The Work That Makes the Work Work

Let's Get Clear

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 the story we tell ourselves does more damage than the thing that actually happened. Then I'm handing you a framework you can carry into any hard conversation: CLEAR — Come to the person, Lead with facts, Eliminate assumptions, Aim for the solution, and Repeat it back. Because clarity isn't cold. Clarity is kindness. And the conversation you've been avoiding? This is the week you have it. Stop rehearsing it. Say the thing. http://www.instagram.com/heal.the.industry [http://www.instagram.com/heal.the.industry]

Bet On You

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 when the path didn't make sense on paper. This isn't a conversation about confidence. It's a conversation about faith, obedience, and learning to trust what God has placed inside of you before you have all the answers. Through stories of setbacks, pivots, opportunities, and hard decisions, Ashlee unpacks what it really means to bet on yourself—not from a place of self-reliance, but from a place of believing that God wouldn't have called you to it if He wasn't going to walk with you through it. If you've been waiting for permission, certainty, or the perfect timing before taking your next step, this episode is your reminder: You don't need to know how. You need to know Who. Because every breakthrough in your career, business, leadership, and life begins with a decision to believe that what's been placed inside of you is worth betting on. In this episode: • Why perfectionism can keep you from obedience • The mindset shift that changed Ashlee's career • How betting on yourself builds confidence through action • What salon ownership taught her about faith and risk • Why your next level may require trusting God before you see the outcome • Learning to rise to the opportunities placed in front of you Sometimes the most important investment you'll ever make is believing in the person God created you to be. www.instagram.com/heal.the.industry

The Work That Makes the Work Work

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 are missing: the internal tools that make systems, leadership, communication, and growth actually sustainable. Because healing the industry doesn’t just happen through better strategy. It happens when leaders become emotionally healthy enough to lead. @coachbrigettesobus @heal.the.industry

Stop Chasing Freedom and Build It

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? Systems are the very thing that create the boundaries, freedom, and stability everyone is searching for. In this episode, Ashlee Vance and Abigail Lacey unpack the paradox that keeps salon owners stuck in overwhelm. They discuss why so many leaders avoid systems, how emotional leadership creates unnecessary stress, and why structure is actually one of the most caring things you can provide for your team. You'll learn: • Why burnout is often a systems problem, not a motivation problem • How data removes emotion from leadership decisions • The connection between boundaries and business structure • Why stability feels uncomfortable for entrepreneurs • How to begin implementing systems without becoming overwhelmed If you've been chasing freedom but still feel tied to your business, this episode will help you understand what may be missing. Because boundaries aren't created by working harder. They're created by building better systems. www.instagram.com/heal.the.industry www.instagram.com/ashlee.n.vance www.instagram.com/abigail.ellesociety

Stop Treating The Symptom

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 me feel everything I’d been pushing through: waking at 2 and 3 a.m., bone-deep exhaustion by mid-afternoon, eating clean and staying active with nothing to show for it, and zoning out mid-conversation no matter how hard I tried to stay present. I’d blamed it on everything — time zones, caffeine, the season I was in. But a friend kept telling me to get my hormones checked. So I did. Turns out my testosterone (yes, women need it too) was so low it wasn’t even measurable. One treatment in, I felt like me again — present at my daughter’s softball game, sleeping through the night, dreaming again. I just wish I’d listened sooner. I also share what our family is walking through with my son — years of being told his pain was “just growing pains” until we pushed for answers and learned he has a rare autoimmune condition called CRMO. Both stories taught me the same two things, and they’re what this whole episode is about: stop treating the symptom and get to the root of the problem — and trust your instincts, because that intuition was put inside you for a reason. Whether you’re a stylist, a salon owner, a mom, or someone who’s quietly been pushing through — this one’s for you. Above all else: heal. DM me on Instagram @heal.the.industry to tell me what came up for you. If it spoke to you, share it with a friend who needs to hear it, and leave a rating or review. Want to be a guest? The application link is in our IG bio.