Ever wished you had a people and culture director on speed dial for those tough leadership moments?

We sit down with our long-time friend Taryn, a seasoned director of people and culture, to talk through fair terminations, sick leave patterns, feedback that truly lands, and repairing workplace culture in a way that feels human, practical, and doable.

We start with one of the hardest parts of leadership: ending employment with respect. Taryn shares a clear, defensible approach built on setting expectations, giving genuine opportunities to improve, and documenting each step so when it is time to part ways, it can be done with kindness and clarity. From there, we explore chronic sick leave in service-based businesses, where last-minute call-ins impact clients and revenue, and how compassionate boundaries paired with clear consequences help reset patterns.

Taryn also offers steady scripts for emotional one-on-ones, guidance on supporting mental health while holding standards, and tools for rebuilding culture through trust-based conversations, values alignment, and structured mediation. We cover how to address gossip, cliques, and passive aggression, plus practical ways to coach performance without triggering defensiveness.

We round out the episode with advice on workplace celebrations, psychosocial safety, and small changes that lift both wellbeing and results.

If you lead a salon and want real-world scripts, steps, and systems that make you calmer and your team stronger, this episode is your toolkit.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another owner who is ready to lead with both compassion and backbone.

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What does it take to build one of Victoria’s largest salons without losing the soul that drew you to the craft?

We sit down with Carla Tedesco, founder of Alarah Hair Studio and TED Haircare, to trace the path from a five-chair startup funded by a scrappy personal loan to a 500m² Mentone HQ with 30 chairs, 10 basins, and a team of 27. Carla shares how empathy became her most reliable performance tool, why clear boundaries protect both home and salon, and how four floor managers and monthly rhythms keep a complex operation calm, focused, and kind.

Carla opens up about beginning her business with a partner and parting ways with respect, then walks us through the near-miss of buying a property with the wrong zoning. That hard lesson sharpened her diligence and ultimately led to a space that houses training, community, and a thriving culture. During COVID, she chose conviction over caution, consolidating multiple sites into a single headquarters that feels more like a small city than a salon—airy, intentional, and built for growth.

Motherhood didn’t slow Carla down; it deepened her purpose. With three kids under four and a recent autism diagnosis for her daughter, she talks about patience, presence, and building psychological safety at work so people can do their best. We dig into the industry’s fragile apprentice pipeline, why completion rates matter, and the practical steps her team uses to support individual learning styles. Carla also introduces TED Haircare, a legacy-driven range of tools named after her children, designed for daily salon use and a distinct identity that travels from chair to classroom to online.

If you care about leadership, culture, and creative business growth, this story is a masterclass in scaling with heart and rigour. Listen, share it with a salon owner who needs a boost, and if it moved you, subscribe and leave a review to help others find the show.

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A single word can change the way a year feels. We unpack the practice that’s guided us for years, which choosing one anchor word that filters every decision across business, health, money and family, and we show how it beats scattered resolutions and burnout cycles.

We revisit last year’s choices to prove the point:
“Simplicity” reshaped meals, work systems and mental load, creating space for better client care and calmer days. “Nurture” helped navigate identity shifts, newborn rhythms and a tween’s big feelings, softening our pace without losing momentum. Those words weren’t slogans; they were daily cues that redirected tough moments toward better outcomes.

Now we set our compass for 2026 with two distinct energies.
“Elevate” is about rising one notch in the moments that matter: steadier leadership, clearer conversations, and a more intentional home and client experience. It’s not hustle; it’s embodied growth.
“Discipline” builds the structure that freedom needs: hard stop at 3:30, deep work in focused blocks, less scrolling, stronger training, and money choices that align with family goals. We share practical guardrails you can copy, from lock-screen reminders to boundaries that hold during launches, and we map out how these words will guide retreats, travel and creative projects without tipping into chaos.

If you’re ready to choose your own word, we walk through a reflection process to surface patterns, name what you want more of, and test words that truly support you when you’re tired, tempted or triggered.
Come pick a word that fits like a glove and stretches like a goal.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and tell us:
what’s your word for 2026?

To follow our journey:
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@the_conscious_salon

What does it really take to build a resilient business when life throws the heaviest punches?

We sit down with our longtime friend and mentor, Kate Morris, to unpack the candid story behind her rise from gym-floor trainer to a sought-after women’s health and business coach with a 400-person waitlist. Kate lost 80% of her clients overnight during lockdowns, invested her last dollars into mentorship, and rebuilt from ten to 110 online clients while protecting quality and standards. No hype, no hustle theatre—just discipline, delivery, and a bias for action.

Kate opens up about the two years she stalled on stepping into business mentoring due to fear of judgment, the tall poppy digs she copped, and the moment she chose to move anyway. We dig into why staying in your lane matters more than chasing industry noise, how to set boundaries that protect results, and why coachability is the line in the sand for any high-trust programme. You’ll hear how she handles the sting of client unfollows without spiralling, running a quick self-audit on service and then detaching from stories that aren’t hers to hold.

There’s a powerful section on navigating a heavy season: her partner’s health scares, surgery, grief, lost content, and relentless travel. Instead of disappearing or pretending it was easy, Kate built a bare-minimum list: tight actions that keep delivery strong and sales alive when energy is thin. That small, steady cadence led to her biggest year. If you’ve been craving a grounded blueprint for sustainable growth—across fitness, mindset, and business operations—this conversation is your field guide.

We also turn up the heat with a cheeky hot-seat game that forces honest answers and even more honest laughs. Expect practical tactics, tough love, and proof that women leading with standards can scale without chaos.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a push, and leave a quick rating and review. It helps more women find the tools to win.

To follow our journey:
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@the_conscious_salon

Money talk can feel prickly, especially when you’re juggling bookings, staff and the pressure to keep everyone happy.

We went from dodging finance chats to feeling steady and clear, and today we share the exact habits that made the shift: weekly number check-ins, paying ourselves first, pricing with strategy, banking all cash and systemising every dollar with automated buckets. If money has ever made you want to run, this conversation brings you back to ground with simple actions that build calm and profit.

We start by naming the discomfort and why open money talk can trigger people, then walk through how regulation—not hustle—changed everything. Weekly visibility gave us control over break-even and cash flow. Paying ourselves first created a non-negotiable boundary that forced better decisions.

On pricing, we unpack why copying competitors and last-minute discounts quietly bleed margin, and how to account for wages, consumables, super, tax and overheads so every service funds a healthy profit. We also call out the hidden cost of panic promos that attract bargain hunters while sidelining loyal clients.

From there, we get frank about cash. Banking every dollar protects your valuation, supports mortgage approvals and keeps you audit-safe. Finally, we lay out a practical blueprint: pull twelve months of transactions, sort them into clear buckets like rent, wages and leave, overheads, repairs and maintenance, tax and super, plus a profit reserve then automate weekly transfers so big bills don’t spike your nervous system. It’s the calm, boring system that quietly builds a business buyers trust and owners can breathe in.

If you’re ready to swap anxiety for agency, press play, take notes and choose one habit to implement this week. Love the show?

Follow, share with a salon friend and leave a quick review so more owners can build confident, profitable money habits.

To follow our journey:
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@the_conscious_salon

Ready to stop being the emergency contact for every problem and build a salon that runs smoothly without you hovering?

We mapped out a 2026 playbook for salon owners who want calm, high performance, and real freedom: pay for meetings during work hours, lead with courage, and turn your numbers into a shared compass. Instead of venting at home or hoping issues fade, we walk through how to hold direct, respectful conversations that reset standards and lift trust across the floor.

We dig into weekly number debriefs that bring clarity to services, retail, and rebookings, plus why sharing your break‑even converts anxiety into agency. You’ll hear why a 60‑minute monthly one‑on‑one is non‑negotiable if you want self‑led, connected teams, and how simple tools like love language and personality quizzes help tailor feedback, reduce friction, and grow genuine support between colleagues. This is people-first leadership backed by structure, not slogans.

On the flip side, we call time on habits that keep owners stuck. Running the salon from your head creates key person risk; it’s time to document, digitise, and systemise so holidays and sick days don’t collapse operations. We show how to enforce cancellation policies without feeling cold, when to let go of unaligned team members, and the steps to finally eliminate shoulder taps by building playbooks and clear escalation paths. If you’re craving a confident, drama‑light culture with stronger numbers and fewer fires, this conversation gives you the exact moves to make now.

If this helped, follow the show, share it with a fellow owner, and leave a quick review, then tell us which “in” you’re starting first.

To follow our journey:
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@the_conscious_salon

Numbers don’t have to be scary. If spreadsheets make you want to hide behind the reception desk, this episode is for salon owners who want to take control of their money without the stress. Accountant and salon numbers coach Kate Slater breaks down complex financial topics into simple, actionable steps so you can stop guessing and start planning. From tax traps to cash flow clarity, we cover the essentials that every salon owner needs to know.

We dig into the real-world issues that trip up owners, including BAS, payroll, WorkCover, and equipment purchases. Kate shares practical systems to protect your cash, understand deductions, and plan for both growth and lifestyle, so your business runs on numbers—not panic.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why your “$30k profit” doesn’t equal cash in the bank
• Multi-account systems for GST, PAYG, super, and income tax
• WorkCover, apprentice ratios, and wage estimates explained
• Commonly missed deductions for home admin, marketing, and subscriptions
• Bonuses, withholding, depreciation, and repair vs renovation strategies
• Cash-first checklist for upgrading equipment or taking loans
• Pricing for profitable services without chasing trends
• FBT risks, luxury purchases, and company structures that protect assets
• Paying yourself consistently for predictable planning and energy

Take control of your salon’s finances and replace panic with a plan. Subscribe, share with a salon friend, and leave a comment with your biggest money question for future episodes.

To follow our journey:
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@the_conscious_salon

Ever wish you could hold your team to higher standards without being the bad cop? This episode shares a leadership playbook that turns confrontation into curiosity and guesswork into actionable data. Build confidence, lift rebooking and retail, and keep your team aligned — all while staying approachable.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to start tough conversations with curiosity: “I’ve noticed a pattern…”
• The five‑minute Tuesday debrief to track weekly targets, services, rebooking, retail, and wins
• Using transparency and recognition to build trust and buy‑in
• Micro‑coaching: catch small moments, offer guidance, and keep tone light but clear
• Boundaries that protect authority while staying warm and approachable
• Three practical moves for new or hesitant leaders: lead with curiosity, track numbers weekly, and follow up with a plan

Turn small coaching moments into consistent habits that make your salon calmer, predictable, and more productive.

If this episode helps you lead with ease, follow, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review with the one metric you’ll “plug in” this week.

To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon