Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashli Davenport.
Ashli, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Chicago with two parents who were hairdressers. My stepmom was a nail tech and my stepfather was an acrobat in Ringling Brothers Circus.
This combo made for an interesting childhood of great hair, bad hair and circus trains. My parents always wanted me to follow a more “normal” lifestyle so, after high school, I went to Marquette and studied international business and a bit of aeronautical engineering since I joined the Air Force ROTC.
I left Marquette and moved down to Boca with my mom and sister. I quickly got thrown into some bikini modeling and got a job as a backup dancer for an MTVs show Hypermix. My life quickly spun out of hand between music videos, photo shoots, and filming.
I needed something more grounded. After a couple of years of what felt like nonsense, I joined the Air Force. I was a crew chief of E-3s. I was the only female on the flight line tearing apart these huge planes and putting them back together. It was tough but it suited me because I finally felt like I was making a difference. The funny part was that I was signed by another modeling agency while I was active duty and shot for Maxim and a bunch of other publications. I had the best of both worlds.
Five years later, I was married with a baby and ready to get out. We moved to Melbourne and I worked at an advertising and marketing agency. I did really well and eventually managed my own part of the company. Something was missing though. I missed the salon environment that I grew up in and so I decided to let the military pay for cosmetology school. I went through Aveda in Orlando and loved it. My parents were not thrilled but I told them to chill because I wanted to take my business outside of the salon too.
Three years later, another baby later, I moved to Hollywood with major excitement to start doing hair. I have only worked at two different salons in the last 9 years and I have met the most incredible people. Every day, I get to hear new stories about the people I live around. I could tell you some amazing stories!!!! I have taken my business out to Europe and have shot editorially in Croatia, France, and Italy. I have run my first runway show during Miami Swim Week and I continue to build networks with other creative people to collaborate.
I had my third baby and felt really inspired to get myself back together and model a little bit more. I was just in an international competition for Maxim’s cover. Out of 15,000 girls, I was in the top 2%… at 37 years old with three kids. I felt good about it and used that platform to raise $15,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, a project raising money to help veterans with disabilities. The exposure has brought opportunities to me that I am so grateful for.
At the end of the day, I guess I have a lot of stories to tell because I have never been afraid to try new things. I really believe we are on this planet to be a community and share our stories with each other. It helps us evolve and grow strong. Everything you have always wanted is on the other side of fear.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Life is never smooth. When I was in the military, I was in a guy’s world. 8-12 hours outside fixing huge billion dollar airplanes. I’m 5’1”. I was 100lbs. Everything I worked on weighed more than me. All of the guys were either hitting on me or waiting on me to flake out and say it was too tough.
So, I worked out a little harder every day. I stayed out on the line a little more. It was that typical GI Jane scene where she’s sweating it out while everyone else slept. They eventually started treating me like one of the guys. Now, I have 400+ brothers who still check in with me.
When my mom started seeing Freddy, I was so young. It didn’t bother me that he was in the circus. I thought it was pretty cool. However, I grew up in a very conservative town outside of Chicago and to my friends, it was just another way to get picked on. After a while, I became resentful and then, embarrassed by it.
I don’t know if my mom did this to help me get over it or what but I spent a summer with them. Living in an RV, playing with the animals, stretching with the contortionists, trying to learn the dances with the dancers, working out with the acrobats, etc. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever gotten to do. I made up my mind not to care about what others said because all I experienced was good. It may have been the game changer for me. I think it was then that I realized no matter how different peoples’ lives are, at all the core of us, we are all the same. Needless to say, I went back to school the next year feeling more secure about myself and my family.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m a hairstylist and colorist at Source Salon in Flagler Village, Fort Lauderdale. I have been with Aveda for a decade now. I specialize in cutting, coloring, extensions, updos, editorial, and runway. I have taken many advanced technique classes to include, Jon Reyman’s Pro course and the Mastered Course.
I grew up in this industry and so what I am most proud of has been taking what I know and bringing it outside of the salon. Many cosmetology students leave school wanting to be expansive in their work and never do so. I am thankful for the support group I have around me and the courage it took to go to New York and Croatia on my own to be tested and pushed to my limits on stages and platforms that were really intense.
What sets me aside from other stylists is my attention to what is right now. I am very up to date on what is trending at the moment and what is coming up. I love looking at a person and seeing them in their best light.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’m grateful to be working with Ronnie Pryor. He is a real example of a hard and smart worker. His success has come from nurturing what he has been given until it grew and expanded. He coaches our team in a way that doesn’t shut out what really drives the rest of us. He has supported all of my crazy ideas whether they are hair related or not. His example has just shown me to not just keep making and reaching for goals outside my everyday life but also to nurture what I have already attained and continue to support that.
My parents were obviously huge roles in me becoming a hairstylist. As much as they would have preferred that I did something else with my life, I always saw how being a stylist was such a huge part of who they were as people. They are the most passionate people who really really love the people they are around every single day. they both have that rare quality of being able to be present with the people they are with. They are non-judgmental and enthusiastic. I have seen both of them on many occasions, give more of themselves to others than needed. I don’t know… to me, even though we were never the richest people in the world, we had a world of people that loved us because we loved them. They have clients that were with them before I was even born that are still in their lives. To me, that is rich. That is successful. Do something that brings out the beauty in other people. Let others be who they are because when they are comfortable enough to be who they are, they will bring out the best in you too. Thats what my parents showed me, and that’s why I know it was never a mistake to be a hairstylist.
Contact Info:
- Address: Source Salon
520 N. Federal
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33301 - Phone: 9546991542, 9545242270
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @ashli_davenport
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