From Dirty Waters to the World Stage- Byrd Mena on Branding, Giving Back, and Going Global

About this episode

Byrd Mena shares his journey from humble beginnings in Waterbury to becoming a global brand builder in the hair industry.

Byrd Mena... From a Basement in Waterbury to Stages Around the World Byrd Mena (@byrdmena) is one of the most original minds in the hair industry. Venezuelan roots. Connecticut hustle. Third degree black belt. Call of Duty leaderboard legend. And a brand builder who figured out content creation, community, and global reach before most people knew those were even skills. Fair warning... this one was a blast. Venezuelan food debates, Chuck Norris jokes, a Chuck E. Cheese trauma story, and two guys who walked into the podcast couch as strangers and left as best friends. Plus a special cameo from fellow Venezuelan Alejandra Wolff Pickering (@ale_wlff) who crashed the couch, proved her cachapa credentials, and earned her stamp of approval from Byrd himself. Recorded live at the American Beauty Show in Chicago. Hosted by Corey Gray (@hairdustry), co-hosted by Geno Chapman (@genochapman). Part of our live series sponsored by Serious Business (seriousbusiness.net | January 16-18, 2027, New Orleans). The Origin Story Byrd grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut... the dirty waters... with a barber brother, a hairstylist sister, and a best friend with clippers. He started cutting hair at 13 in a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Corey Gray, Geno Chapman

Guest: Byrd Mena

Topics covered

• branding
• community
• global reach
• hair industry
• content creation
• Venezuelan culture

Keywords

• hair industry
• branding
• Venezuelan culture
• content creation
• American Beauty Show

Sponsors

Serious Business

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Waterbury, Connecticut, Chicago

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