In this episode of the Hairstylist Rising Podcast, I’m joined by longtime hairstylist, salon owner, and author Annie Fisher for a conversation about the deeper meaning behind a career in the beauty industry.

Annie has spent nearly three decades behind the chair and recently released her book Love Is in the Hair, a powerful reflection on the relationships, growth, and impact that come from working in this industry.

While hairstyling is often seen as a creative career, Annie shares why the work we do goes far beyond hair. From the connections we build with clients to the personal transformation that happens throughout our careers, this conversation highlights why the beauty industry can be one of the most meaningful professions out there.

We talk about Annie’s journey into the industry, the evolution of her career from stylist to salon owner to author, and how writing her book became a way to reflect on everything the industry has given her.

If you are a hairstylist, salon owner, or beauty professional who has ever felt like your work matters on a deeper level, this episode will remind you why this career is so special.

• Annie’s journey into the beauty industry and how she first got started

• Why being a hairstylist is about relationships, not just hair

• The personal growth that happens throughout a career behind the chair

• Reinvention in the beauty industry and evolving throughout your career

• The emotional impact hairstylists have on their clients

• The inspiration behind Annie’s book Love Is in the Hair

• Why storytelling and legacy matter in creative careers

Love Is in the Hair by Annie Fisher is available now on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.

Book: Love Is in the Hair by Annie Fisher

Available on Amazon

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a hairstylist or salon owner who needs the reminder that what we do in this industry truly matters.

In this episode of the Hairstylist Rising podcast, Ambrosia Carey, a veteran hairstylist, and salon owner with over 25 years of experience, shares her journey in the beauty industry. Ambrosia discusses the importance of marketing, branding, and sustainability for modern hairstylists and salon owners. She emphasizes the critical role of understanding data in making informed business decisions and suggests integrating additional revenue streams such as retail, affiliate links, and subscription boxes. Ambrosia also highlights the importance of consistency, routine, and building trust with clients to foster a sustainable business. Tune in for actionable advice on maximizing income, managing time efficiently, and creating a thriving, multi-faceted beauty business.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:36 Ambrosia's Journey in the Beauty Industry

02:47 Marketing Insights for Modern Hairstylists

07:59 Building a Sustainable Beauty Business

10:55 Maximizing Profitability and Time Management

21:55 Retail Strategies and Client Retention

24:20 Monthly Team Meetings and Product Discussions

24:51 Introducing New Products Through Independent Stylists

25:46 Affiliate Links and Salon Profitability

26:58 Maximizing Retail Sales in Limited Spaces

29:46 Leveraging Influencer Marketing for Hero Products

31:56 Building Trust and Client Relationships

36:39 Sustainable Practices and Consistency

37:47 Creative Routines and Time Management

44:55 Final Thoughts and Resources

In this episode of the Hairstylist Rising Podcast, Jodie sits down with salon business coach and author Nina Tulio to talk about what profit really means inside a salon business.

If you’ve ever felt fully booked but still financially stretched… this conversation will hit home.

Nina shares insights from her new book, Profit Is Personal, and explains why profit is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet — it’s about leadership, culture, systems, pricing, and personal growth.

1. Why avoiding your numbers is costing you more than you think
2. How to read your profit and loss statement without fear
3. The 3 growth levers every salon owner should track weekly:
4. Frequency of visit
5. Average ticket
6. Volume (plus the bonus lever: retention)
7. The difference between revenue and actual profit
8. Healthy profit targets for:
9. Commission salon owners
10. Independent artists and suite renters
11. How payroll, back bar, and rent impact your margins
12. Why emotional discounting damages your value
13. How to create pricing based on facts and data — not comparison
14. The connection between culture, onboarding, and profitability
15. Why social media panic shouldn’t dictate your business decisions

Nina also breaks down what sustainable profit really looks like and why reinvesting into your team, systems, and long-term growth is part of building a strong business.

If you are:

1. A commission salon owner
2. An independent stylist wanting stronger margins
3. Considering opening a salon
4. Or simply ready to stop winging your finances

This episode will give you clarity, direction, and a framework to start paying attention to what actually matters.

Get your copy of Profit Is Personal

Visit Nina Tulio at ninatulio.com

In this solo episode of Hairstylist Rising, Jodie breaks down the exact quarterly brand building content system she teaches salon owners and hairstylists who want to:

1. Attract dream clients who value their expertise
2. Raise prices with confidence
3. Stand out in an increasingly competitive market
4. Build a team of stylists who align with their vision
5. Create consistent bookings without living on Instagram

If you’ve been posting inconsistently, overthinking every caption, or feeling like your content isn’t translating into real growth, this episode walks you through a practical 90 day strategy to fix that.

You’ll learn:

• Why brand building is non-negotiable for hairstylists in 2026

• How clients and potential team members are vetting you across multiple touchpoints

• The three foundational questions that clarify your brand direction

• How to create visual and messaging consistency that builds trust

• A step-by-step batching system for salon content

• How to audit your content quarterly so you double down on what actually books clients

Jodie explains why repetition builds reputation and how becoming known for one clear specialty can position you as the go-to stylist in your market.

Whether you’re a solo hairstylist trying to fill your books with better clients or a salon owner looking to attract aligned team members, this episode gives you a realistic, implementable content plan you can start this week.

Block off 30 minutes this week and answer:

1. What reputation am I building this quarter?
2. What does someone need to believe about me before they book?
3. What am I trying to accomplish in the next 90 days?

Then start building your content around that.

If this episode helped you think differently about salon branding and content strategy, subscribe to Hairstylist Rising and leave a review. It helps more hairstylists build businesses that actually support their life.

Connect with Leisha

What happens to your clients when you need to step away for more than a week or two?

In this episode of the Hairstylist Rising Podcast, Jodie sits down with Leisha, founder of The Traveling Hairstylists, to talk about one of the biggest fears independent stylists face, taking extended time off without losing everything they’ve built.

They unpack what long term leave really looks like behind the chair, why “just save more money” isn’t always realistic, and what to do to protect your clients, your rental space, and your peace of mind when life happens. Planned or unexpected.

1. Why extended leave feels so risky when you’re self-employed
2. How Leisha’s team supports stylists during maternity leave, medical leave, and personal travel
3. What it means to have a substitute stylist work in your space and care for your clients
4. How stylists can protect their rental situation while they’re away
5. Simple client communication strategies to stay top of mind
6. Practical ways to financially prepare, even if you start small
7. The client side of leave, what feels awkward for them and how to make it seamless
8. Why this model helps stylists return like they never left

Website: thetravelinghairstylist.com

Instagram: @thetraveling.hairstylists

Check out Escape To Elevate 2026

In this episode of Hair Stylist Rising, Jodie sits down with Casey Voss for a powerful conversation about curl confidence, identity, and redefining what success can look like behind the chair.

Casey shares her unconventional path into the beauty industry, the moment in beauty school that changed how she understood her purpose, and how curly hair became the doorway into deeper work around self-worth, confidence, and client trust.

You’ll hear what it actually looked like to walk away from the traditional salon success model, slow down her schedule, raise her prices, and rebuild a business that prioritizes presence, alignment, and sustainability — even when that meant short-term discomfort.

This episode is part mindset shift, part career reframe, and part practical guidance for stylists who want to create confident clients while protecting their own energy.

1. Curl confidence and why helping clients feel seen matters more than “fixing” hair
2. Identity, neurodivergence, and why so many stylists thrive in this industry
3. The moment Casey realized her work was about confidence, not just curls
4. Redefining success after salon ownership, burnout, and overworking
5. Slowing down behind the chair and building a premium, one-client-at-a-time experience
6. Taking a short-term pay cut to create long-term alignment and freedom
7. Why rebuilding can feel humbling — and why it’s often necessary
8. How resilience is built through lived experience, not confidence hacks
9. Creating confident clients through education, communication, and representation
10. Why stylists “transfer what they own” and how self-trust impacts client trust

1. “We transfer what we own.”
2. “Don’t give up because something’s hard. Let things be simultaneous.”
3. “If you can blow out my hair, you can blow out anyone’s hair.”

1. Follow Voss the Curl Boss on social
2. Access her free resources and education through the link in her bio
3. Listen to her podcast It’s not about your hair

If this episode resonated, send it to a stylist who’s questioning the old rules and quietly craving a different way of doing things. And if you’re listening on your way to the salon, screenshot the episode, tag me, and tell me what landed most.

Connect with Lacie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacie.kushniruk/

Clients are craving more than a great outcome. They want an experience that helps them feel connected, seen, and excited about who they are. In this episode, Jodie sits down with Lacey Kushner to talk about experience-based salon services and the innovation hairstylists can use to stand out in 2026 and beyond.

Lacey breaks down her concept color coding, inspired by the viral color seasons trend, and explains how turning consultation into a paid, high-touch experience can lead to stronger confidence behind the chair, higher pre-booking rates, bigger average tickets, and a referral wave you can actually feel.

1. The industry shift toward experience-based and connective services
2. Why “different is better than better” is the real play for stylists right now
3. How Lacey created color coding using warm, neutral, and cool draping
4. Why this process helps clients “see themselves” in a new way
5. The confidence boost this creates for newer stylists and apprentices
6. The marketing results Lacey saw after running a color coding ad
7. How a paid consultation service can convert into bigger transformations
8. Why mapping out a client’s next few hair moves increases retention

1. She had to shut off an ad early because demand spiked so quickly
2. A significant portion of new clients booked their next appointment on the spot
3. Pre-booking increased over time, especially for newer stylists
4. Average ticket size rose as clients committed to bigger changes

Color coding is a 30 to 45 minute paid service where the client is draped in white and guided through a swatching process to identify warm, neutral, or cool tones that best highlight their features. The goal is to create clarity, confidence, and a visual “aha” moment that makes future hair decisions easier and more exciting.

1. Learn more about color coding: saloncoding.com
2. Connect with Lacey: Lacey.Kushner on social platforms

Share it with a stylist friend who’s ready to stand out in 2026 and wants a more elevated client experience behind the chair.

Quick heads up: Hairstylist Rising is moving to a Wednesday drop instead of Mondays. This isn’t a full episode, but the next one goes live Wednesday, January 28th. Hit follow so it pops up in your feed midweek. See you Wednesday.

Try the free pricing and profit calculator

Making more money behind the chair doesn’t automatically mean you’re taking more money home. And for a lot of hairstylists, that disconnect is exactly why they feel stuck, burnt out, or frustrated with their business, even when they’re fully booked.

In this episode of the Hairstylist Rising Podcast, I’m joined by Chrystal Graves, founder of LiQUiD, to break down what profitability really looks like for hairstylists and salon owners.

Chrystal shares her journey from apprentice to salon owner to selling her salon in a seven-figure exit, and how systems, not hustle, were the foundation of her success. We talk honestly about money, numbers, and why the industry has avoided these conversations for so long.

Inside this episode, we cover:

1. The difference between income, profit, and actual take-home pay
2. Why so many hairstylists feel broke even when they’re making good money
3. How to calculate your fixed and variable expenses without overwhelm
4. Why paying yourself a consistent paycheck changes everything
5. How to increase your profit without immediately raising your prices
6. Why upselling through education increases retention and income
7. How decision fatigue keeps stylists from making more money
8. The role technology can play in simplifying your business, not complicating it

Chrystal also explains why LiQUiD offers its pricing and profit calculator completely free, and how removing the fear around numbers gives stylists real power and clarity over their business and lifestyle.

If you want your business to support your life, not run it, this episode is a must-listen.

1. Try the free pricing and profit calculator:https://salonassistant.getliquid.ai/auth?callbackUrl=%2Fhome&redirectCount=1

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechrystalgraves

If this episode made you rethink how you look at money behind the chair, share it with another stylist who needs to hear this conversation.

Marketing is one of the most misunderstood parts of running a salon, and it’s often the reason growth feels inconsistent or exhausting.

In this episode of Hairstylist Rising, Jodie sits down with Katie, salon owner turned founder of MYA, to break down what effective salon marketing really looks like when it’s designed to support retention, team culture, and sustainable growth.

Katie shares how her experience building and scaling commission salons led her to uncover one of the biggest issues in the industry: clients leaving after one visit simply because they weren’t matched with the right stylist the first time. From there, the conversation expands into how salons can use marketing to create stronger connections, better first impressions, and longer-lasting client relationships.

You’ll also hear a refreshingly practical take on email marketing, SEO, personal branding within salons, and why marketing should feel more like relationship-building than selling.

1. Why marketing is about far more than getting new clients in the door
2. The real reason many new clients don’t return after their first visit
3. How better client-stylist matching improves retention and team morale
4. What salon owners should prioritize when it comes to websites and SEO
5. Why email marketing still matters for salons in 2026
6. How personal brands can strengthen, not threaten, the salon brand
7. What it actually means to nurture clients beyond the first appointment

1. Learn more about MYA: https://joinmya.com/
2. Follow MYA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinmya
3. Katie’s book, From First Date To Forever