Meet Lauren Arnke of Alchemic Coaching

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Arnke.

Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started when I dropped out of college and moved to California for a boy. I was 18 and so anxious and unsure of what I was going to do with my life. A few years later, I moved home to Denver to attend the Aveda Institute. One of the things I had loved in beauty school was the coaching element. We worked through “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, and I remember being so moved by some of the material, especially one particular quote by Mary Oliver. She asked, “Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”. This changed my life immediately and I felt I was definitely on the right path for the first time. I fell in love with hair and salon life and quickly found a home at a training salon here in Denver. I worked at this company for about six years, and in the meantime, had two lovely kiddos with another stylist/owner of that business. While our relationship didn’t survive, I learned so much about myself, relationships, parenting, and communication during that time. Our family was multi-generational, and I began to really dig deep about what it meant to have boundaries, especially with my in-laws being in their 70s/80s, my parents in their 60s, my ex in his 40s, me in my 30s, my stepson in his 20s, and my kids, now 9 and 5. As I moved through life as a hairstylist, I was always looking for an opportunity to teach hair. I love connecting with new stylists, or anyone open to a fresh perspective in the industry. I was on a path to become a cutting educator for the company of my dreams when I attended one of their retreats and trainings in Palm Springs. It was then that I realized the competitive nature of the education industry in hair. When I coupled that realization with the understanding that I would have to invest thousands of dollars in trainings and potentially be away from my kids more, I had a bit of an existential crisis…and a full-blown meltdown. As I worked to rebuild myself with therapy, reflection, coaching, and a healthy relationship, I was able to break through many of my own shortcomings and unhealthy behaviors. I also had pursued college as a means to try a new path. It was after the first semester that I realized I love learning, but I don’t love the private education system we have, and so I was back to square one. Along this journey, I took a course with the “Designing Your Life” program out of Stanford. When I stopped to look at the elements of what made up my passion and purpose, I realized I was interested in more than touching just the lives of my clients or students, but that coaching trainings were really the underlying space that always had me coming back for more. I began interviewing and hiring coaches, and over the last two years have designed a custom coaching practice for individuals and groups who want to refocus their culture, beliefs, and practices through soul-searching, healthy communication, and strong values.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No way! Do any entrepreneurs have a smooth road? If so, I would love to buy that person a coffee and get some insight. The first struggle was building a clientele as a new stylist and a new mom. I was young and eager to “succeed” at the salon, but I was also struggling to figure out who I was as a mother and what kind of parent I wanted to be. I felt extra pressure because I was in a relationship with one of the owners of the salon, and I was desperate to gain his approval, and everyone else. When I had my second child, I was noticing I was increasingly unhappy and unsatisfied with work. I didn’t feel the culture aligned with my values, and although we were receiving coaching and I was teaching haircutting, I wasn’t in sync with the team. I left to rent a space in a new salon and pursue a path in education with a different company. Then my split with my ex happened. It was volatile, traumatic, and expensive. I was emotionally and financially drained when I left that salon and the teaching opportunity I was pursuing. I was devastated. My mental and physical health were compromised. I was a mess. I’m still struggling to balance my hair business with my coaching practice, but I know that it’s all coming together. I would much rather build something great and give my clients the best of me, not the rest of me.

Alchemic Coaching – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business began in hair almost 13 years ago. I love the creative and technical aspects of hair cutting and coloring, and I take the integrity of my work and my clients’ hair very seriously. I think this attention to detail sets me apart. I also love being with genuine people and having meaningful conversations. My current project is to build up my coaching practice. Between physical pain and a pull to a bigger purpose, I feel coaching is a perfect space for me to combine my passions for integrity, connection, and people with my curiosity and commitment to growth and learning. I am known for having deeply personal conversations and offering a safe space for clients. I specialize in transformation. In my hair business, I began with the intention of transforming people on the outside. It has become so much more powerful than that, and I have taken the opportunity to move into the internal transformation with coaching. I have a passion for excellence and customized services, and I think this also sets me apart from other businesses and stylists.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think this is yet to be determined. I have had many proud moments in hair and in coaching, but the one that stands out is working with a young girl with autism and sensory processing disorder. A lot of stylists don’t like cutting kids hair or dealing with children in the salon, so I’ve always taken joy in being an exception to this. When this particular 5-year-old, I’ll call her V, began coming to see me, she was referred by her stylist, who was the owner of the salon. V was terrified, and she cried and screamed for about 45 minutes during what should have been a 15-minute appointment. We made it through, and she started seeing me for haircuts about every six weeks. The last time I cut her hair about a year ago (her family moved), she told me that getting her hair cut was her favorite thing and gave me a hug. For a kid who doesn’t like to be touched, this felt like a huge milestone. I don’t think I cried in front of her, but I’m super emotional even writing this story. It was right around this time that I realized I wanted to do something bigger with my reach.