The Alan Howard Podcast

Ep 03: Gaining Inspiration and Building Your Personal Brand with Darcey Clarke

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Darcey Clarke made her mark on the industry early, being named ‘Junior of the Year’ at the British Hairdressing Business Awards at just 18 years old. A rising talent with drive and determination, she has continued to build an exciting and diverse career ever since.

Throughout her journey, Darcey has worked closely with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing and is a regular presence backstage at London Fashion Week, gaining invaluable experience at the forefront of fashion and editorial styling. Since 2021, she has also been proudly mentored by Errol Douglas MBE, further refining her craft under one of the industry’s most respected names.

Specialising in bridal and occasion hair alongside barbering, Darcey’s versatility sets her apart — blending creativity, precision and professionalism across multiple disciplines.

In this episode, Darcey shares her journey so far, the lessons she’s learned from working at the highest levels of the industry, and her ambitions for the future as one of hairdressing’s brightest young talents.

You can follow Darcey here: https://www.instagram.com/darceymariahair/

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Ep 02: Responsible, Future-Focused Hairdressing with Melanie Tudor, En Route to Sustainability

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Melanie has led En Route Hair and Beauty for 28 years, but it was a life-changing trip to the rainforest that truly reshaped her perspective. Witnessing firsthand the environmental impact of everyday business decisions inspired her to introduce bold, meaningful and sustainable changes within her own salon.

Together, Melanie and her Salon Manager, Shannon Giblin, have transformed their business into an industry-leading example of what responsible, future-focused hairdressing looks like — earning accolades including Sustainable Salon of the Year, alongside recognition for their team culture and creative excellence.

The success of their salon sparked a bigger mission. Through En Route to Sustainability, they are now helping the wider industry improve business performance, strengthen reputation, build client loyalty and take genuine environmental responsibility.

You can follow En Route here: https://www.instagram.com/enroutehair/

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Ep 01: From Behind the Chair to Backstage at Fashion Week with Annie Franklin

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:30:00 GMT

Annie Franklin is the proud owner of Prestige Hair in Stockport. A British Hairdressing Awards finalist, member of both the Fellowship for British Hairdressing Project X & F.A.M.E Team and now an international session stylist assisting at Paris, NYC and London Fashion Weeks, her journey to success has been anything but ordinary.

From building her reputation behind the chair to working backstage at some of the world’s most prestigious fashion events, Annie’s career is a testament to resilience, determination and passion for the craft.

Her life wasn’t always so charmed, and in this episode, Annie shares her inspiring story — opening up about the challenges she’s faced, the lessons she’s learned and the drive that’s propelled her onto the global stage.

You can follow Annie here: https://www.instagram.com/anniefranklinhair/

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Ep 08: The Future of Education with John Anthoney

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 08:00:00 GMT

John Anthoney has recently been appointed as Education Manager for Alan Howard overseeing the entire education program curated by Alan Howard as well as delivering in-depth stylist training and creating trend-led content for digital platforms.

He leads the Seamless Grey Blending Course guiding hair professionals on techniques for blending and toning grey hair naturally and turning these services into profitable salon offerings.

He has previously owned his own salon in Blackpool and collaborated with well known brands such as L’Oreal and Matrix with national training responsibilities.

You can follow John here >

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Ep 07: Taking Every Opportunity with Justin Mackland

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Justin Mackland is an award-winning hairstylist based in Aberdeen, known for his creative vision and passion for pushing boundaries within the hairdressing industry.

In this episode, Justin opens up about his journey — from collaborating with the prestigious hair brand Alfa Italia to being selected for the first ever Project Scotland team with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing.

His energy, innovation, and dedication to the craft have made him a standout talent in the UK hair scene. Justin shares insights into his creative process, his industry highlights, and what drives him to keep evolving in the ever-changing world of hair.

You can follow Justin here: https://www.instagram.com/justinmackland/

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Ep 06: Taking the Leap into Self-Employment with Brooke Evans

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Brooke Evans is an award-winning stylist, F.A.M.E Team member, and the owner of the Grid Collective, situated in a beautifully converted garage in the stunning world heritage site in Ironbridge, Shropshire.

Formerly known as multi-award-winning salon BE Ironbridge, Brooke has recently made the move from managing a fully employed salon team to offering a creative space for self-employed, freelance stylists that still prioritises sustainable ethics and a community hub for anyone who visits.

Brooke is also the lead ambassador and artist of the Quif Art Team and offers an in-person education course: Quif Colour Contouring.

You can follow Brooke here: https://www.instagram.com/br00ke.evans/

Follow the Alan Howard Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanhowardpodcast/

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Ep 05: The Power of Content Creation within the Hairdressing Industry with Ben Lifton

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 08:23:07 GMT

Ben Lifton is a Content Creation & Digital Capability Consultant with a unique career journey that began in hairdressing before evolving into entrepreneurship. In 2018, Ben founded Big Little Content (formerly Content Kweens), a dynamic agency that to date has helped global brands and over 6,800 hairdressers worldwide transform their approach to social media and digital content.

With over seven years of experience consulting for global hair brands like Keune, Redken, Wella, GHD, K18, Schwarzkopf, and Goldwell, Ben specialises in empowering educators and teams to become forward thinking content creators. His proven strategies have consistently driven multiple seven-figure EMV (Earned Media Value) for some of these leading brands.

With a rare blend of expertise in marketing, business development, education, brand strategy, and content creation – all grounded in emotional intelligence – Ben helps brands, both big and little, create content that converts followers into loyal clients, grow social media footprints, and streamline their marketing to scale their businesses and boost profits.

You can follow Ben here: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/benlifton/⁠

Follow The Alan Howard Podcast on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alanhowardpodcast/⁠

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Ep 04: The Alan Howard Inside Scoop and Supporting Our Industry with Katie Steeden

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Katie Steeden has been part of the Alan Howard family for 18 years across a number of roles including Store Manager, Business Development Manager and Select Account Manager before landing the role of National Store manager over 12 months ago.

Within the past year she has launched in-store Hub events to support and connect hairdressing freelancers with business advice, information on the latest trends and the opportunity to share their worries & concerns with what’s happening within the industry.

She has recently also become a Fundraising Committee Member for The Hair & Beauty Charity and has started connecting with colleges up and down the country to support our wider industry in different ways.

You can follow Katie here: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiesteedenalanhoward/⁠

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Ep 03: Journeying Towards Better Health with Joe Netherwood from Known Nutrition

Mon, 26 May 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Known is on a mission to empower people to take control of their health and well-being through naturally formulated supplements that work and taste good.

Joe Netherwood is the General Manager at Known Nutrition, the brand behind one of the world’s largest ranges of functional gummy supplements. Since launching the brand in 2022, Known has been at the forefront of making wellness simpler, tastier, and more effective for everyone.

With a passion for helping people make informed choices about their health, Joe is a strong believer in transparency and honesty in the supplement space. He’s committed to cutting through the noise and making sure people have access to supplements that not only taste great but actually do what they say they will—no hype, just honest, health-first formulations.

You can follow Known here: https://www.instagram.com/knownnutrition/

Follow The Alan Howard Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanhowardpodcast/

Citations:

Wagner, C. L., Shary, J. R., Nietert, P. J., Wahlquist, A. E., Ebeling, M. D., & Hollis, B. W. (2019). Bioequivalence Studies of Vitamin D Gummies and Tablets in Healthy Adults: Results of a Cross-Over Study. Nutrients, 11(5), 1023. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051023

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Ep 02: Client Transparency and Controversial Marketing with Georgia Bell

Mon, 19 May 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Georgia Bell is a freelance educator and salon owner based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. She elevated her career through assisting Sophia Hilton at Not Another Salon one day per week which turned into a permanent assisting role months later.

Since then, Georgia has opened her current salon, Society by Georgia Bell, and specializes in vivid colour and lightening. She appears on stage with the How To Cut It team regularly and has recently been appointed as a Quif Artist and Educator collaborating on the relaunch of Blast Creative Colour.

You can follow Georgia here: https://www.instagram.com/georgiabellhair/

Follow The Alan Howard Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanhowardpodcast/

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Ep 01: Precision Cutting and Education with MT Masterclass

Mon, 12 May 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Sassoon trained Melissa Timperley owns multi-award winning Melissa Timperly Salons in the heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter. As a team, they’ve won industry awards for the Best Salon in the UK, Best UK Salon Team and the award for Best Customer Care.

Melissa is joined by her Salon Manager, Sara Williams and Senior Stylist, Joe McMylor and together, they have created the MT Masterclass. They specialise in precision cutting and teach their students the practical skills they need to become confident in their cutting techniques.

Melissa has recently been appointed an Alfa Italia Ambassador and Artist following the release of the MT x Alfa Italia precision hairdressing scissors.

You can follow Melissa and her team through the links below:

Melissa: https://www.instagram.com/melissatimp/

Sara: https://www.instagram.com/sara_mtsalons/

Joe: https://www.instagram.com/joe_mtsalons/

MT Masterclass: https://www.instagram.com/mt_masterclass/

Follow The Alan Howard Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanhowardpodcast/

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