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From Responsibility to Belonging with Winn Claybaugh
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In this episode, From Responsibility to Belonging with Winn Claybaugh, Gina sits down with Winn Claybaugh for a candid conversation about creating families, teams, and workplaces where people feel seen, heard, valued, and genuinely excited to belong.
Winn Claybaugh is dean and co-founder of Paul Mitchell Schools, co-founder of Salty Dawg, author of Be Nice (Or Else!), and host of MASTERS podcast. He helped grow Paul Mitchell Schools from one location to more than 100 while building a culture rooted in purpose, generosity, belonging, and giving back.
Growing up as one of eight children, Winn learned responsibility, contribution, and community from a mother who believed, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” Those early lessons would later shape the way he leads.
Then, when his daughter was just three years old, she said something he never forgot: “Daddy, you love your phone more than me.”
Winn immediately wondered: If she feels that way, how do the people I work with feel?
That question opens a much bigger conversation about the culture we create through the way people experience us… at home, at work, and everywhere in between.
Together, Gina and Winn explore what makes people want to contribute rather than simply collect a paycheck, why having a voice matters, and how responsibility, presence, fun, hospitality, and genuine care can create a sense of belonging.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- Why fun and professionalism bring about hospitality
- What separates having a job from believing in a mission
- How fatherhood made Winn a more thoughtful and understanding leader
- Why creating space for people to use their voice matters
- How Winn came to see ADHD and 24 years of sobriety as superpowers
- What storytelling can do that advice often cannot
- Why generosity and giving back are woven into Winn’s definition of success
- How the smallest details can shape whether someone feels valued, welcomed, and part of something
How to Connect with Winn Claybaugh:
Website: www.winnclaybaugh.com
Paul Mitchell Schools: www.paulmitchell.edu
MASTERS by Winn Claybaugh: www.mastersbywinnclaybaugh.com
Paul Mitchell Schools FUNraising: www.paulmitchellschoolsfunraising.org
Instagram: @WinnClaybaugh
Facebook: @WinnClaybaughpage
X: @WinnClaybaugh
YouTube: Winn Claybaugh
If this conversation stirred something in you … pay attention.
The way people experience us — and the way we experience the lives we have built — can reveal what deserves more of our attention.
The Exquisitely Aligned VIP Day is a private, focused experience designed to help you look honestly at where you are, what matters most now, what may no longer fit, and what you want to create next.
Learn more at ExquisitelyAligned.com.
How to Connect with Gina Maier Vincent:
Website: ExquisitelyAligned.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 949-409-5330
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