The Starting Messy Podcast

In this episode, Misty sits down with Annie Fisher: salon owner, career stylist, and author of Love Is in the Hair: A Journey of Setbacks, Scissors, and Self-Worth. These two met for the very first time on this podcast, and it felt like two business besties finally finding each other.Annie opens up about what it actually means to call yourself a career stylist (not "just a stylist"), how she navigated becoming a young mom while building a beauty career, why she opened her first salon in 2013 — and what led her to finally write the book she always knew was inside her.This one goes deep. From healing work and radical self-acceptance, to the difference between boundaries and rules, to what it means to let go of expectations of other people — this conversation is packed with the kind of real talk that will make you want to pull over your car and take notes.In this episode, you'll hear about:Why being a "career stylist" is an identity worth owning — and how the industry stigma still shows upAnnie's journey from Glamour Shots makeup artist to 30-year career stylist and salon ownerHow she bet on herself as a young single mom when everyone said beauty "wasn't a real career"The pandemic shift that gave her a new mantra: if it's not a hell yes, it's a noWriting Love Is in the Hair — and why she wrote it for herself firstUnpacking your stuff along the way (EMDR, therapy, faith, woo-woo — she's tried it all)The difference between boundaries and rules, and why that distinction mattersAnger as a secondary emotion — and what it actually signalsWhy disappointment is usually just unmet expectations in disguiseThe gift of getting older: fewer f*cks, more self-acceptanceConnect with Annie Fisher:Instagram: @‌annie_fisher_hairBook: Love Is in the Hair — available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are soldhairstylist personal development podcast, salon owner mindset, beauty industry self-worth, hairstylist burnout, career stylist podcast

What happens when a hairstylist gets tired of feeling tied down — and decides to do something about it? Leisha did not just change her schedule. She sold her house, moved into an RV with her husband, two dogs, and a cat, drove to a city where she knew nobody, and started walking into salons with a stack of papers and an idea nobody had ever heard of. That idea? Traveling Hairstylist — a first-of-its-kind service where stylists can hire a professional to come to their space, care for their clients, and cover 100% of their booth rent while they're on maternity leave, medical leave, or any extended time away. Coast to coast, all 50 states, with a team of five (soon to be seven) and a near-perfect client retention rate.In this episode, Misty sits down with Leisha, the founder of Traveling Hairstylist, and they go deep on what it actually looks like to start something that does not exist yet — the fear, the first salon door she walked into, the moment it finally clicked, and why she believes the beauty industry is the most creative space to build something that is entirely your own. In this episode, you will learn:How Leisha combined her love of travel with a real gap she saw in the industry — and why those two things colliding changed everythingWhat it actually looked like to launch with zero clients, zero connections, and one Instagram post in a city she had never lived inThe honest breakdown of how Traveling Hairstylist works financially — what stylists keep, what Leisha's team covers, and why it is structured the way it isWhy suite stylists are especially vulnerable during a leave — and what most salon companies still are not doing to support themHow Leisha thinks about team building, contracts, and what it means to run a business that is also a love letter to the industryWhat happened when she finally got a "yes" after two weeks of walking into salons and getting told noThe mindset that kept her going when the idea was still just hers — and why she believes when something really calls to you, it is embedded in youConnect with Leisha + Traveling Hairstylist:Instagram: @‌thetraveling.hairstylistWebsite: The Traveling Hairstylisthairstylist podcast, salon owner podcast, hairstylist personal development, beauty industry business podcast, hairstylist leave coverage