Meet Julie Kleine | Hair Color Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Kleine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Sometimes the task you have at hand can feel super daunting. You have these big goals, lofty dreams, incredible whys, but to get there, WHEW! It’s too easy to look at the whole staircase and allow it to paralyze you. I remember when I started the business. I had a MAJOR why in my decision to acutally do the education I was doing, it was bridging the education gap for so many stylists all over the world! But there were so many hurdles for me to actually get there. One of the biggest ones was learning the technical side of owning a buisness. It’ll probably seem silly to some that don’t struggle with that, but anything new to us can seem like a huge monster to conquer. A lot of times it can cause us to give up mid -way or not even start to begin with because that fear stops us in our tracks. The habit I decided to take on was simply creating action on the SMALLEST task everyday to chip away at the hard stuff. If it was creating a website, I would ask myself, what was the next smallest move I could make that day? Claiming the name? Well ok! I’d tell myself, I can do that! Then I would look at the next smallest move and then the next. I even changed the name of my “to-do” list to my “move to action” list. It’s pretty amamzing when you take a moment to look back at all the little moves you made that helped you actually accomplish your big goal. The other habit I choose to take on was consistency. No matter how I was feeling that day, I choose to show up, I made a committment to do that very early on in my career. It can be hard when you face the daily challenges of life. Sometimes we’re up, and sometimes we’re down and sometimes we’re really down. I didn’t allow that to stop me from posting or emailing or creating content. Whether I felt like it or not, whether things seemed like they were going great or not, whether I had critics or not. I showed up. I still follow these habits today. It is not always easy, but no one ever said it would be!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Colors With Chemistry is an educational company that focuses on making sense of the science and color theory behind hair color for ALL stylists at any level of education and experince. We focus our education on non-branded information so that stylists can feel grounded, empowered and confident to create their artwork, no matter what brand they choose to use. Unfortunately in our business, most stylists come out of hair school with very limited information and education on how the chemistry of what they use works or even how to use color theory to a create the color change they’re looking to create. So, most will come out of hair school having to learn as they go, make mistakes, and deal with a lot of frustration and confusion. Many of those stylists are unsure of where to go to advance their educational needs and can feel defeated. Most will turn to their color brand to get that education, which can be great! But there are also limits on what type of education you can get via a brand. Most will be focused only on that particuar brand’s color line. We come in and teach more detailed and in depth information on Chemistry and color theory, so they get that solid foundation they need. One they’ll be able to take with them throughout their career and changes in colorlines. Sometimes the idea of “science” can feel intimidating to us as stylists because we see ourselves as artists, not scientists. But as hairdressers, we have to know and use science to create our art. Because of that, we focus on making the science creative and fun! We simplify the hard or confusing topics by using lots of visual aids so the hair dresser can “see’ what’s happening and remember it. We also give them ways to get their hands in activities so they learm how to practice. At the end of the day, we like to say that we help anchor them and take away their fears. with fun! Here’s something we’ve learned along the way, no matter where the hairdresser comes from, United States, Dubai, Trinidad & Tobago, Italy, South Africa or anywhere around the world, the struggles are the same everywhere and so is the heart of the hairdresser. They love to learn, grow and push themselves further. And we love being there to support them all along the way!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Hmmm, places to visit in the city. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve ventured out and about these days, but I love the artistic parts of the city like the beltline. Love the vibe of downtown Woodstock for it’s food and shopping and of course all the traditional touristy parts of the city likeThe Aquarium in Atlanta and the Coca-Cola museum. For the typical outdoor tourist visits, Stone Mountain is fun, I mean who doesn’t like the view at the top of a mountain!?

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Ah success is defintitely a team effort! I’ve been really lucky through the years to connect with so many people across my industry that have cheered me on, helped educate me, supported me and the goals that I’ve had and those that have just been there as a friend to support what I do along the way. The list is super long, I hope you’re ready! The entire team at Michael Burton Colors Salon in Atlanta that were there when I first started in my career. There could not have been a more supportive group of people in my life at the time, Mary Tilton, Julie Moore, Buz Hightower, Christine Ramirez, Kimberly Kowal, and Michael Burton. The education team with Matrix that gave me a voice and HEARD my voice in the world of education, specifically Jessie Lewis and Lenny Strand. The chemists in the industry that connected with me behind the scenes to guide me and be a support system as I moved thru some touchy waters, Valerie George was a huge supporter in that arena, among a few others that know who they are. John Halal who guided me in a tough moment in my career. Angelica Yim, my most beloved photographer friend who’s supported the journey since the very beginning. My incredible Colors With Chemistry team, Alisha LaShun and Sandy Cooke who have been with me in the classroom helping to support all who come to us for growth in their education and have been on this fun and crazy ride with me. And of course to my friends who have been there since the beginning that are my support when I just need one, Sri Metaeo, Courtney Ringo, and of course last but certainly not least my family!

Website: colorswithchemistry.com

Instagram: @colorswithchemistry

Image Credits
ayphotodesign.com