mochamagic – Meet the Team

mocha group is made up of a professional team, who have unparalleled combined experience in trade and consumer publishing, events, awards, marketing and PR for the hair, beauty, barber and fashion industry.

Bringing the B2B magazine Beauty Biz to you every second month, not to mention the Australian Beauty Industry Awards, Beauty Squad competition and the mocha angels charity division, we thought we would introduce you to the team behind these much-loved initiatives.

Celebrating a whole new look, new website, more online and social presence and a total re-brand after being in business for 15 years, 2021 seemed the opportune time to share the love and introduce you to the people behind the name!

So…Meet the mocha group Team!

LINDA WOODHEAD. OWNER & FOUNDER

FAST FAV’s

Favourite Destination: Italy and Thailand Favourite

Drink: Red Wine and Margarita Favourite

Book: The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn and the Four Agreements

Favourite Movie: Meet Joe Black and Love Actually

Favourite Music: Everything. I live for music! Loving youtube lives at the moment, especially cool jazz and acoustic tunes.

Favourite Animal: Lion and my crazy wolf dog Kai

Favourite Saying You Live By: Choose Happiness and Kindness and surround yourself only with positive influences

“I emigrated to Australia in 1986 and launched my own publishing company with the first publication being RAVE magazine – A free street press weekly music and entertainment newspaper. We were instrumental in sponsoring and assisting the launch of Big Day Out here in Australia! I went on to own a number of consumer titles including Insight (Spiritual New Age), Work From Home, (Business) and Which Franchising and after selling the business, acted as an independent full time consultant to AHJ Publications in the role of General Manager overseeing the bimonthly journal for the hair industry - the AHJ - for 5 years. I also event managed the Australian Hair Fashion Awards and set up the FAME TEAM here In Australia in association with the British Fellowship. I am a proud single mother to 31-Year-old daughter Kellie (partner in crime at mocha group), and 28-year-old twin boys Jake and Sam, and Nanny Loulou to my 1-year old grandson Sage. I launched mocha group in 2006 – A hair and beauty company offering print and online magazines, events and awards to the hair, beauty and barber industries and am very proud of bringing the hair, beauty and barber industries together collectively for an annual fund-raising campaign in alliance with Samuel Johnson supporting Love Your Sister raising over $150,000 so far. I’ve been known as a business and motivational speaker, am a Reiki Master, Qualified Masseuse and Fire Walker! I live on a beautiful acreage property in the Gold Coast Hinterland with my crazy large dog Kai and the adopted cat Mittens!”

KELLIE WOODHEAD. ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

FAST FAV’s

Favourite Destination: Rapallo, Italy. It is a spot on the Italian coast with crystal clear oceans on beautiful cliffs, a place I will never forget!

Favourite Drink: Sloegroni… or a Tommy’s Margarita… or Wine… Depends on the mood!

Favourite Book: I love a good fantasy novel!

Favourite Movie: Bohemian Rhapsody. Such a heart-warming movie.

Favourite Music: FKJ. Multi-Instrumentalist/ Singer. Loops like a God. LOVE!

Favourite Animal: Dolphin.

Favourite Saying You Live By: Always find the positive.

“My name is Kellie (miss mocha), and I have been working with the boss lady since 2008 (wow…!) Starting off as the girl that got all the tasks that nobody wanted, to self-teaching my way into the world of design and events! I now design the magazines and help run all events alongside my biggest supporter, Linda (Mum!), as well as the rest of the mocha team, my family. On the side, with my partner, Cuba, I also help with the running of our gin bar and restaurant (Covent Garden, Brisbane), as well as an online Gin gift shop! To say I am busy, is an understatement (but I never run out of Gin!) Keeping me grounded, is my very crazy, energetic 1-year old son, Sage. He is my biggest achievement to date, and the reason I keep striving to be the best I can be in business, and in life. My happy place is by the ocean, with the people I love, forever reminding ourselves to stay grounded and positive in this crazy world we live in.”

NINA BARBARA. GROUP SALES MANAGER

FAST FAV’s

Favourite Destination: Beach with my dog

Favourite Drink: Cooper & Smith Merlot

Favourite Book: Flowers in the Attic

Favourite Movie: Too many to name

Favourite Music: Blues, Jazz and Soul

Favourite Animal: My Dog Marley who recently passed and now the new puppy Vinnie.

Favourite Saying You Live By: Be grateful

“I was born in Australia and come from a very musical and adventurous family - pioneers in fact, however I started my hairdressing career in the UK at the age of 15years and 10 months. Finishing my training in Australia at Bryan Krebs Toowong & Kangaroo Point College, Brisbane, I went back to Britain to further my career. On returning to Australia I became the owner of Ravels Hair Design, one of the first salons to open the very first HAIR EXPO at the Sheraton Hotel back in the 80s with a live showcase, in Brisbane before it moved to Sydney. In the mid 90’s I moved across to the publishing side of the Hair industry and worked at The Australian Hairdressers Journal for 10 years. Wanting more knowledge in the small business and business coaching industry I started working alongside Brad Sugars/Action Coaching who went on to launch Kenzi Publishing, publishing franchise, small business & work from home magazines. In the early 2000’s I had also started publishing my own magazine titled ‘Passport to your Local Suburbs.’ A community driven magazine, working in all areas of the community supporting youth, aged care and small businesses; a project I am extremely proud of to this day. Then in 2005 back to my true ‘amore’, the Hair industry and a new adventure with my wonderful friend of 30 years Linda Woodhead. I have been at Mocha now for 15 years enjoying every moment in the role of Group Sales Manager. Oh, and along the way I have managed to have two of the greatest kids on the planet from my first ‘mistake’ sorry ‘marriage’ and have 4 stepchildren with my amazing bestie who I also married… oops don’t forget the 8 grandkids!”

LOUISE MAY. EDITOR FOR HAIR BIZ AND BEAUTY BIZ MAGAZINE

FAST FAV’s

Favourite Destination: Aust - Port Douglas or Abroad - New York

Favourite Drink: Latte or Veuve

Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite Movie: Shawshank redemption or Love Actually

Favourite Music: System of A Down or Metallica

Favourite Animal: Horse and Dog

Favourite Saying I Live by: Integrity Is Doing The Right Thing Even When No One Is Watching.

“I grew up in a Griffith which is in the Riverina area of regional NSW. I did my hairdressing apprenticeship in Griffith and made the move to Sydney in my 4th year. I managed several salons for a well-known NSW salon chain and bought my 1st salon in 1996 in Sydney. After having my 1st child, I sold my salon and worked for Matrix Australia (pre L’Oreal taking over) in sales and education. I then purchased my 2nd salon in Sydney and went on to have 2 more children, and in 2012 we decided to sell everything and make the move up north to Port Macquarie for a sea change. When we made the move, I was offered a position with a Haircare & Skincare private branding company and began building relationships with salon owners all over NSW and QLD and worked with them on building their Brand Profiles and growing their brands. This led me to working closely with salon owners on their businesses, turnover, their KPI’s, their teams and their mindset. This is where I really fell in love with helping salon owners, and where I transitioned into the mentoring space for salons. I have now been mentoring with salon owners for the past 6 years, and during that time purchased another salon which is in Port Melbourne (12 hours away from home) In October 2020, I took over the position of Editor with Hair Biz Magazine and I am absolutely loving it! I have also just accepted the roll of Beauty Biz Editor and I look forward to what this next chapter will bring! My hubby James and I reside in a small coastal town 10 minutes south of Port Macquarie, we have 3 beautiful kids, Luke 22, Ryan 14 and Abby 12. We have Coco the Groodle, Cupcake the Cat, and Romulus the Horse.”

REX SILVER EDITOR – BARBERSHOP MAGAZINE

FAST FAV’s

Favourite Destination: Thailand to relax and regroup… New York to get busy.

Favourite Drink: Hello!! Have you seen my belly! Beer!

Favourite Music: Triple-j I need new music in my life!

Favourite Book: Currently Mastering Body Language and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series.

Favorited Movie: Original Blues Brothers and now after lockdown with 2 boys…The Star Wars movies.

Favourite Animal: Our cat ‘Killer’, she was a feral kitten I recued off a farm

Favourite Saying You Live By: My uncle said this to me when I was 18, “You only have around 80 Summers left…enjoy every one them”.

“I live on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with my beautiful partner of 20 years Dana, our healthy and happy 2 boys Louis 7, Jacques 5 and our ginger cat Killer. I have had an amazing life in hair and have won numerous awards for my efforts and worked with some incredible people along the way. Early years are the foundation and I was fortunate enough to work for Edward Beale and Paul Whitehead; 2 icons that had a profound impact on my career moving forward. My other passion of course is writing, and I was lucky enough to dip my toes in publishing over the years with a 4-year stint from 96’ to 2000 including 3 years with Rolling Stone and Australian Guitar magazine. In typical hairdresser fashion, I still did Sundays at a mate’s solon in Darlinghurst to keep my chops up on the hair tools, you never fully walk away! I have a diploma in creative writing from the highly coveted A.W.A.R.D School in Sydney and now I get to combine both my passions in being the editor BarberShop. Life is pretty sweet! My career spans over 3 decades in Men’s and Women’s hairdressing, but around 6 years ago I hung up my Hot Rollers and began Barbering full time after some years of working between our Women’s salon and our 2 Barber Shops. Got to tell you, I haven’t looked back. We recently sold our salon and barber shops, moved to the Sunshine Coast and have embarked on a new chapter in hair. That being the launch of our Men’s and Pro Barber product range, GARAGE BARBER. We have almost completed the fit out for our new studios where we will do barbering video content for our website and social marketing, education and heaps more it’s very exciting. Men’s hair fashion and the behemoth that is the ‘Modern Global Barbering Industry’ is so exciting to be involved in right now and I have fallen in love all over again with my craft with the same passion I had when I first started in 1984.“

SPECIAL MENTIONS

We also wanted to mention a few adopted members of the Mocha Family who we work with on a regular basis and could not do what we do without them…

JO COLES

Jo owns Lily Blue Communications, a boutique marketing communications agency, dedicated to the strategic development of small businesses within the hair-fashion and cosmetic arena. Jo is our beautiful branding and communication expert. We partner with Lily Blue for all of the mocha group divisions and especially with all of our awards. Jo keeps us all on track when it comes to the direction and ongoing communication for all of our brands, working closely with our award winners and online partners. She is an absolute gem, a strategic thinker, brand enthusiast and fits in well with the team being a gin lover!

WILLIAM FENNELL

Will is our very own celebrity MC for our Hair and Beauty Business awards and has been for many years. He is a well-known Grooming Guy, Media Presenter, Writer/Author and Wellness Warrior. Will has made the passion he has for skin care, health and wellness into a lifestyle program he loves to share. He is also a writer, author, beauty salon owner, skincare distributor and a very, very special member of the mocha family.