RICHARD AND ANGE PODCAST TRANSCRIPTEPISODE 15-

 

RICH:

Hey guys, it's Rich here and from The Rich Mix, another little episode, an express episode and we've got an exciting, awesome guest, which is a really good friend of mine, is Ange. So, welcome Ange.

 

ANGE:

Hi.

 

RICH:

Thanks for coming. How are you doing?

 

ANGE:

Yeah, really good.

 

RICH:

Thanks for coming on board.

And so, Ange, we've known each other now for, what, nearly three years, two and a half, three years. We met in Burley on the Goldie and we worked together. We're both colleagues and educators within the body art industry, doing body piercing courses and infection control and we're super passionate about it.

 

We love it. You know, it's our jam. So, yeah, so tell us about how you got into it.

 

ANGE:

So, yeah, I finished school, always wanted to be a body piercer and then got the opportunity to do both hairdressing and body piercing and I chose body piercing and, yeah, I got stuck into that and it was only the last 10 years that I've actually been a professional hairdresser. Yeah. So, doing both.

 

RICH:

So, how did you get into hairdressing? What made you, how did you, what paths did you choose? Did you go through TAFE or private college?

 

ANGE:

I went through TAFE. I tried to get an apprenticeship as an older person and I didn't, I couldn't get that opportunity. So, I did the advanced one-year course and worked my ass off.

 

RICH:

Yeah.

 

ANGE:

And, yeah, I had never been without a job with hairdressing because I'm just really determined and just give it my all. And prior to that, you were doing just various types of roles.

 

Yeah. So, I started doing body piercing in Hair House Warehouse, a few places like that, and then I would start doing extensions even though I wasn't really a hairdresser and kind of wedged my way into that opportunity and, yeah, just kept wanting to do more. Yeah.

 

RICH:

Wow, awesome. And what made you want to get into piercings?

 

ANGE:

It was just that… I've always loved piercings and, yeah, just hounded my, a few places and then I got my opening and, yeah, worked for four months as like a trainee and then just got stuck into it. Every second I could, I would be researching piercing and getting lots of piercings myself.

 

Yeah. And there wasn't many piercing shops back then. You're like Hair House, off your tree, and that was about it.

 

RICH:

And, yeah, no, awesome. And what challenge, like, leading up to that, what challenges have you had prior to even, you know, doing, getting into hair in the piercing? Did you have any challenges at all?

 

ANGE:

Only challenges would be, like, my age, getting in for hairdressing. But with the right determination and effort.

 

Yeah. Yeah. Not many challenges at all.

 

Like, when you're determined, you'll make it happen. Didn't have the experience of everyone else my own age, but definitely made up with it, with my enthusiasm. Motivation.

 

RICH:

Yeah, yeah. Yes. Yeah.

And I'm like, even myself, like, years and years ago when we opened, like, a few hair salons, like, barbershops, and I went and did my post, like, hairdressing course, like, similar to you, but it was that to, I went to Sydney TAFE, and it was, like, all these girls in my class, they were, like, 16 and 17, and here is this, like, you know, 40-year-old guy in the class. I was hanging out with the tech teachers, you know, because they were younger than me. It was really weird. Yeah. But I only could do eight months or a year of it. I couldn't handle it.

 

ANGE:

It was, like, about two years, I think, at that time, you know? Yeah. But, yeah, it's tough to be motivated to do it, you know? Definitely. And then what was your first full-time job after getting that qualification? Definitely, I did dual roles, so I also was body piercer and hairdresser.

 

RICH:

Yeah. So, yeah, it would always be two roles, which was tough at the time, and also doing training of other staff, so always full-on. And that was with the hair house as well? Yeah.

 

That would be great because you get to do both, you know? Yeah. Senior hairdresser, educator, and body piercing supervisor. Yeah.

 

ANGE:

So lots of roles there. But it was very good. Never had a boring moment.

 

RICH:

Yeah. Yeah, no, fantastic. So going through that process, obviously you've got two kids as well.

 

ANGE:

I do, yes. I've got a five-year-old and a ten-year-old.

 

RICH:

Yeah, so that would have been really hard as well, like going through that, first of all, you know, changing careers, learning a new skill, and then adapting to another new workplace, and then having kids as well, you know? Yeah.

 

Would have been really, really hard, you know? Yeah.

 

ANGE:

After my daughter was born, I realised I wanted to work from home, so I had the opportunity to set my own hours, spend more time with the kids and have more control over what I was putting out there with the clients that I chose to have.

 

RICH:

And how hard was that setting up for yourself at home?

 

ANGE:

It was pretty hard.

I was doing two jobs, so I was working for somebody else while I was building up my own clientele at home. I opened up the Tiki Bar in 2020, right in the middle of COVID. Yeah.

 

So that had its own challenges, but just been getting bigger and bigger since then. Oh, that's fantastic. So I love the freedom of working to myself.

 

RICH:

Yeah. And for everyone watching, I've been to the Tiki Bar, and it's absolutely awesome. It is super cool.

 

Yeah. It's so super kitsch and the style, you know?

What's the craziest piercing you've done?

 

ANGE:

Oh, I've done some crazy stuff on people's backs, like some surface piercing series for them, and just probably some crazy dermals everywhere. Yeah, yeah.

 

RICH:

Oh, cool. Yeah. And you've had some... I was thinking, what about any clients that you've had some crazy experience with clients in the room?

 

ANGE:

I've had lots of crazy experiences.

I used to work in Surface Paradise. So over schoolies, we would get massive amounts of people. I think one schoolies I clocked in at about 100 piercings in a day.

 

RICH:

Oh, my God. I mean, knackered. Which was phenomenal.

 

ANGE:

Yeah. Yeah. Massive amounts of people.

 

RICH:

Lots of crazy clients down there. Yeah, yeah. I can imagine.

 

ANGE:

Schoolies. Getting their tongue pierced at the beginning of schoolies, even though we advised not to, and seeing that the whole week as it's progressing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

RICH:

Yeah. Definitely crazy. Oh, that's awesome.

Yeah. So when you're not piercing or doing hair, what are you doing with your life? What's going on?

 

ANGE:

So I am a roller derby freak. Yeah.

So we get on roller skates, and we bash into each other, and we play competition. I do that every week. I play for Northern Brisbane Rollers at the moment.

 

I've just swapped clubs last year. Yeah. But that's so full on.

 

Lots of exercise. Lots of fun times. Lots of sweating and teamwork.

 

A lot of bruises as well. Get the old bruise. Bruises, broken bones.

 

I've broken an ankle.

 

RICH:

Oh, my gosh.

 

ANGE:

Fractured my ribs.

Torn my knees. It's intense. It's pretty violent.

Yeah. Very high contact sport.

 

RICH:

And is the competition, like, Brisbane-based only, or Queensland-based, or it's up and down?

ANGE:

It's Queensland-based.

 

RICH:

Oh, great. So you get to travel a bit, go to different events.

 

ANGE:

Yeah. So we have an event that runs, I think we do about eight rounds in the year for one lot of competition, and then there's another one that's a big one at the end of the year. Yeah.

And it's huge. So many teams play.

 

RICH:

Has there been any eye-opener event, like, you know, things that have happened within roller derby? What's the craziest thing?

 

 

ANGE:

Yeah, lots of crazy injuries, like, kind of little scuffles that happen.

But, yeah, it's just lots of people that love the sport and love catching up with each other. And, yeah, we like to build each other and have fun. So after a bit of a biffo.

It's a controlled environment. But even after you have a biffo with them, you kind of, like, shake.

 

At the end of it, you're like, you're all better.

 

RICH:

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

 

ANGE:

We all know the rules of the game, and we know it is what it is, and everyone is such a good sport. So there's a lot of respect in it. Yeah.

 

But, yeah, so much fun.

 

RICH:

Yeah, no, it's awesome. And, yeah, roller derby is crazy.

 

And it's been around such a long time. It's got, like, such an iconic culture behind it, you know?

 

ANGE:

Yeah. And, yeah, it feels like the 70s, like, really old school, you know, 50s kind of style.

 

RICH:

Yeah. But, yeah, when you think of roller derby, I always think of, you know, back in the 50s, you know, the roller girls that would go to takeaways and give food out. And then, you know, yeah, it's awesome.

 

 

ANGE:

I just love it, you know?

Yeah. That age range is so wide as well for roller derby. We have people as young as, like, 18 all the way up to, I think there's some players that have just turned 60.

 

RICH:

Yeah, wow. So there's people still carving it up, like, well into their 50s. Do they have it for guys as well or just men? Yeah? It's generally female, but it is open gender.

 

ANGE:

Yeah. So, yeah, there's some guys, there's some really good guy skaters as well. Yeah.

They're phenomenal. Right. That's the key to the team.

 

RICH:

Get the biggest dude ever on your team. You know what I mean? Just barrel through.

 

ANGE:

You'd be surprised.

Some of the smaller people, they hit just as hard as the big ones. Yeah, wow. Yeah, that's super cool.

Yeah. I have my shoulder that pops on one side from one of the derby players, and she's a little thing. And, yeah, she's got some grunt in her.

 

RICH:

Yeah, wow. Have you taken the kids? Have they seen it?

 

ANGE:

I've taken my daughter. She went to her first match last year or earlier this year, and she loved it. She was right on the sidelines. And she said, oh, Mommy, you know, you're not supposed to run into those people. You've got to let them through.

 

That's the aim of the game. You've got to stop them getting through. Yeah.

 

She's too nice. But she loved it. She can't wait for the next one.

 

RICH:

Yeah. Awesome. And to everyone out there as well, you obviously do training as well and educated with us, and you do the body piercing course.

 

Are you enjoying that?

 

ANGE:

I love it. It's so rewarding just seeing the little moments where the students, it all clicks for them, and they nail the piercing, and they nail all the little bits that lead up to it. And afterwards, they absolutely love it.

 

RICH:

They get that aha moment, isn't it? When you're like, all of a sudden, like I always tell them in the beginning of the week, they're like, I don't know. I don't know. Why am I doing this? And by the end of it, like, oh, my God, I can't believe I'm doing this.

 

I've got to start my business or do this. You know, it's super cool. Yeah.

 

ANGE:

You see those little light bulb moments. Yeah. I love it.

 

RICH:

So what are your plans? Like, going forward, like, you know, do you have, like, a ten year plan? Or are you planning?

 

ANGE:

Yeah. Doing the same thing. Like, just keep educating, educating myself.

 

Yeah. Yeah. Just everything's evolving.

 

Yeah. Like, I figure when you stop learning, that's when everything just stops. So you just got to keep rolling.

 

RICH:

That's it. I was talking to someone yesterday, and he's in the auto industry. You know, and I said to him, he's like, oh, work's been required.

I said, what do you do when you go home? He goes, oh, you know, do the kids. And then I'll just got my phone on reels. And I'm like, okay, stop your phone.

 

If you're going to go on your phone, go to YouTube and learn other things that you could do that compliment what you're doing in the car industry. You know, so if you're doing like he does, like, you know, touching up bumper bars and all that, like spray painting. I said, why don't you do headlights? Why don't you do wheels? Like, oh, yeah, I didn't know that.

 

You know, like, okay, you got to expand your knowledge. You got to learn all the time. And I think, as you said, utilizing your time wisely and educating your brain, it keeps it working.

 

Otherwise it goes bloody, you know, dodo. I feel like sometimes I'm getting dementia, you know, but you got to keep on learning stuff. It's so important.

 

ANGE:

That's it. And seeing what else is like in our field, what everyone else is doing and seeing what standard everyone else is that going, okay, well, I want to be better than that. I want to match it and be better.

 

RICH:

No, that's awesome. And how do you keep your, how do you physically? Do you go to the gym? You know, obviously for roller derby, you got to.

 

ANGE:

So I train every Wednesday night.

 

Yeah. We do two hours of training, like with skates on, which is pretty hardcore. And then some Saturdays we'll do events.

 

Sometimes I'll do like a social skate. I do lots of housework. Yeah.

 

I work myself. So that's in itself like exercise. Yeah.

 

But yeah, that's all I try to do.

 

RICH:
And your partner's a barber as well, which is pretty cool. Yes.

 

ANGE:

Yeah. So he does barbering. Very much more relaxed to what I do.

 

Yeah. But yeah, we just try to chill on the weekends, like at least have a day where we don't do nothing and just unwind, switch your brain off, regroup for the next week. Yeah.

 

RICH:

And you get a pretty much a mix of clients as well coming through all ages.

 

ANGE:

Yeah. I do, big mix.

I have a lot of older women that like coming to me, like they've spoiled their kids for so many years and it's like, nope, it's my time to get spoiled. So they like to come and get everything done, like hair, nails, lashes, piercings, cosmetic tattooing. Now they like getting that done as well.

 

Yeah. So, yeah. That's it, cosmetic tattooing.

 

RICH:

But a good mix. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, it's really good.

 

Yeah. And it's just all at home. So it's like stuck in traffic, you know, all these woofheads on the freeway, you know, it's like a nightmare.

 

ANGE:

But yeah, working from home is such a pleasure. You know, we take it for granted. You know how cool it is.

 

RICH:

With the kids and yourself and any big plans for Christmas, holidays, time? Christmas, we're doing it early. Because the kids will be away with their dad. Yeah.

 

ANGE:

So we're just winging it. Having a big pool party with our friends. Yeah, awesome.

 

Lots to eat. Lots of swimming. That's it.

 

RICH:

It's like now I'm going to like super-fast so I can eat like, you know, I can be prepared. And then I'll get those elastic pants out of the cupboard, you know?

 

ANGE:

Yeah. Yeah.

 

RICH:

Awesome. Awesome. If you had to, what piece of advice would you give someone that wanted to get into hairdressing or into piercing these days?

 

ANGE:

 You know? I would definitely say don't give up.

 

Yeah. And just give it your all until you get your foot in and then keep going. Yeah.

 

Just keep giving that 110%. Yeah. That's awesome.

 

And I think, and that's the thing, so a lot of people like give up and they do any course, they give up. And I think like for us, is like for me, is having like a buddy, building, having a friend in that course or even talking to your trainer and being friends with your trainer to help them mentor you, you know, guide you through the process. So yeah.

 

RICH:

So the plan is, do you ever look at opening up another business somewhere else or doing something else or just focus on home?

 

ANGE:

Probably not. I have expanded a little bit to what I thought I would even be doing. I have a beauty therapist that works with me.

 

She's actually a client of mine.

 

RICH:

Yeah. Awesome.

 

ANGE:

And we offer dual services. So if someone's getting a hair color and they've got downtime while the color is processing, they can have their nails done or a pedicure done.

 

RICH:

How good is that? Just doing dual services.

 

So double the pampering and it works out and it's been really good. Yeah. Fantastic.

 

And you're just, and whereabouts are you based?

 

ANGE:

In Ipswich, so at North Drewvale.

RICH:

Not that far. Yeah. Not far from Brizzy anyway.

 

ANGE:

It's just like one train line. No.

 

Yeah. I think it's maybe 30, 40 minutes. Yeah.

 

RICH:

So nice and close. Yeah. Fantastic.

 

ANGE:

Just don't give up. You know, once you hit your goal and you've done whatever study you want to do, don't just think that's it. Just keep going.

 

You got to keep putting in that effort and showing up. Yeah. Awesome.

 

And you'll get there.

 

RICH:

And if you're from Brizzy or Queensland listening to this, Ange is the person for you. She's awesome.

 

You know? Oh yeah. So, no, fantastic. Well, thanks so much, Ange, for coming on.

 

It's like an express podcast here.

 

ANGE:

And no, I really appreciate it.

 

RICH:

And I really appreciate your time.

 

And I know it gets really busy at this time of the year for you as well. It does. Yeah.

 

Yeah. And I know this, it just flies, isn't it? From now to January. It's like, oh my God, it's awesome.

 

ANGE:

Yeah. Well, thank you so much. Thank you, Richard.

 

RICH:

No worries.