Creating More Than Pretty

There comes a point in every entrepreneur's journey when working harder stops producing better results. The business may continue to grow, but if the woman behind it isn't growing too, success can begin to feel surprisingly empty. In this episode, we're sitting down with Shonna Dexter CEO of Recreating Rays whose definition of success has transformed over the years. What started as...

Pretty results are easy to post. The hard part is the life happening behind the scenes while you build them. In this episode I’m joined by Jaclyn Cook, a 20-year spray tan industry veteran and the founder behind Phoenix Sunless and The Sunless Edit, to talk about what long-term success actually takes when you’re a woman running a beauty business, leading a team, and still trying to show up at home...

Pretty branding can get attention, but it can’t carry you through postpartum hormones, leadership pressure, and the quiet anxiety of wondering if the business still fits. I sit down with serial entrepreneur Sasha Fedunchak to talk about what happens when you outgrow a version of yourself and your company at the same time, and why “more than pretty” is about building from the inside out, not just c...

We talk about what happens when a business looks successful on the outside but feels misaligned on the inside, especially while raising kids and managing multiple brands. Emily shares how systems, boundaries, and honest self-checks helped her choose peace over pressure and start planning a future that fits her life. • Emily’s life update from postpartum to running multiple businesses again  • Buyi...

The Intro.. Welcome to Creating More Than Pretty

Welcome to Creating More Than Pretty —the podcast for entrepreneurs building beautiful businesses from the inside out. This is a space for creative professionals who know their work is about more than aesthetics, More than trends, More than what looks good on the surface. Here, we are peeling back the layers of what it looks like to build businesses that feel aligned, sustainable, and deeply fulfi...

Mama, get ready because you're about to be  extremely inspired by my guest Emily, The Brow Fox!  She shares that when the pandemic hit and having her second child,  she found herself exhausted and in overwhelm while running her multiple beauty businesses.  Emily is so transparent in her struggles and explains how hitting this point forced her to restructure her business as a service provider...

In this episode with multi beauty business owner Kelly Callaghan she shares how transitioning from Entrepreneur to Momprenuer has actually made her a better business woman.    As we all know becoming a mom changes us, and as a business owner navigating life & business with a new baby is quite challenging.  Life as we once new it is now very different!  Kelly is an industry trailblazer who noto...

To some it looks like a glamorous fairy tale! It's often what some starting in the Spray tanning industry dream of.  For Keri Elliott of Bronze Me Babyy in Dallas Texas, she'll tell you it is most definitely fun AND glamorous, BUT it has not been easy or effortless.  In this episode Keri and I chat about what it has been like for her going from being a stay at home mom of 3 boys to the w...

REAL TALK!!!!   My guest, Mistie Collins and I dive DEEP into the real talk on being a new mom in the beauty industry.    As a new mom, who chooses to go to work,  we find ourselves constantly questioning if working is the right choice.  As Mistie mentions.."sometimes I'm killing the game and sometimes I question what I'm doing... is working and missing out on watching my son grow t...

My guest, Amber Hall, of @the.beauty.hall, shares her story of finding her drive as a young, single mom.  After having her daughter she found that she needed to really reflect on her life.  During her self reflection time she discovered that she needed to have her daughter to find the drive to do more with her life.  She shares that having a baby gave her the push to go from being lazy,  to buckli...

Do you have a dream or a goal that you've been holding on to for a LONG time?  My guest, Toni Thomas, is sharing her story about her dream to become a New York Fashion Week Makeup Artist and how she achieved it at age 50!  She will inspire you, motivate you to work harder, to  reach for the stars and to never give up on a dream!  Toni Thomas is an award-winning makeup artist, she is the co-fo...

In this episode with my guest, Holly Tannella of Boho Med Spa in Texas, shares how she is still figuring out how to balance her beautiful family of 5 and running a very successful Med Spa with her husband.   We discuss: Challenges  Family First Quality Time  New Routines with kids Working on self Clean Beauty How to re-energize  Being fully present The power of our minds Learning to take care of y...

In this episode you'll meet Nakia @thevirtualskincarecoach & @browtotoe from Hampstead, NC.   She is a former marine who decided to pursue a career in the esthetics industry as a mom.  She shares how being a marine has influenced her as a mom and a business owner.  As a mom to a teenage girl, Nakia strives to be someone that her daughter would want to emulate.  "Children watch everyt...

✨"When the cards fall into the right place and the stars all align"   Heather Souther, aka Spray Tan Gun Slinger,  shares what it was like to go from employee to salon owner and everything in between! In this episode I sat down with Heather, who is a mom of 4, and she openly shares what it was like to work while pregnant and after having a newborn.   Which involved timing contractions o...

Going through life we are faced with MANY challenges along the way.  My guest April Blackburn @masteresthetician101 shares her story of how she got started and why she feels she has been able to flourish as and esthetician.  April shares openly about her struggles with depression, postpartum, adoption and how she found strength through it all.  She shares what it was like to be a young mom and go...

In this episode I openly share why I had to press pause on the podcast, the struggles I faced and how I am ready to move forward.  Since publishing my last episode, almost 4 months ago,  I have been taking time to heal, reflect and now honor my mom.  We are all given a mother, some of us have amazing relationships with our moms,  others do not.  Mothering is not always easy.  It's actually th...

Oftentimes when we enter the beauty industry we think we know exactly what we want to do.  Other times that "thing"  that we thought we wanted to do is not as fulfilling as we envisioned.  But as fate would have it,  in the middle of your adventure you try something new and that leads you to your passion.  This is exactly what happened to my guest Kirsten Goetzelman aka Tampa Waxer. In t...

The day this beauty boss mama started her business journey she was faced with a "hiccup"  along the way.  In this interview she shares her story  of running her business during a challenging time and becoming pregnant.  Lauren, of Grand City Tanning,  is a creative entrepreneur and has established a business and a parenting style that works for her and  her husband. She explains that she...

In this episode I am sharing with you 20 takeaways from this year, 2020. If you told yourself,  at the beginning of 2020 .... “This is going to be one of MY best years!”,  well I’m right there with you!   Just like you I spent hours upon hours  making lists, checking  goals, stretching and making  plans of all the things that I wanted to accomplish for myself, for my business, for my family and fo...

Evolving  as a mom, as a business owner and as a woman requires us to " bob and weave through life"  My guest;  a mom of 3, a permanent makeup artist & a business owner, Crystal of Crystal Ink Beauty shares why she feels this is how we can and should navigate our journey.    Growing requires learning & evolving, and if we're not evolving we're not changing.  How we choo...

 Lets chat self care: As a mom who works in the beauty industry we are pulled in many ways: We serve other women We cheer other women We support other women We make them feel confident & Extra beautiful I like to say we wear many hats: your job is not just a job… Essentially we are a Cheerleader Therapist Magician Creative Boss Good vibes enforcer Confidant Repair lady Guide  And then you have...

During the ebb and flow of life we experience many seasons. As a woman there are seasons As a mother there are seasons and As a business owner there are seasons. There are also so many parallels amongst them.  In this episode with my guest Shanda Wallace of The Harbor Salon in Los Angeles, California we discuss this and so much more! Shanda shares what it was like starting in the beauty industry a...

 As moms, we find ourselves wearing many hats, constantly being pulled, led or guided in many different directions.  This pandemic has exacerbated this as many families are finding themselves home to complete both school with their children and work for themselves.   My guest Amy Staubitz, of XTan Sunless, has always been a working mom, and now finds herself  working from home ( as both an employe...

Welcome to Mom Monday! It’s a new week, New month, New Monday! This week’s coffee chat topic is planning ; One of the most effective ways to be productive as both a mom, a beauty business owner or employee and just as a WOMAN in general is to plan.  Planning out your day, week, and month is so gratifying and it’s such a great way to become uber productive.  Most of us run or work in a service base...