Wellness is a broad idea and means something different to everybody. The wellness industry includes salons like Starling Salon, but when you branch out, you’ll find other health and fitness ideas. If you keep branching, you’ll find Kate Davis climbing a mountain with her dog. Her idea of wellness might start in a salon, but she believes there’s so much more to keep your body and mind healthy. That’s why she’s such a valuable artist; her wealth of knowledge extends beyond loving your hair.
If you’re lucky enough to hear Kate’s full story, you’ll agree she’s one balanced person. Don’t let her well-natured energy fool you, though, she’s a real risk-taker. “I never want fear to hold me back, I think that makes people miss out on life,” she says, with a list of mountains she’s climbed and bold life choices she’s made to prove it. Maybe she’ll tackle life coaching next since she’s mastered the art of burning the candle at both ends. She cherishes her inner circle of family and friends and casual mountain mornings, but she’s not the wonder-what-if type.
Unsurprisingly, family is important to her. “My brothers are, hands down, my best friends. We’re three peas in a pod.” She visits her family twice a year and talks to her mom every week, but never regrets her decision to hightail it out of Ohio at 18 years old. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.
She seeks out charities supporting causes she’s passionate about. Who doesn’t want their favorite people, places, and things funded for continued enjoyment? You might say that about your current friends, in which case, it sounds like you know some other great people. Kudos! Kate focuses on anything preserving the outdoors or sheltering animals. “It’s such an impactful thing, and it’s so small for me to do. It’s a couple of hours of my day, but it can impact a portion of their life.”
After all that giving, this extravert still makes emotional space for her guests at the salon. Building someone’s confidence, “they come in feeling one way and leave feeling much better,” she says drew her to the industry. That, and the creativity behind constructing such mathematical aesthetics. She fills her social battery at work, catching up with all the guests she’s befriended, and then refills her cup in nature with her dog.
Speaking of nature, did you know she’s conquered 37 Fourteeners, and counting? Most of those with a fluffy mountain dog by her side. That kind of progress would put some die-hard Coloradans to shame, but Kate cut into those jagged mountains in only six years as a Denverite. Living in Lexington, Nashville, and Atlanta might explain the allure Colorado holds over anyone with a fascination for the outdoors. Kate explains, after those cities, “I did a backpacking trip through Rocky Mountain National Park in my 20s and realized I want to live here. I saved up for about a year, paid off everything, and then moved out here when I was 32.”
Not without Zeke, of course. Everyone knows Mighty Moose, Kate’s adventure companion, but Zeke was adventure companion 1.0. He traveled with Kate from state to state and mountain to mountain, but after more than twelve years with his favorite human, he passed away much too soon. Adventure companion 2.0, aka Mighty Moose, stepped in to keep the adventures flowing. Their excursions are so iconic they have over four thousand followers on Instagram (Moose is still working on how to post without opposable thumbs, so please be patient with him). With or without social media, this is one inseparable duo.
Naming her favorite place is tough, but if you’re wandering around Glacier National Park in Montana or Banff National Park in Canada, you might keep your eyes peeled for a dark-haired girl and her friendly pup.
Kate’s ideal day starts early. On top of a gorgeous mountain. With her dog. That day might follow her all over the hiking trails, but it ends around a campfire. With beer and friends. And her dog. Anyone nodding their head in agreement might consider their second favorite day: a haircut day with Kate Davis while talking about that first day. A healthy mind and body are important to plenty of Denverites, which is why they live right next to the mountains. Wouldn’t an artist invested in the same thing be the cherry on top?
View Kate’s pricing here.
Check out Moose’s solo work on Instagram here.
I loved this feature article. It was so nice how it tied what helps her mental health ties to her helping her customers mental health. Stylist are so much more than that to a regular customer. Kate truly has a bubbly and friendly personality. She is the real deal.