Phorest FM Bonus Episode 019: Live From the Salon Owners Summit 2025 With Daniel Mason-Jones

Episode Transcript

Alex Bélisle-Springer: Welcome to Phorest FM, the forward-thinking industry podcast that celebrates inspiring stories from the salon floor and amplifies community voices all over the globe, guided by the idea that together we grow.

Coming to you from Dublin, Ireland with exclusive Phorest FM live from content, I’m Alex Bélisle-Springer, and this bonus episode is brought to you by Phorest Salon Software.

On our live from episodes, you can expect coverage from the salon industry events we attend, vox pops, and of course, interviews with industry speakers, coaches, salon owners, and beauty pros, getting to know them better, and getting their takes on industry-related topics. This is bonus number two of three from the Salon Owners Summit 2025, or as the phorest.promunity knows it, how top salon owners start the year off right.

The Salon Owners Summit is Phorest’s very own two-day conference full of education, inspirational speakers, product updates, and workshops. Born with the salon owner in mind, it’s been designed to give attendees the tools to tackle the year ahead and offer plenty of networking opportunities. With [00:02:00] 24 years of experience, countless celebrity styles, and features in Elle, Allure, and Vanity Fair, he’s not just a stylist, he’s a creative force of nature.

Known for his passion for empowering others and his mission to elevate the hairstyling industry, Daniel Mason Jones’ energy and expertise are simply unmatched. In this bonus episode, we discuss belonging, stepping into our power, and mental health. And trust me when I say this: we go deep. I hope you enjoy.

[00:02:33] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Daniel, thank you so much for joining me. How’s it going? 

[00:02:34] Daniel Mason-Jones: Um, amazing. 

[00:02:36] Alex Bélisle-Springer: You’re 

[00:02:36] Daniel Mason-Jones: just off stage. The energy here is wild. 

[00:02:38] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I know. Yeah, and you’ve just come off stage, so you still feeling all the energy from the crowd, I guess? 

[00:02:43] Daniel Mason-Jones: Yeah, it was a lot. I, I felt like Beyonce for a minute when I came off the stage. I went on so nervous, and I was like, “How is everyone gonna receive me here?”

And of course- Yeah … you know, as humans, we’re, we get insecure. Yeah. And I started going through this whole mental check of all the things that I should be, should be insecure about before I went on. Mm. I was like, “Okay, my accent, are they gonna understand me?” Um, and they did. 

[00:03:03] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Of course they did. 

[00:03:04] Daniel Mason-Jones: So here we are.

[00:03:05] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:03:05] Daniel Mason-Jones: It’s fine. Isn’t it crazy how we overthink everything? 

[00:03:08] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Oh, like, so, so many things. I was having a conversation just this morning with one of my, uh, one of my colleagues who, we were talking, and you, you’ll probably relate to this because you’re a podcaster too, but I was saying it’s, it’s weird because when I started doing the podcast, I wasn’t used to necessarily hearing myself back.

Right. I got used to that pretty quickly- Mm-hmm … because, you know, I did the editing as well. 

[00:03:31] Bingo Loco Host: Yeah. 

[00:03:32] Alex Bélisle-Springer: But then drifting into public speaking, because I had so much, like, I was so used to editing, you know, episodes and stuff- Right … I would also edit myself. Mm-hmm. But public speaking, whatever comes out, it’s live, it’s there, and it made me so, made me feel so insecure- Yeah and, like, I was so scared. And I remember the first few keynotes and stuff practicing in my room, and I was, like, scared of my own voice. 

[00:03:57] Daniel Mason-Jones: That is so deep in itself. Think of how many people are scared of their own voice. Mm-hmm. Just in general. 

[00:04:03] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:03] Daniel Mason-Jones: Not, literally and figuratively. 

[00:04:05] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah, a lot there. But- I was looking back into our Instagram messages.

[00:04:11] Daniel Mason-Jones: Yes. 

[00:04:12] Alex Bélisle-Springer: We connected in February. 

[00:04:14] Daniel Mason-Jones: Yes. 

[00:04:15] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Um, you were just at the time moving your second location to Phorest. Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:19] Alex Bélisle-Springer: and you were saying, like, “Everything’s going well. My, like, side hustle,” and this is something that I, I relate to, I think we have in common. You said, “My side hustle is the hype guy.” 

[00:04:33] Daniel Mason-Jones: True story.

[00:04:34] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Tell me more about that. 

[00:04:35] Daniel Mason-Jones: I love just getting behind people and cheering them on. People are fascinating to me, and I talked about that on stage today. It was like, you know, I ask a pretty serious question, and my question to the audience was, “Have you ever been somewhere where you’re made to feel unwanted, unloved, unimportant, or uncared for?”

And I said, “I want you to hold that image in your mind just for a moment.” And I could see visceral reactions on- Mm … people’s faces. See people even crossed their arms, and it was like you could just see the feelings. And, um, so my question around that is always, we all have. We’ve all been made to feel those things.

Yeah. You go back to the place where it was, and you can really feel that feeling again. And then my next question was, “Why would we make someone feel that way?” 

[00:05:20] Daniel Mason-Jones: And, you know, we know how it made us feel, so we have the power not to do that. So I’m everybody’s hype person. I never want any… I don’t know what anybody’s going through around me.

[00:05:29] Daniel Mason-Jones: The customers in my salon, the people that I teach in the shows and classes that I do. Anybody that’s around me, I don’t know what they’re going through. I feel like it’s my obligation to this life that I let people know they’re important, and they matter, and that everybody brings value to the world.

[00:05:45] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah, because it’s so true. 

[00:05:46] Daniel Mason-Jones: It’s so true. 

[00:05:47] Alex Bélisle-Springer: This reminds me of something, uh, one of my guests on the show years ago said, “Everyone also has something to teach.” 

[00:05:54] Daniel Mason-Jones: I love that. 

[00:05:55] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:05:56] Daniel Mason-Jones: We come from different walks of life, but yet we’re all walking on the same journey. 

[00:06:00] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:06:00] Daniel Mason-Jones: And I’m trying to think who, who had the quote.

I… And I can’t recall at the moment. I don’t think it’s Rumi, but, um, we’re all here walking each other home. 

[00:06:10] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:06:11] Daniel Mason-Jones: And it’s such a simplistic quote, but when you look at that, why would you walk someone home? Yeah. Maybe they can’t see, or maybe they’ve lost their way, or maybe they’re too weak to walk. But we are all here walking each other home, no matter what that looks like on our journey.

And at some point in time, we’re gonna need somebody to walk with us. 

[00:06:27] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:06:27] Daniel Mason-Jones: And so, uh, yes. But I feel you on a very- … very energetic level. 

[00:06:32] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:06:33] Daniel Mason-Jones: And, um, I think what you’re doing, there’s passion behind everything that you do. And, and I could actually feel that off of your Instagram, if I’m being honest. Wow.

Amazing. Like, your vibe was so strong just looking at your pictures. And I was like, “You know what? I have to know you.” And then our mutual friend Chris was like- Yeah … y- you have to connect. And now I’m actually connecting. It feels surreal. That’s why I said- I know … I was like, “I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity right now. Oh my God.” 

[00:06:55] Alex Bélisle-Springer: And then I said, “I could say the same.” Yeah. But it’s true. And, and I’ve, I’ve been seeing stories of, you know, people reacting to your talk. And one of the quotes that I saw was something along the lines of- People who share often share from a place of pain? 

[00:07:10] Daniel Mason-Jones: Yes. The people that I, I’ve often said, and, and, and I say this respectfully for all people of all walks of life, um, whether you pray or meditate or hold space or light candles, it doesn’t matter what you do. I hope you do something. 

[00:07:23] Daniel Mason-Jones: Um, I always say hold space, pray, meditate for the people that pour into you because the people that are pouring into you are pouring from a place of pain. 

[00:07:33] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:07:33] Daniel Mason-Jones: And I can say that for my own self. I know that to be true. Um, you know, my own journey in life, there’s been so many times that I’ve felt unqualified to even exist.

[00:07:44] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I’m so sorry to hear that. 

[00:07:45] Daniel Mason-Jones: I’m so thankful that I am here and that I can share with people. And so I’ve learned to harness the pain that was in my past. Mm. And I’ve learned to put it into purpose to fuel other people. And, and you can always tell the people that are always, like, just good.

Think of, like, your grandmother. You know, these people that just, they wanna make you food, they wanna feed you, they wanna hug you, they wanna love you. These people have probably come from a place where they didn’t experience those hugs or that food or that love. Mm. And then you see people that are the opposite.

They behave differently. Maybe they’re unkind, or they say hurtful things they’ve never gone through… I’m not gonna say they’ve never gone through because sometimes hurt people hurt people. We’ve heard that before, but- 

[00:08:27] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah … 

[00:08:28] Daniel Mason-Jones: Overall, people that have gone through it and survived it, they’re gonna show up with kindness and love.

[00:08:33] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. You mentioned, you know, cooking food and stuff, and that, that is-

[00:08:39] Daniel Mason-Jones: I love food. 

[00:08:39] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I know, me too. And honestly, I think, you know, when I- I, I just think back of, like, you know, whenever… There was a friend of mine when I was maybe 17 or 18 going through a breakup, and I was like, “Let me come over,” and I brought over, like, spaghetti sauce that I had made, right?

So good. And I, I’ve, I’ve done, like, that kind of stuff for, like, when people come over, I make, like, muffins or [00:09:00] whatever. 

[00:09:00] Daniel Mason-Jones: I love that. 

[00:09:00] Alex Bélisle-Springer: But I think, you know, I think it makes people, like, seen and, like, cared for. And I guess I’m wondering, for you, when you think of, like, a sense of belonging, what… Like, what does belonging look like, feel like, taste like to 

[00:09:15] Daniel Mason-Jones: you?

Hmm, that is a deep question. So belonging for me is just an energy that I can feel- 

[00:09:21] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm-hmm … 

[00:09:21] Daniel Mason-Jones: you know, when I’m around certain people. Um, and I have not always felt that way, you know? And, and a lot of it was my own journey, too, you know? Yeah. There’s a lot of times I didn’t allow myself to fit in a room because I pre-judged how I thought other people would perceive me, and I think we often do that.

[00:09:37] Daniel Mason-Jones: Um, so for me, belonging is just, um… It’s such a powerful word. Do you know who Brene Brown is? 

[00:09:43] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:09:43] Daniel Mason-Jones: Okay, so I’m obsessed. And Brene Brown says so many times you look at a child and, and they dress, they walk, they behave like their peers. 

[00:09:51] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:09:51] Daniel Mason-Jones: Um, and we see it all the time in every culture, subculture.

And so when you see that behavior happening, what we realize from an analytical [00:10:00] perspective is these people, they’re walking around, maybe they’re presenting confidence- Mm-hmm … but they’re not necessarily confident because they’re trying to fit in. And Brene said if you live your whole life trying to fit in, what you realize at the end of your life is that not only did you never fit in, you never belonged.

But even more so, you did not belong- Hmm … to society, you never belonged to yourself. 

[00:10:22] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm-hmm. 

[00:10:22] Daniel Mason-Jones: And that, to live your whole life having never belonged to yourself, I can’t think of anything worse. 

[00:10:28] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Honestly, yeah. Mm-hmm. And that gave me full body shivers. I’m not even gonna lie. 

[00:10:32] Daniel Mason-Jones: It’s true. Yeah. We have to belong to ourself.

Yeah. We were given this whole gift of life. This was our gift. This is your gift. This is my gift. Whoever’s listening, this is your gift. Embrace that. Yeah. You are yours entirely. 

[00:10:45] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. And I think the moment that we’re able to belong to ourself, we’re gonna be more able to tap into and remember that we also belong to each other.

[00:10:54] Daniel Mason-Jones: We’re all spirit. It’s all energy. Yeah. And energy’s all connected. 

[00:10:58] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. [00:11:00] You mentioned some of it was your own journey- Yeah … and, like, allowing yourself to be confident in, like, your skill set or whatever it was. Mm-hmm. I don’t know exactly what, you know, you went through, but- With 

[00:11:09] Daniel Mason-Jones: everything … 

[00:11:09] Alex Bélisle-Springer: what was that moment where you were like, “No, actually, let me step into my own power”?

[00:11:15] Daniel Mason-Jones: you know, it, it, there, that’s long. That’s a long answer. Um, shortening that up, there was a time in my life where I tried to take my life, and having survived that- I didn’t understand gratitude at that moment. I was still so… I was in such a place of pain. 

[00:11:34] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Right. 

[00:11:35] Daniel Mason-Jones: Um, as I matured and as I’ve become A knowing of myself 

[00:11:41] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah

[00:11:41] Daniel Mason-Jones: not what everybody else had told me I should be or who I should be or how I should be. Once I was able to step into my power and own that space, um, and it, it was when I was completely isolated from everyone and everything that I had ever known is when that time happened. I had literally lost everything.[00:12:00]

And when you’re alone is when you find yourself. 

[00:12:04] Daniel Mason-Jones: Because you can’t s- there’s nothing else to search for. Everything I had was gone, so I was like, “I have to search within.” And I decided at that time, I was like, “I’m gonna be authentically who I am.” Um, I was 20 years old when that happened, and I remember, um, very vividly, and I’ve shared my story many times on stage.

Um, being able to step into that power of who I was, it made me successful as a person because if I would’ve gone into the hair industry in particular- 

[00:12:31] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah … 

[00:12:31] Daniel Mason-Jones: trying to sell haircuts, trying to sell color, trying to sell my salon to get people to come work with me, trying to sell appointments or Google reviews or whatever, how can you sell any of those things? Because you’re not really selling product. You’re not selling shampoo. You’re not… You’re selling yourself. 

[00:12:46] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:12:47] Daniel Mason-Jones: And if you don’t know who you are, how can you sell a product you’re unfamiliar with? So I say to people in our industry, I’m like, “You can go to all the product knowledge classes you want to.” 

[00:12:56] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm.

[00:12:57] Daniel Mason-Jones: “But until you know who you are- 

[00:12:59] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm-hmm … 

[00:12:59] Daniel Mason-Jones: [00:13:00] nobody’s buying anything.” 

[00:13:02] Alex Bélisle-Springer: That is so, so real. 

[00:13:04] Daniel Mason-Jones: Mm-hmm. 

[00:13:05] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Wisdom. Yeah. 

[00:13:07] Daniel Mason-Jones: Maybe that comes with age, too. 

[00:13:08] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I mean- 

[00:13:11] Daniel Mason-Jones: You, “Oh, here 

[00:13:12] Alex Bélisle-Springer: we 

[00:13:12] Daniel Mason-Jones: go” … lessons 

[00:13:12] Alex Bélisle-Springer: learned and- Yes, yes … you know, all of that. But yeah, no, um, it’s very powerful. 

[00:13:19] Daniel Mason-Jones: You know, we all have power. 

[00:13:20] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:13:21] Daniel Mason-Jones: It’s just do we choose to tap into it?

You know, I was a funeral director- 

[00:13:25] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Were 

[00:13:25] Daniel Mason-Jones: you? Wow … and embalmer before I was a hairstylist, and there were many times that I would take people to the cemetery, and we would have funerals. And I would often look at the ground where we would place the caskets. 

[00:13:39] Daniel Mason-Jones: And I realized one day, that was the most expensive real estate in the world.

Reason being, there were so many people that are buried. They went to the end of their life, never living fully who they were, never stepping into the career that they wanted to do because they were scared, never asking the person to marry them that they truly loved, [00:14:00] never doing any of the things. There are so many songs that were unwritten.

There are so many movies that were unwritten. So that ground is so full of buried treasure. 

[00:14:09] Daniel Mason-Jones: I refuse to bury my treasure. Mine will be on full display my entire life, and I encourage everybody to do that same thing. Display your treasure. 

[00:14:20] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. 

[00:14:22] Daniel Mason-Jones: Absolutely. 

[00:14:23] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Also, what a, what an interesting, um, part, like, of your life, like- Yeah

career. You must have met so many different, like, i- 

[00:14:32] Daniel Mason-Jones: I mean, I have to joke. Yeah. I still wear black, but They say it’s slimming. I don’t know about that, but- 

[00:14:39] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:14:39] Daniel Mason-Jones: Yeah. 

[00:14:40] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I know that just from hearing, uh, overhearing conversations that you’ve had, that mental health is obviously something that you- Very passionate

very, very, yeah, very passionate about. And, and something that you talk about a lot with your team, I believe. 

[00:14:52] Daniel Mason-Jones: Yeah, with anybody that will listen. 

[00:14:54] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:14:54] Daniel Mason-Jones: You know? Yeah. Because so many people won’t talk about it because there’s so much stigma. There’s [00:15:00] 40% of people that will never get treatment right now- 

[00:15:02] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm-hmm

[00:15:03] Daniel Mason-Jones: because there’s stigma saying, like, “If you get treatment, you’re weak,” when actually it’s the opposite. If you don’t seek the treatment, it’s a sign of weakness. You’re showing that you’re strong by stepping out, saying, “Hey, I need help.” If you had a fever for five days, you’re going to the doctor. 

[00:15:17] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:15:18] Daniel Mason-Jones: So if you feel really sad or depressed for five days, you may need to go to the doctor, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

[00:15:24] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:15:25] Daniel Mason-Jones: You know? And, and a, a thing that I wanna clarify too about mental health is mental health doesn’t mean that it’s a permanent thing. It may be for some people, but it’s just like a cold or the flu. You may have it for only three days. You may have it for two hours. 

[00:15:38] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:15:38] Daniel Mason-Jones: It comes and goes, so understa- learn to be so body aware and so spirit aware of who you are- 

[00:15:44] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm

[00:15:45] Daniel Mason-Jones: that you understand how you’re feeling, why you’re feeling. Like, get to know you. 

[00:15:49] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. The fact that you mentioned spirituality, one of my friends, maybe a little before Christmas, asked me this question, and I am still kind of reflecting on this, but what was your [00:16:00]spiritual upbringing like? 

[00:16:04] Daniel Mason-Jones: That’s really big.

So I’m, uh, first I will tell you that I’m grateful- 

[00:16:10] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm … 

[00:16:10] Daniel Mason-Jones: for my upbringing. Um, it was very strict. It was very, um, exclusive. 

[00:16:19] Daniel Mason-Jones: And if you weren’t that, then you didn’t belong, and you couldn’t belong. Um, it, it was… It’s, it’s ironic that, you know, um, the women in, in my family religion, they don’t cut their hair, they don’t wear makeup.

Mm. When they’re married, their hair goes into a bun. Right. Men can’t see it. Um, you know, we had dietary restrictions, no television, no outward communication with the world, so to speak, unless we were trying to bring them into our congregation. 

[00:16:46] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Right. 

[00:16:46] Daniel Mason-Jones: Um, so it was pretty strict. And, uh, as you might imagine, that was…

it created an atmosphere that was, for me personally- 

[00:16:55] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah … 

[00:16:56] Daniel Mason-Jones: um, was hard. Right. It was very hard. And, [00:17:00] um, again, I respect the people that choose that path. I think it’s wonderful as long as they find kindness toward other people. I think that’s wonderful. 

[00:17:06] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:17:07] Daniel Mason-Jones: I learned some great valuable lessons. Um, it’s not a part of my life now, um, and I’m comfortable with that.

I think life is always bringing you on different journeys, but it was a very strict childhood. 

[00:17:18] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Right. Right. Thank you so much for sharing. You’re welcome. If I could end with this, obviously the theme of the year at, well, the Salon Owners Summit this year is elevate. 

[00:17:31] Daniel Mason-Jones: My favorite.

[00:17:31] Alex Bélisle-Springer: What’s your personal theme this year?

[00:17:34] Daniel Mason-Jones: Gratitude. 

[00:17:35] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:17:36] Daniel Mason-Jones: I’m just trying to lean into gratitude because what I find is when I become overwhelmed or stressed or anxious, I, if, if I start to think about the things that I’m grateful for, those other feelings subside. And so if I can keep myself into a, a spirit of gratitude, it’s a great place. And I also will tell you this in closing.

When you, when you really learn how to harness that power of gratitude [00:18:00] mentally- 

[00:18:00] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah … 

[00:18:01] Daniel Mason-Jones: and you live in that space, you become a magnet. You already are a magnet, but you may not be attracting what you want. You attract so many opportunities. And, and I always say this, and we’ve seen it in quotes, “Your name is being spoken in rooms right now that you never imagined.”

There are people that want to know you. They want to serve you. They want to love you. Um, just live in gratitude because the universe is always gonna send that to you. 

[00:18:23] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:18:23] Daniel Mason-Jones: And, uh, so for that alone, I’m grateful. 

[00:18:28] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Wow. Thank you so much, Daniel. 

[00:18:29] Daniel Mason-Jones: Thank you. Thank you for sharing. I feel so honored to be with you right now.

Yeah. Oh my God. 

[00:18:34] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I- same, honestly. Thank you. And I feel so, so grateful that you were willing to go deep with me also. 

[00:18:41] Daniel Mason-Jones: I, I have so much respect for you. Like, I- having just met you, I know you, and I just think you’re such an amazing spirit, and who you are is so beautiful as just a human being. Like, my God, if we could be surrounded by you, how lucky we would all be.

[00:18:59] Alex Bélisle-Springer: That’s really, [00:19:00] really sweet. I, I receive, but… And it is very- Yeah … very sweet. Yeah, I mean that. It’s very touching. Thank you. Thank you. Well, I hope you have a great rest of the conference. Thank 

[00:19:08] Daniel Mason-Jones: you. 

[00:19:08] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Will I see you at the after party? 

[00:19:10] Daniel Mason-Jones: Um, I’m going to dinner first. No surprise. If you know me, I’m always eating.

Um, and then I’m probably gonna sneak into the party a little bit late, so yes. Okay. 

[00:19:18] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I’ll see you around then. 

[00:19:19] Daniel Mason-Jones: Cheers.

[00:19:26] Josh and Sophie-Rose Goldsworthy: Hi, I’m Josh Goldsworthy. I’m Sophie Rose Goldsworthy. And we’re from Goldsworthy’s Hairdressing in the UK, so in England, in Swindon. 

[00:19:33] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I hear this is the first time you’re at the summit. There’s been a ton of talks already. What has been the biggest takeaway or something that left the biggest impression on you?

[00:19:42] Josh and Sophie-Rose Goldsworthy: Um, the biggest impression for me, I think, is the AI integration. I think that’s gonna revolutionize the industry as a whole. Um, I definitely think for me, the future planning with that is, is, is brilliant. Um, I really enjoyed the talks from the Phorest team, especially on [00:20:00] the salon goals that you can set and how to encourage staff to reach their targets and set goals for themselves as well as the business.

[00:20:07] Wafaya Abdallah: My name is Wafaya Abdallah, and I own Oasis Hair Salon in Rockville, Maryland. 

[00:20:12] Alex Bélisle-Springer: The Salon Owners Summit has a theme this year. It’s Elevate. What is your theme for the year? 

[00:20:18] Wafaya Abdallah: Well, I feel that it is very much the same. It is about elevating, and in that journey, for me, it means to really go deeper in what it means to be connected on a human level, and how can I as a leader and business owner make a difference in the world and make a difference in my team’s lives?

And what I figured out is to help them see their brightest light and do the work to fulfill that. That’s beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing. 

[00:20:51] Kimberley Martin: Um, so my name is Kimberly, and I work for Phorest. My personal theme of the year is change. Yeah, I’m just wanting to expand my horizons this year. [00:21:00]

[00:21:00] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Thanks for listening to this bonus live from episode brought to you by PhorestFM, empowered by Phorest Salon Software.

If you’re on Spotify right now, consider leaving a comment sharing your theme for the year 2025. For links and resources mentioned in today’s episode, check out the show notes or visit phorest.pro/fm. And my one final ask, hit the share button and send this episode to an industry friend, or if you haven’t already, please subscribe, rate, and review the show.

Your support is truly what makes this podcast possible. Until next time… 

[00:21:31] Daniel Mason-Jones: To live your whole life having never belonged to yourself, I can’t think of anything worse

[00:21:41] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Brought to you by Phorest Salon Software. In your salon, we’re at the heart of it. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z, Montreal’s cutting edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments