Cut, color, shave ... support? Project trains Georgia hairstylists to be mental health advocates

Yolanda Sterling co-owns Mane Nutrients Natural Hair Salon in Stone Mountain. She is participating in the national Confess Project, which trains stylists and barbers to become mental-health advocates. (Jess Mador/WABE)
Yolanda Sterling co-owns Mane Nutrients Natural Hair Salon in Stone Mountain. She is participating in the national Confess Project, which trains stylists and barbers to become mental-health advocates. (Jess Mador/WABE)

Near the front window of her Stone Mountain salon, longtime hairstylist Yolanda Sterling stands behind the barber chair, talking to a client in the mirror. 

The client is here for the first time to have her hair colored. She is a little nervous. Sterling quickly puts her at ease as she talks through hair color options. 

“Those red and orange tones, those warm tones look really nice, especially when the trees start to change, you get those same kind of elements going on,” she said, “so, I think with your curly hair, it’s going to be gorgeous.”