When I first was trying to figure out who to have on the podcast Natalie James was always on the top of my list. I knew she had a story to tell but I didn't exactly know the details.

Her sister-in-law, Dallas James was one my first podcast guests and when I asked Dallas what she thought about having Natalie on the show I received a very enthusiastic "Yes!"

Now that I had the opportunity to sit down with Natalie and hear her story first hand. I feel like she blew away my pre-conceived notions of who she was. Of course that's mainly because I didn't know her all that well, but it's amazing how you formulate a profile of who someone is in your mind when you're not that close... Maybe its BECAUSE you're not that close that you do that.

Now my own perceptions of Natalie were never negative - she's super nice, funny and outgoing. I just didn't know that under the covers there was this type A go getter, who's focused and has a never say die attitude. Natalie has definitely had to overcome some difficult times in her life at a young age. I have no doubt in my mind that certainly contributed to her mental toughness. She's been in the rough and tumble arena of politics, she's also spent time in the non-profit world. She's a mom of 3 kids and wife to a husband in the police service. She's also an entrepreneur who started her own business fairly recently and now she's experiencing the ups and downs of business as only the self employed can.

As Natalie was approaching 40, she found herself evaluating her life. For more than 20 years Natalie had gained valuable experience throughout her long career in politics and not-for-profit, and was fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel and meet various people all across the province and country. Throughout this time, she felt most inspired by the stories of female entrepreneurs, for their sense of adventure and willingness to take risks. They were women from all walks of life who had a vision and were deeply driven by that vision to achieve great things.

Feeling unfulfilled by the predictability of her life path, Natalie set out to take a detour and leave the security of a good job to risk everything she and her husband had achieved for their family. She was determined to succeed and motivated to set an example for her two sons and daughter. Natalie’s desire for meaningful work and her desire to make an impact fuelled her drive to change her life and find ways to help other women along the way. 

In July of 2017, Vent Blow Dry Bar opened its first location in Liberty Village, Toronto. Vent quickly gained momentum and has welcomed thousands of clients from the GTA and visitors from all across the world. Clients who have experienced Vent’s unique approach to affordable luxury and exceptional customer service. 

Contact:

Web:  http://ventblowdrybar.com/ IG: @im.nataliejames or @ventblowdrybar FB: @nataliejamesor @ventblowdrybar 

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