The Conscious Salon
Welcome to The Conscious Salon.
Here for the real talk salon owners actually need.
The Conscious Salon Podcast is where salon owners get clear guidance without the fluff. Hosted by Nic & Tess, we break down leadership, team culture, money, client journey, systems and numbers into simple moves you can use this week. Expect straight talk, real stories, lots of laughs and practical frameworks that help you lead well, grow profit, and have a life outside the salon.
You will hear from salon owners, industry leaders and working mums who have done the hard yards. We cover mindset that holds under pressure, meetings that improve your team culture, and the habits that build a self led team.
Follow the show and start with leadership posture, client journey design, and money mindset.
Listen in, implement, and stay conscious.
The Conscious Salon
"I was going to sell my salon." with Dominique Molluso-Pigott
What happens when the dream you chased becomes the cage you’re stuck inside? Dom from NEIKE Hair joins us for a brutally honest ride from opening a salon at 22, to surviving lockdowns, to nearly selling everything when burnout and doubt took over.
The twist: one hard conversation made her choose community over exit, and that choice reshaped everything.
We dig into the early wins and hidden costs of being fully booked, how a scrappy pivot to tint kits and e‑commerce kept the lights on, and why leadership by proximity fails once growth hits. Dom lays out the moment she stopped identifying as “just a hairdresser” and started operating like a CEO: setting standards, publishing numbers, and building systems that let the salon thrive without her glued to the chair. It’s not hype; it’s training pathways, financial clarity, and weekly rhythms that turn chaos into consistency.
There’s a powerful identity thread here too. Dom revisits Fashion Week, once the pinnacle of her ambition, and admits she outgrew that dream. Her body knew first; her mind caught up later. We talk about choosing better rooms, collecting evidence that freedom is possible in the salon industry, and leading in a way that heals old workplace wounds.
If you’ve felt chained to your calendar, scared to step back, or unsure how to translate values into profit, this conversation offers proof and practical steps to move forward with less hustle and more intention.
If this story hit a nerve, follow the show, share it with a salon owner who needs it, and leave a review so more founders can find these tools. Your next brave step starts here.
To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon
Oh hang on. They brought something up that I'm not comfortable with. Cool.
SPEAKER_01:So fine. We can just take it up afterwards. I think we'll be fine. I've like not rehearsed it, but I'm like, I've got a good thing in my head. I'm like, okay.
SPEAKER_04:Probably not go that way though. Yeah, no, I bet. I bet. 100%.
SPEAKER_01:I was listening to the one you guys did this morning, like put up this morning. Oh, right. I had to stop it because I was gonna start crying. That's so beautiful. I was like, oh, it's beautiful.
SPEAKER_04:It was actually really unwell when that one was. I was so sick. Really? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:No, no, I didn't have I didn't have gastroenteric. I had like gastro symptoms, but I had been glutened.
SPEAKER_04:Yes, that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_03:I'd eat gluten. And that was me Saturday night, and yesterday I was fast.
SPEAKER_04:Thanks, do you? Yeah, let's do 40. Yep. Thank you, mate. Legend. Welcome back to the Conscious Alan podcast. And I'm just recording. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_03:Oh not ready.
SPEAKER_04:Even am I like fucking around?
SPEAKER_03:I have to record the ads today, too. Should I just quickly bang that out now? No, we'll do them each one. Do one now, then I'll do one, then you do one, then I'll do one. We can just use do you do one and we'll you just use that the whole way through. Oh, we can use the same one? I just that's what I've been doing. Loud. Talk a bit louder.
SPEAKER_00:Cool.
SPEAKER_03:Good.
SPEAKER_04:Okay. Let's go. Cool. Exciting. Ready, ready, ready.
SPEAKER_03:Is it me or you? Good. Welcome back to the Conscious Salem podcast. I'm very excited because we have someone very special in the studio with us today. She was the kid who said she always wanted to be a rich and famous hairdresser with a purple Lamborghini. You don't scream purple Lamborghini. It's changed now, guys. It's changed now. She was obsessed with hair from primary school days on the salon floor at 14, qualifying just before 18. So she learned the craft fast and business the hard way. At school, they teased her nickname and accidentally named her future brand. Neek was born long before the sign went up. By 22, she opened her salon doors in Melbourne, Neek Hare. Which is so wild that you open when you were 22, because we opened when we were 21 and 23, and I thought that was young. Oh my god, I love that. Six years into her business journey, and only eight months ago, she nearly walked away from it all. Burnout, doubt, the belief that her business could never run without her in it. She stepped into Becoming a Conscious Salon, our six-month program, where she rebuilt her standards, her systems, values, and her leadership. Now the salon feels stable, inspiring, and alive. And so does she. Today we get the real story behind the brand, the grit, the growth, and the girl who said it out loud before anyone believed it. Please welcome our incredible client, Dom.
SPEAKER_04:Thanks, Dom!
SPEAKER_01:It's not amazing. Thank you. My heart is pounding.
SPEAKER_04:I was gonna say, how do you feel hearing that? It's pretty incredible.
SPEAKER_01:It is, it's beautiful, thank you. It's just it's nice to reflect back on it, I think. You forget how much has happened, and I think you as the goalpost moves, it's just like a nice little reminder of where you did start and just be really proud of where you are today. Absolutely. So thank you, that was beautiful.
SPEAKER_04:So special. Hey, I do I think that's something we talk about often after we read that. Like we call this the eulogy piece. This is always the the real celebration of the path that's behind you, and how easy it is, especially as entrepreneurs and and like you know, high-evolving women who are constantly like looking for that next thing, actually having that moment of like, fuck, I've done all this and like I have created this amazing brand that I fully embody. And but even with that, your story with eight months ago, things were looking very different for you. Oh yeah. I'm so excited that we get to sit down and like have you in here. This is so excited this morning, weren't we?
SPEAKER_03:Thanks for having me. So, Dom 22 and opening a salon. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Can we talk about how the fuck you did that? Yeah, so I mean it started really small in the sense that like the space I accidentally came across. Um, actually, so I was at a salon and I left there and I started just doing some hair from home, and then I was booked out in like six months and realized I needed to finally take the leap and open the salon. Working from home was never part of the, you know, goal, but I did it as a little bit of a stepping stone. Um and I came across this shop and my dad always supported my dreams, always. But first thing he said when we walked into our shop at the moment is it's way too big. There is no way you can take your clients from a tiny little home salon to this big space. Like it's just not gonna happen, they're not gonna feel comfortable. And of course, my husband backed him on that. So naturally, I like to go against the grain. I was gonna say the boy said no, and Dom said what? I was like, that's it. So I've got a video of that. Um, I refused to listen. I was like, this is it. I've got a big dream, I want this space, it felt right. Um, and that was it. So ended up going ahead, but obviously I did it really slow. So I actually think we've got 12 stations now. I don't even know. Maybe even. So we'd see the video the other day with only like four stations in it. Listen, that's it. It was wild, yeah. So we did. We started with four stations and the two basins, and then slowly started adding a little bit more as we started to grow. But I mean, I didn't take out a loan, I did it with my money. Um, I was lucky enough to get gifted 30 grand from my parents. That was a loan to pay back. So that's what we did that with. And I set a time frame, I don't remember how long it was, but I wanted to pay that straight back to them. That's what I did. Um, and then yeah, it was just it was incredible. It was really surreal too, though. But I feel like so many people told me it wasn't possible. I was like, that's it, thanks so much. You've given me so much ammunition to get this goal. Yeah, and that was the end of it.
SPEAKER_04:You are someone that's really determined like that. Like when someone says you can't, it's like you really are like, I'm gonna use this as my fuel. Yeah. Which I resonate with that. I love it. As soon as people say you can't do that, I'm like, watch me do it now. Yeah, bring it on. But that can be such a it's not even, and I think when it's done in the right way, because I know that your intent wasn't like, fuck you, I'm gonna do it. It's like I'm gonna get you to see that I can do this incredible feat and this incredible thing that you have done. Absolutely. And it's interesting, I feel like so many of the women that we sit with have that sort of a feel behind them of sitting and having that like it was almost like I was told I can't, so I did. Yeah. And I think that's such a like that's truly who I know you to be, is someone that will always defy the odds and be able to like that goal that you're setting yourself, you'll not only hit it, but you'll surpass it as well, which is amazing.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. So it can be really interesting what comes up for us, like with our with our parents as well. We it's no secret, and we share this often in our containers, that our dad begged us not to open our salon the night before we opened. So we'd done the fit out, we'd have the opening party, and he was like sharpening the scissors to cut the ribbon. He was like, I don't think you should do this. And now we look at that and and you know, again, it was motivation for us, but it just came back to his fear, and he would have been an amazing entrepreneur, yeah, he would have been an incredible business owner, but he just never had the courage to do it. And when he saw us with courage, and I think that is something you can probably attest to this. Being 22, when you opened, there would have been a part of you that didn't have the risk assessment that you have now. Oh, for sure. It allows you to be like, yeah, I can open a salon. What could go wrong? The invincibility sort of thing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I like I had the energy. So, but similar thing, my dad would have been an amazing entrepreneur, and he's got the belief, but he, you know, came here from Italy like at eight years old. So he didn't have the skills, like he didn't know how to read and write in English or Italian, still doesn't, you know, at 67. So similar thing where it was, you know, I mean, it was my mum who always said, like, still, even like a couple of months ago, she was like, just shut it, just shut it, go work from your house, like it's gonna be all right. I'm like, that's not the goal. Whereas my dad will back me, and he's very much like, you can do it, it's gonna be okay. But there are those kind of limiting beliefs that he's got too. Um, but if you guys never did it, you wouldn't have gone through the things that you did, and I would have never found you. And I probably would have tried to get rid of it like I tried eight months ago, you know.
SPEAKER_04:Let's talk through your journey. So, talk us through like you opened it at 22. Yep. Talk us through how that 22.
SPEAKER_01:I was the only one. I didn't like open with staff or anything like that. I went straight in and I remember people coming in off the street excited that there was a new salon, they wanted an appointment. We opened in October, at the end of October, and um we were booked out for Christmas. Wow. And the feedback from the neighborhood was like, what do you mean? You're booked out. I was like, Yeah, sorry. We're by appointment only.
SPEAKER_04:I'm actually quite good.
SPEAKER_01:This is it. I was like, um, so I realized really quickly that I did need to hire, and of course I went along and did that um without having any setup of like zero or anything. So there was a moment where I was doing everything manually by hand, and I learned how quickly I needed to appreciate the apps and all of the you know amazing facilities, not facilities, all the amazing resources. Yes, thank you, resources that we've got. Um, so that was good, and then we were open for about a year and a half, I think, and then the pandemic hit. And that was fun. That was so fun.
SPEAKER_04:So, did you have a team at that point? I did, I did.
SPEAKER_01:I had um a couple of my team members, so I think that there was the three of us, which eventually ended up being five of us by the time the pandemic ended. But we would come in, like we had that government support, which we were really lucky for. Um, and my accountant at the time, she had we would have just gotten in for that. Literally, so I had started, she had put me on the books to pay myself. Oh, I think it was like three weeks before the pandemic, like something ridiculous. So, had that not had happened, like I was building a house, we were getting married, there was so much going on. Had I not had done that, my life would look really different. So I'm really grateful for that. Um, but I mean, the pandemic, like with all the government support, we were coming in and we were just like spending three hours a day as a team in the salon doing whatever we could do. And then we managed to just flip it and kind of go, we can't do hair. Let's sell tint kits and our online store. We built our online store out, and that was incredible. I could not believe the support from our community. So that was really beautiful, and it gave us a bit of purpose and a bit of direction through the pandemic to just kind of keep us going through each day and not fall too far into that slump, you know.
SPEAKER_04:So you really had to think like we did the same, you had to think creatively when you were like, especially for industries like ours where we are client-facing, we need to be like, you know, we were restricted a lot, and even like Nikki was a beauty therapist at the time, you're you were restricted even further because that went to a whole new level again. Yeah. You had to think creatively, and I think a lot of hair I really saw hairdressers really thrive because that's what we're really good at thinking creatively, thinking outside the box, thinking differently, and finding a way to still keep that connection because connection's such a big part of what we need to do as well. Having that team together, having that like purpose, intention. So a real credit to you, especially starting so early in.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, we had a few um notches under our belt prior to maybe thinking about being that young and trying to lead a team at the time, like and not having a business partner. We had each other, but not having a business partner is yeah, that's nice.
SPEAKER_01:And being the booked out hairdresser, like that's what I thought success was. Totally having a salon and being back to back with clients. And we did, we crammed everybody in because we were so scared we were gonna close again. And then remember, I also have the bridal element. So that was really fun. Navigating bridal and it was like a different level of anxiety. It was, but it was fine, like because I had the salon and thankfully the government support, everyone got their deposits back if they hadn't rescheduled a date or whatever, they decided to get married, just the two of them or whatever it needed to be. So I felt really grateful to be in the position that I was to be able to do that because I know it was such a hard time for businesses, and I don't blame them for what they did, you know. Um, but navigating a team, like I had no idea what I was doing with that until probably like five years into business, I realized that something needed to change. And nothing changes if nothing changes. Nothing changes, nothing changes. Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. So um, yeah, it took me a really long time. But after the pandemic, it was like, oh, okay, we've come out of it, and now I need to look at things differently because it was just so go, go, go, go. All of a sudden we weren't going back into it, and there was no rest, and there was no reset. And I started to go, okay, well, I'm just gonna crush and burn. And when I end up in hospital and have a mental breakdown, that's when I'll stop. And then everyone was picking me up on that. Like my husband was like, That's not like no, it can't be doing that. You need to find a different way. So wow, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So, Dom, I wanna take you back to the start of the year because you've shared pretty openly on social media and with us that at the start of the year you were done with your salon. I was done. And I really want to talk about this because a lot of I think a lot of people, like you know, we had the last few years with the pandemic, and then we've come out of that, and a lot of people have had time to reassess, and there's a lot of people who are definitely feeling that way at the moment. But I really want to share your story because it's so inspiring.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks. So, I mean, look, uh last year in December, I had two of my team members quit on the same day, and we're a very open and transparent team, and I try and be that type of leader. Um, so one was a really big shock, the other one wasn't, but one did leave two weeks before Christmas, and that just really put a bit of a spanner in the works, and I realized that you know I needed to step things up and work out how we were gonna pivot and go through this without the team feeling really stressed because I know they would feel it. Um, so we got through that, thankfully, and then I came Jan and really sat there and worked out my goals and what I wanted. And I was feeling really like inspired, but also probably scared. And I was at that point where I think it's like you've done it for so long. At what point is have like at what point do you realize what you're doing isn't working? And for me, I guess that was February. Like I tried so long for the last six years to try and make this business make sense, to try and be the leader that I wanted to be, to try and look after my team the way I wanted to be, to educate them, inspire them, all the rest of them. Admittedly, I think for the first year, for first four years of Neek, we didn't educate any apprentices. Like we expected them to watch us and learn, which was ridiculous. And I wish I could grab that girl and shake her, like myself, but that's okay. We learn. Um, and it was just I was in a position where I just felt like what I wanted was impossible. And I was met with people that also said that it isn't possible. Um, I was met with people, other business owners who have hair salons that had said, like when you do eventually go and start a family, um, it will fail because you're not gonna be there. And a salon like you need to be there and you need to be the heart, and you've got to be in it every single day. And you've got to be working and leading your team and showing them how hard it is to be on the salon floor. And I'd done that and it wasn't working. There was barely any profit in the business. Like I was in a position that I was comfortable, I suppose, but I wasn't happy with. It wasn't the little primary school year old don that was like, I want to be a rich and famous hairdresser with a Lamborghini. Like, that wasn't, I wasn't going for those goals. I felt really stuck and I didn't know where to go. And I got to the point where I would continuously complain about it. And Daniel was just like, mate, either you work out how to get through this or you shut it. And I remember when he said that, I was so taken back. I was like, Shut it. Are you kidding? Like, this has been my goal forever. Not getting rid of it, no. And then I really sat there with myself and I'm like, oh, you know what? I think I'm done. I don't think it works because I don't want it to work. Like, I can't work out a way. Everyone says it's not possible. Maybe it's actually not possible. Like maybe I just wanted a ridiculously massive dream as a hairdresser, and that was it. And then I was very lucky that a girlfriend recommended me you guys. And thanks to you, I'm sitting here now. No, it wasn't. It was my friend Jenna. So she's got a beauty salon.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:When she needs a gun, send her a bottle of champagne. Definitely. She's a gun. Yeah, we love. Wow.
SPEAKER_03:This is it. So when you say that the business wasn't working, I want you to elaborate. What wasn't working?
SPEAKER_01:I just like I didn't feel like we were making enough money. I was, I'd find my team, like a lot of them I had had for so many years, and they were going on their next steps, I guess, and taking the next steps in their career, and I admired that. Not from like a jealousy perspective or a now my business is fucked kind of perspective, but more so from like, fuck, I wish I could do that. Like, I wish I could take the next steps in my career. And I truly felt chained to the door. And I would say that like people would be like, What are you doing this weekend? I'm like, I'm tethered to the front of the salon. Like, I'm gonna be working. What else do you expect?
SPEAKER_04:They're loving it. They heard the chains, they know. Like, literally, that's how I felt that is a relatable feeling, though. That feeling of like, this is all I do and all I have, and I have to keep going, even though I can feel it sucking the life out of me.
SPEAKER_01:And it was, and like, you know, it was my team could feel it too. And we'd been through so much personal stuff that it was just so hard. And I was like in there, and I just felt like I was draining my clients' lives, and I was just so negative. And I'm like, mate, this is not you. What are you doing? So I'd realized that, and then obviously I met with someone to work out what I could sell the business for, which was a really like crazy conversation because I was just sitting there like, okay, like talk me through the steps of selling my business. You know, I was like genuinely pretty serious. I wanted to know what it would look like. I had no idea. I didn't know anyone that had sold a business. So um I sat down with them and they gave me some information. And after, like, I basically said to them, like, can I can I shut it and take my clients? Like, I want to be totally transparent. I was like, well, can my clients follow me? Like, can I work from home for a little bit? Is that what I want to do? If I'm the busy booked out hairdresser, what am I doing with a team? Like, if I'm enjoying doing hair full-time and you know, making money, I'm just gonna go back to the floor for myself and just do that. And just go, you know, do that for a little bit. And then I can always start a salon again and open it later. And I asked him that, and he just goes, No way, you'd never be able to take your clients. You sell your book. I was like, okay, thank you. And I was like, really cool. I was like, that's all I needed to know. There's no way. I'm like, my community, what would happen with them? Yeah, what would I do with my community? Right. Like I could never let them go. I knew my team would be okay if push come to shove. I would look after them and work out a plan, but I was like, so it just didn't align. And the second that came out of his mouth, it was like it just clicked. And I was like, okay, we're definitely not selling the business. You need to find help. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Wow. So then I thought goosebumps was so beautiful. You joined Becoming Contra Salon, which is our six-month program. Yep. It was really interesting.
SPEAKER_04:I was gonna, are you gonna talk about because I have I literally remember us DMing, voice noting. Yep. Yeah. And I remember almost being like, girl, like do this. I've got you, I see you, we are you. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I actually did not think that you were gonna come in. And it's really funny because we don't, we just leave it up to the individual and we say, if it feels fine, jump in. If it if it doesn't, it doesn't. Yeah. So we don't necessarily manage those conversations of when we can see people getting in their own way. Yeah. You were definitely getting in your own way. And you actually DM'd us and said, Hey, I really want to do this. Do you remember what you said? You said I'm not good at repeating word for word, so you take it for this one. You said, What sort of guarantee can you give me that I'm gonna make my investment back to this program? And do you remember what I said to you? You get what in what you put, hold on, you get out what you put in? What did you say? I said, we don't make any guarantee. Yes, of course. We don't, we will never make any guarantee because we can put the exact same format in front of someone who can triple their revenue, who can triple their profit, and we can put the exact same format in front of someone who does nothing, and they'll say it was the worst investment they ever made. 100%, absolutely. And to put that in front of someone like you gave you so much fuel. And I said to you on our last BACS call in the closing ceremony that you asked for a guarantee and you actually became the guarantee in the program because of how much that fueled you and how hard you worked. Yeah. And I want to talk about that a little bit later because there'll be a lot of people who will be listening who will be so scared, you know, whether they get mentored with us or by someone else. But I want to talk about your identity and your leadership identity that we have seen transition so much since March. But from your perspective, with all the identity work and the leadership work that we do in Becoming Conscious Salon, what has been your biggest shift that you're the most proud of?
SPEAKER_01:I think it's more so realizing that I'm more than just a hairdresser and I always knew that, but I didn't know how to step into that next step, if that makes sense, that next role. Um, so I think it's more gets stuck now and I like roll around. So I think it's more like I've been such a busy hairdresser for so long that you don't have the clarity to think, the mental capacity to think about the next step. So having all of the tools put in place and like it was so easy to follow because you would tick everything off a list. But on my brain, that's amazing. So I really just felt like my team have noticed such a shift because I'm calmer and I'm less frantic and I have a plan in place. But I've also got somebody being like tapping me on the shoulder, you guys being like, where are you at? How are you tracking? All of that kind of thing. And granted, you don't get that in the six-month mentorship, but being able to tick it off a list and seeing it, and then the check-ins with you guys were incredible. Having all of the other people in the group there to just kind of like pick you up when you needed it, be able to jump in and talk and go through all of that, I think was really helpful. So I do think that my leadership style has shifted from being this like booked out, try and cram everything in kind of hairdresser, like, hold on, maybe client focused isn't quite the direction I want to head in. And I've now learned that my love and my passion has started moving away from just hair into also looking after my team. And I've seen such a big change in them over the last six months, and I'm so grateful to them for that. Like they've really let me, like they've embodied this whole experience, you know, as a team to see your like boss, I think, go through such a big shift and like, you know, kind of lose themselves because that's what I did at the start of the year and go into this new groove and be able to like really empower them as well. I think has been incredible. Um, but I just feel so much more kind of sure about where I'm headed. I don't know exactly what that even looks like still. Like, if you ask me, I'm like, I don't know. We're gonna have to slowly unpack it. Um, but yeah, it just feels like I feel like I've just gotten started. Yeah. I don't feel like I've been in this for seven years. Like this feels like a completely new, not even a new page, it feels like a new book.
SPEAKER_04:It is a really defining moment. I remember that exact feeling when we did our first mentorship and it was also a group program and it was, oh god, a thousand years ago now. But I remember this being like, oh, now I'm a business owner. Like now I'm starting to understand business. Now I'm stepping into CEO, now I'm stepping into like actually understanding. I don't just have a shop with people in it where I cut hair. Yeah. I am a salon owner who runs an incredible salon with my partner in crime here. And we are in more of that business aspect now. And not to be able to do that.
SPEAKER_03:No, we fully went like, wow, we're business owners now.
SPEAKER_04:And it was such a weird moment because like, oh, I've always identified as a hairdresser that has a salon. Yes. And then suddenly I was the salon owner who had hairdressers in it. And I think that's what I see for you.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. And even just the privilege and opportunity that comes with that in terms of being able to completely change someone's perception of the industry. Like we have team that come to us who have had such difficult times in other salons or other workplaces, and then we have the opportunity to help them heal that. Absolutely. We've obviously sent team on their way in the early years who are probably having that same conversation saying that they need to be healed on our space. But 100%. Yeah, it's been really interesting, Dom, for the past six months, seven months, eight months, however long it's been watching you fall back in love with your business. It's it really has been transformative to see.
SPEAKER_04:Might even be like falling in love with your business. It might actually be the first. Because I've really seen that even from when we first started, and I remember our conversations of like I almost feel like you the the Salem was almost your villain for a while. It was like this is a thing that's keeping me chained, that's keeping me miserable, that's keeping me unhappy. The second that that you know person that you spoke to was like, oh no, if you like a selling this, that's it, it's done. Like, you don't get to like take bits, it's like all or nothing. Yeah, that then made you go, Oh, fuck, hang on. It's it's like that awareness of like, am I gonna work on this dynamic? Am I gonna improve it? Or am I gonna be like, okay, cool, that's enough. I'm I'm finished, I want to go and do something else. And I feel with how I hear you speak about Neek now and owning a salon, and even the things that we've spoken about in the last few weeks, just little things we're taking note of when you've you're noticing, like, oh, I'm not, you know, as lit up by hair as once as I once was, or I'm not sure, or I'm really loving, you know, admin 100% like the business side of things. Yeah, where it can flip supporting the team, mentoring. Oh, sorry, Aidan, mentoring the team, that can suddenly flip, and you step out of that hairdresser that wants the Lamborghini and the salon Lamborghini. Oh my goodness. The salon owner who is wanting to have an incredible business that creates impact that embodies the community.
SPEAKER_01:Like it's fucking incredible. Even like hearing you say that is just a big wow factor because there were so many people that I would say things to and they'd be like, What you want isn't possible. Look at people who run their own business, like look at them. If you look at like a shopping strip, right? We're on a bit of a small strip. If you look at our street, everyone that works in there is the owner of the business. And when they step away, it does fall to shit. So it's really rare to find someone who practices what they preach and really empowers that and then let alone is able to go on and teach it. So I really think that like that conversation, like once I ended that call with the person that I was talking to about, you know, potentially selling the business. Um, once I ended that call, and then you know, my girlfriend recommended you guys, and it was just it all felt like it started to fall into place. And it wasn't like, okay, shit, how am I gonna do it? It's like, you know what, people do it. Look at the actual CEOs of their businesses, like, and I would feel a little bit silly because I'm like, I'm just a hairdresser because I was met with that for my whole life. Yeah. Everyone was like, how? How are you gonna get this Lamborghini? And I mean, it's not even about the Lamborghini, right? It's a metaphor, it's about like the massive goal that's so scary and sounds fucking ridiculous. I'm 100% gonna make sure that you get it. I'm like, I think I've got a 118 scale model. Does that count? It's not purple, it's orange. My goal is orange now.
SPEAKER_04:It's the goalposts can change, it's fine.
SPEAKER_03:You know what, Dom? We've spoken so much about, especially recently, now that you've become a one-on-one client of ours. The best decision ever. Ever.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you for being a gift. Do you know, since you have stepped into one-to-one, we've really talked a lot about which room you belong in. And I know this has come up and you've spoken about this on your social media, but when you were talking before about those conversations that you were having that were really limiting and they weren't expansive conversations, we used to be in that room as well. So we were in a room where people were like, the industry doesn't make money, you always have to be in the salon. If you step out of the salon, your team will fall to shit. Um, all of those things. And it still comes up even in some really high-level rooms that we're in. We'll still hear things like, Oh, I have to be in my salon all the time. And we're just like, No, you don't. You don't actually have to do that. It is a different way. Yeah. But it's hard when you don't have the evidence to show that that's possible. Yeah. And when you're in those rooms, you become, you literally become the environment that you're in. Yeah. So you're in those rooms and you go, okay, I believe that to be true because I'm hearing it, I'm collecting that evidence. To pull yourself out of that room and to put yourself in a different room where there may be some evidence, but you haven't actually experienced that yourself, is such a courageous thing to do.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:And you did that and you realised, oh, I don't belong in this room again. And then it came up for you recently where you went, Oh, I don't know if I belong in this room again.
SPEAKER_01:Definitely not. Yep. Do you want to share anything on that? Yeah, sure. I mean, like, look, I always wanted, like, obviously, rich and famous hairdresser of Lamborghini, right? So I always wanted the bright lights and I wanted to really be somebody in this industry. And I didn't, I guess I kind of realized I wasn't really heading that way, but I felt like doing things like Fashion Week would get me in those rooms with the right people. So I happily put myself in those rooms, even though it was a nightmare, like you'll see that on my social media. Um, but I finally got there recently and I was in this room, and obviously, Fashion Week is like such a high paced, crazy environment. And I kind of walked in and I was instantly like, this doesn't feel right. And I'm such a fast-paced person, and like being European, I feel like it's just like as an Italian background, it's like you just like talk. I don't really have to. I'm like, I don't think like nothing really goes through my brain, right? Whatever comes up, like whatever comes in is has already been said. Um, so I'm sitting in this room, standing in this room, and I'm just like, I feel sick, and I couldn't work out whether it was like social anxiety, whether it was because I didn't know anybody or what was going on. And it wasn't until a couple hours later we were on a meeting, and I was like, something's wrong, you guys. Like, sit with it. And I'm like, I think I've outgrown it. This was the goal. I loved Fashion Week. Like, I wanted to be there. I remember being a kid and going to a show with my sister and watching it and just like the lights and the models, and it was amazing. I couldn't wait to be backstage. And nine years ago, when I did that, I remember watching the models walk down and come back in, and we were celebrating them and the success on the show. And of course, the designers, and I was bawling my eyes out because I was so proud of where I am. And I remember being that like 10-year-old girl at a show with my sister crying about like one day I wanted to be back there, and I was there, and I was really proud. So when I got there a couple of weeks ago, I was like, Whoa, this is wrong. Like, I didn't even want to do the hair when I did get the opportunity to. I was happy standing back and observing, and I've realized like this is really scary after I think 16 years in the industry. Wow, I now I'm starting to make a big shift.
SPEAKER_04:Wild though, even when we were debriefing it and you sent through that video because you'd set up your tripod and you were um like filming yourself, shooting content, and you Like, I can't even hide it because you were trying to like force yourself.
SPEAKER_01:How crazy was my where you're Dom was like, really?
SPEAKER_04:I and I fully credit you for that. Because sometimes you can if you like really embody that and you can be like, I'm gonna shift up my energy, I'm gonna like shake it out. You can flip it. I thought I did flip it. She sent us a video, and it was Dom doing a spin around, and then I think you did like a little cute little bot, like Gorgy. But you were like, Look at my face, because your face, your body was doing it, and you were doing the thing, but your face was just like, This isn't me anymore. This is not the right. Yeah, yeah. And it's like it's massive how much that can flip where we I think especially, and and we talk about this often with um our industry being people who take care of others who like we're generally people pleasers. Yep. It can be such a massive realization, this whole identity of Dom the hairdresser. Whereas now I see you starting to step into Dominique the CEO.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, yes, yes.
SPEAKER_04:It's a it's a massive like push-pull. Yeah. But just seeing that energetically in your like even trying to get yourself into the groove. Yep. And your face was like, no.
SPEAKER_01:I couldn't. No. And I didn't realize until I looked back, and that's where I sent it to you guys. I was like, I just I cannot believe it. I felt like I felt like I was the same smiling Dom that I was in all the other videos that I had kind of put together, you know. And it wasn't until I really watched that back, and obviously I'd already come up with what I wanted to talk about through it. I created the video after creating, you know, what I was gonna say, and I was just shocked. I was sitting on the couch almost in tears because my body realized before I did. And that's not something I would ever have even picked up on. Yeah, I would have just kept going, kept going, kept going until I had crushed and burned and realized how sad I was.
SPEAKER_04:It's like this thing of just like, you know, your body starts talking to you. Amazing, isn't it? It was so amazing.
SPEAKER_03:Tom, I want to share, I want to read something that you shared with us before recording with your permission. Yeah, yeah, go for it. You're like, yeah, okay, what is it? It's just something that I really read and sat with when we received the the pre-questionnaire beforehand. And I sat with it and I was like, this is just such a powerful thing. I opened Neek at 22 and now sitting here at 29, the salon turned seven in two days. As you know, eight months ago, I almost gave it all up. I really thought I was gonna not cry in this. I was burnt out, questioning everything, and someone told me that the salon would never run without me. That I had chosen the wrong industry if I wanted freedom. And then a friend sent me the conscious cell on Instagram. It helped me see that what I want is possible, that I can build something stable, inspiring, and successful without losing myself in the process. I know this was meant to be a snapshot here, but I wanted to share the real story because every bit of it has shaped who I am, and I'm so proud of how far I've come.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks. How does that feel hearing this? It feels beautiful. Thanks for reading that. It does, it feels really beautiful, but like I'm just so grateful that I'm surrounded by the right people, right? And I think like there's just there was so much of my life that people would literally like look at me with disbelief. You know, I've had people come up to me and be like, I'm so sorry for not believing in you. Like, you actually fucking did it. I was like, guys, at what point did you think I wasn't? But now it's funny because we're in this moment where I've had the salon for seven years and that was my goal. But now I'm really transitioning and stepping into this like new CEO phase that I truly didn't think was fucking possible. Yes, and it's just it's so surreal. But I'm also like, I just I really eight months ago, I was a really struggling business owner who didn't understand. I would look at other people with these salons and these beautiful fit outs, like our industry is so elevated and it makes me so proud. But I'd look at them and go, how the fuck did they afford that? I don't understand. Like to me, it doesn't make sense. And I'm like, I could never, like it's just not doable. And you have all of these like limiting beliefs, I guess. And it made it really hard to kind of like unpack. And it's like, okay, where do you want to go? What do you want, what do you want to do? Like, and I just feel so kind of sure of the future, if that not kind of sure, definitely sure of the future. Um, but I just I feel really proud to be here and to a push-through Feb because it is, it's fucking hard. And I just think that I was at a point where it was like breaking point, and you don't realize that you're about to kind of like blossom into something new, and this is a new era of you. And if you're surrounded by the right people, you can do it. You can fucking absolutely do it. There's a way, you've just got to work it out.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, it's incredible. Wow, you know what, um, like we talk a lot about the fact that our parents were so scared for us to open a business. And we now phrase it as we have an opportunity to show them how differently we can we can do things. And we were also programmed to believe from a really young age that you have to work extremely hard for success, like insanely hard. Hard work is everything, and you will not be successful unless you work really hard. So when we decided that we wanted to slow down and do things differently, it was really hard for so many people around us to the people whose room we'd been in where they said that's not possible, and then we were like, it is fucking possible, and we're gonna show you that. Yeah, but something that's been really healing on the other side of that has been the fact that we have the privilege of showing people and rewriting their belief system.
SPEAKER_01:And truly you guys have done that, absolutely. And like I didn't, as I'm not joking, if I didn't come across you guys, I don't think I would still be here with the salon at all, at all. And that was like the kind of like tip of the iceberg, I guess. Like, I I you know, like how they always say, like, don't, I don't know, you read inspirational quotes, and it's like the second you feel like giving up is when you should stick it out because that's when success will happen, right? And I feel like, I mean, obviously there's a shit ton of hard work that's gone into it and will continue to, but it was like meeting you guys, coming across the conscious salon and being in that container and realizing how much I could do and rewriting the story and changing limiting beliefs, and then you just like you put the effort in and you start seeing the rewards, and you're like, oh, hold on. And now I've gone from loving being booked out with hair, which was me in January, which is why I wanted to get rid of the salon because I was enjoying being booked out and busy. But now I'm like, wait a second, hair's fulfilling, sure. But looking after my team and seeing this shift in them, like fuck, seven years of Nek, we've never been more aligned, and they know everything, they know our break even, they know how much money comes through the door, they know all of it. So it's like, you know, and I remember sharing that with them when we spoke about it. It's like you're so gonna feel naked, you're gonna feel like you're standing in front of them naked. And they were nervous, like they were like, I don't think I want to know this. This makes me feel scary. And I'm like, don't let it feel scary. Like it's natural for it to feel like that, but it's not gonna have like you're not gonna have the whole pressure on you to make that work. It's my goal, sorry, my job as your leader to encourage you and inspire you and make that like help you hit that target, if that makes sense. And seeing that shift through my team over the last six, seven, eight months are out, incredible. So thank you. I want to clap you guys. No, we're clapping you, though.
SPEAKER_04:Do you know, John? I really do like just hearing the way it makes me really emotional hearing how you speak because I feel like you were really at your end point. I was done. And now hearing how motivated, thriving, like, and the transparency that you have. Like you, you really went all in on this, and it's come back to you tenfold because you made that decision of like, cool, I'm gonna take the things that I'm learning, I'm gonna put them into place, I'm gonna go all in, even when it feels scary and uncomfortable. And what you now have is a incredibly successful business with an incredibly aligned team with a really happy clientele, and you are able to now show up and do the things that you want to do from the level that you want to be doing. Those chains are broken, like those chains are 100%.
SPEAKER_01:But do you know what else my clients also have started realizing in a beautiful way? So I feel like I was always met with like, oh, you want to do what? You don't want to do hair, and I'm still like hearing that a little bit, but it's now changed to like fuck, I can feel it in the salon, like you can feel the energy shift. And I always thought I was pretty like positive and inspiring, but that wasn't like going anywhere other than me. Yeah, I feel like I was pissing my team off with the way I was acting and trying to inspire them because I didn't know I'd never done leadership training. Started a business at 22 years old after everyone told me no, I had this like fuck you energy. I was like, you know, I'm gonna be. I was like, I'm gonna fucking do it, kind of thing. So like when I came when it came to having a team, I thought the way to lead them was to be scary boss that they couldn't come to. And I quickly learned that wasn't the case, yeah, thankfully. But I've always been trying to work out what my leadership style is, and thankfully with backs, I did. Oh, how cool. Love it.
SPEAKER_04:I'm like, wow, what a full circle moment. I'm so proud of you, girl.
SPEAKER_01:I'm so proud of you guys. Thank you. It's still incredible, truly.
SPEAKER_04:This is you, thank you. So beautiful.
SPEAKER_03:I want to wrap on a question. Yeah. I want to know what if you could go back to that moment in February when we were DMing, when you felt shit scared, and it was so hard for you to actually step forward and trust that. I want you to go back to that moment. What would you say to yourself?
SPEAKER_01:Honestly, I'd be looking at the people that you're about to invest in, I guess. And I would be like, if they're practicing what they preach, fucking do it. Because at the end of the day, I have seen the way that you two lead your businesses, and it's been fucking incredible. And that was always what I wanted. I also am a person who wouldn't listen to myself. I don't like to listen to anybody. So I feel like if I had any advice, I'd be like, fuck you, Tom. I'm not gonna listen anyway.
SPEAKER_04:Um put it through a like voice-alterating person to come through it somewhere.
SPEAKER_01:But I mean, like, it's like just keep going, like keep pushing, keep going, you can fucking do it. And if you're looking at people that are practicing what they preach, get it done. Say yes, put yourself in these amazing rooms, they can be so expansive, and you'll realize in time. You're gonna inspire so many people in this.
SPEAKER_03:Like eight months ago, you were ready to walk away. And you know, it this is not this is not about being mentored or not being mentored. I just want to show people what's possible in eight months. Absolutely. To turn around your mindset and your leadership and your passion for your business is just huge.
SPEAKER_04:Thanks. You inspire us so much, Tom. I just think you are truly a woman that says what she means and means what she says, and you get it done, and we're just constantly, as much as you can say that you're inspired by us, we're just as inspired, if not more, with you. You are fucking amazing.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. So likewise, Tom, we're so proud of you. Thank you.
SPEAKER_04:It's like a proud mama moment, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, nothing is a coincidence, we always say that. But the fact that we have been blessed with you in our space, and someone like you who does have such an expansive energy, and you are such an expander for so many people in the industry with an incredible team, and we just feel so unbelievably grateful for the energy that you bring in, but also the fact that you're a get shit done person.
SPEAKER_04:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:Because it doesn't happen all the time, you know. We put something in front of you, you absolutely eat it up, and you say, What's next? Yeah, so thank you. Thank you. What a gift.
SPEAKER_04:Thanks for giving me all the tools. We're gonna have to do it. I reckon in six months we're gonna have an update on where Dom's. We need a part two. Let's do it. Yeah, part two. Let's do it.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you guys so much for listening to another episode of the Conscious Sell Podcast.
SPEAKER_04:Love you guys, stay conscious. Thanks for having me. Thanks, guys. Thanks for listening.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my god, that is such a good idea.
SPEAKER_01:How do you feel?
