Love Letters to the Industry and Its People: End of Year Gratitude and Reflections

When Phorest salons shared, in early 2025, that "growth" was their number one priority this year, we got busy. On Season 9 of the PhorestFM podcast, we brought you insightful interviews, case studies, episodes with special guest co-hosts, and bonus live content! Sourced directly from the community, this season finale is a feel-good festive send-off. Thanks for tuning in, and thanks for another incredible year — slán go fóill (bye for now)! This episode was made possible thanks to the contributions of: Jackie Gonzalez @hairbyjackie_g @maggiethesalon David Campbell @davhoc @thesalonedge @houseofcolour Christine Cunningham-Smith @blissbeautyfife Emma Jarvis @emmajarvis.thbacademy @thehairbase Lori Fudens @whitesandhairsalon @lorifudens_redkenartist Shirley Popham @pophamsalons Naomi Cartwright @thefarmhousesanctuary_ @nlc_x Leslie Perry @leslieperry_pba Greg Clarke @greg_clarke @amicaecohairdressing Stay tuned for Season 10, coming to you soon after the Salon Owners Summit 2026! Learn more about the Salon Owners Summit: https://www.salonownersummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

[325] In 2024, Qnity’s research arm, the Qnity Institute, conducted a study. At the heart of it was one core question: ‘What does a financially successful salon look like?’ In this episode, Tom Kuhn, CEO of Qnity—an organisation offering education and tools for economic empowerment in the beauty industry—shares findings and insights from the subsequent 50-page report, published in June 2025. The ‘2024 Salon P&L Benchmark Study’ set out to paint a clearer picture of the industry, establish reliable benchmarks, and deliver actionable insights that could help improve profitability, and this conversation aims to do the same, equipping salon owners with prompts for reflection or conversation starters about the financial health of their own business going into 2026. Find out more about Qnity, and the Qnity Institute. To participate in the 2025 version of the study, click here. Follow Tom Kuhn on Instagram: @tomhkuhn Learn more about the Salon Owners Summit: https://www.salonownersummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.  

In this episode, keynote speaker, business coach, and educator Lance Courtney explores what salon leadership looks like in an era shaped by Gen Z, shifting values, and rapid cultural change. Drawing on themes from his Salon Owners Summit 2026 workshop and blending real-world salon examples with coaching insight, he takes an educational “what works, what doesn’t work, and what works better” approach to challenging leadership styles. If you're navigating generational shifts within your team or seeking guidance on how to evolve your leadership style without compromising your authentic self, this conversation offers a modern perspective on leadership and provides valuable self-reflective prompts to prepare for the new year. Connect with Lance Courtney on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lancecourtney Learn more about the Salon Owners Summit & explore the full lineup and agenda: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

[323] Featuring Derrick Rutherford (Co-Owner, Valentini’s), Arif Isikgun (CEO & Founder, Ai Beauty Consultancy), and Cole Marker (Founder & Builder in Chief, thync.c), this episode reimagines retail not as a “pushy add-on," but as an essential part of sustainable business growth, driven by client care and rooted in trust.   Backed by data from the Phorest 2025 Consumer Insights Report and rooted in the incredible success Valentini’s is having with retail (26% service-to-retail, 113$ average retail ticket), this conversation explores what’s driving these impressive figures and flips the narrative on common blockers salon, spa, and clinic teams face in making retail a natural part of everyday operations. With Arif and Cole’s added layer of lived experiences and insights as coaches, we first discuss the power of storytelling and the importance of thorough, process-driven consultations. Then, we speak to how systems make it stick, goal-setting and accountability elevate performance, and how retail can serve as an early indicator of broader issues in the business.   Learn how to build a retail approach that is: Backed by systems that make the offer authentic, care-centered, and consistent Sustainable and reflective of service standards and clients’ levels of trust Empowers your team with confidence Integrates service, recommendations, and follow-through into one seamless client journey If you listen to one episode about retail this year… Let it be this one.   Follow Derrick Rutherford, Arif Isikgun, and Cole Marker on Instagram: @derrick_rutherford, @aibeautyconsultancy, @thync.c_coaching   Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments

[322] For Wafaya Abdallah, owner of Oasis Curl Salon (@curlyoasis), real growth happens when we let go of control, release the need for perfection, and create a safe space for others to rise. In this episode, we explore the salon as a space for transformation and how her journey into energy medicine, holistic beauty, and cultivating trust has shaped her approach to leadership. Now dedicated to integrative education and developing a curriculum that blends the art of curly and texture hairdressing, the science of natural hair care, and the power of energy healing, she is driven by a desire to ensure hairstylists are equipped not just with technical skills but with the tools to uplift and empower themselves and others. Connect with Wafaya Abdallah on Instagram @yinrizingofficial or by email <[email protected]> Listen to her podcast, The Curl Code (in process of rebranding): https://podcast.ausha.co/curl-code Secure your Salon Owners Summit tickets here: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets Want to share your love or gratitude for the industry on PhorestFM's Season 9 finale? Fill out this form before November 30, 2025! Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

[321] Every now and again, there’s an episode that asks us to slow down, sit with what’s real, and see what it has to teach us. This is one of those episodes. Becoming who we are — as people, friends, as community and team members, leaders — is a lifelong, multifaceted journey. Growth is tender, vulnerable, messy, and profoundly human. Ten years into salon ownership, the founder, owner, and artistic director of Stylists at North in Alexandria, Virginia, Luis Miguel Bujia, shares: How letting our “messy” show can build relationships rooted in truth and trust Why honoring life’s difficult moments — personally and professionally — creates space for growth Connect with Luis Miguel Bujia on Instagram: @stylistsatnorth Secure your Salon Owners Summit tickets here: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

[320] When approached with intention, leaning into happiness can become a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. In this episode, Heather Bagby (@heatherbagby on Instagram) — the visionary behind the Summit Salon Business Centre’s Happiness Project and the recently announced keynote speaker for the Salon Owners Summit 2026 — reframes happiness as hard work with high rewards. Known to inspire audiences and organizations to embrace the journey toward a more joyful and successful workplace, Heather joins the PhorestFM podcast for a conversation blending personal stories, actionable strategies, and bold ideas that connect happiness with leadership, resilience and personal growth. Find out more about the Summit Salon Business Centre here: https://www.summitsalon.com Secure your Salon Owners Summit tickets here: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

Get a glimpse of the energy and people at the 18th Annual Aesthetic Extender Symposium in Boca Raton, Florida! Hosted by Shauna O'Halloran (Head of Brand & Communications at Phorest), this short episode has it all: her on-the-ground observations, short clips from some of the conference’s live education, a conversation with Dr. George Baxter-Holder (VP of Talent Development at Skin Spirit) and some vox pops! You can learn more about the Aesthetic Extender Symposium here, and about Skin Spirit here. Follow Dr. George Baxter-Holder, DNP, MBA, APRN, CANS on Instagram here. Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

[319] If you’ve ever sat down for a chat with Dave Evans and Debbie Halls-Evans, founders of and. coaching (@andcoachme), you know you’re in for a bold and disarmingly honest one. High off a year so far defined by intentionality, bravery, and play, Dave and Debbie share: How fear can manifest and be reframed as an invitation to look inward The difference between being uncomfortable and being unsafe How adopting a “be more kid” mindset unlocks creativity, imagination, and joy at work The power of language and modelling care to build cultures rooted in curiosity and kindness Deeply practical, rich with anecdotes and offering 10 powerful language reframes, this conversation is an essential no-BS starter toolkit for any salon owner or leader looking to reimagine how they show up for themselves, their businesses, their teams, and their clients. Find out more about and. coaching here: https://www.andcoachme.com/ Listen to Double D Season 6 EP114, "Ripple effects. The quiet power of individual impact." Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

[318] At Phorest, we know that the magic happens when you get the team right. Clients feel it. Reviews show it. Your bottom line reflects it. Building a strong team is an advantage, but great teams don’t just “happen.” In this unearthed conversation from late 2023, Stefanie Fox (@stef_fox), Founder of Talent Match and Matchable, shares timeless leadership insights, why recruitment can’t be treated as a quick fix, and why lasting teams aren’t discovered by chance, but intentionally built through trust, purpose, and process. From her philosophy of leadership as an oath to the data-backed insights of the Beauty Workforce Survey, Stefanie challenges salon owners to rethink leadership, recruitment, culture, and retention. Learn more about Talent Match, and discover The Matchable™ Salon Owner Hub, here. Read "How to Build a Salon Culture Stylists Want to Stay For" by Stefanie Fox Read "Building a Salon, Spa, or Clinic Team That Performs Better and Stays Longer" by Steph Fernandez Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.