Meet Ashlee Johnson of Franklin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashlee Johnson

Hi Ashlee, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started doing hair in Southwest Florida in 2019. I have always had an interest in hairstyling, but was always pushed to further my education in college. When I moved to Florida, I thought I would live there forever. It wasn’t until a drive to hair school one day where I was thinking to myself, “is this where I am going to live forever?” Florida was a lonely time for me, but it was a necessary time for me. I found Jesus in Florida at Ocean Church in Estero. The pandemic closed down the schools, prolonging my time in cosmetology school. After doing hair in Florida, I was looking to move. I felt a calling to a place called Franklin, Tennessee. A place I had not been before. I ignored the calling, and I moved to Chicago December of 2021. Looking back, I believe it was the best thing that happened for my career. I was behind the chair for 5 months when I became a master stylist at Aveda. A level that can take people 2+ years to get to. I never felt like I fit in at any salon, but I always kept my head down and focused on my clients. I was in the suburbs of Chicago for 5 months, 10 months into my hair career, when the #1 salon in Downtown Chicago reached out to me and asked if I had been interested in commuting to the city for work. At this time, I was ready. I hit a ceiling at the salon I was at. Working amongst some of the top stylist in the city, at the most beautiful salon I have seen was something I thought would complete me as a person and a stylist. I was going through a lot in my personal life at the time, and this made me feel whole. I learned a year and a half later that Illinois was not for me, and it was time to move. I started praying over it. I contemplated moving back to Florida (who wouldn’t). It wasn’t until Franklin, Tennessee crossed my mind again that I began to pray over it. I started praying about it in January of 2024, and I moved here in July.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been everything but smooth. I had apartments fall through last minute, I had licensing issues. I moved here alone and that can be lonely. Now, I am building up from scratch in a place I don’t know anyone.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a hairstylist. I specialize in extensions, lived-in color, and blondes. I feel like I am known for being meticulous, but also creative. Doing hair is not a one size fits all. Not one toner fits every blonde nor does one placement, and I love taking that and being able to create. I am most proud of my resiliency to keep pushing through. I have been told no a lot, I have lost a lot, I have felt out of place a lot, and I have always gotten up and pushed through.

Any big plans?
I don’t’ know what the Lord holds for me in the future, but I do know He has me focusing where my feet are now. I would love the opportunity to give back in some way using my talent. I would love to eventually create my own foiling brand. Outside of work, I plan to meet someone, get married, and have a family.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lifeinfoils