This week on the Volume Up Mental Health Series, we are looking at ways that the beauty industry is going “beyond” to help marginalized individuals.
This week we talked with Sam Villa and Rachel Hile. Sam has been a guest previously on Volume Up and we are so excited to welcome him back this week. If you missed that episode, head on over and listen to that episode right after you listen to this week’s!
Sam Villa is co-founder and chief creative officer of the Sam Villa Company. A leading education and styling tool company for the professional hair industry. Rachel Hile is a licensed cosmetologist and the founder and executive director of The Beyond Project. The Beyond Project coordinates with non-profit services like the Salvation Army to bring hairdressers and makeup artists to local markets.
The Sam Villa brand has partnered with The Beyond Project to bring services to women coming out of the most vulnerable situations like human trafficking, homlessness and abuse. Rachel has joined the Sam Villa digital education events and stage at shows like ABS and Premiere Beauty to talk about The Beyond Project and how it helps to provide dignity and care to women in dire need.
We talked with Sam and Rachel about how The Beyond Project’s background from conception to the work it is doing now as well as how their partnership with the Sam Villa Brand came to be. Sam and Rachel discussed the impact it has on communities all over the country, how they are planning to expand and how other beauty professionals can get involved.
Make sure you tune in to hear how these amazing companies are making a difference and how you can too.
“What I believe is the best is having sustainable, long term partnerships. Like one of our partnerships with a homeless youth shelter in Seattle has been going for six years and stylists are there once a month cutting haircuts. The homeless youth come in and they’re like ‘Are the haircutters here?’ They know that a team is going to be there to support them ”
“I said ‘Do you like it?’ and she goes ‘I like it. May I give you a hug?’ She gave me a hug and it was really a moment that confirmed for me how important gratitude is. But gratitude on both sides. The gratitude, the opportunity that I had to actually give back and the gratitude I received from her and how it touched me.”
“Our goal is to be in every state and region and someday who knows where else.”
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream and head over to our Instagrams @Readthetease and @volumeupbythetease.
