For thirty years, I've been a hairstylist. I've watched countless women sit in my chair, trusting me to help them transform. And I've loved every minute of it...the artistry, the connection, the privilege of being part of someone's journey to feeling more like themselves.
But here's the truth I didn't realize for most of those thirty years: I was helping other women come home to themselves while I had no idea how to do it for myself.
The Turning Point
Four years ago, something needed to change. The constant mental chatter—the worry, the replaying of old conversations, the to-do lists running on loop—had gotten so loud I couldn't hear my own thoughts anymore. I was exhausted by the volume of my own mind.
That's when I met Brooke, and she introduced me to breathwork.
Honestly? I didn't get it at first. Breathwork felt too simple for the kind of healing I needed. But there was something about the way Brooke held space, a kind of presence that felt like permission. Permission to not have it all together. Permission to meet the parts of myself I'd been avoiding. Permission to be messy and still be enough.
So every other week for the next three and a half years, I showed up for 2-3 hour Breathwork sessions with Brooke. Not because it was convenient, but because I finally got tired of living disconnected from myself. I remember saying to her I no longer want to live a reactive life... I want to be intentional.
What I Discovered
Through those Clarity Breathwork sessions, I started to experience something I hadn't felt in years: QUIET. Not the absence of thoughts, but space between them. Room to actually hear myself.
I could be present with my daughters without mentally running through tomorrow's schedule. I could have a conversation with Scott without rehearsing my response. The volume of that constant mental noise turned down.
But the most profound part? I got to meet myself. In breathwork sessions, I encountered younger versions of Jennifer. Parts who needed to hear they were safe, loved, worthy. I couldn't change what happened to us, but I could finally offer what we'd (my parts) been missing...unconditional love and being seen/heard.
Why This Matters Now
Hair will always be part of who I am. I love the work, the transformations, the sacred space of the salon chair. But through my own healing journey, holding a loving safe space and facilitating others in their healing feels like living to my design.
That's why I'm training to become a Pause Breathwork facilitator, a trauma-informed approach that includes both integrative and meditative breath sessions.
Not because I have it all figured out, I definitely don't. Not because my healing is complete, it never will be. But because I've experienced what's possible when someone holds space for you to come home to yourself. And that's the work that sets my soul on fire.
An Invitation
If you're reading this and thinking, "I'm tired of the noise." I see you. If you're exhausted by your own mind, if you can't remember the last time you felt truly present, if you're longing to come home to yourself, I see you.
This blog is going to be a space where I share more of this journey...the messy parts, the breakthrough moments, the lessons I'm learning about healing and transformation. Because when we heal out loud, we create permission slips for others.
I'm still behind the chair doing what I love. And I'm also stepping into something new—offering Pause Breathwork sessions both in-person and virtually as I complete my training.
Your healing isn't something you do when you have time. It's not selfish or indulgent. It's the most generous gift you can give—to yourself and everyone in your life.
Jennifer Short is a master colorist and owner of Colour Thairapy Salon in Wichita, Kansas. After three and a half years of personal healing through Clarity Breathwork, she's now training as a Pause Breathwork facilitator, offering trauma-informed integrative and meditative breath sessions both in-person and virtually. When she's not behind the chair, or studying , she enjoys spending time with her husband in nature or networking with her badass boss babe friends.
