Heal The Industry

What happens when the environment around you gives you permission to question what you’ve always considered “normal”? In this episode of Heal The Industry, I sit down with Molly and Ashley for a vulnerable conversation about choosing sobriety and the freedom they’ve found on the other side of alcohol. For so long, drinking has been deeply woven into beauty industry culture. Celebrations, events, h...

We were never meant to do this alone. In this episode of Heal The Industry, I’m talking about the power of conversation, community, and what happens when we stop trying to carry everything by ourselves. Because isolation has a way of making fear louder, comparison heavier, and our struggles feel like they’re ours alone. But when we come together, have the conversations, share what we’re walking th...

What if the next level of your career isn’t about doing more—but getting clear on what you need to stop doing? In this episode of Heal The Industry, Ashlee is talking about the habits, reactions, and patterns that can quietly drain us while we’re busy building the career and life we prayed for. Reacting from emotion. Giving energy to things we can’t control. Saying yes because we feel bad. Compari...

What does it actually look like to help a stylist take ownership of their career? In this episode, Ashlee Vance and Abigail Lacey have an honest conversation about accountability, leadership, marketing, systems, and the responsibility salon owners have to help their teams win. They unpack why simply telling someone what to do isn’t enough, how to identify the real obstacle keeping a stylist stuck,...

We all want to heal the beauty industry. We want better leaders. Healthier salon cultures. More respect. Better communication. Stronger boundaries. More opportunity. But what if healing the industry requires us to stop looking at everyone around us for a minute… and look at ourselves? In this solo episode of Heal The Industry, I’m talking about something I believe we cannot have true change withou...

Tension of Growth What if the tension you’re feeling isn’t a sign that something is going wrong, but an invitation to build something better? In this episode, Ashlee shares the real-time lessons she’s learned as a multi-location salon owner, from moving across the country just 13 months after opening her first salon to discovering how much of her business still depended on her. Because sometimes y...

What if getting more clients wasn’t about marketing harder—but about creating better connection? In this episode, Ashlee sits down with Kati Whitledge , founder and CEO of Mya, to talk about rethinking the way we recruit, market to, and build relationships with clients in the beauty industry. From matching clients with the right stylist to creating trust before they ever sit in your chair, Kati sh...

Some stylists lead from ego. Jamie Varney leads the way she once wished she'd been led. In this episode I sit down with my dear friend Jamie — hairstylist, mentor, and education director — for an honest conversation about healing our industry from the inside out. We talk about ending the catty, drama-queen trope for good. Jamie says it plain: "that ends with me."We get into mentorshi...

We’ve gotten better at setting boundaries, charging our worth, protecting our bodies, and creating healthier careers in this industry… but have we learned how to actually turn it off? When your salon, your clients, your team, your content, and your next big idea consume your thoughts, it’s easy for what you do to slowly become who you are. In this episode, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about creat...

This is a beautiful part 2 of a part 1 conversation Ashlee is having with her dear friend Layne. In this episode we are sharing how powerful it truly is to lean into God's timing and surrendering over control. Follow us on instagram at: http://www.instagram.com/heal.the.industry

What if the biggest thing standing between you and the life, career, or business you want isn't your skill… but the story you've been believing? In this episode of Heal The Industry , I'm joined by my dear friend, Layne, who brings a unique perspective from working alongside salon owners and stylists across the country. Together, we unpack the mindset traps that quietly keep so many pe...

What if the aches, stiffness, numbness, and exhaustion we've accepted as "part of the job" were never supposed to be normal? In this episode of the Heal The Industry Podcast , I sit down with Renee Petersen to have a conversation every hairstylist, salon owner, and beauty professional needs to hear. Together, we uncover one of the biggest conversations our industry has been avoiding:...

Everyone gets excited about Quarter 1. Fresh goals. Big vision. New motivation. But then Quarter 3 arrives... and for many salon owners and stylists, the momentum starts to fade. Summer schedules get busy, vacations fill the calendar, and before you know it, you're reacting instead of leading. In this episode, Ashlee shares why Quarter 3 is one of the most overlooked opportunities of the year—...

What if the thing you’ve been trying to overcome is actually the thing you were meant to use? In this episode of the Heal The Industry Podcast, Ashlee Vance opens up the conversation around turning pain into purpose — how the hardest seasons, the moments that stretch us, and the things we never would have chosen can become the very things that shape our calling. So often we want to rush through th...

Somebody did the thing. And instead of going to  them,  you went to everybody else — the group chat, the chair next to you, the conversation you won in the shower that never actually happened out loud. Right? That's whisper culture, and it's quietly costing our industry teams, trust, and peace. In this episode we get honest about why beauty pros would rather  assume  than  ask  — and how t...

What if the biggest risk isn't betting on yourself... but spending your life waiting for someone else to? In this episode, Ashlee shares a deeply personal journey through the moments that shaped her career—from choosing beauty school when others questioned her decision, to building a clientele from scratch, launching a salon during uncertain times, and learning to trust God's leading even...

In this episode of the Heal The Industry podcast, Ashlee sits down with Brigette Sobus, founder of Power and Joy Coaching Academy, to talk about the deeper work salon owners and leaders need in order to truly lead well. From people-pleasing and money mindset to nervous system regulation, NLP, self-worth, and having the hard conversations — this conversation opens the door to what so many leaders a...

Everyone says they want better boundaries. More freedom. Less burnout. A stronger mindset. A business that doesn't depend on them every minute of every day. But when we recently polled salon owners, something surprising happened. The overwhelming majority chose mindset, boundaries, and balance as their biggest needs—while systems and automation landed at the bottom of the list. The problem? Sy...

This week, I’m getting real with you about something I don’t hear talked about nearly enough — staying connected to your body, and what happens when you spend years ignoring what it’s trying to tell you. For the first time since 2020, I finally stopped. No move, no new salon build, no flying back and forth across time zones, no constant fight-or-flight. And in that stillness, my body finally let m...

Technology is changing the beauty industry fast and for a lot of stylists and salon owners, it feels overwhelming. In this episode, Abigail Lacey joins us to have an honest conversation about AI, leadership, and what it really means to adapt without losing the heart behind your brand. We talk about the fears so many people have around technology replacing authenticity, and why AI is actually becom...

The beauty industry will teach you how to do hair. It will not teach you how to think. So many stylists, salon owners, and beauty professionals are doing everything right on paper and still feeling stuck. The skill is there. The work ethic is there. But something underneath keeps holding them back, and most of the time, it’s not what they’re doing. It’s what they’re believing about themselves. In...

If you've ever hit a goal and immediately felt behind again, this episode is for you. Ashlee opens up about the contentment crisis quietly running our industry — and shares the P.E.A.C.E. framework she uses to stay grounded while building across multiple brands. This is a conversation about gratitude, ambition, faith, and the lie that the next level will finally be enough. In this episode: Why...

Most retreats for beauty pros are about technique. This one isn't. In this episode, I sit down with Misty Jane — 20+ year hair industry veteran, host of the Starting Messy podcast, and a community builder who's spent the last few years rethinking what success looks like behind the chair. Together, we unpack why so many high-achieving stylists are quietly stuck in survival mode, and why res...

Growth isn’t random—and it doesn’t happen overnight. In this episode, Abigail Lacey, owner of Elle Society, sits down with her salon manager, Ellie, to walk through her full journey—from assistant, to booth renter, to commission stylist, and into leadership. This conversation opens up what growth actually looks like inside of a team structure. Not just the highlight moments, but the decisions, ali...

Most people don’t have a time problem. They have an awareness problem. In this episode, we’re getting honest about where your time is actually going—and what that’s revealing about your priorities, your patterns, and your level of leadership. Because you can’t steward what you won’t look at. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or like there’s never enough time… this isn’t about doi...