Uncle Eshawn

In Episode 9 of Uncle Eshawn , I reflect on the ability to pivot when life refuses to follow the plan we created. There’s a saying: “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” I’m beginning to understand that everything placed in our way is not necessarily there to defeat us. Some obstacles redirect us, strengthen us and teach us how to navigate circumstances we never expected to face. Sometimes p...

In this episode of Uncle Eshawn , I sit down with my teacher, Jay Mahmood, to meet the man behind the precision. Jay shares his journey from growing up in London and entering Vidal Sassoon at only 16 to becoming an internationally respected educator and building the Jay Mahmood Advanced Academy in the Bay Area. We discuss how he discovered his gift for teaching, why he chose to create a career bey...

Coming back home after two weeks away gave me a little too much time to think. On this solo episode of Uncle Eshawn , I’m talking about the weight that comes with always being the responsible one—the person people depend on, the person expected to figure it out, and the person who doesn’t always get the luxury of falling apart. I get a few things off my chest, talk about getting back into my routi...

I’m back from Chicago and France, and we have a lot to catch up on. This episode begins with the full trip recap—from visiting the Obama Presidential Center and watching Ye perform in Chicago to experiencing Nice, Saint-Tropez and Paris for the first time. I’m talking about the food, fashion, luxury, culture and watching JAY-Z celebrate 30 years of music in a Paris stadium. More importantly, I’m r...

In this episode, I sit down with Emmanuel Blackwell III — photographer, film processor, entrepreneur, and founder of SWAP FILM . Blackwell’s story starts in San Francisco’s Mission District, where photography became part of his life through family. From inheriting his grandfather’s camera, to learning how to develop film from his uncle, to eventually building a Black-owned film lab and creative co...

Their story starts at Terra Nova High School , where Rheema Calloway and Ronnishia Johnson-Hasan met as teenagers and staged their first sit-in after experiencing discrimination from a teacher. That moment would become the beginning of a friendship rooted in much more than just having fun together. They became best friends, danced together in the well-known Bay Area dance group Sick Wit It , and e...

Before barber content became an industry, before tutorials filled our timelines, and before every barber had a camera pointed at the chair, there were people figuring out how to use the internet to teach the craft. For me, one of those people was Randy. Long before we ever met, I knew his work. His haircut tutorials were part of the videos I studied while learning how to cut hair—without me even r...

Season 2 started with The Slash —the idea that none of us are defined by just one title. This week, I’m unpacking one of the earliest parts of mine: photography. It started with my friend Tristan. Before I ever owned a professional camera, we would take his dad’s camera and head out into San Francisco to shoot. Those days gave me my first real introduction to photography and helped spark something...

Last season, I introduced you to the barber in me. This season, I want to introduce you to the rest of me. When people ask what I do, the answer is simple: I’m a barber. But that title has never told the whole story. Barbering gave me a career, but photography gave me a voice. Podcasting gave me a place to ask questions. Traveling gives me perspective. Gardening slows me down. Cooking teaches me p...

For the first time this season, I trade places with the guest. Instead of asking the questions, I’m answering them. Joined by my longtime friend Samantha, someone who’s known me since we met at the Apple Store in 2008, we reflect on the journey of creating Season One, the conversations that shaped it, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. We also revisit parts of my childhood, growing up bet...

Episode 9: Three Pillars Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with three men whose stories are deeply connected to a chapter of San Francisco barbering that helped shape my journey. In this episode, I reflect on my conversations with Robert Harlin, Anton, and Ken—three individuals who each played a different role in the legacy of Chicago’s Barbershop. From mentorship and l...

In Episode 8 of Uncle Eshawn, I sit down with barber and longtime Chicago’s Barbershop veteran Ken. We talk about his journey into barbering, the relationships that shaped him, his time at Chicago’s, helping build Attention to Detail, and what ultimately brought him back home. Along the way, we discuss loyalty, growth, mentorship, friendship, and the lessons learned from navigating different chapt...

In Episode 7 of Uncle Eshawn, I sit down with barber, entrepreneur, and Attention to Detail founder Anton. We talk about his journey into barbering, his years at Chicago’s Barbershop, the leap of faith it took to build his own shop, and the influence he’s had on a generation of Bay Area barbers. We also discuss barber culture, representation, ownership, and what it means to leave your mark on an i...

For the first guest episode of Uncle Eshawn, I sit down with my mentor, Robert Harlin, owner of Chicago’s 2 Barbershop in San Francisco. Over the course of this conversation, Rob shares his journey from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles and eventually San Francisco, where he would go on to become one of the city’s most respected barbers and business owners. We talk about his early life, discovering...

In Episode 5 of Uncle Eshawn, I reflect on the barbers, mentors, peers, and personalities that helped shape me — not just as a barber, but as a man, creative, and business owner. This episode is about influence, mentorship, competition, friendship, and the lessons passed down through barbershop culture. From Chicago’s Barbershop to the people who sharpened me through conversation, pressure, style,...

Episode 4 picks up where Part 1 left off. In this episode, I talk about my experience in barber college, the relationships and insecurities that shaped me early on, and eventually stepping into Chicago’s Barbershop — an environment that pushed me creatively, professionally, and personally. This episode is about pressure, growth, identity, mentorship, and trying to find your place while building co...

In Episode 3 of Uncle Eshawn, I take you through the beginning of my barber journey and the path that led me here. Before the barbershop, before the podcast, and before becoming my own boss, I was trying to figure out who I was and what kind of life I wanted to build. I talk about growing up in the foster system, wanting to become a social worker, working at the Apple Store, working at the airport...

In Episode 2 of Uncle Eshawn, I talk about the role and responsibility behind the name. This episode is about becoming a guardian, growing into responsibility, and learning how life can change the way you move through the world. I reflect on identity, pressure, discipline, family, and what it means to show up for someone outside of yourself.

In the first episode of Uncle Eshawn, I’m introducing myself and the mindset behind starting this podcast. I talk about taking a leap of faith, asking for forgiveness instead of permission, and stepping into something new without waiting for everything to be perfect. I also break down the different identities I’ve built over time , from Furious $tyles to SFzoo — and how they all connect to who I a...