Not just a Hairdresser | Presented by Ally from The Beauty Grail

At 21, Leticia Prado arrived in Australia with just $600, a suitcase full of keratin treatments, and a determination to build a better life for herself and her mum. Within 24 hours of landing, she'd booked her first client through a Brazilian Facebook group. Before long, she was washing clients' hair in her apartment bathtub and running a fully booked home salon.

In this episode, Ally sits down with Leticia, founder of BKT (Beauty Keeps Transforming), to unpack the journey from home salon to global haircare brand. They discuss the decisions that changed everything, the challenges of scaling a business, the power of organic content, why AI is becoming essential for salon owners, and what it really takes to build a brand that now reaches more than 56 countries.

In This Episode

• Why Leticia moved from Brazil to Australia with just $600.
• Finding her first clients through a Facebook group.
• Growing from a home salon to an international brand.
• The neighbour complaint that changed her business.
• Launching BKT during COVID and selling $56,000 on day one.
• Why she developed Nanoplasty.
• Leadership, cash flow and scaling a global business.
• How AI is transforming the way she runs her company.
• The biggest myths about smoothing treatments.
• Why hairdressers need to stop calling themselves "just a hairdresser."

Resources Mentioned

• The Beauty Grail | Online Education
• BKT Nanoplasty
• BKT Pro Instagram 
• Leticia Prado Instagram 
• Timely: New customers receive 50% off for 3 months when you use the CODE: TBG 
• Natalie Anne Haircare  
• Kaine Vakai x Jadore Hair Supplies
• Fone King: Get 15% off all purchases when you use the CODE: BEAUTY15

After 10 years behind the chair, Mackenzie Hayward was tired of balancing bowls, bottles and brushes while delivering premium colour services. She searched for a tool that would make life easier for hairdressers working solo. When she couldn't find one, she decided to build it herself.

It wasn't an overnight success. The journey involved years of prototyping, countless manufacturer rejections, rebuilding her confidence after a major weight loss journey, and learning how to step out from behind the chair and become the face of her own brand.

In this episode, Ally sits down with Mackenzie Hayward, founder of Attache Line, to unpack the reality of creating a physical product from scratch. From engineering and manufacturing in Australia to building a brand through community, boundaries, and genuine customer care, this conversation is full of practical lessons for anyone dreaming of creating something of their own.

In this episode, we cover:
- How one frustrating salon problem became the idea behind Attache Line
- Why it took nearly six years to bring the product to market
- The realities of designing, prototyping and manufacturing a product in Australia
- Why she originally wanted Attache to be a faceless business
- Building a product while working full-time behind the chair
- The biggest mindset shifts from hairdresser to product founder
- Why customer service has become one of Attache's biggest competitive advantages
- The importance of community over traditional influencer marketing
- Lessons learned from Meta Ads and paid marketing
- Creating boundaries with social media to avoid burnout

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- The Beauty Grail | Online Education: https://bit.ly/4eLNmRG
- Timely: New customers receive 50% off for 3 months when you use the CODE: TBG: https://bit.ly/4vgVCzc
- Natalie Anne Haircare: https://bit.ly/3Sa0uaE
- Kaine Vakai x Jadore Hair Supplies: https://bit.ly/4uO5W0E
- Fone King: Get 15% off all purchases when you use the CODE: BEAUTY15: https://bit.ly/4xw8mDq

Sheridan Rose Shaw left school at 14 and found her way into hairdressing after struggling to fit into traditional education. What followed was far from a straight line. Over the next decade, she experienced career highs and personal lows, including addiction, homelessness, recovery, and the challenge of rebuilding her life from the ground up.

In this episode, Ally sits down with the founder of MAMAWEST to discuss the experiences that shaped her, the lessons learned through 13 years of sobriety, building an award-winning salon business, and why her biggest mission now is helping shape the next generation of hairdressers.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Sheridan's unconventional path into hairdressing and the mentors who shaped her early career
• Addiction, homelessness, recovery, and the experiences that transformed her life
• What 13 years of sobriety taught her about leadership, accountability, and self-awareness
• Building Mama West from a solo operation into one of Australia's most recognised salon brands
• The challenges of scaling a creative business while maintaining strong commercial foundations
• Why Timely alongside consultation systems, client experience, and data have become central to her business strategy
• How motherhood has changed her perspective on ambition, success, and work-life balance
• The importance of mentorship, community, and learning from people both inside and outside the industry
• Letting go of hyper-independence and learning to receive support
• The vision behind the newly announced Mama West Academy and her mission to improve apprenticeship education

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Beauty Grail | Online Education
• Timely: New customers receive 50% off for 3 months when you use the CODE: TBG 
• Natalie Anne Haircare  
• Kaine Vakai x Jadore Hair Supplies
• Fone King: Get 15% off all purchases when you use the CODE: BEAUTY15
• MAMAWEST Salon Melbourne 
• Connect with Sheridan Rose Shaw on Instagram
• Check out MAMAWEST Salon on Instagram

Kirsty-Anne Sage comes from a long line of hairdressers. Her nan. Her auntie. And a school system that quickly realised traditional learning wasn’t going to be her path. With what she calls “crippling ADHD” and a deeply visual brain, she was sent to TAFE to try hairdressing. It clicked instantly.

By second year, she was running a salon alone after the owner fell ill. Signed off early. Thrown in the deep end. From there it was two years here, two years there. Renting a chair. Opening a salon. Opening a bigger salon. Moving fast. Always chasing the next level.

In this episode, Ally sits down with Kirsty-Anne, Founder of James The Salon in Adelaide, global educator and brand ambassador, to unpack the real story behind the momentum. The burnout. The hustle. The ego checks. The leap to the Gold Coast. And what success can actually look like when you strip away industry expectations.

Kirsty’s story is raw, honest, and powerful. It’s a reminder that you can pivot. You can burn out and rebuild. You can move states. Change colour brands. Start again.

And you can do it scared.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Being signed off early in her apprenticeship and running a salon at 17
• The “every two years” pattern of growth and why it eventually led to burnout
• Hustle culture, shame around hard work, and redefining balance
• Building a following from 19 years old and committing to social media long term
• Why overnight success is a myth and what 11 years of consistency really looks like
• Boundaries with social media and protecting your creativity
• Why confidence and resilience are muscles you have to train
• Making the decision to move to the Gold Coast and start from scratch
• Keeping her salon while going freelance in a new state
• Using Timely to manage 1,000+ clients during a major transition
• Letting go of traditional “success” structures in the industry
• The challenges of scaling a salon too quickly and lessons learned

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Beauty Grail | Online Education: https://www.beautygrail.co
• Book with Kirsty Anne on the Gold Coast, QLD: https://bookings.gettimely.com/kirstyannehair
• Timely: New customers receive 50% off for 3 months when you use the code TBG http://www.gettimely.com?partner=thebeautygrail 
• Natalie Anne Haircare: https://natalieanne.com
• Jadore Hair Supplies: https://trade.jadorehairsupplies.com.au
• Alex Loves Colour: https://alexlovescolour.com.au
• Rogue Beauty: roguebeauty.com.au/thebeautygrail
• Fone King: Get 15% off all purchases when you use the code BEAUTY15: https://foneking.com.au

Dom Pelli was born into hair.

Not metaphorically. Literally.

His grandfather opened a barbershop in Western Sydney after migrating from Italy. His father followed. So did the rest of the family. Hair wasn’t just a career path, it was the language spoken at the dinner table.

At 16, after being told school wasn’t where his future lied, Dom left and stepped straight into an apprenticeship. But instead of entering the world of Celebrity Syling, his career started behind a barber chair.

For five years.

Precision cuts. Scissor-over-comb. Conversations about football he didn’t even watch.

It built discipline. Technical excellence. Speed. Control.

But it wasn’t the vision.

Every time a woman sat in his chair, he saw something bigger. Softer. More expressive. More him.

So he chased it.

Slowly, strategically, he began building a female clientele. One client turned into two. Two turned into a niche. And that niche became a launchpad into bridal, brand campaigns, Influencer collaborations and red carpet styling.

In this episode of Not Just a Hairdresser, Ally sits down with Dom Pelli, now one of Australia’s most in-demand celebrity stylists, to unpack what actually built his career.

Not the highlight reel. The real story.

From charging $50 for his first bride, to creating luxury-level content with no budget, to being noticed by Natalie Anne, Dom shares how he turned discipline into demand and opportunity into leverage.

This is a conversation about hard work, determination, and the power of backing yourself before anyone else does.

What We Get Into

- Growing up in a multi-generational hair family where hair was more culture than career

- Leaving school at 16 and entering the industry early

- The unexpected foundation of spending five years in barbering

- The pivot into women’s hair and building a bridal and events niche

- Charging $50 for his first bride and redefining his value over time

- Using “free work” strategically to build a premium, editorial portfolio

- Creating high-end content with zero budget through collaborations and vision

- The moment Natalie Anne discovered his work

- Navigating mentorship, brand partnerships, and learning how to negotiate your worth

- Investing in education and refining advanced styling techniques

- The difference between doing hair and creating finished, camera-ready work

- Why preparation is the real luxury behind every polished look

Why This Episode Matters

Because Dom’s story isn’t about overnight success.

It’s about hard work. Timing. And the quiet, unglamorous years that build the foundation for everything that follows.

It’s proof that where you start doesn’t define where you land, but how you position yourself along the way does.

And for anyone in the industry trying to move from service provider to in-demand artist…

This is your blueprint.

Links & Resources

• The Beauty Grail: https://www.beautygrail.co
• Natalie Anne Haircare: https://natalieanne.com
• Jadore Hair Supplies: https://trade.jadorehairsupplies.com.au
• Alex Loves Colour: https://alexlovescolour.com.au
• Fone King (use code BEAUTY15): https://foneking.com.au
• Rogue Beauty: roguebeauty.com.au/thebeautygrail

Three generations of hairdressers shaped Natalie Anne’s path. Weekends in her mum's salon. The smell of perm solution. The gossip. The glam. Hair chose her long before she chose it.

She took the long road. An apprenticeship at Toni & Guy. Early assisting. Mentorship under strong, no-nonsense industry women. Then, like many ambitious 19-year-olds, she left too soon, started her own thing, and fell flat on her face. More than once.

The reset came in her mum’s garage. That’s where she rebuilt her clientele. That’s where social media entered the picture. Long before it was common, she became one of the first digital creators in the Australian hair space, navigating brand deals that didn’t have rulebooks, contracts that didn’t exist yet, trolls, and backlash from the top echelon of the hairdressing industry who weren’t ready for creators.

In this episode, Ally sits down with Natalie Anne, founder of Natalie Anne Haircare, to unpack what it really takes to build longevity in this industry.

In This Episode, We Cover:

- Growing up in a family of hairdressers and why hair “chose” her
- Leaving a major salon at 19 and the lessons that followed
- Rebuilding from her mum’s garage
- Becoming a first-to-market digital creator in the industry
- Launching a product brand that wasn’t built in a boardroom
- Why she doesn’t believe in “balance” as a Mum
- What she looks for in future ambassadors
- Expanding into Europe and the real cost of compliance
- Competition, awards, and being unapologetically competitive

Natalie Anne Haircare wasn’t built in a boardroom.

It was built:

• On the salon floor
• Through constant client testing
• At family dinner tables with fragrance samples
• Through packaging mistakes and reformulations
• With no bank loan
  
  

Early launches were beautiful but not always practical. Labels were expensive. Stability issues surfaced. Fragrances were tweaked again and again.

Today, the brand is preparing for European expansion, which means compliance changes, packaging updates, and ingredient reviews.

Five new products are in development. New brushes and combs are launching. The brand is evolving, but the standard remains the same.

If her name is on it, it has to perform.

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Beauty Grail website: https://www.beautygrail.co

Natalie Anne Haircare (official haircare range): https://natalieanne.com/

Kain Vakai 7cm Tape Weft Extensions - Jadore Hair Supplies: https://trade.jadorehairsupplies.com.au

Alex Loves Colour (pop-up hair foils & colouring tools): https://alexlovescolour.com.au

Fone King (creator tools & MagSafe SnapStand accessories): https://foneking.com.au use code BEAUTY15

Rogue Beauty: roguebeauty.com.au/thebeautygrail

What happens when you stop shrinking your work down to “just hair” and start owning everything you really are?

In this very first episode of Not Just a Hairdresser, Ally sits down with Kaine and Ayden Vakai, the co-founders behind House of Vakai, for a raw, funny, emotional, and deeply honest conversation about what it actually takes to build a career and a business in the hair industry.

Kaine takes us all the way back to growing up in a hairdressing family, starting his apprenticeship at 14, hustling weekends, doubting himself, and eventually backing himself to buy a salon at just 22. Ayden shares his very different path, from butchery floors and McDonald’s shifts to hotels, banking, finance, and then unexpectedly finding himself behind the chair, mixing tint and falling in love with the industry.

Together, they talk about:

• Why being “just a hairdresser” is the biggest lie the industry has ever been sold
• The fear, self-doubt, and money stress that comes with opening a salon young
• What really happens when team dynamics fall apart and how that moment nearly broke them
• Mental health, burnout, anxiety, and the pressure of always having to show up
• Why success doesn’t feel the way you think it will and how that messes with your head
• The mindset shift that changed how they see work, growth, and ambition
• How education became the heart of House of Vakai and why access matters
• The truth about extensions, business myths, and why education is everything
• Taking risks before you feel ready and backing yourself anyway

If you’ve ever:

• Felt underestimated in this industry
• Questioned whether you’re “good enough” to take the next step
• Struggled silently while trying to lead others
• Wondered if the hustle is actually worth it
  
  

This conversation is for you. You hear what it sounds like when people stop pretending they’ve got it all figured out and just tell the truth. Kaine and Ayden don’t sugarcoat the journey, but they also remind you why it’s worth staying in it, growing through it, and redefining what success looks like on your own terms

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Beauty Grail website: https://www.beautygrail.co

The Business Series by Kaine and Ayden Vakai: https://www.beautygrail.co/educators/kaine-and-ayden-vakai-d0f1429a

Jadore Hair Supplies: https://trade.jadorehairsupplies.com.au

Alex Loves Colour (pop-up hair foils & colouring tools): https://alexlovescolour.com.au

Natalie Anne Haircare (official haircare range): https://natalieanne.com/

Fone King (creator tools & MagSafe SnapStand accessories): https://foneking.com.au use code BEAUTY15

Haus Of Vakai Community page: https://www.instagram.com/hausofvakai_community

You’re not “just” a hairdresser and this industry is anything but small.

Not Just a Hairdresser is a podcast about leadership, entrepreneurship, and resilience in the hair and beauty industry, an industry that’s been overlooked, underestimated, and blazing a trail for decades.

Hosted by Ally, founder of The Beauty Grail, the podcast features bold hair and beauty leaders who are building real careers and businesses from the ground up.

Through raw conversations and real world experience, Ally uncovers what it actually takes to grow, scale, and succeed in an industry that doesn’t follow traditional rules.

If you’re ready to challenge the narrative, back yourself, and build something bigger than the chair, this podcast is for you.