Episodes

Mar 4, 2024
Mar 4, 2024
1hr 2 min
[282] For thirty years, Strategies has set the paradigm for what it means to build a true "Team-Based" salon, spa, medspa, barbershop, or lash studio. They have helped thousands of owners transition from being reactionary and fearful to confident and thriving business leaders. In this 2-in-1 episode rerun, you'll first hear Michael Yost (President) and Dennis Gullo (Certified Coach) share a "road trip essentials" analogy they use to talk about salon finances and numbers, discuss what it takes to drive your business to both excellence and success & share the three fundamental financial statements you'll need in the process. The second conversation, with Neil Ducoff (Founder), focuses on leadership and resolutions you should make if you’re looking to shift from being a reactionary and fearful owner to being a confident and thriving leader.
Originally released in September and November of 2021, as part of Season 5.
Links:
Schedule a free consultation call with the Strategies team: https://strategies.com/memberships
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.

Feb 29, 2024
Feb 29, 2024
32 min
[281] Employees all over the world are craving better wellbeing, making it a non-negotiable for businesses to tend to. In this episode rerun, you'll hear Life & Business Wellbeing Coach Sonia Magnier's (@soulfully_sonia) take on how wellbeing and wellness play into how we show up at work, how energy doesn't lie, the importance of holding space for one another, how we "should" on ourselves way too much and her tips for inspiring salon teams while fostering introspection and self-care as essential to personal and professional growth.
Originally released in June of 2022, as part of Season 6.
Links:
Book a discovery call with Sonia Magnier: https://soniamagniercoaching.com/
Read Gympass' "The State of Work-Life Wellness 2024" report:
https://gympass.com/en-us/resources/research/work-life-wellness-report-2024/
Watch Travis Heath's TEDx Talk "Self Care to Communities of Care": https://shorturl.at/mrNU9
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.

Feb 26, 2024
Feb 26, 2024
48 min
[280] Consumers are looking for two-way dialogues and relationships with brands. Still, scaling real-life relationship qualities within vast online communities remains full of complexity.
Through the storytelling of personal experiences, this discussion with industry-renowned expert business coach Britt Seva (@brittseva) explores the essence of authenticity, vulnerability, the delicate equilibrium between private life and public persona and the implications of presenting a filtered version of ourselves to the world.
Originally released in October of 2022, as part of Season 6.
Links:
Hear more of Britt Seva's thoughts on vulnerability and social media: https://thethrivingstylist.com/podcast/254
Learn more about Britt Seva's business-building strategies & educational offerings: https://thrivingstylist.com
Access the Thriving Stylist podcast's full directory: https://thethrivingstylist.com/full-podcast-episode-directory
Check out the Harvard Business Review's "When — and when not — to share" assessment: https://hbr.org/web/2013/09/assessment/when-and-when-not-to-share
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.

Feb 23, 2024
Feb 23, 2024
17 min
Nina Tulio — industry-leading salon mentor — joins podcast host Alex Bélisle-Springer on the day before her keynote at the Salon Owners Summit 2024, which was all about the highs and lows of her career and the five steps leaders need to take to move from a fearful mindset to a confident mindset.
Get your tickets to the next Salon Owners Summit now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about Nina Tulio: https://ninatulio.com/
@ninatulio
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.

Feb 22, 2024
Feb 22, 2024
13 min
Vish, the cutting-edge colour management software, was back as an event partner for the Salon Owners Summit 2024, showcasing how salons can revolutionize colour services in their salon and exhibiting their incredible technology.
In this Live From... bonus episode, Tom Bentley-Taylor — Managing Director EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) at Vish — joins podcast host Alex Bélisle-Springer to discuss exciting updates coming to Vish in 2024.
Get your tickets to the next Salon Owners Summit now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about Vish: https://getvish.com/
@vishsalons
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.

Feb 21, 2024
Feb 21, 2024
13 min
Fry Taylor — Co-founder and GM of The Green Salon Collective — joins podcast host Alex Bélisle-Springer for a long overdue catch-up ahead of his Salon Owners Summit workshop with Professor Denise Baden on some of the latest solutions coming out of innovative research and organisations for greener salon practices.
Get your tickets to the next Salon Owners Summit now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about The Green Salon Collective: https://www.greensaloncollective.com/
@greensaloncollective
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.

Feb 20, 2024
Feb 20, 2024
16 min
David Meade — award-winning researcher and renowned organisational facilitator, business coach and broadcaster — joins podcast host Alex Bélisle-Springer to share his thoughts on the Salon Owners Summit 2024 event and discuss some of the actionable changes he spoke about on stage in regard to transforming the way we think, act and behave in business and life.
Get your tickets to the next Salon Owners Summit now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about David Meade: https://www.davidmeade.co.uk/
@davidmeadelive
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.

Feb 19, 2024
Feb 19, 2024
20 min
[279] We all have stories to share. Some shape or empower us, and others change our lives — but if there's one thing Alex Belisle-Springer (@a.belspring) has learned from nearly a decade of sharing stories from the salon floor, it's familiarity more than knowledge that colours people's perspectives and allows them to embrace discomfort. Only when we take the time to listen and connect with one another do we open the door to vulnerability, acceptance and long-lasting positive change.
In a bonus to their conversation with Ronan Perceval, CEO of Phorest Salon Software, this episode features Alex Bélisle-Springer answering a quickfire round of questions from Shauna O'Halloran, Head of Education, Training & Support at Phorest.
Links:
Get your tickets for the next Salon Owners Summit: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
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.

Feb 19, 2024
Feb 19, 2024
1hr 5 min
[278] Few introverts can claim to have made a name for themselves by facilitating over 250 podcast conversations, but Alex Bélisle-Springer (@a.belspring) is not your typical introvert. As the Global Content Education Lead at Phorest and resident host of the PhorestFM podcast, Alex has made inspiring contributions to the salon community over the past seven years, resulting in various speaking opportunities and content collaborations featured in renowned print and digital industry media.
Blending advocacy, mentorship and personal experiences, Alex offers intersectional approaches and practical guidance to business owners and their staff on fostering safer spaces and more inclusive cultures in which understanding, kindness, curiosity and compassion prevail.
In conversation with Ronan Perceval, CEO of Phorest Salon Software, this episode has them reflect on their keynote at The Salon Owners Summit 2024, their life and experiences of alienation and belonging.
Links:
Get your tickets for the next Salon Owners Summit: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
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.

Jan 29, 2024
Jan 29, 2024
2 min
... we're back!
And with lots to celebrate together — including Phorest's 20th birthday, PhorestFM's 300th episode milestone, more of the Live From… episodes and, of course, plenty more stories from the salon floor to enjoy on your commutes, dog walks, mornings or evenings, with or without your team!
To make sure you don't miss a beat this year, subscribe to the Phorest FM email newsletter and follow both Phorest Salon Software (@phorestsalonsoftware) & Alex Bélisle-Springer (@a.belspring) on Instagram!
Watch the video teaser: https://youtu.be/62p6DhevG70
This trailer was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Great music makes great moments. Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.

Jan 22, 2024
Jan 22, 2024
53 min
[277] While the neurodiversity movement has helped pave the way for a lot of changes in how society thinks about autism and other neurological differences, there is still a lot more work to be done. Isolation, exclusion, and loneliness remain all too common experiences for autistic people.
In this heartfelt discussion with Kate Owens-Heins, Founder and CEO of the Sensory Safe Solution (@sensorysafesolution), we explore some of the challenges that autistic individuals face when going to the salon, how her personal experience as a mom led her to transform her own salon into a haven of sensory safety-safe haven and how she made it her life calling to educate professionals on the techniques she's now so well-versed in.
This episode is more than just a conversation; it's a journey into the heart of inclusivity within everyday experiences, emphasizing the need for safer spaces, building trust, and developing a relationship based on understanding and acceptance.
Links:
Learn more about The Sensory Safe Solution: https://thesensorysafesalon.org/
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.

Jan 15, 2024
Jan 15, 2024
55 min
[276] In back-to-back episodes with Pepper Pastor (@pepperpastor) — a dynamic professional passionate about collaborating with entrepreneurs, creatives, and tech startups, founder of Purpose & Policy (@purposeandpolicy) and who many may also know from her work as a celebrity hairstylist specializing in fine/thinning hair — we'll be discussing brain-based strategies to improve your leadership and organizational effectiveness and potential.
With a solid foundation in neuroscience, Pepper brings a unique perspective to the realm of work behaviour and approaches to shape the development of executive functioning.
Part 2 of this episode picks up right where the previous conversation left off and explores the relationship between the employee lifecycle and organizational culture, psychological safety, what high-trust culture are really, as well as how and why you should want to focus on this in your salon or spa.
Links:
Learn more about Purpose & Policy: https://www.purposeandpolicy.com
Learn more about Pepper Pastor: https://www.pepperpastor.com/
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
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.

Jan 8, 2024
Jan 8, 2024
46 min
[275] In back-to-back episodes with Pepper Pastor (@pepperpastor) — a dynamic professional passionate about collaborating with entrepreneurs, creatives, and tech startups, founder of Purpose & Policy (@purposeandpolicy) and who many may also know from her work as a celebrity hairstylist specializing in fine/thinning hair — we'll be discussing brain-based strategies to improve your leadership and organizational effectiveness and potential.
With a solid foundation in neuroscience, Pepper brings a unique perspective to the realm of work behaviour and approaches to shape the development of executive functioning.
Part 1 of this episode explores the employee lifecycle of beauty businesses, what the various stages look like and why they're essential, grasping data, using it, and ways to benefit from it.
Links:
Learn more about Purpose & Policy: https://www.purposeandpolicy.com
Learn more about Pepper Pastor: https://www.pepperpastor.com/
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
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.

Nov 23, 2023
Nov 23, 2023
47 min
[274] As we gear up for the Salon Owners Summit 2024, Geno Stampora (@genostampora), a visionary, passionate and compassionate leader with broad experience in the beauty industry, sets the stage for an enriching keynote presentation that will foster a fresh perspective on leadership.
In this episode, hear his thoughts on what he considers to be distinguishing factors between a good and a great salon as we discuss the significance of building strong client relationships, practising curiosity over judgment, setting clear expectations, and creating a unique, welcoming environment that empowers both employees and clients.
Links:
Get your tickets for the Salon Owners Summit 2024: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
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.

Nov 21, 2023
Nov 21, 2023
40 min
[273] Have you ever wondered why some people are highly allergic to hair dye while others seem immune to its effect? The global hair colour market generated a value of about 25 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and is forecasted to reach nearly 42 billion U.S. dollars by 2029. Yet, there is still a blatant lack of standardized policies and protocols when it comes to allergy screening in the industry.
Deep dive into the complexities of hair dye allergies with renowned expert toxicologist Dr David Basketter, highlighting the importance of proper allergy testing, examining the continued usage of PPD despite a surge in allergy reports, uncovering the truth behind the advertising of PPD-free hair dyes and discussing innovative tools like Colorstart (@colourstart_uk) to ensure client safety.
Links:
Learn more about Colourstart: www.colourstart.com
Get started with Phorest + Colourstart: https://www.phorest.com/demos/colourstart/
Watch "A Better Way to Patch Test" (free webinar recording)
Read "Testing Times" by Helen Ward
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
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.