Curl Specialist, Suite Life & Bridging the Gap in Curly Hair Education | Kia Rogers

This week on Rooted in Rising, we're sitting down with Kia Rogers: curl specialist, Evo Salon Educator, and the stylist Sacramento's curly-haired community has been buzzing about. Kia keeps it completely real about every chapter of her career: starting at a five-star commission salon with zero clients and a dream, navigating COVID and a newborn, going solo in a suite with seven grand and six clients, and finally landing at Junie Hair Salon where she's found her people.What makes this conversation so special is Kia's honesty about building systems from scratch, being the only Black stylist in the room (again and again), and choosing to bridge the gap in curly hair education rather than gatekeep what she's learned.In this episode we cover:Her journey from commission stylist → suite life → rental chair at Juni Hair SalonStarting her suite with $7K, no retail, and 6 clients and how word-of-mouth (and one Reddit thread) changed everythingWhy she made the switch from Davines to Evo and what led to becoming an Evo EducatorBeing the only Black stylist in the room: in salons, in classes, and at brand certifications, and why she's committed to creating safer spaces in educationThe importance of transparency with clients (even when you're still figuring it out)Her vision for building her own curly hair curriculumWhy she'd rather you ask the "dumb question" than leave her class without what you came forConnect with Kia:InstagramWebsiteConnect with Rooted + Rising:Rooted + RisingJosie AldrichQuinn MattinglyKeywords: curly hair specialist Sacramento, curl education for stylists, Evo educator, natural hair stylist, salon suite vs commission, curly hair cutting techniques, salon educator, bridging the gap in hair education, Rooted in Rising podcast, hairstylist career transitions