This Mother's Day, we're giving it up to @ashleenormanhair, who juggles motherhood along with her roles at Schwarzkopf and K18. Of course Ashlee's family (her husband in particular) is central to her success, but she also attributes the diversity of her background as a key factor. She shares how obtaining a degree, interning at a fashion magazine and pursuing advanced education, including at Vidal Sassoon and Bumble and bumble, helped shape her unique approach to hairdressing, education and presenting—not to mention her high standards. We talk about how Ashlee is paying these lessons forward, not only to hairdressers through her leadership and education, but also to her three children by showing that, with the right support, education and determination, women (and mothers) can have it all. 

Hairbrained is thrilled to welcome beauty industry veteran Gordon Nelson (@gordonwnelson) to the team as our new VP of Brand Partnerships. In this episode, we introduce Gordon to the Hb community by talking about his long history with the industry, which began with his father, who himself was a very well-known hairdresser. Gordon shares his personal history in the beauty world, which includes helping brands like Arrojo and Intelligent Nutrients grow and thrive. And he shares how excited he is to be working with Hb's brand partners to help them continue to flourish within the Hb community. 

 Evan Joseph (@evanjosephcurls) relishes being an independent educator. But it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering he has been fiercely independent his whole life. In this episode, he explains how growing up gay in a small Midwestern town influenced him and his desire to help people whom mainstream hairdressing had tended to overlook: those who wanted to embrace their naturally curly hair. He reflects on how the industry has evolved, how his education is different, and what he has in store for the future. 

When Jorge Blanco met @davinesofficial's Davide Bollati some 20 years ago, little did he know how much it would change the trajectory of his life. At the time, Jorge was flexing his editorial and entrepreneurial muscles as co-founder of a lifestyle magazine. But a meeting of the minds found Jorge quickly accepting a six-month contract to work at Davines. In this episode, Jorge shares the story of his evolving role at Davines and how his storytelling abilities have transcended all aspects of the brand, from sustainability to education to product manufacturing, all while remaining true to Davines’ core ethos of culture and sustainability.

Nick Stenson (@nickstenson) has had his hand in nearly every facet of the beauty business. His achievements include being a makeup artist and nail tech, not to mention an award winning hairdresser, brand ambassador, salon owner and founder of his own brand, @nickstensonbeauty. This cumulative experience gives him a unique and valuable perspective when it comes to his current role as the Senior Vice President of Store and Services Operations at @ultabeauty. In this episode, he shares how he champions the hairdresser at Ulta, how he helps celebrate hairdresser success, and how he was able to launch his own product line while juggling all of his other responsibilities. 

What began with a childhood love for painting has blossomed into a two-decade career that has taken Patricia Nikole around the world, helped her brand @paintedhair amass more than 1 million followers on Instagram and nearly 500K on TikTok, and made her one of the industry’s most sought-out educators. Recently named Schwarzkopf Professional’s Artistic Ambassador, Patricia shares what makes her high-contrast painting style so unique, why her partnership with her husband is essential to her success, and why it continues to be so important to engage on social media.  

Diana Osborne’s near miss with leaving the hair industry is a rather common one: Health issues triggered by certain salon products. Rather than leave the industry however, in 2019 Diana opened her own natural-products salon in Toronto. And when shutdowns paralyzed the world, Diana pivoted to an e-commerce focus and now has an online storefront that retails natural products like Innersense Organic Beauty. Tune in to learn how Diana overcame health challenges to not only thrive as an independent stylist, but also as a holistic hairdresser who will soon be offering education focused on holistic hair care.