S3 E13 Stewart Roberts, Founder Haircuts4Homeless

Stewart Roberts has had quite a journey in his life. A journey which has led him to become a founder of a community-based charity where hairdressers donate their support to the homeless. They have 600 volunteers, near to 68 projects on the go and have delivered around 40k pockets of joy in the form of haircuts for homeless souls since they started back in 2014. Their sponsors include the National Lottery Community Fund, affiliates include the British Beauty Council and L’Oreal and this year the charity won the Marie Claire UK Hair Awards 2021 Special Jury Prize which is a special recognition for helping others. Their Global ambassador is none other than the Game of Thrones star Lena Headey.

We chat about what triggered Stewart to create his charity, losing his hairdressing business and the grief with it, the challenges of the pandemic on the charity and also the homeless, the serendipity of life as his business went into insolvency and what happened the same day to open a huge door, how he has attracted his sponsors, affiliates and ambassadors, why he contemplated 10 ways of killing himself at a dark stage in his life, why the Gideon bible is by his bedside and much more. P.S. The odd whistle and phone ringing is Stewarts parrot!

My book recommendation: The Practice: Shipping Creative Work ~ Seth Godin
Stewarts's book recommendations: Gideon Bible
Chocolate: Peppermint Aero
Quote: ‘The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place we can go as we are and not be questioned.' ~ Maya Angelou

Catch Stewart on Haircuts4Homeless Insta: @haircuts4homeless