We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle-Nichole Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle-Nichole , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

One time at Career Wardrobe, we were doing hair and makeup for their annual event, and I had built a team to support the women being served. One woman in particular stood out. She didn’t want to wear makeup, didn’t care to get her hair done. At first, I wondered why she came at all if she didn’t want to be bothered. But as the day went on, she started sharing pieces of her story. There had been so much disappointment in her life that she was guarded—she expected nothing good to come of the day.

Eventually, she got a little more comfortable and agreed to the services. I did her hair, and the makeup artist finished her look. When she was handed the mirror, she cried. Not just a soft cry, but full tears. She said she hadn’t had her hair done in years and had never had her makeup done professionally before. That moment—seeing herself in a new light—was transformative. She felt beautiful. She felt seen.

That’s what this work is about. Yes, I love beauty. But more than that, I’m called to create experiences that shift how people see themselves. Beauty can be healing. It’s one of the reasons I’ve always been committed to giving back—whether it’s through Career Wardrobe, working with young women through mentorship, or showing up in underserved communities to educate and empower. I don’t do it for recognition—I do it because I know what it feels like to need someone to believe in you when you don’t even believe in yourself yet. Or anymore.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Michelle-Nichole, a salon owner, hairstylist, and the founder of Bounced House LLC—a beauty brand that centers luxury, self-care, and storytelling. I’ve been doing hair for over two decades, and along the way, I’ve created a space where people feel seen, cared for, and elevated.

My work spans from silk products that support hair health from the salon, to home, to full bridal styling experiences. Bridal is a major focus of my business. There’s nothing like being part of someone’s most important day. I always say I traded the runway for the bridal aisle. Working in fashion was incredible, but with luxury brides, everything is top-tier: the glam, the energy, the experience. I get to pour into women in a way that’s remembered forever.

I’m currently expanding into two new experiences: the Luxe Beauty Reset, an in-salon ritual centered on restoration, and the Bounced Dream Lab, a mobile beauty-wellness concept that brings luxury and softness into everyday spaces. Both are still in development, but they represent where I’m headed—and how I plan to keep making beauty feel like care, not just style.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Staying in the beauty industry for 25 years isn’t just about skill—it’s about resilience, reinvention, and knowing when to chase the spark again. I’ve had a salon for 20 years, but around 15 years ago, I hit a wall. I was over it. Burned out. I knew I needed something new, or I was going to walk away altogether.

That’s when one of my stylists, Khadijah, told me about Philly Fashion Week. I called the person in charge, Juan—a longtime friend—and he let me on the team. That one call changed my life.

I remember my first time backstage like it was yesterday. I had missed the info meeting, showed up in gray pants—totally unsure if I even belonged. But then, in the middle of all the chaos, a few stylists came over and said, ‘You’re really good at this.’ That moment lit something in me. Then, just before the models hit the runway, Juan decided to completely change the hair for 12 models. We had three minutes to transform every look. It wasn’t panic—it was pressure. And I LIVED for it. I had finally found what I was missing.

From that moment on, I went full force—styling for editorials, working with celebrities, leading bridal teams, and eventually stepping into creative direction. I realized my skill wasn’t just in doing hair but in curating beauty experiences and shaping the industry.

I’ve rebranded and reimagined my salon multiple times—from Bounc’n & Behaving Hair Studio to BounceDolls, creating a space that didn’t just style hair but elevated the community by nurturing confidence, connection, and culture. I launched Bounced, a silk beauty line designed to protect and enhance hair health while reinforcing self-care as a luxury. And now, I’m expanding into Bounced DreamLab, a sleep wellness brand dedicated to prioritizing rest, recovery, and beauty for Black women.

Alongside my brands, I take on creative direction projects, partnering with HairMania, small businesses, and other corporate activations to push the boundaries of beauty, wellness, and community. Every project I take on fuels my creativity and reminds me that beauty is more than hair—it’s a full experience that changes how people see themselves and the world.

With every advancement, my purpose has remained the same—to serve, to create, and to uplift. And now, I’m stepping into my next chapter with the same excitement I had at my first Fashion Week, ready to lead, inspire, and elevate the industry once again.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

It wasn’t that I set out to be a leader in this industry—I just refused to keep information locked away. If there’s one thing that shaped my reputation, it’s that I’ve never been afraid to share knowledge, explore new experiences, and create opportunities for others.

I’ve always looked outside of the beauty industry for inspiration. I’ve studied business, branding, and marketing in spaces where hairstylists weren’t necessarily showing up. There’s a foundational gap in the Black hair industry when it comes to business—we aren’t taught how to scale in hair school. Going outside of my industry, taking deep dives into business education programs like WORC, and studying the aesthetics and processes of different industries helped me develop a unique approach to beauty and entrepreneurship.

One of my biggest lessons came from watching who shared knowledge and who didn’t. Philadelphia is a city where people tend to hold their knowledge tight. It took traveling—meeting a business owner in Atlanta—to realize that the most successful people were the ones willing to share. That’s when I decided: I wanted to be that kind of leader. The one who shares, uplifts, and creates access. And that’s exactly what built my reputation.

But I didn’t just do this in theory—I built real opportunities for others.

→ New York Fashion Week & Oscar Weekend (2017)
I flew to LA for Oscar Weekend after being invited to work with Marcelo Castro, a celebrity stylist. That’s when I met Golden Brooks and did her hair for an Oscar viewing party in Bel Air. But more than that, that moment led to something bigger. Marcelo and I built a 200-person hairstyling roster for New York Fashion Week, giving stylists a chance to work backstage who never thought they’d have that opportunity.

→ Collaboration Event (Bridging the Beauty & Creative Community)
After completing Mastered (a UK-based course), I launched a networking and collaboration event for artists in Philly. The way that event connected the creative community helped shift the culture. Models were inspired. Photographers who once saw each other as competition became lifelong collaborators. That event didn’t just build connections—it built trust and changed the way artists supported each other.

→ Tokyo International Editorial Shoot
Taking my artistry overseas, I did an editorial shoot in Tokyo that expanded my vision beyond the U.S. market. That experience pushed my creative limits and showed me that hairstyling is a global language.

→ The Salon: 20 Years of Trust, Transformation & Integrity
At the core of everything is my salon. I’ve built a space where people feel seen, valued, and transformed—not just in their hair, but in their confidence. That trust, that ability to make people feel at home while elevating their beauty, is what has kept me in this industry for two decades and counting.

Building a reputation isn’t just about skill—it’s about how you show up, how you share, and how you create impact. It’s not just about what you do for someone—it’s how you make them feel. That’s what lasts forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Bouncedolls.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Michelle_Nichole
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/michellenichole.thehairartist/
• Other: HTTPS://Getbounced.co

Image Credits

Photography Credits
• Aya Watada — @aya.watada | ayawatada.com
• Films by Diallo — @filmsbydiallo | filmsbydiallo.com
• Taylor Mosley — @tayloredgenius | tayloredgenius.com