This month on KM.RADIO we sit down with Brooke and Alyssa from B/Bauer Hair Lounge. Brooke and Alyssa share how their three core principles: commitment, collaboration, and confidence, go far beyond words on a wall, shaping everything from hiring and education to the guest experience andthe daily rhythm of the salon.

Through intentional team alignment, structured retreats, and open communication, they’ve built a culture that isn’t left to chance, it’s actively designed, protected, and lived every day. The conversation also explores what it truly means to operate as a growth-minded salon and what it truly means to how building a business rooted in adaptability allows them to move in step with an ever changing industry.

When Ryan Mallard met his wife Nese Atlas, he was introduced to a side of the hairdressing industry he had never seen before. Through Nese’s lived experience as a stylist, Ryan began to understand the gaps and saw an opportunity to do things differently.

Coming from over 20 years in the corporate world Ryan brought in what he knew, clear pathways for growth, strong team culture, and investment in people. Ryan and Nese set out to build a salon that redefined what it means to truly support a team.

Now with a team of 35 and a thriving apprenticeship programme, their model speaks for itself low staff turnover, strong loyalty, and a new standard for what’s possible in the industry. This is a conversation about bridging two worlds together, challenging norms, and building something that truly works for the people who make the industry what it is.

In this episode of KM Radio, hosts Nathan Gorman and Sarah Lund sit down with the inspiring Holly Santelli, founder of Ash & Willow Salon in Illinois, one of KEVIN.MURPHYS most loved and visionary salon partners in North America.

Holly shares her deeply personal journey back into the industry and how a lifelong connection to nature, wellness, and Celtic folklore shaped the intentional world of Ash & Willow. The conversation explores how Ash & Willow seamlessly blends beauty with holistic wellness, including The Nest - a dedicated in-salon sanctuary offering meditation, Reiki, sound baths, face yoga, and alternative healing practices for clients, practitioners, and the team alike.

Holly also opens up about Camp ReWild, a nature-based retreat designed to support salon culture, mental health, and connection through movement, mindfulness, and time outdoors.

Nathan and Sarah dive into Ash & Willow’s powerful apprenticeship and give-back programs, including their long-standing partnership with Avenues to Independence, where emerging stylists provide complimentary haircuts to people with special needs.