It's nice to be back.
Most influencers on the internet do not write, they post influencer content where they are either heavily made up or not wearing make up at all. Both of these scenarios bother me greatly. We are surrounded by people that are non-experts in expert fields that do not deserve the platform they do so well on with the help of paid sponsorships and thirsty behavior; Very little is left to the imagination if you are internet famous now.
Back when I started blogging, it was 2005. I was freshly into the beauty industry and was exploring so many aspects of my life that I never thought I'd ever have to question. Twenty-one year old Josh was freshly into meeting friends for Friday happy hour and often questioning if I liked girls or boys. I knew the answer, we all knew the answer! Why was I kidding myself thinking I liked girls? Also, why did I turn into a binge-drinker a couple years later? The beauty industry does that to people. It's a heavy-drinking industry.
Bisexuality and booze had fully taken over and I was ready to hammer out the details in a blog that became sleeper hit called "Pretty Boy Education".
The blog became incredibly popular and even got a spin-off, "Pretty World, Fabulous Life: Inside Studio JRy". Not only was I talking about my young adult adventures, the spin-off followed my life as a single man in a small city establishing my clientele and building my reputation as a quick-witted, sharp-tongued personality that was very much in charge and not giving a shit what anyone had to say about the dance moves I was making. The spin-off blog won an award as people read about my new contracts with major hair care companies, celebrity gossip, beauty industry gossip and even landed me a newspaper column, "Haute Mess" and another one for young adults called "Living Fabulously".
More awards and speaking engagements followed.
As I opened my salon, my popularity took a little nose dive as I lead the opening of my salon with my ego and not my heart; I had no idea what I was doing and it was EVERYONE ELSE'S fault. Oh yes, the accountability I learned to accept working with my Kabbalah teacher had flown right out the window. I was unstoppable in my own eyes and no one was going to get in my way... not a friend, not family, no one.
A little phone call from the haircare company Joico came along and my Twitter account was on fire! I had started a a lifestyle blog called "Rockstar Slums" at the request of my romantic interest at the time. My blog was influencing before influencers were a thing. I was sent free everything to review: shampoo, make-up, food, candy, books to read, porn to watch (not kidding), underwear, you name it.
I was popular again and this time in a larger market!
This popularity got me a gig styling Joan Rivers hair and an up-and-coming model that didn't quite make it to Victoria's Secret, but she did have a commercial air for JCPenney during the Oscars that year.
You couldn't stop me! I thought to myself, "if the folks in my town don't like me, I can always run away to LaLa Land (LA)."
The next year brought me a relationship that lasted eight years and lots of heartache. I was drinking a lot more and I was in serious trouble when a viral video of me made it out on the internet of my crap behavior. I was in serious debt with the IRS and after years of them asking for their money, they levied my salon account and I had to start from zero. The taste of the Hollywood fall from grace was just another episode in the melodrama that had become the miniseries of my life.
The people that loved me stood by me, but please know there were others out there that continued to salivate when they saw me stumble. The toxicity of online bullying had me on my knees.
The salon was doing well, but it could have done better and I was fighting a lot at home.
Eventually in the winter of 2017, I made the proclamation that I was going back to my Roman Catholic roots because, "my way [wasn't] working anymore."
The next year brought great changes for me. I began writing a blog called "Latter Day Catholic" that talked about my life growing up as the product of a Latter Day Saint father and a Roman Catholic mother and it all came rushing to my mind's eye that I had been running from who I was.
Why was I trying so hard to be rebellious? Why was I so full of myself? Is this what the Kardashian feel like?
It was a bad look and it humbled me to walk into the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and say, "I'm back, God, tell me what to do."
I developed a deep love for church history and a devotion to our Heavenly Mother (Mary). I prayed with fervor each day for guidance and eventually registered for Theology School.
I was being asked if I wanted to be a priest and I told everyone, "No. I just want to know all there is to know."
For me, studying and researching is a big part of who I am and when it comes to religion and spirituality, I'm not led by blind faith and most certainly don't pray because someone told me to. Nope. I'm gonna make that decision all on my own.
"Latter Day Catholic" was a hit and I began teaching religious education. I still teach to this day, but my M.O. is different: I don't want you to be Catholic, I want you to develop a relationship with God. If you become Catholic, cool. If you hate the church and leave, I know it's not for you and I'm cool with that too. If you are just doing this to be confirmed and baptize your niece, that's a shitty reason to become Catholic. That's such a big commitment for such a small job title. Godmother and Godfather are not what they once were... especially in the age of OnlyFans.
When the pandemic hit, I stopped writing all together. I was incredibly depressed and my relationship was in deep shit. We did not agree on anything when it came to politics or COVID. Seven weeks inside (get the prison reference?) let me see that my path was very different. I had begun doing yoga again the year before and I was meditating and praying and working with my Kabbalah teacher again. I registered for yoga school and became a yoga teacher in the middle of the pandemic.
When we came back from the lockdown, my book was full and for the next 22 months, I had a full cancelation list and a full roster of clients. I had not seen this big of an influx in my career as a hairdresser since 2010. I began teaching yoga and people liked me! 2020, 2021 and 2022 all came and went and each year the salon grew more and more and more. My sales were up 49% in 2020, They were up 150% in 2021 and in 2022, another 139%. This year is coming in strong as my post profitable year ever at 19 years in the business.
There's more to tell you and I want to keep writing, but I think this is good stopping point.
I've been sitting out of the blogosphere because frankly, the world is nuts now and I know people are going to clap back and try to come for me in the comments and the DMs. Thats what they do now!
We do not live in a very supportive society. We live a society that likes to tear people down and for most of 2020 and even up til now, I've hid under a rock making money and meditating like a monk. I have not traveled at all except for one yoga retreat in 2021.
I feel like an old Hollywood actor that left the silver screen and now he's taking on Broadway or the West End.
A new era has presented itself clearly to me and I'm ready.
[Enter Stage Right: Josh]
xo, j.
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