By playing, you agree to uListen's Terms and Privacy Policy and YouTube's Terms of Service.
Jay Shetty PodcastChris Appleton EXCLUSIVE: Breaking His Silence on His Divorce & Coming Out to His Wife and Kids
Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Chris Appleton on identity, shame, resilience, and rebuilding after collapse
- Appleton describes growing up working-class in the UK, feeling different early, and learning to mask himself due to bullying, which later triggered an identity crisis around sexuality and belonging.
- He explains how shame and fear—especially around protecting his children from stigma—culminated in a suicide attempt that became a turning point toward surrendering to his truth and choosing to live authentically.
- He outlines what it took to become an elite hairstylist: obsessive craft mastery, constant learning, resilience through rejection, and consistency rather than a single “big break.”
- He recounts moving to LA with minimal resources, nearly failing early on, and seizing a pivotal opportunity (Christina Aguilera on The Voice) by trusting his instincts and experience under pressure.
- Appleton discusses navigating public scrutiny during a highly visible relationship and divorce, emphasizing that endings can still be meaningful, and that inner peace, boundaries, and alignment matter more than public explanations.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasMasking to survive can become self-abandonment.
Appleton learned to police his voice, mannerisms, and interests to avoid bullying, and later had to “unpick” which parts of him were authentic versus constructed for others.
Shame thrives in silence and can turn lethal.
He describes believing his children would be better off with a dead dad than a gay dad, illustrating how internalized stigma can distort judgment and intensify risk.
Coming out affects a whole system, not just one person.
Appleton emphasizes letting loved ones process their own grief—partner, children, family—rather than trying to control their emotions or rush their acceptance.
A turning point isn’t a finish line; it starts the work.
After the hospital, he still faced cycles of good and bad days, grief for his former identity, and ongoing rebuilding through therapy and daily processing.
Being “the best” is built through consistent micro-moves.
He credits relentless practice, learning every hair domain (salon, editorial, fashion), analyzing failures, and bouncing back from “nos,” not a single lucky break.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesI felt like it would be better for them to have a dad that was dead than a dad that was gay.
— Chris Appleton
The brain is such a powerful tool, and shame is such a powerful tool.
— Chris Appleton
Because from the age of eight to the age of twenty-seven, I'd held my breath, and I could finally exhale.
— Chris Appleton
Just because it's not forever doesn't mean it didn't mean something.
— Chris Appleton
I would rather love and fall than to never feel anything at all.
— Chris Appleton
SPEAKERS
Chris Appleton
guestCelebrity hairstylist and author of "Your Roots Don't Define You."
Jay Shetty
hostHost of the Jay Shetty Podcast (On Purpose), author and former monk.
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
