2026 Trends + Outlooks with Nina L. Kovner

January 13, 2026Nina KovnerBlog, GROW

A Shift Toward Discernment: 2026 Trends + Outlooks for Pro Beauty

For the past several years, I have shared a Trends + Outlooks conversation with my clients to help make sense of what’s happening, not just in beauty, but in the world, shaping how people choose, spend, and engage.

This year’s conversation, A Shift Toward Discernment, felt especially important. Not because everything is new but because so much of what we’ve been navigating in recent years has come into focus. A tipping point, so to speak.

This Isn’t About Predictions
This conversation wasn’t about chasing trends or guessing what’s next in the beauty industry because I don’t have a Magic 8 Ball, lol. It’s about discernment: the ability to slow down, pay attention, and make decisions based on what actually works, instead of reacting to noise, pressure, or fear.

My approach has always been the same:
I listen closely to salon owners, hairstylists, educators, and pro beauty brand leaders.
I pay attention to real conversations and recurring patterns.
I layer in the business and economic context.

Everything I see is filtered through the same lens I’ve used for years: Care. Trust. Value. Client experience. Brand fundamentals.

The Economic & Emotional Context
Since 2023, we’ve been living with ongoing uncertainty, rising costs, tighter margins, and emotional fatigue around money and decision-making. Salon clients and beauty pros are more selective, more value-conscious, and less tolerant of friction or disappointment.

What Discernment Looks Like in Pro Beauty Right Now
The fundamentals haven’t changed, but how they show up has.

Care
Care is how people feel in your space, your chair, or your brand.

Trust
Trust is built through consistency and follow-through.

Value
Value isn’t about more services, more products, or more noise; it’s about delivering on what your brand promises, in a way that feels good

Why Simplification Matters So Much
One of the strongest themes in the 2026 outlook is simplification as a response to overwhelm.

Simplification reduces overwhelm and decision fatigue. It makes care, trust, and value easier to experience.

Simplification doesn’t shrink businesses and brands. It strengthens them.

The Opportunity Heading Into 2026
The salons, hairstylists, and beauty brands that will do well in 2026 won’t be the loudest or the fastest.

They’ll be the ones who:

  • know who they serve, how they serve, and why they serve
  • double down on the client and customer experience before, during, and after the appointment or engagement
  • make decisions based on the fundamentals
  • choose alignment over distraction

That’s what A Shift Toward Discernment is really about.

Enjoy the 2026 Trends + Outlooks replay below, and if you have questions, please reach out to me at nina@passionsquared.net

Happy New Year! Ily.

GUEST EPISODE: A Conversation with Katie, The Walmart Hairstylist

January 13, 2026Nina KovnerPodcast

On this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, I sit down with Katie, the awesome hairstylist and content creator behind the TikTok account @walmarthairstylist, for a conversation I’ve been so excited to share with you! And an important note, I’ve shared before that I don’t edit these podcasts, and that includes this one. We celebrate authenticity, realness, and imperfection over here. 

Late last year, Katie showed up on my fyp and stopped me in my tracks. Not because of trends or transformations per se, but because of the level of care and consistency she showed in every piece of content I watched. I remember thinking, omg, this can’t be real. Is this AI? Not because I was judging her or where she worked, but because this level of consistent client experience is so rarely represented online, especially in value-based salons.

After that episode aired, Katie and I connected online. Then on FaceTime. And now, we’re bringing our conversation to you!

In This Episode

  • Why going to a salon is actually not a luxury, and how confusing market position with worth is hurting our industry
  • What Katie means by “luxury on a budget,” and why it’s really about care, consistency, and making people feel comfortable and seen at any price point
  • How she thinks about showing up for her clients every day, taking pride in her work, and creating a space that feels calm and welcoming
  • What success looks like when you’re focused on doing good work, taking care of people, and liking where you are, and not wasting time in the drama

Thank you, Katie, for being our guest. I’m so grateful for you. You can follow Katie on TikTok at @walmarthairstylist and now on Instagram @katelynxstylist

And thank you for listening and sharing with your business besties.

PS: If you have not listened to the episode I did on Katie before we met, you can listen to that episode here.

The Internet: When Trust Was Traded for Attention

December 29, 2025Nina KovnerPodcast

Social media and the internet didn’t just become part of our lives; they became a brand we were asked to trust.

In this end-of-year episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, I step back from the noise to look at the internet and social platforms through a brand lens: the promise they made, why that promise mattered, and what happens when trust slowly erodes.

This isn’t an episode about blaming technology or opting out. It’s about perspective.

I reflect on how the shift from connection to performance, chaos, and comparison has changed how many of us experience the internet and why many salon owners, hairstylists, creatives, and even pro beauty brands are feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, overstimulated, and disconnected.

In This Episode

  • The original promise of the internet and why it earned our trust
  • How attention quietly replaced care as the primary metric
  • The human cost of constant noise, comparison, and rage baiting
  • Why we’re seeing a growing pull toward slower, quieter, more intentional ways of connecting
  • How salons, hairstylists, and pro beauty brands can regain perspective by putting social media back in its proper role as one tool of many

This episode is both a reflection on the year behind us and a preview of what’s ahead. It sets the context for my ongoing Trends & Outlooks work, focused on helping business owners zoom out, see the entire picture, and make aligned decisions that build trust, relationships, and higher lifetime client value.

As always, this conversation comes back to the BUILDING & BREAKING fundamentals:
care, trust, value, and the promises that build our brands, or break them.

Thank you for listening. Your time and attention mean the world to me. And so do you!

The Walmart Hairstylist: A Personal Brand Story of Care, Trust, and Value

November 10, 2025Nina KovnerPodcast

On this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, I talk about a TikTok that showed up on my FYP and stopped me in my tracks: a hairstylist working inside a Walmart salon known as @walmarthairstylist

At first glance, I thought it had to be AI. Not because I was judging her. But because I rarely see content that shows this level of care, communication, and client experience coming from a value-based salon on TikTok.

So I watched more. And then I read the comments. Hairdressers, from every business model and market position, from luxury salons to independents, were cheering her on.

Katie is a passionate hairstylist and aspiring content creator. She’s intentional. She’s thoughtful. And her content isn’t about ego or going viral, it’s about client experience.

Her TikTok bio says: “Luxury beauty on a budget.” And what she’s showing us is the fundamentals of building a brand, and that Value isn’t only your price point, it’s how people feel in your chair.

In This Episode

  • Why brand trust is built in the experience, not the marketing
  • How Katie embodies the fundamentals of care, trust, and value.
  • Why stylists at every price point resonated with her content
  • How our industry has lost perspective chasing viral moments and “charge your worth” narratives
  • The power of bringing people back to what matters: the client experience

Katie is building a personal brand and creating content, but she’s doing it through the lens of service to both clients and other hairstylists. Because long-term trust isn’t built by showing off the work. It’s built by showing how you treat people.

There is so much our industry can learn, and relearn, from Katie. Be sure to follow and give her lots of love on TikTok @walmarthairstylist

And if you are ready to get back to what matters and build a brand that feels aligned and good to you, join me inside MENTORED. Simply tap Subscribe on the @passionsquared Instagram.

Thank you for listening and sharing with your business besties!

Other episodes mentioned:
Care, Trust, and Value in 2023

2024: The Year of Perspective for The Salon Industry

The Brand Lesson Beauty Pros Need To Understand from Costco, Trader Joe’s & In-N-Out Burger

November 10, 2025Nina KovnerPodcast

In this Extended Encore episode, we’re combining three episodes, from three iconic legacy brands, Trader Joe’s, Costco, and In-N-Out Burger, and what they all share in common, and can teach every salon, stylist, and beauty professional about the truth that never changes: your salon brand story is your foundation.

Each of these brands knows exactly what problems they are solving, how they solve those problems, who they are solving problems for, and the solutions they deliver, and they never stray from it.

Trader Joe’s isn’t trying to be Whole Foods. Costco isn’t chasing Amazon. In-N-Out Burger isn’t expanding its menu to keep up with fast food fads. They all built trust by being consistent, keeping their brand promises, and staying focused.

That’s what so many in the pro-beauty industry miss. Your brand story isn’t something you write once and forget. It’s the foundation that guides your decisions, your pricing, your marketing, your content, your leadership, your client experience, everything.

In This Episode
From Costco:
How a clear promise of value and fairness turned a warehouse into a high lifetime customer value.

From Trader Joe’s:
How storytelling and culture created a shopping experience people actually love.

From In-N-Out Burger:
How a simple, focused menu became their secret to obsession.

What it all means for your salon: when you know your brand story, you stop chasing trends, comparing your brand to others, and start creating from a place of clarity, focus, and alignment.

Because brand story is your foundation.
It’s what builds trust, loyalty, and higher lifetime client value in every great brand and every great salon business.

If you are ready to stop comparing and start creating and leading with more clarity and alignment, join me in MENTORED. with Nina L. Kovner. Our first step is building your brand story. To get started, tap Subscribe on the @passionsquared Instagram page.

Thank you for listening and sharing with your business besties!