Earlier in my career, I had the honor and privilege of working for the late, great Jay Sebring, the innovator who transformed men’s hairstyling.

Jay took over the luxurious men’s salon where I worked in San Francisco’s Financial District. This was in the early days of men’s styling. Jay was already making headlines.

He’d been featured in Playboy magazine, and Time ran a feature showing him cutting actor George Peppard’s hair for the movie The Blue Max.

Before we even opened, Jay said confidently, “As soon as Herb Caen hears I’ve taken over this salon, the phone will ring off the hook.”

And it did. Our opening party was star-studded. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward walked in, and I had the privilege of welcoming them.

When Newman entered, it was like a movie close-up. Everyone else faded to grey. He simply glowed. That was the moment I understood what true charisma looked like.

At 23, Jay taught me a career-defining lesson.

No matter how good you are, the world has to know about it.

Talent isn’t enough. You need to cultivate visibility.

That insight changed my trajectory. I realized that if I wanted to reach even a fraction of my potential, I couldn’t hide behind modesty. I had to get comfortable with self-promotion.

Since then, I’ve been a shameless self-promoter. However, it’s never been about ego. It’s about believing that valuable work deserves an audience.

There’s a difference between bragging and building awareness.

One serves the ego. The other serves the opportunity, and the people you’ll never reach if they don’t know you exist.

What lesson early in your career reshaped how you think about success?

“Patricia Fripp is amazing. As a speech coach, you’ll never find anyone with her wisdom, experience, and ability.”
Bhavin Shah, CEO & Founder, Moveworks