Episode 283

Love Is in the Hair: Self-Worth, Starting Over, and the Courage to Go All In w/ Annie Fisher

Published on: 11th May, 2026

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 up
  • Annie's journey from Glamour Shots makeup artist to 30-year career stylist and salon owner
  • How 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 no
  • Writing Love Is in the Hair — and why she wrote it for herself first
  • Unpacking 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 matters
  • Anger as a secondary emotion — and what it actually signals
  • Why disappointment is usually just unmet expectations in disguise
  • The gift of getting older: fewer f*cks, more self-acceptance

Connect with Annie Fisher:

hairstylist personal development podcast, salon owner mindset, beauty industry self-worth, hairstylist burnout, career stylist podcast

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About the Podcast

The Starting Messy Podcast
Your hairstylists favorite personal development podcast. Hosted by Misty Jayne a life coach for hairstylists..
The Starting Messy Podcast is hosted by Misty Jayne, life coach for hairstylists and salon owners, and it is the only podcast in the beauty industry that goes deeper than tips, trends, and tactics. This is where we get real... about the self-doubt that keeps you from raising your prices, the people pleasing that's running your schedule, the money mindset blocks that have nothing to do with how talented you are, and the version of your life that you know is possible but can't quite figure out how to reach.
This is personal development, filtered through the lens of the beauty industry. And it will change the way you see yourself, your business, and what you're actually capable of.
Every week Misty shows up with honest, unfiltered conversations:
Sometimes solo, sometimes with some of the most real and inspiring voices in the beauty industry, and every single episode is designed to meet you exactly where you are.
No Bullshit. No pretending the hard stuff isn't hard.
Just each person's truth and the kind of conversation that makes you feel like someone finally gets it.
Because you're NOT just a hairstylist: the business strategy only works when the inner work comes first. When you learn to trust yourself, set boundaries without guilt, make decisions without needing everyone's approval, and stop measuring your worth by how full your books are.

Whether you are a stylist in a suite trying to figure out your next move, a salon owner who is holding everything together for everyone else, or a beauty professional who is ready to stop surviving the week and start actually living... you are in the right place.

Topics covered include hairstylist burnout, money mindset, self-trust and confidence, emotional intelligence, boundaries, work life balance, personal development, and building a life and business that actually feels like yours.

Hit follow. Start wherever you are. And welcome to the messy middle — because this is exactly where the good stuff happens.

New episodes drop weekly.
Hosted by Misty Jayne — life coach, hairstylist, community builder and your new favorite podcast friend.