GEM’s Hair Hacks
The hub for all of Meg’s favorite hair tips and hacks. (Coming Soon!)
Product Spotlight
Meg’s favorite product from this season!
Meg’s Current Fav:
A leave-in treatment mask for all hair types that clinically reverses damage in 4 minutes. The patented peptide technology works to repair damage from bleach, color, chemical services & heat – restoring strength, softness, smoothness, and bounce to hair.
Work/Life Balance
Journal-style entries about Meg’s latest discoveries in balancing work and life.
I wrote this on July 6th, 2022; I fell August 24th–the universe knocked me down. In 2023 I’m coming back, healed and ready for the best decade of my life! Here’s what I wrote:
When I was a little girl, I was grounded a lot and when I was grounded, I was sent to my bedroom. I used to lay on my bed upside down and look out at the clouds; I would always be able to find all of these amazing shapes and creatures, and it would really pass the time. Ever since I’ve gotten older, I’ve stopped looking up. I was too busy looking ahead; I was too busy looking down make sure I wasn’t tripping over myself, and I was too busy just living and surviving and being something to everybody else when I finally started to reclaim my life and find out who I am. This is the journey that I began four years ago when I left my marriage because I needed to love myself more– I needed to find the peace inside myself that I used to have when I was that little girl in wonder. Slowly, she came creeping back out, little by little, but then I would get busy again and stop doing the work.
I’d hide behind other things. I pressed myself to work harder; have a little more wine than I should; I was just stuck. Something was missing. And then I opened Gem in the middle of a pandemic and, for once, everything finally seemed right. For once I wasn’t afraid; for once I was making a decision that I knew would bring me success and that’s all I wanted. After a while though, I started to work too much again and I started to hide behind the salon. A few weeks ago I realized that everything was taking a toll and it was time to do the work again. I started listening to podcasts and came across Gabby Bernstein and she gave me the courage and inspiration to save my own life. All of a sudden, I can write again–I can tell stories again, and I can dream of things. I used to write all the time when I was little– I used to write stories. I used to paint and draw. I hadn’t been able to write anything in a good 15 years, just a spark every once in a while.
But recently, ideas have been coming to me; things to talk about have been coming to me, and I’m losing the battle of being afraid. Of not wanting to embarrass anybody; of not wanting to make my kids embarrassed. I’m gonna talk about some really important things and I realized, you know what, it’s time to start telling my story. As I lay here listening to her book Happy Days, I look up and in the clouds I see a flying pig. For those of you who know me, a pig is my spirit animal. Look for the moments– look for the signs and don’t ignore them because they’ll keep knocking. The universe eventually will smack you in the face if it keeps nudging you for too long. There’s a lot of lessons that are going to be coming through here I hope you stick long and enjoy the ride!
XO Meg
Meg’s Mantras
Meg’s favorite affirmations for the quarter!
“I deserve to be paid for my skills, time and knowledge.”
“It’s never too late to rewrite your future, rebuild your heart or reignite your dreams.”
“Don’t stress about what could go wrong; focus on what could go right.“
Employee Spotlight
Find out more about the Gem Team!
Meg
1. What made you open GEM?
I have always wanted to have my own hair studio; the only thing stopping me was the fact that I didn’t want to be the boss. I feel like the hairstylist industry (and the reason I went into it) revolves around not only a passion for doing hair, but also a flexibility in terms of working hours that just made sense for me. As I got older, I realized that the only way to see my true vision of what I wanted in terms of a place that clients actually enjoy coming to was to make it myself! I wanted a place that was calm, with no chaos or drama, that was welcoming, clean and safe. I also wanted to give my clients the space to have privacy if they want it. Once I started to dream about this space, everything just fell into place– I wanted a place where everyone could relax, be taken care of, and most importantly, feel good on the inside.
2. Where did the name “GEM” come from?
When I was in high school, my best friend and I used to pass notes in class; since we didn’t want the nuns to know it was us passing notes, we decided to spell our names backwards on the notes. Also, my favorite cartoon on Sunday mornings growing up was Jem! “Gem” is just my name spelled backwards, but it holds a lot of meaning for me.
3. What are your top three favorite books?
No Bad Parts (Richard Schwartz), Happy Days (Gabby Bernstein), and The Source (James Michener).
In the beginning of 2022, I embarked on a journey of healing from my childhood trauma– it started with reading Happy Days by Gabby Bernstein and realizing that what happened to me was not right or fair, and due to the trauma, how my entire life was altered as a result. My relationships and failures resulted from the fact that I hadn’t yet done the work to protect that hurt little girl that was still inside of me. I realized I spent the better part of 40 years looking outwardly and expecting everyone else to fill the hole. Only from reading these books and using EMDR and FST Therapy (which I learned about from reading Happy Days and No Bad Parts), did I learn to actually do the work to heal myself from the inside out. I’m still on my journey, as I’m learning there is no quick fix, but nothing easy lasts. I am excited for what this new year brings in terms of self-love and self-acceptance.
4. What does your ideal day off look like?
To get up (not by an alarm clock), to go work out at my favorite Barre studio– Rise Barre. Then I would have lunch with my favorite people, a massage in the afternoon, and cook dinner for my family. I would spend time with them, and then go to bed early!
An Update on Meg’s Hand
Unfortunately, the physical therapy that Meg has been going to has not helped much in terms of her healing. She is not yet back to working full time, but she is working as much as her body allows. She is starting other, new therapies, like acupuncture, Gua Shua, and cupping to repair and regain full use of her hand. We thank you so much for bearing with us as Meg continues to heal!
An Update on Booking
We are asking all clients to book their appointments via our Vagaro booking link (https://www.vagaro.com/gemhairstudioandeducationcenter/book-now) from now on– if you cannot find a spot, simply add yourself to the waiting list and we will call you to get you in as soon as possible. If you prefer to call, our number is (215) 647-3128 ; if you prefer to text, (215) 559-9158 is the number for you! Please note that we only check our messages (phone and text) in the mornings of our workdays, which right now are Wednesday-Saturday. If you call on days off during work hours, we will not get your message until the NEXT DAY. Please also note our cancellation policy:
