Ex-convict finds success as barber, motivational speaker

In the almost five years since Rhinelander local Josh Newman was arrested and jailed for meth possession, he got his cosmetology license, started his own barbering and motivational speaking business, and most recently, set up shop at The Muse Salon, where he hopes to inspire clients with his life story.

"The support is unreal," Newman said on a busy weekday between haircuts. "I couldn't imagine five years ago that I could even have a place in my community, let alone a spot where I can advocate for people who struggled with the same kind of things as me, drug addiction and mental health."

Now 30 years old and over two years sober, Newman is amazed at the new life he's created for himself and wants to share his story because "you never know who's listening or who's going to take something away from it," he said.

"Being quiet isn't useful to anybody, so I'm willing to make myself uncomfortable for other people because I want them to know that it's okay if you screw up...you can still have a life. I'm living proof of it," Newman added.

Breaking bad

After being expelled from Rhinelander High School, Newman attended the Wisconsin Challenge Academy, an alternative education program designed to reclaim the lives of at-risk youth.

"I was just a bad kid, man. It was continuous. I got into a fight at school, and it was kind of the last straw moment," Newman said.

But he didn't hit rock bottom until years later, in 2020, after being arrested for methamphetamine possession with intent to deliver.

Unexpected inspiration

In jail, he realized his passion for barbering. "It's weird, going back, I kind of remember different signs, like, 'Oh, yeah, I think I could do hair, I think I could get into it,’’ Newman recalled. “But while incarcerated, that's where I appreciated it. Some of the best men's haircuts I've ever seen in my entire life were in prison, and some of the best artists I've ever seen.”

"I was down a track where it was my second time in prison within a very short amount of time, and I knew my life was stuck in this revolving door," he said. "I knew that if I was going to sit in prison for the rest of my life, I at least wanted a job while I was in there."

So, he started pursuing barbering and learned different techniques. Eventually, he completed an earned release program to get out early.

Making plans

“It was a six-month intensive rehab program in Chippewa Falls, and they help you build a plan to get released back into society, and I chose to do barbering,” Newman said.

He planned to attend Nicolet College in Rhinelander because he knew they had a cosmetology program. To maintain his sobriety and avoid falling back into familiar but toxic patterns, he signed up for school upon release from prison in 2022.

“I knew that the day I went there and just did it, it was something that would change my life,” Newman said.

He’s got skills

At school, Newman realized he not only loved barbering but that he was good at it. "When I was in school, I was asked to join a cosmetology competition, and I was like, 'Hell, no! I can't do that. You're just setting me up to be embarrassed,'" he said.

But he did it — and won first place in the barbering competition at the 50th annual SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference in Madison, which allowed him to compete nationally. "I was able to go to Atlanta, and I got seventh place in the nation, out of 37 states and Puerto Rico," Newman said proudly.

Full circle

Newman graduated from Nicolet College in April 2023, exactly one year from the day he was released from prison. He also gave the commencement address in the Hodag Dome at the high school where he was expelled as a teenager.

“It was very intense,” Newman said of the full circle moment. “It was my first time telling my story on a big level. I knew that I wasn’t just speaking for myself anymore. I knew that I was going to be creating a new platform for myself and that it was going to [create] new forms of pressure. It was probably the bravest thing I’ve ever done.”

Making connections

Since then, Newman has continued to tell his story. He used to work as a receptionist at Fantastic Sam's, and his background often came up in conversation.

“People were pretty curious why there was a giant man with tattoos at a hair salon with a bunch of little old ladies, and I'd just tell them, this is a step in my journey,” he humbly recalled.

It turned out to be a step in the right direction because his time there led him to the idea for his business, Cutz with Connection.

When Jason Bertrand, currently the Laona School District middle and high school principal, brought his kids in for a haircut, he and Newman started chatting.

“He was like, ‘Hey, you should come in and be a speaker at our school,’ so I went there and spoke. I had a lot of good reviews. I brought one of my friends with me to take pictures, and I was like, ‘I want to make this something, and I want to call it Cutz with Connection because I want to connect with all walks of life,’” Newman said.

He also had an opportunity to cut hair and inspire inmates at the Vilas County Jail when the jail administrator, William Weiss, stopped in the salon.

From there, he created a logo and a website, and Newman was off and running in his career as both a barber and motivational speaker. “I started to put all my time into the side business, knowing that it would eventually become a barber shop or something like I’m doing right now,” he said.

Finding his muse

Newman recently celebrated the opening of Cutz with Connection at The Muse Salon in Rhinelander.

“The support from the community is absolutely wild, and not just our community. I’ve got people driving from neighboring towns, neighboring counties, all the way from an hour away,” Newman said, still in disbelief.

He specializes in modern and traditional barbering and has experience cutting ethnic hair. He loves to go the extra mile for his clients. “I put in a lot of effort to the small details,” he said, such as adding a treatment along with a cut.

He also aims for good communication and connection. “I named my business Cutz with Connections because my favorite part of my job is connecting with my people.”

Clean slate

On Christmas Eve, Newman celebrated being off probation for the first time in eight years. “I spent my first night off probation in my new home, with an entire new life ahead of myself. It’s a clean slate. It was the coolest feeling ever,” he said.

As he moves forward, he knows not everything will be perfect, but today, he has the coping skills to manage life as it unfolds.

“Life is gonna happen. But being able to understand that and be grateful for what I do have, since I’ve lost so much, man, it’s been unreal. I have to stop and assess my life almost every single day. I just try to be positive and grateful.”

For a fresh cut — and maybe a fresh perspective — Newman is available at The Muse Salon, 905 Lincoln St.; 715-600-2266.