About Jannie Lam

Throughout her 35 years of professional experience, Jannie has shown a genuine gift for bringing out the best in people. She has revealed the inner and outer beauty of thousands of clients with her proven talents as an internationally trained hairstylist, salon manager, entrepreneur and masterful life coach.

Originally from Hong Kong, Jannie moved with her family to Canada in the early 1970s, settling in Victoria, British Columbia, where she began her career in hairstyling. She developed a loyal clientele and found her natural element in the top salons of Victoria. In time, her success was measured in the purchase of a nifty sports car. In the late '70s, you could often have seen her driving her sporty blue Triumph TR6 around Victoria, and up to a hilltop where she would look out over the ocean and dream, restless to leave her familiar life and explore whatever adventures the world had to offer.

In 1980, Jannie took a planned 6-month leave of absence from her secure, comfortable career in Victoria and made a break for Australia. She packed one bag, less than $1000, and her favourite pair of scissors. Her motto could have been: "Have scissors, will travel," as those six months stretched into nearly twenty years.

In London, Jannie advanced her education at Vidal Sassoon. From there, her hairstyling talents and daring taste for adventure took her on a long tour across four continents, through some of the best salons in the world. She worked as the manager of salons in Sydney, Australia and styled hair for tribal women in Samoa. She set up the first European chain salons in China. As an entrepreneur in Berlin, she won the prestigious "Excellence in Service Award" from the Berlin International Women's Club. 
Through it all, Jannie's scissors went along, taking on a kind of talismanic power, providing a way to communicate with others when there was no language in common. Her extraordinary skill with her scissors brought joy to others, and led to all kinds of life-enriching adventures, including an unforgettable visit with a hill tribe in Thailand. 

Finally, in 1998, the time was right for Jannie to come home to Canada. She settled in Vancouver and followed her new direction — coaching. She trained at the Coaches Training Institute in California, completing an extensive leadership program and became a Certified Professional Co-active Coach.

Jannie's mission is to bring professional coaching to the hairstyling industry. As a team building expert and motivational speaker, she has led workshops in leadership development, teamwork and effective communication skills, bringing positive change to all levels of employees at Suki's International salon, in Vancouver.

Through her global travels and experience of many different cultures, Jannie's creativity and spirituality have grown and ripened as she has become a true citizen of the world. Her roots may be Chinese, but she is cosmopolitan, with a deep appreciation of the diverse cultures in which she has lived and worked. Her love of communicating and interacting with people is apparent to everyone she meets.