Piercing Wizard Podcast

Current UKAPP President, APP member, studio owner, and professional piercer Lola Slider comes on the show this week to talk about how much the closure sucks. We discuss how shops shouldn't rush to get back to work. The world and businesses we had are forever changed. We need to carefully craft our reopening strategies and adapt to the new normal. We also talk about the classes we have been focusin...

This week I check in with Leo Ziebol, owner of Mint Piercing in Iowa. We talk about what we're doing to support our staff during the closure, how we're settling in to home life, and the financial programs we are focusing on to support our studios. I've put some of my webinars online at www.patreon.com/ryanpba for anyone interested. Like and follow the how on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/p...

No guest this week. I'm just giving some updates on COVID issues and talking about the classes I'm working on. I share some news on benefits for people out of work in the US, and I talk about what I'm doing to keep you and I busy. I'll outline my webinar plans, both free and paid options. I also talk about my Patreon page. You can access my previous webinar sessions on Anatomy for the Piercer and...

This week I talk with Kelsi Siefert about mental health focused on the career piercer and their clientele. Kelsi shares her tips and experience on how to maintain self care and switch off from a busy piercing career at the end of the day. We discuss customer care and bedside manner, and taking care of our mental and physical health in a sometimes hectic work environment. I also detail some of the...

I know things are rough for a lot of you right now, so lets just pop back a few weeks and sit in on breakfast with two California piercers named Ciera Baker & Desi Arellano. We met up the morning after one of my seminars and talked about the California piercer community, jewelry selection (and lots of other jewelry stuff), statim maintenance, cold brew coffee, and more. At the end I discuss my...

Welp, I just can't see any argument against it anymore. Its time for us to voluntarily close our shops for the time being. The decision will be taken away from you within days. The best thing you can do is take this as an opportunity to publish a thoughtful statement to your customers. It is in your best interest to be the shop who "closed too early" rather than be the one who stayed open too long...

I'm going to post some supplemental episodes to discuss COVID-19 information and tips to stay productive and healthy during this crisis. First is an episode discussing the difficult decisions that lead me to temporarily closing my shop. For studios remaining open I think it is also important to talk about rapidly evolving information and what steps can be made to lower risk to the health of your s...

The COVID-19 Coronavirus has caught many of us off guard. I talk with Cale DiFrancesco of the Association of Professional Piercers Board of Directors about what we can do to keep our clients and coworkers healthy. We discuss proper disinfection practices, maintaining supply levels, and planning for the APP's conference this summer. You can read updates from the APP on COVID-19 and their annual con...

On a recent trip to California I got to spend a day at the Anatometal facilities in Santa Cruz. Founder and CEO Barry Blanchard gave me an extensive tour then sat down to record this interview. We talked about the origin's of not only his company but of the body jewelry designs, materials, and threading our industry uses today. It was an in-depth discussion on their green manufacturing process, th...

APP member-at-large Brooke Bittens comes on the show to talk about travelling guest piercer life. Brooke got her start piercing in Connecticut, but now she has taken her show on the road working in top shops across the US. We talk about that enriching experience for career and soul. Give the show a 5 star rating and review on apple podcasts. Like and follow the show at: https://www.facebook.com/pi...

Get your fix of morning drive time banter with your hosts TJ & The Bear. TJ Kruger & William Barron come on the show to discuss a day of classes we'll be holding in Chicago. We also get talking about surface piercing and our experiences with body piercing at tattoo conventions. For more info on the Sunday March 22 2020 seminar email: piercingbykruger@gmail.com. Give the show a 5 star ratin...

Check out this jawn. James Weber comes on the show to discuss the 25 year history of Infinite Body Piercing in Philadelphia. Many of the industry's top piercers have worked at Infinite over the years. We discuss the early days of Infinite and what piercing was like in the 90's, how to scout talent and staff, and plans for Infinite 2 in Baltimore. Give the show a 5 star rating and review on itunes....

I went to Atlanta for some National Wrestling Alliance shows and while I was there I sat down with a piercer named Cozmo to chat. We talked about working in a super busy studio and how to manage the flow with minimal staff and fuss. We also talk about APP volunteering, jewelry selection, and lots of other bits of piercer nerd info. Give the show a 5 star rating and review on itunes. Like and follo...

I recently held a seminar in Phoenix, Arizona. While I was there I sat down to talk with my host, Kevin Jump. Kevin is one of the people keeping ritual alive in body piercing. Finding a connection to the spirit in today's industry can be a rarity, but his newly opened Wholehearted Piercing is a space created with that magic in mind. Give the show a 5 star rating and review on apple podcasts. Follo...

NeoMetal body jewelry recently made waves by announcing a new corporate partnership, and the piercing community imploded. I asked NeoMetal's John Kittell to come on the show and tell us about their new business plans and if we should expect any changes in their jewelry going forward. We also discuss their company history and the origin of the threadless jewelry we use today. For more information o...

2019 Association of Professional Piercers conference scholar Ryan Caruana comes on the show this week. He gives insight to the application process, what it was like arriving in Las Vegas and meeting so many other piercers, and what it was like taking all that information home and unpacking it. Reminder the APP's scholarship applications are open until February 6th 2020, so don't delay if you want...

John Balk is a busy guy. In between videography projects he sat down to talk about something most of us deal with annually, the slow season. We talk about how to manage a limited income by carefully planning orders, utilizing technology, and paying attention to your customers. We also talk about running specials, is it a benefit or a risk to discount your products and services? We also chat about...

Welcome to 2020! My first guest of the year is Canadian piercer Alicia Lowe. On New Year's day we happened to both be in the same city so we sat down at a cafe and recorded a chat about shadowing. We talked about how to take that first step in asking a respected colleague if you can come observe and ask questions, if you plan your day on a structure or if you go with the flow. We also talk about t...

2019 was a big year for the body piercing industry. I recap some of the year's news, give some updates on future projects, and say some thank you's. I also have a bonus interview with French piercer Lili Cathenod from the BMXNET conference for you. Thank you for listening, I'll be back in 2020 with new wizardry for you.

I was invited to speak at an event called SCARRED by MAE-Africa.org recently. The event focused on cultural body art practices in Africa, mainly body painting and scarification. While I was there I sat down with the event's organizer MAE Africa founder Temi Fet'era. We discussed scarification from both a cultural perspective and from that of a contemporary practitioner, as well as MAE Africa's eff...

In need of some inspiration? I met a piercer named Zakk Boyer at the first private seminar I did, back in 2017. He told me he was sleeping in the train station that night because he spent his money to come to the class. Fast forward one year and he was a stand out scholar at the APP conference. Fast forward two years and he is working at Piercing Experience in Atlanta, one of the oldest and best s...

Piercing down under is looking up! Australia and New Zealand piercers now have an organization to call their own, the Australasian United Professional Piercers (AuPP) organization just had their first public meeting. Kyla Scrivener comes on the show to discuss the AuPP's progress and future goals. We also talk about how you grow a high end market from scratch and the work that goes into running a...

In the few short years that I've known William Barron I have seen him rise through the ranks of APP volunteering and committee work, become a public speaker and international instructor, and accept a nomination to run for a spot on the APP board of directors. Most of you know him simply as Barron. We talk about Barron's work on the membership committee, his first time teaching at the UKAPP confere...

Former APP conference scholar Erica Martin joined me for a podcast while I was in Florida recently. We talked about the scholarship application process and conference experience, but also Erica's growth as a piercer. We talked about making the difficult decision to step out of a comfort zone and offer higher quality piercing even if it means a higher price tag. Growing pains are something many pie...

Lynn Loheide; professional piercer, writer for Sacred Debris, and previous guest is hosting this week. She’s interviewing Margo Dellaquila, a new face in the industry. Together, they discuss a fresh take on piercing room ethics, from a new, younger perspective. Like and follow the show at: https://www.facebook.com/piercingwizardpodcast/ . Support the show at: www.patreon.com/ryanpba . Follow Lynn...