Staff retention is one of the biggest conversations happening across the hair and beauty industry right now. In this Mini Moment, the girls sit down with Abbe from Koko Cosmetica to unpack what actually keeps great team members in your business and why it’s rarely about perks or pay rises.

Instead, it comes down to something much more human: creating a safe, supportive environment where your team feels respected, heard and able to live their lives outside of work. Because the truth is, your team aren’t just employees, they’re people building their own lives alongside your business.

We talk about the small leadership habits that build loyalty over time, from respecting personal boundaries to paying people properly, and why often the biggest shifts start with looking at ourselves as leaders first.

What we cover:

1. Why creating a safe work environment matters most
2. Letting staff live their lives outside work
3. Supporting sick leave and personal time properly
4. Why leadership self awareness is essential
5. The importance of paying staff correctly and on time
6. Why consistency builds trust within your team

A great team culture isn’t built in big gestures. It’s built in the small, everyday ways you show your people they matter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

https://www.salonrising.com

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

If you want anywhere near a business, it’s hard. There is no secret club. No magic strategy. No shortcut that only a few people know about. In this episode, the straight talking and unapologetically honest Sam Mangan joins us for an unfiltered, no fluff conversation about what it actually takes to build something meaningful and why so many people are chasing the wrong things.

We unpack the myth of instant success and the obsession with access. Meeting the CEO will not save you. A viral moment will not build your foundation. Success is built in relationships, in uncomfortable conversations, in asking better questions, and in choosing to do the hard thing when no one is watching.

This episode is a reality check and a reminder. Every business is a dumpster fire behind the scenes. Every operator is putting out fires daily. If you feel like you’re struggling, you’re not alone. Everyone is in a lifeboat. The difference is not who avoids the hard. It’s who chooses it.

What We Cover

1. Why “it’s hard” is not a strategy
2. The myth of the secret formula for success
3. Why networking is about people, not business cards
4. The truth about instant gratification and social media success
5. Why extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort
6. How to ask better questions in business
7. Why ideas are worthless without execution
8. The importance of relationships at every level

Timestamps

00:00 – Episode Summary

02:29 – The real reason Sam quit

04:18 – Being blunt but still kind

05:34 – Sam’s honest Bond panel rant

08:38 – The rise of free content

10:37 – The danger of delusional ambition

11:27 – The fake influencer illusion

13:58 – The hard work reality check

14:59 – Raising kids around money

18:04 – Questioning self help culture

22:19 – How to spot fake coaches

23:12 – The questions real consultants ask

31:20 – Networking to find real answers

36:52 – Why gatekeepers deserve respect

38:27 – Putting relationships before transactions

39:23 – When kindness genuinely pays off

40:03 – The unexpected Celine Dion story

44:35 – Dating app filters and authenticity

45:42 – Coffee shop loyalty lessons

48:31 – Why change starts today

49:21 – Lessons from the Aspire podcast

53:13 – Ideas are nothing without execution

55:33 – How Sam built his business

57:47 – Why networking takes practice

01:00:28 – The ego free celebrity insight

01:02:25 – Coming back to home base values

01:11:33 – The truth that failure is universal

01:13:18 – Final reflections and wrap up

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

What if the reason your business feels heavy… isn’t the workload, it’s misalignment?

In this Mini Moment, we’re sharing a behind the scenes masterclass from inside Rising Finances Online and Solo Rise Online. This is the foundational work our members do early on, defining their why, their purpose, and their core values.

Because here’s the truth: if you don’t consciously decide how you want your business to serve your life, it will quietly start running you instead.

Your values are your compass. Your why is your anchor. And your purpose is the filter every big decision should pass through.

What we cover:

1. The power of defining your why
2. Values as your business compass
3. Misalignment as a hidden cause of burnout
4. Growth that aligns with your life
5. Building a business that reflects you

This isn’t mindset fluff. It’s practical clarity.

If your business feels noisy, heavy, or disconnected, it might be time to come back to your values.

And if you would like to delve deeper into our online courses, you can check them out below 👇

➡️Rising Finances Online

➡️Solo Rise Online

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

What happens when the hardest season of your life becomes the foundation for your strongest one?

In this deeply honest and reflective conversation, Abbe from Koko Cosmetica returns to the podcast two years after her first appearance, and she is not the same woman. Since we last spoke, she’s navigated postpartum depression, grown her salon to five years strong, welcomed a third baby, survived the FIFO juggle, and stepped into a calmer, more grounded version of herself as both a mother and business owner.

We talk honestly about postpartum mental health, delegation in business, the pressure to keep expanding, sustainable systems, and the uncomfortable truth that growth often requires letting go.

If you are a mother in business, a salon owner feeling stretched, or a woman quietly navigating your own hard season, this one will feel like a hand on your back.

What we cover:

1. The reality of postpartum depression as a business owner
2. Why discomfort is often the birthplace of growth
3. Letting go of a business idea that no longer fits
4. Delegation as both leadership and self protection
5. Creating sustainable systems in motherhood and business
6. The power of separating work and home energy

This episode is a reminder that you can survive the mud, grow through it, and come out clearer, calmer, and stronger on the other side.

Timestamps:

00:00 Episode Summary

04:03 Meet Abbe Again: Five Years in Business, FIFO Life & New Baby

05:44 Putting Projects Down: Pausing the Clothing Brand to Focus

07:43 Choosing Baby #3 After Postpartum Depression Fears

11:31 A Healing Postpartum

13:53 Spotting the Signs: Anger, Overwhelm & Business Pressure

20:37 Sustainable Business Habits: Delegation, Stock & Systems

29:12 Motherhood + Business Balance: Separation, Routines & Small Wins

33:04 Ditching Social Media - Replacing Scroll Time with Podcasts

34:13 The 1% Reminders That Change Your Day

35:18 Family Systems That Save Your Sanity

36:49 Delegation Without Perfection

42:27 Close the Loops: Tackle One Annoying Area to Build Momentum

43:57 Why Uncertainty Is Needed to Level Up

48:06 Seasons of Business

50:33 Putting Projects Down and Staying True to You

55:02 Redefining Success & Legacy

Mentioned in this episode:

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

https://www.salonrising.com

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

Loneliness is something we don’t talk about enough in our industry, yet it’s quietly impacting our health, our work, and our relationships.

In this solo Mini Moment, Jen reflects on a recent conversation sparked by Ange Davis and a statistic that stopped her in her tracks: loneliness has a similar impact on the body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. From there, she explores how modern life, business efficiency, and the rise of solo work can unintentionally strip away real human connection.

This episode is a reminder of the unique role salon professionals play. For some clients, the chair is the only place they’re truly seen, heard, or even touched. And while connection can feel inconvenient, loneliness is far more costly. This Mini Moment invites you to pause, reflect, and consider how small acts of presence can profoundly affect both your clients’ wellbeing and your own.

Because in an industry built on human connection, showing up as a human might be the most powerful service you offer.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

🎧 Event Spotlight: THIS GENERATION

THIS GENERATION, presented by Monique McMahon, is a one-day, industry-led education experience bringing together three hair artists and three unique creative perspectives.

Joining Monique on the day are Taylah Jones and UK award-winning colourist Luci Green, sharing modern technique, global trends and ideas you can take straight back behind the chair.

The day also includes a business and mindset conversation supported by Salon Rising, with Jen and Samara attending on the day.

📍 Edwards & Co Fortitude Valley
🗓 Monday, 2 March 2026

🎟 Tickets are limited — find all the details via the link below 👇

This Generation

In this episode of Salon Rising: The Podcast, Sam and Jen sit down with the amazing Chantelle from Telleish for an honest, expansive conversation about what it truly takes to build and lead a large salon business, without losing yourself along the way. From humble beginnings and major personal sacrifice to creating one of Melbourne’s most iconic salons, Chantelle shares the reality behind the growth most people only see from the outside.

Together, they unpack the identity shift from hairdresser to leader, the emotional weight of managing big teams, pricing with confidence, paying stylists well, and why heart led business can be both your superpower and your biggest challenge. Chantelle also opens up about motherhood, stepping back from the floor, navigating staff turnover, and building systems that allow a salon to scale sustainably while still feeling human.

This episode is a grounded, real look at leadership, money, team culture, and long term thinking, especially for salon owners questioning what “success” actually looks like in this season of their life.

What we cover

1. The identity shift from stylist to leader (and why it can feel like grief)
2. Building and sustaining a large team without burning out
3. Pricing, profitability, and the roadmap to higher stylist earnings
4. Why not everyone will like you — and why that’s part of leadership
5. Creating a “salon for life” model that supports clients through every season

This episode is proof that there’s no single “right” way to build a salon. But there is a way to build one that feels rich in life, aligned with your values, and sustainable for the long haul.

Timestamps

00:00 Episode Summary

01:59 Guest Introduction

05:41 The Story Behind Telleish

09:56 Expanding and Innovating the Salon

22:44 Leadership and Team Management

30:00 Navigating Challenges and Personal Growth

41:30 Building Trust in the Workplace

41:46 The Importance of Team Loyalty

43:04 Challenges in the Hair Industry

44:00 Raising Prices to Elevate the Industry

44:48 Investing in Employee Growth

49:45 Balancing Business and Personal Life

55:06 Navigating Financial Challenges

58:26 Adapting to Industry Changes

1:12:22 The Value of Team Diversity

1:17:22 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

In this Mini Moment, Sam and Jen talk honestly about something salon owners rarely prioritise properly: a dedicated day to work on the business, not just survive inside it.

As they head into 2026, this chat is about boundaries, nervous system care, and why diarising your wellbeing is just as important as diarising clients. From admin Mondays to non negotiable “me days,” this episode is a reminder that sustainability is not lazy, it is leadership.

If you ended 2025 depleted, reactive, or running on fumes, this Mini Moment is your permission slip to slow down strategically and build a year that actually supports you.

What we cover

1. Why a weekly business admin day changes everything
2. The difference between maintenance work and true rest
3. Nervous system burnout and recognising the warning signs
4. Scheduling therapy, physio and health like real business commitments
5. Booking holidays early so rest is planned, not reactive

In short: this episode is a reminder that you are the asset. When you protect your energy, your business becomes stronger, calmer and far more sustainable.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

🎧 Event Spotlight: THIS GENERATION

THIS GENERATION, presented by Monique McMahon, is a one-day, industry-led education experience bringing together three hair artists and three unique creative perspectives.

Joining Monique on the day are Taylah Jones and UK award-winning colourist Luci Green, sharing modern technique, global trends and ideas you can take straight back behind the chair.

The day also includes a business and mindset conversation supported by Salon Rising, with Jen and Samara attending on the day.

📍 Edwards & Co Fortitude Valley
🗓 Monday, 2 March 2026

🎟 Tickets are limited — find all the details via the link below 👇

This Generation

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely