A business journal for independent beauty pros, by salonMonster
What Sally Lemmo Reminded Me About This Industry Some conversations just have momentum from the first minute. That was this one. When I sat down with Sally Lemmo, it felt less like a formal interview and more like getting a front-row seat to the kind of industry conversation you wish you could overhear at a …
There are conversations you walk away from feeling like you’ve just had coffee with someone who’s lived three lifetimes in a single career. My chat with Sonya Dove was one of those. If somehow you don’t know the name: Sonya is the artistic director for Intercoiffure, a 42-year veteran of Wella, and a member of …
The last time I saw Douglas McCoy in person, we were in New Orleans—aka its own country (Douglas’ words, and honestly… accurate). This time, we linked up for an episode of The Digital Chair and immediately slipped back into that easy, “industry friend” rhythm—swapping travel stories, education hot takes, and the kind of behind-the-scenes salon …
What happens when you mix raw talent, a fearless drive, and a vision for a better salon culture? You get Nikii Beis, owner and stylist at Elevated Studio in Squamish, BC—and my latest guest in our one-on-one salon sit-down. Nikii’s journey into the industry started in the most relatable way—highlighting a friend’s hair in a …
Some interviews feel like work. This one felt like sitting down with someone who has lived the same chaos, asked the same hard questions, and then decided to build better answers. When I sat down with Hunter Donia, I knew we were going to get into the real stuff: career starts, bad industry advice, business …
There are interviews where you hit record, ask a few questions, and everything stays nicely on the surface. And then there are the ones where you blink… and suddenly you’re talking about bleach chemistry, mental health, and the very real art of putting your “human suit” back on before you greet a client. That’s what …
When I sat down with balayage artist and educator Sarah Cabral, it felt less like an interview and more like catching up with a stylist friend who has quietly built a powerhouse career behind the chair — and behind the camera. From trade school teenager to BTC team educator with 100K+ Instagram followers, Sarah’s story …
When I sat down with Rhino Gaudet, I knew we were in for a good conversation—but I didn’t realize just how much ground we’d cover, from rock-star dreams and livestock show floors to closing a salon and falling back in love with the basics of our craft. Rhino’s story starts in Calgary and lands on …
Stephen and I jumped on a call with the legendary Douglas McCoy — hairdresser, filmmaker, photographer, educator, razor nerd, House of Pop owner — and from the first few minutes it was clear we weren’t just talking technique, we were talking career DNA. Douglas has one of those stories that reminds you why you fell …
When I sat down with Dallas-based barber and creator of The Weighted Cape, Henry Tribes, I thought we were going to talk about a cool new product. Instead, I got a front-row seat to a whole new way of thinking about barbering, inclusion, and what it really means to reinvent yourself in this industry. This …