Podcasts

Still guessing your prices? If you’re a freelance hairdresser or salon owner who feels guilty raising rates, this episode is your permission slip—and your plan. In this How To Cut It panel, Georgia Bell, Ruth Lundstrum (Freelance Suite), Samantha Toogood, and Samantha Blues reveal why hair pros undercharge and how to price with confidence. We strip emotion from money, swap rigid menus for bespoke, hair-type packages, and build pricing that covers wages, tax/VAT, profit, pensions, sick pay, education, and cancellations. Ruth …

In today’s episode, Dom chats with Darren Cunningham and George Waterfield, owners of Leicester’s The Secret Garden, on building a truly welcoming, LGBTQ+ inclusive salon—and why inclusion is both practical and profitable. Hear how they opened at speed, navigated Leicester’s lockdown from a family garage, and replaced “ladies/gents” with gender‑neutral, length‑ and time‑based pricing. They share lessons on risk‑taking, constant education, and turning hate toward their Pride flag into powerful community solidarity, culminating in a 140‑person drag‑queen re‑raising. Plus, their growth playbook: …

Are scary ingredient headlines warping your colour decisions? In this episode brought to you by Wella Professionals UKI, we’re joined by Ursus Schweitzer—an R&D connector who bridges the lab and the salon floor. He observes how productsare really used, then translates complex chemistry into clear, salon-ready truths. Ursus cuts through the noise and decode what’s really inside the bottle so you can make smarter choices and educate clients with confidence. You’ll learn how to separate study-based evidence from clickbait, why full formulations …

What if colour work could be approached less like guesswork and more like investigation? In this episode I'm joined by Samantha Blues, founder of Colour Science Investigation, who explains her crime-scene-style framework for helping stylists move from guessing to predicting in colour. Samantha discusses why many stylists are taught to focus on the finished look rather than what is happening inside the hair, and why hair reading, residue, underlying pigment and consultation questions are essential. She also covers toners, colour correction …

What if the thing holding your career back isn't your skill—but your fear of being seen? In this episode, I break down why stage work matters for hairdressers and barbers. It builds confidence, sharpens your communication, and transforms how you show up behind the chair. I explore how performing unlocks creativity you didn't know you had. How it opens doors to educator roles, brand work, and art teams. And why live visibility still hits different in a world dominated by algorithms. I also …

What if your next job, chair, brand deal, or education booking didn’t come from battling an algorithm—but from one app built only for the hair industry? Meet Spotd! In this episode of How To Cut It, I’m Dom Lehane, and I’m joined by my fellow Spotd co-founders Richard England-Lee and Ollie Johns to break down Spotd—our soon to launch iOS and Android opportunity platform designed for hairdressers, barbers, salon owners, educators, and brands. We share why we built it, what problems it …

Ever thought about adding hair extensions to your menu, but stopped because you’re not sure how to learn them properly, the return on investment, or whether the hair is ethically sourced? In this HTCI x Remi Cachet partnered episode, I sit down with Remy Cachet founder Victoria Lynch to get into the real questions: what responsible sourcing and sustainability actually mean in the extensions world, what salons should be asking suppliers, and where the red flags are. We also break down the learning curve—how to move from “extensions-curious” to …

Want to become a session stylist? This episode with Anna Chapman is the practical route in — not the fantasy. I’m back in the HTCI PodShed with Anna Chapman, a leading session hair stylist with an instinctive understanding of hair and over a decade in top salons before moving into the session world. Todaywe’re to have real catch-up since we last spoke in 2020 podcast episode. Anna breaks down the actual steps to get into session work today: how to position yourself if you’re coming from salon, why session styling is a different job entirely, …