Azita, 44, shares her true life story…
As I massaged conditioner into my client’s hair, she lifted her sleeve to reveal a dark purple bruise.
“My boyfriend did it,” she whispered sadly.
I was horrified.
“You deserve respect,” I insisted. “This isn’t love.”
We chatted some more and I got her to see that there were ways she could escape and move on with her life.
Ever since I’d started working as a hairdresser 20 years earlier, I found clients really opened up to me.
Once they sat in my chair, they seemed to confess all their problems.
WATCH: Celebrities talk about the difference between a controlling partner and an affectionate one.
I’m easy to talk to, but I also suspect my life experiences made me more empathetic. For 22 years I was married to a physically and emotionally abusive man.
I’d been with him since I was 17 and he was all I had.
“You’re so stupid,” he’d tell me. “You’re not good for anything.”
He’d punch and slap me, not caring if the bruises showed, then buy me flowers and apologise.
I really believed I was nothing without him.
My clients really open up to me.
One night he got drunk and his violence escalated.
“I’ll kill you and send your bones to your mother,” he threatened.
I cowered in fear until he fell asleep, then went to the police station.
I was granted an AVO and he was sentenced to a one-year good behaviour bond.
Eventually, I worked up the courage to leave him for good and took our daughters Newsha, 19, and Niloofar, 13, with me – I had to show them that they should never put up with abusive behaviour.
After that, I threw myself into hairdressing.
One day I was dyeing another client’s hair when she started telling me about her troubled marriage.
WATCH: Turkish TV aired this segment about how best to cover bruises left by domestic violence. Around 40% of Turkish women have suffered from physical violence at some time in their lives.
“I think seeing a counsellor would really help you,” I suggested.
“I could never tell my secrets to a stranger,” she argued.
As I shut up shop that night, I thought about how much I loved helping my clients and how comfortable they felt with me.
Why don’t I become a counsellor?
For a moment I was hit with self-doubt: ‘You’re not smart enough’ I thought, but that was my husband’s voice, not mine.
You can book for a counselling appointment in my salon.
So I enrolled in a course and three years later, I became a certified life coach and hypnotherapist. I’m also about to finish a degree in psychotherapy.
I loved hairdressing too much to give it up so I’ve opened an office in my salon, Bebe’s Hair and Beauty, where people can book in for counselling.
But most clients still choose to chat while I do their hair.
Sessions can be emotional, but they always walk away feeling lighter – I’m so glad I can use my experiences and skills to help women.
I’m used to helping people love how they look on the outside, but helping them feel beautiful on the inside is the most rewarding thing I’ve done yet.
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