Notes From the Chair

Field notes on faith, setbacks and building something real.

Short reflections from Amanda on writing, teaching and running Great Ambitions School of Cosmetology — the same honesty that fills the pages of As the Shampoo Spills.

Amanda Morris writing notes for the journal

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Featured · This Month

Why I still teach small classes on purpose.

Great Ambitions could grow faster if I let class sizes balloon. I don't, and here's the honest reason why: the students who need the most encouragement are usually the quietest ones in a big room. Keeping classes intimate means nobody gets to disappear.

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The Archive

Recent entries.

Faith6 min read

The detour that became the whole point.

Looking back at the car accident that forced me to rebuild — and why I no longer call it a setback.

Cosmetology4 min read

What I wish someone told me at Ezell's.

Practical, unfiltered advice for students walking into their first year of cosmetology school.

Writing5 min read

Writing Volume 1 while running a school.

How early mornings, a stubborn guitar habit and a lot of coffee turned into a finished manuscript.

Business7 min read

Being the first school in Kentucky since the 1950s.

What it actually took to start Great Ambitions from scratch with the state board — no shortcuts included.

Press3 min read

Behind the KY Lady Magazine feature.

A few things that didn't make the final cut of the Winter 2024 "Empowering Change" story.

Personal4 min read

Picking up the guitar at this point in life.

A new hobby, a beginner's callouses, and what it's teaching me about starting over — again.