Michael Ahmad is the creator of The Bearded Beauty Bible, an Instagram/Youtube personal blog that dives deep into the importance of well-rounded self-care. Focused around green beauty, The Bearded Beauty Bible demonstrates that lifestyle, beauty, wellness and spirit are not only mutually informed, but fully interdependent. In the words of Michael “You can’t fully address any beauty concern without looking critically at your health. You can’t evaluate your health without a closer examination of your lifestyle. And you can’t implement changes in your lifestyle if you are disconnected from your spirit. These elements are all parts of the same machine, and we have to nourish all of them simultaneously in order to function properly.” Michael is an everyday inspiration for myself and I couldn’t pass up the chance to let the world know why he’s OK…

Name: Michael Ahmad

Hometown: Foxfield, CO

Favorite Thing About Nashville: I’ve never been but I would LOVE to experience the strong and diverse musical culture I hear so much about.

Current Occupation: Education Executive for Herbivore Botanicals. This is a total dream-job already, because Herbivore is THE brand I wanted to work for. The creators Julia and Alex are such visionaries and wonderful human beings, not to mention tremendously supportive of my personal endeavors. They are pioneers and innovators in the realm of natural beauty, and continue to cultivate a collection of products that set the industry standard in ethics, cleanliness and efficacy. I still fangirl over my own job, is that weird?

Dream Occupation: Host of E! News. I just want to spill all the Hollywood Tea and periodically fill in for Rob on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. You hear that Seacrest? Call me.

If You Could Live Inside Any Film, What Would It Be? Jurassic World. I don’t want to be present when the dangerous shit goes down, but dinosaurs are just so fucking cool.

If You Could Move To Another Country, Which Would It Be? Probably Spain. I spent a fair amount of time there as a teenager and remember being so confused by how everything shuts down in the middle of the day. Sometimes establishments will take 3 hour lunch breaks. In that way, It’s a culture that has its priorities in line; they work to live, not live to work.

Hair Product You Can’t Live Without? DevaCurl Styling Cream! It enhances my natural texture without being crunchy or drying.

Tell Us A Little About Your Hair History! I have coarse ethnic hair which reeeeally wants to do it’s own thing. I used to hate it, and would try to relax it, flatiron it, etc.  Now, at the age of 30, I feel like I’m just discovering how to cooperate with my hair rather than fight it. You can lust after someone else’s hair all you want, but your jumping off point has to be a true grasp and acceptance of what you’re working with naturally.

What does YOU ARE OK. mean to you? It means that we as human beings are far more capable of dealing with the challenges of life than we think we are. If I were to write out every potential obstacle that could present itself in a whole month, I would CRUMBLE under the weight of that list. But if I just wake up, meet my challenges as they present themselves, and remind myself that I’m okay, I can conquer the world.

*This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity by Andy Judd (@Andy_DoesYourHair).