Wellness

Dresscode Project

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Fox and Jane

Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

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Episode 166

8 November 2022

My guest today, Nina Kovner, is someone who I have wanted to speak with for the last couple of years. I think Nina has a valuable message to share with the world. So, I’m so glad we finally made it happen!

Amongst many things, Nina is a fellow podcaster and passionate advocate for mental health awareness, as well as being a salon business coach and the context creator for Passion Squared.

Nina has a vast amount of experience in the hairdressing industry and brings an honesty and thought provoking authenticity to every conversation.

In today’s podcast, we will discuss:

The importance of taking care of your mental health
Social media and mental health
How Gen Z prioritize mental health
What leadership really is…

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[03:34] An overview of Nina’s life story and their greatest passion.

[06:06] Nina opens up about their own mental health struggles.

[07:34] The power of “being where your feet are” and practicing gratitude.

[14:53] Factors that led Nina to a catastrophic meltdown, how they recovered, and what they learned from this experience.

[22:23] Nina’s advice for protecting your mental health.

[27:03] Why Nina believes that balance is a myth (and what we should strive for instead).

[29:37] An example of what it looks like to put in healthy boundaries.

[31:51] Generational differences in the approach to mental health.

[36:33] Nina’s thoughts on the pros and cons of social media.

[43:57] Passion, purpose, promise, and people; the importance of developing a brand story.

[50:42] Nina’s thoughts on how to be a good leader.

[55:18] How Nina thinks Gen Z is changing the salon industry for the better.

[59:15] One of the most valuable lessons that Nina has learned throughout their life.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Nina for sharing their insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

Nina Kovner

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

Passion Squared

Website | YouTube | Facebook | Podcast

The Meadows of Wickenburg, Arizona

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Episode 148

5 July 2022

This week is ‘Part 2’ of the ‘Comeback Stories’ series, where I again talk to a salon owner couple about how they’ve bounced back after a tough couple of years.

With the challenges that the world is going through at the moment, it’s important to be focusing on the success stories and the opportunities that difficult times can sometimes present.

The last two years have been a testing time for most of us, and my guests today are no exception. Their business and their personal lives have had numerous changes thrust upon them that were beyond their control.

But despite that, they have come out the other end in good shape we can all learn from their resilience, their willpower, their strength, and their courage in the face of adversity.

Today I am talking to Todd and Audra Wise from the Color Pop salon in Texas.

In today’s episode we will discuss:

Their business journey pre and post covid
Dealing with significant personal health challenges
Finding balance in both personal and business commitments

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[02:32] A brief overview of what Todd and Audra’s career paths have consisted of to date.

[05:08] Audra explains what motivated her to open her own salon and the shock that she and Todd received 8 months later.

[07:18] Why Todd and Audra didn’t receive financial assistance for their salon, Color Pop, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

[09:46] The “lean” approach that Audra and Todd adopted to make it through the pandemic.

[12:48] The mindset and support system that helped Audra deal with her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

[19:44] Some of the most important lessons that Audra has learned through the challenges that life has presented her with over the past few years.

[24:25] The effort that was required on the business side to help Color Pop bounce back.

[26:22] Changes that Todd and Audra made to their pricing strategy post-COVID.

[27:34] Why Audra and Todd decided not to increase their prices when they reopened after the shutdown.

[28:38] Color Pop’s number one marketing tool.

[29:38] Some of the innovative marketing initiatives that Todd and Audra have implemented, and how they have helped Color Pop grow.

[34:04] The philosophy that is foundational to the way Todd lives his life.

[35:59] What Audra sees as her biggest strengths, and the daily practices that help her feel at peace.

[37:16] Todd and Audra’s plans for the future.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Todd and Audra for sharing their story with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Color Pop Salons

Todd Wise

Audra Wise

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Episode 147

28 June 2022

What Does it Take to Bounce Back from COVID (and Everything Else Life Can Throw at You)?

No matter where you live in the world, if there is one phrase that I’m sure you’re as tired of hearing as I am, it’s: ‘Unprecedented times.’

But, without a doubt, the last couple of years have been tough for most people. We have been tested physically, financially and emotionally in our businesses and in our personal lives as a result of the drastic changes that have been thrust upon us.

Today is ‘Part 1’ of a two-part series focusing on what I am calling ‘comeback stories.’ I will be talking to two couples who have battled adversities and come out the other end in good shape! We can all learn from their resilience, willpower, strength, and courage.

Henry Monreal and Liz Salcedo from Salon Ink in San Diego are my guests today. I spoke to them at the beginning of COVID and now, two years on, they have had a great turnaround in their business.

In today’s podcast we will discuss:

Their business journey and how they have bounced back post-COVID
Dealing with major health challenges
Finding balance in both personal and business commitments…

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[04:17] The traumatic moment that took place in Liz and Henry lives in May 2019.

[10:11] What the initial COVID period looked like for Henry and Liz’s business, Salon Ink.

[12:16] The philosophy that has kept Liz and Henry going through the tough times.

[13:46] How Henry and Liz have rebuilt Salon Ink.

[18:36] Passion that Liz and Henry feel towards their work.

[20:30] Motivation behind Salon Ink’s large retail section, and the benefits it has brought to the business.

[24:14] Why Henry and Liz have incorporated a large degree of flexibility into their business model.

[25:09] An important lesson that Liz and Henry learned during the pandemic.

[21:21] 30: the number of weekly hours worked by 60% of US hairdressers.

[28:16] The mindset that Henry and Liz’s employees have towards their work.

[29:43] Potential that lies in the salon industry, using Liz and Henry’s life as an example.

[31:31] Henry shares what his experiences over the past few years have taught him.

[33:08] Some of Liz’s key learnings, and what she believes to be her purpose in life.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Liz and Henry for sharing their story with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Salon Ink

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok

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Episode 145

14 June 2022

“Whatever the question, the answer is always education.”

Don’t be put off by the title of this episode: regardless of who you are, what age you are, or at what stage of your career, you are about to learn something valuable. Do not make the mistake of thinking that this is just for women, or just for women of a certain age, because it’s for everyone!

Over 80% of the salon industry is made up of women. So, if you’re a man, it’s highly likely that you will have female team members and/or female clientele.

My guest on today's Podcast is Catherine O’Keeffe. She has a business called ‘Wellness Warrior’ and she is Ireland's first menopause coach.

In today’s podcast we discuss:

The difference between perimenopause and menopause
Dealing with the symptoms of menopause
The impact that menopause can have on morale, productivity and retention
How menopause affects hair…

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[03:17] The personal experience that inspired Catherine to leave her job as an investment banker to become Ireland’s first menopause coach.

[06:53] What Catherine’s role as a menopause coach consists of.

[09:57] Upsides of the psychological transformation that takes place during menopause.

[13:16] How women’s health has historically been approached in our society.

[16:52] Examples of the wide range of symptoms associated with menopause.

[18:45] The origin of the word menopause.

[20:51] Perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause; Catherine shares some details about each stage.

[24:28] Exploring the individual nature of menopause.

[25:32] 9; the age of the youngest person Catherine has met who has gone through menopause.

[26:14] Environmental factors that affect menopause onset.

[27:25] Links between endometriosis and menopause symptoms.

[28:53] Catherine’s advice for preparing for menopause, which helps to take the fear out of it.

[33:08] The transitory nature of perimenopause and menopause symptoms, using Catherine’s own experiences as examples.

[34:33] How Hormone Therapy works, and the risks and benefits associated with it,

[43:30] Catherine explains how salon owners can make work-life easier for staff members who are going through menopause.

[48:06] How menopause affects hair (in some women), and how you can mitigate these effects.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Catherine for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode.

Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources in this episode:

Grow My Salon Business

Wellness Warrior

Website | Instagram

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Episode 143

31 May 2022

My guest on today’s Podcast is London based hairdresser and owner of a 5 strong salon group and academy Gina Conway.

Originally from California, she has been based in London for the last 20 plus years and has built up a great reputation as one of London's leading salons.

Gina is passionate about delivering a five-star level of service and is widely known not just for doing great hair but also for her total commitment to sustainably and the ethical side of hairdressing.

In the process, she has built up a considerable business and a reputation to match… and she’s just getting started.

In today’s episode we discuss:

Balancing the demands of life as the owner of 5 salons, a wife, a mother and finding time for everything else.
Sustainability in salons today.
Creating a team and culture where people want to come to work.
The customer service journey.
Growing a team and successful expansion.

And lot's more!

In this Episode:

[03:30] Gina also has a fashion degree and became interested in entrepreneurship.

[03:39] She moved to London 21 years ago and worked at John Frieda.

[04:04] Gina wanted to bring California sunshine to London and create a team and culture where people would want to come to work.

[05:08] Yes, it was love that brought Gina to London. One husband and three children later, and she's still here!

[08:21] We talk about what the industry can learn from different areas.

[10:02] Gina accomplishes so much. She is constantly innovating. She is so passionate about what she does, it doesn't feel like work.

[12:57] Being in your zone is like meditation. The mindful hairdresser allows hairdressers to be in the flow and create mindful haircuts. It's communication in a deep creative space for clients.

[15:27] Gina has three salons in London. She collaborated with a friend to consolidate marketing and now all of the salons are called Gina Conway.

[16:47] They also have an apprenticeship program where they train about 20 hairdressing students.

[17:19] She has a staff of around 100 people.

[19:17] Gina shares how John Frieda let her go when she talked about opening her own salon. Her new salon was empty, so she filled it with art.

[20:56] Gina built her customer service reputation in the industry by giving every customer the platinum treatment.

[24:51] Gina and her partner want to franchise sustainable salons and help other entrepreneurs.

[26:28] Look at your products. Are they using sustainable materials? Look at plastics and bottles. Look at energy and recycling. Consider everything that you purchase. Reuse and refuse, if you can. Think holistically about everything including water use.

[30:12] The green fee is included in the price of the haircuts. This is who we are and what we do. We also plant a tree for each client.

[34:28] Gina talks about the importance of having a strong culture and teaching the team the why and the values from the start.

[41:19] Generational changes include focusing on mental health and supporting students in making up for lost time. Stability, security, and finding a career path is also so important.

[49:34] A good salon should be generating between 12% and 15% with a goal of 20% in retail.

[56:42] Gina is constantly innovating and improving. She's all about momentum.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!
They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Gina for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!
Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Gina Conway

Aveda

John Paul Mitchell Systems

Green Salon Collective

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Episode 142

25 May 2022

Today, the need to highlight environmental and social initiatives is more pertinent than ever. Unfortunately, those causes and everything they represent are often drowned out by the latest headline of the day.

However, the increased level of social and environmental awareness and urgency isn’t about to go away. In fact, these issues are only becoming more and more pressing. So, we all need to ‘own’ our contribution and stop waiting for someone else to fix our problems.

My guest on today's Podcast is Mara Gourdine, the Global Culture Ambassador at John Paul Mitchell Systems. Behind that impressive title, Mara is very much involved in the corporate side of directing and contributing to making change happen.

In my conversation with Mara today my objective is to keep coming back to how salon owners and stylists can adapt what a big business does and integrate those ideas into their own businesses.

In today’s podcast we will discuss:

What Mara’s day-to-day job consists of
The wider responsibilities of businesses today
The importance of greater diversity and inclusivity in every business
How salons can include the wider community in more local environmental and social initiatives…

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[03:22] What it means to be a Global Culture Ambassador.

[05:56] Mara shares the story of how she became the Global Culture Ambassador at John Paul Mitchell Systems, and what this role entails.

[14:48] The link between a company’s internal culture and its external impact.

[17:26] A Walk on Water; what this organization does and how John Paul Mitchell Systems became involved with them.

[25:05] Mara’s racial lineage, and the influence that this has had on her life.

[26:23] The global movement that was sparked by the death of George Floyd, and how John Paul Mitchell Systems responded to it.

[32:11] A valuable lesson that Mara learned from her mom about equity and inclusion.

[33:08] Perspectives to be gained from listening to the stories of people who are different from you.

[34:22] The importance of imagery and education when it comes to enhancing the inclusivity of your salon.

[38:22] Mara’s approach to onboarding employees at John Paul Mitchell Systems, and how it differs from her own experience of joining the company.

[43:55] Encouragement from Mara to share your joys and passions with others and to look after your mental and physical health.

[47:47] The key to building a compassionate company culture, and examples of how John Paul Mitchell Studios has done this.

[50:26] Why Mara doesn’t use social media.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Mara for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Mara Gourdine

Angus Mitchell

John Paul Mitchell Systems

Paul Mitchell Schools

A Walk on Water

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Episode 139

3 May 2022

All the changes that have taken place over the past two years have forced many of us to rethink our work/life balance, and have brought issues around mental health and burnout into greater focus.

My guest today is Ashleigh Hodges, a young woman who has built up a well-deserved reputation in the UK hairdressing industry, not only for being very talented at doing hair but also for being an exceptionally nice person in the process.

In today’s podcast we discuss:

– The imbalance of representation of women in the industry
– Mental health and dealing with burnout
– The secret to being successful…

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[03:03] The many professional hats that Ashleigh wears.

[05:38] An explanation of what the Fellowship for British Hairdressing is, and what Ashleigh’s role as its chancellor entails.

[09:24] How HAIRDOTCOM Art Team came into being, and what their offerings include.

[14:36] The process Ashleigh went through to make her life more sustainable.

[19:54] Similarities and differences between the business models of the two salons she works at.

[21:54] Why Ashleigh believes the salon suite model has become so popular.

[27:18] Ashleigh shares her thoughts on the gender inequalities that are still prevalent in our society, and how they are shifting.

[32:17] Challenges that Ashleigh has faced as a woman in the hairdressing industry, and the work that she is doing to eliminate these hurdles.

[43:41] Burnout that Ashleigh experienced, and the mental health journey that this catalyzed for her.

[46:04] The choice that each of us have to make everyday with regard to our mental health.

[48:01] How Ashleigh has changed her life over the past few years.

[50:03] Factors that contributed to the mental breakdown that Ashleigh experienced.

[53:37] Some of the biggest lessons that Ashleigh learned about herself since her breakdown.

[56:05] Ashleigh’s relationship with social media.

[1:00:45] Work hard and be nice; why Ashleigh sees these factors as the keys to success.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Ashleigh for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Ashleigh Hodges

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Fellowship for British Hairdressing

Website | Instagram

HAIRDOTCOM Art Team

Website | Instagram

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Episode 138

26 April 2022

My guests on today's Podcast are returning guests to the show: Filipe Santos and David Brodsky, who are New Jersey based Salon owners.

In the previous conversation I had with them, we talked about their growing salon business and the success of their business model. If you didn’t catch that episode, it’s number 112, so you can go back and check it out.

During the episode, Filipe and David spoke about how they first met in recovery, and on the back of that comment, we decided it would be a great idea to devote an episode to talk about their journey with addiction.

This episode is their story, it’s a very personal story full of laughs and honesty and a genuine love of life and of each other. Their journey is an inspiring example of what’s possible, and if it helps just one person, then we have achieved what we set out to.

In this episode we discuss:

Their journey into drugs as teenagers
Defining moments on their journey
The turning points where they knew they had to change …
The importance of the narcotics anonymous support

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[04:20] Growth that David and Filipe’s business has experienced since our previous conversation.

[09:58] David explains why he and Filipe have chosen to tell their story of addiction on a public platform like this podcast.

[11:54] What drove David and Filipe to the world of drugs, and how their problem with addiction escalated over the years.

[21:41] The disease of addiction; what this concept looks like in practice.

[24:31] Prevalence of drugs in the service industry, and some reasons why this could be the case.

[29:46] Circumstances under which Filipe’s son came into the world.

[35:08] The lowest point in David’s life, and why he and Filipe now have a zero-tolerance policy for all addictive substances.

[40:43] Why it is so important to have a support system and to stay away from temptations as a recovering drug addict.

[42:29] How Filipe felt during the few years before he got clean, and how that contrasts with how he feels now.

[51:53] David explains what the very difficult process of coming clean was like for him.

[58:26] Why Filipe agrees with the legalisation or decriminalisation of weed.

[1:02:01] Discretion that David and Filipe exercise when it comes to hiring staff for their salons, and the support and resources that they provide to employees who are struggling with addiction..

[1:15:05] How the sharing of their story has had positive impacts on David and Filipe’s businesses.

[1:17:48] The near jail experience Filipe had after getting clean.

[1:24:17] Why David and Filipe wouldn’t change any part of their history.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to David and Filipe for sharing their story with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Episode 112

Filipe Santos

David Brodsky

Instagram | Website

Gang Gang EDU