8. Ash Croker: The Pink Palace, Big Career Moves & Launching Maria Nila Colour in Australia

Not just a Hairdresser | Presented by Ally from The Beauty Grail · Nov 6, 2026 · 1h · transcript

Ash Croker has spent more than two decades building a career around the thing she still loves most: doing hair. From commuting from Wollongong to Sydney as a 17-year-old apprentice, to opening The Salon by Ash Croker, better known as the Pink Palace, her career has grown across salon ownership, education, Fashion Week and some of the industry’s biggest brand partnerships. In this episode, Ash opens up about the decisions behind that growth, including closing her salon every Tuesday to invest in her team, walking away from relationships and opportunities she had outgrown, and making the…