The Burnout, the Backlash, and the Breakthrough: The Skin Queen's Untold Story

Transcript 

This episode contains discussion of bullying and its serious emotional impact, including references to suicidal thoughts. Please take care when listening. If you're struggling, know that you are not alone. Support is available. You can contact Lifeline on 1 3 1 1 1 4, all beyond Blue on 1 302 2 4 6 3 6 for confidential 24 7 support.

 just thought I'm gonna start another business. I'm gonna show everybody how to do it. And yeah. Wow. That put me on my ass. I think that anyone that says I'm all on top of it and I know it, I'm like, liar. Liar. Business is the self-development lessons that you didn't think you needed. Yeah. But you needed I know the truth.

Yeah. I just thought, I need to lead by example here. I need to be a leader. I need to show up. I need to show responsibility because this business is actually my responsibility. If you are like, I hate that person. It's a trigger for you. Yeah. There's something deep. You don't hate that person. They're just doing their life.

That I'd made my whole life and personality, my business. And I think that's why it hurt so much when I was an attack, because it was like, that was my whole identity. That was everything. And also, what am I posting for? Yeah. Am I posting? 'cause my ego needs a little bit of stroking right now. And I think it's the tiny promises that you keep to yourself that help to build self trust.

Yes. It's ever evolving. Always. No one knows what they're doing. Everyone's, it's like parenting. Everyone's trying to figure out, it's like life. Everybody's just doing their best with the information they have. They just put my head down and work. You know, there's no secret. Mm. You just have to do it. Mm.

You just have to push through the ugly, and that's just what it is like that's business and life. Before we dive in, just a quick little love note from us. If this podcast has ever made you laugh, cry, think, or feel seen, please hit that subscribe button. It's the easiest way to keep the magic going and it helps us land more incredible guests for you.

Go on back, your girls subscribe now and let's keep rising together.

Welcome back to the Inner Sanctum Salon, rising the podcast. Good morning, Sam. Up. How has it been in the trenches? Girlfriend? Um, I've had sick kids now for a week and a half, and it's a lot. Five kids when one gets sick is a lot, but Sadie's been off for like weeks. She just went back today. I almost didn't want to take her 'cause I couldn't be bothered to drive.

But ours still off. It's just juggling motherhood and sick kids and running businesses is a lot. So, and the sickness at the moment is rampant. Like Yeah, I just, I've even been having, I think we were having a laugh, like we felt like every week it was like waking up and checking the cell on phone and being like, oh, this client is sick and needs to cancel today.

Yeah. Like, it's just like, I've been sick and the clients have been sick and the kids have been sick. Like, come on man. And I think I had this discussion with the girls the other day about like, they were like, oh, this person's just text, they're sick. And I was like, we've just gotta be. Fluent at the moment.

Like if we went ahead and went, everybody gets a cancellation fee, we'd have no clients ever again. Like, yeah, we're sick. The clients are sick. The kids are sick. Like, I've got a client that was, you know, it's like not. And if, I think this is where the whole conversation about like, do you charge people?

Yeah. Deposits and stuff. If they're sick, it's like if they're sick, do you want them and you salon on A and B, if you get sick, how are you gonna cancel your clients if you don't let your clients cancel you? Exactly. And I think. For me, it's always like I have clients that are just like, I'm so sorry and I'll pay any cancellation fee.

And that's when I go, you don't have to pay it. Exactly. 'cause as long as people are really conscious of like, I'm so sorry. I'm like, it's okay. You don't have to pay it. But I have learned in the past that that can burn you really bad if you're really strict with that. You know, I understand clients that are like serial counselors, but if you look over a client's history and they're sick and they're not in Yeah.

I think everyone needs to be a little bit more kinder because at the end of the day you'll lose your clientele. Flexible boundaries. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I totally agree, but we digress. Yeah. So I'm really excited because we, we always talk about, you know, being for the hair and beauty industry mm-hmm.

But really a lot of our content recently has been quite hair heavy. Mm-hmm. And that's just been like, who's been a available to come on? So. When Rich and I were talking about who we wanted to um, talk to in the beauty industry also, if anyone has any like suggestions on who also should get on, please send through because otherwise, and Rich will love you for it.

Like Rich will be on the other end just being like, bless you. Because sometimes he'd messages Jen and I and we don't respond for seven to 10 business days. So if you could like let, he's laughing in the corner, he's sitting here giggling. If you could like let us know also guests that you want as well, it would be amazing for us.

'cause then we can reach out to them. Yes. 'cause we know who we want on. We know who's coming on. But you know, we also wanna know who you wanna listen to. Yeah, agreed. And this is a guest that I have been following for a while. Um, I was sent your stuff from my beautiful friend slash client, Haley, who owns Spray Tan co shout out Haley.

And so have been following along on your journey, I reckon about 18 months now. And it's just so cool. I love. Your attitude and your content, and I really feel like the listeners that we have at Salon Rising will really benefit from your insight and some of your journey. So welcome Kelly. So Kelly is the owner of, um, the facial bar on the Gold Coast, and she's also known on Instagram as Skin Queen.

So welcome. Thank you. That's such a beautiful introduction. As I said to you before, jumping on here, I haven't done a podcast in ages. I used to have my own, but I've just really shied away from a lot of things and pulled back a lot to kind of give back to myself over the past, I don't know, maybe since like December.

So that's so nice that you've been following along. I really appreciate that. Thank you. Oh, because like it's, your journey has been really. Cool to watch. So I think it would be great if we unpack, first of all, like some of your journey into being the founder of your clinic and what, how you became like Skin Queen, like where it all started.

Oh God, it's been so long since I've even spoken about my journey, but I think it started when I first entered the industry. Oh God. Was that 2014 maybe? And what I started doing was just posting the things that I was learning about skin on my Instagram because I had gone from being a dermal therapist working at the laser clinic chains, hated, by the way.

And then I got a job working as a rep for Ultraceuticals. So I was their rep, but then I was also their educator. And as an educator, you are educating them on the skin and on the skincare brands and what the ingredients do. And I think I was coming home with all these cool facts that I was learning. And at the time, I was living with my boyfriend, who's now my husband and my best friend, and they just started coining the term skin queen.

So they're like, thanks skin queen, or why don't you ask the skin queen she'll know? And I was just like, that's kind of cool. I should probably. You know, harness that. And so I did, and that was, yeah, 2014. But as I was going around to all the salons that I was educating, they were like, you're so cool. Like how many what?

Like what courses do you recommend for me to learn? What books do you recommend for me to learn? And I just started saying, just follow me on Instagram, or just start sharing some things to educate you. And that's kind of how it started. It just built momentum from there. And yeah, from there then. COVID happened.

We love talking about that. I think this was a pivotal point in everybody's journey. Mm-hmm. Um, and I had my side hustle business where I had a mini course. I think I was selling it for like, I don't know, a hundred dollars or whatever. And I thought I could actually take this full time and my hours in my corporate job were reduced to like three a day.

Oh my gosh. So I had all this extra time. Oh my gosh. I know. But that was also the time when we could draw money out of our super. Oh, okay. So I drew the money outta my super and I actually invested it all into a business coach to really launch my digital business skin queen. And I think by the time we went back into work full-time, I think that first lockdown in Queensland, we were really lucky.

It was only like three months. I can't really remember now. It feels a lifetime ago, but I think that might have been like March by the time we went back to work in like June, July. Um, I was running Facebook ads, I was selling my courses passively. I was, you know, working nights, working weekends, and somebody in my workplace saw it, sent it to the big boss, and the big boss was like, what are you doing?

And I was like, oh, well it's a side hustle. And she's like, well, it's either gonna be a non-existent thing or it's gonna be your main thing, so you decide. So I'd already spent all this money and invested all this time, so I was like, I guess I'm all in. So I quit my jobs and then went full guns into Skin Queen, and that must've been in 2019 or 2020.

So it's wild sitting here like in 2025 now with two businesses and everything that I've learned and done. But that's kind of how it came about. And then opened the facial bar two years ago. Had a lot of confidence from my first business and I thought, fuck it. I can swear on you, right? Mm-hmm. Absolutely.

I just thought I'm gonna start another business. I'm gonna show everybody how to do it. And yeah. Wow. That put me on my ass. I was, I was gonna gonna say remember, I remember, um, I love TikTok. It's definitely something I shouldn't be on because I get the time. Yeah. It's such a time waste. But I, I love TikTok because I love discovering things and I remember coming across you as like, and if, funny enough, I am also, I don't really follow anyone because I don't wanna watch the follow page.

I just wanna watch my for You page because it comes up with new stuff. It's so fun. Love my You page. So I don't page, I don't actually f and my for You page still comes up with the people that I watch all the time. And so I would just like watch. And then I remember watching some of your stuff come through as you were opening and you were quite honest and open about things.

And I was like, whoa. She's, how refreshing. Brave. Because I know what it's like being in the business for as long as I have and I know the kickback you can get. And I also know. How brutal in TikTok is very huge. So I'm not huge on our salon is not big on TikTok because I literally cannot handle, like, I wouldn't, I don't have thick enough skin to handle what TikTok can do on top of everything else, on top of, and it can build businesses.

I think it's incredible and I look at it sometimes and I'm like, I wish I had the thick skin. And I've, I've talked to a friend about this who has, he is huge in, in business and I've talked to him and he said he listened to a podcast where it says like, you need 80% of people, 80% of hate for your business to be super successful.

Oh yeah. In certainly industry that's, and 20% of people that absolutely love you and 80%, and I'm like, I couldn't, I don't have that type of skin for that. Like, it breaks you, Jen and Richard know that if there's, if they have to give me feedback, it's pretty much just like, put me in a coffin for the following week.

But, um, you know, I think. I watched as you did that, and it was like taking this big, bold, brave step to just be like, this is, I'm just gonna document it. But I do remember thinking, and I don't, I don't know the background of what we were talking about before, so this makes sense of me coming into it. But I do remember thinking, this is brave, because I also know that on this platform specifically, people don't want to see the ferocity of other people going in and going for it.

Yeah. Mm. That means a lot coming from you though too. 'cause as I said to you, I look up to you and everything. You've created so much. Thank you. But I think when it comes to TikTok, and I've definitely fallen off the bandwagon, so nobody rushed to my TikTok and be like, oh, what are they talking about? She's got nothing.

Yeah. But it was like the early days of building the clinic. Yeah, it was. And knowing that you wanted to do something different and. But it, you have to go in, I think with, in spaces like that, you've gotta go in with like faking it to absolute make it. But then people always wanna find all of the flaws to tear it down.

I think Instagram's such a, uh, TikTok is such a cancel culture. It's terrifying. Yeah. Yeah. But I think at the time too, I just thought, I'm gonna document it so I can go back and have a look. Mm-hmm. And that's what I'm coming back to again. That's why I'm like, I'm just gonna start, start taking content all the time just so I can go back and be like, whoa.

And I do with those early videos. Yeah. I go back and I'm like, whoa. That was me in the early days. And gosh, that was nearly two years ago. Like the salon's two years next month. I've just come leaps and bounds since that's initially mm-hmm. Happened. And it's evolved so much. And I'm just look back at that growth being like, that was cute because it's changed so much now, which is a great thing.

Oh, it's so naive. And you're like, I went in with rainbow eyes and now I'm like, oh, now we've got trauma. Yeah. So trauma build though. Trauma build. I know. Um. So let's talk about some of those. Uh, like do you think you went into it with your eyes closed? Do you think that you were like prepared to have the building?

Like what parts of it really knocked you on your ass when you went into that side of business? Think everything. Yeah. I think because I had built out this massive business online that was like I was saying to the girls the other day in my team, I was like, I really need to. Pull my finger out because skin queen was at one point doing like 50,000 a month and I thought I was like undefeatable.

I thought I could do anything and everything I touch would turn to gold. And I think then when I opened the salon, yeah, everything was like a tough lesson. I think hiring staff, training staff, maintaining staff, being a leader and you know, essentially yes the boss, two staff, like you can't be their friends all the time.

Um, I think processes and having systems and processes that everybody needs to follow and for certain reasons I think our marketing message, um, so much. I think it's just something that you learn along the way though, like yeah, I don't think anybody could have prepared me for it if I spent, you know, heaps of money on a coach.

I don't even think they could've told me. 'cause I would've been like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it'll be fine. It'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. Like I've been in the industry for 10 years. But I think you just have to learn it along the way and I'm so glad that I did and I think as much as there have been challenges, um.

I, it's definitely brought me back into alignment with everything that I believe in and it's taught me all the lessons that I've needed to teach. I don't know how you ladies feel, but I saw a quote once and it was like, business is the self-development lessons that you didn't think you needed, but you needed I that the truth.

Yeah, and I'd live by that because I just think if I didn't go through all this, it wouldn't make me the person that I am today. Like I think when you go through hardships, it builds that resilience that you know how to better. Learn and deal with the situation again next time. But I mean, staff's always a tricky one.

Even now I've got a really good team, but it's maintaining staff culture, happiness, and as you would know, like you've got a big team. Mm-hmm. Samara, it's about, you know, not giving them too much, but giving them enough so that they're happy. Like you can't do it at the cost of your own business and self at the end of the day.

Yeah. I think that anyone that says I'm all on top of it and I know it, I'm like, liar, liar. That and being a out all the time because I think about it constantly and sometimes I'm thinking about it and I come in and everybody's happy as Larry and I've spent the whole day making up in my head that everybody's not like relate hard.

It's just like I'm so, uh, and I think. I've gone through such a huge, um, change in my businesses and like, so like the little comments like we were saying where a client will be like, oh, everyone's new in here. I'm like, nobody's new in here except Fernan. Fernanda. Everybody's been here apart from Amy and Fernanda for four years.

Like, guys, it's not new. Yeah. Like, but it's like even the other day, one of my clients is like, she's new. I'm like, Courtney's been here four and a half years, babe. Every day. Four and a half years. She's not new. Courtney's like, I've done her color. Oh, poor Courtney. See, that's what needs to happen to me.

Forgettable face. I think that it's like, I think that it makes us who we are. I think that it makes. The business, what it is when we're so completely passionate about how that looks and how that feels. And also, um, something that I've learned is trying to be present in the times where you do have a great team mm-hmm.

Because it's not forever. Yeah. You know, people do move on and you've gotta go through those rocky roads of like, feeling that hurt and making sure the business is okay and making sure they're okay, and all of the things that come in with that, right? Mm-hmm. It's, it's such a journey. Um, but I think you learn as it goes on and it, it really, you can get hard and be like, I'm gonna run this place like a boss.

Mm-hmm. Or you can stay true to who you wanna be. Mm-hmm. And run it still how you wanna feel, like as a leader. And I mean, we often talk about the difference between a leader and a boss and a boss. I love that. And, and there is a difference, you know? Yeah. Um, so what do you think. Your biggest lessons team related were that you sort of found in those early stages?

I definitely think, one, you don't have to be friends with your team. Yeah. I think, you know, in order to. Make me want to be more liked by team. I've always tried to be friends with team, but that bit me in the first go. So I hired two staff members to begin with and then one sadly didn't work out and I had to let her go, but she'd had a big tantrum on the floor the day before and I really comforted her and I was like, don't worry about it.

Go home. Um, I'll look after your clients the afternoon, you're obviously going through it. And then when I looked after our clients that afternoon, I was like. What the hell. You know, clients will tell you things like, oh, thank God I'm seeing you today, because I didn't really like her for X, Y, Z. And I was like, oh my God.

Like I had in that split moment, like, what am I doing? She's not the right fit for the team. I need to put my boss pants on. And I think after that then I stepped in and became a therapist again, which was, you know, a bit frightening. 'cause I hadn't done it in so long. Um, luckily. Oh, so when you initially opened, were you not No.

Take I haven't been a therapist since I first entered the industry. And I was only a therapist for maybe like nine months back in 2014. And then I quickly got that job as a rep for Ultraceuticals. So I haven't been a therapist for years. Oh, okay. Um, now I work two and a half days a week in the salon.

'cause one, it keeps me. Like with everything keeps my skills present and it just keeps me relevant and I love it. I do really love, it stimulates my brain and it helps my brain to switch off. Yeah, I get that. It's just a nice holiday from everything else I've gotta do in the business, but I'm still obviously in a central part in the business.

So, um, that was good though because then I was working in my business. I realized we don't have systems and processes for everything. Everybody's just kind of doing whatever. There's no consistency. So then I was able to refine that. Um, but I think, I think that's one of the things too. I think that's a good point.

I think, um, I think it's important to be on the floor. Like I think it is, like, and I, I, there's many people that aren't, but I think it's important sometimes, even if it's just one day here or there. You learn so much about what's happening in your business by being on the floor. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Being in it, doing the same things that everyone's doing, giving back to your clients.

And I think, yeah, the relevance point of, you know, knowing what you're doing, knowing how to put things in place, knowing what your team needs going, Ooh, I can see this, this, and this. And I think I wouldn't see those things unless I was on the floor. Yeah. I do think it also kind of helped with a bit of respect.

You know, younger generation, I love you all so much 'cause you are so motivated. But I think sometimes if they just see you as like the boss who fleets in and out and they're like, well why should I listen to you? You're not actually present in your own business. And that's something that I learned too because, um, then last year I had an amazing staff member.

She was with me for nearly the whole year, but then she wanted to move into state and during that time things were going great garden, we were so booked out. And I remember thinking like, holy moly, we're gonna need another staff member here because we are now turning people away and saying like, our next appointments in six weeks.

Um, so I hired another staff member, trained her up, and then I thought, great, she's gonna take my days and hours and I'm not gonna be in the salon anymore. Holy shit. Did things fall apart? Mm. And I had the systems and processes in place, so I was like, why is this happening? Like I'd just spent all this time business coaching.

I've implemented the systems, I've done a really thorough training. Why is this still falling apart? And I think it's because I thought, right, the systems and processes are in place. I've got the staff members, we've got it all down pat. Now I can chill out and just be the boss and work on the business, not in the business.

And you'd think logically that would work, right? But everything fell apart. So I was like, this is not working. And so I thought I need to put myself back in. What did you. Yeah. Did you come down with what you reckon the reason why it fell apart? Was it because you weren't there or, I just think, I'm not sure I, I hate to say this, but I do think it was the individual person.

'cause I spent probably three or four months trying to train this person. Yeah. Okay. But I think, you know, just having the systems and processes there isn't enough. Mm-hmm. You have to make sure they're being adhered to. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I think, and I think that's what from comes from being in the business in it.

Yeah. Yeah. Is you are in it along running it, watching it happen. So I think if you're just flitting in and out, it's really hard to kind of know what's going on, really, really know what's going on unless you are there like managing the business. Agreed. You know, like it's different if you're here managing it.

You don't have to be on the floor. But I think if you, but I think it's just like a set and forget it. Just in our industry, that set and forget doesn't, it doesn't work because I feel like even when you're in, even if you're in, in like a managing capacity, you're still having those touch points. You're still like, you know, having.

You're part of the environment. Yeah. So you're noticing those things happening. That's what I definitely noticed. And you can watch clients and we just have a different, we have a different way zoom of overseeing people. Yeah. Yeah. Like, you know, you're just kind of like, something's going on there. I need to be on top of that.

And, and that's the superpower of being a business owner and we can't expect our team to have it. Yeah. Well I think it's also true we've built these brands, right? Yeah. And although, and you'd get this because where we are right now, your salon, it's not actually under your name. Mm-hmm. You've built a separate brand, but it is an extension of you.

Mm-hmm. I'm sure of it. Mm-hmm. Same with me. Like my business, the facial buyer kept it really brand neutral in case I wanna sell it one day. So it's not me, but it's an extension of me. Yeah. And all my values and everything else. So, um, when my last team member left, I was really thankful. I might get hate for this, but my staff member who wasn't working out asked if she could go on holidays over Christmas.

And she sprung it on me and she wanted to leave in three weeks. And I said, okay, for how long? Oh, eight or nine weeks over Christmas. And I was like, this is doing me a fucking favor.

And I just hired her at October. I thought, I'll train you up for Christmas. Perfect. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, so it was a blessing in disguise and I thought, I'm just gonna hire two people at once. If one doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but I need a team for Christmas. I can't do it all myself. Um, and from there I just thought, I need to lead by example here.

I need to be a leader. I need to show up. I need to show responsibility because this business is actually my responsibility. It's not my staff. And even after I've done my induction with them, I was there with them like a couple of days a week, and then I dropped back. Now I work in the business, um, Monday, Thursday, and Saturdays, and I'm still there every.

Wednesdays. So the only days that they're kind of there unattended is a Tuesday. And that's fine. And I think just me being there leading by example, showing leadership like, this is how I do it. Holy moly, this team are like on fire. Mm. But then it's funny, at the same time, like at the moment I've been like carrying a lot of stress with a couple of other things and now my team are noticing it and now they're feeling really stressed.

Like one opened up to me this morning being like, I'm having really bad nightmares and I'm not having really good sleep at the moment. I don't know what's going on. And I thought to myself, same. But I think it's because my energy is there and that's beating onto them. So I think as much as it's good to be there and be a leader, you also have to be aware of how you're rubbing off on the team too, because it, I think this is such, we, it's a conversation we haven't had before, but I think it's a really important part.

It's like, you know, I was. Listening or watching or something the other day that said, you know, like the, the female is the head of the, is the, is the emotional energy of the home. Yeah. Like not the head of the home, the emotional energy of the home if the female is off, the entire family's off. And so true.

It's a hundred percent true if I'm off my entire family's off like I am literally the reason why like my, um, I emotionally regulate our house. Correct. I think I do too. Um, and if I'm off, everybody's off. Whereas if I can, if I'm really calm and everything's calm, we're good. But I think the same applies, applies to a business business like, and I think we've gotta be really cautious of that.

And I can look back over my time where I was really struggling and see it in your business. I could see it in my business as well, like back in where it was pretty toxic for me personally. And I don't think that it was just me. I definitely don't. But I do see. Things of when my life was as rocky as it was tumultuous.

My team did keep it together as much as possible, but it was also hard for them. Yeah. Because, you know, my life was spiraling out of control, whereas I'm generally 99% of the time super aware of how that is perceived from the outside. And you know, like when you and I worked together, Jen may have seen it, but no one else would've.

I would've come in and pretended that everything was sunshine and rainbows and really my entire life was falling down behind the scenes. Yeah. And that can still happen. There can still be days where everything feels so hard. And I think it's important to still be able to share with your team. Things are a bit tough right now and, you know, all the kids are sick, but I'm here and I'm, I'm putting in what I can.

Mm-hmm. But I think that if you. If you fall into that too much, you will take the entire team down with you. But just remember that if you, if you're feeling like you're down, it's okay to feel like you're down. Absolutely. Like yeah. You can't push that away. Absolutely. And just be like, not acknowledging those feelings.

It's just being aware of, it's just being a little aware of like, what energy do you bring to sell on every day. Mm-hmm. And you know, that age old, like, can you leave it at the door? Yeah. As a leader sometimes really important to do that. And I'm not saying like to dis, as Jen said, it's not discard how you're feeling or what you're moving through, but as much as you know, you are better to take a whole day off.

Yeah. And say to the team, I'm off tomorrow. I've, you know, I've just gotta take a day. I've got some things I've gotta do. And go and see a psychologist and you know, or take a holiday or do all of those things to try and pull yourself up, rather than coming into the business every day low. Because we know what it's like when a staff member does that.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. When you know, the top of the business does that, then everything. Then everyone underneath it feels that energy. Yeah. And everyone's like, oh, suddenly I feel like this. And then I feel like that. Now I feel like this. And it becomes. That toxic environment. Yeah. I think though this is a lot of, um, what I am now loving about my business, I love that I have young therapists who are really keen, they've been in shitty jobs in the past, and so have I, I've had shitty jobs in the past in the industry and now what I, my driving factor in my driving forces is to not just create a thriving business that makes a lot of money.

'cause I can do that if I wanted to, I could close down the facial bar and go back and do that with Skin Queen tomorrow for myself. But now my driving force is making sure that I'm nurturing and developing and growing my team. And it's interesting because yeah, as you said, if it filters from the top, it goes all the way down to the bottom.

And with me feeling stressed, recently I had this whole realization, I went to breath work last night and I was like, wow, I really need to get back into some self-mastery. And I thought, this is something I need to teach my team as well. Like now, I just feel like my purpose with the facial bar is bigger than what I probably set out to.

I think initially, you know, I wanted to get booked out, I wanted to make sure it was profitable, all that. And we've achieved that quite quickly. Like we've achieved that probably, I don't know, maybe like November last year. So that's not even full 18 months being open. But now my biggest driving factor is like nurturing and nourishing the team.

'cause if I can leave the team, and like you said, they're probably gonna leave, you never know. You can't control people and good people leave. Mm. But if I can leave them in a better place than how they first started, if they leave and they're fantastic therapists, they're well equipped with life, they can handle everything that's new.

My new like passion and my motivation. So I think, you know, when I said, oh, there's always problems with team. I think initially when I first started the facial bar, it was for like, you know, a lot of ego. Mm. And now it's not even about me. Now it's about giving back to like the therapists that come through my door.

So that's been a huge lesson. And giving back to those people. I mean, we talk about that. A lot. I feel, I, I really understand where you're coming from on this one. 'cause I've had this in my mind a lot recently because with our industries it's like, you know, oh well you can't get anyone good or you can't get any, it's like, but what are we doing about it?

Mm. What are we doing about it? So I think that we actually have to be part of the solution. I agree. And that's comes with, you know, bringing those young ones in and sending them off into the world better than, and we've talked about that before. You know, like equipping people with that moment in their life that they go on to be successful in whatever they choose to be.

And I think it's learning that, I think when you're a business owner, it's really hard when you first have that in this industry, specifically in our industries, it's like we build people up to be able to service and blah, blah, blah. And then, you know, it's not just like. You know, somebody working as a technician, for example, you just replace 'em with a new technician and you just, you know what I mean?

Like it's a bit different. Yeah. Um, but I think the thing is, is when you look over your journey, like when I look back and I got emotional about this, the last podcast we did, but when you look back over your journey and you see these people that you've like made big impacts in your life, like that's kind of your, that's like a strong purpose, like really special life driven skill to do.

Yeah. And you've gotta kind of, like you said, hone in on that rather than, oh, I've gotta replace and stuff a hard like Yeah. You know, I look at, um, even just Courtney and Ree and, you know, they both came from different places. They were both, you know, almost out of the industry and they were both hating their jobs and now they're just flourishing beautiful hairdressers that, you know, are so talented in what they do.

And they've got these, like, there are these amazing humans and I'm just like. I just think had they not had that support, that it's really So they wouldn't be in the industry. They wouldn't be in the industry. Yeah. And they're wonderful stylists and wonderful humans, and I just think they could have been.

So, there's so many stylists, and we have a lot of hairdressers, past hairdressers that come here. Yeah. And said like, if, if you were where I trained, I would still be doing this. Yeah. Agreed. Um, so I think it's a really important factor to get out of the ego because it it is, its, its ego that makes us go, uh, and get outta the ego and remember that like, this is other people's lives as well.

Yeah. So, you know, what does that look like? How can you foster it? How can you kind of keep working through it? And as you said, we learn so many things about ourselves through running businesses. Um, but yeah, it's, I think it's a really, like, it's a really, um, bigger than you. It's bigger than you. Yeah. But then how beautiful is that too, like of, I mean, going back to if people leave, but.

They might not, because you've created such a beautiful environment for them. Yeah. Mm-hmm. That's what I'm really working towards at the moment. Oh, you might have them a really long time. That's what I mean. You know, like, it's like they might be like, oh, I think I've hit the jackpot here. I really like my workplace.

Like gives back to me. It fills my cup in all the way, so I think I'm gonna stay here. Yeah. I think also we have to remember it's still a fucking job. Yep. You know what I mean? Like I'm like, sometimes I'm like. Well, you've gotta remember it's still a fucking job to people. Yeah. Like sometimes I don't wanna get up and do my job.

They don't either. And that's okay. Doesn't, that's not a, um, personal thing, personal attack on me. They just don't wanna work. Same bro. Same. So like, I I think sometimes we have to remember that it's still their job. Yep. It's their job. Mm-hmm. So like we can't take it under attack when they're like, I didn't want like, oh fuck, I've gotta go to work today.

Like, it's as much as we can make. Yeah. Same with owners. The place sunshine and rainbows and like, it's not always gonna be up. It's still a job. Mm-hmm. They still like life's. Exactly right. Um, so talking to when I came in, you in general talking about something. Yes. I don't, and she's like, and I really need to know the rest of, of the story.

Yeah. I'll give, I don't dunno the background of this, but I think it's interesting even as we've reflected on the things that you've reflected on, you're like, oh yeah, I had to get outta my ego and I had to do this and I had to do that. But I think the things with social media is. And it is a checking point for anyone.

I've said this on the pod before, if someone is triggering you in anything, if they're triggering you in how they're running their business and they're talking about on social and they're triggering you about their parenting or they're triggering you about life, like there's, if you are like, I hate that person, it's a trigger for you.

Yeah. There's something deep. You don't hate that person. They're just doing their life, but there's something that they're doing that you don't have the confidence to do or you wouldn't do or, or that you wish you could do or, or you wish you could do. That makes you go like, why am I deeply uncomfortable with this person?

Like, why feel the need to show hate? Because I think that's what trolling and that bullying is online is like people wish they could be there and doing that and getting all the things that comes with it, but they're not prepared to do it. So then they're just like, I'm gonna hate that person because they're doing what I want.

Yeah. It's an interesting take on it. And if somebody, if one of my friends was experiencing hate online, I would say that exact same thing. But I think in this context. I was like, I don't understand it and I'm happy to share and this is just my opinion. Mm-hmm. My views, what happened through my lens. So when she says that, no more fucking hate, no more bullying.

Yeah. You know, like we don't have that on this podcast anyway. We are very lucky. But it's, you know, remembering that we're sharing stories like this in order to equip other people and also Yeah. So that people actually know what it's like on the other side. On the other side. Exactly. Yeah. And I'm entitled to share my experience.

Absolutely. It is just my experience. Absolutely. Whether you agree with it or not. Absolutely. That's okay. It's my lived experience. Absolutely. That was the disclaimer. Yeah. Um, so I guess after starting the salon, I started the salon on July, 2023 and was quickly humbled. Oh, well it is what it is. It's all life and learnings.

Um, but because I was taking my eyes off my skin queen business to focus on the facial bar business. My skin queen business started to suffer, and that was not fun because my husband had quit his job the year prior to come and work for me full time because my skin queen business was doing so well. And he was a engineer for a medical company.

And the distribution for that got taken back by the Americans. So he was like, what am I gonna do? And I was like, fuck it, I'll hire you. I needed to hire a business manager in my business to kind of oversee everything, and that was gonna cost me $90 an hour. And, um, my husband was like, I'll work for you for 50 an hour.

And I was like, let's do it. That's gonna be great. Um, and I wouldn't have been able to start the facial bar if it wasn't for him as well because, you know, bloody tradies don't take you seriously when you're a female. So I was really thankful to have my husband for that. Um, but then obviously when you start a business, it's not gonna be profitable for a little bit either.

And we did have a bit of a runway, but the runway was running out, the savings was running out. Skin Queen wasn't making money. 'cause again, it's not cheap to build a salon at all. At all. Like, you're like, it'll be fine. I'll just chuck some chairs in and we'll just like, and it'll be beautiful. Yeah. And then you're like, hold on, 200 K later.

Yeah. Yeah. That was pretty much what mine was at 160,000 plus then extra savings. Um, so that kind of pressure fell onto my shoulders a little bit. I would say probably come. Maybe like February, March in 2024, we started to find our flow, started to find our feet. We started to become a little bit profitable.

You know, we were like, oh shit, we can pay ourselves two grand this month. We can pay ourselves four grand this month. And things kind of started to flow again. And I think that was because I stepped into working in the business in December, and that kind of took me three months. And because I was like treating clients again and seeing so much acne, I was like, I need to share this on my facial bar page to educate people.

And then I thought, do you know what? There's probably therapists who don't know this. Like I was getting people who are coming in who are like, I've just gone and spent all this money doing six sessions of needling at, you know, the chain skin clinic down the road at the local shopping center, and I haven't had these good results.

How come you were able to achieve it in three sessions? And I thought. You're right. Like why are these therapists out there treating the skin and not getting the results? But I am in less treatments. And so I thought whatever education that I'm learning along my way again, and even though I've been in the industry for so long, treating it with clients in real life, I was learning again and it was stimulating my brain.

And I was like, oh yeah, that's right. And talk to me about this. And I was like putting two and two together and I was creating content out about this and putting it onto my social media, but also adding Skin Queen as a collaborator. Mm-hmm. So then it was going to the therapist and also my clients and started to get traction.

And so I thought, well this is great because things have been a bit lackluster over that side of the business for a little bit. But by doing this, not only was I growing my skin queen following, but I was growing my facial bar following. I was growing passive sales in my Skin Queen business again. And then I was getting new clients in the facial bar and I thought this is epic.

Because at the end of the day, people want an expert in that area, but also in therapists, I think there are a lot of therapists who aren't confident. And so they were like, oh, wow, this makes sense. Like she actually knows her shit. I wonder how good her course is. And then they were buying my course and it just, things picked up and I was like, oh my gosh.

Like I feel like I found my flow again. And then I was scrolling on my phone one night and then, and then I've got a Facebook group too called, um, beauty Business and Beyond. And somebody posted in my group saying, oh girlfriend, they're out to get you. And I thought. Who's this for? Like somebody had just done it as a post in my group.

I approved it and I commented saying, who's out to get who if I missed something? And this person was like, oh, don't you know, I'll send you a message. And I thought, shit, what have I done wrong? Oh mate. I'm just like, okay. Just for anyone that knows that doesn't know me right now, my entire throat is in my stomach and I pretty much wanna like go and spew like, yeah.

Yeah. Like again, everyone, if they don't feel that way, think about a one star review coming through on your business and then you'll feel how she's feeling right now. Like that just makes me feel sick and I don't even know what's happening here. Yeah. So. Somebody who I actually thought I was friends with in the industry,

gone, had dinner with her. I've gone had breakfast with her, and she had done a post in retaliation to something that I'd posted. And I first thought, surely not surely, this is just my superiority complex. What did you post? So I said, um, there's a huge difference between a skin therapist who treats the skin and a skin therapist who understands skin.

And that was because I was getting a lot of people coming in who'd been to these chain clinics, being like, why have I spent so much money treatment? I think that that's so true, though there probably is treatment. Anybody can be taught how to do a microneedling treatment appeal, a facial. Anybody can, yes, I can train you tomorrow and you're a hairdresser, and you'll be like, I've got this, but it doesn't.

But if I don't understand, I understand why I'm, but if somebody wants to say, why am I breaking out? You'd be like, oh, I don't really know. Yes. That's huge difference. Yes. That's a huge difference. I like this. Well, that rubbed people the wrong way. Yeah. Okay. Look, I was just speaking my truth. Yeah, you don't have to agree with it or not.

Like, and that's fine if people still are like, Ooh, I don't agree with that. That's sort of, but also, again, you're running a, a mentoring, a coaching business as well, so it's kind of your job to like, but I was seeing it from clients coming in, being like, yeah, wow, I've had amazing results from you. Why didn't I get it from this?

And I was like, you're right. Why aren't you? Yeah. Um, but yeah. What ended up then, so one person did a post basically being like, cut the bullshit. It's so unfair to be talking shit about people. And I thought, I haven't talked shit about people. I don't think this is about me. Next minute, somebody else jumps on the bandwagon and shares their two p.

Next minute somebody else jumps on the bandwagon and next minute there's like three or four people on social media doing quite passive aggressive posts towards me. And I thought, I'm not even gonna respond because I don't know for sure if this is about me or not. I'm just gonna leave it. Um, this was probably like on a Monday or a Tuesday.

I went into work on the Wednesday to do some training with my new therapist who was new to the industry. And then she says, did you see such and such as email? And I said, what? She was like, oh, are you not on her email list? And I was like, I thought I was. And she was like, why don't I give you the facial and we'll do the training first?

'cause we were doing some like feedback and all the rest. She's like, then I'll show you. And I was like, okay, no worries. Oh my God. Kind of just went on about it. Didn't even bother. I left the clinic. I was like, I could not have done that. I would've been like, no, no, we'll sit down. We'll do this right now.

Well, I needed to be professional 'cause she's new to me. She'd only been with me maybe for two or three months. Good leadership there. That's right. Tomorrow would've viral the whole time. But I forgot about it. And then I thought, oh wait, I didn't get that text, that email. So I said, can you send it to me?

It was 110% about me just saying like, you shouldn't believe influencers who are online trying to be skin educators. Just 'cause they've got a lot of followers don't mean they know shit. Some people are just in it for money. Just completely defaming me. Like some of us have been in business for 15 years, other people have owned salons for two seconds.

And I was like, this is 110% about me. Mm. And I thought, do you know what? I'm just gonna continue to leave it because at the moment it's saying more about her than me. But it continued and it just continued. And it continued and it went on for a month. And this is a trigger warning for anybody with mental health or suicide.

I'm just gonna pause it there, but it got to the point where I said to my husband, I can't do this anymore. I was like, I don't wanna be here anymore. God, I'm gonna get emotional. I'm like working through it now, but I was like. I've got no value to anybody. I don't wanna be here anymore. And he was like, okay, we're staging an intervention.

And I don't think these ladies know that. So I am happy to talk about it, but like, you know, it's already so trying. Sorry everybody. We've already tear up now, mate. I sobbed the last episode. It's only fair someone stops this one. I thought you were brought like tissues. Oh my God. But like I was just trying to share my truth and a bunch of women who were in their forties really came to me to the point where I said to my husband, I don't wanna be here anymore.

Like mm-hmm. What makes them think it's okay to treat people like that? Mm. And going through a business and opening everything that I did and poured my heart and soul into like. I was already at breaking point, you know, when you're not earning the money that you need to, to sustain life, it's stressful.

Mm. Like we were living month to month for a bit there. Luckily things turn around and, you know, during that time I just hoped and prayed and manifested and did all the things. And it did turn around. Like I'm just come back from seven weeks to travel. Life is great at the moment, but that was my lowest of low point.

And I still can't believe that these women are in the industry saying that they're leaders. Mm. Like that's heartbreaking. And I just don't know if they know that that's what happened. I actually didn't speak about anything too for age, because I think from the, I think what people need to remember is.

Always, like you said, I was an ego in the beginning, but that's just a shell that's on top of us, right? Yeah. To be like, we can push through this and we've got this and it's gonna be amazing and I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna kill it and it's gonna be awesome. Mm-hmm. Especially if you've had success in another area of business.

Mm-hmm. You're like, mate, I, this is all I know. Like, and you're like, I was severely humbled. But I think that the thing is, is underneath that is just people. Yeah. And we're watching it online constantly with so many different things at the moment, like on TikTok, we're watching it across TikTok, look at Indie Clinton and Anna Paul.

Good on her by the way. And all of these different people, right. That are going through all of this different stuff. And I'm not, do not come from me. I don't know any of these people, but I'm just saying they're people at the end of the day. Yeah. What it's underneath, they're people at the end of the day.

Yeah. And like I'm saying, like there's no way I could do it. 'cause my shell, the minute one person, like today I opened my Instagram and someone's like, couldn't watch this video. They're all just squaking. And it was about the video. When we had wigs on, 'cause it's taken off. And I was like, I've seen that.

They're not squawking. We're laughing. Don't watch the video. Then I'm like, this is like the level of stuff I can't handle. So I'm like, I can only imagine if someone's putting themselves online. There's a, uh, a TikTok that I really like called Aimes. She's in Wollongong. She's a mum. Do you know who you're talking about?

She's, she's just got, she doesn't like, they don't waste it. I think she's hilarious. Like, I just think I watch her and I just get, always get a giggle out of her. But she did a, um, thing in the car one day, like saluting as if to say like, here we go. And then everyone was saying that she was doing like a Nazi symbol.

Oh gosh. And then she got all of this hate again. And I just think what is happening? Like, what is going on? It's like we're like tea, like. Pre-teens again, and all of this stuff, like what is happening? But you do open yourself up to it on these channels, but it doesn't give people the right to be. But I think horrific, this is what I learned from that because I think in that lowest point, my husband was like, just because you're online doesn't mean these people get access to you.

Absolutely not. And he was like, remove them, block them. And he controls my social media as well. Not like controls, but he was helping me manage it. And he was like, I'm gonna do it right now. He's like, I'm not standing for this anymore. And so he went and unfollowed, he removed them from my group, he blocked.

But then what happened was the repercussions from that. So then I was getting phone calls from people, oh hey, I'm just checking in. Just got off the phone from such and such. And she was like, oh, did you get blocked in Kelly's mass blocking today? And I thought, really? I've gone to the lengths of removing you from my socials.

My husband did it because if you knew where I was at Yeah. And then you're still like, oh, did you get removed in her mass culling? Like get over yourself. Yeah. Honestly, just because I'm online doesn't mean everybody gets access to me. Yeah. And I think I took back my power in that moment and such a low moment.

At the same time, within 24 hours, I took back my power and I thought, I actually don't want these people on my social media. It's not who it's for. No, exactly right. And so I deleted, I blocked them, and I just threw myself into my work with the facial bar. And in the past 12 months, we've actually doubled more than doubled what the facial bar has done in revenue.

I've found my true purpose, my true calling, and I've really come into alignment with everything that I love and I've just blocked everybody else out. So as much as it was my breaking point, and I always say this and I hate that, it's, it's a thing and I might need to rewire and rewrite it somewhere in the line, but I always feel like I have to break down to break through.

Mm. And I've just had it again yesterday, obviously not that part, but I had like a massive panic attack. And I realize it's because I'm not looking after myself at the moment again. Yeah. I'm eating shit food, I'm buying Uber Eats. I'm getting takeaway from the place next door. I'm drinking wine. I've been sick.

Everyone's canceling and rescheduling like what you are going through. Yeah. And I'm having a pity party. How do I do the symbol for the mocking jacket? Oh yeah. Do. Yeah. And we did a podcast with Tiana on this. Like, but I think you can't, you've gotta upgrade the operator. Yeah, exactly. Oh yes. And everyone's going to get to that point.

Mm. There is no one who can sustain that level all the time. But it's having those checkpoints, that's something that we talk about a lot. Having those checkpoints to check back in to go like, whoa, hold on. And if we could try and get to those checkpoints a little bit before the breakdown would be so good.

That would be beautiful. Yeah. So that the, they don't have to smack us in the face of the form of online trolls. Yeah. Yeah. That's ing like, but I feel like this wasn't even just online, like this was, like you say, you're getting phone calls and so like, this isn't just like social media comments, this is like emails and Yeah.

Phone calls. Yeah. But I kept quiet about it because I thought, I'm not gonna let them affect me. And you know what? Through that, and also too, I did come to realize that it definitely was about me. I didn't wanna have a superiority complex about it, but. I, my husband was like, I'm gonna start collating a court case so we can sue for defamation.

'cause this is not on. And I thought, I don't wanna go through that. Mm. But we had 19 people email message, like send us messages on, um, Facebook just being like, Hey, I am seeing everything that's going on. I'm like so inspired that you're not retaliating, that you are just keeping to yourself. Like there's something going on.

There's a skin wall going on and you're just holding your own. And I thought, okay, if 19 people are noticing it, it's a hundred percent about me. And that's only the 19 people that bothered to send something message. Yeah. Like other people would've noticed and just thought, huh, that's good. Okay. We had this conversation with Tiana.

Anyone that hasn't watched that. Podcast. It was a really good one. Yeah. And you have to go back and watch it. You have to. It'll be, actually listen to it when you leave here. It's so good. Um, and you'll relate to, so, because she says like, leadership comes, leadership leaders go first. Like they come like, they don't retaliate, they don't, like I watched her move through something and she just was quiet.

Yeah. Because she's like, but she sat in her own integrity. She sat in her own her own, and that's what integrity as well. And she, I watched her move through something and it was horrific to watch through as a friend, but she sat, sat in her peace and her integrity and just kind of kept reflecting. And, you know, she knew at any point she could have struck out and been like, but I'm right.

It's so wrong When we feel like, it felt like so many times that I, I should have done the same. So many. Yes. And you feel muzzled. And I never experienced this until going through what I went through with my separation. You feel muzzled like, and you feel like there's so much unjust of correct things that are being said about you and blah, blah, blah.

But at the end of the day, and I did, don't worry. I definitely had the outburst every now and then, and then had to be like, oh, gotta reel that shit back in. But you do the, the best thing you can do is, as you said, stay quiet, stay focused, go inward, you know? But it is the hardest thing to do too, because you're still doing that with Yeah.

The noise that's going around you. And I think social media is horrific for that. So I always say to people like, if you are, what are you doing? Like if social media, and it's a big part of our businesses, it's a big part of Salon Rising. It's a big part of Lac Sorella. I actually don't, I. The last post I did for me personally was Tracy's birthday, which was back in March.

Yeah. I actually am not on it anymore because I know if I'm off social media for a weekend, my mental health is great. Mm. If I'm on it for a weekend, my mental health is not so good. Mm. And also, what am I posting for? Yeah. Am I posting? 'cause my ego needs a little bit of stroking right now, and I need people to tell me that I'm amazing because Yeah.

I am also one of those people that like people saying like, oh, I love you, so bless you this morning. Um, I know, but I was like, this doesn't feel organic. Like this feels like I'm just fishing because I need some self-assurance reassurance right now. Mm. But the same comes in other ways as you said. Just because I have a social media platform doesn't mean that everyone gets access to me.

Yeah. And what I, and doesn't, just because I'm putting stuff out publicly does not mean that you get to say whatever you want. Yeah. And I just think like, that's the hard thing sometimes is like I had to step back in and go, okay, well I have to do this for the businesses. Absolutely. But I don't have to do this personally because when I do it publicly, I'm actually even though it, they, it, it's not their right to do what they did to you.

Everybody has an opinion on it and then people talk. Yeah. And you're like, I can hear the noise without knowing what the noise is. You know, things would come back to me through reps, through clients. Yeah. And I'm like, it does, doesn't it? I don't want to hear the noise. Yeah. Yeah. So if I don't speak and if I go inwards, then I don't have to, then no one can have an opinion because I'm not doing anything that anyone can have an opinion on.

Yeah. People are gonna have an opinion about you no matter what you do. There is absolutely nothing that we can do to change that. But dealing with, I though that level of, I think I completely agree. I think, but it, I think it depends on how much you also, I think when you're posting and you're like, why am I doing this?

Yeah, yeah. No, I, I agree what you're saying. I think if you, if you're like, oh yeah, I'm probably doing that to get this wrong, I'm gonna get good reaction. But on the flip side, I'm also may get negative. Absolutely. Yeah. Um, to get to that point, what steps did you take to look after yourself and your mental health Yeah.

To get out of that? And, you know what, I'm about to go back into all this now. 'cause as I said before, at the moment what I've been doing is Uber Eats getting the takeaway. Yeah. I haven't even, I've been skipping lunch, which we're all guilty of. And my client before I came here, she was in the industry and she was like, I've been really guilty.

And my team are like, you haven't eaten lunch today. You haven't gone to the toilet today. Because she's like, oh, well my next client's here, my next client's here. And you just kind of get along with how busy you are that you Yeah. Put, push everything to the side. So I think at the time, um. My husband and I were like, we need to have more fun.

So I do think we went and had a big night in Brisbane together, which was fun. And then through that I was like, God, I'm turning 30 this year. I need to do something with my life. I can't be going to nightclubs until seven in the morning anymore. And I joined the gym and I threw myself into S 30, which is like an F 45.

Never done anything like that before. I was like, I'm gonna fucking die. But I did that. And then, um, I'd go to the early classes in the morning before work 'cause it was right beside work, so I thought, there's no excuse. I've gotta go to work anyway, so gotta go. So I was going to the gym, um, I was going for walks on the beach every morning.

I was like, I'm just gonna focus on the food that I'm eating. I'm gonna get back into my journaling. And I did step back from everything. I had a conversation with a friend and I was like, I'm just so overwhelmed all the time. And she was like, what we do at work is when people are overwhelmed, we take responsibilities off their plate and then they thrive.

And I thought. I need to do the same. So I did. I just started to minimize my responsibilities. I closed down my podcast. I stopped saying yes to a lot of opportunities. Um, I just kind of like recluse and just gave back to myself. I. It was actually cathartic in the way that I'd made my whole life and personality, my business.

Mm. And I think that's why it hurt so much when I was an attack, because it was like, that was my whole identity. That was everything. But then from that I was like, well, I'm actually somebody fun to go out with on the weekend. Now I'm, I'm actually like also somebody's teammate at the gym. Like, you know, I actually, there are so much more parts to me than just my business.

And I think that's still staying with me now. It's like when I go out with friends, it's not the only thing I talk about anymore. I've got other things I can talk about. Mm. All these different things. Excuse me. So it was just really finding myself through that again. So as much it was as, it was an awful experience and I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

It's the biggest thing that's brought me back into alignment. So it's like, well fuck you Woolies, because you did me a fucking favor. Yeah, yeah. Funny isn't it? And in the calmest. I think that that is a true testament in the calmness, calmest, most peaceful way. You brought yourself back to yourself. Yep.

You didn't go out and do a hate vendetta campaign like I could have. Yeah. And I easily could have. And I think that's whole purpose and point of life, right. Is like, how do we actually wanna live this? Yeah. 'cause if we wanna live this in that space, it could, it certainly can be done. Mm. But if you're like, that is not going to serve me.

And again, there's always going to be beliefs. There's always going to be people that do this. There's always gonna be situations like this, and it's how you respond. I think that's my magic power now because. When I think about me, when I was younger, I was a very reactive person. And it's funny, so as I said, I've just been traveling.

I've got a heap of family and friends who are in Ireland, in the uk, all dads, my dad's Irish, so all my family are in Ireland near Galway. And when I went and hung out with them, my sister's just come back from living over there for 14 months. And my uncle said to me, you're very, um, proactive, your sister's very reactive.

And I thought, are you getting us mixed up? Mm. And he was like, no, you're very calm on yourself and you're very proactive. And I just thought. Hell no. Are you sure? And he was like, yeah. I was like, I guess I haven't seen you in like a couple of years. 'cause COVID. And he was like, no, you are. And I think that's taught me that.

Yeah. Yeah. So it's good. Like, and I, I also think like, God, this all happened probably a year ago, or probably happened in May last year. Since then, as I said, I've more than doubled the business. When I have a look at the financial year just being, it's just insane. The profit that we've made is insane. The team that we have is just insane.

Opportunities are starting to flow back through. I've just went for traveling for seven weeks and my business didn't fall apart. Like, that's just insane. Mm. To think that where I was last year compared to now. So I'm just like, it's given me strength. Let's, I think there's a massive testament to you though.

Yeah, absolutely. Like it's, it's a testament of how you handled yourself to the blessings that have come out of it. Mm. Because. You could have done completely opposite, gone completely down the rabbit hole. And I think you wouldn't be standing here today saying the same thing. No, agreed. Yeah, agreed. And I think these are the stories though, that make a founder sometimes.

Yeah, absolutely. As much as it's like traumatic to share, like I hope it inspires people. Absolutely. Oh, how could it not? And so I think it would be great to celebrate some of your wins as well, like you're talking about. So let's talk about some of the things that you feel like you've implemented that really contributed to the success that you've had in that.

You know, like, 'cause you obviously doubled down. You're like, okay, I am gonna step away from that. I'm not gonna, you know, I'm not putting my energy into that and putting my energy into what I'm building for me. Yeah. What do you think made the difference there? One, looking after myself. As I said, had a bit of a panic, panic attack yesterday.

It's fine. We live and you'll learn. And I was like, wait a minute. I'm not filling my own cup up at the moment. So I definitely think you gotta look after yourself because you are an extension of your brand and go to the gym. And I think it's the tiny promises that you keep to yourself that help to build self trust.

Yes. And that's what I haven't been doing recently and you know, you know, deep down I love that it it is the tiny promises. Yeah. It's not the trying to change everything at all in one go. It's those tiny promises that you're keeping to yourself. And guys, Jen and I, this is like the 70th episode. Is that right?

Rich? Is it enough? It's more he knows. Don't question her on it. I feel like it's more, I feel like when I looked the other day, it said 69, sorry. Does this come up a lot? And we In different ways all of the time. Yeah. And every time they say it generally like, oh yeah, we hear it because, you know, but I mean something generally moving through something at some point I'm like, oh yeah, that I need to do that.

Oh yeah, I need to do that. I need to think that. But this is what we talk about all the time, though. All the time. You just gotta re like you've not, you've just gotta revisit those little things. Yeah. But I think it's not riding it off if things don't go to plan either. Yes. So like last night before I went to bed, I was like, I'm gonna get up at five 30 this morning, walk for half an hour on my treadmill, take the dogs for a walk, meal prep, and then have my breakfast and then go to work and I'll get Did you get up at eight?

No, I got up at six. Good. But I didn't get up at five 30, but I thought, okay, well I can't do the treadmill. I'll take the dogs for a longer walk. Nice. Still meal prepped. Still had my breakfast, still got to the clinic early, but I thought I'm not gonna be like, oh, well I'll just start again tomorrow. Yeah.

Yeah. Like I still did 90% of everything I set out to do and I was like, do you know what, that's a start. I'm not gonna be perfect on day one. Yeah. And it's just making a start. Um, other things that have contributed to that is I think just being a leader in my own business and just leading by example.

That's been massive. Like I just think why have the team that I've got now outperformed the last person that I hired. And I think it's 'cause I'm more present in my business and I'm showing up by example and you know, being really in tune with them. Like I have a day on Mondays, I work with my manager and it's just her and I.

And then the girls work together the rest of the week. And then on Thursdays I work with my junior and we are together. So I think having one-on-one time with them is really good. And um, we're gonna hire another third therapist 'cause we're only a team of, yeah, three at the moment. Things are going gangbusters.

But also making sure that when I bring in that third person, that I also have time with them, because that's gonna be very important and integral, I think when they see how you act in the business as an employee essentially. Then they're guided by that too because they're like, oh, well Kelly doesn't do that, so I'm not gonna do that.

So I think that's important. Mm-hmm. Um, but I think just putting my head down and working, you know, things weren't great for a long time there. If I went back and told myself this time last year, don't worry, you're gonna go traveling for seven weeks. You're gonna go to Coachella, you're gonna go to Canada, you're gonna go do European summer, don't even worry.

I would've been like, whatever. But I didn't know that was gonna happen. Like we only booked it in January. Mm. Booked my Coachella tickets in January for April, and I was like, we're doing it. Oh my God. Because I just put my head down and work. You know, there's no secret. You just have to do it. Mm. And you just have to push through the ugly.

And that's just what it is. Like that's business and life. It's funny though, because with everything that my anxiety happened yesterday. Um, my husband panicked and he was like, if we don't wanna do the business anymore, we can close it. You can get a job. And I thought, no, this is my passion and this is my purpose.

This is what I was put on earth to do. It's just, I need to look after myself again. What do you reckon the trigger was yesterday? I just haven't been looking after myself since getting back from holidays. I've only been back for what, two and a half weeks and, you know, I was drinking a lot of wine and Greece with my best friends and eating a lot of shit food in Spain, and I just wanted to continue the party.

When I got home, let's be honest, I didn't wanna go back to eating brown rice and chicken. I like all of those things. I wanna sign up for that. Yeah. I was like, I'm gonna keep eating the Mexican from next door and keep drinking wine. Why not? Oh man. She, she works next door to Bonita. Bonita. I do. I know. I mean, at the end of the day, I would just be a chicken wing and a piece of corn.

That's what I do by this point. The corn and the chicken burritos just strong. Like I, we, we talk about that food in here 96% of the day to come to a delivery. Oh yeah. I love Bonita Bonita. We're just like obsessed with Bonita Bonita. It's just like, so what's your go-to order? Oh, all of it. All of it. All of it.

The chicken wings are, try working next to it when you get 40% off. Oh, I know. Stop. It's too easy. Like I opened our drawers the other day and I can see my team are eating it at the moment. 'cause we have all their plates. Yeah. And I'm like, we need to return this. This is embarrassing. I literally, like, literally my team would just, I'd just put their full wage over to Bon Bonita because like, but yeah, just painted the deck.

Yeah. I was like, we are very lucky that we don't work next door to a place for advice that we absolutely love. 'cause I get that. 'cause it'd just be so much easier to be like, yeah, but it's time to lock in. Yeah. Because it's, and it's like that day at time, okay, I feel better today. Okay. I feel better tomorrow.

And then once you get 3, 4, 5 days in, yeah. You just feeling so much better. And we've had these conversations lately with friends about like different things they're trying to quit, whether it's vaping or whether it's drinking or whether it's whatever it is. It's always so difficult at the start. But like if you can start the routine and think, okay, I feel a little bit better.

I feel a little bit better, I feel a little bit better. What's that little things? It's the trust and you start to build. Absolutely. Yeah. So it's to depend on yourself again, which is really nice. Where, have you got any grand plans for anything different at the moment or are you just happy just to kind of keep moving forward?

Loads, loads. I'm feeling really renewed after my trip. Um, I'm waiting for my bloody cash settlement from Cyclone Alfred. Um, that's was what March. I had a lot of damage done to the business 'cause our tin roof got ripped off 'cause we are right by the beach. Oh, oh yeah, of course. So we had, um, water damage come all through our walls and pretty much destroy all of our walls.

So waiting for my cash settlement, I've like followed them up a bajillion times and they finally sent it on. Thursday, like the form to fill out. When I said, so what do I do now? Do I apply for business interruption insurance next minute? My cash settlement form was sent over. So funny. Um, but we're gonna do a renovation to the salon 'cause everything is performed on chairs at the moment, but I wanna have one side, a room, and then the other side, the two stations.

Yeah. So we wanna get an IPL just because with what we're treating, there's a massive gap with what we can treat because we don't have an IPL. So we're gonna bring that in, bring a third team member on, and then, you know, through all this, believe it or not, people come into my inbox, my emails like, I don't know, I've probably had 10 in the past week being like, do you do business mentoring?

Do you do business coaching? And I'm like. Not really. Like I'm still learning. Mm. But I thought there's something in here, like 10 in one weeks. Quite a lot. Mm. So I'm actually putting together a mastermind that I'm gonna launch probably mid-July. I'm gonna do a webinar for it at the end of this month.

Mm-hmm. I'm very nervous because I'm still learning myself and I don't wanna think that I am the expert, but I do think I am a couple of steps ahead of some people who would be able to learn and benefit from me. Like I've built a business that's thriving, just doing skin. And even my first client this morning, she was like, yeah, do you do business mentoring?

I was like, here we go. And um, she was like, I wanna do more skin. And I was like, why? She's like, I do predominantly browse and lashes in my business. Um, you know, I have to see 12 clients a day to be profitable. My back sore, my eyes are sore from squinting, looking at lash extensions. That's why I wanna do more skin.

Like you're so good at it. And so there is something in there. I think a lot of people want to do that. So I'm like, I think there is definitely a market for skin. Absolutely. I think it's like there's been. Brows and lashes got so big, but then skin like it used to be like lashes and brows and beauty. Yeah.

It was all together. Facials, lashes, brows all together. Yeah. Now everyone's niched. Now it feels like everybody is niching. Um, and then I feel like there is definitely spaces for skin because I even, for me, I've never really found that, like, I don't feel like there's enough niche in skin. Mm. If that makes sense.

Where you'd go, I just go to that. You've done it without being, but I'm like, you just go to that specific place for those things, for those, you know, because again, like I don't know my own skin, I don't know what I should be doing. And you know, you just use what hope for the best. I also think in hair terms, it's probably like hairdressers and hair extension specialists.

Yeah. Yeah. So a lot of people wanna get into hair extensions 'cause it's more profitable. You see less clients. I guess it's similar with skin. Yeah. But a lot of people don't really know how to do that, how to launch it, how to launch that offer, how to do all that. And that's pretty much all I live and breathe.

Yeah. Yeah. So it makes sense. So I'm like, I'll do it. I'm nervous as hell. I might get. You know, shut down or whatever, who knows what happens, but I, and you might not, wouldn't do it, so just give it a crack anyway. That's right. I thought, what have I got to lose? One of my, I remember, um, my coach that I was actually talking about, she said, you know, when you have that imposter syndrome, which kind of comes on when you do stuff like that.

She was like, I remember saying that to her once, and she was like, Mario, you're not teaching Fortune 500 companies how to run their business. Yeah. You're teaching somebody who doesn't know. What you've gone through and how you do those simple steps, how to do those things. And then that's what changes their business.

That makes it less scary when you say that. And it doesn't just have to be me. Like they might move from me to a coach that does more. That does. You know, but she's like, it's not, you're not trying to teach a Fortune 500 company how to do it. You're supporting a person in a window of time to develop skills that they don't already have.

Yeah. Yeah. That's it. Yeah. And what about skin queen stuff? Yeah, that's gonna be through Skin Queen. The Mastermind too, which it's even funny that I've come here and Rich is like, I wanna pick your brain afterwards. So see, it happens a lot. It does. I need to do a pick your brain session. 'cause the amount of people are like, can I just pick your brain?

I'm like, not really. Not in my non-existent spare time. Need to figure out a process for that. But anyway, yeah, we're all just figuring out processes, girlfriend, 100%. Oh, I just think there's just so much value in what you shared today and it was really, really brave to share. Thank you. Your experience didn't me to get emotional.

I kind of thought I built past that. Sorry, everybody. Totally. The emotion get emotional. Like that's. Really heavy things to be coping with and to not be emotional. I'd be more concerned to be honest. Yeah, agreed. If you could talk about that and not be emotional. I'm like, not bad an island. Do we have some support?

Psychopath? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is this a narcissist in aist? Um, because yeah, those things and you know, I think everything you shared, it was like, yeah, I got humbled pretty fast. Like you've listened to all of the things that you've shared and we don't know what we're doing in the beginning and we don't know how it's gonna be the stage and we still still waking up along the way.

Yeah. Yeah, mate, I'm 15 years into this shit and I'm still waking it up along the way and there's still like, it's, it's ever evolving. Every day I'm like, oh, I should have been doing that sooner, or I should have been doing that sooner. Or, I feel like you've been saying I'm 15 years into it for an extra year.

I'm pretty sure you're 16 years into it now. Probably. It's been a long time. Jen. It's been a probably 16 years. Yeah. Yeah. It probably is. I'll be 15 years for the next 14 years. Makes you feel more useful. 16 years into it, whatever it is. I am a teenage girl into my business, and you know, it's ever evolving.

Always. No one knows what they're doing. Everyone's, it's like parenting, everyone's trying to figure out, it's like life. Everybody's just doing their best with the information they have. Yeah, that's what I always think too. I'm just doing the best that I can with the tools that I've got. Yeah, we all are.

Yeah. Yeah. And we're always looking for new tools and developing. Um, guys, we have to wrap it up now. Yeah. Because Richard's waving. Like you guys have been talking for a really long time. But thank you so much. Thank you for coming on. Thank you for sharing your story, for sharing your insight. It's so valuable and we are really, really grateful.

Agreed. Had you, you like, this is a really good chat. See anyone that comes on, they're like, I'm terrified. And then they start talking. They're like, I don't wanna leave. This was so fun. Yeah. I think you guys have created a beautiful space and what you do, it's just Thank you. Really genuine. So thank you. No, thank you.

That was such a good chat. Thank There's so many sound in that rich. Thank have. You're gonna have a field day with all those good ones. I keep thinking that too. Yeah. Thank you so much guys. See you soon. And we will see you soon. Bye. Bye.