PhorestFM: Stories From the Salon Floor
The salon industry has a lot to be proud of. Phorest has always been in awe of it. The energy. The camaraderie. The creativity. Being a business owner takes courage, but it can sometimes become an isolating, all-consuming reality. Amidst the daily whirlwind of tasks, there’s still the challenge of thinking ahead, of carving a path forward. The PhorestFM podcast celebrates innovative ideas, methods, and perspectives on business management and growth, marketing, leadership, and building great teams and cultures. Launched in 2017, it is hosted by Alex Bélisle-Springer (he/they), Global Education Content Lead at Phorest Salon Software. As of Season 9 (2025), new episodes air every second week, with occasional bonus drops on ”off” weeks.
Episodes

Friday Mar 10, 2023
Live From The Salon Owners Summit 2023 With Geno Stampora
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Geno Stampora — one of the most celebrated and awarded artists in beauty, an outstanding role model, industry expert and business guru — joins podcast host Zoé Bélisle-Springer for a remote interview on beauty beyond boundaries.
Get your Salon Owners Summit 2024 tickets now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Get in touch with Geno Stampora: geno@genostampora.com
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
This "Live From..." bonus episode 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.

Thursday Mar 09, 2023
Live From The Salon Owners Summit 2023 With Sophia Hilton
Thursday Mar 09, 2023
Thursday Mar 09, 2023
Sophia Hilton — the multi-award-winning, self-made entrepreneur behind the Not Another brand — joins podcast host Zoé Bélisle-Springer shortly after her main stage presentation to discuss self-responsibility in leadership and how toxic workplace behaviours can show up and be passed on.
Get your Salon Owners Summit 2024 tickets now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about Not Another Academy: https://www.notanotheracademy.com/
Listen to the Not Another Podcast: shorturl.at/qAHU6
@hiltonsophia
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
This "Live From..." bonus episode 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.

Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Live From The Salon Owners Summit 2023 with Tom Chapman
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Tom Chapman — inspirational speaker, author and founder of The Lions Barber Collective — joins podcast host Zoé Bélisle-Springer to discuss the Collective's projects and growth since he last was on PhorestFM in 2020. He also shares tips on active listening and spotting signs of behavioural changes, mental health problems and suicidal thoughts in salon clients.
Get your Salon Owners Summit 2024 tickets now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about the Lions Barber Collective: https://www.thelionsbarbercollective.com/
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
This "Live From..." bonus episode 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.

Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Live From The Salon Owners Summit 2023 with Derek Anthony & Jill Ruone
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Derek Anthony & Jill Ruone — the powerhouse team behind Culture Curators — join podcast host Zoé Bélisle-Springer to highlight the need for and discuss why salon owners should focus on creating a great culture within their business alongside being creative, innovative and proactive. They also define Culture Curators' Attraction Formula and Derek's 24-Hour rule.
Get your Salon Owners Summit 2024 tickets now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about Culture Curators: https://www.myculturecurators.com/
@culture_curators_
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
This "Live From..." bonus episode 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.

Monday Mar 06, 2023
Live From The Salon Owners Summit 2023 With Jason Everett
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Jason Everett — founder of the High Performance Salon Academy, salon coach, inspirational speaker and author — joins podcast host Zoé Bélisle-Springer to share his thoughts on the Salon Owners Summit 2023 event. He also discusses his experience of writing a book and explains the difference between internal and external motivation.
Get your Salon Owners Summit 2024 tickets now: https://www.salonownersummit.com/tickets
Learn more about Jason & the High Performance Salon Academy: https://www.highperformancesalonacademy.com/
@highperformancesalon
Read the transcript and subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
Leave a rating & review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
This "Live From..." bonus episode 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.

Monday Feb 27, 2023
S07 Launches on March 6th, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
New episodes of the PhorestFM podcast are coming soon, and this season, we're getting personal!
We've been having inspiring conversations with some of the industry's most innovative industry professionals, and we can't wait for you to hear them!
Tune in for the seventh season of the show, launching Monday, March 6th, 2023. And just like the overlapping leaves that make the Phorest logo, every conversation on this show contributes to something larger than us, reminding us why we do what we do and why we love what we do. PhorestFM Season 7, brought to you by Phorest Salon Software.
Watch the video teaser: https://youtu.be/LzjEByxhO98
Subscribe to the Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.

Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
[260] A professional hair, beauty or spa business is only as strong as the team that holds it up. If you want to make your salon stand out for all the right reasons and hire a great team that lasts, offering a professional, people and growth-focused, rewarding place to work is an absolute must.
Ahead of her presentation at the Salon Owners Summit 2023, we have the pleasure of wrapping the year up with multi-award-winning, self-made entrepreneur Sophia Hilton (@hiltonsophia) for a chat about personal values, creativity, mindful leadership and the impact of our choices on our teams.
Links:
Learn more about Sophia Hilton's various offerings, including the Not Another Business Course 2023: linktr.ee/sophiahilton
Listen to Not Another Business Podcast: shorturl.at/cuvOV
Subscribe to the Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.

Monday Nov 14, 2022
Jen Baudier on Moving Past Dread and Entering Your Growth Zone
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
[259] Myths and self-limiting beliefs, i.e. "beliefs, world views or states of mind that limit you in some way that can be about you, other people or how the world operates", can hinder our progress and have us react in different ways: avoidance, dread, fight, flight or freeze responses, negative self-talk, etc.
In a dynamic conversation, creator/co-owner of Bella Style Salon and PIP University professor Jen Baudier highlights the importance of forward motion and doing things scared and shares her take on some of the most common myths in entrepreneurship.
Links:
Learn more about Bella Style Salon: https://mybellastyle.com
Learn more about PIP University: https://www.pip-university.com
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.

Monday Nov 07, 2022
Katrina Sutherland on Diary Management and Marketing for the Festive Season
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
[258] For salon and spa businesses alike, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas signal the busiest, most chaotic time of the year and can feel daunting to plan for. But it all comes down to keeping track of the year-on-year Ws and the Ls and getting your campaign ideas ready far enough in advance. Things start feeling much more manageable when you've got a plan and the right team to execute it.
Featuring Katrina Sutherland, founder and owner of The Country Spa (@thecountryspa), this episode will highlight various ways she and her team go about boosting the business' revenue while serving clients with enjoyable holiday season experiences.
Links:
Learn more about The Country Spa: www.thecountryspa.com/
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.

Monday Oct 24, 2022
Monday Oct 24, 2022
[257] Loyal clients are the people that bring in referrals, typically spend the most with you, help create an atmosphere in your salon, and build genuine connections with you and your team. But no matter how good your client retention strategies and numbers are, there are always people who will leave, voluntarily or not. That's why ensuring you attract a steady stream of new clients (however small) is important.
Featuring salon owner & educator Erin Raber (@theculturecurl) — and in a format ever so slightly different than usual — this episode will help you see how small but deliberate actions applied to a salon's marketing and retention strategies can reduce friction and yield better growth.
Links:
Learn more about Pin-Up Curls: https://www.pin-upcurls.com
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.