Trigger Warning: This episode contains sensitive discussions surrounding mental health, suicide, and emotional trauma. If you or someone you know is struggling or needs support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (Australia) or reach out to a local crisis support service.
As salon owners and stylists, we spend our days listening, supporting, and holding space for everyone else—from the clients sitting in our chairs to the team members relying on us for direction. But what happens when the emotional weight becomes too heavy to carry?
We aren't credentialed mental health professionals, yet somehow salon owners and stylists often find themselves on the front lines of mental health crises, burnout, and heavy life trauma.
In this episode of the Salon Rebel Podcast, Charlie sits down with Perth salon owner and product founder Stevie Vincent (creator of Vin Hair Care). Stevie shares her journey of expanding from one salon to two, navigating multiple moves, launching her own product line, and her time volunteering on the Lifeline crisis support hotline.
Together, they dive deep into an unfiltered conversation about the invisible emotional load of salon leadership, how to know what to do when someone is struggling, setting boundaries behind the chair, and learning how to protect your own mental well-being while running a business.
Grab a coffee, hit play, and let’s talk about the heavy stuff we usually keep quiet about. 
What We Cover in This Episode:

• The Reality of Salon Mental Load: Why stylists and salon owners end up carrying heavy emotional trauma from clients and team members—and why it leaves us feeling completely drained behind the chair. 
• Credentials vs. Compassion: Recognizing that as leaders, it isn't our job (or within our qualifications) to counsel people through mental health crises, but knowing where to point them for real help. 
• Lessons from Lifeline: Stevie shares insights from answering crisis calls, dealing with heavy mental health topics, and how that shaped her approach to communication and leadership. 
• Setting Boundaries & Self-Preservation: Practical ways to process emotional conversations, protect your personal energy, and step back before you hit complete emotional exhaustion. 
• Growing & Scaling a Salon Brand: Stevie’s story of scaling from one salon to two, moving locations, balancing motherhood, and launching her new product line, Vin Hair Care.