Chris Baran's Headcases

Get ready for this superstar. Her accolades are awe inspiring. Seven-time NAHA winner. Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Intercoiffure Icon and first female director for Intercoiffure North America. Creative Director for Trevor Sorbie. She is a film documentarian and I know her best as a brilliant editorial stylist. I could go on and on, but I can't wait to introduce to you my guest, Vivienn...

Over the last 30 years, Eric Fisher has opened four salons that are repeatedly voted Best Hair Salon in Wichita and named among the Top 200 Salons in America. “Do you want to be good at what you do? Do you want to be great? Or do you want to be one of the best?”. Here on Headcases, we think Eric Fisher is one of the best! Hairdressing has taken Eric all over the world working with some of the bigg...

I have been really looking forward to today. My guest is the author of the best-seller "Profitable Salon Owners" and the co-founder of High Performance Salon Academy. He has led wildly successful training events for Redken, Matrix, Massage Envy, Nordstrom, Baskin Robbins, and the US Army. He is my business coach and a very dear friend: Mr Jason Everett.   • Three words that capture Jason...

A friend of mine opened his own salon at just 23 years old. Since then he has styled hair for Hollywood celebrities and music icons. He is known as a leading expert in textured and curly hair and, in fact, he won the 2022 NAHA award for texture. Here he is: Jamal Edmonds.   • Even as a child he was constantly creative with the love and support of his family. • Hear how Jamal got into education in...

This week I'm with a great friend who is a 13-time NAHA finalist and winner. His work has appeared in almost every industry magazine in the world. He’s been on Oprah, CNN, and Good Morning America. He has styled for movies, music videos, and fashion runways. Here is Mr Nicholas French! • One of the best pieces of advice that Nicholas got from his father when he was only 10 years old: “Keep yo...

Today I sit down with the Midwest Hairstyling Awards Hairstylist of the Year, NAHA Educator of the Year and Director of the Hair Labs Detroit Barber School, Mr Rodrick Samuels.  Rodrick shares some great nuggets of wisdom this week including his top 3 list for students - you have to show up, you have to work hard and you have to listen.  He shares how education has changed so much from when he was...

Today I’m chatting with a true entrepreneur. She is a hairdresser, a school co-owner, a school franchise co-owner, and her 25,000 square foot salon and med spa has been voted one of the top 100 salons by Elle Magazine no less than four times. I am so pleased to bring you my good friend Jill Krahn. ⁃How did she get from a 3-chair boutique to her current 25,000ft salon with med spa and restaurant? ⁃...

This week’s guest is a personal friend, a successful salon owner, a powerful advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, a NAHA winner as Men’s Hairstylist of the Year, and a key contributor to the Hair Has No Gender movement. She is someone I admire very much: Jamie DiGrazia. ⁃Jamie discusses the importance of gender-free pricing and breaks down the method used at their salon to price their hair cuts. ⁃Lo...

This week’s guest is doing amazing things. She rose from homelessness to being one of the country’s most celebrated and respected stylists. She is a certified tricologist,  a salon owner, a NAHA finalist, ABS Global Image award nominee,  Behind the Chair One Shot finalist and so much more. I’m very happy to sit down with Evie Johnson on Headcases.  -Listen to Evie’s amazing journey, how she starte...

On Headcases this week I’m speaking with a Harvard and Wharton Business School grad and founder of Busy Salons. He is president of Salon Ninja, and the creator of A-Game Mastery Coaching. He is a Hi-Performance coach and has worked with many high profile salon artists. It’s my honour today to chat with Andrew Finkelstein. ⁃Andrew shares how he got started in the beauty industry after graduating fr...

This week’s guest is GQ’s “Coolest Barber on Instagram”, a 4-time winner of Canadian Men’s Hairdresser of the Year, and has worked behind the scenes with the hottest actors in film and television. He has a very successful line of shops and products under the Victory Barber and Brand banner, and I feel very fortunate that I knew him before he was even a hairstylist. Our guest is Matty Conrad! ⁃Why...

My guest this week owns multiple salons, he is a lead educator, and he provides solutions to salons looking to level up. And in his spare time he’s a prize-winning body builder! I’m so pleased to sit down with my personal friend, Jayson Morgan.  ⁃Jayson started young - his grandmother would give him old mop heads to cut, and she would hunt yard sales for Barbie heads for him to cut and style ⁃He s...

This week’s guest is the Global Creative Director and Senior Vice President of Creative for Aveda. She is a winner of British Hairdresser of the Year, and she’s done hair for models for Mu Mu, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Dolce and Gabanna and the list goes on. It is my great pleasure to chat with Antoinette Beenders.  ⁃Antoinette shares how she got started in hairdressing, and what lead t...

This week my guest Headcase is a multi award winner, International Stylist of the Year, British Hairdressing Award winner, and NAHA winner. He was lead stylist for American’s Next Top Model. I could go on and on! I’m so pleased to sit down with Damien Carney and hear about his career.  ⁃After years as a successful stylist, Damien felt something was missing. So he decided to chuck it all and go wor...

Today's guest is one of the most brilliant educators and colorists I know. He is a global artist with Redken, and a lead colorist on all Redken color shoots. He is a three time NAHA nominee and he is here fresh from the stage at the Redken Symposium On Tour. So let's get into this week's Headcase: Mr. George Garcia. - he realized early in his training at cosmetology school that if h...

My guest this week is my mentor, my teacher, and my friend. He has trained hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and is a best selling author. He is a huge role model in my life – Blair Singer! Blair describes meeting Chris, and how Chris was a little skeptical about the training, and how quickly Chris changed his tune We don’t have to listen to the chatter in our mind telling us we ca...

This week I finally get to bring on my close friend and business partner, Chris Moody! Chris is one of the world’s best trainers.  - Chris says everything we do is an evolution, and shares his story of evolving from hairdressing to teaching  - Hear about the one moment that changed everything for him  - He digs into the differences between "show & tell" teaching to "share and le...

This week, I'm really excited to sit down and chat with my dear friend Leah Freeman. Leah is one of the industry's top recognized colorists, a successful salon owner, and the Global Healing Color Director for L'ANZA. • Leah shares how she struggled in school, turning to beauty school on a whim. Turns out, that decision was a life-changer • Because she had such a hard time learning a...

This week’s Headcases guest has over 32 years experience in the professional beauty industry, starting as an administrator at a beauty school and moving on to Pivot Point International, CEO of Milady Publishing, and Executive Director at the National Cosmetology Association. Meet my new best friend Gordon Miller! Gordon shares how he was a young closeted gay guy in the 70s and found acceptance in...

This week we repost the hugely popular podcast with Daniel Mason Jones.  Daniel Mason Jones owns one of the hottest salons in the country. He is a world-class hairstylist, a transformative speaker, an exceptional educator, and a cheerleader to everyone he meets.    He has trained closely with top hair designers around the globe and his mission is to elevate the hair industry through inspirational...

This week I chat with my good friends Philip and Mary Wilson. Philip Wilson is hairdresser to celebrities and royalty and is the creator of the Twin Brush, Twin Comb cutting technique and has been the artistic director for many brands. Mary Wilson is a CEO, an educator, a marketing wizard, and works with many brands. This episode is packed with profound reflections on their hairdressing journey. •...

I’m deeply honored this week to sit down with my ultimate hairdressing hero, four times winner of the British Hairdressers Award and Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Trevor Sorbie. This one was extra special for me, as Trevor as been a true inspiration both creatively and personally in my life. • Trevor shares the origin stories of his well-known cuts, the Wedge and the Sc...

This week’s guest is perfectly timed for Earth Day.  James Alba joins me to talk about salon sustainability. James is a co-owner at The B Hive Salon in New Jersey, and co-founder of The Salon Movement.   James shares a shocking statistic that the hairdressing industry generates 877 lb waste/min  He tells how he first started to take action for the environmental movement at a young age   James shar...

I’m excited to chat with my next guest, a Lifetime Achievement winner and a Hall of Heroes award winner, Ginger Boyle.  ·      Ginger shares how she lived off the grid for a year waiting for her cosmetology license  ·      She took a chance and moved across the country to work for Horst ·      How sometimes on the road for hair shows, they would have to get their “models” in the mall or bar ·     ...

For this week’s Headcase, I was very excited to sit down with master hair colorist and Keune’s Create Color Ambassador, George Alderete. George shares where his profound inspiration comes from  How he changed careers from construction work with his father How his team is first among the most important keys to his success His biggest insecurities His most powerful advice to anyone pursuing success...