[00:00:00] Antony W: Welcome to the Grow My Salon Business podcast, where we focus on the business side of hairdressing. I'm your host, Antony Whitaker, and I'll be talking to thought leaders in the hairdressing industry, discussing insightful, provocative, and inspiring ideas that matter. So, get ready to learn, get ready to be challenged, get ready to be inspired, and most importantly, get ready to grow your salon business.

[00:00:28] Hey, it's Antony Whitaker here, and welcome to today's episode of the Grow My Salon Business podcast. And excuse me in advance for the fact that I have a slightly croaky voice. I seem to have picked up a little bit of a throat infection, but I will survive. Okay? So I've always endeavored to feature a wide range of guests from different countries, and more importantly, I also try to cover a range of topics that reflect not just hairdressing in business, but life and the highs and lows that come with being human. Because, well, that is what makes us who we are.

[00:01:04] Now I know that like me, a lot of people listen to a podcast while they're walking their dogs. In fact, one of my favorite stories is a coaching client of mine whose dog gets really excited as soon as she hears the intro music to my podcast because the dog associates the music with walk time and every dog loves their walk. And that brings me to the topic of today's podcast because at the time of recording this, it's only a couple of days since we unexpectedly lost Kingsley. A much loved member of our family. I'd been away working, and on my return, Melinda picked me up from the airport and when I got home, Kingsley would usually be so excited and happy to see me again, that he'd bounce up and down and he'd squeal with excitement and he'd spin round and round in circles and he'd whack anyone who got in his way with his wagging tail.

[00:01:56] But this time it wasn't like that. He barely moved. He was laying down under a bush in the garden and he just looked up at me with his big, beautiful brown eyes. Now I'd like to think that he hung on and waited for me to come home because whenever I was away, he instinctively assumed the role of protector and always took his job of looking after Melinda and my daughters very seriously. Now, I had been warned that he'd not been his usual self for a couple of days, but the vet had assured us that it was probably down to the fact that the weather was a bit warmer than usual, and that maybe Kingsley had a little heat stroke. We gently coaxed him out from his hiding place under the bush, and we tried to give him some water, but he just collapsed. So we carried him to the car and raced him to the vet. But unfortunately, even after putting him on a drip and trying to resuscitate him for 20 minutes, it was too late. He was gone and there was nothing anyone else could do except weep.

[00:03:02] When I was a kid, we never had a dog, and if I'm totally honest, I never rarely thought of myself as being a dog person. But nine years ago when Kingsley joined our family, he immediately bought the unconditional love and loyalty that only a dog can bring. There was once a post that I saw on Instagram that said, the greatest gift you can receive while on this earth is a dog that's a best friend. Forgiving, loving and forever loyal. I'm biased, but like everyone listen to this, who has a dog. That pretty much describes how I feel about him, and even more so now that he's gone. Now, I'm
 
not going to pretend that there weren't times where he was in absolute pain in the ass. In fact, if you really want to understand Kingsley's personality, just watch the movie The Hangover, because Kingsley was just like Alan from The Hangover. He was needy and he was anxious, and if I dropped the F-bomb, he would always just get up and leave the room. So as gorgeous as he was, He could also be really quite pathetic, and like most dogs, there were times when he made the most horrendous smells, but he was also very gentle. He loved everyone and everything.

[00:04:15] He was loyal and kind and full of happiness and curiosity, and that's why we loved him. Whenever I'm sat at my desk like I am now recording this podcast, he would frequently come up and put a pore on my arm or lay up my feet or rest his chin on the desk and look at me wanting some attention. And that's the thing I, I realized that like a lot of things in life, I probably took him for granted. He was just there and he wasn't going anywhere. But over the years, just by his presence, He'd really got under my skin and become a part of my life far more than I'd realized every morning and most afternoons, I'd take him out for a walk and he had just become a presence that I took for granted. In fact, there were times where I was annoyed that I had to walk the dog or feed the dog or wash the dog because I was so busy.

[00:05:07] But as I once pointed out to a friend of mine, it's not that you have to do it, it's that you are lucky enough that you get to do it. And millions of people would change places in a heartbeat. And then like everyone, when we lose someone special, we start the if only game. If only we'd known. If only we had more time. If only I'd paid him more attention. If only I could have one more day with them, one more weekend with them. I'm sure you can relate to what I'm saying here, whether it's your beloved pet. Or a parent or another family member. We need to remind ourself that this life, this journey we're on called life is temporary. And so finding balance and how we spend our time and who we spend it with is really important. When he was gone, I realized what a gaping hole that he'd left. I kept thinking of the word presence and what that meant. He was a dog. He couldn't talk. And although I joke about him being in charge of it and podcasting, he really brought to our family and our relationship, his presence, his unwavering loyalty, friendship, unconditional love, and he never really asked for anything except to be with you.

[00:06:27] And what a wonderful gift that was. He was a really good boy, a beautiful boy who brought us a lot of joy, and he's going to be missed for a long time to come. So what's this got to do with you? Is it all just a little bit self-indulgent to me? Or is it the opportunity for you to reflect on the importance of finding balance and time for every part of your life, whether it's your health, your partner, your parents, your children, your friends, your team. Or your pets, I’ll leave you to decide that. But all I would say is that I thought I'd have another four or five years with Kingsley to do lots of fun stuff, but I didn't. And what I'd give to be able to take him for just one more walk. So to wrap up, thank you for listening to this week's episode of the Grow My Salon Business podcast. And until next week, take care of yourself and hold those that you love, that little bit closer until next week.

[00:07:32] Antony W: Thank you for listening to today's podcast. If you'd like to connect with us, you'll find us at Grow My Salon business.com or on Facebook and Instagram at Grow My Salon business. And if you enjoy tuning into our podcast, make
 
sure that you subscribe, like, and share it with your friends. Until next time, this is Antony Whitaker wishing you continued success.