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Serenity and Fire with Krista
Welcome to Serenity and Fire. The podcast where wellness meets grit. I'm your host, Krista Guagenti, founder of Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique. Join me as we dive into the intriguing world of bio-hacking, clean living, cutting-edge spa treatments and the hustle, grind and grit of entrepreneurship. From my personal battles with weight-loss and infertility, to a 30-year struggle to create and launch my dream business, to building a sanctuary for those touched by cancer — I'm here to share real talk, inspire big dreams and spark a passion for holistic living inside each and every one of you.
Serenity and Fire with Krista
Distilling Passion: From Bourbon Barrels to Body Butter
What do bourbon barrels, twin toddlers, and a luxury wellness spa have in common? Panacea's Director of Spa Operations, Jennifer York.
In this episode, Krista sits down with Jenn— one of her closest confidants—to share the story behind the woman quietly keeping the entire operation running. From overseeing tourism at a major bourbon distillery in Kentucky to managing 50+ associates at a luxury spa in Ohio, Jenn’s path into wellness leadership is anything but ordinary.
You’ll hear how she followed a wild intuitive nudge into massage school in the middle of COVID, navigated a surprise twin pregnancy, and ultimately made the leap from staying at home with her girls to taking on a demanding leadership role at Panacea. Along the way, Jenn opens up about the realities of:
- Going from bourbon barrels to body butters, and why hospitality is the bridge between both worlds
- The mindset shift from “this is too hard” to “do it scared and do it anyway”
- What running high-volume bourbon tours taught her about timing, operations, and client expectations
- The personality differences between bourbon world and spa world—and why that matters for culture and hiring
- How books, curiosity, and self-education shaped her leadership style
- Balancing motherhood, marriage, and a very big job without losing herself in the chaos
If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to keep a luxury spa running behind the scenes—or what it looks like to bet on yourself in the middle of a messy, imperfect season—this episode will speak to you.
🎧 Listen now and, if it resonates, follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with someone who needs a reminder that it’s okay to do the big thing scared.
Welcome to Serenity and Fire, the podcast where wellness meets grit. I'm your host, Krista Guidenti, founder of Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique. Join me as we dive into the intriguing world of biohacking, clean living, cutting-edge thaw trends, and the hustle, grind, and grit of entrepreneurship. From my personal battles with weight management, infertility, and the 30-year journey to create and launch my dream business, to building a sanctuary for those who have been touched by cancer. I'm here to share real talk, inspire big dreams, and spark a passion for holistic living inside each and every one of you. So let's dive in. Welcome back to Serenity and Fire. Today's episode is going to be such a fun one because I'm joined by someone who's not just a brilliant operator and leader, but also one of my closest confidants, my right hand, and my most trusted team member at Panacea. Her story is not one you would expect because she went from running a bourbon distillery to heading up operations for our luxury spa. Literally, from whiskey barrels to wellness rituals, she somehow has figured out how to manage four-year-old twin toddlers, a husband, all of the crazy and sometimes hilarious, if I admit it, chaos that goes on behind the scenes of the spa with over 50 associates who all depend on her to calm the storms and keep the place running optimally. And she does it all with so much grace, humor, passion, and enthusiasm. She really is an amazing human and the perfect person for this position. Not only because she believes what I've created at Panacea, she is super passionate about where I want to take this brand in the future, and therefore is always on board with all of my many sometimes very crazy and wild ideas, but also because her operational brain is unmatched. She can literally see growth opportunities in the midst of chaos. And she's a genius when it comes to navigating and de-escalating difficult situations. Whether those situations are with clients or team members, none of these things come natural to most people. She truly is gifted, and I feel grateful for her every single day, which is why I'm so excited for you all to meet her. So please welcome my director of spa operations, Jennifer York.
SPEAKER_00:How are you today? Good. That was a very nice introduction.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, well, it's all true. Thank you. You're welcome. So first off, I just want to say that Jen and I met when we were in massage school, and she was so incredibly pregnant at the time. And even then, I was super amazed at everything she was doing. But before we dive into motherhood and all the craziness that I'm sure goes on with having twins, when you made the decision to go to massage school, did you ever think you would find yourself running a luxury spa?
SPEAKER_00:I I don't think it was out of the realm of possibilities. Yeah. Um, I I have I stopped doubting myself a while ago. I have found myself, I think, in many situations and in different departments and avenues of life that I would not have guessed beforehand. Um so I I've stopped ruling things out. We'll say that. I'm open to the possibility. Okay. So if I'd say, you know, if I could go back six years ago and and kind of see where I'm at now, I don't think I would be like, oh, okay. Yeah, that's where we're going. All right, let's go. Let's do it.
SPEAKER_02:I love it. So I I want to hear what made you make the decision to go into massage therapy. But before you go there, let's jump into the most obvious question because people are going to be so curious about this. And that's how does someone go from operating a distillery to operating a spa?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think that they're very similar, in all honesty. I mean, they're both hot hospitality, right? So I was um in charge of all the tourism for the distillery. So, you know, the distillery that I worked at would see, you know, a million people a year coming in for tours. You have a lot of people who just pop into distilleries without reservations, they don't have tickets, they don't have, you know, any plan. Um, especially in Kentucky, we were downtown in Louisville, and you just have a lot of people drop by. Um, the goal is to just make it the most incredible experience ever. And if you remember the cover letter I wrote to you when I sent you my resume.
SPEAKER_02:I very much remember it. It was literally like reading the most eloquent book ever. It was so awesome. I I keep telling myself I'm gonna frame it. It was so beautiful. But, anyways.
SPEAKER_00:That's sweet. Um well, it was true. So in the cover letter, I talk about um when I was a kid, I used to come up with businesses just all the time, um, just whatever business. And one business I had in particular, I would put the participant inside of a hula hoop and blindfold them. That's right. And I would uh lead them all over the gymnasium and tell them a story. We would go into a dark cave in which I'd take water from the water fountain and throw it at their face. I mean, just really dramatic stuff. Um, because I wanted it to be a cool experience. And in my mind, that that is the ultimate job is to take people out of their everyday life and put them somewhere unexpected and exciting. And um, the bourbon distillery allowed me to do that. You know, I I wanted it to be like a wonderland of bourbon. I wanted them, you know, to take them out. And it's not that much different now. I mean, in in all in all honesty, that's my job is to make an ordinary day feel extraordinary.
SPEAKER_02:I love that, and I would agree. So when you finished massage school though, Panacea wasn't even open yet. And so I'd love for you to walk us through what brought you to Panacea, and then what has that transition from bourbon barrels to body butter really been like for you? And then also maybe touch on, you know, where your decision to become a mom fit into all of these things.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Um I I don't it's a funny story of how it got into massage because it was literally just an intuition, a hunch that I had. I remember the exact place I was when it came, and it seemed absolutely crazy. Um, my husband when I told him, I so I had made the decision when I moved here. You know, I moved to Ohio to be with Josh. We had been dating long distance.
SPEAKER_02:Um, I moved up here and then That's right, because the distillery you ran was in Kentucky. You're from Kentucky. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So born raised. Yeah. So I moved up here really randomly. That actually shocked everybody in my life. I was like, hey, I'm moving to Ohio next month. They were all like, what? Um the plan had been for me to move in October or May, May of 2020. Um, but I ended up moving in October of 2019. Um, I made that decision decently quick, um, kind of out of nowhere.
SPEAKER_02:So you got to suffer through COVID with all of us.
SPEAKER_00:So, so crazy. I mean, honestly, it was a good time. Like I'm glad I moved in in May, uh, I mean, in October of 19, but I moved up here. I had to find a job. I got a job at a distillery here in Columbus. Um, they did not have a position for me. I I really just wanted to move here as quickly as possible. So I told them why they needed me. Um, I made a position for myself. I made up my own title and everything. I know I was like, here's my job description. Do you have me in the budget? Can you afford me? Here's what I can return to you. And um, they took me on. I was really thankful for it. Um, but as I started to kind of go through, I mean, leaving Kentucky when you're in bourbon is kind of the nail in the coffin of that career. Unless, you know, I mean, you can get into um sales and things like that. That's really not my shtick. I really enjoyed tourism. I really liked that aspect of hospitality in general. Um, so that transition was a little, it it was a little forced, but I knew I knew that I needed to be up here. So I moved up here, was working at the distillery. Um, and then randomly COVID had happened. I was walking into Kroger on Chambers and had a moment where I was like, I should go to massage school. Just out of the blue? Out of the blue. I don't know. I don't even know why. It was just, I had been wondering, like, what am I gonna do? You know what I mean? Like, I I don't want to say and I've told you before, I was really struggling with remaining in liquor because I didn't want to dedicate myself to something that rips families apart and kills people. Like I felt bad about that. Sure. Um, I was in retail for a long time. I did retail management, and I also had a problem with that is because I felt, you know, I was I was driving consumerism and trying to convince people to buy stuff that they don't need and like they probably couldn't afford. I saw a lot of people come in with shopping addictions. Um, they would just buy all kinds of stuff and then turn around and return it and cry and like that's weird turmoil to go through. And um, you know, I I I have nothing against the careers. I have nothing against those things. But for me personally, I I felt like I needed to dedicate myself to something that helped build people and not tear people down. So I had wanted out of that for some period of time, and I I this felt like the a good jump. Um, why massage? I have no idea. I just it felt right. I had lived in New Orleans previously, which you know about, and had randomly studied with a Reiki master down there. So I liked the energy work of it. Sure. Um, Reiki's a little too woo-woo for me to like I could never go around and just call myself a Reiki practitioner. It kind of makes me cringe inside just because I don't think it's quite aligned. I don't think that there's anything wrong with it, but it didn't feel aligned with who I am. But Massage did. Um, there was an aspect of it. I like the anatomy, I like the practicality of it, I like the history of it. I mean, it's it's an ancient practice. Yeah, you know, and I loved that. I didn't know what I was gonna do with it. I had no idea. I was like, let's let's see. So I started calling around to schools, found um the one that we both went to really it worked out. I think, you know, they were eager for admissions. So it's you know, they just started me down that path pretty briskly. I told Josh about starting massage school. He was kind of like, whatever, babe, like do what makes you happy, I guess.
SPEAKER_02:Uh it's kind of weird, but and uh and and Josh is not at all like in the healing arts. He's not like for him to come to the spa and hang out, even just with our team after hours, even though we told him he could sit on our rooftop patio and have cocktails and smoke cigars, like he was not at all into it. So definitely not a world he is familiar with or passionate about.
SPEAKER_00:No, he doesn't, he, you know, he's just a practical dude. And he he's just um he's a you know, he's a he's a manly man. He's just that's what he's into. He he likes hanging out, um smoking cigars and talking about politics and you know, science and stuff. It's that's him. And I I really enjoy the more whimsical side of life in general, I would say. But I I liked the idea of kind of getting more into that wellness space and leaning into that side of me. So went to massage school.
SPEAKER_02:And this is 2020, we're in the middle of COVID.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, it's 2021. I yeah, 2020. I think I finished. So it was 2020. Oh, yeah. When I started, you're like, yes, I know, because I was there too. Um and I got pregnant in February of 2021. That was not in my plan. Um, that that was a surprise.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:It was a wonderful surprise. I wasn't sure if I could even have kids. Um, and so to find out I was pregnant was very exciting. I found out it I had had COVID and I had my whacked whacked out my sleep schedule. So I was like up at three o'clock in the morning or something like that. And I had thought, man, I haven't had my period in a while, so I decided to take a pregnancy test. And um I just set it on the counter and was like making some tea. And the dog was standing there and I glanced over. It was a digital, it just said pregnant. And I was like, Apollo, I need to tell you something. Um, so I told the dog first, and then I went and woke up Josh. And then we found out it was twins. Oh my gosh. So that got even more wild. Um exciting, but probably scary too. Super exciting. Well, it's funny that when I found out it was twins, I was like, I screamed, literally screamed. The nurse popped her head in. She was like, Are you having twins? That's the only time people scream during ultrasounds. Um, yeah, sure am, apparently. Um, and then by the end of the day, by the end of that day, I was like, of course I am. Like, obviously, there's two. You know, I just felt right. I was like, of course, there's two babies in there. And um, yeah, I I was like, well, this is perfect timing because um liquor has been a very good career to me. It taught me a lot, but it is not the easiest job to have when you have kids at home because the the hours are varied. You're doing a lot of things. I would like judge cocktail competitions and you know, it's encouraged to go out to bars. Everybody drinks.
SPEAKER_02:It's like and at this point, were you still working at the distillery while you're also going to school and now you're pregnant? Correct. Okay.
SPEAKER_00:All three. Okay. And um, I get all the way through school. Um, we had met during that time period. We were not in the same class, but I would see you everywhere. And I think I told you. I had this thought once when I saw your um your car, and I was like, I want to ask to tour her business, which is a weird thing to want to knowing you like I know you now in hindsight, that makes total sense.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I think you're you're very, very curious. And I love that about you. So super curious. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And at the time, that's exactly what it was. I was like, I'm so curious. Like the I was interested in like the more operational aspect of running a lash business. Yeah. That's I and I'm I was just kind of like, that's interesting. Maybe I should just stop in one day. Watershed super close to DECA, so I didn't think anything about it. And um, but I was attracted to you. There was something about you that draw drew me to you, which I've told you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I feel like that's mutual. And I I vividly remember the first time I saw you, and I remember thinking, how in the world is she doing massage practicals? Like she is so pregnant. And now it's, you know, I mean, we have a lot of people who are pregnant working in massage, but there does become a limit where they just can't do it anymore physically.
SPEAKER_00:And the baby the babies would just touch people. Yeah. Like my belly was touching people when I was, I'm like, I'm sorry. I remember one guy who would come in to do massages um with me at the clinic. He's like, I don't mind the babies. I was like, oh good, because they're gonna touch you whether you want to be in the way, whether you like it or not. I'm like, yeah. So I started doing um, I was doing massage, I got pregnant. Um, I finished massage school in July of 2021. Um, think about how big I was then. The girls were born in October. Oh gosh. Okay. Um, people would just come up to me and they're like, Are you having twins? I'm like, that's rude. Um, I am, but that's rude. Um, I was huge. And um, I kind of got to the to the final countdown. I I I left work the week before uh the girls were born. So they were born on a Monday. I my last day was a Thursday. It was gonna be Friday, but it was only because they made me leave early because there was someone who had COVID and they were worried that I would get sick, um, like somebody in my space and in the marketing office. So I left, had the had the girls, and quickly found out that working with two infants would be incredibly hard. Um, also to go to work in something that I wasn't super passionate about. I was like, why? Yeah, why do that? If I don't have to, why would I do that? So I didn't. I stayed home. I went back and um to work part-time. I got a job massaging at a local spa um just a couple days a week um just to kind of get out of the house. It was helpful for me.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um, and then I heard Panacea was opening. I had a coworker who told me about it. And she had sent me like the renderings and everything. And I remember thinking, I was like, that's not real. That's not even, that's not in Ohio. And um, I looked it up, found the website. I was like, it is real. So I just applied online, got a call back. Um and they had mentioned oncology in um my initial phone interview. Now, when I first went into massage, first started massage school, our um massage professor um had had breast cancer, and she talked a lot about oncology massage. And I remember being like, that's for me. I like that. And I had had that thought process. I remember talking to her about it, and she was like, Well, you literally just started massage school. So, like, maybe see what you like. You know, we don't need to just dive right into yes, oncology. She's like, just slow down and enjoy yourself. And um, so the oncology piqued my interest. I remember telling Josh about it. He's like, babe, this seems like he's like, you're going from a very busy spa to a spa that just opened. Do you think that's a good idea? I'm like, feels right, feels right, feels right to me.
SPEAKER_02:Um, thank God you're a feely person and not an analytical person like Josh.
SPEAKER_00:Right. I well, I've learned not to be throughout my life, but yes, that's I was like, it feels right to me. So I went for it. I was like, yes, I'll come on board. Um, I I tell people a lot, I was like, I was only not busy for the first week. And then I was busy.
SPEAKER_02:And just to put into perspective for everyone listening, we opened, we did our soft opening in February of 2023. And then we like officially started taking clients in March of 2023. So I think you started in March, right?
SPEAKER_00:I started March 2nd.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So sh you missed all of the training in drywall dust with no walls. I mean, it was total chaos for the five weeks of training that we put everyone through. And then honestly, the when we did our soft opening, I was terrified because we were not booked and not busy. I mean, it makes sense. We didn't have a reputation, nobody knew who we were. Um, we had been marketing for two or three years before that. So we fortunately we had a great client following already. And then it just kind of really took off. So um, when you came, I mean, you basically have been there almost since the beginning. And um, but it, but legitimate concerns from Josh, you know. So, anyway, so you interview, you decide you're gonna do this, despite Josh telling you not to.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I remember, so we have a uh we have a long interview process. Yes. I I remember Josh being like, uh, he's like, he's like, I didn't even interview this much for my area vice president job of a company. He's like, this is nuts. And I was like, I don't know, big about culture. It doesn't bother me. Um, so I just kept going to the interviews, and um, I found out you owned it during the phone interview, and I was like, shut the front door. I was like, Krista Guagenti? I was like, I went to school with her. I was like, that's crazy. But that felt, it felt like a synchronicity to me. I was like, this is a good path. I should do this.
SPEAKER_02:So, really quick, just going back to the interview process, we do have a very intense interview process. So now being here and in the culture, and now being the one who hires people, what do you how do you feel about that interview process? Do you think it's necessary? Does it help us hire the right people?
SPEAKER_00:I think it really helps with culture. Um, we are still a decently small company. So the culture is extremely important in general in any company, no matter the size. But the lengthy interview process helps you with the culture, right? It helps you kind of understand like there might be somebody who would fit in great somewhere else, but maybe they wouldn't fit into our specific culture. You don't want to throw a wrench in the middle of everything. Um, we have we have definite personalities that that we try to uh attract. And, you know, that Midwestern hospitality just overflows. And it's asking the questions, having conversations, you know, it's like when I go through the interview process with someone, you get to know them pretty intimately. Yeah. And and um, yeah, that I think it definitely helps. And I completely understand. I remember in the moment it didn't bother me very much, but he was like, that's weird. So many interviews. I'm like, whatever, it'll be fun. And um finally made the decision to come on board. And I started working. I was massaging um three days a week, and then I had to very abruptly go down to two days a week due to his schedule and you know, not being from here. He doesn't have a lot of family. I don't have any family or friends here, so it was like, you know, trying to figure out child care and all that good stuff. Um, but we got it all figured out and I was massaging a couple days a week. People would always say, How's massaging? And I'd always say, Do you remember what I would always say? I would say, it's the easiest job I've ever had in my life. You'd be like, Jen, stop saying that. I'm like, it's nice.
SPEAKER_02:I don't have to think. Well, I'm actually glad you you said that because, first of all, by the way, for those of you listening, Jen has miracle hands. She literally is such a phenomenal massage therapist. And on that note, I know how much you love doing massage. I know that you love helping people feel better. You really get lost in the art of massage. And you and I are always talking about how when we do massages, it's like conducting a symphony on the client's body. It really does become a magical experience for us. So now you're managing this enormous operation, you're dealing with hiring and firing and equipment breakdowns and leadership development, payroll inventory, crisis calls at all times of the day, you name it. And when you do get to do massage, it's usually because someone called out of work or something didn't go how we wanted it to go with the client. So you're doing some damage control. I mean, did you ever think it would go that way? Do you do you miss massage? Like, how do you, you know, you went through all this schooling and now here you are and you don't really get to use it a ton?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, I think it was, I think it all worked out because of the fact that I do absolutely adore it. But it's hard on your body.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And massage therapists will tell you it's like you, it, it is a career that comes with an end date. I mean, you can you can keep doing it. Um, you can kind of do it for long periods of time, but like your your income is really tapped by your body. So it's I I think it was a blessing, and I still get the ability to do it occasionally, and I relish it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you do.
SPEAKER_00:I know. I've told you I feel guilty sometimes. Like if I especially if there's a call out and I still And you're like excited because you actually get to do a massage. I do, I do.
SPEAKER_02:We don't want to tell the team that because we don't want them just being like, oh, Jen would love to cover my massages today.
SPEAKER_00:Well, no, because I have other stuff to do. It's like in there, there's in the back of my mind. But when I walk into a room with a client, I'm there with the client. I leave everything else out. I am there, my focus, my attention. I'm I want to get in and create something with this person in that moment.
SPEAKER_02:And that's how it should be. And that, and that really is what we push and cultivate with everyone on the team. But to your point, most of our massage therapists are in their 20s and 30s. We're not there anymore. So I agree. I think the transition, the timing was good for you.
SPEAKER_00:I agree. Yeah, it was exciting kind of stepping into that, which we can kind of get into talking about like how that transition happened.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, let's let's go there. Cause that's my next question. Like, how did you that's a big adjustment to go from working two times a week as a two days a week as a massage therapist, going into full-time, typically more than 40 hours a week, yeah, director of operations. So, how did you come to make that decision?
SPEAKER_00:I was starting to get weird. Um left to my own devices. I mean, I have an active brain. Yes, you do. It does not stop.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, and it I mean, you read like you have a goal to read like 12 books a month or something crazy, don't you? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It's I it doesn't stop. I am consistent. It I I believe that curiosity is the key to everything. I think it's the key to happiness. I think it's the key to purpose. It's just it's what keeps me going. 100% all the time. Just consume. And that's something that has to be cultivated, curiosity. It doesn't just happen. People are like, well, I'm just not interested. I'm like, yeah, you gotta make yourself be interested. You've got to cultivate the curiosity in order, um, I think to do really well in anything, you've got to be curious. So I never stopped doing that. Um when I went into staying home, you know, especially after about a year of staying home with the girls all the time. I, the amount of projects, my poor husband, I mean, our entire house is full of experiments, basically. You know, I've got gardens going on, I've got hydroponics, I've bought a still. Yeah. It's like it doesn't stop for me. So I was not awesome. I think just staying home and being with them, especially young kids, because they can't talk to you. So I'm just alone with a book and a podcast. Yeah. Like that's it. It's that's what I'm living off of.
SPEAKER_02:And I'll never forget. I remember you telling me one time that when the girls are watching their kid shows, you're listening to a podcast. So like you get what you want, they get what they want.
SPEAKER_00:I would hide, I would hide my AirPod just underneath my hair because I don't want them to think that I'm not present with them, but like I can only watch Moana so many times, right? So I just put the AirPod in and just listen. And I'm just off in La La Land, you know, and they're they're happy. We're just we're all cuddling and I'm happy. And it's how I got through. Um, I obsessively listened to books, and I had a girlfriend who worked from home. Um, and she's she's back home in Louisville. So I call her my imaginary friend. She's very real. Um, but we talk on the phone, we text all day long. Yeah. And it's just like little things, like I'm walking down the hallway. Like, I don't know why I'm even telling her this, but she worked from home at the time. So it was kind of nice. She was bored. I was bored, you know. And I remember starting to tell her, I was like, hey, the director position came open at work. And she's like, Are you gonna go for it? I was like, Well, I don't think I can because of childcare. I had always told you I wanted to start working again, but I wanted to wait until the girls were in school full time. Um, so trying to figure that out. I mentioned it to Josh one day, kind of, you know, I was like, Yeah, the director position just came open. And he was like, You should go for it. I was like, What? Really? I felt like in that moment that it was the universe throwing me a bone. I left the distillery I was at, and it hurt me a little bit leaving there. I I really wanted to stick with it. I really wanted to watch it grow. I was there from the inception of that company. I got to watch it grow through so many intimate steps and and levels.
SPEAKER_02:And and also, we should say that that company turned into a multi-million dollar organization that then later sold to a very popular brand name. It was unbelievable to watch the growth of it.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, it it really inspired me. Growing up, how I grew up, there wasn't a lot of possibility. And it wasn't, I I grew up super middle class, like it wasn't because of anything like that. My parents were just not super go-getters. Um, they weren't out there, you know, making moves and stuff like that. And they just don't have that kind of personality, which is great. You know what I mean? There's, you know, my dad did very well. He took care of me. Like, you know, it's everything was great. But I never saw he was very much like, why don't you just get a desk job and go sit down and, you know, just work until you retire and then have a pension? I'm like, what are you talking about? That doesn't even exist anymore, dad. Like you were born in 1949. What do you know? Like this was my thought process. But I come to think about it now, I just have a wildly different personality. And that's that's really where that comes from. But I got to see that with the distillery and I got to see that growth, and it definitely ignited something in me to where I was like, this is fun. This is amazing. When I came to Panacea, I see that. I see your fire, I see your growth. An entrepreneur is someone you can peg. Like you can tell, oh, you've got a different kind of spirit going on about you. There's something different. Entrepreneurial spirits in in people are rare. It's not a common personality trait. So to see a company that you built by hand and to know the kind of personality you have, and I've seen it before. Like it's it's a personality that I've watched just really dominate. A space. So to see it in you in a space that's dedicated to wellness. Now I'm not dedicating myself to something that kills people. Yeah. Right? Sure. I was like, this is the universe throwing me a bone. These, these circuits, these don't come across very often. Yeah. And like I had it happen twice. So when it happened again, I was like, wake up and pay attention. Like this is something that, you know, I it was fulfilling something that I had missed, that I felt like I had missed out on.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I'll never forget when you called me and you're like, I really think I want to interview for this job. Of course, I was elated because you and I had been talking about for a long time how like when you're ready to take a bigger position, I'm ready for you to do that. Like I knew from the beginning that I wanted you to have a bigger role in the company somehow, somehow, someday. And but if you remember when you came to me, I grilled the shit out of you because I was so worried that you would come and eventually regret making the decision to come to work, miss being at home. And quite frankly, that had happened to me with my previous two directors. And it just was not a path that I could go down again. So you and I had a lot of deep conversations about that. I remember telling you, go home and really talk to Josh about what this role is gonna look like, what the demands are gonna be like, how are you guys gonna manage this? What are your backup plans when your, you know, your kids' caregivers fall through? Um, because this is such a big important role and so critical to the functioning of the spa. And also critical for me because you've given me the ability to be able to continue building the dream and pursuing all of the operational aspirations that I want to see come to fruition with the spa and to really develop and grow the business, which were things that up until you got into this position, I could not do because I literally was just in the business running the day-to-day nonstop. So let's talk a little bit about that. I mean, that was a really, really big decision for you to make. So, how did you, what kind of conversations did you and Josh have? Like, how did you come to that final decision? Like, I'm going for this and I can do this.
SPEAKER_00:I don't think I really understood the gravity of it until I was in it. I think that's common.
SPEAKER_02:Which is fair with most things.
SPEAKER_00:And we talked about that too. Like, it's here's what it's going to look like, but yeah. Yeah. And it was, I it was more than I expected. Okay. Um, but kind of going initially going into it, it felt like a golden opportunity at my feet. Like, here you go. Are you gonna pick it up and take it? And I felt like if I said no, I would really regret it. Especially when Josh gave me the green light.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. When he was like, I think that was like that was like the defining moment when Josh was like, go for it. I know. I you're like, oh, oh my gosh. You I think you're expecting him to be like now, Jen, not now.
SPEAKER_00:I was because he really liked me being home. I mean, I don't blame him. I mean, I I I get it. It made it made his life easier. You know what I mean? Because it was just that's I'm home. I can, I can help take care of things. Like I can, you know, I can get all the laundry done, I can do all the cooking. That was easy for him. And so me saying, hey, I want to go back to work full time. And not only am I gonna go back to work full time, but it's a big job that's gonna require me in other avenues as well. He also has a big job that requires a lot from him. And I think he was very much like, I just want you to be happy. So I just want you to do what you want to do. I do all these weird questions for him still, where I'm like, what profession would your ideal partner have? He's like, What are you talking about? That is a weird thing. I don't even think like that. I'm like, oh.
SPEAKER_02:As you're sitting there thinking of all these questions in the middle of the night that Josh must answer. I know. I was happy.
SPEAKER_00:Big dramatic questions. He's like, babe, we're just taking this a day at a time. Just do what makes you happy. I'm like, you don't have any thoughts. He's like, no, I'm like weird. Okay. So it was nice coming and having when I accepted the job and I came into the position and I kind of saw everything that needed to be done. Initially, it was overwhelming. That's for sure. Yeah, no lie. I I kind of got in, I could see what needed to be done in a lot of ways. Um, I could see, you know, culture needed some work and like kind of getting in, and how do I even do that? I don't even know. Like, I've got to research. I have read more business and self-help books than the vast majority of people. I really think that all of that helps.
SPEAKER_02:For sure. And honestly, I love seeing you in this leadership role now with our manager team. That's one of your main responsibilities, is leading them. And anytime they have a situation or something that they're struggling through, the first thing you say is, Well, you should look look at this book. Have you ever heard of it? Here's what they talk about. It's like amazing to me, all the things in your brain that you've held.
SPEAKER_00:If you want to know how to do big things, read about people who have done big things. Books are the easiest way to get a mentor. Yeah. Right? Like you look into how did you do it? How what pearls of wisdom? You literally have that at your fingertips. It's like, you know, that question if you could sit and talk to anybody, like who would you talk to? Go read a book they wrote.
SPEAKER_02:All the read a book about them. Biggest things they did, all of the biggest failures, all of like everything's out there for you to discover. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You just have to read it. And and it it sits inside you, just these little pearls of wisdom. And all of a sudden, uh circumstance comes up, and you're like, you know, I, you know, uh Jeff Bezos went through this exact thing. I know how to handle it because he handled it this way or whatever. You know, it's really helpful to have that. And and so it's been nice, like kind of stepping into um leadership and management because I've gotten to see all of those things in real life, in action, you know, and not just reading about it. So yeah, when I first came on board, it was overwhelming, um, stressful. I consistently told myself that you don't grow without pain. There is no growth without pain. And, you know, I had a moment to where I was, I was upset, I was feeling defeated. I think I had been, I was about five, six months in, I guess. And I had a conversation with Josh. I'm telling him, I'm like complaining basically to him. And he so matter-of-factly was just like, Jen, yeah, it's hard. Duh. That's not what not everybody off the street gets a director position.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Because they can't, because they can't handle this. Can you handle it? I was like, yeah. He's like, then handle it and quit complaining. I was like, okay.
SPEAKER_02:He sounds like a he sounds like a sports coach, like having the pregame prep pep talk in the locker room.
SPEAKER_00:Most definitely. I think I think a lot of it comes from he is a very, very no excuses person. Yeah. Like there are no excuses. So he was very much like, you know, shit or get off the pot. It's like, what are you complaining about? Either, either you're gonna do it or you're not gonna do it. You know, he what a that Yoda quote, um uh do it or do not do it. There is no try or something along the lines of that. And that's he just he really hammered that with me. And you know, I remember him being, he's like, Are you just some person off the street? Are you just some basic person that can't handle? And I'm like, no, I can handle it. And he's like, well, then do it. Stop talking about it. And I was like, okay. Um, my whole life has been talking about things, right? Like, and it's always been, it's okay if it's too hard. I was, you know, I was coddled a lot, I think, growing up. It was just, this is too hard for Jen. She's getting anxious, you know? And now I'm like, so what if you're anxious? Like, do it anyway, do it scared. That's always been one of my big mottos. Do it scared. Um, everybody's anxious, everybody's afraid. You just have to do it anyway. And it's about being able to have the stomach to be able to get in there and make decisions and not appear like you're falling apart.
SPEAKER_02:Yep.
SPEAKER_00:It's okay to be internally freaking out, but it's not okay to just dump that all over everybody. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Or to not even try.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, if you don't try, well, that is the answer is no. This gets to, you know, the biggest, my biggest reason is like, I can't imagine laying on my deathbed and thinking, I could have done more.
SPEAKER_02:100%. That's the I mean, that's the biggest reason why I opened the spot when I did. Like I really felt like this had been such a longtime dream of mine. And, you know, I was getting into my mid-40s, and I'm like, if I don't do this, like it's kind of like now or never. And if something happened to me, I would never forgive myself for not going for this. So I would feel like I didn't accomplish all of the things that I was set out to accomplish. So I'm on the same page with you there for sure.
SPEAKER_00:You've got to do it scared.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, a hundred percent. And I mean, I I hate to say the fake it till you make it statement, but it is applicable. I mean, you just gotta go for it, you know?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So you we mentioned earlier that there's a lot of overlap between the distillery business and the spa business. What do you think were some of the things that the distillery taught you about people, leadership, chaos, and just literally operations in general that you brought into this position?
SPEAKER_00:Being working in a distillery with tourism. So you have tours running all the time. You have them running every 30 minutes. They have to be at certain places at certain times. People have high expectations coming in. Um it is easier to run a distillery in hospitality than it is to run a spa.
SPEAKER_02:Interesting. Okay, tell me why.
SPEAKER_00:By far, because people are drunk.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:They don't care.
SPEAKER_02:And they're happy. Like, yes, I mean, people at the spa are happy too. So they are. It's just different.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's different when you know, they're coming for bachelor parties, they're so drunk, you know. I I having to kick people off bourbon tours because they can't stand up. I'm like, buddy, there's a bar next door. Like, you gotta go. They don't care.
SPEAKER_02:It's it's probably, I could be wrong, but it's probably probably the expectation of that high-level experience in a luxury environment that makes running a spa so different from the distillery. 100%.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, 100%. So it's just it's like it's more casual in general. The bourbon trail in general, you go, there are some, I will say the tour that we gave was the most expensive one on the bourbon tour, bar none. And um we just went with it. I mean, it people would complain sometimes about the price, but it's like, okay, then don't go on the tour. Like we have a tasting room, you could just, you know, go taste some over here at the counter. You can go upstairs, you can just buy a bottle. The expectations I think are lower for a distillery. It's just um there aren't as many uh uh uh issues with uh guests that come in. And I it's mainly because I mean there are some, you know, somebody will buy out a whole tour, they get a little disappointed because it's not quite what they expected. But it's a completely different thing when it's you know a spa service. I think it's more personal, um, a spa service. Intimate in nature. The having a spa service is just more intimate in nature. I mean, you're naked for a lot of it, underneath a towel or you know, blanket with a stranger. There's a level of discomfort that that triggers that causes people to get anxious and causes them to be in strange situations. Whereas with bourbon, you're drinking and you're loosening up your inhibitions. It's a completely different story. So that was easier than than where I am now. But I did learn a lot, obviously, through that. I I learned how to deal with people in general. Um I learned how to deal with drunk people very well when I was at the distillery. You know, I I would have a lot of people try and steal glassware. That was like super common. We had very nice glassware at the distillery. I'd have to stop them. Hi, crime's not.
SPEAKER_02:I'm just gonna say, Jason, my husband, if you're listening to this, shame on you. I told you they do not expect you to take the glasses with their names on them. But, anyways, go on.
SPEAKER_00:Well, because of that, we would have cheaper ones that we had ordered. So you can get Glenn Karen's um from like China. They're so cheap, and like you can see the they do rollerball etching instead of actually so it all like washes off. So yeah, because because people would take them, but it costs a massive amount of money to like keep having to, but they would take our coop glasses, the rocks glasses.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, we see it in the spa. People take our towels, our slippers. I'm sure they're taking our robes too.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, 100%.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, for sure. Weird thing. Anything to just like have the logo at home, I think it's odd, but and disappointing.
SPEAKER_00:But yeah, well, that's why they give you a glass, right? But at most distilleries, they'll give you a glass to keep you from taking. We did not give glasses. And so they would just steal them. Um, it was, I don't know, it, but it taught me a lot about how to talk to people. Um, operationally, leading that many tours. I wrote the tour um for the distillery. I I made every stop. I said, you know, what this is what we say when we step here, and this is what we say when we step here. And having it all work like clockwork, like running tours around the clock, especially Saturdays and Sundays, just you'd run them every 30 minutes without them running into each other. Or, you know, one tour guide, you know, battle of the bands is what I used to call it when you'd get two of them in the actual distillery and it was it's loud, yeah, you know. So operationally, it taught me a lot about timing. Um, I'm good at timing, I can make things work very well on a clock. Um so I do very well with service times and things like that and understanding scheduling and how that should look. That's how my brain works anyway.
SPEAKER_02:And helping our therapist and our team understand the importance of timing because every service is back to back. And you know, if they don't stay on time, it just throws everything off in the spa. So that's extremely important.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, just to have that awareness too of like an event. We have an event come in. You need to have an awareness of how long it's gonna take you to set up for the event, what needs to be done before the people even walk in the door. And having that kind of awareness working through um distillery world kind of taught you that. I mean, we we had some crazy events at the distillery. Um, there would be big corporate events, there'd be entire distillery buyouts, which is a ton of money that you know, people would pay, but they expect and demand perfection. And for good reason. I mean, they're spending a lot of money. Yeah. And the spa is not different. People are coming in, they're spending a lot of money on a day, and they are expecting, nay, demanding absolute perfection. And it is our goal to hit it every single time, you know, like a hundred percent is the goal. Yeah, just absolute perfection. Yeah. Um, and I I've learned that just from having people have high expectations. But that's that's good. You want them to have high expectations. You want them to come in and you want to go overboard. Yeah, like I said, I want to take the extraordinary and make it extraordinary.
SPEAKER_02:So going from hula hoops to now the spa.
unknown:Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Let's talk a little bit about operationally, though, behind the scenes. I mean, when you look at staffing from, you know, between the two industries, they they're very similar. I mean, you have to hustle and grind. And and when I say hustle, I mean like you're working your tail off, you're moving, you're learning how to work in a team, you're learning that elevated client experience, how how to deliver that. Um But tell me what things maybe surprised you when crossing over from the distillery into the spa world. Like what was the most shocking thing for you when you came over into this position?
SPEAKER_00:The kind of personalities that I've been used to working with in Bourbon World are not attracted to spa world.
SPEAKER_02:Agreed. Which is interesting because I spent over 12 years in the restaurant industry. And and we love to hire people who have restaurant experience because of all the things I just mentioned.
SPEAKER_00:But love it. Yeah, I I was used to working. I mean, the vast majority of people I worked were tour guides, right? So you have boisterous personalities, um, never met a stranger, um, can talk through things with people, like just, you know, naturally have that gift. Um and that kind of person is not typically attracted to wellness. Right. Agreed. And it's interesting. I mean, I would have a lot of retired men, if if you could imagine, you know what I mean, that would come in. I I had one gal who um did tours for me. She had a chemical engineering background and uh she loved to nerd out with tours. Yeah, you know what I mean? Get really into the chemistry. But her personality was very well suited for tour guiding because she was just boisterous and like, you know, I didn't have very many inhibitions. So I wasn't dealing with a lot of people, people with um social anxiety. And I people who are attracted to wellness typically suffer from social anxiety.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. They're in a lot of them are very quiet, very introverted, very reserved, which is great in the therapist room in some instances, not so great in others, but definitely not so great when they're running the front desk, working in the boutique. So 100%. It had to be like a balance for you.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. And and understanding, like, okay, this is might be out of this person's wheelhouse. I'm a weird massage therapist. Like, I'm I am not a typical LMT. I don't have that kind of typical LMT personality. Most LMTs are a little on the woo-woo side.
SPEAKER_02:They're um they like being quiet through the whole massage, most of them.
SPEAKER_00:They do. They'll tell me they're like, oh, the person wanted to talk. Not all the time, but it's like, you know, you have some massage therapists that love to talk. Yeah. And, you know, you're one of them. I love it. I know when to be quiet. I can read a room. Yeah. But if you want to talk to me, I would have like book club going. That's every time they come in and oh, I read this new book. I've been like, tell me all about it. Let's talk about my book. I can't wait. You know, I I miss that part of that deep connection interaction. Um, I love to talk about stuff. Yeah. Um, and so it's funny to me whenever I'll get, you know, we have a problem going, somebody had a massage, it didn't go well. I ask the person, the client, did you say anything to the massage therapist? Yep. And they they're like, no. I I can't say that to them. And then the massage therapist is like, well, I asked. I'm like, in what way did you ask? Right. How's everything going? I'm like, oh Lord. I'm like, You're right.
SPEAKER_02:We do have to teach them how to have conversations and meaningful conversations that get and drive the answers that we're looking for.
SPEAKER_00:Or even, okay, so something I learned a long time ago during bourbon tours, there would be questions that my tour guides would come up to me and they'd be like, I keep getting this question. I'd be like, why? What are you saying that's opening the door to lead for someone to even think to ask that question? Like, there's something you're saying. Yeah. I'm like, you are leading them into this. This is a very me discovering this, like, because I've given so many tours. I know that if I'm like, you know, I'm like, well, this particular mill grinds it so powder fine. That, well, what's different about this mill? That leads to that. If you don't know the answer to that, you should not be saying the first part of it, right? I discovered through that that the same thing is is in the treatment room. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like somebody will say, Oh, I had this particular problem. I'm like, why would that even come up? How would you even know to ask something like that? Why would the situation even occur? So it's digging into the therapist. And, you know, not just I I typically I feel like I pick on the LMTs all the time because I was, I that's my wheelhouse, but it's all service. I mean, it's just across the board.
SPEAKER_02:100%.
SPEAKER_00:The wellness guides will lead themselves right into it as well. I'm like, what are you saying?
SPEAKER_02:I love when they're leading to them. Okay, that only happens when usually we have a new person, which typically means they're not telling them where to put their new, put their street shoes back on and where to deposit the slippers. So, like you're right, there's trails of evidence. And usually when you see something recurring, there's a reason why it's happening. So really figuring out how to get to the bottom of that is critical.
SPEAKER_00:But this goes into somebody's whole life, I feel like. This is such a good life lesson because if you're like, I keep having this one recurring instance and I don't know why. What are you doing to cause that to happen repeatedly? Yep. And that's that's a big part of operations, I think, in general, is to like get in and think like, okay, we keep having this particular issue. Like, what is going on with this particular? Why are we having this issue? Yep. And then trying to get in and and figure it out. You just finagle and see if I change this one little thing, what's the outcome? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And that's what I meant when I said you're able to find these patterns and these growth opportunities in the chaos and when things are going wrong. I love that about you, like your that curiousness inside of you. Okay, I have so many more questions, but we're out of time. So I'm gonna end the interview here and then we'll pick back up next week with the rest of the questions. So that's a wrap for today's episode. As always, thank you so much for listening to Serenity and Fire. And if everything we were talking about today has inspired you, the best way to support the show is to follow, leave a review, or share it with someone who might need to hear these messages. Until next time, keep balancing serenity with fire. I'm Krista Guigeni, and I'll talk with you in our next episode. At Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique, we don't just offer traditional spa treatments. We create rituals that relax your mind, restore your health, and rejuvenate your spirit. From biohacking technologies to advanced oncology trained care, everything we do is designed to help you heal on the deepest level with clean, holistic therapies, products, and amenities that are second to none. And right now you can experience two of my favorites: our whole body LED light bed or hyperbaric oxygen therapies. And as a thank you for listening, you'll get 10% off your first session when you use the code Serenity10 at booking. What is your panacea? Let us help you find it because true wellness isn't a quick fix, it's a ritual.