Marc Tolliver knows a thing or two about hair. With 35 years of experience under his belt, it comes as no surprise that the sought-after stylist has been dubbed “the hair whisperer” by many of his clients. “It’s what I love to do; it’s who I am,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t know who enjoys it more — me or the person sitting in my chair.”

But Tolliver does more than just trim tresses — he also touches lives. “I love helping people and I try to give back in any way I can,” he said.

The California-born, Illinois-raised Tolliver moved to Maui 17 years ago, and since then he’s been an active member of several community organizations, including the Rotary Club of Kihei-Wailea, Maui Friends of the Library and the Kihei Community Association. But he may be best known for his contributions to the Maui Academy of Performing Arts Maui OnStage, ProArts Inc. and the Baldwin High School and Seabury Hall theater programs.

For the past 14 years, he’s volunteered his time and talent — cutting and styling cast members’ locks and fashioning wigs — for a variety of small- and large-scale productions. “It charges my batteries,” he said. “If I can’t be on stage, I want to be backstage.”

Tolliver’s connection to the performing arts is a personal one. “Theater has always been a part of my life,” he said. At the age of 6, he traded in a Little League uniform for a pair of tap shoes, and in the years that followed, he dazzled audiences with his dancing, singing and acting.

Tolliver graduated from high school early and made a beeline for downtown Chicago, where he hoped to make his big break as a performer. He decided to learn a trade that would keep him financially afloat while he awaited stardom, so he enrolled in beauty school. “Hairstyling was my version of the aspiring actor’s waiter job,” he laughed. “My plan to was do hair until I made it as a performer.”

But things didn’t go according to plan. It quickly became evident that Tolliver had a knack for doing hair, and when he graduated from the Pivot Point International beauty school in 1982, he had already garnered a considerable following. “There were fewer auditions and more clients in my chair,” he said. Seeing the writing on the proverbial wall, he switched gears and dove headfirst into the salon industry.

Since then, Tolliver has worked his magic on clients in high-end salons in Chicago, Dana Point and Laguna Beach in California and on Maui. He has styled hair and created wigs for a dizzying array of theater productions, exhibitions, fashion shows, shoots and runways as well as hair and fashion magazines. After making his initial mark on Maui’s beauty scene working at the Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons Maui, he created his own studio, Lava 405, in Kihei, and two years ago opened his own salon, Loft 145, in Wailuku.

To say Tolliver wears many hats would be an understatement: In addition to owning and operating a salon, he also works as a salon consultant and educator. Over the years, he has made speeches at national conventions, taught classes and facilitated trainings and workshops — something he clearly relishes.

So, when a colleague suggested he become a life coach eight years ago, he pounced on the opportunity to train and help others in another capacity. Tolliver, who mastered the art of listening (and the art of dishing out good advice) early in his career, says life coaching was a natural fit.

“My clients want to be pampered and entertained, but they also want to be listened to,” he explained. “I have about 10 different personalities in my chair throughout the day, and for many of them, it’s not just a haircut, it’s a chance for them to talk about what’s going on in their lives.”

Tolliver was certified as a life coach in 2009, and since then, he’s made presentations in Chicago, Las Vegas and Honolulu, and has used his behavioral insights and business acumen to help his clients improve their personal and professional lives. Last year, Tolliver, along with fellow Maui-based life coaches Anne Jenny and Kristi Scott, launched a free, open-to-the-public series of workshops called “How to Talk to Your Trolls,” which cover a range of topics, including interpersonal dynamics and conflict transformation.

“It was my gift to my clients and to the community,” he said. “I wanted to create an opportunity for people to have conversations they don’t usually have.”

Today, Tolliver is wrapping up another project: A new salon space for Loft 145 on Church Street in Wailuku, which is slated to open in the next few weeks. There, he plans to host more “How to Talk to Your Trolls” workshops, as well as an advanced training studio — the first of its kind on Maui — for local stylists. He is currently making arrangements for salon industry leaders from the Mainland and abroad to lead barber and hairstyling workshops at Loft 145, including Tom Chapman, a barber and hairstylist from England, and Alicia Kiel, a Toni & Guy educator from California. Tolliver’s salon will also host Aveda workshops and training classes throughout the year, along with community events and fundraisers for local nonprofits.

“I love everything about my job, but what I love the most are the connections I make with my clients,” Tolliver said. “I get to change people’s lives, not just on the outside, but on the inside, too. There’s nothing better than that.”

To learn more, call 243-5638 or visit www.awareness-coach-marc-tolliver-lce.blogspot.com/2016/01/marc-tolliver.html.

* Sarah Ruppenthal is a Maui-based writer and instructor at the University of Hawaii Maui College. Do you have an interesting neighbor? Tell us about them at missruppenthal@gmail.com. Neighbors and “The State of Aloha,” written by Ben Lowenthal, alternate Fridays.