PhorestFM: Stories From the Salon Floor

Anne Butterly & Kelly Swann on Harnessing the Power of Business as a Force for Good (w/ Daniel Johnson)

[317] It’s one thing to say your business stands for something, and it’s another to prove it. Certified B Corporations around the world are doing just that.
Featuring Anne Butterly, Founder of Easydry, along with Kelly Swann, the driving force behind Denver’s Let Em Have It Salon — both Certified B Corps—  this episode shines a light on the systems, leadership, and values behind their purpose-led businesses and traces their journey from values to action, and from action to measurable change.
Co-hosted in partnership with Daniel Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of The Green Beauty Community. Download the FREE Pivot Point x Green Beauty Community Guidebook here.
Follow Daniel Johnson, Anne Butterly and Kelly Swann on Instagram: @greenbeautycommunityfoundation, @loveeasydry, @lehisalon
To take the B Impact Assessment, click here.
To learn more about BLab's Theory of Change, click here.
To learn more about the Berkana Institute's Two Loops Model of Change, click 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.

Betsy Morem on Burgers, Botox & the Power of Community-Rooted Businesses (w/ Joe DiFalco)

[316] CPA and co-founder of Morem & Waller CPAs, med spa co-owner, and now steward of Austin, Minnesota’s 87-year-old beloved Tendermaid burger joint, Betsy Morem (@heavenstobetsss) wears many hats. And her unique ability to balance big-picture strategy with daily operational insight makes her a trusted advisor to fellow entrepreneurs.
In this episode, Betsy joins Alex and Joe DiFalco, Senior Partnerships Manager at Phorest, for a candid conversation driven by stories about what it means to run community-rooted businesses, lead with care, serve with integrity, and how success can also be about the culture we create, the lives we touch along the way. Insightful, humble, and full of timeless lessons —like why the little things often leave the most significant mark— the conversation also covers rich, practical ground, including:
🤯 Key differences between salon and medspa models, from regulations to team dynamics
💡 Tips for salon owners looking to thoughtfully add medspa services
🫂 How to honour a business’s legacy while making space for new
🌱 The importance and power local businesses hold in their communities
To find out more about The MOD Medspa, click here.
To learn more about the Tendermaid, click 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.

David & Shirley Popham on the Heart, Art and Business of Paying Attention

[315] When David Popham first opened his salon in 1981, he didn't set out to build a legacy business. And Shirley certainly didn’t set out to work in or manage a salon—she grew up intimidated by them.
In this episode, Shirley and David Popham of Popham Hairdressing (@popham.salons) reflect on decades of hair and life stories. Stories of long, imperfect journeys, humble and unlikely beginnings, chance encounters, love, bold decisions, closing chapters, starting over and everything in between.
Most of this year’s PhorestFM conversations and stories have, in one way or another, connected to leadership, and in that way, this episode is no different. But here, leadership isn’t loud or perfect. It’s people-centered, creative, humble, built by curiosity and carried by integrity.
To find out more about Popham Hairdressing, click 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.

Sarah Abel on Ditching Survival Mode and Leading With Vision (w/ Luke Doolin), Part 2

[314] In Part 2 of this conversation, co-hosted by Luke Doolin (UKI Managing Director at Phorest), we pick up where we left off with Sarah Abel — CEO of TNB Skills Training (@tnbskillstraining) and proudly known in the industry as the Funding Godmother.
The topic of mindset as a strategic tool for growth remains a constant throughout, but in this episode, we spend more time exploring how salon owners can access funding, develop their teams, and build businesses that aren’t just bigger, but stronger and more resilient in the face of change.
We get into:
💷 The importance of having a strong brand positioning🎓 Rethinking training and apprenticeships so that people in those roles can be revenue-generating faster🚀 Embracing discomfort and reframing failure as fuel for long-term success
To learn more about Sarah and TNB Skills Training, click here. To watch her podcast interview on Susan Routledge's podcast Beauty Business Matters, click here, and to order her book The Power of Funding, click here. You can also find Sarah on Instagram @sarahabelfundinggodmother @sarahhairbeautyfunding.
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.

Sarah Abel on Ditching Survival Mode and Leading With Vision (w/ Luke Doolin), Part 1

[313] Sarah Abel, also known as the known as the Funding Godmother, is the CEO of TNB Skills Training (@tnbskillstraining) and author of The Power of Funding, is an award-winning entrepreneur and funding strategist with a fierce passion for helping beauty businesses grow, secure funding, and develop accredited and regulated programmes, all without getting buried in bureaucracy.
In Part 1 of this conversation, co-hosted by Luke Doolin (UKI Managing Director at Phorest), we explore Sarah’s experience of overcoming adversity, her first steps into the industry, and the core skills, ideas, and mindset that have helped her build resilient businesses, no matter the economic climate. Find out about:
💸 Sarah's early days in the industry: buying a nail salon without any experience as a beauty business owner or nail tech/artist📣 Why sales & marketing have been and continue to be critical skills for her businesses🧠 What salon owners can do today to shift from survival mode, into inspired vision with outside-the-box solutions amid financial hardships and/or economic uncertainty
As the industry continues to lobby the government, our hope is that this conversation leaves you seeing new possibilities, not just for your salon but for your team, yourself, and the way you lead and run your business.
Watch "There won't be a Hair Industry in the UK without change," by the Salon Employers Association here, and read the British Hair Consortium report here.
To learn more about Sarah and TNB Skills Training, click here. To watch her podcast interview on Susan Routledge's podcast Beauty Business Matters, click here, and to order her book The Power of Funding, click here. You can also find Sarah on Instagram @sarahabelfundinggodmother @sarahhairbeautyfunding.
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.

Live From the Data-Driven Salon Summit 2025 With David Colonna

David Colonna (@thedavidcolonna) joins Shauna O'Halloran (Head of Brand & Communications at Phorest) in the Phorest Lounge at the Data-Driven Salon Summit for a catch-up that leads to hearing about how Calligraphy Cut came to be, the circumstances that led David to a career in the industry, and some thoughts on technology. Learn more about Calligraphy Cut here, and about The Maven and The Muse Salon here.
Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: https://bit.ly/3WvQiI7
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.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm 
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Jess Joy on Creating Systems and Cultures That Don’t Mistake Coping for Success

[312] Co-founder of the neurodivergence community and training platform I Am Paying Attention (@iampayingattention), Jess Joy, along with best friend and business partner Charlotte Mia, is championing change in the way we all work, one radically honest conversation at a time.
This episode is no different, featuring vulnerable shares of lived experiences and an exploration of how the pace, pressure, unspoken expectations or the structure of businesses might be pushing some of the most talented and creative team members into quiet survival mode, shame and/or burnout. We get into:
🧠 Commonly used terms, concepts, their definitions and why understanding them matters
 🔍 How masking, burnout, and sensory overwhelm often go unacknowledged in professional work settings
⚙️ Why many “difficult” or “high maintenance” behaviours might actually be indicative of the invisible labour of being “fine” at work✋ Questions salon owners and managers can start asking themselves and their teams today to create neuroinclusive cultures
Bold, affirming, and full of practical reflection, this conversation is your invitation to rethink inclusion not as a perk, but through the lens of universal design..
Learn more about and access I Am Paying Attention's toolkit, course, training offerings and free resources here. Purchase 'How Not to Fit In,' co-authored by Jess Joy and Charlotte Mia, 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.

Live From the Data-Driven Salon Summit 2025 With HairToStay

Noah Warren and Sydney Berry (@HairToStay) join Shauna O'Halloran (Head of Brand & Communications at Phorest) in the Phorest Lounge at the Data-Driven Salon Summit for a short catch-up. Learn more about HairToStay and donate here if you can!
Click here to revisit PhorestFM S08E300 with Noah, Sydney, and many more guests!
Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: https://bit.ly/3WvQiI7
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.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm 
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

David Campbell on Leading with Vision, Growing Talent and Being a Keeper of Dreams

[311] With over 30 years of experience at all levels in the hairdressing industry and as the longest-running president of the Irish Hairdressers’ Federation, David Campbell (@davhoc) has a passion, drive and determination to improve the industry and raise standards. As the Director of both the House of Colour Salon Group (alongside partners Susan Byrne & Catherine Campbell) and The Salon Edge (one-to-one coaching for salon owners), David has always been a visionary leader, designing and implementing innovative systems for growth, leadership, and staff empowerment.
In this episode, David pulls back the curtain on the strategies that have driven his success, including:🗝️ The importance he places on creating an internal culture of partnership;🤝🏼 How to build and retain a high-performance team;📊 The frameworks that transform trainees into seasoned professionals & confident leaders;💡 Why he believes every salon owner should plan for the long game – and how he’s already thinking about 2027. If you’re a salon owner or industry leader looking to build a legacy business, this conversation will challenge you to rethink your approach to growth, leadership, and the business strategies you might have simply replicated without fully assessing whether they actually worked for you (and your team).
Learn more about House of Colour (@houseofcolour) here, and The Salon Edge (@thesalonedge) here. Purchase 'Headstart: How to Get Your Dream Salon Job and Keep It,' authored by Aisling Kenny and David Campbell, 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.

Built to Last: Two 'Unicorn' Stories From the 2025 Salon Today 200

[310] Have you ever considered entering the Salon Today 200? Or want to know more about this industry-leading program that showcases salon business success? Behind every honoree's recognition are pages of essays. Stories of innovation, vulnerability, resilience and transformation.
In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the competition and celebrate the grit and vision of two 2025 Salon Today 200 honorees in the Technology best practice category: Soleil Salon & Spa and Eric Fisher Salons.
From navigating crises with creativity to reimagining systems, these salons discuss the real-world decisions that shaped their transformation. Alongside Stacey Soble, Director of Brand Content Strategy at Salon Today, we also unpack the judging process, reveal tips and strategies for submitting essays that stand out, discuss the power of storytelling, and why authenticity always wins.
Guests: Bobbi Springer (@beautybar_allure), Maggie Di Falco (@maggiethesalon), Stacey Soble (@salontodayofficial), Luisa Gladymir Garcia (@soleilsalonspanh), Eric Fisher & Cathy Salas (@efsalon) and Veronica Ballard (Phorest).
Click here to learn more about the Salon Today 200.
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.