From Princess Diana to Kim Kardashian: How Joh Bailey Built Legacy and Relevance for 41 Years

"You can't afford to be an arsehole if you're famous; people talk about it too much." - Joh Bailey

Forty-one years ago, Joh Bailey opened a single Double Bay salon with one goal: to be number one. Today, that same "no bullshit" philosophy has taken him from doing Princess Diana's hair on royal visits to building his own haircare line from scratch; tested, adjusted, and re-tested until it was right.

In this episode, Joh gets refreshingly honest about what it actually takes to survive four decades in an industry built on trends: the phone call from Buckingham Palace that changed everything, what working with clients like Kim Kardashian taught her about fame and behaviour, surviving the GFC when she and her business partner Marilyn had "no idea what to do" with the money coming in, and why she still tests every product on himself before it ever reaches a client. It's part masterclass, part memoir, and a genuinely funny, unfiltered look at what it takes to build something that lasts.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Intro: 41 Years & the Marilyn Partnership

03:05 — The Non-Verbal Language of hair

06:45 — The accidental business partner

09:01 — Breaking the judgement intimidation in salons

11:08 — Anatomy of a world class blow-dry

15:41 — Doing Princess Diana's Hair

21:53 — 40 Years of Ups & Downs

26:47 — Celebrity Clients