Jason Schneidman- Venice Beach’s The Mens Groomer to the Stars and the Homeless- on Sobriety and How a Haircut Can Literally Change Someone’s Life
Explicit content warning
10/20/20 • 35 min
Jason Schneidman grew up on the beaches of Southern California surfing and seeking the fun, care-free lifestyle it offered. His partying continued into his thirties until his life unraveled completely when he found himself homeless and addicted to crack cocaine. Sixteen years ago, he knew he had to do something otherwise he’d end up in jail or dead and so he asked for help and began the hard word of getting and staying sober.
Jason’s rehabilitation taught him the importance of giving back. He decided to go out onto the streets with cordless clippers and treat homeless individuals as though they were his celebrity clients. He was able to connect with them because he’d been through what they had. With a friend nearby to video his encounters, hundreds of thousands of Instagram viewers would get to see first hand his motto, “A haircut can change a life.” You can’t be helped but be moved to see how a haircut and kind human interaction not only helps people gain self-confidence and see their value, but also seek treatment for their addiction and gain employment.
Since Jason was a young teen he’d been cutting hair, but not until he got sober did his fierce work ethic lead him to make a name for himself creating fully unified looks for press tours, red carpets, music videos and editorial gigs. After apprenticing under Jennifer Aniston’s hair stylist, Chris McMillan, Jason was soon being asked to fly off to the the Super Bowl to cut Bruno Mars hair, and style and cut other big celebrities like Rob Lowe, James Corden, Hugh Jackman, Jonah Hill, Robert Pattinson, and Jay Shetty to name a few. His editorial work has appeared in magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, and Billboard.
Jason branched out on his own creating an entire salon and product line upon the fundamentals of men’s hair care. Aptly named “The Mens Groomer,” his Venice Beach, Lincoln Boulevard headquarters is part barbershop, part coffee shop, and part surf/skate shop. With his motorcycles and hot rods parked in front and his shop next to the iconic Dogtown Skateboards, it’s the epitome of California cool. Don’t be surprised if the legendary surfer, Laird Hamilton stops by for a cut and coffee.
Jason donates a percentage of his styling products and his haircuts to his foundation he started to give the homeless the second chance they need and deserve. Jason is married and has two adorable kids. He’s grateful every day for his family and friends and for the devoted group of clients he continues to gain and keep.
SHOW NOTE LINKS:
The Men’s Groomer on Instagram
Rachel’s Essay- Homelessness is More Than Lesshomeless
Jonathan Leeper on Dear Family,- Homeless Drug Addict Becomes Beacon of Hope Helping the Homeless
CONNECT WITH US!
PLEASE JOIN:
*Dear Family Members, the Private Facebook Group
WAYS TO HELP THE PODCAST:
*PLEASE Leave a 5-Star Review and Subscribe!
Thank you! Your support means the world to me. Wishing you love, happiness, and good mental health always.
Jason Schneidman grew up on the beaches of Southern California surfing and seeking the fun, care-free lifestyle it offered. His partying continued into his thirties until his life unraveled completely when he found himself homeless and addicted to crack cocaine. Sixteen years ago, he knew he had to do something otherwise he’d end up in jail or dead and so he asked for help and began the hard word of getting and staying sober.
Jason’s rehabilitation taught him the importance of giving back. He decided to go out onto the streets with cordless clippers and treat homeless individuals as though they were his celebrity clients. He was able to connect with them because he’d been through what they had. With a friend nearby to video his encounters, hundreds of thousands of Instagram viewers would get to see first hand his motto, “A haircut can change a life.” You can’t be helped but be moved to see how a haircut and kind human interaction not only helps people gain self-confidence and see their value, but also seek treatment for their addiction and gain employment.
Since Jason was a young teen he’d been cutting hair, but not until he got sober did his fierce work ethic lead him to make a name for himself creating fully unified looks for press tours, red carpets, music videos and editorial gigs. After apprenticing under Jennifer Aniston’s hair stylist, Chris McMillan, Jason was soon being asked to fly off to the the Super Bowl to cut Bruno Mars hair, and style and cut other big celebrities like Rob Lowe, James Corden, Hugh Jackman, Jonah Hill, Robert Pattinson, and Jay Shetty to name a few. His editorial work has appeared in magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, and Billboard.
Jason branched out on his own creating an entire salon and product line upon the fundamentals of men’s hair care. Aptly named “The Mens Groomer,” his Venice Beach, Lincoln Boulevard headquarters is part barbershop, part coffee shop, and part surf/skate shop. With his motorcycles and hot rods parked in front and his shop next to the iconic Dogtown Skateboards, it’s the epitome of California cool. Don’t be surprised if the legendary surfer, Laird Hamilton stops by for a cut and coffee.
Jason donates a percentage of his styling products and his haircuts to his foundation he started to give the homeless the second chance they need and deserve. Jason is married and has two adorable kids. He’s grateful every day for his family and friends and for the devoted group of clients he continues to gain and keep.
SHOW NOTE LINKS:
The Men’s Groomer on Instagram
Rachel’s Essay- Homelessness is More Than Lesshomeless
Jonathan Leeper on Dear Family,- Homeless Drug Addict Becomes Beacon of Hope Helping the Homeless
CONNECT WITH US!
PLEASE JOIN:
*Dear Family Members, the Private Facebook Group
WAYS TO HELP THE PODCAST:
*PLEASE Leave a 5-Star Review and Subscribe!
Thank you! Your support means the world to me. Wishing you love, happiness, and good mental health always.
Previous Episode
Lisa Klein- Granddaughter, Daughter, and Sister of Suicide Makes Touching Documentary about the Taboo Subject- The S Word
Lisa Klein grew up in Michigan. When she was in college she got a call to come home because she was told her dad died from heart failure. Months later, her brother would take his life in the car in the garage and die by suicide which eventually she’d find out was the same way her dad and her grandmother had also died. She learned from her mother to never discuss suicide out of shame and so she didn’t. Until one day, Lisa realized she not only wanted to talk about suicide openly, she wanted to make documentary films about the taboo subject by humanizing the topic.
Lisa is an award-winning director and writer dedicated to crafting groundbreaking documentary features. Her current project, THE S WORD, is a documentary that tackles one of the most cloistered issues of our time through the emotional stories of suicide attempt and loss survivors. In 2012, Lisa co-directed the award-winning film OF TWO MINDS, a journey into the lives of bipolar disorder. She tours the country speaking and using her films to raise awareness of mental health issues. Lisa is co-founder, with her husband Doug Blush, of MadPix Films, an LA-based production company dedicated to producing character-driven stories that create global impact and social change.
Lisa is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California. Her daughter is now a University of Michigan student. She’s picked up a pandemic hobby of painting and creating art projects, which besides her family, her dog, and running and tennis, brings her a lot of joy.
SHOW NOTE LINKS:
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Terri Cheney on Dear Family, the Podcast
Robert Kolker on Dear Family, the Podcast
CONNECT WITH US!
PLEASE JOIN:
*Dear Family Members, the Private Facebook Group
WAYS TO HELP THE PODCAST:
*PLEASE Leave a 5-Star Review and Subscribe!
Thank you! Your support means the world to me. Wishing you love, happiness, and good mental health always.
Next Episode
Yasmin Irfani- Pakistani-Muslim-American Speaks Up about Mental Health in her South Asian Community that Doesn’t Value Expressing Emotions
Yasmin Irfani is a Pakistani-Muslim-American woman who is passionate about speaking up about mental health awareness in her community. Growing up, she was told she was too emotional and sensitive which led her to believe she was broken. After all, South Asian girls like her did not speak up or express their emotions. Whether directly or indirectly she was taught to keep the problems that come along with her community’s high expectations to herself, like getting married and having kids by a certain age, being financially successful, going to a great college, and having an amazing job, among other things.
Not until Yasmin went to college and studied psychology did she begin her own healing process. She went on to receive her Masters in College Counseling and is now a suicide prevention instructor as well as a mental health first aid instructor. She is also the Youth Programs Director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the San Fernando Valley.
Through her experiences working with high school and college students, Yasmin realized the importance of modeling vulnerability and truly listening to others so they can come up with their own insight and empower themselves. She’s also grateful to be the face of hope so more people can openly speak up about emotional and mental health challenges, especially within the South Asian and Muslim community.
SHOW NOTE LINKS:
NAMI SFV (San Fernando Valley)
CONNECT WITH US!
PLEASE JOIN:
*Dear Family Members, the Private Facebook Group
WAYS TO HELP THE PODCAST:
*PLEASE Leave a 5-Star Review and Subscribe!
Thank you! Your support means the world to me. Wishing you love, happiness, and good mental health always.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/dear-family-36648/jason-schneidman-venice-beachs-the-mens-groomer-to-the-stars-and-the-h-9003801"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to jason schneidman- venice beach’s the mens groomer to the stars and the homeless- on sobriety and how a haircut can literally change someone’s life on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy