1961
Born in Dallas, TX
Anthony “DOC” Hamilton enters the world to teen parents, third of four children, in the public housing projects of Dallas. Early life is turbulent—but seeds of grit are planted.
MEET DOC
Anthony “DOC” Hamilton
The barber, the author, the truth-teller
Where real talk meets real healing
From Behind This Chair was built on the belief that the most powerful breakthroughs happen in everyday conversations — not behind closed doors, but where real life unfolds. Doc Hamilton created this space to sit in the mess with you, talk through the tough moments, and turn truth into transformation. If life has ever knocked the wind out of you, you belong here.
The man behind the mic
Anthony “Doc” Hamilton went from the football field to mentoring and storytelling, using his voice to guide people through life’s hard seasons with honesty and warmth. He loves quiet mornings with strong coffee, R&B vibes, Sunday sermons, clean fades, honest laughs, and deep talks that hit the soul. Everything he does — and everything here — reflects that blend of grit, faith, humor, and heart.
The movement
This isn’t just a podcast — it’s a community built on truth, growth, faith, and showing up for yourself. From conversations that heal to products that help you feel your best, FBTC exists to remind you that confidence is a practice, healing is a journey, and you don’t have to do it alone. When you pull up a chair here, you’re stepping into a space built to help you evolve — loud, proud, and supported.
The Talk That Changed Everything
From one chair to a movement — here's our journey.
1960s–1970s
Friday-night lights, a hidden fight.
A standout athlete at Dallas’ storied Carter High School, Hamilton (nicknamed “Nat”) is cheered under the lights—while quietly battling illiteracy. The classroom advances him for his on-field value; the boy learns to survive by charm, hustle, and heart.
Mid-1980s
A word for the wound.
In his mid-20s, an after-school special introduces one word that changes everything: “illiterate.” Naming the struggle sparks the turnaround. “When you don’t have words, you walk in the darkness,” he later says. He resolves to teach himself to read—alone, page by page.
Late 1980s–1990s
California dreams, self-rescue.
Chasing football opportunities including the SF 49ers, Hamilton relocates to California and finds a different calling: the barbershop. Between cuts, he sounds out syllables, refuses pity, and rebuilds his life, determined to be the father and man he never had growing up. “I saved me. Nobody saved me.”
2003–2004
First book, first roar.
After years of work, he publishes Shattered Lives, a collection of short stories drawn from the streets and his chair. Local press spotlights the barber-turned-author; copies move, school and jail talks follow, and a new voice arrives on the Peninsula speaking resilience with receipts.
2010s
The shop becomes a stage.
Hamilton’s chair in Mountain View, California (the Bay Area) becomes a community pulpit. He writes additional books, mentors kids, and speaks across schools and re-entry programs. National outlets begin to notice: OZY features him as an essayist and host, building out a video series set inside the barbershop’s frank, funny, no-BS energy.
2012–2020
“In the Barbershop.”
With OZY’s cameras rolling, Doc presides over real talk on everything from fatherhood to policing to second chances. It’s part therapy, part town hall, part roast—and 100% community.
“Being a barber is about taking care of the people.”
“Being a barber is about taking care of the people.”
2020s
A Bay Area institution.
After three decades behind the chair, Doc’s shop is family to thousands—athletes, artists, tech workers, students, folks between gigs. The cut is the cover charge; the price of admission is honesty.
Local reviewers call him “the barber who makes you feel good about yourself.”
Local reviewers call him “the barber who makes you feel good about yourself.”
2025
The mic drops: From Behind This Chair (FBTC).
Backed by ROSE Media, Doc launches a weekly podcast that takes the unfiltered spirit of the Black barbershop to a global audience. Think “The View” meets community triage: frank talk on modern love, money, parenting, tech, faith, homelessness, and hard restarts—with the humor and healing that only a master barber can coax out of a room. Guests range from return citizens and single moms to CEOs and cultural heavyweights, all under one roof: the shop.
DOC'S BOOKS
Stories That Speak. Pages That Heal.
Shattered Lives
Five raw stories of brokenness, struggle, and finding strength in the pieces life leaves behind.
The Autobiography of Strong Child
Doc’s powerful personal story — from childhood struggle to becoming a voice for healing and resilience.
The Wrecking Yard
A poetic look at life’s wreckage — love, loss, mistakes — and how we rebuild from what's left.
Chocolate
A bold reflection on Black identity, culture, and the truths we rarely say out loud.
The Voice Inside of Me
A journey into the inner voice — confronting doubt, reclaiming truth, and learning to speak from strength.
The Legacy Starts at Home
Before the mic, the books, or the chair — Doc is a father. His kids are his greatest work, his real-life inspiration, and the daily reminder that growth isn’t just personal… it’s generational.
Doc’s Message
“The chair isn’t just a place to sit—it’s a place to face yourself.
When you do that, everything changes.”
— Anthony “Doc” Hamilton
