The Modern Hairstylist ™ Podcast

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into one of the most emotionally loaded business decisions a stylist can make: removing services from your menu and letting go of clients who no longer fit where your business is headed. Hunter breaks down both the mindset work and the actual strategy behind doing this in a way that protects your revenue and your sanity.

Whether you are overbooked and finally ready to stop doing the services that drain you, or you are looking at your numbers and realizing certain services are...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown are getting into a conversation that comes up every single year at this time: holiday discounting. Before you roll out a promo, a package, or a gift card sale, Hunter wants you to stop and actually think through whether it is serving you or quietly working against you.

Hunter walks through the real questions you need to answer before you discount anything, using a real example from a Mastermind student to show how a well-intentioned holiday promo can end up costing a fully booked...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown tackle one of the most overlooked revenue leaks in salon ownership: keeping assistants in training mode for way too long. Hunter brings real examples from the salon owners he works with in Mastermind and makes a direct, no-fluff case for why shortening your assistant runway is one of the fastest ways to grow your income and your team at the same time.

This episode is specifically for salon owners who are sitting on untapped revenue potential because they’re holding too tight to control ov...

Connect with Brandy Chavez: https://www.instagram.com/brandythehairstylistConnect with Myriam Georges: https://www.instagram.com/meetmyriam/

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown are joined by two Mastermind members, Brandy Chavez and Myriam Georges, who share the specific AI systems they’ve built to take the most time-consuming tasks in their businesses completely off their plates. If you’ve ever wished there were two of you, this episode shows you the closest thing to it.

Hunter, Brandy, and Myriam walk through two real-world use cases that go far beyond using AI a...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into something Hunter has observed consistently across his own career and with every six figure stylist inside Mastermind: once you hit 100K behind the chair, the game changes completely. The strategies, the mindset, the client relationships, and the way you think about your time all need a significant overhaul, and if you do not make those shifts, you will not just plateau. You will start to go backwards.

This episode is honest, a little uncomfortable in the best way, and exactly what six...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into one of Hunter's most deeply held beliefs: your time is one of your most valuable business resources, and at a certain level of success, how you are spending it is either compounding your growth or quietly capping it.

Hunter is direct that this episode is particularly relevant once you have hit the 75K to 100K mark in your business. Because at that point, the things that got you here, doing everything yourself, being hands on in every department, giving your personal touch...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown break down the client experience framework that Hunter has been building, refining, and implementing with his Mastermind and Modern Stylist Movement students for years, and what it looks like now that AI has taken it to a level that was not possible before.

Hunter is clear from the jump: client experience is not just a nice to have. It is the foundation that everything else in your business is built on. Your marketing, your pricing, your retention, your referrals. All of it either works...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown dig into a concept Hunter has been teaching since the very beginning of his career as an educator: how to use automation and technology not to replace the human touch in your business, but to amplify it. This episode sets the stage for a deeper dive into specific examples coming in the next episode, and it makes the case for why embracing AI is not a luxury for the modern stylist. It is a competitive necessity.

Hunter gets candid about why the friction of...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into one of the most common and costly gaps Hunter is seeing with the salon owners he works with inside Mastermind: a lack of a clear, fair, and measurable growth path for the stylists on their team. Hunter pulls directly from real conversations he has been having with new Mastermind members to break down what a growth plan actually needs to look like, which KPIs actually matter, and why getting this right is one of the fastest ways to protect your revenue and retain your...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown dig into a concept that one of Hunter's all-time favorite Mastermind students put into practice and completely ran with: creating a signature methodology. Using the real example of Brandy Chavez, an Arizona based stylist who built her entire brand around a hard water detox method she developed herself, Hunter and Jodie break down why this strategy is one of the most powerful things a niched down stylist can do to set themselves apart and build the kind of loyalty that markets itself.

This is...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown break down one of the most fundamental communication shifts you can make in your business: giving people a reason to give a shit. Whether you are trying to sell retail, upsell a service, get your team on board, or stop the scroll on social media, the same principle applies across the board, and most stylists and salon owners are skipping it entirely.

Hunter pulls from a real consumer behavior study he and Jodie conducted, personal coaching moments, and his own experience as an educator...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into a topic Hunter has been teaching and refining with his Mastermind and Modern Stylist Movement members for the past year: what has actually changed when it comes to building, optimizing, and maintaining a website as a hairstylist right now, and why what worked a few years ago is no longer enough.

Hunter is honest that he hates building websites just as much as you do. But he is equally clear that if you want to attract high ticket clients and charge high...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into one of the most exciting shifts Hunter has been making with his Mastermind and Modern Stylist Movement members over the past year: moving beyond using AI as a chatbot and actually putting it to work as a behind the scenes operator in your business.

Hunter is clear that going back and forth with ChatGPT to make a caption is not what this episode is about. This is about what it looks like when AI is genuinely replacing labor, running automations, and doing...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown dive deep into a conversation that started on Hunter's Instagram and clearly struck a nerve. A post about gender and length based pricing got 11,000 views and 57 comments, and the discourse made it clear that this topic needed more than a carousel could hold.

Hunter unpacks the full nuance behind his original statement: charging based on who someone is, whether that is their gender, their hair density, or their length, is by definition discriminatory. And beyond the moral argument, it is also just bad business...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown dig into one of the most common challenges Hunter is seeing as he works with more and more salon owners: how do you actually get your team on board with the changes you are making, and how do you get your clients to follow your lead without it turning into a constant uphill battle?

Hunter pulls from his own experience as a leader and from the real conversations he is having inside Mastermind right now to walk through a leadership framework that is rooted...

In this bonus episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown come back to finish what they started. Gray transformations were promised in the trending service niches series and then completely forgotten, so consider this the part three that the Modern Stylist Movement group asked for.

Gray transformation is one of the most in demand niches in the industry right now, and it is also the only one on the list that is deliberately designed to make your clients visit you less often. Hunter and Jodie break down what that actually means for your...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown wrap up their two part series on trending service niches by breaking down the pros and cons of toppers, men's toppers, gray transformation, and trichology. If you have not listened to part one yet, Hunter strongly recommends starting there first.

This episode gets into some of the more complex and emotionally heavy niches in the industry right now, and Hunter is as honest as ever about what the opportunity actually looks like versus what the marketing around it might be leading you to believe.<...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown kick off a two part series breaking down the real pros and cons of some of the most popular service niches in the hair industry right now. Hunter has said for years that niching down is one of the most powerful things a stylist can do for their business, and this episode is proof of that. But it also gets honest about the fact that every niche comes with its own unique set of challenges that do not always get talked about.

Hunter pulls...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown dig into a conversation that comes up constantly at the higher levels of business: you have hit a glass ceiling, you know you want more, and suddenly you are looking left and right at every possible next move instead of figuring out how to keep going up.

Hunter shares a real story from a current Mastermind student who is making incredible money working three days a week, has strong demand, and is still feeling capped. The options on the table were a digital product...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown break down something Hunter has been seeing come up again and again in his private coaching calls: stylists spiraling over business advice that was never meant for them in the first place.

Hunter shares three real conversations he had recently with stylists who were each convinced they had a major problem in their business. Spoiler: none of them actually did. This episode is about learning how to filter the noise, read your own numbers, and stop letting general advice pull your focus away from...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into a topic Hunter feels strongly about: the ways hairstylists and beauty professionals are misusing AI right now, and why it is quietly doing more damage than good to their brands, their businesses, and their client relationships.

Hunter is clear that this is not an anti-AI episode. He uses it extensively in his own business and with his students. But there is a big difference between using AI smartly and using it carelessly, and this episode is about helping you tell the difference...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown tackle a topic Hunter feels strongly about: why every fully booked hairstylist needs to drop a day behind the chair, and how to do it without losing income.

Hunter gets real about the difference between being booked and busy versus actually growing, and why working two full time jobs (doing hair and running the business) is a recipe for burnout and stagnation. This episode breaks down exactly who is ready to take this step, who isn't yet, and the numbers that make it possible.<...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown dig into a pattern Hunter kept seeing on calls with stylists who, on paper, have everything figured out. They're booked out, making six figures, and have built a loyal client base over a decade or more. But they're stuck, and they can't figure out why.

Hunter breaks down what's really going on for these stylists, and it has nothing to do with talent, work ethic, or how good their business actually is. This episode unpacks the emotional and strategic blind spot that keeps successful...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown explore a concept that hits differently depending on where you are in your business journey: the Dunning-Kruger effect, and what it actually means for hairstylists and beauty entrepreneurs trying to grow.

Hunter gets candid about his own spiral after watching a TikTok that made him question whether his confidence in his work was a sign of expertise or a blind spot. What came out of that conversation with Jodie was something a lot of high performers will recognize: the early stages of business reward...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown have the honest, unfiltered conversation that so many beauty professionals need to hear before they go down the road of creating a digital product or online education business.

This one started as an off-the-record rant between the two of them and turned into something too real not to share. Hunter breaks down what it actually takes to build a digital product that works, who it is genuinely a great fit for, and why the motivation behind your "why" matters more than most people realize...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown break down what it actually looks like to hire support staff in your beauty business, why most stylists do it wrong, and how to make sure you get a real return on the investment. If you are a six-figure stylist who is maxed out, stuck doing everything yourself, and wondering if bringing someone on is the right move, this episode is for you.

Hunter walks through the full hiring process from identifying the gap in your business that actually needs to be...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown get into the money conversation most stylists either avoid entirely or stress about at the wrong time. If you are an independent hairstylist or salon suite owner who has crossed or is approaching the six-figure mark and you want to actually understand what is happening with your money, this episode is for you.

Hunter and Jodie walk through what financial management as a stylist entrepreneur actually looks like at different income levels, why the advice to cut expenses is not always the...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown break down what is actually happening beneath the surface when a hairstylist is overbooked and why being fully booked is not the finish line most stylists think it is. If you are three to four weeks booked solid, turning away new clients, and still feeling exhausted, stretched thin, and stuck, this episode is specifically for you.

Hunter and Jodie walk through the real costs of staying overbooked for too long, from the administrative and operational weight that spills into your time off...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia breaks down the exact four phase process he uses inside his Mastermind program to help fully booked hairstylists work a day less without sacrificing their income. If you have built a steady clientele, you are grossing six figures or close to it, and you still feel like you are hitting a wall, this episode is specifically for you.

Hunter shares real results from two Mastermind members, Steph and Alyssa, and then walks through the step by step framework that got them there. This is not general...

Sign up for the Client Experience Glow-Up Party here: https://www.hunterdonia.com/party

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown break down what it actually takes to get high ticket clients talking about you without any incentive, discount, or referral program involved. If you already have higher prices and wonder why organic referrals are not coming in as consistently as you would like, this episode gives you a clear picture of what is missing and what you can start doing differently.

Hunter and Jodie...

Sign up for the Client Experience Glow-Up Party here: https://www.hunterdonia.com/party

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia shares a personal story from a recent luxury spa trip that turned into a masterclass in client experience. If you are trying to attract and keep high-ticket clients, this episode breaks down why the smallest overlooked details can quietly chip away at perceived value, even when everything else about your service is excellent.

Hunter walks through three specific moments from his spa visit that fell short compared to...

Get the full Salon Consumer Behavior Report HERE!

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown share highlights from Hunter's 2026 Salon Consumer Behavior Survey, and this year's results are different. Instead of surveying general salon-goers, Hunter went straight to the clients of his Mastermind members, all stylists earning $100K or more, to find out exactly what high-paying clients expect, what keeps them loyal, and what makes them leave. This episode is for independent stylists who are already doing well and want to keep growing without guessing at what their ideal...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown get honest about what it actually looks like to run a beauty business with ADHD. Hunter shares what he has learned over years of working with his own diagnosis, why the standard advice never quite works for neurodivergent brains, and how approaching ADHD as a design consideration instead of an excuse changes everything. This episode is for any hairstylist who has great ideas that never get finished, things constantly falling through the cracks, and a brain that is always three steps ahead of whatever...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown get honest about something that does not get talked about enough in the beauty industry: the money anxiety and fear of losing it all that quietly follows high performers even after they have built something genuinely successful. If you have raised your prices, filled your books, and hit goals you once only dreamed about, and still feel like it could all disappear tomorrow, this episode is for you.

Hunter opens up about his own ongoing experience with scarcity mindset and the constant...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown break down why the traditional referral program has stopped working for independent hairstylists, and what the modern version of word-of-mouth growth actually looks like in 2026.

Hunter shares his own experience watching a single well-connected client organically post about her hair on Instagram and send him more new clients than any referral incentive ever could. That moment became the foundation for something he has been building and refining for years inside the Modern Stylist Movement: the Brand Ambassador Program. Rather than awkwardly asking...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia shares a behind-the-scenes look at a real challenge many experienced stylists face: realizing that some of your longest-standing clients are still paying far less than your current pricing. When you have built deep relationships over years behind the chair, raising those prices can feel incredibly uncomfortable, even when you know it is the right business decision.

Hunter walks through how emotional pricing often sneaks into our businesses over time. Whether it happened because you inherited clients, honored old rates, or simply struggled to change pricing as...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia revisits one of the most debated topics in the industry over the past few years: pre-booking. For decades, stylists were taught that pre-booking was the key to predictable income and a full schedule. But after the pandemic, many hairstylists began questioning whether it actually created real stability or just the illusion of it.

Hunter originally challenged the traditional approach to pre-booking, arguing that it could create false security, more reschedules, and unnecessary pressure on both the stylist and the client. But recently, new patterns inside the Modern...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown talk about the thing that quietly stresses stylists out the most: unpredictable income. Whether your slow months follow the typical seasonal patterns or they hit randomly out of nowhere, this episode is both a reality check and a practical plan for creating more stability in your take home pay.

Hunter breaks down why volatility usually comes from two issues that can be solved. Uneven profitability across services, and inconsistent booking momentum. You will hear how to price in a way that creates...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown break down how to attract new clients in ways that do not rely on constant posting, endless DMs, or putting all of your energy into one platform. If you feel like marketing takes too much effort just to maintain consistent inquiries, this conversation walks through the most automated strategies stylists can use to bring in new requests while doing less manual work day to day.

Hunter explains that automation is not about disappearing from marketing entirely. It is about building systems that...

In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, host Hunter Donia and guest Jodie Brown break down what to do when you are fully booked, already priced high for your area, and still want to grow your income without adding more clients, more hours, or another big price jump. If you feel like you have hit a ceiling around that next revenue level, this episode gives you tangible ways to increase profit by working smarter inside the business you already have momentum in.

Hunter shares the strategies he is actively using during Mastermind onboarding calls to make...