Have you ever mixed up 'dinner coupes' with something else entirely, or accidentally scratched a family heirloom and braced for the fallout? Join us from our parents' homestead, where these anecdotes are just the tip of the iceberg in an episode brimming with humor, warmth, and the occasional burst into karaoke. We reminisce about our special childhood secret knocks, and marvel at the unexpected early return of power post-storm, all while nestled in the nostalgic embrace of family.
When a mini cyclone took Melbourne by surprise, it wasn't just the city that felt the brunt; our very own Salon was thrust into darkness. But as the lights went out, our team's spirits shone brightly, showcasing an incredible aptitude for problem-solving and resilience. We recount how the storm brought us closer together, reinforcing the bonds within our community and highlighting the importance of laughter, even in the darkest of times. Listen in as we share tales of leadership and the power of vulnerability, which proved to be the unsung heroes amidst the chaos.
We reflect on the power of vulnerability and trust within a team, especially during crises. The episode showcases our salon team's extraordinary capacity to handle pressure with poise, earning them the title of 'rock stars'. Whether you're a salon owner or just someone who appreciates a good story about authenticity and connection, there are lessons to be learned and laughter to be had in this rollercoaster ride of an episode.
To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon
This podcast has been produced and edited by Snappystreet Creative
Have you ever mixed up 'dinner coupes' with something else entirely, or accidentally scratched a family heirloom and braced for the fallout? Join us from our parents' homestead, where these anecdotes are just the tip of the iceberg in an episode brimming with humor, warmth, and the occasional burst into karaoke. We reminisce about our special childhood secret knocks, and marvel at the unexpected early return of power post-storm, all while nestled in the nostalgic embrace of family.
When a mini cyclone took Melbourne by surprise, it wasn't just the city that felt the brunt; our very own Salon was thrust into darkness. But as the lights went out, our team's spirits shone brightly, showcasing an incredible aptitude for problem-solving and resilience. We recount how the storm brought us closer together, reinforcing the bonds within our community and highlighting the importance of laughter, even in the darkest of times. Listen in as we share tales of leadership and the power of vulnerability, which proved to be the unsung heroes amidst the chaos.
We reflect on the power of vulnerability and trust within a team, especially during crises. The episode showcases our salon team's extraordinary capacity to handle pressure with poise, earning them the title of 'rock stars'. Whether you're a salon owner or just someone who appreciates a good story about authenticity and connection, there are lessons to be learned and laughter to be had in this rollercoaster ride of an episode.
To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon
This podcast has been produced and edited by Snappystreet Creative
Here at the Consha Salon, we acknowledge the traditional owners of the land in which we stand today, the Boon Rung people of the Kuala Nation. We pay our respects to the elders, past and present, and extend their respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Consha Salon.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to the Consha Salon Pianist if we can just fade that out, please. No, hang on wait. No, she's doing the high part, Go on, Go on. I just did the high part. No, no, no, the part when it's like do, do, do, do. It's like really really high. Oh, that's here Right.
Speaker 2:All right, thank you, pianist. Guess the song we're having a karaoke. No one's gonna know that song, but we are. I hope that didn't clash too much with our Consha Salon theme song, but we do have.
Speaker 1:I'm just in between mum's piano practice and what do you have to do now, del? I'm hiding, hiding. Thanks, mum.
Speaker 2:Quick break between hiding to do some piano and shout out to Tony Abbott as well. Yeah, literally, but we do have another episode. We're at mum's Tess. Why are we at mum's today?
Speaker 1:Oh, it's been a bit of a turvy couple of days.
Speaker 2:It's been a topsy turvy, all sorts of couple of days. We'll get into that in a second. But we are buckling down at mum and dad's house nutting down, bunkering down, whatever it is. We're doing something at mum and dad's place, playing piano, but it's Interrupting pianist.
Speaker 1:Pianist.
Speaker 2:Pianist, pianist, whatever they call it, piano playing. But yes, mum did give us a little treat for the years. Tess and I set up a little office in mum and dad's formal dining room. They're gonna sound like real wankers on here.
Speaker 1:Nikki's actually scratched the table.
Speaker 2:I accidentally scratched. She's just got her inheritance in her. I accidentally scratched the shit out of everyone's parents, who were, like, you know, 70 years. We're in the good room.
Speaker 1:You know the good room, the good room, the good room, it's got the piano, the fireplace, the. What is this?
Speaker 2:What is this type of wood, a scratch table, I think people call it. But it's mum's good table that she only gets out when people come over, but it literally lived under a protective cover for the 20 years that we lived here and then mum has taken it off now and replaced it with a beautiful doily. But I accidentally scratched the shit out of the table with my laptop because we were working and I was furiously typing and whatever else. I don't even know how it happened. Those keys are embedded in this table now, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Documents were written, but it's been a big 24 of 20. The conchless table, the conchless table, I mean it's been a bit of a conchless table. Now, actually, that cover's going straight back on.
Speaker 1:Mum was a bit prickly when I showed her the scratches. She's not dependent, she's feeling she's literally just gotten the confidence to take the cover off and then going straight back on.
Speaker 2:She did bring up some dinner mats or wasn't put right up top onto the earth.
Speaker 1:I just we like that we've got a dinner mat and not dinner coupes.
Speaker 2:Okay, so when Tess and I Okay. Does every family have this? When Tess and I. When Tess and I grew up, everyone has those words that just your family knows what they mean. And when I first met Pete, I was like oh, have you got any dinner coupes? And he was like what? And I was like dinner coupes, like the mats that you put under your plates, and he was like it's just called a dinner mat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mum never told us, so we thought it was just like a thing that our family said was a dinner coup.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it was a dinner cry. One of us said it when we were kids, calling it dinner coupes, and then that just became the common name for it, but I had no idea that that wasn't what they no, neither I think. I did it for, like when my first boyfriend's. I asked his mum, who I was also trying to impress, because I think she thought that I was a bit of a rat bag, she was absolutely on the money with that.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Mum's just brought in. Mum's just brought in.
Speaker 2:Oh, anyway, I'll finish my story. Her secret Nox list. Well, don't give everything away.
Speaker 1:But we had a bit of a. You know the boyfriend, one of my first boyfriends. I remember his mum was really posh and she was like Dinner coupes Pretty much. And I was like, oh yeah, just try and hide the underage smoking that I've been doing with some impulse, so mints and all those sort of things. And then I was sitting at the table because I thought that would really get her off my back a bit and, yeah, I asked her where the dinner coupes were and she thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. So I really didn't play into the not being a rat bag thing with the bow and like where are your dinner coupes?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the dinner coupes thing I like. I honestly got the shock of my life.
Speaker 1:You know the rule if you can open your phone and like, get text, so would you like to read it out.
Speaker 2:Well, this is going to reveal a talking about it.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a probably an emergency sentence.
Speaker 2:Pete just said there's no phone reception in the hills, but our power has come back on.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's huge. We were expected to have our power out for two weeks, so it doesn't make our podcast as dramatic, but we will roll with it. But mum just has brought in our secret knocks list, which she's obviously found from the archives, and it's got our secret knocks, tess. So Tess and I used to live in rooms next to each other. Do you want to quiz me on what I can?
Speaker 1:remember Sure One knock.
Speaker 2:Hello, no, are you awake? Anyway, we had a secret knock system and every we would do like one to one to 10 knocks, depending on what we want to say. And this is what it says. One knock is are you awake? Two knocks yes, I am. And three knocks is no, I am not or no.
Speaker 1:Guess, you do that one, you do that one.
Speaker 2:11 knocks, 11 knocks is I need help.
Speaker 1:Also, there's just the one copy, so this doesn't really work Exactly. I just want to know the person that is using this as their sheet.
Speaker 2:The other person is flying blind when it is. What book are you reading? How you answer that question? On knocks, it's just the next page 25 knocks is a JK Rowling. It's very good though, but anyway, we'll hang that back up and we'll bring the knocks system back, mum and that'll be all for the show and tell, because we're not going to go throughout like memory box. No, no one is interested in that. We don't have the time. That's something for a.
Speaker 1:Sunday lunch. I think when we're wanting to reminisce. The people do not want to reminisce with us, absolutely. But, tess, we're here for another great episode. Oh, they're aware of who we are. I don't think they need to know that in depth, but anyway.
Speaker 2:Thanks, mum. And now it's the sock on the door rule. Please don't end up.
Speaker 1:This is going very well what you could have used in Queensland. Oh, we're in it. I'm like say no more Understood, anyway.
Speaker 2:Okay, we're back with another great episode of the conch. Just so I mean I say great, we're five minutes in and it's been a bit wobbly so far, but we're also in like a couple of hours sleep in a very tense time. Sometimes I can't believe that we get inquiries for mentoring through this podcast. I'm like it's just chaos, do we?
Speaker 1:Oh, we've had a couple. I mean, look, we've had it since we've got a literally a wait list a mile long Actually. Yeah, true, but yeah, you're welcome guys. That's the thing. So the blind can definitely lead the blind Absolutely. We might know business, but we sure as shit can't handle ourselves personally.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:That doesn't sell it, I don't know, but we're back with you Anyway can someone turn my mic?
Speaker 2:Cut my mic, lea. There's a reason, guys, for all the chaos. We have had a turbulent couple of hours, 48 hours, 24 hours. How long it's been? We're gonna run through that today Because you guys know that when we are under pressure, we love to turn the mics on and turn it into some sort of lesson. But, tess, we're gonna skip the week. That was because we're gonna talk about it anyway. But what have we got for Hot Girl Hotline this week?
Speaker 1:No, we're not doing it today. I'm sorry, guys. Love you guys. No, I can't. I've got nothing. I'm sorry, I haven't prepped and it's going to take too long. Love you guys. I have the question six weeks. I promise you that. I promise you that.
Speaker 2:Alright, well, we're skipping Hot Girl Hotline for this week. Everyone's just presumptuously like prematurely turned their radio down because the hot girl hotline jingle is very loud.
Speaker 1:We said to producer I absolutely do not turn it down, it's great, we love it up but turn it down here and there, though, I will admit, just a couple of times.
Speaker 2:Presently.
Speaker 2:maybe we do need to turn it down a splash, but anyway, we're not playing that today, but we are going to talk about what the situation is at the moment, because one of the things that I think is particularly special about what we do, tess something that we have that is quite unique is that we have a mentoring business, but we also have Also you're going to mention the NOC system, which we can give all of our private clients a copy of. No, we have Something that is quite unique that we have different perspective on, I guess, is the fact that we do have a salon that we operate currently. So it does make us a little bit unique because we can have a different perspective, I guess, of what our clients and the community that we have are actually going through every day, because we do stand behind the chair, and I feel like not a lot of mentors in this industry really do have that perspective. Still.
Speaker 1:They've either sold or moved on, or Reliving the highlights reels of what's happened here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, but we actually have the ups and downs daily of business, which gives us a really beautiful perspective and I think, can help us to help our community get through things. Because whatever you guys are going through, chances are we've been through it or we are going through it or we are going to go through it.
Speaker 1:So let's all go through it together. That's good, and I agree. Not that you're asking for me to agree, but I do think that's what about.
Speaker 2:Many thanks.
Speaker 1:You know if I'd be on board with that.
Speaker 2:So let's rewind. We're in Melbourne. Anyone who has heard the news?
Speaker 1:I don't actually know if it's news interstate I don't even think it's news in the state, because did one of our clients know this morning who's in regional Victoria?
Speaker 2:No. Yeah, they had a little storm, but not a big storm?
Speaker 1:No, were they aware of what happened in Melbourne?
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah Were they? I think so, but like one of our girlfriends lives in regional Victoria, she didn't know that it had been so hectic in Melbourne.
Speaker 1:So I think everyone's little, a little bunch of.
Speaker 2:Rachel Barn there. No, no, no.
Speaker 1:Niki's waiting on your call right.
Speaker 2:No, no, she messaged me.
Speaker 1:She messaged me. She got the sniff of it, did she? No, no, she didn't, You're right though.
Speaker 2:No, but they had a little storm as well.
Speaker 1:A little storm Niki.
Speaker 2:we're not in a little storm. It was declared a mini cyclone. I don't know if you saw that news.
Speaker 1:No, they had a storm. They've got no internet, they've got no water, they've got nothing.
Speaker 2:So she's in the same boat as well. Not you anymore you're out, you've got your power back. Exactly, no, me, exactly. I'm on the other side of it, guys. It was absolutely fantastic, but we had a huge, huge, huge drop. I've never seen weather like it. Anyone who doesn't believe in global warming?
Speaker 1:enough said.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was the most hectic. I've actually never seen weather like it. It was only like a 10-minute storm, but we were at the salon having a great day and I truly have never seen anything like it. The storm came through. It was like cyclonic. I mean, obviously it was declared a mini cyclone, it's like a cyclonic. Yeah, is that a word, not a word? Let's make it a word. But it was unlike anything I've ever seen before. It looked like a tornado. The rain was so heavy, it was hailing, the thunder was going, it was so crazy and you literally couldn't see outside. It only lasted about 10 minutes, but the 10 minutes was so intense and the damage and carnage that was done in such a small window was absolutely terrifying. Yeah, I agree, I had my sister-in-law sent me a photo of their trampoline, took off and landed like a few hours away.
Speaker 2:You haven't even showed you that's so scary. The trampoline went flying. Apparently the neighbor was really not good about it as well and was like you're responsible for this because you didn't reinforce your trampoline to the ground like, hold your trampoline down, you're doing great.
Speaker 1:You were riding all that down.
Speaker 2:Thank you, sharon, we love it. Yeah, it was pretty hectic. Our salon lost power and both our homes lost power and the power on our homes, despite very, very recent news of it all coming back.
Speaker 1:Not all of us, it wasn't expected. Not all of us are on the other side and my community is really not giving my confidence when it's going to be restored any strong hope?
Speaker 2:Yeah, all the best, but we're under a lot of pressure in a short amount of time there, but we want to talk about what happened and we really want this episode to. Actually, I really want to highlight our team, because our team was so incredible the way that they responded, and I truly believe that that has come down to building them up to be able to think fast on their feet and it's gotten to a point where they're thinking 10 times better and clearer than what we are because we've got so much going on at the moment. So let's talk a little bit about it. We're at the salon.
Speaker 1:I wasn't why it starts flickering.
Speaker 2:Well, we joked about it at the start of the day. Actually, we're in our morning pump up and I said things to be aware of, things to be aware of section. I actually said you know, there is some wild weather coming. So I said in 11 years we've only lost power once, otherwise we've never lost power.
Speaker 1:You put it out there.
Speaker 2:The girls actually did say that. But yes, I did mention that in the morning pump up. I thought it was needing to be talked about but apparently it wasn't. And yeah, I maybe jinxed it for the entirety of the world.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't take all. Lots of people were talking about it. I went to well we had. I wasn't in the salon when all this went down. I was up at my house just just preparing for the rock concert that I was going to at 34 years old, which is I went off to a blink 182 last night, which was really a great concert, but it was, um was, very tense time up there as well.
Speaker 2:34 and going to like a punk rock gig is. You know? Pardon the play on words, but what is my age again?
Speaker 1:100% loved. It was back at my youth. But then as soon as the concert was finished, you know when you get the little, the little cane beans that want to like, be like what was that? And I was like, oh sorry, we actually don't know each other.
Speaker 1:I won't be engaged, so I just kept being like who was talking to who, but during I'm going to I. Actually there's a couple of things that we need to highlight with this. So Nikki was in the salon with the team. Power goes off. You were off in gig life. No, I was in. Actually, my area is one of the worst hit areas at the moment, with massive destruction. I'm actually not going to be making a joke around this, because my community of Denver is definitely in like a shambles at the moment, cause this is your first like massive storm living in the hills.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I could see it, so I think that was scarier. The house behind me has been flattened with the gum, so that's a gum. Trees come down from the root, which is in the park next door to my house, and that's smashed. The opposite house and it's so easily could have been our house if it had a blown the other way. I think that really puts things in perspective for you. There's carnage through my little little town of Jimbrook through to emerald. It's kind of power lines ripped out everywhere, live wires on the roads, trees it was kind of interpretive perspective and Tesla lives in this tiny little town.
Speaker 2:It's almost like sovereign hill vibes with like less quills, but it's so beautiful Like I'm like I'm sure I just saw a horse and can't go past it like a week ago, but it's like this beautiful sort of year old town vibe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think even seeing it last night in my frenzy of. So yeah, obviously watching the house getting totaled was awful, but then watching how the community responds, like this stuff so nice that you sometimes invite into everyone's house to you know like everyone with the chainsaw, which is pretty much the entire community bar mechanized.
Speaker 1:So they took a bread knife house it went out and started chopping up trees. The sense of community is amazing in SES and firefighters but we're not here to talk about that but just the during that time I've been completely outside on your leave day, so my only focus of them was cleaning up my house from the destruction that happened at my house and getting off the mountain so I can go to the concert, which you know perspective, I know, but also hell of a concert. So I don't regret any of those decisions. But during this time I think how we've shown up consciously in these moments, because Nicky was so aware of the fact that I had I was actually off because it's my best friend's birthday anniversary. It was not her birthday, it was her death day yesterday.
Speaker 1:So I always just have that day to myself to just just in case I'm feeling a bit wobbly. I was feeling a bit wobbly and it was just really nice to have a bit of time to just sit with my feelings and not put pressure on to go on, work and be happy and all of those things. So Nicky was incredibly respectful, as was my entire team and aware of that day and just me having a bit of quiet time out of the salon and then going to the concert last night with one of my best friends. You didn't wanna disrupt that and all of I actually didn't learn about anything happening at the salon until mom called me to tell me, but she thought Nicky had already told me. So I just wanted to acknowledge that first hand that, Nicky, we've gotten so good at being able to control craziness when things don't go to plan, and panic and chaotic situations that you didn't even disrupt or let me know what was happening.
Speaker 2:So I mean, yeah, also, what could you do Like that's? I think one thing that is could be really valuable for people listening to this is understanding what to stress over, because at the moment, we do have quite a bit of pressure on. We're changing. We're basically burning our business to the ground and reinventing it. New team or like we've changed team. We're restructuring our business. We're really going through our procedures and changing those completely. We're doing some hectic planning, we're doing a big renovation, we're about to rewrite our values and what the reason is that we actually get out of bed every single day. So we're like reinventing our business pretty much. So we do have a lot of pressure at the moment. We've got a lot of things that we're obligated to do and the first quarter of the year we have committed to a lot. So things are pretty high pressure at the moment and there's nothing like the universe throwing you lessons constantly and less than it was.
Speaker 2:So we were in the salon, I had just packed all my stuff into the car ready to go. The massive storm hits and the lights start to flicker and interestingly and I wasn't made aware of this during the day I was only made aware of this at the end of the day, han had decided, like in her head, that it was a good idea to recline one of our electric chairs, our electric massage chairs, sorry, like our basin chairs. So we were torturing our clients. But where she put the recline, recline the chair. So had the foresight to think, okay, the power might go out today. If it does, we wanna have a chair back, which already is just like a different level of forward thinking and a different level of being self led.
Speaker 2:Then I really do think that, yes, our team are incredible and exceptional and they think differently. But so many different situations that we've been gifted over the last couple of years working together, we have all learned to think differently. So Han thought that far ahead, which we're so grateful for, and she'd let everyone know leave this chair reclined for the day, because I want people to be able to hop in and out of it if they need to. And then, so lights start to flicker, power goes out. So two of our girls were in the middle of full heads of foils, one of our girls was just polishing off the end of a haircut and power goes out, the music goes out, the computer turns off, all the salon is dark and immediately I felt myself start to go into that fight or flight response, you know fly, did it go off like?
Speaker 2:it's in like off. I mean it didn't make that dramatic noise, but yeah, it all just cut out once. Did it do?
Speaker 1:this once, Boo. You know it was like that in the movies.
Speaker 2:No, it didn't Like it would have locked down. It would have been very dramatic Well yeah, it's that sound.
Speaker 1:I know you'll find one.
Speaker 2:But we so, yeah, that went down Immediately. I felt my fight or flight response kick in and I think I almost had like a freeze response because I just sort of looked around at everyone else and usually in an emergency situation I'm actually really good to take out the hot water system thing because I was a bit wobbly then. But if there's an emergency situation, if there's a car accident or something, usually I'm really really good in those situations. I can know how to calmly assess the situation, make judgment calls, go into action, but stay really calm. So I actually felt myself freeze a little bit and I looked around at the girls just to judge everyone else's responses and what I saw was Hannah grabbed a tripod and put her phone torch on and then got her client to hold the torch on her head and just continue to foil. It was I actually said to the girls in the night.
Speaker 2:I don't even know if Hannah's client realized that the she didn't know. I don't even think she actually acknowledged that the lights had gone off, cause I was like she just kept talking about the Taylor Swift concert. Did she go? She'd get tickets? I don't think Taylor Swift's been here.
Speaker 1:I haven't started yet.
Speaker 2:But they just would just carry them with the conversation. It was like nothing had happened. And then I looked down at-. Sorry, I just realized that.
Speaker 1:I like, fully harnessed onto that part of the conversation which is not even relevant. So sorry, everyone.
Speaker 2:You're in gig mode, I understand, but then I looked down at Tash and Tash and Amelia were working together, so Amelia was passing up to Tash Amelia's our new team member and Tash has been with us for about a year and so this is, like you know, her second disaster with us in terms of something not going according to plan. And I looked at the two of them and again Amelia grabbed a phone and just held a phone torch up and Tash just kept going and made sure that her client was comfortable and reassured her client. There was literally no anxiety whatsoever. I look over to the left and Jazz has already moved her client. She was doing a haircut. She's already moved her client to the front of the salon to get the natural light, so she just sat her client up the very front with the waiting area, at the waiting area and continued the haircut so she could see it right in the natural light.
Speaker 2:And all I could think to do in that moment was to grab a mobile phone and film content, because I thought I'm not really sure what to do. However, this moment, right now, I'm looking at our team and I'm like, wow, wow, look at these people supporting each other, thinking on their feet, not creating drama, problem solving. All I could see was just people and I also just thought these people will literally write our dies for our clients and our salon. No one panicked and everyone just knew what to do, even me grabbing the phone. Do the content? I?
Speaker 1:was like I don't know what to do, but I know my role right now. Well, make it great real.
Speaker 2:I know my role right now is filming some content Naturally Nikki in a natural state.
Speaker 2:In my natural state. But it was just the most incredible display because it reminded me not only do we have exceptional humans in there, but the way that we have cemented our teamwork and the way that we've also empowered our team to trust themselves, trust themselves to make the right decision and allow them to step into that. It was so beautiful and it was so conscious and so calm in there. And then, obviously, the power didn't come back out. So we ended up calling our clients because we didn't want to impact their experience and we ended up cancelling the rest of the night. But everyone walked out with their hair done, that was in, Everyone worked together and it was a really, really beautiful experience. So we debriefed on that a little bit. And then this morning it's been a bit tricky. We've been back and forth to the salon overnight and the alarm was going off. My car was stuck in the garage because we couldn't get the garage out.
Speaker 1:Can I give the days stuff today, because I went in this morning and I know you went in, so Nikki went in and Nikki's fellas have about 16 minutes overnight.
Speaker 2:I was trying to problem solve. I was like, all right, we're gonna get a generator.
Speaker 1:And then the generator will take.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the generator.
Speaker 1:I don't think generator's been that Google. It's what it has been in the last 12 hours.
Speaker 2:And also there's actually to get a generator the size that we would need would take many days and thousands of dollars. So my brother-in-law was saying, you know, to take quite a few days, someone's gotta come in and sign it off and blah, blah, blah, wire it in. I didn't realize it was like. I thought it was just like back up the trailer and plug it in.
Speaker 1:But it's not like that.
Speaker 2:Nikki just thought it was a big double A battery. Yes, we only got this in Until. I got that for Kmart or what.
Speaker 1:I think that it is, and like this, I totally agree with you that everything the team are exceptional with how they handle things and what we choose to put energy into. But I also like to point out as well Nikki and I, when these things happen, we often get really still have to work on not getting super overwhelmed, and never in the salon, but outside of it we can get pretty tense and we can really start, you know, trying to. One of us will usually start amping up and then the other one will try and bring it back down and it kind of can go an ebb and flow between. Both of us had very little sleep last night. Obviously, neither of our houses have got power and the salon didn't have power, so just, we've all met at mom's house this morning, but we, nikki's been up since. I don't know what time You're gonna go to sleep.
Speaker 2:I did. I went to sleep for about 90 minutes at just after midnight, and then I hopped up at 2.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which doesn't surprise me, because I know that that's you know how and why I'm a problem solver.
Speaker 2:So I was just like okay, and this scenario and this? No, I was like but we can't solve this problem, yeah, we don't.
Speaker 1:We can't solve the problem because how we're gonna solve it is not reliant on us. So I also think it's extrudes layered, because Nikki's car was also trapped in the garage at the salon, which we couldn't even, I think, up until 10 o'clock. You're at the salon last night trying to.
Speaker 2:Sort it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I've still got different parts of the area kept coming on, so we'd get like I was watching the Facebook. It's okay, you know this, this part of the suburbs, come on. So I'm like all right, mom, get in the car and you're driving me back down to the salon, so I kept going back and forth trying to thank god mom's um.
Speaker 1:What is it like, love languages?
Speaker 2:People please exactly.
Speaker 1:She's never her cups never been so full Overflowing. But we uh my brain similarly ticked over. So I got home at about 1 am Last night, Uh, taking makeup off in a pitch black house with a phone which was on 8%.
Speaker 1:I had to shine it onto my. Oh my god, it was a nightmare. It was absolute nightmare, um, but that didn't matter. My Stepdaughter thinks this is like. She was so happy this morning when she got she could hear me up smashing about and she was like Um, are you gonna have a shower? And I said no, but there's no hot water. She was like I'm going back to bed. She just thinks it's like a novelty, but we've got no power at my house.
Speaker 1:Obviously Took me two hours to get back down here. That was all fine. My fish, though, died. One of my fish died oh no, so seriously, that's genuinely when I came in. So I drove down to mom's house this morning. Um, I have, I've got still. I've still got eight. There's plenty. I lost one of the little ones. I knew I would, because they can't survive that long with um, the heat and not on the tropical fish and the filter not going. That's why I came down so early. So I got up at 4 am so just the three hours late 4 am to quickly bag up the fish in sandwich bags and quickly empty that tank out, then grab the podcast, because I was like I know we're gonna get some content today.
Speaker 2:She's like we always record on Wednesday. It's just me.
Speaker 1:I brought the mikes and I was like seriously, yeah, but I was like, yep, absolutely, there's this opportunity here came back off the mountain and I'm not gonna like driving through my area at the moment. It is like, especially with the house, it's been flattened. I'm emotional thinking about it. It's carnage up there and it's it's traumatic. It's something where you're looking at oh, there will, there will be deaths in the coming days.
Speaker 2:That people will yeah we don't know about yet. Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:And I think with it it's such a different way, because I've gone from like living in the burbs to living in bush and like, yeah, I've not seen a house being smashed down with like it's very confronting.
Speaker 2:It's super confronting before that. Then, though, when you're a flat lander before then, you hear it differently. Oh, you know, tree destroyed my neighbor's house. Oh, that's not good, and you don't think about it, but when you actually physically see it and hear the impact, it's so awful.
Speaker 1:Oh, and, as I said to me class night, if it was the other tree on our side, it would have been our house and like I just think about how anyway it's super emotional my neighbor as well as leaving, trying to get off the mountain, as so many people were trying to get off last night. Because it does, it becomes really dangerous and you start thinking like shit you get a bit paranoid yeah. And she said to me I know this is your first one and I felt the exact same way and it's okay.
Speaker 1:Like you know, whatever you need, we're here, ba-ba-ba. She was beautiful, but I was like, oh, I'm actually just trying to get to a concert. Thank you so much for sitting with me on this one, harley. Have you heard any blink when I choose on? But leaving this morning with the fish, the podcast mics and Like not even able to have a shower or like and going, we've got a full day of clients, all those things we've got. You know, we've got the responsibilities for and also going to the salon.
Speaker 1:And, of course, when I get in the car and I'm like, cool, it's 6 am, it's not going to take me long to get to mums, I'm going to be there by 8 am. And then it just kept going further and further down because I'm hitting more and more traffic. It's harder to get through, it's fine. So I got here with a half an hour to spare before we had to be on our first call and straight away I just felt myself being so overwhelmed.
Speaker 1:And, of course, you're ready to get into the, the mode of like, let's create the plan, let's do this, let's do that, and I was like I'm walking in here with 90% of my feet, 90% of my fish, which is all leads straight away Again. Kids just see the world differently. He was like Tessa got new fish. It was like nope, and they're dying, so you really need to get them in. But coming in and actually sitting down and just Feeling straight away like I was just very conscious of the fact that my brain was so disconnected from my body and I felt so heightened the whole way down I was just trying to breathe, breathe, breathe, but not Not connecting to my breath, not getting it to the places I just like I've been in, like cortisol and stress for like.
Speaker 1:Two minus the couple hours at blink, which was great.
Speaker 2:But, then I think we've also got so many obligations like today's back to back and you're like okay.
Speaker 1:I've still got a um like I need to make sure that I'm in a good headspace so that I can hold space for people, um, and strategize and do all those things yeah and then when we started talking, I think we were both kind of realizing that, you know, we've had a pretty, pretty rough 24 hours and it's been pretty stressful, and I could see we were both Really conscious of getting to the salon to be with the girls but also be with our clients, because, you know so and this is the beauty of having two people we can do that.
Speaker 2:We were like okay, you take this business, I'll take this business. Yeah you work in that one today, I'll work in this one, yeah.
Speaker 1:So Nikki was in a bit of a clearer headspace and I was. This morning I was definitely Um, pretty delicate pretty, I would say. I mentally. I was in the toilet and I eventually got myself together to go down to the salon and Be with the girls and I walked. I, even before I went in, I was like great, I'm gonna pull over and do some, you know, deep breaths, really center myself so I can go in and be great supports to them and really go in and show them that I'm here to back them up, because I also want to say Wednesdays, we're not in the salon and we also we Wednesdays, our full obligation is to the conscious salon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, and there was plenty of people to deal with everything down there, but what really needs to happen in that moment is that when you're in a position of leadership, the team need to see that you're in there to get your hands dirty and everyone's in the same boat and you're all Solving the same problem and you're all there to get comraderies. That's what they need, exactly, yeah.
Speaker 1:So when I walked in and I really thought I had my shit together, I looked at, so Jazzy was already on the phones, tash was there Hands at trade school today and Amelia was out the back and I just looked at Tash and she just held her arms out. It literally makes me emotional because I just said to her I'm gonna cry. And then she said come, come and cry with me. And I just thought I'm sitting here thinking that I need to go in and be rock solid for them and show up and be in that power, that real, you know, ignited rock. You know, okay, it's all good, guys like getting it together, but but really I'm feeling really wobbly. I'm feeling I'm feeling a bit like more water. I'm feeling like I'm really going to have to push for that and the simple act of her just holding me in that moment and allowing me and again play back into vulnerability.
Speaker 1:Our last episode that we spoke about. I didn't try and pretend that I had my shit together. So I actually don't actually don't have my shit together right now and what I realized was that our team they're solid and they're amazing and they're good and that doesn't mean that I need to stop showing up. I still will show up every time and I know that you'll show up every time. We will continue to be there and be 100% solid. But what I learned was they're just as solid for us and the whole thing of when we sat and we spoke and debriefed and they were just. They were like everything's fine, clients, totally fine. We've rescheduled everything. Everyone understands it's not a big deal We've got. This is a plan. This is a plan. This is a plan of what we're going to be doing.
Speaker 1:Dad we're just recording a podcast.
Speaker 2:Can he ring?
Speaker 1:your bell or something.
Speaker 2:We're recording a podcast. Can you get out? You can pop that in there.
Speaker 1:Just that little bit Beautiful, all right. Well, dad's just come back from wherever you pop back from dad, oh, that'll do.
Speaker 2:Thanks Also, dad. Just go on google reviews if you want to check out the restaurant, but like that's like dad's generation, goes to the restaurant to have a look at the menu.
Speaker 1:Probably introduce yourself to see where it was. I'm busy and parking see all the car parks shut.
Speaker 2:No, dad, we're on a time limit.
Speaker 1:So off you pop. Thank you very much, thanks, but yes, we'll see, we'll be in touch. Depends how long we're stuck here for Exactly. Yeah, so we had.
Speaker 1:I realised in that moment that we had such like I was going in to try and be there for them and I actually realised that I actually needed them to be there for me and that's all that they were concerned about. They knew that that my area had been really smashed. They knew that there'd been a tree come down and flattened my neighbour's house, and just the way that they held me in that moment and we were able to just talk and debrief and just have that true vulnerability with each other. And even Mills you know she's only been there for, I think, a month, a month. She's so new into our space, but it just really made me realise how aligned she is as well, because straight away, you know, she came up, she gave me just as much love as, you know, tash and Jazzy, who have been, you know, my solids for years now. And I just realised the and what you showed me with your little wheel, that you've created little wheels, that's so condescending. You're incredible wheels.
Speaker 2:You're little social media thing that you do?
Speaker 1:I could see it. I could see it. I was like, oh yep, there's no panic all through there. And even when I walked in the salon I was like, oh yep, they're cool, they've got it, they're.
Speaker 2:I smell a practical tip. What would you say to our salon owners, who may be under pressure at different points? What would you say to them? What's your advice?
Speaker 1:I'm going to go with what happened for me today, going back into old mentality of wearing crisis, assuming that they're going to be panicked and that I'm going to need to come in and, you know, calm everyone down. I actually realised that I was the one that needed calming down and how safe it was for me to do that, and I think a few months ago that wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have had the same response or reaction. So I was super grateful for the change that's happened in our salon Beautiful, Because I really realised that our team are rock stars. I always think that they're rock stars, but seriously, they're rock stars. Under pressure and when chaos is happening, they are cool, calm and collected. They're amazing, and that just made me take some of the pressure off. I'm more able to be way more effective because I realised oh great, I can actually just come here and have a good time for a couple of hours. And we did. It was you know and this is all, and we got the power back, which is a saving grace.
Speaker 1:We got the car out of the garage.
Speaker 2:But also the girls had a plan for today. They were like, okay, we're going to do this. We've got a list of things to do, we're going to call these people, we're going to cancel their appointments, we're going to do this. They had a full plan, which is amazing.
Speaker 1:And when the power came back on, they're straight away pivoted again from the plan. Great, we're going to call all these people and see who we can get back in for today. Yeah, so they're not being put out again, waiting another day, two, three, next week, whenever it is at their reschedule 12. Beautiful, advice. Was that a tip? Yeah.
Speaker 2:I think.
Speaker 1:so what was that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think showing up authentically and Niki will put this in a nice bow. Yeah, that's what I do. Showing up really authentically is so important and I think it just goes back to what we said last week the vulnerability. It's so important. We speak on this theme so often because I think it is truly the most valuable lesson we've ever learned. It's not about emotionally leaning on your team, it's about being vulnerable and having really honest conversations. And the girl this is I said this on the episode with Han a couple of weeks ago, when I truly know that anyone out there yesterday would have the girls, would have done anything in that instance to make it happen, and they really would do anything for us and bend over backwards and we would do the exact same. So what that creates is a huge amount of trust. It's beautiful. What's your Prakiti, my Prakiti?
Speaker 1:look I took a second. Make sure the phone's a charge so you can get some content.
Speaker 2:Content, content, content. That's my Prakiti. No, truly. When you're under pressure, pick up a phone and press record, because it makes it extra content.
Speaker 1:Unless people are melting down? Probably don't, Unless you want to use it as a what not to do that?
Speaker 2:will create the highest reach content. Not joking, look, it's really about taking. I took a little freeze yesterday and it wasn't because I was scared or anxious. I actually really consciously stopped and was like I just need to assess the situation before I start thinking too far ahead. So I actually took a second. I wasn't anxious, I wasn't scared, I just was like I'm just going to take a second to work out what's going on, how I feel, before I start trying to problem solve, because my natural state is problem solve. Then I got my content. That was necessary and we'll make excellent footage.
Speaker 2:Then also, really, really, really trusting your team the biggest advice that I could give to any salon owner is to trust your team. Yesterday I saw a demonstration of our team just absolutely have it Like they don't need us. They are so solid in themselves. I do think that there's an element that we have given them so much trust to make their own decisions and to be self led. We've given them our full permission to make mistakes and learn from it. Yesterday, everyone just trusted exactly what they were doing and no one hesitated, no one looked at me. Everyone just did their own thing and then I was looking at them going okay, cool, that's what they're doing then, but giving your team your full trust and knowing that it's okay if they do things and make mistakes, and it's okay if they do things and fly free, because our team were amazing yesterday and I just thought, bloody hell, I trust these guys so much.
Speaker 1:That's so beautiful.
Speaker 2:Tess, we end our episode in gratitude. What are you grateful for?
Speaker 1:The girls obviously like I'm not, I'm not going to go into a concert. Actually, I'll say that first. That was terrific, filled up my cup. Thank you so much, phillips. I am so grateful for our team and for them holding me today, because I didn't realize that I I think I thought that I had myself in a better place than what I actually did and I think just the option to choose to just lean in and not pretend that I had my shit together and just feel how I needed to, just for a moment or a few minutes it was.
Speaker 1:It really helped and I'm so grateful that they all met me. There's so much love and compassion and understanding and there was no you know seeing, okay, it was just, it was all love, beautiful. So. I'm super grateful for that moment. I'll remember it forever. Beautiful mate, what about you? Oh, and Mum and Dad for hosting us. Thanks guys, thanks guys.
Speaker 2:And they might be hosting me a little longer.
Speaker 1:Potentially my family will say here we go.
Speaker 2:I'm really grateful for Energy Australia for getting us back up and running, but also I'm really grateful for the opportunity for this lesson, because last night I felt so grateful for my car. I was like wow yesterday morning.
Speaker 2:I was like my car's feeling a little bit like rattly, Like I was starting to feel like it needed a service and I was like there's plenty car blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. And I was just like, wow, I'm so grateful for my car that is trapped in that garage. I'm so grateful for our team who are so self led. But mostly I'm just really, really grateful for the constant lessons and things happening for me. My mentor, georgie, taught me this Life happens for you, not to you, and everything is a gift. And yesterday, when I was feeling like a little bit out of my depth at different points, thinking what's the strategy with this generator, blah, blah, blah, and I remembered this is happening for me. This is happening for me. This is happening for me. I have to just see that there's going to be a lesson or some good content or a great podcast out of this. So you got the trifecta, got them all. Absolutely, tess, take us out with your catchphrase what did? I'm sorry?
Speaker 1:Do you know what it is? Yeah, no, what is it? Stay conscious.
Speaker 2:No, I'll say it actually Love you guys.
Speaker 1:Stay conscious, Sing along everyone.
Speaker 2:You need to get into the singing part.
Speaker 1:Is this copy written yeah, copy.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much for listening to this episode and hanging out with us today To hear more about our journey. Follow us on Instagram at the underscore conscious underscore salon. If you're a shit speller, check the spelling of conscious or at ahead hair underscore. Thank you so much for joining us today and we'll see you in the next episode.