Recognising Domestic Violence Awareness month, we’re delighted to welcome Susanne founder of Shear Haven. An initiative that champions education and awareness for domestic violence.

Susanne Shepherd Post is a stylist and salon owner based in Nashville, Tennessee. With over 30 years in the beauty industry, she founded Shine Salon in 2004 and has worked with high-profile clients in film, television, music, and sports.

As a survivor of domestic violence, Susanne co-founded the Shear Haven initiative in 2017 with YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee to help others in her profession recognize and respond to signs of abuse. What began as a personal mission to transform her own experience into advocacy has since grown into a global effort. Since launching Shear Haven’s free online training in 2020, more than 130,000 beauty professionals in over 100 countries have been certified.

In 2021, Susanne helped pass legislation in Tennessee requiring domestic violence awareness training for all licensed beauty professionals. Now, she is advocating for the SALONS Stories Act at the federal level, which aims to incentivize states to pass similar laws that would require beauty professionals to receive up to an hour of domestic violence education. Her work seeks to expand these protections nationwide, empowering beauty professionals to recognize and respond to signs of abuse.

Susanne’s work has been featured by NBC News, The Washington Post, CNN, The New York Post, and The Tennessean, and she has received several honors, including the Hands on Nashville Strobel Award and the Purple Ribbon Award for Survivor of the Year.

She lives with her husband and two children in Franklin, Tennessee.

https://shearhaventraining.org