's you know, you don't have to comfortable you don't have to dress up to come to the salon. You you know, if you have dogs, bring them in. Yeah, we provide, you know, drinks of any kind. Um, you know, we we just want the space to feel welcoming, comfortable, you know, because a lot of times people need to vent. Yeah, and I don't want you to feel like you're in a a sterile, you know, like I want you to feel comfortable because if you feel comfortable, then you're gonna feel like you can, you know, talk about things that maybe you can't share at home or whatever, or you know, you feel like you can announce something without feeling judged or anything like that. I just want it to feel comfortable and I think I think we've done that.

SPEAKER_03 43:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:57

And that makes me really, really proud. Proud and makes me feel good inside that we provide that.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

You should, because you do. It's pretty cool. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:07

Yeah. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 44:08

It's pretty cool. Okay. We're about to wrap this up. Now, this is a message to someone who's maybe listening that you can give your message of hope, right? Based

Choosing Happiness And Closing Questions

SPEAKER_01 44:19

on your just kind of overall life experiences, right? Who you are and what you've experienced. What message of hope would you like to share with the world?

SPEAKER_00 44:28

Oh, that's a big one. Um first of all, if you know me, you know I am a freak about Buddy the Elf.

SPEAKER_03 44:39

Oh, yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 44:41

Yes, I love Buddy. Yes. I just love Elf you do.

SPEAKER_03 44:44

Why?

SPEAKER_00 44:45

Um Well, because he says I like smiling. Smiling is my favorite. And that just everybody should live by. Smile. Why not? Smile. Smile through the good times. Find a smile through your bad times because smiling and being happy is what's gonna get you through life, in my opinion. Um I heard a quote one time, and I actually have it written on a chalkboard that hangs right by our front door and it says, Happiness is a choice. Today I choose to be happy.

SPEAKER_03 45:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:29

You know, you just don't dwell on negative things and things like that because the pros always outweigh the cons in life. So I just think if you just stay positive, smile, you know, things like that, think about happy things all the time, that I think you're gonna live a pretty good life. Don't sweat the small stuff, yeah. You know?

SPEAKER_01 45:57

Well, I think the reality, you know, this is I, you know, we all worry about different things, and I kind of have my worries of the day, and 90% of my worries don't come to fruition, right?

SPEAKER_02 46:06

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 46:07

And so, and Katrina is is like you, you know, she's always carrying a smile and always just looking at the bright side of things. And I, you know, I'll be honest, I some days I gotta work at it more, but and I do too.

SPEAKER_00 46:20

But it's just I just um keep going. I just get up, you know, and do something. About my mom, she she always smiled, even when she was in pain, when she was you know, and sh that was important to her. Like just be positive, be and so maybe that's where I get that attitude from, like mantra from her, just be happy and smiley and and don't take things for granted. And you know, yeah. I mean, even on a boring, gloomy day, you can still find something to smile about.

SPEAKER_01 46:58

Yeah, sure, you know, it's true, it's true.

SPEAKER_00 47:01

You're alive, you're alive, yeah. You woke up moving, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:04

Other people didn't get that choice.

SPEAKER_00 47:06

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 47:06

You know, I think a mom, you know, you knew my mom, and and she was always happy and and cracking jokes, mom, you know, and we lived a crazy childhood. But the one thing we kind of had that even threw a lot of the crazy is we had humor in our family. Yes, it might have been the humor that people would go, why are you laughing at that? But it can be helpful to get through tough times.

SPEAKER_00 47:26

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 47:27

And we did a lot of laughing in mom's last six weeks of life, yeah. Like until she, you know, kind of went went away, she wasn't there, but we were we had fun, we played cards and knowing sitting there that mom's dying.

SPEAKER_00 47:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 47:41

But it's like, you know, you you got a choice. It's either let her just be sad and somber or let's make the most every moment. Yeah. That's good.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

Live every moment until there isn't any.

SPEAKER_01 47:56

Oh, look, on my laptop here. Stay positive, work hard, make it happen. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

Yeah. Good. Okay. Now here we go. Oh, oh God. If there is one question you've always wanted to ask me, but never have, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 48:13

Okay. First of all, I it I have two. They're easy, though. They're easy.

SPEAKER_01 48:19

No, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 48:19

Okay, so the first one is what did you want to be when you grew up? Because I know that what you do now not anything close to what you wanted to do.

SPEAKER_01 48:34

I actually, uh, you know, going back to uh my middle school, the one school that I went to the entire three years was junior high. We moved around because we that's what we did. But I went to Stuart Junior High, and in seventh grade, I distinctly remember mapping out my plan to become an attorney.

SPEAKER_02 48:54

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 48:55

I remember being in the career counselor office, printing out on a dot matrix printer, University of Washington Law School.

SPEAKER_00 49:04

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 49:05

That was my original. That was, you know, my life took different trajectories, but um, and I've had people along the way say you should be an attorney.

SPEAKER_02 49:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:13

So I've always had a uh love for the law, still do. Right. Um that was, yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_00 49:20

That's an attorney.

SPEAKER_01 49:23

Yeah, being a college professor was never in even close, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:28

I told Jason last night, I bet you it was either a police officer or a truck driver.

SPEAKER_01 49:33

Um gosh, yes.

SPEAKER_00 49:34

So Because I know you did Yeah, I long haul trucked.

SPEAKER_01 49:38

And I always say if I disappear, I've probably gone trucking, but I won't be long, gone long because I'll be bored. I actually uh out of the military, so I ended up going in the military, and when I got out of military law enforcement, I actually tested with Tacoma. I made it to the oral boards for Tacoma Police Department. I was too immature and probably was. I was 19. Uh, went to the State Patrol's orientation and they asked the question if you've done any heavy drugs. And at that time I hadn't done heavy, heavy drugs, but I had dabbled with acid. Okay. And so I was honest about it. And this was 1988. Okay. Anyway, so uh that actually was. I have a love for the field, my sister was a cop, blah, blah, blah. But way back, it was to become an attorney.

SPEAKER_00 50:23

So State Patrol, if you've ever done drugs, they won't let you know.

SPEAKER_01 50:30

That was way back when. Oh, okay. Um I mean, I don't know. I mean, yeah, I actually have a theory that I think people like myself in long-term recovery who have changed their life would make great law enforcement.

SPEAKER_00 50:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 50:43

But I've loved the work I've gotten to do with you know EPD and I'm friends with all of them. Um, but that wasn't my original plan. It was to become an attorney. Attorney.

SPEAKER_00 50:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 50:54

Yeah. Okay, question two.

SPEAKER_00 50:56

Um I just want to know where your obsession with donuts comes from.

SPEAKER_01 51:01

I don't that's a great question. I don't know. I don't really know where that started. I just love donuts. I you know what I think it is, Lisa? I think it's something that it's a happy thing, it's a fun thing. Um, like my my donut tattoo. Like every time I show this donut, people laugh. And I'm like you, I want, I want to make people happy and laugh and have fun. Donuts are fun.

SPEAKER_00 51:29

Donuts are fun.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

How can you not be happy if you have a donut?

SPEAKER_00 51:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:34

So that's yeah, that's I don't but I don't know where the obsession really kind of started. Like I have a donut tattoo. Right. Um, not sure.

SPEAKER_03 51:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 51:43

There it is. We did it.