Goodbye Kim - The Mentor Who Changed My Life

In early September 2023, someone I admired greatly passed on from this world. A man who inspired me and countless others to follow our hearts and not be afraid to stand out from the crowd. Here I want to tell you about a man, who I loved deeply and will miss greatly.

My mentor, my friend, Kim.

Kim

The Impact of a Generation

When I think of Kim, I think of a man in his prime. A man who could see a whole crowd of people, and focus in on the one who needed him the most. Almost like he could sense who wanted to be discovered the most. He had the gift to notice you and lift you up, pushing you to reach your true potential.

His mission wasn’t to be a star himself, instead, he focused on fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs. He spent his whole career doing that. In his time, he influenced thousands of people, and I was so grateful to be one of them.

Kim was part of a generation of men, whom the Salon industry focused on, they had so much of the power, but it's thanks to men like Kim that we’re seeing the change of masculine corporate dominance to female empowerment within the Salon industry today. These men planted a lot of powerful seeds in the women who are taking control now.

A Wild Card

When someone passes on, it gives you perspective like no other. With Kim’s passing, there are many people left with an emptiness. There’s a huge hole to fill, because many like me, believed that Kim was unstoppable. That he’d be around forever, but then he’s gone, just like that.

At his wake, I felt like all his energy was shifting back into us. That as he’s left us, he’s handed us the baton to keep the spirit of him and his work alive. For us, to pass on the courage and support to the next generation of stylists and all those with potential.

People like Kim are so powerful. The kind of people who light up a room as soon as they walk into it, but they never need to be the main show. They have a natural charm, a celebrity without needing the eyes of millions. Instead of focusing on himself, Kim spread his magic across so many people. Our success is the legacy he left behind.

He was a wild card, like Prince, someone he admired greatly. Kim taught us that your path is yours, that you can stand out and it’s okay to be whoever you want. I feel Dr. Seuss encapsulates this belief best:

“Today you are you! That is truer than True! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!”

Kim, Myself and the Team

A Bouquet of Meaning

Kim helped people to show their true selves. He would support them to do whatever they wanted, to be themselves whether it was through crazy cuts and shaved heads, or sending bouquets of flowers to his mentees who had flown the nest. Kim gave his people what they really needed, validation and a stern talking to, when he could see you weren’t stepping up to your potential. He would be hard on you to push you to your passion.

When I took my first steps into business by myself, Kim sent me a Birds of Paradise bouquet. A message from him to me, speaking without speaking. I learned they were his favorite flowers because they were the perfect expression of telling someone to find success to the beat of their own drum. He was such a selfless person, but I know it did hurt every time one of his birds flew the nest. He did it anyway.

Kim cared for everyone and wanted to see their success. It wasn’t about the details for him, he just wanted to push people forward to step into their true selves. He always knew the right things to say, mixed with his fiery passion. You wanted to make him happy, and that drove us all forward.

Birds of Paradise: joy, freedom, success, excellence, royalty, paradise, and faithfulness.

Preparing for a race.

A Man Who Believed in a Woman

To truly understand who Kim was I want to tell you a short story:

There was a time when Kim invested in a race car and asked me to drive it. How could I say no, so then I became a successful race-car driver in the mini-stock league. Life was never certainly dull when Kim was around. He used to call me ‘Danica Patrick’.

This was just one example of Kim pushing me into unconventional arenas like this, but the thing I remember most is that he asked me to be there. To drive his car. As a female to be invited to things like this, it’s extremely impactful in shaping who you are. He saw me for me. That we were all wearing the same helmets and the same gloves.

He taught me the greatest lesson:

“You will go nowhere if you just try to take, but if you focus on your calling instead, and let the people around you shine, you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be. Your job is to inspire people to help them reach their own outcomes, not to tell them who they are.”

I’ll be sharing more of my racing and Kim stories in my auto-biography to be published next year, so stay tuned!

Some Final Words

I believe the world should know about Kim because although he was well known in Saskatchewan and parts of the Aveda community, he wasn’t known in the wider world. His energy and passion for all the potential being held within the salon industry should be shared with everyone.

I want to say:

‘Thank You, Kim. For in your passing, you’ve given me a moment of pause and reflection to truly understand my purpose. I am so grateful to the universe for connecting us. Thank you for being my person, and I will never forget you. All I want to do is keep your energy and legacy alive.”

I’ll leave you with a song that reminds me we will meet again, you’ve just beaten me there -> Will Dempsey - Beat You There.