Behind The Mirror Podcast

One of the biggest names in the hair industry, Fergal Doyle joins us for a seriously unmissable episode of Behind The Mirror. We get into the details of how to really show up for an interview does wearing black, smart clothes actually make a difference? We talk team culture, how Fergal motivates his team to work together, and how he successfully blends employed and self employed stylists under one...

On today’s episode we have Maddi Cook the legend who’s responsible for helping thousands of stylists get their pricing right. Noticing a gap in the market between busy salons and profitable salons, Maddi developed a calculator to help businesses earn a decent living. Covering all the behind the scenes of the math that goes into the business, Maddi gives her top tips on whether to enforce your poli...

We meet the founder of SKCIN Marie Tudor and dr Amy Perkins to discuss what salons and stylists can do to protect their clients and try and spot moles early to get medical attention. When you don’t always see the back of your neck or scalp, you rely on your stylist letting you know if there’s an unusual mole or spot that might be worth getting checked out with your GP. Offering a course to teach s...

We were privileged to meet Anne and Taylor Ferguson. You may have heard of these pair as the iconic couple who owned Taylor Ferguson’s based in Glasgow. Having done many celebrities hair and won so many awards, Taylor and Anne have set the standards extremely high for the hairdressing industry, especially in Scotland. Still behind the chair, the pair offer top tips and advice on how to be the best...

Would you hire someone just to stand at the door of your salon? Piers Morgan wasn’t happy with this business decision made by Stephanie Stevenson, but she tells us how Michael was an asset to her business. Meet the female who has done celebrities hair, royal family hair, QVC presenting and now has formed an AI company to help salons “salon intelligence”. How do you hire staff to serve clients who...

Brian finally joins us! Despite being an international man of mystery and possibly the hardest man in hairdressing to pin down, he manages to make time for Behind The Mirror. And what follows? Lots of innuendos. Lots of laughs. And probably several things that should never have made it past the edit. We hear about a slightly dodgy extensionist recommending TikTok hair advice, which particularly tr...

Emma Fowler comes on to discuss some controversial topics in the hair industry just now. Should you pay “blonde tax” in the formation of your hair falling out? As an educator, Emma explains what she feels is expected of educators in the industry and what’s unacceptable. Laura, Lisa and Gary discuss what it’s like having a junior stylist and whether it’s worth it as a business. Emma talks about her...

From the classroom to the lash studio, this episode follows an inspiring career change as our guest Laura (owner of Blackout and Belladonna) shares how she left teaching behind to build a successful business as a self employed lash technician and educator. We explore what really goes into creating the perfect set of lashes, from the importance of patch testing and thorough eye consultations to bes...

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, we sit down with Stephanie Heaney to explore the woman behind the headlines. Best known as an international Playboy Bunny and the oldest woman ever to achieve the title, Stephanie shares the realities of balancing glamour with motherhood, proving that confidence and ambition have no age limit. Our conversation delves into the importance of image and id...

Emma joins Gary and Lisa in the height of her salon re launch. Making a bold move to close her successful salon of 15 years to change it up and fit with the times of modern day hairdressing. We talk about back in the day getting the salons first ever straighteners (even if people thought they fried head lice…) and how the Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z are treating their careers differently. The que...

In this deeply moving episode, we're joined by Wendy, co founder of the Little Princess Trust, to hear the heartbreaking story behind one of the UK's most cherished children's charities. Wendy shares how the charity was born from unimaginable loss after her five year old daughter passed away following a brave battle with cancer. Determined to create something positive from tragedy, she and her fam...

This week, Laura, Lisa and Gary are joined by Kat, better known as The Anti Hairdresser, for a powerful and honest conversation. Kat opens up about becoming a whistleblower, being dismissed from her job and signing an NDA. Together, they discuss racism in the salon chair and why discrimination should never be tolerated, the realities of running a business, the many hats salon owners and self-emplo...

This week on Behind the Mirror, Laura, Lisa and Gary are joined by the incredible Conor James Doyle, dialing in all the way from Ibiza for an honest, insightful and entertaining conversation. From building a successful career as a celebrity hairstylist to navigating life with ADHD, Conor opens up about the realities behind the glamour. Together, they discuss social media pressures, networking, tra...

We talk to the owner of the No. 1 hair pin to talk about her innovative design that changed the whole hair up industry. She’s the first ever designer to use architecture in hairdressing and we were left in awe! Can you believe she has a hair pin that retails for more than a house? Alongside a budget friendly one that we can all wear proudly. She’s adored by celebrities and even the royals! Come be...

This week, Laura and Gary are back with another round of salon stories, industry insights, and a few laughs along the way. They chat about some of the wildest client situations they’ve encountered recently, including a boyfriend who wasn’t happy with his girlfriend’s new hair colour and thought he deserved a refund! The conversation also dives into why strand testing is so important before any maj...

In this episode we meet Rae the founder of “We love Purple Hearts”. Think of this as a Michelin star but for hairdressers. Covering scary topics in the industry like the lack of regulation, people selling courses from watching a YouTube video and hairdressers who are skipping out on having insurance! Rae Palmer is not only a stylist herself, she’s regarded as one of the top 1% colourists for L’Ore...

Cash flow saviour or just another fad cost to the salon? We meet Danny from Vish who tells us what the company do. If your salon is struggling with profits, you don’t want another price increase but you want to earn more, then you might want to give this a watch! Did you know that it takes two litres of water just to flush colour down the drain! We investigate the problems of the environment cause...

We meet co owners Paula and Karen of the stunning alchemy clinic to discuss myths behind their clinic mirrors! Ever fancied some touch ups or aesthetics but were scared of coming out looking like Jackie Stalone? You’re not alone and we speak to these leasing experts to tell us how it Works and how to best find the “tweakment” that’s right for you. We could have talked for hours it was amazing to k...

We welcome Dale, the owner of Beardy Beardy multiple time SHABA winners to the studio. Dale tells us his pet hates in the salon and how his OCD means it took him two years to design the most flawless and perfect barbers! Dale took the bold move at 27 to change career and beforehand had dabbled in more careers than some folk have hot dinners! It paid off though and he found the winner showing it’s...

Join Lisa, Laura and Gary for an episode discussing all the myths surrounding “no haircut cream”. If it sounds too good to be true, that’s usually because it is! Gary saves all his clients numbers in his phone and even messages them on their birthdays. He was surprised to learn that his own mum had called him “Gary son” in her phone… Laughs as always, lies denounced and top tips from three pro sty...

In this episode, we sit down with Kirstie, a highly experienced and well established makeup artist, who brings plenty of stories from behind the scenes of the beauty world. From sharing her thoughts on a surprisingly unusual skin moisturiser to spilling the details on a memorable run in with a well known celebrity, let’s just say not all that glitters is gracious. We also dive into some truly ente...

Come join us on an episode with Karla Osbourne where she explains how she has become an expert in grey blending. If you're sick of the roots and stressed about having your hair done, you might want to tune in! It's more expensive and commitment than you might think...

We are delighted to be joined by the wonderful Eden Sassoon! We asked her on to talk about her dad Vidal Sassoon and the amazing legend that he is in the hairdressing world. Come join us for laughter, tears, Edens thoughts on what Vidal would think of today’s students and her search on finding herself as she follows the footsteps of the celebrity stylist. But she did admit… don’t open a salon when...

In this episode, we are joined by scalp and hair loss specialist Bridgeen King for a deep dive into what really works when it comes to hair health. Together, we unpack the growing trend of head spas and why, despite the hype, they are not an effective treatment for hair loss. We also discuss the benefits of using the Manta brush for stimulating hair follicle and hair growth. Bridgeen shares expert...

Lisa, Laura and Gary put Quade clothing to the test by sitting wearing bleach all over the bleach proof clothing! Does it pass the test or are they all stained?! Do you have blonde blindness?? Is your blonde never ever good enough. Is it yellow? Find out how to achieve it and get rid of the blindness!