Description
In this inspiring episode of The Daymaker Podcast, host Daved Dolce sits down with Sabrina, a passionate Tricoci University alumni and current Pulp Riot brand ambassador. From her first days as a cosmetology student to becoming a nationally recognized educator and artist, Sabrina shares her vibrant story of growth, grit, and glowing hair transformations. Whether you’re a student, stylist, or someone curious about the beauty industry, her journey is sure to spark motivation and leave you with tips for thriving in a creative career.
Show Notes
- – Meet Sabrina – Tricoci grad and Pulp Riot brand ambassador
- – Why Sabrina chose Tricoci and how it shaped her approach to beauty
- – Her transition from student to working professional
- – How she developed her personal aesthetic and confidence
- – Sabrina’s passion for teaching and inspiring others
- – Real talk about the highs and challenges of the salon floor
- – Her favorite moments mentoring future stylists
- – Sabrina’s tips for students and aspiring cosmetologists
- – Her goals and what keeps her creatively fueled
Links
YouTube: https://youtu.be/TK3ZTAx5aU0
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ARt4imBkhVxxvZIhin1S7?si=d72f9f80911f4237
Transcript:
We are here to make people
feel good about themselves.
We really have to feel like we
are a day maker for the guest.
You’ve made my day.
How great is that when you hear
those words from your guest?
Hey, everybody.
Welcome to the Daymaker podcast.
I’m Daved Dolce, and today we
are interviewing alumni and Pulp
Riot brand ambassador Sabrina.
Hi.
How are you?
Good.
You look good.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So do you.
Yeah, I’ll stop.
Thank you very, very much.
So thank you for joining us today.
I love, love, love interviewing
alumni, especially just seeing
where you went with your career,
because you went took a beautiful
path with your career.
I’ve seen you at work.
I saw you doing a demo
for all of our students.
You’re a credible educator as well.
Yeah.
And that’s a passion that
everybody can educate.
For sure.
For sure.
So thank you again.
So, first of all, I
just want to know why.
Jacob.
Yeah.
Why did you choose
to Tricoci university?
Of course.
Yeah.
Well, first off, thanks
for having me.
My first podcast, I’m very excited.
When I was looking at beauty
schools, like, I went to private
Catholic school my whole life, so
beauty school was definitely
not something that
my family saw in the cards for me.
But I knew it was my passion.
I knew hair and actually
was started with makeup.
It was something I really.
I felt comfortable doing.
I was excited about doing it.
So when it came time to look
at schools, I went
to a couple different franchisee
locations, different companies,
and I would walk
in there and the vibes were off.
It wasn’t welcoming.
I didn’t feel excited
when I was there.
The students interacting
with the educators, I
was just kind of on edge.
And I was like, man, am I
making the right choice?
Like, should I go to college?
And then I went to the Chacochian
Highland, which is where I attended,
and I walked in and it was like, day
and night from those other schools.
It was.
I was excited.
Everyone was energetic.
Everyone was having a good time.
They were laughing.
I got to see, like, walk around
the floor and kind of see
what everyone was doing.
And I was like, I left there.
And I was like, yes, I
made the right choice.
This is what I want to do.
This is where I want to be.
And I signed up and started
classes, like, a month later.
That’s really cool.
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s great.
That’s like.
And it’s funny because
we have 15 campuses.
I went to a different campus,
but I also looked at other schools.
I also was like,
what’s going on here?
And walked into Chacochee and Was
like, wow, night and day.
It was really.
And that’s cool.
We got that same culture everywhere.
And that’s like.
That’s a chacochie vibe.
It is, for sure.
Definitely.
And when I talk to students
now, like, when I teach
at other beauty schools,
they all kind of ask me, like, I.
Obviously, I teach at Tricochi
quite a bit now these
days, which is awesome.
But even the other schools I’ve
taught at, they ask me, you know,
why did I choose going
in Indiana when I lived
in Illinois or stuff like that.
But it really was just like
the culture of being there,
and it made a huge difference.
So happy.
Yeah, me too.
Me too.
Culture driven.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Tell me a little bit about Pulp
Riot, what you do for them
and how do you balance this all.
Because you’re still working
behind the chair too, right?
I am, yeah.
So I have a salon suite
in northwest Indiana.
I’ve had that for about five years.
So I have a full clientele,
full time, 40ish hours a week.
And I do that.
And then on my days off, I educate.
So usually like once or twice a week.
I’m traveling and teaching.
I’ve been with Pulp Riot
for also about five years now.
And it’s an incredible experience.
Like, I always say, I’m a ride or die
OG Pulp, like, fan girl.
Yes.
Pulp Riot came out the same
year I graduated.
So I kind of say, like, our
journeys flowed together
when I was actually in school.
Shout out.
Ms.
Linda, one of my educators
from the Highland campus,
she really kind of let my.
My creative juices flow.
And we didn’t have fashion colors
when I was in school, you know, so
that was something I was
always interested in, but we didn’t
have the resources for it.
It wasn’t something that
was really popular.
It was kind of starting to gain
popularity, but we definitely
didn’t have them in school.
So she really would sit there
and work with me and we would
create fashion colors with
the color line that we had.
Oh, wow.
So, yeah, I was creating, like,
pastel pinks in the color room.
I was doing rose golds on my clients.
And that wasn’t something looking
at the color bar that we could
just pick up off the shelf.
That’s incredible.
Yeah, it kind of really.
She really helped kind
of jumpstart that, the creativity
with the fashion colors and me
being interested in them.
So go, Ms.
Linda.
Yeah, go, Ms.
Linda.
I love her.
I still.
I do her hair.
We’re so besties.
Like, yeah, she’s a sweetie.
I love her.
She’s Gonna be so excited that
I said her name on this.
Like, she’s gonna be so hyped.
But, yeah, Pulp.
When they came out, I just.
I.
Well, I started with my hair,
of course, as one does.
So one of the first Pulp riot
shades that came out velvet, I
put it on my whole head, and then
it was like a love affair.
After that was like, anything I
could do to get my hands
in that and put it on people’s hair.
I was doing free hair.
I was doing my hair.
I was doing mannequin hair.
And I was just posting and tagging
and going to hair shows
and sitting there like a little
fangirl and, like, watching them
up on stage, like, wow.
Like, okay.
Like, this is.
This is what I want to do.
I want to be a platform artist.
I want to teach, I want to share,
and I don’t even know
by the grace of everything.
They saw me out in little northwest
Indiana, and they were like, her.
We.
We want her.
That is incredible.
Yeah, it’s been awesome.
Love, Paul Bryant.
I remember when we finally were able
to get it into the campuses.
Like, everyone’s like, yes.
Their packaging, their
designs, the names of their
color, the whole thing.
It does create its own vibe
in itself, and it really.
That brand really stands
for what I would look for
in, like, a fashion color.
Absolutely.
We always say velvet was
one of the first ones.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Velvet was one of our very first OG
shades, and it’s still, like, our
most popular shade to this day.
So it’s awesome.
They.
When I found out that Jacochi
was carrying Pulp Ride,
I was like, that’s right.
That’s my school.
Like, in with the times,
they’re wanting to.
To give the students the best
possible education they can.
And fashion colors have
really taken off, and it’s
more common these days.
So it’s awesome that they
have the resources now to
have those colors and to
use them on their clients.
So it’s really awesome.
It is.
Our barbers, so a lot of our barbers
come into the program, and they
don’t know nothing about color or
think they even want to do it.
And so many of our barbers
leave, like, with this huge
interest in Paul Bryant.
They’ve been practicing those
fashion colors the whole
time they were in school and become
incredible artists.
So that’s been cool to see
those barbers that really
kill it with that too.
Even fashion colors from when
they first started to what they
are now, you see these rainbow
effects and, like, 12 different
colors on one hair strand.
Like, it’s come so so far, it
really has, and it’s been fun.
On our education team, we have
about 75 educators across the U.S.
you know, from
all different parts of the.
The country.
The country.
And most of us are hairstylists,
but we do have a growing
barber educators.
We have quite a few barber educators
now that I believe it, actually.
I could see that.
Yeah, it’s awesome.
How important has continuing
education been to your
career and furthering your
advancement in the industry?
Yeah.
So, I mean, education
plays, like, such a large part
in what I do anyways.
I’m very fortunate that
I get to share the education,
but I’m not always.
I feel like the last couple
of years, I’ve dived so deep into me
sharing the education that I’ve kind
of slacked a little bit, maybe on
myself doing continuing education.
So that was definitely on my
vision board for this year.
That’s a goal for me this year, is to
continue doing education for myself.
But it’s so important in the
industry in general because
things are constantly changing,
Times are constantly changing,
trends are constantly changing,
and then things are also kind of
coming back.
So it’s.
It’s.
You know, scrunchies are back, chunky
Kelly Clarkson highlights are back.
The red and blonde stripes are back.
Like, it’s important to keep
up with that so that you
can give your clients
absolutely anything that they.
Their wildest dreams come up with.
So it’s really important to continue
going to classes and learning from
your peers and learning from other
stylists across the country so that
you can just give your clients,
like, the absolute best experience
possible.
That’s been, I think, one
of the biggest benefits, multiple
benefits for working for Jacochi,
but a big one has been all
the continuing education
that they give to their educators.
So we keep learning, we keep
bringing new things, we
keep introducing new things.
What was one of the biggest
lessons that you learned
at Jacochi University?
I think one of the biggest lessons
I learned at Tricoci was
really to step out of my comfort
zone, and that one foot in
the uncomfortable is how you grow.
And so going into beauty school,
I didn’t know really anything.
I couldn’t even curl my hair
with, like, a Marcel iron.
I had no idea what I was doing.
Cutting hair completely over my head.
No idea.
But just constantly kind of
keeping myself in the
uncomfortable to push myself to
continue to grow and just to
build connections with people and
network and learn from my peers
really was such a pivotal part of
my time at Churcochi, I think,
because, you know, I was learning
from our esthetician students.
And we had just started
a barbering program, like.
Right.
Kind of towards the end of
my time at Tricoci.
And so, you know, kind of learning
from those teachers and from those
students and just incorporating
that into what I do behind the
chair, it’s really kind of keeping
those connections and those
networks.
It really has helped
me significantly.
And those, like, life lessons, they
are for sure being uncomfortable.
The customer service, how
to speak to people.
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah.
And I repeat that over and over.
We’re showing you way more
than just doing hair.
We’re teaching you people skills.
Absolutely.
Not a lot of people
have those at all.
Absolutely.
What was the biggest thing that
you think, like, fueled your drive
to become, like, who you are?
Because people getting deep.
Just stop.
Some people do hair for a little bit.
Some people are comfortable.
But you’ve just grown and grown.
You sought out education.
You sought out this.
That.
What.
What.
What is driving you to get there?
Yeah, well, really, just the
community that I was building, you
know, it was kind of crazy to see
when I graduated school, even
before I was in my first actual
commission salon, just, like,
people from high school reaching
out and, like, wanting me to do
their hair or, like, my sister and
her friends wanting their hair
makeup done for dances or, you
know, whatever it might be.
That kind of was like, okay, like,
people like, what I’m doing, like,
I should keep going.
And so I was.
And I kept going and working,
and then I had clients who were
showing me, like, the crazy fashion
colors, and I was executing them.
And then I was starting
to get, like, a little bit
of recognition on social media.
And then more clients started
coming, and I was getting clients
traveling from kind of all over.
Even still, I have clients.
I’m in northwest Indiana now,
but I used to be in the south
suburbs of Chicago
in a town called Chicago Heights.
It’s where I grew up.
I went to school there.
My first few jobs were there.
Like, Chicago Heights was
home base to a table.
But I was having people drive
from Wisconsin, from Indianapolis,
from Chicago, Michigan to get
my fashion colors, which was
when that first started happening.
That was crazy.
So, yeah, like, what do you mean?
You just drove two hours here
from Wisconsin this morning.
For me, like, that’s wild.
So just kind of.
It’s like little rewards, right?
It’s like little treats.
It’s kind of just keeping me going
and pushing and wanting to be better
and wanting to grow and wanting
my name to kind of be household.
I know that sounds a little
silly, but it’s True.
Like, it’s a little addicting almost.
Yeah.
What advice do you have
for any students that are looking
to get that breakthrough?
Like, you got, just keep
pushing, keep working,
keep putting yourself out there.
Keep your foot one foot
in the uncomfortable
and just keep growing.
And post on social media.
It’s social media.
We’re in, like, such a digital age.
And Paul Bryant launched at the kind
of beginning of when Instagram was
really making its come around.
And it’s just the, the reach that
you can have from any social media.
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, anything.
It’s.
It’s kind of mind blowing how
far that stuff can go.
It is mind blowing.
So just keep posting.
And it does feel a little silly
and it feels a little
uncomfortable at first, but
just keep doing it and, and
pushing hard and showing your
work and showing the world,
like, who you are.
So it’s a job in itself.
It is, it is.
So, yeah, I, I tell my clients
I’m an educator, I’m a salon
owner, and I’m a content creator
and I’m also a hair pist.
Like, I’m a hair therapist.
Like, tell me all your
things and I’ll listen.
I’m such a good listener.
That’s what it’s all about.
The best part of the job.
I love it.
It is.
Yeah.
When did you.
This is like our signature question.
When did you realize you had
the power to make somebody’s day?
I don’t know if it really was like
a specific, like, moment that I
was like, this kind of changed
everything, but I think when I
was in high school still, like,
before I even went to beauty
school and I would, you know, do
my own makeup and people were
asking me then to do, like, their
makeup for dances.
I was like, oh, for, like, okay.
For pictures and stuff like that.
And then like, looking in the mirror
and like, just like lighting up.
I was like, oh, like,
again, addicting.
Like, I love that.
And it’s just continued from there.
Like, I remember doing hair in my
parents kitchen when I was like,
first starting, and my dad
still talks about it to this day.
This really great client
of mine, we went to high school
together, and she, like,
audibly, like, screamed when
she looked in the mirror.
And my dad was like, oh, I
was downstairs and I thought
you messed her hair up.
And I got scared.
But she was so excited
about how her hair looked.
She had never had her hair look
that good before and her
bangs had never sat that good.
And I, I was just starting,
so just kind of seeing like,
the client reaction and my friend’s
reaction to what I was doing,
it really kind of jump started that.
And it made me realize, like,
okay, like, this is, this
is what I want to do for the rest
of my life for sure.
Think those experience translate,
like from out of the chair,
like into their normal life.
Yeah.
Into the client’s normal
life or into my.
Yeah, I think, because then they
leave there and they have this
new sense of confidence and they,
you know, they kind
of like their faces light up.
So they leave there and they’re
excited, they’re having a good day.
You know, maybe they’re spreading
their positivity then with
just somebody walking down
the street or, you know, they’re
getting compliments walking
to the coffee shop or wherever.
And it just makes everyone feel good.
It’s not just for a split second.
It’s like a continuous thing.
So I get joy from my clients getting
joy and my friends getting joy from
my work, making them feel beautiful.
And would you say all
of this contributes to why
you have lifelong clients?
Oh, yeah, I have clients that, like
I said, I went to high school with.
So, like going on 10 years here.
And you know, they’ve.
They’ve sent their families, their
cousins, their friends, their
co workers or whoever it might be.
And I would, I’ll say, like,
my clientele is really great.
I’m booked and busy all the time.
And a lot of my clients
I’ve had for years on end.
So, yeah, it’s the best.
It’s great.
Yeah.
I tell my students I’m like, now
because, I mean, I work for Jacochi
and everyone’s like, that’s cute.
So Saturday is Wednesday night.
Sundays, that’s when
I can get my hair.
I’m like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But it’s like, I’m getting paid
to hang out with my friends
at this point because we had
these people so, so long.
Yeah, it is.
And it’s nice because then, like,
I’ve gotten invited my clients
weddings and like, you know, they.
I had my birthday this past week.
A couple of my clients stopped
by the salon for my birthday
and like, brought me presents.
It was so sweet.
And like balloons and stuff.
So it’s like, not only are you my
clients and I appreciate you
supporting my business, but like,
you’re my friends now as well.
So it’s been really great to kind
of have those relationships
and build on those over the years.
Oh, cool.
That’s great.
It was your birthday?
When was your birthday?
It was on Friday.
Mine was yesterday.
Oh my gosh.
Happy, like, birthday Pisces twins.
Pisces.
Yes.
I was like, what?
Happy birthday to us.
Yeah.
For real.
Well, thank you, Sabrina.
You’re one of the people that
I just love to talk to.
You give to Tricoci University an even
better name than it already has.
We’re super proud of you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah.
And thank you so much
for being here today.
Of course.
Yeah.
Thank you for having me.
You’re so welcome.
Such a great experience.
I’m very, very lucky to.
To have had the experience I have
and I do to this day credit a lot
of it to my time at your Tricoci.
So very grateful for Tricoci
and for all the educators I
had and all the people that I
met along with along the way.
It’s been really great.
Well, thank you so much.
Of course.
Thank you.
Yes.
And enjoy the rest of your day.
Thank you.
Look forward to talking to you again.
Of course.
Thank you so much.
Thanks.
Significant.