Jay Wendt

Name: Jay Wendt

Location: Des Moines, IA

Favorite Athletic brew: Atletica

Instagram: @__hairy.styles

 

Jay Wendt cuts hair for a living.

 

But his job isn’t one of those professions that just starts and ends with a simple act. Being a barber is more than just trims and touch-ups.

 

It’s about community and the people in the chair. It’s about welcoming someone into a comfortable space for a little bit of confidence-boosting self-care. It’s about taking the time to really get to know people and developing relationships over months and years that keep them coming back.

 

“It’s rewarding to know that I have some clients who were seeing me in barber school – and that’s almost 10 years ago – that still come to me,” says Jay. “I know that during those first few years, it wasn’t because my haircuts were good. Absolutely not. But we created a space where we could be vulnerable with each other.”

 

Jay has also expanded his profession to the world of professional disc golf. In the last couple of years, when the pro tour rolls through Des Moines, he and his shop have set up a booth on the competition grounds to offer free haircuts to the professional players and their staff, just as a way to give back to the community that has given him so much.

 

“I see … it as an opportunity to integrate my skills into a hobby that changed my life. In our first year, we did over 50 haircuts in 3 days. I heard some pretty unbelievable stories about mental health struggles. It was gutting to hear – [this sport is] a thing that we all admire, but these struggles are a reality. Staying on top of your mental health while enduring the hardships of the road has to be incredibly challenging.

 

“It seems silly to talk about a haircut in that way. Little things that can refill that cup help you perform your best. I genuinely think that’s very good for the psyche – to be able to count on this, to have that experience, to get your hair done and styled, and step out … you just walk with a little bit more confidence. I honestly think we see it with everybody that comes through.”

 

Read on to learn more about Jay and his barbering events, as well as how he focuses on bettering himself to be the best father he can be for his son.

 

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Tell me a little bit about yourself and how fitness and sports came into your life.

 

I recently turned 41. I’ve been pretty competitive with sports since I was a kid. It was something my dad got me into.

 

I started playing soccer, and the first year I got a jersey with my name and number on the back, I just thought I had made it. I was like 8 years old. I think that put me in a position where I always wanted to represent myself the best because my name was on my shirt. I wanted to succeed, even at 8 when I had no idea how to actually play. I wanted to be the best version of myself.

 

I think I’ve carried that throughout my career: putting a name with the haircuts that I do or the events that I throw together or the people that I connect with. I think it’s always been important to represent myself in the best way, and sports have given me a lot of good outlets for that for pretty much my whole life.

 

 

You’re a barber by profession. Tell me about the path to becoming a professional barber.

 

I started out with zero interest in ever cutting hair. I’ve never been drawn to it. I always thought it was kind of cool, but I always looked at it as a kind of chore, especially when my parents stopped paying for my haircuts. I never felt that relaxing, self-care moment of getting the haircut until I got a little bit later into life.

 

I was bartending and loving that. I was working at a great restaurant here in Des Moines when I found out I was having my son. I started thinking ahead, hey, do I want to be that father who’s always absent on Fridays and Saturdays because that’s when I made the most in tips? I’m going to have to be chained to this lifestyle, which I respected and loved and was grateful for – I just didn’t want to be absent every weekend from those crucial years with my son.

 

So I was going through these interview processes with a company of being an entry-level web coding designer. I knew nothing about it, and they were stoked about that because I hadn’t learned any bad habits yet. But I was getting my hair cut, and my stylist asked, “Have you ever thought about being a barber? I think that it would work for you.”

 

I was like, absolutely not. I have no interest in going back to school. And then she kind of laid out the similarities of bartending and barbering: You’re being hired for a job, and if someone likes us, and we give them the service that they want and a product that they’re satisfied with, they’re gonna come back. I was like, oh, I can see that.

 

It just kinda lined up. January will be my ninth year as a professional. It’s crazy, but it’s good. It’s completely changed my life. Doing that, I kind of realized, I got like 3 to 4 years into barbering, and I felt like something still doesn’t feel complete.

 

That’s when I gave up alcohol. Ever since, every day has been better; every day has been more clear. I feel like I’m not chasing past regrets. I’m able to confront these things that were keeping me stagnant. It feels like a cheat code. Every day feels better than the last.

 

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

 

I think that is different every day. There’s a handful of haircuts that Ii’m pretty consistently doing. There’s a lot of circumstances that allow people to get certain haircuts: hair line, hair density, type of hair … all of that stuff pushes you into a certain style.

 

But even though there are a handful of hair scenarios, understanding the task that I need to perform and learning about the people in my chair is 100 percent what makes every day different. … finding that connection that makes someone feel comfortable in my space.

 

It’s rewarding to know that I have some clients who were seeing me in barber school – and that’s almost 10 years ago – that still come to me. I know that during those first few years, it wasn’t because my haircuts were good. Absolutely not. But we created a space where we could be vulnerable with each other. It’s 30 minutes, sometimes 60 minutes at a time, depending on if they’re getting beard work and a haircut or anything like that, but I’ve found that those relationships are pretty much the only thing that has stayed the same over the last decade, whether it’s current events or things that are going on in each other’s lives.

 

Every 4 to 5 weeks, we see each other. Some of these relationships are the longest relationships I’ve ever had. I reflect on it every year, usually around my birthday. Why are so many people supporting me? Do I deserve this? Some days, I don’t think I do. You know what I’m talking about. There are a lot of people that – I wouldn’t be where I am if they didn’t believe in me through really tough times in my career when it was starting. I’m just so grateful for my community.

 

 Photo credit: Disc Golf Pro Tour

 

One unique thing you do for your community is provide free haircuts to professional disc golf players who come through your town on tour. Tell me about how and why you started that.

 

I first came to the sport of professional disc golf in college. When 2020 came around, our barber shop got shut down for 3 months when COVID hit. I played for a couple of years previously with some friends in town, but we really got back into it in 2020 because it’s an individual sport, and we were able to keep our distance from each other.

 

We still had no idea what was going on, but places were being closed, people being furloughed from their jobs – all this stuff was happening. It was like, do I sit on my phone and doom scroll while I’m being fed a decade’s worth of trauma in like 6 months, or do I get outside and take advantage of this opportunity to slow down in my professional career?

 

The silver lining I found was that I was lucky enough to have resources to help me get through. But one of the biggest things for my mental health was disc golf. I played every day. One of the things I learned was that there was a professional tour that was still playing during COVID. It was some of the most chaotic stuff, but it helped take the focus off the stress of the pandemic.

 

So fast forward about a year: it’s my first regular season of watching the pro tour go through. It’s a season that runs from February to October. We got a notification that the European trip had been canceled due to COVID logistics and that Des Moines was going to be hosting its first elite-series pro tour event.

 

The first pro I followed on Instagram was Brian Earhart. I reached out to him and said, “Hey, when you’re in Des Moines, I'd love to offer you a free haircut to say thanks for your contribution to the sport. Being a fan, this is the way I know how to give back, and if you can make it in, I’d love to do that for you because I know that tour life can be tough.”

 

It honestly can be really, really tough. They go for about nine months, and they’re in a different state every week, usually in a camper van or in some type of vehicle. They drive all across the country.

 

So I hit him up, he said yes: He was super stoked about the opportunity. He came in, and we chatted, and then he became a friend. I spent that week walking with him and his partner for his last competitive round in Des Moines. He retired at the end of the season as a player. But he mentored me into getting on-site in 2022. That was the first year we did on-site haircuts for all the professional men and women on tour and the touring staff that were with them.

 

I started to see it as an opportunity to integrate my skills into a hobby that changed my life. It's been so unbelievably helpful for me. Those two hours of being out on the course and separating from life events, current events, anything like that – it’s really unique and special for me. I'm really grateful for it.

 

He helped me get on-site at the event. We offer all our services for free because we hope that maybe the tour will pick this up and we will be able to provide this at multiple stops throughout the year as a benefit for the players.

 

In our first year, we did over 50 haircuts in 3 days. I heard some pretty unbelievable stories about mental health struggles: about being away from family, being alone on the road, having a great week and then having six miserable weeks in a row because you played poorly … The people on tour depend on doing well. That’s what puts gas in their car and gets them a hotel. Maybe they don’t do well for a month and sleep in their car for a month.

 

The hardships of that … I don’t know. It was gutting to hear – [this sport is] a thing that we all admire, but these struggles are a reality. Staying on top of your mental health while enduring the hardships of the road has to be incredibly challenging.

 

It seems silly to talk about a haircut in that way. But, just, the emotion that I got from some people … the amount of people that I met that by the end of the week were like, “I love you, man, I hope I see you next year.” It’s like … holy s—. You meet new people that want to tell you that they love you and that they’re looking forward to coming through and doing this again.

 

I’m kind of a sappy dude when it comes to stuff like that. I appreciate people appreciating people. It was like, I have to do this again. So we booked it again for the next year. We still did everything for free because we’re still trying to get that proof of concept.

 

We did 30 more services last year than we did our first year. So, hitting almost 80 services at an event. Those who signed up the first year signed up again immediately.

 

This year was our third year, and it was more people. We’ve been growing it every year, buying better equipment to make ourselves more comfortable cutting hair when it’s 100 degrees outside. We’re unsure if we’ll get to the end of the day, and then we do. Then we tear down, and it’s a time for reflection.

 

This was our first year of getting a little bit of a sponsorship. We got a local sponsor to cover the cost of Stacy [my colleague] and I being out of our shop for a week, which was incredible.

 

And that’s what we’re pushing for. Every year, we’re just shooting for that thing that’s going to allow us to get to maybe two to three stops on tour to break up that grind for these players. I think there’s more power in that than people might see.

 

 

What does it mean to people when you’re able to provide them with a fresh cut? How life-changing can that be?

 

The first year, one of my longtime favorite players, Simon Lizotte – he won that tournament. At the end of the cut, I told him, “All right, man, you look good now, now you just gotta win this thing.”

 

Obviously, I’m not going to take credit for that victory, but I will attach the energy that we shared to his weekend of unbelievable disc golf. I’ve joked with him about that. He has booked or made an effort to book with me every time he comes back, so I think maybe he feels that, too.

 

But yeah, some of the testimonials ... I’ve never had someone say they were having such a difficult season and getting this haircut is going to get me through the rest of the year, but I have heard a lot of people share their testimonials about just how challenging it is to be away from family for so long.

 

Little things that can refill that cup help you perform your best. I genuinely think that’s very good for the psyche – to be able to count on this, to have that experience, to get your hair done and styled, and step out … you just walk with a little bit more confidence. I honestly think we see it with everybody that comes through.

 

 

What’s your favorite part of coming to work each day?

 

I work in a shop with four other barbers, including the owner of the shop, and I think it takes an unbelievable amount of communication and boundaries to come to work with just the same five people every single day. The best part is coming to work with four of my best friends. We are there creating this really important space for the people in our community. Some days, there can be a lot of pressure and responsibility to that, but when you’re with four other people that make it as easy as it can be, it’s kind of harmonious.

 

 

 

How did you find Athletic Brewing non-alcoholic beer and the Athletic Brewing Ambassador program?

 

I think some 20 years ago when I started developing that party personality that stuck around for a little bit too long, I thought non-alcoholic beer was worthless. I never put it into perspective.

 

The first one that I tried was hop water when I was in Texas, training for professional baseball open trials. I got attached to the hop water. I loved it … I still consumed alcohol, but that was the way I realized I felt better without alcohol.

 

Athletic first came to me three years ago. Someone offered it to me. It was a Run Wild, and I thought that someone maybe unintentionally had given me a beer because it tasted so good.

 

When I double-checked, I was like, wow, this is an NA beer. I started searching for more, and the Upside Dawn Golden was the next one I had. Then Free Wave. I was like, OK, this is fantastic.

 

A buddy of mine announced his ambassadorship two years ago. I started learning about Athletic Brewing’s story a little bit more. I felt like there was an opportunity to get this into our community and to the barbershop.

 

I saw the social media post about accepting new ambassador applications. I screenshot all of those application questions, and I tried to answer these questions with the most honesty that I could give. I wrote down my answers, and I filed it … and didn’t hear anything. I was like, that’s OK, I hope that they read this and that they know there’s someone who cares about their product.

 

Then, I got set up to talk about a potential Athletic sponsorship with disc golf. It went really well, and we set up another meeting, and then I got an email saying I’d been accepted into the ambassador program. It felt like it was all coming together. I was like: I’m going to do the most with this as I can.

 

I really appreciate the opportunities Athletic is creating for people and that Athletic has given people so many options. Seeing that moment when people put away their predisposed thoughts on what an NA beer is, and they see it as something that they are just enjoying with a friend – it doesn’t matter what’s in the can … there isn’t a compromise.

 

 

 

What are some of your proudest achievements?

 

The first thing that came to my mind was my son. The second thing was removing alcohol from my life because I knew that I’d never be the best version of a dad that I could be for him if I continued.

There was never a rock bottom for me, which I’m so grateful for. It took away the headaches in the morning after going out for a night and not having patience. I think that it finally took that crutch away and made me learn to deal with whatever I was going through that would not allow me to have patience or be understanding. But I was like, you know what, these headaches and feeling like crap after going out for a night, it’s not worth it anymore. Putting him first is my greatest achievement.

 

 

Do you have any bucket list races, events, or achievements you'd like to attain one day?

 

I would love to cut hair in Europe for a disc golf event. That’s top of my list right now. They’re the best and most beautiful courses in the world, and to be a part of that would be unbelievable.

 

My son really wants to be drafted as a professional basketball player, so I would love to be at his draft conference someday.

 

 

What is your favorite recovery food?

 

After a tournament – my trainer’s gonna be disappointed – I want cheese curds, a bacon double cheeseburger, and root beer from Culver’s. That, or I want Lou Malnatti’s … or any type of carb and cheese.

But if I am talking to my trainer, then I want a really nice protein shake that I’m using water and not super fatty milk in, and I make sure I put my fiber supplement and other good things in it to recover. But that is strictly pandering to my trainer because I don’t actually want that.

 

 

What do you like to do on rest days?

 

Rest days are rare, and that’s my fault. I do need to embrace those. If I’m not working, I’m trying to plan a disc golf event or a meeting to improve my chances of getting noticed for what we’re doing. I like to play guitar. I’ve been teaching myself the piano. I have two cats that are really sweet, so they get more attention.

 

I watch a lot of YouTube videos on how to make my disc golf throwing form better. I like to play basketball with my son. And I like to plan trips based on where my favorite tattoo artists are located. I love traveling and getting tattoos.

 

 

 

What gets you up and out of bed every day?

 

Usually, three to four snoozes will get me out of bed. But … no, I think it’s the opportunity to learn. We’re given so much stimulus and so much information every single day that constantly challenges our world views, and that gives us the opportunity to expand it or narrow it.

 

I think that I really appreciate the opportunity to hear so many different views every day. Even if I disagree with some of them, I am constantly being held accountable for how I present myself. I get so many opportunities to take little pieces from all my clients.

 

I think it all comes down to how I can better myself to teach my son. If I could just identify one goal that I have for the rest of my life, it’s to put my son in a position to succeed, to feel confident about who he is as a person, and to have that same energy and bandwidth to give to everybody else, no matter what they look like, who they are, who they want to love, or who they stand up for.

 

I get up every single day so I can learn to be a better person so I can give him a better life.

 

 

What does living a life #FitForAllTimes mean to you?

 

I think it’s just becoming really honest with yourself and being able to showcase that without a lot of disguises. I think that living a life where you’re able to do that really starts with yourself, and that’s understanding I don’t need certain substances to be liked, or I don't need to be agreeable, I need to be confident, I need to set boundaries, I need to respect boundaries, and I need to be more open and willing to hear about other people’s perspectives.

 

I think that when we set aside our expectations for other people, or at least differentiate them from the expectations that we have for ourselves, I think it gives us a much better opportunity to help people succeed.

 

Measuring success not on what you have in your apartment or your home or the car you drive, but focusing more on how safe people feel around you is living a life like that.

 

 

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