Heal The Industry

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...

In this episode, we sit down with Bria Alston to talk about what happens when beauty goes beyond the surface and becomes something sacred. From her background in nursing to building a business rooted in inner healing, Bria shares how she integrated faith into her treatment room and allowed God to redefine her work. What started as aesthetics evolved into ministry, where prayer, presence, and inten...

In this episode of Heal The Industry, Abigail Lacy, owner of Elle Society Salon, shares the hard truths that every salon owner will face—but few are willing to talk about. After years of growth, refinement, and perspective shifts, Abigail opens up about what it really takes to move from being a stylist behind the chair to becoming a leader who builds people, culture, and long-term sustainability....

The beauty industry is one of the most people filled industries in the world, yet so many stylists and salon owners quietly struggle with feeling isolated and alone. You spend your days surrounded by clients, coworkers, and constant conversation, yet still carry the weight of your career, your growth, and your personal struggles by yourself. In this episode, Ashlee talks about one of the most comm...

In this episode, I’m joined by Andrea “Andi” Brundidge as we share the story behind her stepping into partnership at our NOVA STRANDS Oregon location. What started as Andi joining the salon as a stylist slowly evolved into something much bigger. Through leadership, trust, and a shared vision for what this industry can be, Andi rose into the role of Operations Manager and ultimately into partnershi...

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know I am passionate about starting my day with intention. But this didn’t start as some polished productivity strategy. It started as a tired mom waking up at 4am, running on adrenaline, pouring from an empty cup. In this episode, I share the real story of how waking up just 30 minutes earlier changed everything — not just my mornings, but who I b...

In this powerful return episode, I welcome Abigail Lacey back to the Heal The Industry podcast — and we share why our last episode together became one of the most listened-to conversations on the platform. This conversation goes deeper. We talk about how our relationship started — working on opposite sides of town, connected first through Instagram and a mutual industry friend — and how curiosity,...

In this episode, I sit down with Hannah Riley for a real, no-fluff conversation about what it actually looks like to build a sustainable, aligned career in the beauty industry. We talk through hair extensions and the responsibility that comes with offering them—doing the work with integrity, education, and respect for the client, not trends or pressure. We unpack the importance of clear and health...

If you’ve ever felt successful on the outside but disconnected on the inside, this conversation is for you. In this episode, we’re diving into alignment—what it really means, why so many beauty professionals are operating outside of it, and how that misalignment often shows up as burnout, self-doubt, and pressure to keep up. We talk about why borrowed certainty from others eventually fails and how...

In this episode, we sit down with Jesse Anastacio, former hairstylist turned biblical business coach, to explore what it truly looks like to bring faith into your work — not performatively, but faithfully. Jesse shares her journey of surrender during the 2020 shutdown, how God began reshaping her understanding of integrity, finances, and obedience, and how that transformation eventually led her to...

In this episode, I’m reflecting on 2016 — a year that didn’t feel like a breakthrough at the time, but ended up being a foundation for everything that followed. I was a new mom, learning responsibility in real time. I bought my first house, posted my work publicly for the first time, started dreaming about my own space, and made the decision to hire my first business coach — all without clarity, c...

Scarcity has quietly shaped the beauty industry for far too long — teaching stylists to fear time off, compete instead of collaborate, and tie their worth to overworking and survival. In this episode, Ashlee Vance sits down with Aleta Plajer , owner of AMP Hair Extension Studio , to name the patterns we’ve inherited and begin the work of releasing them. Together, they explore what it looks like to...

Annique shares her nine-year journey behind the chair, including the bold leap from a thriving salon suite into opening a large salon in April 2024—and the unexpected weight that came with it. From building complications to challenging hiring experiences, the pressure nearly pulled her away from the freedom she originally built her business for. Through deep reflection and listening to her instinc...

In this episode of Heal The Industry , Ashlee Vance speaks to the deeper shifts required to truly change the beauty industry—starting with ourselves. From faith and identity to leadership and responsibility, this conversation invites you to pause, reflect, and question the patterns you may have normalized in your career. This episode isn’t about doing more—it’s about becoming more aligned, more gr...