The Alan Howard Podcast

Hayley Jepson began her hairdressing career at just 17, quickly finding her niche as a colour technician. After working with Tony & Guy and an independent salon in Manchester city centre, she was thriving professionally — working hard, playing hard and feeling at the top of her game. But beneath the surface, burnout was quietly taking hold. Having experienced depression on and off since her te...

Amelia Wilmott is a rising star with an already impressive list of achievements to her name. A member of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s ClubStar Art Team, she went on to win the Quif Centre Stage Colour Competition and is now enrolled on the prestigious Fellowship Project X scheme. Her creative journey has seen her work alongside Simon Townley’s Hair Socials Influencers, gaining invalua...

Darcey Clarke made her mark on the industry early, being named ‘Junior of the Year’ at the British Hairdressing Business Awards at just 18 years old. A rising talent with drive and determination, she has continued to build an exciting and diverse career ever since. Throughout her journey, Darcey has worked closely with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing and is a regular presence backstage at...

Melanie has led En Route Hair and Beauty for 28 years, but it was a life-changing trip to the rainforest that truly reshaped her perspective. Witnessing firsthand the environmental impact of everyday business decisions inspired her to introduce bold, meaningful and sustainable changes within her own salon. Together, Melanie and her Salon Manager, Shannon Giblin, have transformed their business int...

Annie Franklin is the proud owner of Prestige Hair in Stockport. A British Hairdressing Awards finalist, member of both the Fellowship for British Hairdressing Project X & F.A.M.E Team and now an international session stylist assisting at Paris, NYC and London Fashion Weeks, her journey to success has been anything but ordinary. From building her reputation behind the chair to working backstag...

John Anthoney has recently been appointed as Education Manager for Alan Howard overseeing the entire education program curated by Alan Howard as well as delivering in-depth stylist training and creating trend-led content for digital platforms.  He leads the Seamless Grey Blending Course guiding hair professionals on techniques for blending and toning grey hair naturally and turning these serv...

Justin Mackland is an award-winning hairstylist based in Aberdeen, known for his creative vision and passion for pushing boundaries within the hairdressing industry. In this episode, Justin opens up about his journey — from collaborating with the prestigious hair brand Alfa Italia to being selected for the first ever Project Scotland team with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing. His energy, i...

Brooke Evans is an award-winning stylist, F.A.M.E Team member, and the owner of the Grid Collective, situated in a beautifully converted garage in the stunning world heritage site in Ironbridge, Shropshire.  Formerly known as multi-award-winning salon BE Ironbridge, Brooke has recently made the move from managing a fully employed salon team to offering a creative space for self-employed, free...

Ben Lifton is a Content Creation & Digital Capability Consultant with a unique career journey that began in hairdressing before evolving into entrepreneurship. In 2018, Ben founded Big Little Content (formerly Content Kweens), a dynamic agency that to date has helped global brands and over 6,800 hairdressers worldwide transform their approach to social media and digital content.  With ove...

Katie Steeden has been part of the Alan Howard family for 18 years across a number of roles including Store Manager, Business Development Manager and Select Account Manager before landing the role of National Store manager over 12 months ago.  Within the past year she has launched in-store Hub events to support and connect hairdressing freelancers with business advice, information on the late...

Known is on a mission to empower people to take control of their health and well-being through naturally formulated supplements that work and taste good. Joe Netherwood is the General Manager at Known Nutrition, the brand behind one of the world’s largest ranges of functional gummy supplements. Since launching the brand in 2022, Known has been at the forefront of making wellness simpler, tastier,...

Georgia Bell is a freelance educator and salon owner based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. She elevated her career through assisting Sophia Hilton at Not Another Salon one day per week which turned into a permanent assisting role months later.  Since then, Georgia has opened her current salon, Society by Georgia Bell, and specializes in vivid colour and lightening. She appears on stage with th...

Sassoon trained Melissa Timperley owns multi-award winning Melissa Timperly Salons in the heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter. As a team, they’ve won industry awards for the Best Salon in the UK, Best UK Salon Team and the award for Best Customer Care.  Melissa is joined by her Salon Manager, Sara Williams and Senior Stylist, Joe McMylor and together, they have created the MT Masterclass....