Nick Stenson: Cancer, Clarity, and What It Really Takes to Build a Brand
From Your Day Off @Hairdustry; A Podcast about the Hair Industry! by Follow on IG @hairdustry
May 4, 2026 · 1h 8m · Season 9 · Episode 6
About this episode
Nick Stenson shares his journey from a powerful position in the beauty industry to battling cancer while building his own brand.
Nick Stenson: Cancer, Clarity, and What It Really Takes to Build a Brand He left one of the most powerful jobs in the beauty industry to bet everything on himself. Then he got cancer. This is that story. Recorded live at ABS Chicago with co-host Geno Chapman, Corey sits down with Nick Stenson, celebrity hairdresser and founder of Nick Stenson Beauty, for a conversation that earns every minute of your time. Nick has been a creative director at Matrix, rose to Senior Vice President of Salon Services and Store Operations at Ulta Beauty, and spent seven years quietly building his own hair care line before leaving corporate life entirely. Months after walking away, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin Lymphoma. This episode covers all of it. Seven Years to a Bottle Nick started developing his product line before he even accepted the job at Ulta. The brand, built around a three-step philosophy covering what you do in the shower, out of the shower, and before you walk out the door, currently sits at 12 SKUs. Every product was designed to be a hero. Nick spent 19 formulations on his hairspray alone. His goal from the start was to create a brand complete enough that he'd never need…
People in this episode
Host: Geno Chapman
Guest: Nick Stenson
Topics covered
- cancer
- branding
- hair care
- entrepreneurship
- personal story
Keywords
- Nick Stenson
- cancer
- hair care
- branding
- Ulta Beauty
- entrepreneurship
- Matrix
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Matrix, Ulta Beauty, Nick Stenson Beauty, Nordstrom, Macy's, Amazon
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