The Sustainable Stylist Podcast
The Sustainable Stylist Podcast is for independent hairstylists who are tired of being told that a full book is the finish line. Hosted by Jen, a hairstylist with over thirteen years behind the chair who went independent in 2018 and learned the hard way, through undercharging, overworking, and figuring it out with no roadmap, this show goes beyond hair. Each episode blends real business strategy, mindset, and holistic wellness to help independent stylists build a career that is not just busy, but actually sustainable and profitable. If you are booked solid and still feel broke, this is the podcast that finally...
Episode 4: Burnout Is Not the Price of Doing What You Love
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The Real Truth About Stylist Burnout (and How to Build a Sustainable Career)
In this episode of The Sustainable Stylist, I share how I nearly quit the hair industry despite being booked solid after going independent in 2018, undercharging, saying yes to everyone, and packing my schedule until I hit burnout. I explain how burnout can look like “success” from the outside and walk through key signs: dread, work feeling flat, resentment, physical symptoms, and fantasizing about quitting. I also cover what actually helps you come back—changing the structure of an overbo...
Episode 3: Rewriting Your Money Story
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Stop Undercharging: Rewrite the Money Stories You Inherited (For Hairstylists)
In this episode, I talk about the “money stories” many hairstylists inherit—beliefs about what money means, how much we’re allowed to have, and whether charging more is greedy—and how those stories can lead to undercharging, discounting, apologizing for prices, avoiding rate increases, and over-delivering out of fear. I explain where these beliefs often come from (family, the beauty industry, and broader culture) and why this isn’t really a pricing problem but a worthiness story that can be rewritten. I...
Episode 2: Setting Healthy Boundaries for Hairstylists
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Setting Boundaries with Clients to Prevent Stylist Burnout | The Sustainable Stylist Ep. 2
Jen Alden introduces The Sustainable Stylist podcast and, in episode two, shares how setting healthy boundaries with clients can improve hairstylists’ workload, mental state, and longevity behind the chair. She discusses overcoming people-pleasing and fear of saying no, protecting days off, and limiting client communication to weekday business hours using a separate work phone. Jen explains why she no longer double books (except quick bang trims), noting the stress, burnout risk, and reduced service quality that can come with sp...
Episode 1: My “Magic Number” for a 3-Day Workweek + $100K+ Without Burnout
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The Sustainable Stylist Ep. 1: My “Magic Number” for a 3-Day Workweek + $100K+ Without Burnout
Jen Alden introduces her new podcast, The Sustainable Stylist, sharing her 13-year journey in the hair industry, the burnout and financial stress that made her consider quitting, and the epiphany that led her to change how she ran her business. She explains how she set a $100,000 annual income goal, reverse engineered it into a weekly and daily target, and then structured her pricing around that “magic number,” taking small steps until she reached over $100K and closer to $150K...
