Meet Lizzie Leigh Horan | Hairstylist, Salon Owner & Psychonaut.

Taking a leap of faith invites the universe to deliver what you really want in life. Risk taking is essential for a life filled with growth and expansion, which in my worldview is the whole point of the journey we are on. We go about our lives gathering knowledge and experience we hopefully polish into wisdom along the way. Looking back and reflecting on my choices, all of the best things came into my life as a result of taking risks.

Life is a flow of events that blend the energy of one moment into the next. Ideas come, while needs, desires, and circumstances all continuously change. As life flows, options and choices present themselves either through seeking or happenstance. Many of the risks I have taken seemed like the next best steps. The risks I share here have all led me to experience exponential growth both personally and professionally.

Learning to trust myself was the biggest risk worth taking. It is the foundation of all my success—But it didn’t happen overnight! I had a shaky relationship with self-trust for some time. I went through a dark night of the soul in my early 30s, eventually hitting rock bottom. My physical, mental, and emotional health was in a bad way. I truly thought I was broken and beyond fixing. I have deep gratitude for this period of time now, as it spawned massive changes in my life—but man was it difficult! I knew I needed to do something different in order to feel different. In October of 2016, I responded to a spiritual call from within and took a giant leap of faith. I went to the Amazon jungle for a month to work with a group of indigenous healers. Through the ceremonial use of Ayahuasca and the hard work of highly knowledgeable and skilled Shamans, I was able to clear heavy energies, restructure my thinking patterns, and heal physically, mentally, and emotionally. Overall, there was a massive internal shift that allowed me to realign with my true nature as a spirit having a fleshy experience. (*I feel the need to insert a caveat:While Ayahuasca has become more widely available, it is important that the healers who are working with it come from a lineage and have high integrity. There are many charlatans practicing with this sacred and powerful medicine who are doing harm.)

Just before leaving for Peru, I became really scared, and was feeling insecure about traveling alone. I was fearful of what I might discover about myself. I was afraid to face the emotional, physical, and spiritual discomfort as well as the burden of responsibility with new information. What would surface with all the buried feelings I had compartmentalized over the years? If I wasn’t willing to really look at this stuff and learn to be with it, how was I ever going to feel different? When I expressed my fears to my partner, he gave me the best piece of advice I have ever received. As he held me he said, “It’s ok to be scared—do it anyway.” I knew it was my path forward. Taking this trip changed me in profound ways. I had to work hard at integrating and the changes took time to root but once they did, they were overwhelmingly positive. In the long term, I have gained more presence and have experienced less stress. I have expanded my capacity for joy, which can now coexist with my pain and grief. I have room for all of my feelings, and my feelings do not scare me anymore. It has become easier to not take things personally, and I generally experience more awareness overall.

Following my time in Peru, I returned to Brooklyn where I had been living for the previous 16 years. When I reconnected with my friends there was a new awkwardness, like my rhythm had changed while their rhythm remained in harmony. The city’s general intensity felt overwhelming after having my heart energetically cracked open in the Amazon. New York was no longer the place for me. This prompted another choice point—my partner and I decided to move to Los Angeles. This risk felt so big! I wasn’t just leaving a city; I was leaving my home, along with my mother and sister on the East Coast. I was also a very successful hairstylist who was fully booked with a large and diverse clientele. I had a big group of friends, and a rent stabilized apartment. On paper things were great! But I knew there was more for me, even though I didn’t know what “more” looked like.

In January of 2017, my partner and I switched coasts, landing in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. It was a beautiful new start. I didn’t have any strong existing relationships in LA which allowed me this amazing sense of freedom from being compared to any previous versions of myself. I established many new habits and ways of being within this sense of freedom. The move was not without its challenges though! As a hairstylist moving is rough; it means rebuilding your entire client base. It takes time to build a clientele, and even more time for your clientele to reflect your personality and specific skill set. I had been working at the same shop for three and a half years when the pandemic hit. I was just starting to feel that I had enough clients to make moves, and was very casually looking at rental spaces in which to open my own salon. My timeline got expedited because of the pandemic. I was sharing the current salon with seven other stylists, a receptionist, and an assistant. I didn’t feel safe working with so many bodies in the room when there was so much unknown about the virus, and it didn’t feel right bringing clients there if I myself didn’t feel safe. I started to look at spaces with more intention. I happened to find a sweet little space that was everything I had hoped for. I wondered if opening my own space during a pandemic would be one of my best decisions, or one of the worst. I knew that I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by because I would always wonder ‘what if’? I had to take the risk! It turns out this was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made! I love working for myself! I answer to no one else; I let go of clients that are not a good fit; I only work on adults; I make my own schedule; I take time off whenever it suits me; and I can play music without compromising. I am living my dream life.

For me, risk calculation is based on taking in information, seeing how said risk feels in my heart, and waiting for an affirming sensation or lack thereof in my gut. I imagine the future of what taking the risk would look like and feel like in my life. I imagine myself as an old person reflecting back on taking or not taking the risk. I weigh the pros and cons and then come back to feeling it out emotionally. It has been my experience that the more I trust myself, the more proficient I become at succeeding in risks. I am also more prepared to take risks having accumulated experience and resources. Along the way I have discovered a wider berth for navigating the hard times more gracefully. I am fortified and grounded. I have come to know and love myself deeply. I carry less judgment and I have more compassion. I am proud of myself. I feel capable and happy. I know that no matter what consequences my decisions have, I will be able to navigate whatever comes, which makes taking risks easier. I have learned to go in with grace, surrender and trust that it will work out. It might look different than I imagined but the vision should have room to breathe. When taking all of the risks I have discussed, I was following my heart and magic happened. Taking risks is all about expansion. This is how babies learn to walk. It is how ideas come to fruition. Many folks do not want to take risks because they fear failure, whereas people who have gotten comfortable taking risks simply see failure as part of the journey towards success.

I think I went into a lot of this before, but I will add that I have been doing hair since 2009. I had to work my ass off to get where I am now. I could not even tell you how many hours of free services I have done, to learn a color line or new application techniques. I really care about what I do and I genuinely love to connect with people. I am not one for exchanging lots of small talk as I find it uninteresting and draining. I am totally comfortable in silence, but I tend to be very curious about the folks who land in my chair. I want to know what is in their heart. I want to hear what struggles they are dealing with, what they have overcome. I want to help them feel confident and inspired. I want people to know that they can change the way they think and feel. I try to embody all my best qualities and have the intention to keep Divine love in my heart when I work on people. Its benefits are twofold; it is healing to receive and it helps protect me from accumulating other people’s energy.

A fantasy friend visit is so fun to plan! Realistically this is more than I would have energy for in a week, but There are so many places I love in the city.
On Sunday I would take my friend to one of my favorite local lunch spots called Wax Paper. Their sandwiches are so good, and different from any other sandwich you’ve had before. Then I would drive by the Spadena House, which is a cartoonishly adorable little witchy house in Beverly Hills. Next we would head to a weekly silent disco dance party on the beach in Venice called Ecstatic Dance LA. That party wraps around 3, so we would meander Venice for a bit, find some food and head back.

On Monday we would stop by Rick’s Produce in Virgil Village and grab a date shake, some fruit, guacamole and chips and drive our camper van to Malibu to lay in the sand and snack on the beach. After our fill of sun we would hit up Broad Street Oyster Co. for a lobster roll on the way back home.

On Tuesday we could get lunch at Honey Hi in Echo park, after that, head to Pasadena to check out my favorite bookstores; Vroman’s, which is my 90s book store dream come true! And Alexandria II, a spiritual book store with an amazing selection. They happen to be right around the corner from each other. Then we could go thrift shopping around the east side, hitting up Olympic Thrift, Sunday’s Best, Second Time Around & Son of a Vet. Afterwards we could grab the best burritos in LA from Burritos La Palma in Boyle Heights. These burritos are small and filled with stewed meat, beans and cheese, or all of those things. On our way back we could stop at Bar Bandini in Echo Park for some delicious natural wine.

On Wednesday we would split a garbage pie and chopped veggie salad at Hail Mary in Atwater, then go walk around Amir’s Garden in Griffith Park. It’s a succulent maze garden at the top of a dirt road. Maybe I would read their Tarot cards there if they were into it. From there we could head to Frogtown and check out one of my favorite vintage stores, The Left Bank on Fletcher, then pop across the street to Salazar for some dinner and cocktails.

On Thursday we might book a room at The Freehand and hang out on the roof by the pool all day, and keep it lowkey and order dinner from Sonoratown. You can never have too many tacos, but these are my favorite in LA.

On Friday go by Clark Street Bread and get some challah bread (only on Fridays), olive focaccia and chai lattes. From there we would head to Olvera St. Market, near downtown. There we could check out all the Mexican wares, feasting our eyes on all the textiles and colors. We would probably eat some street tacos, and then in the evening we could check out the Short Stop or The Echo and see if there was any dancing going on.

On Saturday grab lunch at a fish taco spot called Playita Mariscos on Sunset in Silver Lake. From there we could grab a coffee at Dayglow and walk down Sunset toward Crossroads, another vintage store I love. We would check out the cute shops along the way. On our way back we could stop in for a drink at Tiki-Ti before making our way to dinner at Pine and Crane to order their beef noodle soup, spicy shrimp wontons and scallion pancakes.

Major shout out to my wonderful partner James Bolenbaugh who is a solid loving presence and creative wizard! He built my salon for me single handedly and has been so supportive in making my dreams come true. The Temple of the Way of Light is the retreat center I write about visiting in the Amazon. It is located in Iquitos, Peru. Major shoutout to that collective in my personal story! I have been down to their facility twice now, once in 2016 and again in 2021. I have received profound wisdom and healing each visit. I would not be who I am without James or the Temple.