Estetica’s Gimme 10 with Tracey Hughes

Now her journey has a brand new chapter including relationships with brands, ambassadorships, events hosted by industry titans and a whole new culture shock of migrating from Australia to the hair world in Cali. A highly confident individual Tracey remains grounded and selfless dedicating her life to giving to others.

Tracey is owner and master educator of Tracey Hughes Education, and her recent appointment as the Global Creative Director for RevitaLash Cosmetics is going to be on cutting edge of hairloss design, artistry and coloring to transform the look of thinning, fine hair for all ages with a wink of eye.

Tracey’s reputation, experience, accomplishments, and accolades are an embodiment of her empowering energy. Tracey’s approach is driven by transformation through education and engages all she has the pleasure to connect with. Aside from her recent appointment, Tracey will aslo be involved in Joico’s “Global Destination Education 2018” along with a fantastic line-up of world-class talent from all over the globe, will be attending la fiesta including Vivienne Mackinder on the shores of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!

We sat down with Tracey to learn more on her involvement with ReGenesis, Joico and why she chose specifically America to begin her work with these amazing brands.

Tell me about the start of your relationship with education, how did you know you were good at it?
“At the age of 19, I had just completed my 3 year apprenticeship and qualified as a hairdresser, and I soon did my first presentation. It was that moment that I quickly realized that I was naturally pretty confident at public speaking. However, I understood that it takes gaining experience first, to be able to then share the knowledge you’ve learnt with others. This is when my passion for education first became evident. 
I was always motivated by the desire to want to be the best version of myself and to assist others to be the best they can be. This is ultimately why I focused on the educator route as it has made me become the type of person I want to be. 
I began educating other stylists early on in my career and built my profile through awards, media exposure and traveling extensively teaching, so this is how I eventually became a confident educator. I’ve conducted education events in all parts of the globe including Australia, China, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, and the USA. Now as an accomplised speaker I’ve presented to over half a million salon professionals worlwide.
It’s challenging to access your own ability so I always listen and learn from the feedback I receive from my attendees. It’s a privilege to be part of someone else’s journey so what makes me suited to being an educator is that I love witnessing someone else that I teach have a proud learning experience. I’m diligent, skillful and nurturing so I believe these are good qualities that an educator needs.”

What has been the feedback of your new collaboration with ReGenesis HairCare by RevitaLash Cosmetics? Anything unexpected/good surprises?
“I’m honored to be appointed as the Global Creative Director RevitaLash Cosmetics. Their new haircare range ReGenesis Hair Enhancing System by RevitaLash Cosmetics is quite revolutionary for fine and thinning hair so I believe in the concept. 
As a Speaker and an Artist I genuinely want to give to the industry for the right reasons through empowering others to transform through education. Therefore, my role is Non-Exclusive, therefore I have still retained other corporate clients and endorse other non-competitive brands.
The feedback has been extremely positive as RevitaLash Cosmetics are known for being a company of integrity and have gained great respect through their philanthropic endeavors supporting breast cancer. 
I will always retain my own identity through Tracey Hughes Education, however I’m loving the new journey and growth opportunities I’m developing through working with ReGenesis Hair Enhancing System by RevitaLash Cosmetics.”

What was the last thing/moment/artist that inspired you professionally and why?
“I admire anyone who is a true visionary and I have great respect for anyone who gives to others through teaching. The greatest learning experiences come from all the fantastic stylists in every facet of our industry that I connect with from all over the world.
The best moments that inspire me professionally are always from those I teach when they have a profound breakthrough discovery. This is when I get to witness an emotional life changing experience for others which in turn I grow from.
There are many great individuals that have helped support my career that I extend my gratitude too. However, accomplishing your goals can sometimes be an individual lone journey. So my greatest support and inspiration has been from my husband. He keeps me grounded and is extremely supportive of my journey. He is the one person who has changed my life and given me more courage.”

You are an icon for many people who want to get where you are, what can you say is a habit that lead you to success?
“My theory is a rewarding career is achieved through having faith in yourself, investing copious amounts of energy, sheer hard work and a thirst to always keep learning.
Being committed to wanting to become your best and achieve your goals takes drive and determination. Life’s journey is about growing to be the best version of yourself you can be. My most important single rule is staying “present in the moment”.
Education is such an integral part of life, which is an ongoing journey of self-discovery.  My philosophy stems from providing high quality skills training and coaching others to become the best they can be and this ethos is the undercurrent of Tracey Hughes Education.
We provide many facets of education, which includes technical workshops, creative seminars, customized tuition, business sessions and leadership programs. My teaching style is informative, interactive, dynamic and personal. Our philosophy is based upon continual education, while our techniques are based upon meticulous precision, attention to detail, innate creativity and suitability.
All this creates habitual momentum, however habits are made to be developed and broken so it’s imperative to break habits to create disruption and bring about change. So overall the habit that has created my success is simply facing fear and embracing change.”

Can you tell us a little bit about your own morning routine?
“Due to the professional lifestyle I lead I have no routine as each day is different. I travel weekly, nationally and internationally whether it be to conduct a show, present a seminar, facilitate a workshop, working at fashion weeks, editorial photographic shoots, doing media interviews, press conferences, organizing training schedules, writing show scripts, planning event logistics, designinng new programs, mentoring my team, scheduling marketing, developing new techniques, writing new speeches, and of course sitting on a plane.
My day always begins at 5am regardless of the time zone I’m in because I’m an early riser believing the most productive part of your day is early morning. When I’m home I always go for a run with my dog to get my energy going for the day. Then follow with a healthy hearty breakfast and by 6.30am I’m ready to start work.
Being a globally company early mornings I prioritize any international tasks first before I commence on domestic tasks as then I can connect with my agents on their time zones.
I no longer work behind the chair on clients due to all my educational commitments. Plus a even work/life balance is a concept I have yet to fathom! Work to me is life as it is ultimately what I enjoy doing. So when I am not hopping on and off planes, I like to spend as much time at home with my husband and our dog.”

In your words, why do people need to invest in professional hairdressing?
“The consumer perception of hairdressing both as a rewarding career and as a service worth paying for is extremely low. Salon owners and individual stylists realize that hairdressing is an extremely competitive market, and consumers will not hesitate to shop around for not just for the best price, but more importantly for the best service and quality of work.
Stylists need to be viewed with respect and promote professional hairdressing. Sadly, it is always the most creative looks that get widely viewed when in reality the beautiful commercial looks are what the consumer wants. The quality of work and price point of some very low end budget brands has a bad effect on the rest of the industry. I totally appreciate the need for all levels of brands to the consumer to cater for everyone’s budget. However very cheap and very fast haircuts and services degrade the rest of the industry making it harder to ever lift the image of our professional hairdressing. During times of economic strain consumers don’t spend as much on their hair and one of the biggest issues we face in the industry is the increase of hairdressers working from home.
Lastly many salons and stylists are just not making the most of the educational opportunities that are available to them. Without a commitment to continual training the industry stagnates. If a salon or stylist does not invest into developing their skills and abilities, then the business ceases to grow.
Everyone in the industry needs to work together as one voice and lift the public perception of hairdressing in order for businesses to flourish.”

What is happening in the industry that you see is inspiring changes in education?
“The movement of leading advocates in our industry, especially women, are inspiring change by providing more business education to increase personal development, financial awareness and leadership skills. There are many options available for education in our industry however it is about finding the most suitable.  Learning from many different sources stimulates the greatest creativity. However, the negative is that it creates lack of consistency due to learning too many methods that can be conflicting and therefore confusing.
Due to the scope of the Internet, digital education is very much a part of our lives. Inspiration and free education can easily be found through many sources. However, I believe we need to stay mindful that this ultimately drops the quality standards of work, as the engagement is lost so the memory retention of the knowledge won’t be as strong. Also here is a huge focus on social media stylists with massive followings providing education, however some of them are not experienced educators so this is affecting what is on offer.
No matter what education you choose it needs to be real and relevant to every salon environment. The opportunities being missed the most is that many salons are not building their own education system.
By developing an education system internally your training delivery will be way more effective. If your culture is powerful then team members will jump at every opportunity presented to them. Opportunities are only missed when the drive to succeed is not embedded into the physiology and the brand ethos. 
To inspire change it all begins by having a strong education culture that will enhance motivation and retention.”

What excites you most about having stepped into the hairdressing world?
“Hairdressers are creative beings therefore most of us will always have a thirst for new skills and knowledge and I’m no different. I love hairdressing because it is about people.
Ultimately our profession is all about people, so we need people who love to serve other people to be successful. Connecting with others on the level our industry does with clients and with each other develops your ability to communicate deeper. And life is about us living together.
For myself I’ve loved the travelling the most because experiencing so many diverse cultures has broadened my horizons so much. Very few industries provide such an infectious energetic and exciting industry like hairdressing does.”

What advice you would give to someone who wants to become a stage educator like yourself?
“Focus all your energy on developing really strong fundamental skills first. Your initial training can set you up for future success. It’s important to master the classic foundation techniques as all creative techniques are derived from them. Assist other renowned educators on events and keep an open mind at all times to allow your experience and creativity to flourish from many experiences.
A good educator needs to be selfless and have a genuine desire to want to give to others. Strong skill set in your specialist field or area you teach in is crucial. A good educator needs to become an expert in their knowledge so they know their content of what they are teaching. Also a great educator knows how to engage their students or audience to give them the best learning experience. Make the student the hero and bring out the best in them and they will flourish from the guidance. 
My passion now is to assist training other educators to be confident in their education delivery and facilitations skills. Since I am a Certified Speaking Professional who has taught and presented in every education environment I’m sharing this experience with many others now through my Teacher Training program. I developed my Teacher Training program to support the future training in our industry. This program coaches the participants on their presentations skills, communication skills, engagement, structure and organization. My objective is to assist training other educators and speakers to be confident in their delivery. This I believe will have a ripple effect on the whole industry by having more confident trainers and is my way of contributing to sustainability.”

What’s the number one travel tip that Tracey Hughes can give to the hairdresser that’s on the go?
“Stay healthy!”