Hi from a fellow introvert. I began hairdressing in 2009 and to say I was nervous and anxious is an understatement. I am a shy person, so I found it hard to begin with. Although as my training went on I became very confident in my abilities. Which I think helped me overcome a lot of my anxieties in general. So after a few years of getting used to being a stylist, I got to a point where I felt really comfortable behind the chair. But, still not quite as comfortable as the extroverts around me. I was still the quieter one (I say was, as I took a break from hair in 2019, I’m recently beginning to go mobile) my boss would quite abruptly tell me I need to talk more.. the thing is I did talk enough, sometimes she would walk in see me zone out for a second. And because I am a quiet person in general, she just assumed I was ignoring my client which was not the case. I was targeted for it a lot. But, as I had a loyal clientele I didn’t understand her problem. She didn’t spend much time there so she wouldn’t know! Anyway, that pressure from my boss made me hate the environment and resulted in my break. My clients always returned to me, I had a good amount of returning clientele, so I just didn’t know what more she wanted from me. I found it easy to pretend to be confident in the end. What I didn’t find easy, was not being myself and pretending to be a very loud over the top personality. It’s just not me. I think it’s ok to be on the quieter side, as long as you at least try to engage in a conversation, confidently consultate, and just try your best to keep a conversation flowing. Also not all clients want a very chatty stylist, so knowing when and when not to push a convo too hard is also something to be learnt.