The Conscious Salon

Are you choosing your salon team leader for the wrong reasons? Many salon owners promote the person who has been around the longest, has the fullest column, or generates the most retail and service sales. But being a great performer doesn't automatically make someone a great leader. In this episode of The Conscious Salon Podcast, Nic and Tess unpack one of the biggest mistakes salon and clinic own...

What happens when you step outside your comfort zone, take a leap of faith, and create something you never thought you would? In this episode, Nic and Tess are back for an honest, behind-the-scenes debrief after selling their salon and hosting their first Off the Floor live event on the Gold Coast. From a chaotic few weeks of travel, unexpected setbacks, and running on cortisol to two incredibly p...

Your photos can be technically perfect and still feel completely wrong. In this episode, Nic and Tess sit down with Keira Maloney , The Salon Photographer , who has built a reputation in the Australian hair and beauty industry for creating images that don't just look beautiful. They actually feel like the person in them. Keira shares what happens when someone walks into a branding shoot feelin...

What if the thoughts you've been quietly carrying as a salon owner… are the exact same thoughts everyone else is having too? In this episode, Nic, Tess, and Tae dive into a series of anonymous "Salon Owner Confessions" —real thoughts, fears, and struggles shared by salon owners who simply wanted to know, "Am I the only one who feels this way?" From questioning whether you s...

Have you ever wondered why loyal clients suddenly stop booking? The truth is, clients rarely leave without a reason, and most of the time, it's not because of price. In this episode, Nic, Tess, and Team Leader Tae unpack the five biggest reasons clients leave a salon and, more importantly, what you can do to keep them coming back. From consultations and client experience to rebooking, home care, a...

What if the card surcharge changes everyone’s talking about… don’t actually need to be the business disaster you’ve been expecting? From 1 October 2026, card surcharges are being switched off across Australia, and if you’re a salon owner, you’ve probably already seen the panic posts. But instead of adding to the noise, Nic and Tess take a breath, look at the facts, and break down what this change...

Caring deeply about your team is one thing. But are you accidentally becoming their parent instead of their leader? In this episode, Nic and Tess unpack one of the biggest leadership traps salon owners fall into: rescuing, mothering, and micromanaging their teams. While it often comes from a place of care, these habits can unintentionally create dependence, limit your team's growth, and keep...

How much is an unaligned team member really costing your business? The answer might surprise you. In this episode, Nic, Tess, and Tae dive into the powerful connection between team alignment and business performance. Using real client data and real coaching experiences, they unpack how one unaligned team member can impact your culture, client experience, and financial results—and what happens when...

What happens when you've built a successful career, opened your dream salon, and then suddenly find yourself questioning who you are? In this deeply honest conversation, Nic and Tess sit down with salon owner, educator, and lived-in colour specialist Emily Mander to talk about the realities of rebuilding your life, business, and identity after becoming a mother. Emily opens up about moving fr...

You can look like you've got everything together on the outside while your brain is running at full volume on the inside. In this episode, Nic and Tess sit down with salon owner and educator Jess Lewis for a raw, funny, and deeply relatable conversation about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult—and why so many women spend years believing what they're experiencing is simply anxiety, ove...

Selling a salon might look clean and straightforward on paper—but living through it is anything but. In this episode, Nic and Tess are joined by Team Leader Tae for an honest conversation about what it's really like to navigate a salon sale from inside the team. With the business changing hands and the new owner coming from within the existing team, Tae shares the mix of sadness, excitement,...

Does recommending retail products make you feel pushy or "salesy"? You're not alone. But what if you've been looking at it the wrong way? In this episode, Nic and Tess sit down with Sonia Tomas, also known as The Salon Doctor, to unpack one of the biggest mindset shifts every salon owner and stylist needs to make: selling isn't about making more money, it's about serv...

What happens when a team member who wants more progression ends up holding the keys to the salon? In this episode, Nic and Tess sit down with Jess Attard, the new owner of Ahead , to share the real story behind their salon sale. What may look simple from the outside was actually a journey filled with leadership, trust, timing, courage, and a whole lot of patience. Jess shares her winding path from...

What happens when the business you've poured your heart into no longer feels like the room you're meant to be in? In this honest and emotional episode, Nic and Tess open up about the decision to sell their salon and the leadership lessons they've learned throughout the process. Together, they discuss the emotions of letting go, navigating change as a team, communicating openly durin...

What happens when your own team puts you in the hot seat? In this special episode, the tables are turned as Team Leader Tae takes over the podcast, asking Nic and Tess the questions they weren't expecting. What starts as a fun role reversal quickly becomes one of the most honest and vulnerable conversations they've ever shared. Together, they reflect on the moments that shaped who they a...

What does it really take to build a salon that thrives without relying on you every single day? In this episode, Nic and Tess sit down with award-winning salon owner Maria Unali to explore the leadership journey behind building multiple successful salons, creating an incredible team culture, and learning how to step back without sacrificing growth. Maria shares the lessons she's learned over...

Building a sales-focused team isn't about teaching better sales scripts—it's about building confidence. In this episode, Nic and Tess unpack one of the biggest reasons salon teams struggle to sell, recommend premium services, or confidently charge their prices. The answer isn't a lack of skill. It's often a team's relationship with money, self-worth, and the beliefs they&a...

Are you so busy working in your business that you've stopped working ON it? In this episode, Nic, Tess and Tae unpack one of the biggest reasons salon owners stay stuck, and it's not a lack of technical skill. If you're constantly behind the chair, putting out fires, struggling to find time for leadership, planning or growing your business, this conversation is your wake-up call. We...

What happens when two senior team members are suddenly off work, hundreds of hours of leave stack up, clients need to be rescheduled, and then your salon ceiling collapses? That was our reality . In this episode, we're taking you behind the scenes of one of the most challenging seasons we've experienced as salon owners. From unexpected injuries and staffing shortages to a flooded salon a...

Some business stories are about growth. This one is about survival, resilience, and finding the courage to begin again. In this episode, we sit down with Samantha Camilleri, nail artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Herr Co., to talk about the reality behind building a successful beauty brand, and what happens when everything you've worked for is suddenly taken away. Starting from home with a...

Every successful business has challenges behind the scenes. This episode is about one of ours. For the first time, we're sharing how close we came to walking away—not just from our business, but from our partnership as sisters. What looked strong on the outside was carrying pressure, frustration, and patterns we didn't fully understand. It wasn't until we committed to doing the work...

Natalie Chadwick's story is one of resilience, reinvention, and learning to trust yourself through every chapter of life. In this episode, Natalie shares her journey from starting hairdressing at 16, to salon ownership, building a music career, navigating single motherhood, and overcoming significant financial challenges before stepping into her role as Global Creative Director at CPR Hair. T...

Your brain doesn’t need another colour-coded to-do list. It needs a circuit breaker. We start with some very real-life Easter chaos (including questionable chocolate choices and parenting economics), then we get straight into what we’re seeing across salons right now: overcomplication, overwhelm, and decision paralysis that keeps good salon owners stuck in ideation instead of execution. We share t...

A salon can look “successful” and still be one bad day away from falling over. That’s why this chat with Loz Main, founder of Melbourne salon The Rumours Are True, hit us so hard. Loz started hairdressing young, bought her first salon at 21, and quickly learned the brutal lesson of being sold “booked out” books that didn’t exist. The hustle was real, but so was the identity wobble that comes from...

If you’ve ever promoted your best stylist into a team leader role and then wondered why nothing really changed, we get it. Leadership in a salon doesn’t fail because people don’t care. It fails when we give someone a title but no structure, no decision rights, and no time to lead. So they hesitate, they double-check everything, and you end up carrying the load anyway. We sit down with Tae and Nikk...