Former 6th grade school teacher, Sarah Conner, was discovered while working in a beauty salon, on a freelance basis, in Orange County, America. She was eventually asked to join the newly formed Meche Salon – a bold career moves that gave the stylist a boost into the hair and beauty world. She is still with Meche and currently holds her own as a colorist and hair extension specialist. Sarah has been featured in several magazines, such as Elle Girl Japan, Nylon, Italian Cosmopolitan and Behind the Chair. Her color work has been featured on major TV shows such as Master Chef, ABC’s Mistresses and multiple Nickelodeon shows.

We met with Sarah to speak about all things hair and where she draws her inspiration from. Here’s what she had to say:

Q: Who influenced you the most while you were learning your craft?

A: I changed careers from being a school teacher to became a hair stylist. So I think it was my drive and determination stemming from that change that influenced me the most. I’d finally found what I’d always wanted to do and I was passionate about it!

Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

A: I get a lot of inspiration from looking at editorial shoots. A good old fashioned fashion magazine goes a long way. The styles, music and art of previous decades are always inspiring. I even find inspiration in my clients. I love looking at someone and seeing a vision of how I can transform their hair color and make it look like it naturally grew out of their head that way!

Q: Where did you attend school?

A: I attended beauty school at Golden West Community College in Hunting Beach, California.

Q: What was the turning point of your career?

A: I think that the turning point was when I switched salons from Neil George to Meche Salon.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: You can’t be afraid of change- chances are you can always go back, but you’ll never know what lies ahead if you don’t make a change.

Q: What is the biggest career challenge you had to overcome?

A: The biggest career challenge was when I decided to switch salons. It was a terrifying move at the time but ended up being the best career move I could make at that time.