For the first episode of Base Coat, I brought in one of my besties, Nonia, because apparently I wanted to risk getting canceled immediately.

We’re talking about how an Instagram DM, two daughters named Coco and one four-hour phone call from a Sonic drive-thru turned us into fast friends. But naturally, the conversation goes everywhere.

We get into the real shit happening behind the scenes in the beauty industry: luxury services when everything costs a million dollars, $2,600 worth of tiny salon waters, why new stylists need more than a TikTok education and how we’re all somehow expected to run businesses, do payroll and become full-time content creators at the same time.

We’re also digging through each other’s For You pages, discussing beauty trends, branding, salon friendships and the absolute rats of pop culture.

Basically, it’s two beauty girls yapping about business, friendship, beauty, celebrities and all the things we would normally talk about in the chair.

No appointment needed. Welcome to Base Coat.

The most honest conversations I’ve ever had didn’t happen under perfect lighting or with a microphone in someone’s face. They happened in the chair while I’m doing nails, while someone’s getting a new tattoo, while we’re both busy enough to stop performing and just tell the truth. That’s why I made Base Coat, a beauty podcast built around the good stuff, the hard stuff, the funny stuff, and all the little details that make us feel less alone.

I’m Lisa Suarez: salon owner, mom to a teenager, and a lifelong collector of beauty industry stories. I want Base Coat to feel like you just walked into your favorite spot and everyone actually gets you. We’ll talk beauty trends without the nonsense, break down what’s popping off on TikTok, pull in wild Reddit stories, and yes, we’ll do a little celebrity gossip when it’s deserved. But we’re also going to talk about real decisions: picking the right salon, building your confidence as a new professional, and figuring out what to do when your relationship feels off.

The key is that this isn’t a one-way show. I’m building a community where your questions and your hot takes shape what we talk about next, because the best advice has always been personal. If you want an “elder baddie sister” in your corner, you’re in the right place.

Subscribe to Base Coat, share it with a friend who lives for chair talk, and leave a review if it feels like home. Then DM @basecoatpod on Instagram with what you want advice on next.