The Conscious Salon

What if the business you built to prove your worth is the very thing draining it? In this honest conversation, hairstylist and coach Maxi Dotorri shares why she sold a thriving family-run salon and chose health, clarity, and self-respect instead. In this episode, we talk about: • The warning signs of burnout Maxi ignored for years • How lockdown exposed migraines, panic, and an identity tied to be...

Start strong, breathe deeper, and write the year you actually want to lead . This guided intention setting session with Tess is for salon owners and leaders who want less stress, stronger culture, and sustainable growth in 2026. Through calm structure and practical reflection, you will move from vague goals to clear leadership behaviours that shape how your salon feels, functions, and grows. In th...

Ready to close 2025 with clarity rather than chaos? In this guided reflection, Tess leads salon owners and leaders through a calm, intentional review of the year that was so you can carry the right lessons forward and release what no longer fits. This episode is designed to help you slow down, breathe, and reflect honestly before stepping into 2026. In this reflection, we cover:  • A short breathi...

A 17-year-old with salon keys and no driver’s licence. Two decades later, Karla Daddo steps into a new season, trading a bustling team-based salon for DOYENNE., a luxury rental-chair space built to give freelancers real freedom, community, and profit.  We dive deep into the moments that shaped her: early sabotage and isolation, the kitchen-table bookkeeping with her nan, the rebrand to BRONDE., an...

What if the busiest season in the salon could feel steadier, clearer, and more in your control? This solo pep talk is your calm reset for the Christmas rush. It gives you grounded tools you can use today to slow your breath, steady your energy, and lead your space with intention even when the salon is buzzing. ✨ Inside this episode:  • A one minute breathing ritual to regulate your nervous system...

A tired but functioning salon is easy to tolerate. The real challenge is admitting it is not the business you truly want and having the courage to rebuild it into the space you imagine. In this episode, we sit down with our friend and client, Lauryn Mathrick , to explore how she transformed an inherited and successful salon into Self The Salon , a place designed for deep client connection and a wo...

What happens when the dream you chased becomes the cage you’re stuck inside? Dom from NEIKE Hair joins us for a brutally honest ride from opening a salon at 22, to surviving lockdowns, to nearly selling everything when burnout and doubt took over. The twist: one hard conversation made her choose community over exit, and that choice reshaped everything. We dig into the early wins and hidden costs o...

What happens when you treat your health with the same urgency you give a boardroom deadline? In this episode, we run a real-time experiment on discipline, systems, and self-trust — and the results surprised us. One of us jumps from an average of 874 steps a day to 10,000 plus structured strength training. The other reframes yoga and movement as daily anchors for a neurodivergent brain. The shift w...

A suitcase, $300, and a window out of a small coastal life — Tamsin’s story begins with a bold leap and unfolds into one of the most powerful salon journeys we’ve shared. We sit down with Tamsin, founder of Sakara Collective , to explore how a teenage dream became a decade-long vision of artistry, culture, and leadership. From leaving school at 15 to building one of Australia’s most beautiful salo...

What if the gap between where you are and where you want to be is simply how fast you act on what you already know? In this episode, we sit down with salon owner and mother of two, Carla Crowley, whose quiet fire turned a spare room in Gembrook into a thriving clinic, a trusted team, and now a commercial property that will become her forever business home. Her success didn’t come from hacks or luc...

In this powerful conversation, Rachel Mahon shares her courageous decision to sell her high-performing skin clinic after eleven years in business and begin a new venture with her daughter, Soul Society. This isn’t a burnout story or a highlight reel. It’s a grounded, human reflection on identity, leadership, and letting go with integrity. From journaling a truth she didn’t want to face, to safegua...

Freedom sounds amazing, until it bumps into your need to control every detail. In this episode, we sit down with Tae, our salon manager, to unpack how control quietly creeps into salon leadership, and what truly shifts when you replace micromanagement with trust. This isn’t theory, it’s lived experience. We get real about giving someone a title without real power, double-checking that crushed init...

What if the key to building a strong, connected salon team before the silly season isn’t another checklist but honesty, pressure, and celebration? In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of our Life Ahead Team Development Day: a mix of raw journaling, a horror-themed escape room, and a practical debrief on communication, roles, and trust. It was messy, emotional, and incredibly powerful. Th...

The moment you meet Jess Lewis, you feel it: a rare mix of warmth, authenticity, and unstoppable drive that has made her a legend among millennial hairdressers across Australia. From humble beginnings in a home salon with her sister as an apprentice, Jess built one of the country’s most recognised blonde specialist salons, attracting clients who would travel hours for her craft. Her influence exte...

Ever felt like your brand looks like a swan gliding gracefully across the water, while underneath your legs are thrashing just to stay afloat? In this episode, we dive straight into the “smoke and mirrors” that so many salon and clinic owners face: the glossy grids, pedestal leaders, and feel-good routines that often hide shaky numbers, wobbly culture, and leadership habits we’d rather not admit....

In this vulnerable episode, Tess shares her story of a past relationship that left deep emotional scars, and the strength it took to walk away. She reflects on how grief made her more vulnerable, how the red flags were easy to dismiss, and the pivotal moment that gave her the courage to finally choose herself. Seven years on, Tess speaks with honesty about the lingering impact of shame and self-do...

That gut-wrenching moment when a team member resigns. We have all been there. The sinking feeling, the self-doubt, the questions about what this means for your business. You are not alone, and you do not have to navigate it from a place of panic. In this episode, we offer your emergency pep talk for when a resignation lands on your desk. We share our own vulnerable mistakes (yes, even the tearful...

In this riveting conversation, Amelia Jane—known as Australia's Queen of Blondes—reveals the extraordinary journey behind her meteoric rise in the hair industry. What begins as a shocking revelation (she actually abandoned hairdressing for six years and once hated colouring hair) unfolds into a masterclass on resilience, reinvention, and authentic entrepreneurship. Four years ago, Amelia laun...

In this final episode of our Motherhood Series on The Conscious Salon Podcast , we close out with a deeply personal conversation as I (Nicola) interview my sister and co-host, Tessa. This time, Tess takes the hot seat as she shares her journey into motherhood, her experience of maternity leave, and the lessons she has learned about balance, presence, and control while running two thriving business...

In this episode of The Conscious Salon Podcast , we continue our Motherhood Series with a very special conversation that turns the microphone onto one of our own. I sit down with my sister and co-host, Nicola Pollock, to unpack her deeply personal journey into motherhood while simultaneously running a salon during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nicola shares what it was like to give birth in...

In this episode of the Conscious Salon Podcast, we welcome Tegan Mac, a leader in the beauty industry, to discuss her journey through balancing a thriving business and motherhood.  Tegan shares her personal experiences of pregnancy loss, the transition into motherhood, and how it has shaped her leadership style.  The episode also explores the importance of authenticity in the beauty profession and...

In this episode of The Conscious Salon , we had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with the powerhouse that is Martha Kourt - business owner, educator, and the creative force behind BODA. From the moment we began chatting, it was clear this was going to be a conversation that went far beyond surface-level business talk. We explored the mindset, strategy, and heart it takes to build a brand that...

In this episode of The Conscious Salon , we’re thrilled to be joined by someone who has been walking beside us in business and friendship for many years - Tamara Reid. You might know her from her incredible work as the Head of Partnerships at Timely, her deep involvement in the professional hair and beauty industry, or from her own thriving business journey. This conversation is a raw and real loo...

In this incredibly heartfelt episode of The Conscious Salon , we’re joined by someone who inspires us endlessly - Sheridan-Rose Shaw. Sheridan is the founder of Mama West, a creative leader, mentor, entrepreneur and now, a beautiful new mum. We’ve wanted to have this conversation with her for so long, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. We speak honestly about what it’s really like to...

In this episode of The Conscious Salon, we’re diving deep into one of the most important - and often overlooked - areas of salon success: team productivity during downtime . We’ve all been there - appointments shift, cancellations pop up, and before you know it, there’s an unexpected gap in the day. Instead of letting those moments drag you into a low-energy spiral, we’re here to flip the narrativ...