Nicholas Mercier on Confidence, Vulnerability, and Men’s Self-Worth

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Welcome to. He casts the official podcast of

he changed it as always I am Mike Chisholm as always I am

excited to be here to talk about all things.

Men's mental wellness, it's amazing watching.

This thing grow. This thing that just started as

an idea, a few years ago is starting to turn into, it's

starting to pay off and paid Dividends.

There's a lot of guys that are actually already being held by

this thing even though we are only in beta.

And really, at the end of the day, only getting started.

If you haven't downloaded the, he changed it app.

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persuasion is, whether it's the, the iPhones and the apples, or

the galaxies, and all the rest of the Androids head-on into

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the app, we would appreciate that very, very much and watch

be an alpha consumer. Watch this thing grow, You Ain't

Seen Nothing Yet. The app is in beta.

Still at the time of this broadcast but some cool things

are happening, some very cool, things are happening.

And all the way along the way guys are being helped, I love

hosting this podcast, it's amazing.

I get to be the front row. See, and hear about all of these

Amazing Stories techniques and other things that we're going to

talk about here today. If you wouldn't mind liking and

subscribing to the podcast, we would be very appreciative of

that and you know, I'm Really excited about today.

As you can see, we're not in the normal Studio that we shoot in.

We are an on location at Black Market, Barber company and SMP.

We're going to talk about what all that means here in a second.

I got Nicholas the owner founder of this establishment here.

And before I kind of start with him, I really grateful that he's

taken time out to talk about these things with us.

One of the things that one of the reasons why when my wife and

her team started building Heat Changed.

It was, they discovered a lot of pain points that men have.

And, you know, we've talked a lot about these on the show.

We've talked about purpose, we've talked about trauma, we've

talked about all sorts of things but one of the pain points that

has come up time and time again for guys that many times

typically we're not incapable of talking about but not really

excited to talk about is body image and a lot of guys feel

that way and I think it's not even just being stereotypical,

what I throw out. There the idea, I got a lot of

gals in my life, who are not afraid at all.

The talk about how they feel about their bodies, how they

feel about, you know, the clothes they wear, or their

hair, or things like that and compare and, and, and get that

kind of stuff out of their system.

Whereas a lot of guys are sitting there, not sure about

how they look, not sure about how they feel about the skin

that they're living in. And we're going to focus a

little bit more on. He cast on that particular pain.

Today we're going to do that. We got Nicholas the owner of

Black Market Barber Co here. Thank you so much for taking

time to be here and to talk about some of this stuff with

me, brother. I'm really excited to see you,

man. Thank you for having me, man.

It's a pleasure to have you guys in my space.

The working really hard on creating like an atmosphere here

to make men feel safe and women as well to unisex with what we

do for scalp micropigmentation. Which many of you guys watching

or listening, might not know what scalp micropigmentation is

but it's a hair loss Replacement Service.

We do a lot of Of density fill work for.

So if you're thinning or you've just got some small patch work

that you need to work on or ask are covering.

That's what we would do for that as well as a full hairline

restoration. So they call a Norwood scale,

one through seven, one being, just like the progressive male

pattern baldness like with the receding hairline.

Sure. Some spots in the back of your

crown and then all the way through to, like a Norwood 7,

which would be like, well, we'll just, we'll just call like the

mr. Clean, look.

I am Sonia top of the cul-de-sac, so we can recreate

your entire hair line. Just resemble like a buzz cut.

Yeah, I know it's just like a nice solution to not having to

fly to Turkey or spend 20 K yd Vancouver Montreal Toronto on a

hair transplant. That may not work is extremely

invasive. So yeah, the black market

Barbara Co and scalp. Micropigmentation studio is here

for men and women. Yeah, it started four men in the

community of the Okanagan, Kelowna specifically during the

pandemic plan, demic lockdown. So, when that happened, they

locked the world down. And told us we weren't essential

well, every single individual, including your dog is.

Rachel who's to tell? You're not right.

And so that's why we opened up the shop.

Starting my garage and we think God have been able to move in

progress and dial up and dial in this is where we are now and

it's a pleasure to have you. Oh man, it's this is really,

really cool. I appreciate you giving the kind

of the Coles notes. I want to dive deeper into this

first off, how long you been a barber, how long you been into

into into, you know, men's physical wellness, for sure I

started cutting hair for men in my basement, on my days off.

My time off in Alberta, when I was working in Alberta, in two

thousand twelve to Seventeen. I was in Alberta working there,

specifically am living in Alberta.

Yep. And so, I went to college

University, prior to being in Alberta, I study business,

administration, major marketing, and then I studied

Communications with the major in marketing.

Yeah, University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

Yeah, so I went to Alberta to pay this debt off.

Then I got trapped in that whole lifestyle catching that the big

paychecks. Yeah, my trucks and all these

things and I was like this is not it.

If I don't get caught, it's so my soul to these.

Only gas companies. I need to do something

differently, you might have noticed, just throughout the

whole shops, lay out their skateboards.

There's bikes. Yeah, there's plants.

I just love art at some sneakers.

I've got a big old sneaker heads, or yeah.

Yeah. But most specifically relating

to the bikes in the skateboard. I've been skateboarding

snowboarding biking since I was like nine.

And so I always planned and dreamt of having a skateboard

shop. And you know, there's a lot of

overhead that's required to own a We're chopping the bricks and

mortar. Sure inventory Etc.

So when I was looking to get out of oil and gas like that is just

like seems like a very challenging angle to start a

business, a lot of risk involved which I'm a big risk taker and I

have no problems, you know, taking on risk but I wanted a

solution where I could kind of meet in the middle and have a

service that could provide that I could never get taken away

from me. Yeah I always hold that hold

close to my heart. I could travel anywhere around

the world and use it. Yeah but like think Global and

act local. So I wanted to To develop this

business and brand which was barbering and it started small.

I was working 20 days away and 10 days off, once I had

purchased my house in Alberta estate Kelowna.

So I purchased the house in Kelowna knowing that I was going

to come to the city transition out of oil and gas, and become a

barber and open my own Studio. The reason why I selected BC and

Kelowna was because in PC Kelowna, specific BC specific,

scuse me, you don't need a license to become a hairstylist

to have to cut her from it, okay?

You can just show up and cut. So I was like this is enticing

and encouraging because that 2728 when I was just getting my

feet wet with it. Yeah I didn't see it feasible to

go back to school to pay the cash to do that and there just

seems some a lot of boundaries boundaries tan, chorizo knowing

that BC, I could just come in, jump in and get after it.

Obviously, following Health protocol and striving for

excellence. That was just like the

framework. You just need to follow the

health regulations and do your best.

And if sure do good work, you treat people.

People, well, that you will come back.

And so I work my days off and I did that, and that kind of

transitioned out I can talk about what?

Well, I think, I think it's Jim Rohn, who says, you know, you

feed your family during the day and you work on your fortunate

night and and I think that there's a lot of guys out there

who they don't even have the energy the vision the foresight

to you know I mean okay so you work in oil and gas you know and

you chase those paychecks and I can't tell you how many people I

know that think okay I'm gonna go make 180 Grand a year up

there. There and they're going to pay a

lot of my expenses, it's going to be great.

I'm going to set myself up for the future and they get caught

and they start buying these toys and they get stuck in payments.

And I've met so many people who make almost 200 Grand a year

that are one or two paychecks away from bankruptcy because

they just get so overextended. They don't have a plan in place.

They don't have, you know, any of these things that we're

talking about here, you get there and you see what your life

is and you realize you don't want that for the rest.

Rest of your life. What was it about cutting

peoples hair? You went to the garage and said

okay, I'm gonna work on my fortune at night and your

fortune had nothing to do with money and had to do with what

life was going to look like for you.

And what it was, what I filled your cup when enjoy it.

What is that? What is where is this is Passion

over paychecks, passion, over paychecks or paychecks.

So that's like it's on me forever and it's in me forever.

So that was the driving force was the passion over paychecks.

How did that become your passion?

I'm super curious about the Shit, you asking me that it

never was known to me, that dealing with men, cutting hair

for men, working with men, self-image to be passion of

mine. Yeah, I just always loved music,

culture art and fashion and to be frank, I actually got

incredibly inspired by one of my new best friends.

Well, new since 2019 Scott Ramos, his Instagram handles at

f8 MOS famous One the most recognized Barbers on the

planet. Yep.

And became one of the most inviting human beings I've ever

met. Yet.

So when I traveled with this, give me a little bit of jumping

around and jump around, man. We're yeah, we're good.

Thank you. So in 2019 once I quit the oil

and gas industry, one side already bought my house and

clone it and I had an apprenticeship lined up in the

city. I took a break from the

apprenticeship in the city and flew directly to Montreal, I

trained there for six weeks with all of the guys that Scott Ramos

had actually trained years prior.

Okay, and then I got connected to Scott through his Network

that I was already training with.

So I flew from Montreal Sunni, Winnipeg to Montreal.

Yeah, it was Scott. Reversing back to where the

started. I was really inspired by Scott

and the culture that he from afar at that point, far.

It was, isn't it cool that you can now say that the people that

you were inspired by you're now connected to?

And I think is a lot of guys out there who are inspired by people

and you realize, I apologize for interrupting, but I think it's

really important point that sometimes you can actually

admire somebody from afar for only a couple degrees away.

From anybody on this planet. You can actually move your world

closer to some of these other people's worlds and And the fact

that you have done that from back to where you're about to

talk about beforehand, like that is really, really cool that you

ended up there. So that's rash it that.

Yeah, I just kind of found out young in life that and it's

worked with. I've worked with this and

against this it's kind of funny. I think we all can expect to

this, you know, something true to your heart.

Yeah. And you forget about it at times

but I want me to speak on is manifesting manifesting in

generating. So I just recognize that I can

literally. And if I look back and even the

shittiest times in my life, Manifested all of those exact

moments, I literally had seen them all in my mind.

So I manifested the ability to meet Scott and get connected to

him and the whole team that was near and dear to his heart and

the people that he helped and it all just came to fruition,

there's so much more to the story and all just comes down to

just, like, follow your heart. Follow Your Passion, believe in

yourself. Yeah.

And taking each small step every day, one percent a day to get

better. And I found out that working

with men, men, self-image, In that fashion and art was a

passion of mine just from actually getting my feet wet and

my hands dirty in that mix? Yeah.

So I was working well and gas for six years seven years before

that, I was just like a kind of a punk skater.

I worked a bunch of different jobs but fighting some weed

doing drugs all this bullshit. That's no good.

Yep, so when I got to oil and gas I kind of clean my shit up.

I paid off the seventy thousand dollar debt from College

University fell in love, bought a truck and then I was like okay

these are all amazing. Things, but I see on this

Instagram world people living at much different lifestyle.

They're not slaving their hours away to somebody else they're

putting in. Like, countless hours for

themselves for their own passion for their own vision for the

future. So I started setting up how old

were you when that started? This would have been 2016.

It's now 2022. I'm 34 today, my birthday.

So your late 20s. Yeah.

And you're realizing your kind of waking up a little bit and

saying, now this isn't the life that I was, Told to live for

lack of a better term because a lot of guys those guys in their

40s right now who are still in the Trap of doing what they were

told to do, you know, get the good job, the family do all they

get the house and all that stuff and one day, you'll be

fulfilled. Many of these fuckers are

sitting there unfulfilled going. When is it coming for sure?

When it's the self-exploration that needs to happen for you to

realize this stuff in your late 20s?

You started realizing that you wanted something different.

Absolutely. So I had this small Exit Plan

Kind of lined up and it was to get out of oil and gas directly

in the field and transition transition into office.

So, as I mentioned, I studied business administration kind of

fluffy major in marketing and then I studied communication

with a major in Marketing sales. Yeah, you can't study Marketing

sales, like this is this is you got to be in the mix.

Yeah. So like I just kind of had a

knack for communication and I have a drive to be successful

and I speak with emphasis and passion.

So like the guys, I work with in the field, recognize this I

spoke on my educational history and like what I want to do with

my life, Life. So I painted a picture for my

exit out of the patch in the field and transition into the

office. Now, when you say you painted a

picture like are you talking, you Journal, dish it out and you

actually made a plan. I wasn't something in your head

that you didn't existence with the team that was part of

precision while servicing, who I worked for?

Yeah, I made it known dairies manager operations manager that

like, hey, I'm here to work for the next few years, but I, this

is where I'm going to go and you can like, jump on board with

that and help me as I help you, or I'm going to have to find a

new way. And so, in 2016, they gave me an

opportunity To go be a junior sales student.

If you will or rep with the team downtown Calgary within the

company that you were. Yeah, work out.

Oh, that is awesome. Go sell oil and gas Services

specifically to cold tubing, you know, fracking well, cleanouts.

All the good stuff that I had experienced in the field.

I would have went out and sold those things.

We got team, but that was the year that the oil and gas

industry. Absolutely got decimated.

So, we went from $130, a barrel down to like 22 or something and

that job, just evaporated. And that exact moment when that

job opportunity of operators like, okay, I'm not gonna rely

on oil and gas or anyone else to figure out what the hell man do.

So, for the future, and I was like, I just I knew I needed a

new way and I was watching his Dimension.

Scott Ramos in the rest of the barber culture come up.

As I'm going to own a Harley. I'm an old, my own shop and we

happily married and I'm gonna have my own, my own vision for

the future in Kelowna because I told you did a bit of research

and all these things on that and I bought a chair Barber chair

used from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta bought a tool

battlespace summer like the one behind us.

Yeah but a random light that just made it.

Horrible lighting but I did it and I got them.

The tools went on YouTube and the rest was history.

I see that that very first night that I ever cut hair.

I had lucid dreams for two weeks every single night after and

that's when I knew like it was like my higher self or

Consciousness or God or someone just like dude, you cannot

Overlook what you've just found. Like you have to push towards

that and that's a never look back when I mean, I can speak

from experience of Myself and others present company included.

Now, talking about that there is no Harmony like the harmony of

when you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and I mean

we talk a lot about purpose on this on this show.

He changed it as all about helping guys figure out what

their purpose is. Waking up, not being in the Rut,

the tunnel vision of just you know plodding through life.

But actually getting some awareness about this shit.

And when you have some of that awareness in your in your

searching and and and and part of the Destination shows up like

that first night really at the end of the day, that first

night, you cut hair, it was the beginning of a bunch of shit.

You have to go through to get where you want to get to it.

Yeah but the harmony of that experience though, my God, what

a feeling, it was cool man. I got me hyped and I couldn't

stop thinking about it and all I from there, this was in the

basement, in the Holmen, black balls, Alberta, this is before

Colonna. So, at that very moment in time,

I was like, okay, we're going on canva or whatever the app was

that I used to do. I'll Picard and I called the

basement Barbershop and I went out to the bars and wherever I

needed to go to meet with men and women because I, every girl

knows a guy has a brother. Has a dad, are you go?

Yeah, I hustled, bro, because I know I used to, you know, hustle

in a different way. And this is like, it's just

ingrained in me the communication that you need to

have, and like, just have a even just marginal amounts of

communication and confidence in yourself to just look someone in

the eyes. Tell them about who you are, and

let them know what you can offer, or how you can help.

And speaks out with conviction and truth and the rest is going

to be this unfold for you. And of course, I got to ask you

this question. Okay?

So so you're working up north clearly got some game when it

comes to work ethic and there's a type of hustle you're busting

your ass for oil and gas. Especially, you know, when it

when it's time to work, is under words and there's downtime, but

when it's time to work, it's time to work and you're

hustling. Okay, hustling make 150 200

Grand a year, right? Yes.

That's one version of hustling, but when you start hustling for

your dream, making zero dollars going out to the bars and all of

that. That kind of stuff.

Tell me the difference between those types of hustling.

Like it's almost like one is dead and one is alive when

you're hustling for your dreams even if you're not making

anything from it, if you're hustling from your your dream.

Yeah. How good does that feel?

And how much energy does it actually give you to hustle on

the other side of things while you're trying to figure it out?

Yeah. Like they used to their watch

energies and give you kids like the hustle to work in the patch.

It is you got to have it. Yeah.

And it's just like mental toughness and angst like you Got

to be able to stand up for what you believe in and you know,

that you got to do what you got to do to get that paycheck.

But when it comes to like pushing through your passion and

what you want for the future, just taking those small steps

forward will actually give you more energy back because if

they're in alignment with what you truly need to do and we want

to be this like in a line with your heart and soul, man, it

just starts to fill you up. So every day working the patch I

had to make sure I ate properly. I slept properly I journaled and

I like meditated because that need I needed that Clarity that

downtime. And that those nutrients to just

get through it. But whereas, if you're working

for yourself, and it's in alignment with your purpose, or

what you believe to be, you might not even eat that day.

If you're grinding. Yeah, like you're just forget

that shit you. You just keep going.

Like it's and I you know I can I can I can talk about this a

little bit. I've had that experience to

where I had a job that was paying the bills and I started

building something on the side and and building it up and and

the other part of it, too. When I would compare myself to

people that I worked, People who didn't have that, they were

still in those, you know, in that in that, call it a rut,

but, you know tunnel vision. Yeah, tell me.

Now, they're just, they're just doing that, right?

And I thought about how much I almost got to the point where I

pity the people around me. I had empathy for them because

they had no hope for anything. I at least knew that I was doing

something that was going to get me to escape 100%.

We're at where I was, and it gave me that extra fuel.

Like I said, that thing to look forward to, I can speak to that

and I can definitely see that in the back of my mind.

Like when I reflect on when I was out, Out there swinging

Hammers and picking up line pipe and working.

With the biggest assholes in the planet that are miserable like,

I just do what the smile on my face because I was like, dude, I

literally know that you're going to be here in six years and you

can still be the biggest piece of dog shit ever.

God bless you but I won't. There is rest days because we

had to force by law after like 20 days had to take them.

But I was out in Grand Prairie on the sticks, working for Seven

Generations, oil and gas company producer.

I was new to the matter. I worked those days men non-stop

every day back to back to back to back just to buy my house and

cola and then once I got that, it's the next one.

And it's the next one. You just have to keep seeing

then gold know where you're going and Vie bohème just push

out. That's awesome, man.

I want to ask more about that first haircut, that night.

Because, I mean, you talk about what it did for you, the lucid

dreams and all that stuff going. Okay, Yep, this is it, this is

in line, it wasn't just a pipe dream, all the work and

everything all that, thought led to this moment, it's what I

want. Now the real work is going to

begin, but I got to ask that question about that night.

Remember what kind of haircut? It was?

Yeah, I think they call it. I'm never uses description

because it's like so create Clips.

But Caesar cut the Caesar got like the Well dude, like like

like, like like I don't even use this term so like I'll just use

it in reference sure. Because she told my buddy's

sister was a hair stylist. Okay, me to one hour classes and

that night was a one-hour class, get the hair wet.

Move it in the direction that it wants to lay here likes to live.

They lay where it lives. It didn't make sense to me, but

I got it wet and I would just move hair and I look okay wants

to go that way. Wants to go this way but the

Caesar cut that she just said she explained to me.

And by definition was just like a number three or number two,

all the way up and then scissor work on top.

Line it up, that's it. Okay.

I could be wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong and

stylus Barbers out there. I don't fuck with that name.

I just cut hair. Sure it by description of what

you want to see what you do. And we kind of finesse the cut

made fade low fade, high and tight.

Those are descriptions that I would use the men's classic cut

scissor. We describe what you want to see

ya, a scissor cut. I never understood that.

You guys can keep that term and use it of Great Clips.

Sure. Do you remember the reaction of

the guy? Who was you're willing guinea

pig that night? Do you remember the like or

shortly after like as you started in the basement because

you're living your life's purpose.

Right now, an extra part of that purpose is a guy who walks in

may be feeling a certain way and when they walk out there feeling

a completely different way and I don't know if that happened that

first night where you got to feel that part of what it is

that you do. Yeah.

But that happened right away. It did happen that night.

Okay. I mean I know that I'm a slow

learner. Learn in different ways and but

like, and I'm definitely not the best barber in the city.

There's so much talent here, but I'm my best barber.

I'm the best that I can be and I continue to strive to be better,

and that's what I did that. Did that night, I just naturally

had like the motion that confidence.

I kind of just faked it until I made it right away like

instantly. I was like shaking my boots but

not literally shaking, which was huge because if I was shaking

when I was working. Yeah, no, no, no.

That was, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, I hid that shaking on the

inside. Yeah, he did that pretty well

and it just Envision how I wanted to cut to be at the end

of it. And then I took her information

and her to her tips and her a pointers and I just went with

it. Followed suit, ask for help when

I was needed, believe in myself and homie was stoked, man.

Isn't that life right there? It was cool.

Like the idea, you know, asking for help taking the tips from

people you know, with people smarter than us so many times,

we don't were not vulnerable have to do that kind of stuff.

But I mean, when you want something bad enough, yeah.

You know, be a student of the game and just Immerse yourself

in the process, right? If you like, 100%, Amen to that.

Like, some people are ashamed. To be a student, you're going to

be a student to the day, you're dying.

If you're not, like, I don't know what you're doing, because

really, I think awareness comes when you recognize that you

don't know. Shit.

Yeah. So if you just keep asking

questions, looking for advice guidance, then that's huge.

You don't want to be trying to have someone Hold Your Hand the

whole time and I find myself coming in out of that.

And a lot of different ways in my life, like I ask for help

when I need it. And then I'll just Almost be

like a kind of accustomed to that bit of a spot like padding

like that, you know, and you're like baby and someone else you

can do it. I'm always kind of looking for

that but like the growth comes when you step away from that and

be like cavemen I've gotten my ass padded.

A few fucking times here. Let's dive deep.

You know, like it's up to you. Now, when you go to bail, you

learn how to fall. Yep.

And you learn how to get up and dust it off and get back up and

so it's just it doesn't stop being the same.

Doesn't go know there's like that one week for five years old

and it's still like that. But so many times we We load it

with with all sorts of whatever it might be might be childhood.

Trauma might be, might be when we fell off the bike when we

were a kid and we take that shit to us when we're at when we're

adults and and we don't naturally think that actually

dealing with recognizing and fighting your way through that

leads to Joy and and vibrancy that you don't, you don't

realize is there but it's so worth doing.

Yeah, man, I just absolutely sure it's a vape.

Absolutely. Um, 9th scene, it's not.

It's just nicotine. All right, you do what you got

to do, man. Appreciate it.

It's all good. Thank you.

Yeah, we don't we don't judge here on he casts.

No Man II appreciate you talking about that and how you got into

it. Now, I think it's safe to say

the audience can translate the fact that you are doing what

you're supposed to be doing and you love your in Harmony, and

your vibration is exactly where it needs to be.

If you want to talk to hippy-dippy language that that

so much. It was so many of us talk these

days, you are in your report. You living your purpose.

Yeah, that's real shit. That's not a hippie shit.

Yeah. Okay let There we go.

It's not at all the blue collar guy.

A former Blue Collar Guy saying this.

It's not okay, what? What?

Look around man, there's nothing but flowers positivity, lots of

natural light. If you look over there, like,

I'm wearing a cross. I'm Christian but like I believe

in energy. Overall energy is everything and

energy is we're all energy. Yeah and so with that said this

hippie What about energy? You got to bring your frequency

up and make sure that you maintain that in order for you

to receive the blessings and just manifestations power.

You know. Like if you want to have

positivity in your life you need to exude positivity.

How do you get that? Typically speaking for me, I

have to put in work with my body and with my mind, so meditation

and and physical efforts in the morning and getting the meals in

the water and then my actual frequency for my body.

And my mind is, I'm just What do you call that a radio signal

Tower? Like it's just setting it out

and it's coming back to me. But one year on a low frequency

low plane Pardon me all you're going to bring in to you is

anything that's on that frequency.

You get back what you put out. So if you're not vibing, hi,

you're going to be vibin low, bro.

Yeah, well, and we talked about that, you know, that's a five

fitnesses with, he changed it, you know, your physical fitness,

your mental, your Social Fitness and you know, the other one, the

sole Fitness is in their social as well.

And I mean, these are all, they all need to work in harmony with

each other your sole Fitness. It's not about religion, it's

not about one thing overnight. It's about getting in that place

of what feels exactly right where you are vibing High where

you are attracting you know, not detracting and and I think

that's a real secret that a lot of guys don't necessarily focus

on you, talk about journaling everyday, you talk about

manifesting and and and thinking about the things, the direction

that you want your life to go in?

Yeah, a lot of guys just don't do that.

Yeah, I think they say they one person.

No, 3% of the world, right? It's down their goals, everyday,

and 1% of the world writes down their goals and reads it right.

Something goes and reads it and then audio listens it back.

So we'll record it and they'll play it back themselves.

A lot of will even listen to their sleep.

So to have a plan in place, and then I think it's called

autosuggestion. If I'm not mistaken, you're

writing it down. I am so happy and grateful for

the abundance of my life. I'm so happy and grateful for my

business having expanded. I'm so happy and grateful for

whatever the case may be. And then reading it back to

yourself and doing this daily. It's that's like a We're so

we'll call it a cheat code. Yeah.

Like that's the heck, yeah it is.

Definite total like heck. Yeah. 1000% and yeah, like

energy doesn't lie and energy is Everything, is Everything

essentially? So you know what I mean?

When you're vibing low you're going to bring in low Vibes back

to you and the hives up, they bring jobs back to you so it

doesn't matter if you're Christian Hindu, whatever the

case may be, these are all dis High vibrant, High vibrational

thought process and actions and feelings at all or uncompressed

encompassing of our daily lives. So if you look at it can hinder

Ooh, or Buddhist versus a Christian.

Like, as long as their hives are giving to others.

They're treating themselves with respect, they're meditating and

they're eating good W. Like they're just doing the

right things, they're all living up.

Guess what's gonna happen with their life?

Yeah. Hundred more often than not more

often than not. That's just what happens, right?

The blessings will just start coming and and and luck you know

a luck know you end up making your own luck when you're when

you're vibing like that and you're and you're living like

that. You end up making your own luck.

Has nothing to do with with it. I want to go back now to the

Like that, you have, you know, gotten to this place, where

you're doing this, you've created a space that you've

wanted to create. We're not working for somebody

else. You've got other parts of your

business that are growing. I want to talk about the scalp

stuff in a second here because because again, a pain point for

men is our self-image. Yes.

And we don't talk about it very much and and and now you've got

years of experience under your belt, you've built the launching

pad of where you're going and and I'm very curious to know

your perspective. Give after how many thousands of

cuts and styles and things that you've done for men.

Are there any patterns that you see?

Do you ever see you guy who comes in and they're not feeling

very good about themselves and you can kind of manipulate that

a little bit and send them out. Are there patterns like can you

speak to that the idea of this? For sure, there's a lot of

transfer energy in this job which I didn't really recognize

and wasn't aware of. So like if I'm not having a the

best day if I didn't prepare my day accordingly, if I would

Started my day hung over or having had a nasty fight with

who ever in my life that's going to spill over onto my clients.

They're going to feel that energy soon as I walked through

the door especially if they're an empath.

And like, I'm a very emotional, I'm a communicator through my

body language, through my tone of voice through, like, you can

just like, see Tommy if I'm high or if I'm low.

Yeah. And so, with that said, if I'm

not on my best a game then that's going to transfer over to

them, they're not going to leave the best that they should have.

Because I didn't do the best I could have for them.

Now, if it's opposite they come in feeling like whatever less

than I do. My best every day to shake

hands, look them right in the eye, give him a hug and then

have a small quick chat about what's going on.

Yeah. How can I help, what's the

vision for the cut? And then give them slaps on the

assert that, you know, like yeah.

Bring them up through the cut talking about the cut, kind of

like just constantly trying to just bring the bring them up man

like If they come in not feeling their best, I want to ensure

that they're feeling even 1% better when they leave and

that's an improvement. You can't really should.

I can't shoot for 100 every time but I can shoot to be better by

1% 1% every day. So if I can have them, leave

even one percent better. Yeah, one percent better than

that's huge and to speak to yeah, men's body image.

And like, the way they feel about themselves, there's a lot

of men that come in for haircuts, and it's not every

man, but there's some that are extremely particular.

Yeah. But oh my goodness, you cut this

like one inch through 1/4 inch or a 16th of an inch too short

or you missed this piece. Now, think about that these are

men with her. Right?

And now they're fine tuning, their focusing and like their

microscope and in on these finer details.

Yeah. Now let's go.

Look at the other side of the spectrum.

Men, that don't have hair. Yeah.

Or losing their hair? Yeah.

Or thereabouts. Patches.

Or you're talking to one right here?

Right here, right there. You've got a great head of hair

but and the beard is killing it. But yeah, you know, you don't

just picture that we're talking about guys, they're likely

Finnick finicky orphan SE with their hair and then you've got

guys that are losing it and those We're losing it man.

Yeah, many times you talk about this quiet lives of desperation

the inside. They don't they don't talk about

it. Well yeah.

Losing my hair, whatever, you know.

But many times a lot of them inside are not feeling good

about themselves at that point. A lot of tell me I'm totally

cool people and I'm like, alright that's important that

you're cool with being bald but a lot of times I'd say like six

out of ten times. Yeah.

Because they won't admit. It didn't want to talk about it.

It's a soft spot because it's just not public knowledge.

It's not publicly like spoken of too often His mental hair loss,

it's just like accepted men. Go bald.

Well, that's hard. On some Gus.

Yeah, a lot of us like, like a, you know, I okay, I got a little

bit. Are I'm covering but like, if

someone the wrong way, Chism? Hey, you loosen it back there, a

little bit. Like, if I, if it said the wrong

way, I have to deal with that. I have to filter that a little

bit to make sure it doesn't touch my vibration.

And I consider myself a guy, he's pretty in tune with with

how I'm feeling and all that stuff.

If I wasn't, if I didn't have some tools, That's the kind of

shit that could sit with somebody.

Three weeks later one, little comment in an elevator, or an

office, or in a job site or whatever.

Can sit with a guy for three to four weeks later, it can still

be sitting there. And just for that entire month

have been looping and looping and looping and looping, what

does that do to our vibration, right?

Absolutely. It probably has a large effect

because it's just like they're manifesting almost more of it

because they're just stuck on it.

It's on repeat on a loop in their mind.

My hair doesn't look. Good.

I'm not as confident because I don't have here, I can't stop my

hair. It's thinning.

Your looks patchy. And then even oh, my goodness to

think of the men that have gone through the risk and and or lack

thereof reward when it comes to not always hair transplants

rice, you guys going to get a hair transplant from the old

technology, the fut, which is like hair.

Do you see the big Frankenstein scars on the back of those?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Something some of the jobs can

turn on credible and I commend these Doctors and surgeons that

are doing that work, but a lot of it isn't turning out well for

them. It's taking a lot of time, money

and pain out of these guys putting paint into their lives,

through the experience of the actual service.

And then thereafter, what it does work.

Yeah. Or they're jumping on DHT

blockers. Finasteride.

There's a whole fucking lot to it.

So this is where I'm just staring at my work on the wall.

That's why I'm in love with SMP. Yeah.

You can guarantee results as long as they're in alignment

with what they are expecting. Yep.

Okay. So you don't have hair we can

make it look like. You do?

Yep. And it's a guaranteed thing.

This is the process. This is how it works.

And you this is like, what's here for the mat is, we're here

for men men and it's amazing. A lot of guys want their hair to

grow back. I get that I fully understand.

Yeah, but the chances of that happening, maybe a lot Slimmer

than you think. Yep.

So so I want to go into that a little bit because okay, so you

start, you know, you know, you're doing what you're

supposed to be doing, you're enjoying it a lot, you're

getting game when it comes to being the barber and and all the

different styles and Different things that you can do for

somebody and you're seeing a hole in the market because there

are guys who you're seeing okay, well, there's another service I

can add to it. This is what the SMP is, right?

And, and so, let's, let's break into that.

Exactly what is it and I think, I think the why you're adding it

to your business is pretty evident.

But yeah, let's let's, let's talk about that.

Let's talk about how guys feel it's being done behind us, by

the way everybody. Yeah.

You know, not our first rodeo, we got Shannon.

I'm super grateful. Brought Shannon on Deck.

With me, got her trained up under one of my mentors as well.

Just earlier this year, on Instagram at Beyond underscore

ink. She's extremely talented.

I'm happy to have her on the team and scalp micropigmentation

is something that I came across. Can you be?

Can you believe this from Scott, Ramos from famous you go?

So when I went to go check him last year.

Yep. 2020 2021, I seen him in Winnipeg and he's like, dude,

check out my hair like. Yeah, it's fire as per is like

no, no, look closer and I looked at his hairline and he's a

Filipino. He's always got to look at the

nicest. So I did a dent.

Yeah, he did. That looks amazing by the way

back there. Yeah, no worries Scott.

Did I like his hairline? He did.

He had a density, the density, filters hairline and it just

looked incredible. Like he just got edged up out of

the barbershop like minutes ago. Yeah but he went to see Donna

faithie out of Vancouver and so he told me he got this job done

from Donna out of band and how much it cost and I was like It

cost that much. Yeah.

And like it was a fair price but like it just to see what was

done. I couldn't imagine like how

lucrative it could have been right?

And so one I'd recognize how happy he was, how confident he

was so stoked, he was happy and stoked, interchangeable words,

let's do the price. For example here, I just want to

make sure what was it about the price that shock you so much.

Well I just knew that the job probably didn't take more than

45 minutes. Yep.

And the price point was like $675, okay?

But like I'm also not silly and ignorant.

Ooh, the fact that time effort and energy put into a craft and

service. Yeah, used to be rewarded.

For example, you have this lock, my lock is broken back there.

The key broke off inside. Yeah, for me to get that fixed

from a locksmith, I don't know. A hundred bucks.

My taken four minutes. Yep.

Why would I pay someone a hundred dollars for four minutes

to work? Well, it's because I can't

reduce you can text bring it so by stopping a lucrative

opportunity to make money to be rewarded for helping and

changing men's lives. Okay.

So, you know, I as I'm a dummy and we all know that I'm a dummy

and so Rob dummies. So let me well, You know, I

think about tattoos and I got, I got a couple, I got a couple

pieces on my body and all that and of course you get what you

pay for when it comes to that kind of a thing.

Now, the first thing that I think of, when I think of the

process you're talking about here, are we talking about

tattooing hair onto our bodies? That is that essentially what

this process is explain it to me because I am a dummy.

What exactly are we doing reason?

Like I'm not going to use. We're not going to use our

liners and our needles here to draw literally like hair.

Right? Oaks some actually have been

doing That they're starting to do that for women up in this

area to each their own. I'm not gonna do that.

But yeah, the scalp micropigmentation practice and

service that we're providing is to create a non-invasive super

realistic and natural replication replication.

Excuse me of a hair follicle so your hair follicle when you buzz

it down with likes, a double zero, trimmer like a very close

yet Rim. Yep, you're just seeing

around.but with that pigment of your hair, follicle color in

conjunction with your skin. So you know you do a buzz cut.

Yeah just see follicles. And so we're mimicking this.

So a lot of guys as I mentioned on the Norwood set like a Nord

scale, Norwood seven being the most bald.

They've got the cul-de-sac so they can grow this hair as long

as they want it to do. Sure shoulders but the tops not

going to be there, right? So if we just get these guys in

the line, with the full vision of a full buzz cut, yep

restoring a full head representation of a bowl

haircut. We Buzz the sides down to a

double-0. Yeah and then we replicate and

mimic. That exact length of hair which

is basically none. Yep, Through The Impressions

that we make with our needle so you can use on a specific angle,

a little bit of a different degree and you can actually

stroke it a little bit, so you create a small stroke.

But basically what we're making is an in the visual

representation of a buzz cut through.

That's short, small micro follicle size.

Wow, if that makes sense. I hope you didn't put that.

No, it totally makes sense. And now I want to, I want to

talk about like we can't see the pictures that are, that are up

in the here. But at the end of the day, What

you're essentially doing is somebody is if they've if

they've had a buzz cut and they look like that mr.

Clean on top like I'm getting that a little bit up here right

by creating the illusion or the Symmetry.

The Symmetry is probably a better word by creating that

symmetry again. How much difference does that

make on men's mental health or self-esteem?

Oh buddy. Well Shannon did a job

yesterday. She didn't density feel.

So there's a hairline restoration for men that are

like say Anywhere from like a Norwood 427, they got extreme

hair loss and we had to recreate that whole full fresh hairline

is seven like the the most hair loss that the mr.

Clean cul-de-sac and gun being liked is minimal.

Okay. There's a lot of guys in like

the Norwood 1 2 3 4, which would be like they're just spot.

Excuse me, pattern baldness or thinning.

Yep, you can do. And also for women, of course to

yeah, you can do, what is called a density fill.

So they're not going to cut their hair down as short as you

would for the hairline restoration, right?

The leave the hair. Is depending on how this

hairstyle works or looks but we're going to add the density,

the density with these Impressions through the hair to

just actually create a mirage effect on the scalp.

So it's not like the light white skin scalp anymore.

It's got the illusionary effect. Pardon me of a thicker head of

hair. That color makes a difference.

Yeah, it's a massive. Yeah a lot of the guys that we

are doing now including the one that Shin had done yesterday was

post hair transplant. Okay so varied Chia Pet like

with all due respect, but it hair grows out when the hair

grows out in length. The follicles you can see the

spacing between them and as the hair grows out you can see the

light shine through and then you have the the just completely

obvious visual. That's a different illusion.

Now is that now you're seeing scalp through here.

Yeah and now we're going to avoid the vision of the scalp

through the Mirage effect with these Impressions.

Yeah. I think sometimes the act of

just doing something like like you know what, you're a jacked

up dude, my oldest. Son, jack guy just went through

his first bodybuilding competition and I look at that

and go. Okay, that is a, that's a that's

incredible. What?

You know you guys do, but when I go to the gym, I still feel

good. I mean, I come out looking like

that, but I still feel good. And I think sometimes that the

effort goes a long way to our mental well-being.

And I think, I think sometimes we let ourselves go because we

don't know that there are other options that are out there for

sure. We don't necessarily go to the

barber for the, you know, you know, you know we Go to the

again and not trying to, you know, demoralize anybody or

judge anybody but they go to the the 15 Dollar haircut from the

you know from The Chain versus going to, somebody who actually

is going to put some care into it.

And say, okay, let's be intentional.

We're going to make you feel like this.

When you leave here we're going to make you look like this.

When you leave here we're going to we're going to make you feel

special. Essentially is really what it is

and aren't we all just looking for somebody in our life to kind

of have our back when it comes to that the clothing sales, gal,

who actually means what she As she's not just trying to get a

commission. She actually says no no no.

Don't wear those pants wear. These pants are perfect for your

body type. Aren't we just fucking looking

for that as guys. I would say.

And you get to be that for a lot of guys who don't necessarily

open up on this stuff for sure but you can see it like you're

almost. You're almost like a thread this

about bartenders and about folks who work with people's hair.

You're almost like an armchair psychologist, right?

Yeah. And I mean it goes both ways too

because us Our stylist, it's not about us, it's about the client,

but we get a lot back from our clients to the open,

communication between men and between women to because we do

service men and women what specifically will speak to men

on men. Yeah, this is a great

opportunity to save place in the my specific Barbershop is a

place that I know a lot and if not all my clients that are true

to me and tight with me and that are, repeat customers know that

we have a unique Bond. We have a unique experience,

unique conversations, and it's between us and we help.

One another through like today's my birthday and my phone's

exploding with clients hitting me and I appreciate it so much

and like, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am.

And some wasn't for a sec, some of the things that we've gone

through and talked about, in some of these cuts that I've

done for them, they may or may not be even here today,

honestly. Oh my God.

I love Judo minimize. What you do?

I love that, you know, that and you take stock and and pride.

But, in a good way, you take, you know, confidence out of the

fact that you're actually doing something that does have a bit

of a higher purpose to it. Like, when you say that, it

sounds dramatic, but it's 100% true.

And sometimes those little things can be.

Dramatic, God. It's very.

Very cool. You opening up and talking about

these things here. Tom get slippery.

When we, when we do these shows, I see that like a broken record.

I think every time Tom gets slippery I like it.

It sounds good to me automatic poetically.

It's nice. I like it.

Anyway. Time gets slippery.

It goes fast. I want to make sure that we

cover anything that that you want to get out there before we

finish this episode. I hope you come back one day,

like I love that. You're able to talk about this

stuff many times, it's things that happened in our past and we

examine the traumas of the things that happened in our past

that lead to being Living a future that is intentional for

sure. And and it's clear that you're

doing that, come with its own struggles men.

So like I don't want to paint a picture like that figured it all

out because I'm working every day to figure it out, like

Shannon's aware my Apprentice. That might be here very soon.

So my closest clients to me, friends and family, all know

that I have and still do at times, struggle with my own

demons in my own issues and just vocalizing these things.

And speaking them to the ones that you can trust, And have

close to your heart, to help you is important.

You know, I've struggled with drug use and consumption,

addictions, and I've pushed through these things.

I'm not saying there were perfect, you know, but never

perfect know, it's always strive to be 1% better every day and

you do and have complete transparency and Truth in honor.

And what it is you're trying to accomplish and taking these

small steps each day. So yeah, man, throughout the

whole process of even becoming a barber moving to Kelowna buying

a house working in the patch. Coming out of it losing my Girl

5 years, buying a house. I'll just all the shit.

It comes with the cost and it comes with It's just, it's

taxing, but as long as you're taking stock of what it is,

you're doing for yourself, who's around you, what you're doing

with your time, how you're treating yourself, your mental,

your own self, your own, your own self.

Talk needs to be definitely closely analyzed, and if you

find yourself, not speaking to yourself.

So kindly, that's where I would start.

Step One is start to speak to yourself a little bit more

respectfully. And honestly don't look yourself

in the mirror anymore in the lie to yourself.

Tell yourself the truth. Like look yourself deep in the

eyes of know that you are worthy worthy, and Capable.

And then take the action, steps plan it out.

Get the help. You need reach out.

Put your hands back out and some will reach for it.

Yeah, you know, and if they won't just keep throwing your

hand in the face and someone's going to say, yo, what are you

doing? And get older, you need, you

know what I mean? That's what you're doing.

You're describing exactly what he changed.

His all about perfect, you're describing exactly what what my

wife and her team are trying to build is, is the place where

guys can put their hand out and sometimes anonymously is the

better way to go. You know, you should get a room,

you got a virtual room or sore. Whatever with Five Guys in

there. Hey, I just got cheated on or

hey this just how I just got fired or hey I don't feel very

good about myself right now and suddenly there's five guys who

you're saying that to number one.

You just said it yourself. When you talk to people that you

trust about some of the stuff, right?

Doesn't that take away the power, okay, if you're if you're

if you're consumed by consuming things and that is happening.

If you tell somebody that you're consuming things, doesn't that

take away some of the power. It's the silence and was just

living with it, internally alone.

That is what gives it a lot of its power, right?

For sure. So just the idea of letting out

some steam by talking about this shit.

I mean that alone is a big help. Absolutely.

I think. Yeah, just being honest open and

then searching for answers through like, you know,

meditation communication with with groups like this.

Like, he changed it, close friends even just like finding a

barber like me, you can come check it.

Check out the Black Market, Barbershop a coast Be here in

Kelowna. It's a safe spot for men and

women. I'm definitely an open book like

I have no qualms to tell the truth about my life.

And that's the unique thing, man.

A lot of people don't know how to accept that.

Everyone's got an opinion and the streets are talking at all

times, but they're not always talking about you and if you do

hear someone, speaking of you one time or two times or two

times three times, whatever you just got to keep moving and keep

your head held high knowing that you are.

Assuming you are and I hope you all are pushing to become one

percent better every day. And so if you're doing that, I

mean, what are you doing? Wrong essentially, nothing.

You're going to fail forward and you learn.

As you go, there's no losses unless you're not actually

taking stock of these lessons and making adjustments to

improve your life. Absolutely.

That dude sleeping. He may be pretty close.

You might be sleeping, getting the scalp done and your beauty

rest at the same time. There we go.

I can't be more grateful for you.

Coming here and talking about this today and allowing us to

come and paid the space here and change things up for us a little

bit. It's super super cool.

Nicholas if yeah let's let's do that.

Let's get the social media. You know, for sure let's get all

of the if people want to find you on the social media but also

the physical Want to book an appointment here, whether

they're taking a trip or their local you know we are locals a

lot of locals who watch this schools program as well.

How do they get a hold of these, a few ways.

So online we can use the website www.blakebuyshomes.com, pardon

me, Shannon's part of the team here.

So you can find me and Shannon through our Instagram page.

Direct to our Barber Shop here and scalp micropigmentation

Studio, which is on Instagram at Black Market Barber, Co dot s,

MP her personal specific page for SMP is at Beyond underscore

ink. My personal Instagram page is at

who is Nicholas and icho, LA, s Mercy.

Amer cie are, who is Nicholas mercy.

So we are Black Market, Barbacoa Shannon Nicholas.

My apprentice and all my clients were all black market Barber

coat and just keep in mind like, why we started, we started this

because we were all told most of us were told we were not

essential And that is incorrect. We are all essential and that is

why we opened the shop to service the community, men and

women alike to helping like a beacon of light to know that

there is a way out, you know, that plan demick lockdown was

dark and gloomy for a lot of people and it had a huge effect

on men's mental health. So me, having started the shop

out of my garage to stop. The jump was a great start in

the journey that I've been on today to continue to push to

improve Men's Health and men's self-image and mental.

Health. And now we're segueing into men

and women's self image and mental health through the act of

scalp micropigmentation. Amazing.

I'm so grateful for this, let me tell you, okay, can you do

something for me? Because I need a lot of help

here. Is there anything that you know,

your beard is looking fire? The Hara ice?

I think what I would just do is we'll talk about it.

We'll talk about it after we can't let me all your secrets,

if he can help me, if there's help for me, anybody is it a

lot? If they found a lost cause

nobody else has? That's what I'm trying to say.

No, I I just a little bit, but I just appreciate your energy so

much I can feel it. I'm sure it can be felt through

the, through the ones, and zeros of the digital landscape out

there as well, thank you for being for being so vulnerable

today. Vulnerability, is the thing

that, I mean it's a silver bullet as well gratefulness you,

you touched on. A lot of them talking about

self-image and all these things. We're going to we're going to

make it so it's not uncomfortable to talk about the

stuff for men. That's that's the goal.

Shine the Light on the things that need shining on On and

let's shrink the darkness that's out there.

You are doing that, Nicholas you and your crew and everything

you're doing. The fact is that when you talk

about your new space, that you've opened here fairly

recently, and you've used the word, this is a safe space, like

five times during this broadcast.

Even I love that you call this place.

It's not just cool. And, and inviting and

comfortable, you call it a safe space.

I love that. That's fantastic.

Appreciate that. I'm not too far left.

I'm not too far, right? I don't really like the woke mob

these days but we are a safe place.

Sense. That men and women can walk in

here know that they're safe from judgment and they're safe to

speak their mind. And they're, they're safe to

just tell us what they how they feel from the heart.

That's what a safe places to me. It doesn't mean you can't use

certain words or let's leave it at that.

Yeah I appreciate that. I agree.

How we doing? We good Shan you.

Good, how's he doing? He looks good.

There it is right there. Thank you.

My man, you're welcome. I appreciate you so much and I

Look forward to more of this as the he changed in Empire,

expands, and maybe we can get you clearly.

I don't know if you got a personal development book in you

or something, maybe you got a segment on, he changed it

somewhere where you can give some tips to guys like me out

there who are just trying to find our way.

I pretty much feel better about ourselves and we have figures

of, come back and connect and we can map out a project plan.

If we can involve more people, sweet, if it's just me and you

guys, let's do it. I'd love to talk more about my

story and how I can help others. If any way I can, thank you so

much. Yeah, they go by real fast.

I love this. It's my favorite part of my week

is doing these podcasts. I appreciate it so much.

I hope that you out there in the 10 land gets just as much from

it as I do. It is an incredible thing where

we all start thinking about where we're at and where we want

to be, and we help each other get there.

That's what he cast is all about.

That's what he changed. It is all about again.

If you haven't downloaded the app yet, please do.

We got lots of things coming down the pipe, lots of Good

news. I keep talking about how, you

know, we're not quite funded yet, we're still in beta, might

be changing fairly soon. We've got some, we've got some

things happening, and it's going to be fun to watch.

He change to blow up the way that it's it's always been meant

to just. Absolutely, absolutely, there's

no way you can stop this train bro.

If you're here to help men and women or just you know, your

specific to men. But there's going to be women

listening with their brothers. Their uncle's are also their

dads. What have your you're here to

help people. And that's the ticket number

one, and I know you'll succeed with We appreciate that so much.

Yeah, well, and she changed, it is not that far away either.

We changed it and there's a whole bunch of things that are

gonna be coming, but this is the one that we're starting with and

more to come. That's the way to talk about

that. The please download the app

please subscribe. Like, share this podcast with

everyone, you know. So that way, I don't have to say

anymore. Once our metrics are at a

certain point, I don't have to say that anymore and the he cast

can have a few more seconds of me not Saying that.

So thank you very much. My name is Mike.

Chisholm I am the host of he cast the official podcast of he

changed it. Go change something.

Sick.