Costco: A Masterclass In Trust, Brand Promises, and Lifetime Team and Member Value

May 5, 2025Nina KovnerPodcast

In the premiere episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, Nina dives deep into one of the greatest brand loyalty stories of our time: Costco.

Through personal reflections as a newer Costco member (yet longtime studier of the brand) and decades of experience in brand strategy, Nina unpacks why Costco continues to build lasting trust, while other brands seem to be breaking it.

This episode breaks down the fundamentals behind Costco’s success: their unwavering commitment to lifetime customer value, keeping brand promises (no matter the pressure), investing in their people, and always playing the long game over short-term gains.

Nina connects these lessons back to the pro beauty industry, creative small businesses, pro beauty brand execs, offering real-world takeaways on how clarity, consistency, and true care are at the heart of every enduring brand.

Whether you’re a salon owner, hairstylist, creative entrepreneur, or brand leader, this episode lays the foundation for understanding what it really takes to build and retain trust.

If you want to learn more about creating your brand story and how to connect all the dots in your salon business, click here to learn more about Creating Your Awesome Brand, A Complete Course for Beauty Pros.

Thank you for listening and sharing this episode with your business besties!

The End, The Beginning, and Everything In Between

April 22, 2025Nina KovnerPodcast

Why I’m Ending the PEOPLE PASSION PURPOSE Podcast—and Starting a New One That You Need To Hear

In this final episode, I share why I’m closing this podcast and what’s next: Building & Breaking with Nina L. Kovner, a new show about how brands are built, how trust is broken, and what it all means for salon owners, beauty brands, and creatives. It’s the end of one story, and the start of something deeper. Thank you for being here, whether you’ve been a listener since 2018 or are just jumping on this wild and wonderful ride. 

Episode 1 of Building & Breaking drops May 1! Buckle up. Lol. 

Let’s Catch Up: Finding New Rhythms

October 15, 2024Nina KovnerPodcast

In this episode, Nina shares a raw and real look at finding a new rhythm after a big move to Park City, Utah. Whether it’s pumping gas for the first time in six years, getting into someone else’s black Subaru Outback, to working in a coworking space after working from home for the last twelve years, there is nothing clean or perfect about learning new things and finding new rhythms. In fact, it most times is messy and frustrating, and also magical, and empowering. Whether it’s change you hoped and prayed for or change that was forced upon you, change is inevitably hard. Our daily tools we use with our clients are;

1. Be where your feet are
2. Slow, steady, and strategic
3. Pause, process, proceed

If you have the means, please do whatever you can to support those who experienced devastation from the hurricanes. To support beauty professionals, consider donating to the Professional Beauty Association Disaster Relief Fund. Thank you for listening.

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Your experience matters. We would be so grateful if you shared your experience with our podcast by leaving a review wherever you enjoy your podcasts so others can discover it. It matters to us, and so do you. Thank you- Nina

Special Guest: David Thurston of Butterfly Loft Salon + Danger Jones


August 18, 2024Nina KovnerPodcast

In this episode, we welcome a VERY special guest, David Thurston, owner of Butterfly Loft Salon and founder and CEO of Danger Jones. David shares his journey into the salon industry, his insightful and inspiring stories about taking risks, and how Butterfly Circus created a monumental shift in the salon industry, building community and the power of independent education. David also shares his recent ventures, including a music documentary and vision for the Danger Jones brand. David also reflects on the importance of personal branding and gives us a vulnerable, behind-the-scenes look at his current 100 videos in 100 days challenge, which ends up as a little therapy sesh for Nina lol. You can find David on the socials here, Alexis Thurston’s TikTok here, and Danger Jones here and here. Thank you David for being our VERY special guest. We LOVE you! 

Episode Highlights
David Thurston’s Journey into the Salon Industry
The Impact and Success of Butterfly Circus
The Danger Jones Brand
David’s 100 Videos in 100 Days Challenge
Self-Care, Travel, and Personal Insights
Where to Find David, Alexis, and Danger Jones Online
David’s Favorite Quotes

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Your experience matters. We would be so grateful if you shared your experience with our podcast by leaving a review wherever you enjoy your podcasts so others can discover it. It matters to us, and so do you. Thank you- Nina

Client Shaming, Building Trust, and Your Salon Brand

August 6, 2024Nina KovnerPodcast

In this episode, Nina revisits ‘your content is your marketing’, emphasizing the importance of creating content that aligns with your specific salon brand and audience. There is a big difference between marketing for local salon clients versus marketing as industry influencers, and to be effective, content needs to be relatable and valuable to your specific audience to build trust, relationships, and ultimately, a local salon clientele. We also talk about the Olympics, duh, and how inspiring it is to see mental health at the forefront, thank you, Simone Biles! You can find Passion Squared on the socials here, and learn more about A School here and the Creating Your Awesome Brand course here. Thank you for listening! Your ratings and reviews help this podcast become more discoverable to folks like you who find value in the episodes. We’d be so grateful if you took a moment to share your experience through a rating, review, or simply sharing this pod with your friends. Thank you so much for listening!

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Your experience matters. We would be so grateful if you shared your experience with our podcast by leaving a review wherever you enjoy your podcasts so others can discover it. It matters to us, and so do you. Thank you- Nina