There’s something funny about taking your family to the “happiest place on earth” … only to nearly have a full family breakdown at the front gates of Disneyland Paris.
August 2024 the kids and I flew to Europe to meet Steve while he was officiating at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. His dream. A career highlight amongst many now. The moment I had watched him work towards.
Meanwhile I was travelling across the world with one almost 17-year-old and two 15-year-olds who had never experienced Europe, long-haul flights, or jet lag before.
Safe to say… spirits were low somewhere between Singapore and Paris.
We arrived exhausted, emotional, me questioning my life choices of bringing them… only to find out Steve had just been appointed to the Gold medal hockey match.
An Aussie. My husband. On the world stage.
One of those moments where your chest bursts with pride while your body is running purely on airport Diet Coke from Singapore because France doesn’t stock it (shame on them) and survival mode.
Then came the road trip…
France. No stopping in Belgium. Netherlands. Germany.
Five humans crammed into an Audi Q3 playing emotional Tetris with luggage and personalities.
There were castles.
Theme parks.
Near-death experiences at the Arc de Triomphe.
Teenagers sick of history lessons.
Arguments.
Laughter.
Tears.
And yes… a family fight at the gates of Disneyland Paris.
And somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, I realised something important…
Families are a lot like salon teams.
Different personalities.
Different communication styles.
Different stress levels.
Different expectations.
Different ways of handling pressure.
Different ways of upbringing and views on life.
But the successful ones all have one thing in common:
A shared purpose.
In a family it’s to love, support, protection, and to experience life together.
In a salon it’s to create an environment where people feel supported, valued, respected, and where clients feel something special when they walk through the door.
A great salon team doesn’t happen because everyone thinks the same.
It happens because everyone learns how to work together despite being different.
That’s leadership. Not controlling every personality…But understanding them.
Because whether it’s a family road trip through Europe or a busy Thursday night in salon…
People work better when they feel seen, supported, and part of something bigger than themselves.
And honestly…
If our family survived driving the Arc de Triomphe roundabout, your salon team can survive peak Christmas trade. 😂
