#Clockedin with Jordan Edwards

Crafting Your Legacy Through Kindness

• Jordan Edwards • Season 5 • Episode 265

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What does it take to build a legacy that extends far beyond business success? Wynn Claybaugh, the visionary co-founder and dean of Paul Mitchell Schools, shares his extraordinary journey from salon owner to educational pioneer, author, and philanthropist who has raised over $26 million for charity.

This conversation peels back the layers of what true leadership looks like in today's world. Wynn reveals how he transformed a small vision of seven schools into an educational empire of 110 locations, all while creating a culture people genuinely want to belong to. His refreshing philosophy – "You'll see it after you first believe it" – challenges conventional wisdom and offers a blueprint for anyone seeking to manifest their dreams.

The discussion goes beyond business strategy to explore Wynn's intentional approach to daily life. From his meticulously crafted 4 AM routine (complete with 20 candles and carefully selected music) to his practice of carrying handwritten notes from friends in his planner, Wynn demonstrates how small, deliberate choices create the foundation for lasting success and happiness. His candid admission that happiness doesn't come naturally to him, requiring daily work and discipline, brings a refreshing authenticity to his message.

Perhaps most compelling is Wynn's passionate advocacy for philanthropy as a core business practice, not an optional add-on after achieving success. He shares powerful statistics showing how community involvement builds customer loyalty and attracts purpose-driven team members. This isn't just feel-good advice – it's practical wisdom backed by real-world results.

Whether you're just starting your entrepreneurial journey or leading an established organization, Wynn's insights on culture-building, relationship cultivation, and intentional living offer a transformative roadmap for creating success that matters. His three-step approach to building trust – transparency, empathy, and consistency – provides a simple yet profound framework anyone can implement immediately.

Listen now to discover how you can apply Wynn's principles to elevate your leadership, strengthen your relationships, and create a legacy that extends far beyond the bottom line. Connect with Wynn on social media @WynnClaybaugh or through his long-running podcast "Masters by Wynn Claybaugh."

To Learn more about Winn Claybaugh: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winnclaybaugh

To Reach Jordan:

Email: Jordan@Edwards.Consulting

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ejFXH1_BjdnxG4J8u93Zw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordan.edwards.7503

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanfedwards/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanedwards5/



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Complimentary Edwards Consulting Session: https://calendly.com/jordan-edwardsconsulting/30min

Speaker 1:

Hey, what's going on, guys? I want to welcome you back to the Hashtag Clocked In podcast with Jordan Edwards myself, where we sit down with leaders, thinkers and doers who inspire us to reach higher and live fuller. Today, I have the honor of being joined with Wynn Claybaugh. He's the co-founder and the dean of the Paul Mitchell Schools and he's a nationally recognized author, speaker and philanthropist. Wynn is the author of Be Nice or Else and the creator of the Masters podcast series, where he interviews some of the top voices in beauty, business and leadership. Beyond his work in education, wynn has raised over $26 million for charity and earned recognition across the country for his impact on both humanitarian causes and the next generation of leaders. This conversation is going to be about leadership, kindness and creating legacy that's bigger than yourself, so let's dive in. Wynn, I'm so grateful to have you here. It's an incredible honor and I want to ask you how did you get involved in hairdressing schools and you don't? How did you get involved in that?

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, I know that you're staring at my bald head right now, thinking why is this guy in the hair business? You know there, I didn't. I didn't always look like this. It's not like I looked like this in kindergarten, come on it it happens.

Speaker 2:

It'll happen to you one day, jordan, and I'll help you embrace it. You're going to be my first call when I go bald. You'll be my first call. It's all good. Yeah, actually I'm not a hairdresser. I've never been a hairdresser. I started my company 40 years ago. You probably weren't even born yet, jordan. How old are you? 29. Okay, all right, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I opened up a salon, my first salon, 40 years ago, and then I quickly got into the school side of it, because in interviewing people to come and work in my salons, I found people that after spending the year in school, were not at all ready to compete and work in the salon business, and so I thought that the best way to train them would be to train them myself. So I quickly got into the school business and expanded that, and then, in the year 2000, I became partners with John Paul DeGioia. So he's that guy that you see in the Palm Mitchell TV commercials. You know the guy with the ponytail. He also created and owned and then sold Patron Tequila. Some people might say that they like Patron better than they like Palm Mitchell shampoo, but you know there are meetings for those people and he and I became partners and started the Palm Mitchell School brand of schools.

Speaker 2:

Our goal initially was to open up seven locations. There's actually even a video, a video with me with hair, by the way. I'll send this to you, jordan. Maybe you can drop this clip in there, but it's a. It's a video of him introducing me onto the stage, and then I come onto the stage and make the big, big announcement that we're going to open up seven schools. That's our big goal seven schools. And then now we're at 110. So there you go wow, wow.

Speaker 1:

That's absolutely incredible. And for you, how was that pivot moment? Because I know there's a lot of entrepreneurs who are like you got to be bought into what you're doing. How do you think about changing ideas like that?

Speaker 2:

uh, for for me, it's all about see some people say I'll believe it when I see it, and I think that that's backwards. People now are asking me gosh, you know when, 40 years ago, did you ever imagine that one day you would have over 100 schools and, you know, thousands of students? You know, back then, did you ever imagine that that would happen? And my answer is always yes, of course I did. Because, again, people say I'll believe it when I see it, and I think that that's backwards. You'll see it after you first believe it. So I always had this deep belief system and I surrounded myself with mentors and friends and I had wonderful parents who also believed that dream along with me. You know, because I'm sure that there's some entrepreneurs who are listening to this who are not surrounded by the right people.

Speaker 2:

There's a lot of naysayers out there, and and not only that, but then they dive into those naysayers even more by by scrolling, scrolling, scrolling and in social media, you know, and they're they're looking at a bunch of fake ass profiles, that people who really don't have the success that they portray, that they have, and a lot of bad individuals and mentors and people out there, and I just divorced myself from all of that and I made sure that I was surrounded by people who had the same dream that I did, that there was something better, that I was worthy, that I was capable and, by the way, so are they. I supported them, they supported me, and I also have to share with you that I did all of this without any college education. Not one day of education in college. I barely and I mean barely graduated from high school. Apparently, they want you to show up, I was busy, I told them.

Speaker 2:

So I just had that belief system from a very, very, very young age that I would be this type of a person, that I would be an entrepreneur, that I would have full control, that I would create a culture where people were attracted to work in an organization that I wanted to work in, because I didn't want to work in an organization that was, that was toxic, that was a hierarchy that was going to work every single day was miserable. People hate their lives Monday through Friday. I never wanted that. Now I got lucky in that I chose the beauty industry because, as they say, hairdressers go to work every single day with the intention of having fun. So that's a good industry to belong to.

Speaker 1:

I love that. Yeah, it's absolutely amazing because you're bringing up a lot of the truest things that we all struggle with is finding the right people the amount of times where people it's not even that they need new people in their life, it's just they have to get rid of the ones they currently have. So for you you've recruited so many people. You have 110 schools. You have all these employees. How do you find A players? And how can someone who's maybe a solopreneur or maybe has a small business start to find those A players, because I know that can be really challenging for them.

Speaker 2:

Okay, now, as you talk and I told Jordan before we actually started recording that, and I'm not exaggerating I have like 15 notes, 15 pages of notes here to prepare for this. That's, you know, that's how much I like to prepare and be ready. And also, while you're talking, jordan, I'm over here taking some notes too, so you know. So you asked that question about surrounding yourself with the right people. Well, there's the personal side of it. So you know the personal side. Everybody thinks that they have to have some large circle around them, and I don't believe that that's true. You know, I have mentors that say gosh, do you have one person, right? Do you have one person in your life that believes in you? No matter how many times you fall down, that person still has your back. They, you know, come on, get back up, you're going to do it. Okay, the next time it's going to work. Do you? Do you have one person like that?

Speaker 2:

I heard it once said that people who have abandoned their dreams will try to steal yours. Really, and we surround ourselves with a whole bunch of people who, again, you know they're, they're, they're not achieving what they want in life, and so they're pissed off or they're offended or they're threatened by your success. And so you know what shrink your circle. You do not need a large personal circle. You know, when you're single, you can have a large circle, right, you know, you know a lot of people, but you decide that you're going to get married, you're going to settle down with one person. You have to shrink your circle. And why is that? Well, because you know, when you're single, you might be hanging around people who don't believe in a commitment, they don't believe in monogamy. Okay, well then you have to divorce those people, because you know, marriage is hard, it's a lot of work, and so you have to make sure that the people who are in your life will support that commitment.

Speaker 2:

When we're saying, oh my God, I'm going to kill this person, no, you're not, you're going to work this out. You know you'll figure it out. Here's the advice. You need those people. And so you shrink your circle. You have kids. You got to shrink your circle even more. You know I have a 13-year-old daughter, and you better believe I'm surrounded by people who will protect my daughter as much as I will protect my daughter. And so that meant, when I became a dad, I had to shrink my circle even more. And so there's the personal side of that, and that personal side of it is something that I continuously work on on a yearly basis.

Speaker 2:

You kind of have to look at the people in your life and it's like, okay, do they still fit in my life? And I don't mean this like it's a judgment thing. Like I'm 22 years clean off of drugs the day that I decided to get clean, could I still hang out with the people that I had that drug lifestyle with? No, I'm now judging them. It's because I love myself enough to stay away. So you need to make sure that you're surrounded by the right people I love. By the way, can you tell I've already had three cups of coffee, a protein drink, and I've been at the gym. I started at four o'clock in the morning, so that was six hours ago for me. So just you know. Good luck trying to get a word in. I love that quote from Oprah. Oprah says everybody wants to ride in the limousine with you. The people that you need in your circle are those who will take the best with you when the limousine breaks down. And man, our limousine breaks down a lot, right, right, jordan.

Speaker 1:

You're absolutely right, oh my.

Speaker 2:

God, the limousine is always breaking down, okay, well, who's in your life? And that's your personal circle. But then, to also answer your question on the other side of it, the business circle. Now, that's a large circle for me, and that larger circle on the business side you better believe, is filled with mentors, people who lead the way for me, and I and I'm a I'm a product of my mentors. I mean, I can, I can quote you mentors that I was in their audience 30 years ago and somebody in the audience raised their hand and answered a question. I could tell you exactly how that mentor answered the question and what I gained from that and how I changed how I approach business or my leadership style, based on that answer 30 years ago. So I'm a product of my mentors. But then there's also attracting the people that are going to support you in your endeavors and your entrepreneurship. One of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams. The main line, the main message from that movie is if you build it, they will come.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

And how I translate that is I want to build a company. I want to build an organization that people want to belong to. If it's toxic, I'm not going to attract the right people.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so it all comes down from the leadership, and one of the things I think you brought up that's really empowering is just seeing all your success and putting all those values to mentors. So I actually had a mentor tell me one time that you should always have a hand up for you to learn something and then a hand down to help those up, because you start to realize that it's all a flow. We're all mentors and mentees in all different areas and we're constantly learning, which is the most important part. So you mentioned about culture and leadership. How do you think about that and how should entrepreneurs start to think about that? Because there's so many entrepreneurs I know who are like I just got to get the next sale. I got to get to the next sale, but the truth is you got to build that leadership and that culture to attract the next sale and attract the people to actually retain with you.

Speaker 2:

You know, there are some wonderful business and leadership mentors, like John Maxwell, who will say that that culture eats strategy for lunch, that culture eats strategy for lunch, culture eats systems for lunch. And while a lot of entrepreneurs will pride themselves in, oh I got great strategy, okay, but what's your culture? Well, I've got incredible systems on how we get the job done and how we make the sale, on how we keep customer loyalty Okay, that's great, but what's your culture? And the culture is the foundation for everything that you do. It's who you are.

Speaker 2:

When two people come together, there is a culture Automatically. When two people so it's you and a customer, it's you and one team member you come together. Now there's a culture and you have to decide what that culture looks like and what that culture feels like, or it will be decided for you, and oftentimes the culture that can exist in some organizations and some companies is a culture that I keep on using this word that's toxic, it's a culture that just doesn't feel good. You know, you can walk into a restaurant and you walk in and within three seconds you're like. You know what? I don't like it. You haven't talked to the maitre d', you don't know who the chef is. You haven't looked at the menu, but there's a feeling this doesn't feel right.

Speaker 2:

And then the opposite is true as well, where you walk in and it's like man, I just want to spend time here. Man, this just feels good. I don't know what it is, but it just feels good. And maybe that's a way to define, to help people understand what I mean by a culture. And it's not as if your company, whoever's listening to this. It's not as if you don't already have a culture and therefore you need to go create one Again. It exists.

Speaker 1:

It's very so. I think you're bringing up a really good point about how unintentional or intentional we are in these moments. There's so many times in our life where, regardless of your family, you have a culture. You might not have intentionally built that culture, but there is a culture occurring. If you want to make that change, you have to start getting intentional with it and raise your head above the grass and start to realize, hey, there's a whole forest here. We get to dictate what this looks like.

Speaker 2:

You're exactly right, Jordan. Otherwise it's happening by default or at a desperation, but it's not intentional as you say. I love that word, but it's not intentional as you say, I love that word.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it was funny. I was on a coaching call earlier today and the client was like wow, you have a great routine with your wife. And I'm like oh, because I was telling him about my breakfast routine. And the breakfast routine is we always say what are we grateful for, what are we looking forward to that day? And then what are three things we love about the other person? And he's like you've already, you already have that. Like that's so lucky. And I'm like no, One day I woke up and was like hey, we need to fix breakfast. Breakfast conversation's not going great, and then it's uncomfortable for a few weeks and now it's a system and I was trying to explain that, because the truth is that we don't just change. We have to intentionally change and look for these changes to be showing up better. So I really enjoy your definition of a culture being two people coming together and thinking how do they show up, how do they feel about this and how does everyone enjoy this experience?

Speaker 2:

And by the way, that system, because you use that word as well I believe that a system has to be written down, because if it's not written down you don't have a system. Meaning if how you answer the phone at your store, at your business, is something that whoever answers the phone, they just make it up whatever they want to say on that day, well, that's not a system, because when that person answering the phone is in a really good mood, of course they're going to answer the phone the right way.

Speaker 2:

Hey, it's a great day at Palm Beach School. This is when. How may I assist you? But what if I'm having a bad day? You know what? It's a screwed up day. What do you want, right?

Speaker 2:

So there has to be a system and everybody answers the phone the exact same way. Even on your worst day, we will all answer the phone the exact same way. But that system, if we're going to be able to duplicate it over and over and I don't think that there's anybody listening to this who does not want to duplicate and expand their success and their volume and their sales, right, we want to expand and duplicate. The only way that it can be duplicated is it has to be written down. Everything has to be written down. That's the system. So and I'm betting, I'm guessing that that system that you came up with for a wonderful breakfast conversation you probably got that from some mentor, right? You heard some mentor talk about it and say you have influence, you have a great circle that you have surrounded yourself by and you know they're not giving you advice. That's uh, that's a destroying your marriage.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. And the funny thing was I vividly remember one of the podcast guests sharing that at dinnertime they always do gratitude and I was like that's so cool, I want to do that. And then you start to introduce these different concepts. So one of the big things for you is who's an entrepreneur and who isn't an entrepreneur, because I know that can be a real challenge for people, especially in this day and age where everyone's I'm an entrepreneur but not everyone's supposed to be an entrepreneur. What do you think about that?

Speaker 2:

That's, you know. I just smile as you as you talk about that. That's, you know, I just smile as you as you talk about that, because you know, it just happens all the time. Oh, I'm an entrepreneur and I always ask, really, what does that mean? You know, or you know why. Why are you an entrepreneur? I mean, tell me, tell me, you know what that means to you.

Speaker 2:

Well, I'm an entrepreneur because you know, I just, you know, I just want to be my own boss. You know, I want to. I want to come and go as I want I want to. You know, I want to show up when I want to, I want to wear whatever I want, and I'm like you didn't describe an entrepreneur, you just described a really bad employee. And I can guarantee you you're either going to get fired or, if you are your own business, you'll be out of business very, very soon. That's not an entrepreneur, um so. So, of course, everybody wants to call the shots. They all want to be their own boss, so to speak. You know, they don't want to have to live under somebody else's rules and guidelines, which, by the way, is, you know, really bad advice that you're giving to yourself.

Speaker 2:

You know, because I don't believe that you can be a good leader if you're not a good follower. I am a really good follower and I truly believe that. The reason why I feel like I am a good leader and I'm told that I'm a good leader and I have people that have worked for me for, you know, 30, 40 years and thousands of people in my organization I think that the reason why or I know the reason why I am a good leader is because I was a really good follower. I let other brilliant people take the lead and I followed them and I took orders from them, I took my lead from them, I learned from them and by being a good follower you better believe it made me a good leader.

Speaker 2:

Maybe it's easier for people to understand that it's the same analogy. I don't think you can be a good teacher if you're not a good student. You can't be a good parent if you're not a good son or daughter. You know what? I was an amazing son to my mom. I was an incredible son to my parents, which I feel now makes me a really good dad. I'm a good parent to my daughter. So you know, we have to play both sides and I can't even remember what your question was. Was there a question, I guess?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean I do questions and then sometimes we free flow, so it's all good. But the funny thing is, when you talk about these different ideas of relationships, who's the boss? Who's running things? The funny thing about entrepreneurs that you mentioned Relationships who's the boss? Who's running things? The funny thing about entrepreneurs that you mentioned every customer is the boss, everyone. They start to realize that and that was something I learned from a mentor because they start to realize that the customer is the boss.

Speaker 1:

So now, instead of one boss, you have a thousand bosses, which doesn't make the game any easier, but you start to realize that you appreciate those mindsets and that's why the first time I even saw Wynn was him speaking at the Loyalty Brands Conference and he actually pulled me on stage because I didn't have a partner and it was just this incredible energy that Wynn has. So where does that energy come from for you? Because I know there's so many people watching right now that go Wynn's lucky, wynn did this W. I know there's so many people watching right now that go when's lucky, when did this? When's got this business? But like, how did you have the energy? 4 am, you've accomplished so much. Where does this come from?

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you for the compliment and I'll tell people I'm 66 years old again, with a 13-year-old daughter, so I became a dad later in life. And I will also preface this by saying that for me, being happy does not come naturally to me. To some people, happiness does come naturally to them. To me, my whole life, even to this day, it never has. And, by the way, that used to really piss me off because I used to think okay, how many more seminars do I have to go to on self-esteem? You know why can't I coast once in a while the way other people coast, and guess what I can't? I can't. I coast once in a while the way other people coast, and guess what I can't, I can't. That's who I am. That's how I'm built. I know that I have to work at energy and work at happiness every single day. And now I know exactly what it takes to be able to make that happen. And I mean, I don't want this to be a drawn out answer, but yeah, I get up at four o'clock, you know you can go to the gym at five o'clock in the morning and the gym is packed. Is it packed with a bunch of losers? No, no, it's packed in the conversation that you, if you chose to have conversations with people at the gym, my gosh, talk about mentors, talk about ideas, talk about the things that you're going to learn and gain from those people, right, because they're all they're on that path, they're all on that journey.

Speaker 2:

And so I get up at four o'clock, because my daughter gets up at six o'clock and I feel like I need a couple of hours before she gets up, because it's my job as her dad, when she gets up at six o'clock, to make sure that she's choosing the kind of day that she wants to have. You know, 99% of the time she wakes up, it's going to be a great day, but every once in a while it's like you know what dad today's going to suck, and it's my job as her dad to say come on, sweetheart, we can turn this around, right? Well, how can I do that for her at six o'clock when she's waking up, if I'm also trying to wake up at the same time? And so I? You know, I need a good two hours on her and I can tell you exactly what I do at 4 AM and what I don't do. I don't look at my phone at four in the morning. You know, cause one bad email, one bad text at four in the morning could completely shift my entire day, and so I don't want to give that power away yet, right.

Speaker 2:

So 4 AM, first thing that I do is I put on music, right, I'm, I'm moved music, and a lot of people will say the same thing, and I'm a DJ all day long. So what I listen to at four o'clock is different than what I listen to at six o'clock. You know when she gets up, you know six o'clock, of course we're listening to. You know, taylor Swift at six in the morning.

Speaker 2:

You know she's off to school 7.30,. I'm going to the gym. Now it's different music. I'm changing the music because music impacts me, right? It changes my moods and it changes my energy. Well, whose job is that? It's my job.

Speaker 2:

You know I could get mad at my spouse for not getting up at four o'clock in the morning and putting on good music that I love, right? No, it's my job, my responsibility, right? I got the coffee going. I light candles. I bet I light I'm not exaggerating probably 20 candles in the morning. I just love, again, the ambience.

Speaker 2:

I'm setting a mood, I'm setting the scene to get my energy going, to get me in the best mood possible before I then jump into work. Right, I got the dogs going, the coffee's going. I'm just kind of puttering around the house, not really doing anything. But let me tell you something from four o'clock to five o'clock, my juices are going and those energy that, the energy that's flowing with great ideas, is just it's, it's, it's, it's over the top.

Speaker 2:

And five o'clock is when I then say okay, time to start looking at some business here, time to look at some emails, some text messages, because I got businesses on the East Coast. It's now three hours later for them. They're waiting for some responses. At six o'clock it's no phone zone, that's me and my daughter, you know that's breakfast, that's conversations, you know that's Taylor Swift, and 7.30 is the gym. Anyway, jordan, I could go on and on of exactly what the discipline looks like throughout my entire day for me to have the energy, for me to have the self-esteem, the confidence and the happiness to do what I do, but it's not by accident.

Speaker 1:

Not by accident at all, which is the important thing. How many of us are waking up on purpose, how many of us are taking a step in the right direction? And that's why I wanted to have went on, because he has such tangible things that you can take today. The candles don't really cost anything. The music doesn't cost anything, it's just a mindset and it's how you want to show up in the world, for the people that are around you. So it's so important. I really enjoy that. So what I do with all my guests is we go through the five pillars of Edwards Consulting and we're going to ask you today where you're at. I'm guessing they're kind of high just because you show up really well. So the first pillar is mental health. It's going to be mental health, physical health, community service, philanthropy, spirituality and relationships. So we'll start off with mental health On a one to 10, where are you at?

Speaker 2:

today. I would say eight or nine, okay. Now yesterday I probably would have said a six.

Speaker 1:

Okay, a six or eight or nine. So why were you at an eight or nine or why were you at a six? So, for you, what allows you to be at that higher level and lower level? What causes that? Is it anything?

Speaker 2:

First of all, I learned to not beat myself up on the days when I'm only a four or a five or a six. Again, years ago I had that belief system because I struggled with happiness for so many years. I truly believe that if I read enough books, if I listened to enough podcasts on happiness and self-esteem and confidence and entrepreneurship, that one day I would master all of this right, that I would never, ever have to worry and struggle with confidence ever again, that one day all of that would go away. And that was, of course, the myth.

Speaker 2:

You know and I'll have people that will ask me that question as well and my response is always well, first of all, welcome to the human race, because everything's in a cycle, right, the tide goes in, the tide goes out, planets revolve around the sun, the seasons change. Everything is in a cycle, including our mental health, including our energy and our emotions. And so yesterday was a six for me, today is an eight or a nine, tomorrow who knows what right Now, when I'm at a four or a five or a six, that doesn't mean that I dive into that and embrace that, and some people do. Some people do that. You know, when they wake up a little depressed. What do they do? They watch depressing movies all day and it double stacks.

Speaker 1:

And then it becomes more negative.

Speaker 2:

I know they turn on Jerry Springer Watch. They call friends to talk about how much their life sucks and get a whole bunch of their friends to agree with them.

Speaker 1:

It goes one direction or the other direction. It's very interesting where you can spiral down one way or spiral up the other way, and it becomes quite interesting.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I will say to cap off that, that question on mental health, um, I don't think that we ever graduate from that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

You know, just like you're never going to graduate, from doing whatever it takes to make sure that your marriage is strong, you can't just say, cool, we hit the 20 year mark, we don't have to worry about this anymore. No way, you never graduate, and so my, my mental health. This is something that I and I will use the word struggle. This is something that I can struggle with on occasion, but it absolutely if I'm not struggling, I'm absolutely working on it every single day. Ask anybody who knows me, jordan I don't see violent movies. I don't, I've, never. I don't watch negative reality shows. I have no idea what's going on with the real house.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate you sharing this, because there's a lot of people who say I'm low, I'm high, I'm whatever. But once we have the actual steps of, hey, it's probably not best if you're in a marriage to watch Love Island or cheating in public or whatever these shows are. I literally told my wife I'm like we don't watch this and she's like why, and I'm like the people around us affect us. If we're listening to people who are cheating, you're going to start cheating and it's not that you will or won't, but it's just why even teeter yourself around that you want to be around the right people and like the good things. So you're absolutely right. So, for physical health, how are you feeling on a one to 10 on your physical?

Speaker 2:

health. Ok. So again, I'm 66. I'll tell you something, and I've always taken good care of myself, other than because some of you listeners wait a minute he was a drug addict 22 years ago. Yes, that's true, we can talk about that. But you know, for the most part, I've always taken really good care of myself in terms of, you know, the gym and I love sleep. I love sleep and everybody's like, well, duh, no, there's even now, more and more the studies that are coming out. You need to sleep, like like Jordan. Do you ever see those people like on social media? They're like you know, hey, everybody join my group. I'm going to stay up for three days. You know we're going to. I'm like you're, you're promoting this, You're, you're proud of this? Right, there's nothing to be proud of in that moment. You know we need sleep, we need to sleep, and so I've always been really really good at those things. And I'll tell you something my, my fifties were really not that different than my forts. You know, physically, my 60s are very, very different.

Speaker 1:

So what do you mean by that?

Speaker 2:

you know, just um. You know, I can be at the gym five days a week and I'm lifting weights and doing an hour of cardio, and then I come home and throw out my back putting on my socks.

Speaker 2:

You know I mean, it's just like what the hell's going on here. So, yeah, you know, things, things change, which means okay, fine, things change. I could boohoo about here. So you know, things, things change, which means, okay, fine, things change. I could boohoo about it, right? I could, you know, get all nasty about it and get a whole bunch of people to agree with me that, you know, being in your sixties really sucks, but you know what's the point of that. So what I do is I pivot, isn't that? Isn't that part of your theme? To pivot, right? Yeah, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 1:

And so I'm yeah, no, but my point is here. I literally spoke to someone and he was 59 and he's like I'm so young still, like that was such an interesting thing where young and old are just concepts and relative to time. So you can sit there and people probably think you have a very young energy with how much stuff you do running around, doing all all this stuff, and you start to realize that age is but a number. Yes, your body starts to go down, for sure, but you have a very young energy. Like you have that belief in the world that anything is possible.

Speaker 2:

So I just want to give you those credits, thank you but, but it comes with the work, you know, because there are people who you know oh yeah, I value that, I value, but your behavior doesn't match what you value.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know, you say you value health and wellness, but again you're, you're eating a horrible diet, you're you're, you're not getting enough sleep, you're staying up late at night binge watching who knows what you know you're, you're not moving your body. And so you know, I'm sorry, but you know you can value certain things. Obviously, the reason why you came up with that routine for breakfast was you value a beautiful, strong connection in your marriage, so you value that. Well, if you didn't implement this plan to improve in a breakfast conversation, well then, your behavior does not match what you value. And so you know, I love that exercise where you, you know, you split a paper, piece of paper, in half and on one side you write your values and next to that, in the next column, what's the behavior, what is, what is your action on a daily basis, on a regular basis, to endorse, to support exactly what you value?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, that's a brilliant tip, Because for anyone listening, what that basically means is to say, if you value the gym or value a healthy body, then you would show up as the gym and it would show up as these different actions Instead of us living. I woke up today because I stayed up late and I'm not really sure. And is it Friday? Like, can it please be Friday? It's none of that. It's it's this really stepping into your authentic self and being the best version of who you are. Now. One of the pillars that you excel at that I know a lot of people struggle with is the community service philanthropy, and you've actually implemented some of this into your business model as well with Generation G. How do you think about that?

Speaker 2:

Well, thanks for bringing that up. You know again, I think maybe a lot of people they'll say you know, when I'm successful, then I will do volunteer work. You know, when I hit this benchmark financially, then I'll start choosing different charitable organizations and foundations that I will support. And then, when they do make that decision, they attend one black tie fundraising cocktail party in December and then call it a day. Well, that's great in December, and the money that you raised for that local charity December and the money that you raised for that local charity, every charity, every charity needs money and so good for you.

Speaker 2:

But what about January? Yes, and what about the food bank in February? And what about mental health awareness month in May? And then, what about meaning it's an ongoing process, how I like to look at it. Let's say that as an entrepreneur, as the owner and CEO of a big company, let's say that I have 10 things that I need to get done that day. You know 10 things that are on my to-do list for me to continue moving my company forward, doing my duties as the CEO. How I look at it is at least one of those things has to do with philanthropy.

Speaker 2:

It can't just be I'm going to get these 10 things done and if I have time left over. That's like saying I'll go to the gym whenever I'm in the mood. You'll never go. It's just part of how I do business. That, absolutely, and I had really good teachers and mentors years ago who taught me that. So I don't care if you're not even paying your bills yet, because your business is brand new.

Speaker 2:

Okay, what's the philanthropy arm of your organization, of your company? What are you focused on? Because, jordan, look at it like this All of us are consumers. We consume oxygen, we consume trees, we consume water. When you're in business, you're consuming the paychecks of people in your community, your loyal customers, who are coming in, and they're paying you money for services and product. You are a consumer. Yes, we absolutely have to be contributors, and that's what Generation G is all about. You mentioned Generation G. The G stands for generosity.

Speaker 2:

And get this statistically, 85% of consumers will switch from one brand to another, from one company to another, from one product to another product, based on whether or not that company is giving back to their communities, locally, globally, meaning, as a consumer, you know, I have a choice. As a customer, I have a choice. You know, of course we spend money with our head right, meaning okay. We consider the location Is it a convenient location for me to go to that store? Are they competitively priced right? Do they have good customer service right? So we spend money with our head, but we also spend money with our gut.

Speaker 2:

Meaning do I like you? Do I trust you? And if I hear that you're a horrible boss and you treat your employees horribly well, that doesn't make me feel good. I'd rather spend more money down the street, spend more money for the services, the product down the street. Why? Because I hear that that boss treats their people good, treats their people good. I spend money with your company because, even though maybe down the street they have better pizza, but I like your pizza. Why? Because I know that your entire team that works for you just did the cancer walk over the weekend and that's why I will come and buy my pizza from you, because you give back. You make a difference. You're not just consuming my money, you're giving back to your community.

Speaker 1:

And it doesn't have to. Yeah, it doesn't have to be the biggest thing, but it gets people involved in different ways. So then they're raising money and they're putting themselves in these different situations where it allows you to show up better for the community, but also for yourself. When you're in a place of service like that, people want to work with you, they want to be around you and they want to be a part of that. So I think that's super important.

Speaker 2:

Oh, jordan, you know, remember all that paper, you know notes that I have. I've got statistics, literally statistics that show how much loyal team members are right when they because they are taken care of, because you as the boss, as the entrepreneur give back to your community. I have statistics that prove you're going to attract a better team member, right, a more qualified team member, because people want purpose. You know they don't show up to work just for a paycheck. You know they want to know. Am I making a difference? Yeah, you're paying me well, but are we doing anything of value here? Am I just here to show up for a paycheck? What's my why, what's my purpose of getting out of bed in the morning? And there are people who have that in them, so they're looking for a company that gives back. Yes, here, volunteer at the food bank. As a company, as an organization, as a team, we're doing these things to give back. You're going to attract a better team member. Customers are more loyal, team members are more loyal.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I love how you gave examples that are. Some are time, some are money, but a lot of them are kind of both and it's how do you get those people involved. So the next one is relationships. I know we talked about this a little bit briefly, but how do you think about your relationships? Obviously there's personal business, et cetera, but how do you think about that and how do you try to maintain them in a positive manner?

Speaker 2:

With my circle of friends. I like the idea of romance and I think a lot of people save romance for that one and only right. I like to have romance with my friends, and what I mean by that is just because I'm thinking of them, I want to reach out, not because it's their birthday or not just because it's some other day that I need to acknowledge. But hey, you know what? I was in Italy and I was, you know, I was at the Vatican and I saw this cross and I, you know, I know that you collect these, and so I just picked it up and was thinking of you and here you go, enjoy, you know, or just for no reason, to get a card in the mail, a handwritten card from, from a friend.

Speaker 2:

You know, you know, gosh, 30 years friendship. Remember that vacation that we took to Puerto Vallarta 25 years ago. That was so fun. I was just thinking about you today, just wanted to document that, and as I'm sharing this, you know, okay, so this is my planner, right? I don't know how much you can see it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you just got to put it on your chest a little bit.

Speaker 2:

Oh wow, Nobody ever taught me that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because you're basically, when you put it on the other things, it's blocked, but when it's on your chest, I can see everything.

Speaker 2:

See, Jordan, you have so much to teach me.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so this is my.

Speaker 2:

This is my planner. Yeah, and in the pocket of my planner are a bunch of love notes that friends have sent me, and some of these these love notes are like old, like this one, oh, wow, because I saved these. Yeah, this one is from 2011 and I'm still carrying it around with me, and I'm, I bet I have 20 love notes stuffed in my planner, cause this planner is with me all the time and you know, again, when I'm having one of those down days, I need something that's going to pull me out of that hole that I'm in, and sometimes it's. I'll go in my planner. I'll read a love note that a friend, that a colleague, that somebody sent to me, and and it's handwritten because you know what, I can send a thousand text messages in three seconds yeah you know when it's handwritten, and you know that somebody took the time and they, they, they licked an envelope and uh and uh and uh, they put the betty white stamp on there.

Speaker 2:

You know, go buy your betty white stamps. And you know they put a lot of thought into that. That just has a lot more meaning and you know I value that. And so, when it comes to cultivating relationships, first of all I don't know about you, jordan relationships are hard work. Yes, it's a lot of work because, again, life is a challenge. You know life is a struggle. You know I have this, this, this therapist that I'm following on Instagram because you know, they're brilliant, this, actually, this woman is incredible and she, you know, I mean, how many people tell you, jordan, oh, I'm just, I'm so overwhelmed, I'm so overwhelmed, right, yeah? This therapist says you're not overwhelmed, you're underdeveloped. This therapist says you're not overwhelmed.

Speaker 1:

You're underdeveloped, you also start to realize it's really interesting. Whenever I get into that place of I'm overwhelmed, it's never because of that, it's mostly because I'm just not prepared.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's me.

Speaker 1:

If I prepare for five minutes, then I feel a lot better. And the other thing you brought up about the love notes and just giving the gifts and just thinking of other people, it doesn't take a whole lot to recognize people. It really doesn't. And like, from my thing, I literally if someone sends me a really nice, even though it's a text message I know we need a handwritten, but sometimes they just send it that way If I get a nice text message I'll screenshot it and then I have a virtual folder of like hey, I can reference back to this in case of I'm feeling down or out or low or whatever it is, because it's so important, as you're saying.

Speaker 2:

And then the last by the way, it's not just with friends, I do this with team members as well. A mentor I heard this mentor and I'm sorry I can't remember his name, but it was just brilliant Because he verbalized. He put it into a format that I agree with. He talked about how there's such a lack of trust right now on this planet. You could have a team member that's worked for you for 20 years, but automatically they may have a lack of trust. You know, there's my gosh.

Speaker 2:

There's such a division in this country right now, politically and in so many other ways. There's fake news, and so people are, maybe naturally, more than usual, are untrusting. They just don't trust. And so he talked about how to build trust. He broke it down with three steps Number one, transparency, number two, empathy and number three, consistency. And I think that this falls into line with what we're talking about. My gosh, if we're going to sustain long-term relationships, whether they're friendships, whether they're with with colleagues, whether they're with our team members, I want my team members to stick around for for years and years, because when they stick around, guess who else sticks around? My customers stick around because they're. I have customers who love my team members more than they love me, if that's even imaginable, right.

Speaker 1:

It's not to me. I know, I know you know?

Speaker 2:

I got a when I interviewed the president of Outback Steakhouse. You know 600 locations. He says you know what? We have never once received a letter from a customer saying I love Outback Steakhouse because of the president.

Speaker 1:

It just lets you know how, like, like, how the people and the employees are the most important people and you want to do everything you can to keep them so. For you, the final pillar is spirituality. Where does that range? What do you think about? Some people think it's all different ranges and it's however you want to interpret.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Okay, and I have. You know, through the course of my life I've been through a whole bunch of different phases with that and I'll tell you where I am now. My spirituality and yes, I consider myself a very spiritual person, but it is not rooted in a belief, in a religion. It is not. I need to go to that building and be at that altar in order for me to feel connected and to feel spiritual. So for me, for the most part, my spirituality comes from being a good human being.

Speaker 2:

You know, again, number one, I want to be a really good dad. I just want to be a really good dad and I want my daughter, my legacy, to be that, yeah, my dad was a really good person. And part of that, again, the law of the universe, call it spirituality, call it cause and effect, karma, law of attraction what goes around comes around. That's why philanthropy and giving back and raising money and raising awareness for a variety of different causes and charities is a super big, important part of my daily practice and a big, big part of the culture that we have in our palm mitchell schools. I just don't think, I strongly feel, that we would not have the loyalty that we have, we would not have the culture that we have, we wouldn't have the customers that we have, if it were not for the huge, huge focus that we have on making a difference and giving back.

Speaker 1:

Oh, it's beautiful and I really appreciate that you shared about the spirituality of being that good person, because there's so many of us that think it has to align with a religion or something and it's just not true. Like you can show up in the world however you see fit and whatever works best for you, and that's one of the major things I want to get across from here is that we no one has to follow anything Like. Everyone can be their own person and that's amazing and that's what it's all about.

Speaker 2:

I believe that there are thousands of genuine spiritual paths, and everybody has the responsibility. First of all, you have the opportunity, but you also have the responsibility to find the path that works for you. Yes, and if the one that your parents gave you isn't working, well, then get busy and find the one that works for you. But you have to find that path. You have to, because when you don't find that path, you better believe relationships aren't going to work. How you show up in the world is going to be off somehow.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. The biggest takeaway I've had is that you got to live intentionally.

Speaker 2:

Honestly, it's your word again.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, regardless of what you want to do, it's all about intentionality, and what actions are you going to start to put forward that are going to change that for you? So, when this has been amazing, I really, really do appreciate the time. Where can people learn more about you? Wynn and the Paul Mitchell Schools.

Speaker 2:

Well, let's see, on my social media it's Wynn Claybaugh, so W-I-N-N-C-L-A-Y-B-A-U-G-H, so Wynn Claybaugh. My podcast is called Masters by Wynn Claybaugh, which obviously it's all free. And, by the way, I started that in 1995. What year were you born, jordan?

Speaker 1:

95,. Actually, are you serious? December, yeah, december. Stop Wynn, you're a legend.

Speaker 2:

That's when I did my first podcast and back then, you guys, I released it every single month on a cassette tape. Do you know what a cassette tape is? I've seen them. Okay, so, single month on a cassette tape. Do you know what a cassette tape is? I've seen them. Okay, so, get this.

Speaker 2:

You know, of course, you know when, uh, taylor Swift's new album just dropped a couple of weeks ago you know, all of us Swifties and yes, I'm a Swifty cause I have a daughter, but I'm a Swifty for other reasons as well. You know, of course, we all had to be logged in, uh, at 9 15, at a certain time and a certain day, and it wasn't just one device. I think we had four devices ready to go. You know, just all waiting with my 13-year-old daughter. So that here's the new album, you know, buy it.

Speaker 2:

And of course, we did Guess what she's selling her new album on cassette. Isn't that cool? That's incredible, I know. So now I don't have to keep on explaining what a cassette tape is. But again, my first series of podcasts were released on cassette tapes, with subscribers that I had in like 10 different countries, and so, yeah, I'm still putting out a new issue every single month. Love, love, love doing that, and the first person that I interviewed was Vidal Sassoon. He said yes to me and I thought if he says yes, who's ever going to say no to me?

Speaker 2:

and so now and I probably had one subscriber back then, right, so now when people come to me say I want to interview you on my, on my, on my podcast. I never ask the question well, how many listeners, how many subscribers? Because I don't care if you have one. I'm going to say yes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah Well, I mean, the thing is, if people are going to share the journey and that's what I found, even going through the podcast it's hilarious when you start getting people like ridiculing you, trying to validate, trying to do all this stuff, and I'm like guys, I've literally every single time I work with the biggest people, like including yourself, founder of Reebok, billionaire Jeff Hoffman like anytime I ever work with these people, no one ever asked anything. They're like Jordan how can I be of service, how can I make people for you and how can we have fun with this?

Speaker 2:

You know what? Follow your mentors, because you all want to be that billionaire, you all want to have those titles and those opportunities. Well then, mimic, what those billionaires, what those billionaires, what those successful people are doing now, and what they're doing now is that they say yes, jordan, how can I serve you Absolutely? Thank you so much, wynn. This has been absolutely amazing. You're amazing, you're good at what you do. Thanks for having me.

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Jordan Edwards

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