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

You can have all the education… and still feel completely stuck.

In this episode of the Hairstylist Rising Podcast, I’m joined by returning guest Misty Jane to talk about something many hairstylists don’t expect to struggle with — knowing exactly what to do, but not being able to take action.

We’re breaking down why more classes, certifications, and strategy don’t always lead to confidence or momentum behind the chair, and how overthinking, people-pleasing, and fear of being seen quietly hold hairstylists back.

This conversation is especially for you if you’ve invested heavily in education, have the skills, have the clients — and still feel frustrated with yourself for not moving forward.

1. Why hairstylists can have all the strategy and still feel stuck
2. The difference between coaching, mentoring, education, and consulting for hairstylists
3. When continuing education helps — and when it becomes avoidance
4. Why confidence for hairstylists comes from action, not more learning
5. How people-pleasing and overthinking show up behind the chair
6. When hiring a coach makes more sense than buying another class
7. How burnout can exist even in a successful hairstyling career
8. Why many hairstylists know they need change but struggle to implement it

Misty Jane works with in-demand hairstylists and creatives who are ready to stop overthinking, set better boundaries, and build businesses that support their lives. Her coaching focuses on helping clients move out of mental loops and into aligned, confident action — without piling on more information.

1. Listen to the Starting Messy Podcast
2. Follow on Instagram: @misty_jane
3. Learn more at mistyjane.com

If this episode made you realize that the problem isn’t your skill level (but what’s happening underneath it) share it with another hairstylist who’s been stuck in learning mode and ready to move.

If you’re a hairstylist or beauty professional relying on one income stream behind the chair and wondering how long that’s sustainable, this episode is for you.

In the final episode of Year of Hairstylist Rising, Jodie sits down with Maddie Cook to have an honest, grounded conversation about building multiple income streams in the beauty industry without quitting your job, burning out, or overcomplicating the process.

This episode breaks down what actually works right now when it comes to creating leveraged income through online education, digital offers, and scalable programs. No hype. No “quit your job tomorrow” energy. Just real strategy, lived experience, and clear next steps.

Maddie shares her journey from working class hairstylist to world class educator, what she would do differently if she started again in 2026, and the exact approach she teaches stylists who want more financial stability, flexibility, and long-term options.

1. Why relying on a single income stream behind the chair is risky long term
2. The difference between service income and scalable income
3. Why online education is one of the most sustainable income streams for hairstylists
4. How to validate an income idea before you build it
5. What pre-selling actually looks like and why it works
6. Why micro-specific offers outperform broad courses
7. How to start earning outside the chair without complex funnels or tech
8. How to build income alongside a full clientele
9. The mindset shift required to stop trading time for money
10. Why digital courses are not dead and what buyers actually pay for now

1. Beyond the Chair Fest – a free live education event happening January 11
2. Part two of this conversation on the Sought After Educator podcast, where Jodie and Maddie dive deeper into branding and marketing your education

1. 🎟️ Get your free ticket to Beyond the Chair Fest
2. https://maddicook.com/beyond-the-chair-fest
3. 📲 Follow Maddie on Instagram
4. https://www.instagram.com/maddiecookcoaching
5. 🎧 Listen to part two of this conversation on the Sought After Educator...

Content creation doesn’t have to hijack your day behind the chair. In this conversation, Vivian from The Hairdresser’s Social Club and I map out a practical system for running content days and Share the Love days so you can batch what you need, train your team, and market your services without compromising the client experience. We cover how to source the right models, set expectations with a simple agreement, and leave with an album full of reusable b-roll and finished looks that actually convert.

What we cover:

→ Why content days remove pressure from the salon floor

→ Share the Love days for team education and culture building

→ How to use model days to grow a niche service

→ Building a house-model list you can call any time

→ Local micro influencer strategy that works without big budgets

→ Simple “six-hour block” prep to maximize output

→ What to ask models to do on stories, reviews, and tags

→ B-roll you can reuse for months with new hooks and captions

→ Guest experience first and how to keep filming from feeling invasive

→ Quick start checklist

→ Decide the goal of your content day (service to grow, team training, or b-roll)

→ Post a specific model call with reference photos and DM instructions

→ Pre-consult and patch test, then share a one-page expectations sheet and release

→ Prep looks, outfits, shot list, and a short caption bank

→ Assign roles for the day (stylist, filmer, runner) and block six hours

→ Capture process, space, and finished looks from multiple angles

→ Ask for stories during the appointment and a review after

→ File assets into named albums so you can repurpose fast

Guest

Vivian, founder of The Hairdresser’s Social Club, teaches hair and beauty pros how to use Instagram to attract new clients with content that actually connects.

Connect with Vivian

→ Instagram: @thehairdresserssocialclub

→ TikTok: @thehairdresserssocialclub

→ Website: thehairdresserssocialclub.com

If you loved this episode

→ Share it with your team and pick a date for your first content day

→ Tag me @itsjodiebrown and let me know your biggest takeaway

→ Leave a quick review — it helps the show reach more stylists who need it

Say hi to Lisa on Instagram

Lisa Huff is a hairstylist and beauty business coach, and the founder of Stylist Soul Tribe. In this conversation, we dig into her cycle of success and show how it plays out in real salon life. You will hear how to ground your mindset, cast a clear vision, design a schedule that protects energy and admin time, refine your clientele with intention, price with data, and create the white space that sparks your next big idea.

→ mindset comes first, decisions land when belief is present

→ vision sets the target, tactics become simple once you know where you are going

→ schedule is strategy, include working hours, admin, relationships, and you time

→ clientele refinement matters, try the yes no maybe list to see patterns

→ income is math, use demand and availability to guide price increases

→ white space feeds creativity, make room for thinking and stillness

→ big magic arrives when you are ready, notice the nudge and act

We open with why success is cyclical and why you return to mindset at every stage. We talk through vision casting that starts with your life, not just your books, and we map a dream schedule even if you are a few phases away from it. You will learn how to identify energy drains in your client list, why awareness alone can shift behavior, and how to approach pricing without emotion so you can grow sustainably.

→ 00:00 intro and why success is cyclical

→ 05:30 mindset as the foundation

→ 07:00 vision casting beyond the business

→ 12:45 schedule design and time as your finite resource

→ 20:00 yes no maybe list to refine your book

→ 27:45 pricing by supply and demand

→ 29:50 how clientele and pricing dance together

→ 31:30 white space and unlocking big magic

Your action steps are simple. Read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Block two hours of white space this week and leave your phone behind. Make your yes no maybe list, then notice the themes before you make changes.

→ connect with lisa on instagram, link in the show notes

→ learn more about stylist soul tribe, link in the show notes

If this episode helped, follow the show, share it with a stylist friend, and DM me the stage you are focusing on this month.