Rachel Gour – Free To Be You and Me

Bio for Rachel Gour 

Rachel Gour is an entrepreneurial and visionary hairstylist, salon owner and hair educator. She advocates for women’s choice and growth and has worked to help high-risk female teens get off the streets. She is also a parent to two sons.

Episode highlight

As a white person raised on an Indigenous reserve with a black-fathered child, Rachel Gour knows how it feels to be immersed in a melting pot of cultures. Listen in on how she has assimilated the lessons of acceptance and love into her work as a hairdresser today.

Links

Email: [e-mail]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hair_by_rachel_l/?hl=en 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/changebyrachel/about/

Quotes

“I want to stay young and the only way that I can stay young is stay current.”

“We are all one and we are all deserving of beauty and light in this world.” 

Takeaways

Childhood Incidents

Rachel was adopted into a hardworking, academic, and humble family in Edmonton with a French-Canadian father and a British mother. From her biological family, she has learned passion, humour, and acceptance.

Rachel went to the same school on a Indigenous reserve outside Edmonton that her parents taught in. She grew up in an atmosphere of mutual support and sharing. 

Rachel was young when she got pregnant with her first son. Her father warned her, “Some people are not going to love your baby.” This was the first time Rachel became aware of racism.

Influential Groups 

Rachel’s family hosted many refugees in their large home, where the whole family and their guests worked together during the summers on their farm. She embraced the different cultures she was exposed to and had many life-changing experiences there.

Temperament and Personality Influences

Being talkative has proven advantageous in both sales and when marketing her personal brand as a hairdresser. 

Cultural Epiphanies

Rachel has learnt a lot about women by noticing and discussing the events in their lives when they’ve come in for a haircut. She helps them embrace the process of greying and ageing with dignity and grace. 

Advice to an Employer 

When Rachel first meets a client, she asks about their grievances and what they don’t like about their hair. She then asks about what they love about their hair, learning about the look and style that made them feel the best. 

More Great Insights! 

Rachel feels strongly about loyalty in the hairstyling industry and sometimes feels personally affronted when a client leaves without saying anything to her.

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