Heal The Industry

In this powerful return episode, I welcome Abigail Lacey back to the Heal The Industry podcast — and we share why our last episode together became one of the most listened-to conversations on the platform.

This conversation goes deeper.

We talk about how our relationship started — working on opposite sides of town, connected first through Instagram and a mutual industry friend — and how curiosity, networking, and intentional connection completely shaped our careers.

Inside this episode, we unpack:

• The evolution of Instagram from coffee photos to a real marketing engine

• Why networking with other stylists is more powerful than chasing new clients

• The courage it takes to be authentic online (and in person)

• How to overcome the “cringe” voice that keeps you small

• Why leadership requires challenging industry norms instead of copying trends

• The importance of creating a clear 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year roadmap

• The business shifts that change everything (including moving from sole proprietor to S-Corp)

• Why community is the shortcut to growth

We talk about building careers on purpose — not by accident.

The beauty industry does not have to be a fallback plan. It can be a self-designed, respected, profitable career when you decide to lead it that way.

And at the end of this episode, we share a major announcement:

Abigail is officially joining the Heal The Industry movement.

Inside the community, she will be leading conversations around:
• Strategic, authentic social media
• Building dream clientele
• Leadership & team development
• Creating boundaries that elevate your salon culture

If you’ve ever felt alone in this industry…
If you’ve ever wished you had a mentor earlier…
If you know we are capable of more as a collective…

This episode is for you.

The industry shines brightest when we decide to shine together.

Join us inside Heal The Industry — $97/month, calls recorded, live participation encouraged — and let’s build careers that we are proud of.

Click the link to join!

https://heal-the-industry.circle.so/checkout/heal-the-industry-community?fbclid=PAVERFWAP_3xpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAac93011lDLHaAcAzKsxSkgYc44jz7tcJJYdo2oOWMiyAy66_4dbsIsAaSjr4g_aem_3xN7cjrFAo4FGR68WFvTqw

In this episode, I sit down with Hannah Riley for a real, no-fluff conversation about what it actually looks like to build a sustainable, aligned career in the beauty industry.

We talk through hair extensions and the responsibility that comes with offering them—doing the work with integrity, education, and respect for the client, not trends or pressure. We unpack the importance of clear and healthy boundaries as a stylist, and how those boundaries aren’t limiting—they’re foundational to longevity and peace.

We also challenge the idea of becoming a “hair-lebrity” as the ultimate goal. Visibility doesn’t equal fulfillment, and popularity isn’t the same as purpose. True success is built by creating a career that supports your life, honors your values, and stays in alignment with who the Lord uniquely created you to be.

This episode is for the stylist who’s ready to stop chasing validation and start building something rooted, intentional, and lasting—both in business and in faith.

@hannah_rileyyyyxo

If you’ve ever felt successful on the outside but disconnected on the inside, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we’re diving into alignment—what it really means, why so many beauty professionals are operating outside of it, and how that misalignment often shows up as burnout, self-doubt, and pressure to keep up. We talk about why borrowed certainty from others eventually fails and how true confidence comes from aligning with who you’re becoming, not who you’re comparing yourself to.

We also paint a picture of what’s possible when you build a career rooted in clarity, boundaries, and purpose—without leaving the industry you love.

This episode introduces our monthly alignment focus inside the Heal The Industry community, where we’re creating space for healing, growth, and leadership through intentional trainings, calls, and challenges. You don’t have to walk this journey alone.

Join us inside of Heal The Industry https://heal-the-industry.circle.so/checkout/heal-the-industry-community

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/heal.the.industry

In this episode, we sit down with Jesse Anastacio, former hairstylist turned biblical business coach, to explore what it truly looks like to bring faith into your work — not performatively, but faithfully.

Jesse shares her journey of surrender during the 2020 shutdown, how God began reshaping her understanding of integrity, finances, and obedience, and how that transformation eventually led her to view the salon chair as a place of ministry. From praying quietly for clients to boldly following the Spirit’s lead, this conversation invites beauty professionals to see their work through a new lens.

We talk about identity in Christ, stewarding a business with wisdom, and what happens when obedience comes before comfort. Whether you’re navigating faith in the workplace, feeling called to more meaning in your career, or simply longing for alignment between belief and business, this episode is an invitation to lead with faith — right where you are.

Connect with Jesse on Instagram @braidsandbalayage

In this episode, I’m reflecting on 2016 — a year that didn’t feel like a breakthrough at the time, but ended up being a foundation for everything that followed.

I was a new mom, learning responsibility in real time. I bought my first house, posted my work publicly for the first time, started dreaming about my own space, and made the decision to hire my first business coach — all without clarity, confidence, or a master plan.

This conversation isn’t about overnight success. It’s about what it looks like to keep going when you feel unsure, to choose support instead of isolation, and to trust that God is ordering your steps even when you can’t see the full path yet.

If you’re in the early stages of a new chapter — feeling behind, unqualified, or uncertain — this episode is a reminder that the beginning is sacred, support is part of the design, and you were never meant to do this alone.

Sometimes the season that feels the most confusing is the one shaping you the most.

Let's connect @heal.the.industry on instagram

Scarcity has quietly shaped the beauty industry for far too long — teaching stylists to fear time off, compete instead of collaborate, and tie their worth to overworking and survival.

In this episode, Ashlee Vance sits down with Aleta Plajer, owner of AMP Hair Extension Studio, to name the patterns we’ve inherited and begin the work of releasing them.

Together, they explore what it looks like to heal scarcity at the root — through making shifts that removes scarcity by potential issues in the business and setting it up for ultimate success. This conversation invites stylists to step out of burnout, redefine success, and choose community over competition.

If you’ve felt the weight of hustle, anxiety, or constant pressure behind the chair, this episode offers a gentle but honest invitation: you don’t have to survive your career — you’re allowed to build one that sustains you.

@aleta_marquez_plajer

Want to be a guest on the podcast?? Connect with me on instagram @heal.the.industry

Annique shares her nine-year journey behind the chair, including the bold leap from a thriving salon suite into opening a large salon in April 2024—and the unexpected weight that came with it. From building complications to challenging hiring experiences, the pressure nearly pulled her away from the freedom she originally built her business for. Through deep reflection and listening to her instincts, Annique made the courageous decision to downsize into a micro salon model, returning to a suite with two stylists and a renewed focus on balance, education, and an elevated guest experience.

Together, we unpack the industry narrative that equates success with constant expansion and salon ownership—and why that definition doesn’t serve everyone. This episode is a reminder that true success comes from honoring your intuition, trusting your discernment, and choosing alignment over expectation.

Annique also shares what’s next, including her upcoming southern education tour with Sans Hall Education, her passion for teaching extensions, and her mission to help stylists heal the habit of overthinking so they can move forward with confidence.

If you’ve ever questioned what success should look like, felt the pressure to grow beyond your capacity, or needed permission to choose peace and purpose—this episode is for you.

Follow Annique on Instagram @annique.hair

In this episode of Heal The Industry, Ashlee Vance speaks to the deeper shifts required to truly change the beauty industry—starting with ourselves. From faith and identity to leadership and responsibility, this conversation invites you to pause, reflect, and question the patterns you may have normalized in your career.

This episode isn’t about doing more—it’s about becoming more aligned, more grounded, and more intentional in how you lead, serve, and build. If you’ve felt the tension between success and peace, this conversation is for you.

Reflection Exercise:

1. Three industry norms you’re ready to rewrite

• (Examples: glorifying burnout, avoiding boundaries, overworking for approval)

2. Three things that drained you this past year

• Not to dwell — to identify patterns

3. Three intentions you’re taking into the new year

In this powerful episode of Heal The Industry, Ashlee Vance sits down with Kansas City salon owner Jodalyn Gadwood to share a story of deep healing, faith, and true transformation.

Just two years into salon ownership, Jodalyn opens up about a season marked by feeling lost, navigating trauma, strain in her marriage, and the pressure of building a suite after leaving a commission salon. What changed everything wasn’t a new strategy—it was a decision to fully center her life and leadership by embracing faith and asking God to come into her life.

Through that shift, Jodalyn experienced freedom from drinking, lost 78 pounds, rebuilt her confidence, restored her marriage with her husband Bobby, and stepped into purpose beyond the salon. Today, they co-lead a relationship group at their church, and her business has grown into a faith-aligned salon attracting like-minded stylists—with her fourth team member joining this January.

This conversation is a reminder that healing the industry starts within—and when you build from faith, everything else begins to rise with it.

Follow Jodalyn on instagram @jodalyngadwood @keysalon_kc

Freedom in Commission – with Breyanna Remington**

What happens when a stylist chooses security, support, and sustainability over the industry’s obsession with “being independent”?

In this episode, Ashlee Vance sits down with NOVA STRANDS stylist, educator, and manager Breyanna Remington to talk about her courageous decision to move from booth rental back into commission — and why it was one of the best decisions she’s ever made.

Breyanna shares openly about:
• The moment she realized booth rent was no longer aligned
• How commission actually matched (and protected) her income
• Why benefits like health insurance and a 401k changed everything
• The relief of letting go of overhead, rent, inventory, and taxes
• Stepping into leadership inside a supportive “we” culture
• The stigma around commission — and why it’s outdated
• How community, growth, and transparency helped her heal her career

If you're a stylist feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or burned out as a booth renter… this conversation will give you hope, clarity, and permission to choose what truly supports your life.

Follow Breyanna on Instagram at @bre.nova.strands and learn more about NOVA STRANDS extensions education at @nova.strands.extensions.

This episode is a reminder that freedom isn’t always found in independence — sometimes it’s found in support.
Let’s heal the industry, together.