Claim OwnershipHairbrained Conversations
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A weekly podcast that takes a deep dive into the minds of some of the most talented artists, educators, influencers, and leaders in the professional salon industry. Hosted by Gerard Scarpaci, Crafthairdresser and Co founder of Hairbrained
380 Episodes
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In this episode, Gerard Scarpaci chats with Ray Civello (@raycivello), renowned salon owner and founder of the environmentally friendly brand, Back of Bottle (@backofbottle). Ray talks about his background, what led him to product manufacturing and what sets BOB apart. From sustainability to products, they talk about the impact that product choice has not only on the client, but also the stylist, the environment and the health of the future.
Meet Allison Daza (@allisondazahair), a salon owner and @davinesnorthamerica educator who is committed to sustainable beauty and regenerative agriculture. Allison shares how she puts her beliefs into practice at her studio and how she embarked on a journey of documenting sustainable beauty in partnership with Davines in a short-film series called “Stories From the Field.”
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.
After a short stint in college, Carly Zanoni decided to take a chance on hair, and the rest is history. In this episode, Carly shares her beginnings as a young, insecure stylist to her reinvention as @the.blonde.chronicles, a brand that now includes a salon, education and a collaboration with Schwarzkopf Professional. She touches upon the challenges she faced and how she leveraged them as teachable moments, as well as her content creation strategy. Spoiler alert! Carly is a devout believer in recycling successful content, using editing apps and staying adaptable to social media trends. Tune in for more!
The idea that the opportunities are endless in the beauty industry needs no further proof than Kristin Firrell (@kfirrell). Now the VP of Salon Development at @paulmitchellpro, Kristin got her start as a salon stylist, and it was a transformative course at Sassoon in London that informed and drove her passion for education, which continues to this day. This focus on continuous learning, adaptability and understanding the "whys" behind our actions is the backbone of the new Paul Mitchell Pro Rewards program. Of course, the tier-based program rewards purchases, but what truly elevates it to superstar status is that it also rewards hairdressers for completing continuing education. What's more, the points earned can be used beyond the salon space: for financial literacy, travel, even donations to their favorite charities. Be sure to tune in to learn all about this exciting new endeavor and how it helps support Paul Mitchell's commitment to transparency, culture and social responsibility.
One year ago, Melissa Parizot (@melissawillcutyou) and Olivia Casanova (@livcasanovahair) became co-owners in the much-lauded IGK Salon in the tony SOHO neighborhood in New York City. In this episode, they reveal their backgrounds, career journeys and how they came to their current positions. Additionally, they share their strategies on salon training, social media and retail sales, with a particular focus on the importance of home care for maintaining hair color and health. Tune in to learn more about the fascinating world of salon management at a top salon.
Some of the world's best ideas have been born from dreams: Einstein's Theory of Relativity, the sewing machine, The Beatles' song "Yesterday"—and now we can add Roger Molina's captivating stop-motion haircutting videos to the list. In this episode, we talk with @rogermolinahair, Master Stylist at Lunatic Fringe salon in Park City, Utah, and Sam Villa ArTeam member, about how a dream inspired him to transform his Instagram content creation, which led to a four-fold increase in his following nearly overnight. With Robert sharing his personal struggles as well as his creative process, the episode explores the challenges faced by content creators, including moments of self-doubt and burnout, and the importance of encouragement and remaining true to your creative spirit.
To honor World Mental Health Day, we are joined by Todd Faulk (@spiritualgangster75), educator at Aveda Arts + Sciences Institute in Dallas, to discuss the importance of understanding and recognizing the mental health challenges prevalent in our industry. From discussing how ADHD presents differently in men and women to the power of listening and practicing empathy, Todd emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive environment where individuals feel heard and understood. Tune in for several practical tips that will help you foster a more compassionate and supportive community, both within your salon and in your own life.
It may be hard to remember, but there was a time when social media was in its infancy. But @alfredo_lewis, Global Ambassador for K18, remembers—and it's because he was among its first early adopters. We talk with Alfredo about what first led him to understand social media's full potential, how social media has evolved from embracing influencers to content creators (and the perceived differences between the two), and how engagement on social media has changed—for better and for worse. What's more, in addition to sharing how K18 supports him and helped give him a platform to reach a broader audience, Alfredo also discusses the future of content creators and how social media has lived up to its potential in serving the hairdressing community.
Tatum Neill's roots in the professional beauty industry run deep. His father, Edwin Smokey Neill, played a pivotal role in helping iconic hairdressers like Horst Rechelbacher, Paul Mitchell, and Irvine Rusk grow and distribute their respective brands during the 1970s and '80s. Today, Tatum and his family run 18 cosmetology schools, own and manage a distributorship, and have launched events such as Serious Business. And Tatum is leading the charge in the digital arena with his own brainchild, Elevate Hair. In this episode, Tatum reflects on the past and looks to the future, stressing the need for elevating cosmetology instructors, the future of events and competitions, and what's next for the industry.
Some people go through their whole lives not knowing what they want to do, and then there are people like Christopher Aaron (@christopheraaronstudio), who always knew he wanted to be a hairdresser. Luckily for him (and us), his high school offered a program that allowed him to attend beauty school. It wasn't always easy, but luckily his mentors helped him through. His first job at Supercuts allowed him to hone his craft and master all hair types and textures. Fast forward to today, and Christopher is an Advanced Healing Artist with L'ANZA. His expertise meant that he was instrumental in developing the brand's new Healing Curls line and most recently the line's newest product, Butter Whip Styling Foam. He also has branched into celebrity styling, doing hair for the Oscars and morning television shows.
We are honored to count Adam Federico as one of the first Hairbrained Community members, as well as a longtime friend and fellow #crafthairdresser. In this episode, we trace Adam's and his family's deep roots in professional beauty education, going all the way back to his grandfather. And for Adam, what started with playing with student kits in his garage developed into fulfilling a passion for hairdressing, not to mention becoming a salon owner and world-class educator. We talk about what inspired him to invest in bringing overseas talent to the U.S., as well as offering classes with brands like Z Gat, Dove Palmer and more, many for the first time in the states. His love for education continued to blossom when, after selling his salon following the pandemic, he began working with R+Co and created the brand's educational identity while developing courses for both the updated Miami studio and salons around the world.
We’ve long heard that scalp health equals hair health, but what exactly does that mean? In this episode, Ricardo Dinis (@ricadodinis), @Aveda Global Artistic Director of Haircutting, sheds light on scalp health and scalp solutions. He shares his journey to becoming a trichologist, a specialist who focuses on problems related to the hair and scalp, and how this has perfectly dovetailed with his career at Aveda. We also discuss how Aveda is helping to train hairdressers to become more knowledgeable about the scalp (Did you know that there’s a scientific reason why shampoo benefits the scalp?), and how this will in turn help hair health, not to mention client retention and your bottom line.
In this episode, we get to know Kati Whitledge (@katiwhitledge), entrepreneur, salon owner, professional speaker, author and fellow podcaster. She shares her journey of how, as a "thirsty" hairdresser, she was fascinated with business development and why people choose brands or, more importantly, connect with certain types of people. She developed a survey that matches potential clients with hairdressers at her Madison, Wisconsin salon, Be Inspired (@be_inspired_salon). This not only helped her to dramatically increase revenue and retention, but it also led to the creation of her matchmaking software company, Mya (@join_mya). From there she launched the Beyond the Technique podcast to further business advice. Kati shares how you too can build and manage great teams, increase client satisfaction and retention, and grow revenue.
In this episode, Maggie Hancock, @maggiemh, @schwarzkopfusa artist reveals how determination, grit and humility helped her achieve her goals. She shares how she not only took on multiple jobs to make her dream of opening a salon a reality, but also volunteered her time and talent on photo shoots, which led her to her current role at Schwarzkopf Professional overseeing creative direction on photo shoots. We also discuss the value of showing up and assisting; the nuances of hustle culture; and how AI is impacting the landscape of creativity.
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@gcbaft it was really nice🤗❤️
face time consultation! genius.
I mainly listen for the Barbers you have on the show, I hope you can get Pope the Barber on here some day and Taylor Leven (Barberella 2017)!!!! KEEP EM' COMIN'!~