At 14 years old, Heather was already breaking into the hair-care industry. Early start, huh? Fast forward to now, and she is the owner of three salons in Northern Virginia. How did she do it? A lot of hours, hard work, and by building relationships. With her clients. With employees. Even with other salon owners (yes, her competition!). Another key to success? The growth of her staff. Heather’s most rewarding moments of her career? Seeing a stylist master a new skill, learn a new concept, or nail a bad-a** new technique. The other? Seeing clients throughout their lives. From their days in pampers, to their senior prom, to their special day walking down the aisle. The greatest achievement of her business is to be a part of these personal moments in people’s lives. The confidence and self-esteem Heather gets to see in clients is the whole reason she does what she does. It’s also why the salons are known for their meticulous approach to client consultations. The goal is achieving the look that’ll keep you looking in the mirror at your beautiful self. A haircut isn’t just a haircut here. It truly is a reflection of you. If you need a new stylist, or are looking for a specific service, meet Heather’s team at www.roysalon.com.

Christian Myers has a huge impact on his community and families through bicycles. Yes, bikes. His greatest accomplishment? “Knowing you’ve changed someones life”. That is some powerful stuff. So how is that done via bikes? Through the Earn-A-Bike scholarship with the Carpenter’s Shelter in Alexandria, he’s empowering people to work. A bike isn’t just an after-school activity for kids or a hobby for adults. This program enabled a single mom of 3 the transportation to get to work and provide for her family. Before that, she was walking 5+ miles per day to get to and from her job. That’s not it, though. In the Earn-A-Bike Youth program, kids spend 2 days a week at the shop for 4-6 weeks. They learn how to repair the bikes, building their own in the process that they get to keep. That’s still not it. In partnership with the TeensWork program, young adults are placed in a part-time job over the summer. Christian’s favorite part of his job is “To see how kindness can affect and change someones life”. Each of these programs has a direct impact on people’s lives, which is why he opened the shop in the first place. Christian saw opportunity beyond a bike repair shop. A place that makes a difference for the people in the community it serves. Find out more about what Velocity Bike COOP does at: www.velocitycoop.org

“You Don’t Have to Believe In it. It’s not a belief system. It’s science.” That’s what holistic veterinarian, Dr. Jordan Kocen, makes clear when folks say they “don’t believe in” the treatments provided. It’s important to know these are not used “instead of” conventional medicine, but integrated into the treatment plan. More often than not, treatments are coordinated between Dr. Kocen’s team and the veterinarian that recommended him. Acupuncture for dogs and cats?! That’s right. It’s a real thing that helps many animals live a longer and higher quality life. Dr. Kocen’s way of explaining these therapies helps patients understand how the it works. For example, “If water is not flowing through the pipe, it’s not going where it’s supposed to go.” Easy concept to understand, right? He treats animals in ways that stimulate the body’s own antibodies or anti-inflammatories. Many conventional approaches only manage the issue, hence the term “pain management”. But many times, it doesn’t directly identify and resolve the problem. That’s where services provided at Veterinary Holistic Center come in. He’s been to go-to guy for holistic veterinary services since 1995, so something is working. Learn more about Dr. Kocen and his practice at www.vhcnova.com. Be sure to check out his podcast episode with us, coming soon!

When asked about misconceptions of her business, Uma Beepat’s response surprised me, “That it’s the work of the devil.” Which is why Uma works so hard to dispel this notion for skeptics. Massage, meditation, balancing chakras — that stuff’s not “new-age”. Matter of fact, these holistic wellness treatments go back further than when Christianity was founded. They’re also based on Quantum Physics — which “describes nature at the smallest scales of energy levels of atoms and subatomic particles”. Damn…that is some scientific sh*t. One thing that makes this Advice-Giver so unique, are Uma’s psychic abilities. She comes from many generations of psychic healers, each with a different specialty. Interesting, right? It’s that human super-power that drove Uma to start her business, Lotus Wellness Center. LWC brings together teachings and therapies from our area’s best holistic healers. Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, Chakra Balancing, and Reflexology are some of the services offered. To learn more about Uma and LWC therapies, check out www.lotuswellnesscenter.net.

We all know dieting isn’t easy. Maybe you (like me) made a New Year’s weight loss goal. And maybe you, like me, are already in February and haven’t quite kicked off that damn resolution. Maybe that weight loss goal has gone right out the window with your motivation. It’s probably been replaced with Netflix and chillin’ on the couch with your cats. Making the right decisions on health by yourself can be daunting. Especially if you don’t know what you don’t know. It can come with big misconceptions about making “diet” changes. Dietician Deborah Jeffery understands many clients think they’ll be robbed of their Cheetos. That is not her aim. Her goal is to help people make lifestyle changes and choices that will better their health. Education and understanding of how what we eats affects who we are. She is a shepherd of sorts — guiding the unhealthier sheep among us on a path to lower cholesterol and increased self-confidence. And she makes sure her clients know they aren’t alone in their journey. Learn more about Deborah and her practice at deborahjeffery.com

With all this fancy new equipment that can “play” any instrument, where is the good old garage band vibe? Back when music had to be learned, practiced, collaborated on? Don’t worry. It hasn’t gone away — it’s just tucked behind a coffee shop in the neighborhood of Del Ray in Alexandria, VA. When you think music lessons, what do you think of? A set curriculum (boring!)? Traditional exercises to build basic skills? The same practice songs your Mom learned back in the day? Think again. Learning to play music (and teach music) is a tad bit more Rock n’ Roll with John Patrick of ROAM: Rock of Ages Music. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, students get to choose what they want to play. And kids are actually learning to play real instruments. Who woulda thought? There aren’t just private lessons though. Through the Rock School program, students create their own bands — like the times music was made in your mom’s basement. Find out more about ROAM and the programs offered at: www.roamdelray.com/

3 teams. 2 rooms. And 1 week to completely re-do two boys bedrooms. One of these rooms…decked out with a fireplace! The other room? Yeah, had a double -shot basketball arcade game. For these two kids, I could only imagine how excited they were going to be. Looking back now, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The project? Stillbrave’s “Renegades Room Makeover.” I knew these kids would be excited. But their reaction we captured, incredible! Mike Katounas was one member of the team, owner of Home Works Painting. Giving back to the community through his “Paint it Forward” Program is close to his heart. As a cancer survivor himself, it was a no-brainer. These room makeovers are especially meaningful.  As we returned for progress pictures, it became clear this was more than just a philanthropy project. It was personal. No detail was left out. Mike’s wife even washed the new sheets to make sure it was comfortable for the boys. Stop it. I’m tearing up as I write this. No wonder he said the reveal reactions makes the top 10 best days of his life. It made mine, too. Learn more about Home Works Painting and the project on their Facebook page and website: www.homeworkspainting.com  & www.facebook.com/HomeWorksPaintingVA/

Tom Mitchell, known by many as “Tattoo Tom”, is having a huge impact on some of our community’s littlest and strongest warriors. This guy takes providing support to families impacted by cancer to an incredible level. Grocery cards, transportation needs, or simply being a smiling face in the hospital when everyone else stops visiting. He even once ran around town for hours looking for King Crab legs to cook for one of his Stillbrave Renegade Warriors in the hospital. In his most recent project, Tom teamed up with Kevin Bednarz of Ashburn Pub and Mike Katounas of Home Works Paint it Forward project to make-over two rooms for two very special kids. Gavin, who is fighting a rare form of non-hodgkins lymphoma, and his brother, Danny were chosen for the Renegades Room Makeover project. Our hearts are happy they let us tag along to document the process. Be prepared to tear up when you watch the story on our Youtube channel (just google Northern Virginia Advice Givers + Youtube!) Also be sure to learn more about Tom’s mission at at www.stillbrave.org

A badass one, too, from what I saw on social media. Damn. Coulda gotten my wookiee on. But lucky for me, and you, Kevin Bednarz of Ashburn Pub makes sure they have a shit-ton of these themed shindigs (Personally, I can’t wait for the Snow Day party happening soon). So, that’s secret #1 to being awesome. Have a lot of parties that surround things people are truly into. Secret #2? Treat and pay your staff well. The Pub has an average turnover rate of 2- 5% for staff in the restaurant and bar industry. For those of you who haven’t worked in a restaurant, that rarely happens and is something to be insanely proud of. The national average is 70-80%. Kevin is on to something over there when it comes to staffing. When I arrived, he was getting his holiday on for the next seasonal round of fun, putting up lights and greenery around an epic Santa chalk mural that he drew himself. Oh, yeah…he’s an incredible artist, too (Fun Fact: Gary Vaynerchuck has Kevin’s art in his office!). Kevin gets to mix his passion for art with his passion for people at the Ashburn Pub. Learn more about Kevin and all the cool projects he’s involved in at http://www.kevinbednarz.com/.

Everyone remembers being challenged to write or draw with their opposite hand and see what happens. It’s hilarious, right? Chicken scratch even worse than the dominant handwriting shows up. That dog you tried to draw…looks more like a cloud. Imagine trying to write your name or draw a dog with your mouth. Yeah, I said that. Your mouth. I recently sat down with a regionally renowned Mouth-Painter, Paige Crouch. It isn’t some sort of interesting hobby that she creates beautiful art with her mouth. It started with an unfortunate event that could happen to anyone. Paige was in a car accident years ago that landed her in a new life, new physical situation, and a new calling. After feeling as though she had been “labeled for life” as a quadriplegic, she eventually embraced a new label, as an Artist. And clearly, she’s a damn good one. As a featured painter of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, she shares her talent, inspiration, and story with others. She can be seen at churches, schools, and physical rehab hospitals across Northern Virginia. Check out her work! www.facebook.com/paige.crouch.507