Gina Conway, multi-award-winning salon owner, sustainability ambassador, and founder of Gina Conway Aveda Salons & Spas in London, joins Dr. Tara Perry to explore what 38 years behind the salon chair has taught her about beauty, confidence, and the human need to be truly seen. Gina grew up in Lake Tahoe, built her salon business from the ground up in London, and — when menopause brought her to her knees at 51 — reinvented her entire approach to wellness.
This conversation starts with hair and ends somewhere much deeper: what it means to find the flame in every person, and why the most powerful thing you can offer another human being is your full, undivided attention.
04:50 Gina listens with all her senses — not just her ears — and describes it as a full-body experience with every client.
05:35 What people are really seeking when they sit in a salon chair isn't a haircut. It's confidence and the experience of their inner light being brought out.
07:02 Gina built her business around a "guest journey" — replacing the word "client" with "guest" and redesigning every single touchpoint around positive energy and love.
09:28 At 51, menopause brought Gina to a breaking point — she was resting her head on the dinner table every night, too exhausted to be present with her family or her hundred employees.
14:01 Gina tracks beauty the way others track problems — deliberately following what delights her and lights her up, which has shaped every area of her life and work.
19:45 The first 30 seconds of a guest consultation are everything: connection, rapport, and trust — always eye to eye, never through a mirror.
21:20 People use their hair as armor — to hide, to disappear, to project strength. A hairdresser who understands that is doing something closer to therapy.
24:09 Gina's wellness ritual begins every appointment: 32 essential oils, three deep cleansing breaths, and a full head, neck, and shoulders massage done with deliberate healing intention.
31:40 Beauty is in everybody — not just the 3%. Gina says she would love the opportunity to help anyone who doesn't feel beautiful see what she already sees in them.
32:23 Attractiveness has nothing to do with how you look. Sexy is a state of mind — it's how you hold yourself, how you play, how you express.