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Hey Reader,

After attending my first STMNT event last summer, I wrote this in my newsletter:

Months later, STMNT still lives there. And that movement? It's growing.

When I walked into Henkel's office in Culver City on Friday for Cultivating Culture LA, I was surprisingly greeted by many familiar faces. We all talked about how game changing WOS was and how stoked we were to come back for another event.

So what was Cultivating Culture LA?

Hosted at Henkel's office in Culver City, barbers from around the country gathered for a full day experience led by STMNT's Team of US Ambassadors. It seems to be the first in a series of events. Up next? Atlanta, Chicago and maybe NYC.

The morning started with a session led by Vinnie Morey and transitioned to a hands-on class by Brittany Calzada and Drizzy. A big moment was the launch of 3 new STMNT Care products: Shave Gel, Aftershave Lotion and Hydro Shampoo.

Throughout the day, Classic Barber Products had a booth for barbers to pick up products or set up their own wholesale accounts.

(Sidenote: If you're looking for a wholesale partner, highly recommend Classic. I've been using them for years. They're the best.)

One of my favorite parts about STMNT events are the catered meals. They set up tables, feed the people and make space for us to connect with each other. It feels small, but this is where the magic happens. There's something special about breaking bread with people.

After lunch, attendees were split into four groups of 25 where they rotated through four 'pods'. Brittany led one, Renjie another, Neilson & Crew Communications led a media training pod and I led the BarberEVO pod.

Finding your voice

A theme that emerged throughout the day was 'finding your authentic voice'. In my 20 minute-pod, I split attendees into groups of 3 where they had space to practice sharing their voice. A printed handout walked them through an exercise of questions that gave them an opportunity to share their perspective.

As the small groups shared, I walked around and was listening to the different perspectives. These conversations embodied cultivating culture. Conversation and sharing your perspective is engrained in barbershop culture. It only makes sense to make space for it.

I've been to a lot of barber expos and events, attendees can be overwhelmed with a lot of information. They start checking out (and some start falling asleep, let's keep it real.) I've always believed that attendees would benefit from intentional time to process and digest the information. That can come in the form of writing and connecting in small groups.

I was honored to get a chance to lead this session and was really encouraged by the positive feedback. People seemed to really appreciate having the space to connect and share their perspectives.

As I walked around, I was most interested in their answers to the last question.

"In your opinion, as you look around at the industry, what do you think our industry needs the most right now?

Here are some things I heard:

I'm hopeful that events like the World of STMNT and Cultivating Culture are moving us in that direction. They give us a taste of what these spaces can look and feel like. Love, unity, authenticity, transparency, camaraderie. Honestly, feels like a great description of the barbershop when we're at our best.

Grateful to be part of it and to have played a small role in facilitating the space.

I'll end with this quote from Sofie's recent newsletter about the event.

If we haven't met yet, hope our paths will lead us to the same room some time.

Written by: Matthew Mendoza​​
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