Heart & Hustle: Houston, S1 Profile – Alania

Alaina Saulsberry is a make-up artist and beauty studio owner with a registered Texas business, COLOR DU JOUR, LLC. Alaina is presented on OWN TV/Discovery Network’s Heart & Hustle: Houston, that premiered in September 2025.

Alania’s presence on the show is very unsure and aggressive in spaces of opportunity when presented around the other women, but she is precise and extremely detailed orientated when presented at work. Her eye for detail is shown in every scene, from her impeccable taste in interior design, fashion, hair, to her obvious talent in makeup. Its clear she’s a professional in her field and would be an excellent expanded brand, Pre 2020. Let’s face it, she is the drama incubator for the show, and its unclear if her conflict with her husband, castmates and even herself is orchestrated by OWN TV production or organic. Her field took a major hit during COVID-19 and much of the aggression and anxiety could stem from having such a lucrative talent, that may not have the same value in today’s uncertain economy.

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Brand to Person

Alania’s brand to person representation on the show is unclear. While she presents as very precise and detailed orientated with her talent and business, her personal attitude, insecurity, and militancy in expectations could raise some red flags in longevity and sustainable business operations. Pretty much, that perfectionism could affect the bottom line if it runs away staff and unrealistic expectations from investors looking to help, without knowing how. The irony of working with people with perfection standards, its a moving scale based on mood and attitude. If she’s in a bad mood, contributions may not be good enough. If she’s feeling good, she may miss errors and concerns she legitimately should request to protect her own investments and efforts.

Alania could very well be the most talented of the group, but, emotion-based business measures are unstable and a direct contradiction of her presented precise expectations and detail orientated baseline on the show. And that is the uncertainty, what is the show and what is a true representation of her actual personality. Towards the end of the season it was finally revealed her and her husband’s crawling separation was played out over bad investments that put her, her business, and family circumstances at a near net zero. So its hard to know if she’s typically this aggressive or her perfect image is simply under attack for all the world to see her in a very in-perfect disposition. Financial ruin can trigger some very dark side effects in people, so there is grace in her behavior on the show, but holistically, its fair to still be on the fence of her mental stability and how that can impact her business growth and overall health.

Legal Liability

Alaina’s legal liability is extremely high of 95% based on what was not only presented on the show, but also the official statement that her and Josh are in business together. Alania’s husband, Josh Saulsberry, who is still filed as a registered agent for COLOR DU JOUR, LLC at the time of this profile, was stated on the show of being nervous at the hits they took during COVID-19. He basically Sam Bankman-Fried’d over $100,000+ her gains by trying to allegedly flip growth into investments that didn’t play out well. And that could be the root of her insecurity and emotions. But, its hard to know the details to take a side as to why he made the investments, or if her expectations became unstable during COVID-19 that triggered a personal request or a sole decision that violated their business arrangements and marriage. Its also unclear how much Josh has invested in her and her business, prior to this mishap. If their relationship got ugly, that led to say divorce or lawsuits, could Josh counter-sue if the amount of investments he loss, was less than how much he’s placed in the 10+ year business? Could he dig into her personal life on infidelity accusations, or any thing he could find that counter’s her attitude towards him on the show.

As a reminder, Sam Bankman-Fried was placed in jail for taking investors money and using it for risky investments they presumed were going towards their presented portfolios. So in the bigger world, Josh would have technically seen a lawsuit and faced potential jail time for his actions. And that is were Alaina’s struggle with trust and insecurity may come from, making the hard decision that Roe already stated wouldn’t be hard for her but Alaina not so much. If she moved forward with legal resolve, what would that do her mental stability as a business owner? And if she doesn’t follow through with the legal action against the alleged acts, would possible restitution either through an IOU from Josh or through the courts be the answer. If she’s not 100% innocent, he could have the same energy as her. At the end of the day Alaina (and her husband) placed themselves into a box that requires tough decision and actions that are neither seem brave enough to make. Can they put the business first and do what’s best for the company’s health? I guess that would be the season 2 storyline.

Business to Show (B-t-S)

The Business to Show outcome is extremely high. Alaina had THE best sole representation of her business and her skill set. Her talent puts in her in the scope of principle client lists like Texas based stars like LeToya Luckett and her presented recent investment of a beauty bar being shown as finishing touches and functioning business during the first season. If you just worked with Alaina and didn’t know about her personal life and behavior, she would be a given investment with no question. Her potential of being a global brand is the only way to evolve past her current circumstances. She is essentially too big to simply stay in Houston. Not necessarily to leave H-town but she would have greater outcomes and lower risks if she ventured beyond the US. It has been shown she also gets a lot of work in the wedding industry, so her reach could benefit from the new counter-culture movement for Family standards being pushed in America as of late. But overall, an international clientele would strengthen her portfolio enough that not even Josh’s anxiety could crash it.

Overall, the show may have its favorites but it feels like Alaina was willing to take one for the team, and help create the narrative for the show to gain popularity, social media interest, and a second season. The characterization of being perfect yet messy enough to turn the show into the ultimate opportunity to reclaim what was loss, not just during COVID-19 but Josh’s bad investments. Alaina understood the assignment and the courage to present her flaws for success, proves she is willing to make the hard decisions, as long as there are stable returns and motivations. Most feel Roe is that girl but it feels Alaina is just as willing to “go there” for the opportunity and have catharsis to pile on Josh as a compromise for messing up her bag.

Investment Potential

Alaina’s business? She’d instantly be guarantee $1 Million investment for 3 years, totaling $3 Million in manufacturing, sustainability credentials, marketing, tariff clarity, and franchising. Alaina’s personal life? She needs 2 years to clean up her financial liabilities, meaning she’s good for $250,000 to start with conditions of trauma therapy and a strong Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with her husband’s role in the business, financial disposition and any known debts to be resolved within 2 years. Alaina is also very competitive so, there is room to make 10-20% on brand referrals with the assurance there are no anger management issues that can create friction with brand collaborators and ambassadors. Internal clashes are poison to brand collaborations not meeting fulfillment agreements. In the end, $250,000 towards continuation of business, with 10-20% handling of endorsement deals and brand collaborations if development costs are solely shared by brands and investors. Her investment potential is PENDING, based on agreements for personal and financial repair to develop a strong investment start.