The FOCUS Podcast · 40 Episodes

Beyond the Mirror Podcast

Beyond the Mirror is the FOCUS podcast for salon, spa and clinic owners. Across 40 episodes, founders Adrienne Varga and Jodie Fielden cover pricing, mindset, leadership, team building and marketing for hair and beauty businesses. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Amazon Music, or browse every episode below.

All 40 episodes

  1. Episode 1

    EP1: From Friends to Business Founders

    Beyond the Mirror ep 1 for salon and wellness owners: how best friends Adrienne Varga and Jodie Fielden became partners and founded Focus.

    Show notes
  2. Episode 2

    EP2: Why Image Isn’t Enough

    Why a strong image alone won't keep a salon or studio profitable: tracking your numbers, time management, delegation and the shift from employee to owner.

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  3. Episode 3

    EP3: Mastering Business Communication

    Leadership lessons for salon and wellness owners: ask instead of assuming, build strong team relationships, and make yourself replaceable in your business.

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  4. Episode 4

    EP4: 7 Lessons for Building a Strong Team

    Team building for salon owners: motivate and involve your team in decisions, keep professional boundaries, and make the shift from boss to leader.

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  5. Episode 5

    EP5: From Planning to Success

    Why so many salons and studios struggle: staffing issues, poor planning and leadership, plus strategies for hiring right and managing your team.

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  6. Episode 6

    EP6: Master the Business Side

    Build solid foundations for your salon or studio: learn to run a profitable business, budget accurately, track your income, and price services strategically.

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  7. Episode 7

    EP7: Building Your Dream Business

    The Iceberg Method and the seven layers of a successful business: the client journey, leveraging your skills, and your business as a retirement plan.

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  8. Episode 8

    EP8: Gaining Time and Freedom with Systems

    How systems streamline salon operations for consistency and efficiency, free up your time, and open the gateway to delegation without perfectionism.

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  9. Episode 9

    EP9: Harnessing the Power of Systems

    Involve your team in creating systems together, overcome perfectionism and control, stay consistent, and free yourself from your salon or studio business.

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  10. Episode 10

    EP10: The Mindset Behind Your Pricing

    How mindset shapes pricing in your salon or studio: shift from passion-based to profit-oriented, value your expertise, and price from data, not emotion.

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  11. Episode 11

    EP11: The Pricing Dilemma

    Price-driven vs value-driven markets in beauty and wellness: bargain hunters, attracting quality clients, and building a prosperity mindset around pricing.

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  12. Episode 12

    EP12: Understanding Your Client Types

    How understanding client types in the value-based beauty market shapes pricing, helps you overcome imposter syndrome, and builds loyalty and recurring revenue.

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  13. Episode 13

    EP13: Rise Above Guilt with Smart Pricing

    Overcome guilt and imposter syndrome around pricing: why underpricing keeps salon owners struggling, the industry standard myth, and profit as your reward.

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  14. Episode 14

    EP14: Reflecting Back to Move Forward

    The power of perspective for business owners: self-reflection, daily gratitude rituals, celebrating wins, and reframing failures as learning opportunities.

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  15. Episode 15

    EP15: The Boss Everyone Wants to Work For

    Staff retention in salons and studios: the difference between a leader and a boss, managing different personalities, and staying calm under pressure.

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  16. Episode 16

    EP16: The Best Boss and a Positive Culture

    Why prioritizing your team matters as much as your clients: clear growth paths that retain talent and a positive work culture that lifts service quality.

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  17. Episode 17

    EP17: Conquering Change with Confidence

    How to transition your business without losing everything: confronting fear of failure, involving your team, and communicating pricing changes to clients.

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  18. Episode 18

    EP18: Decide to Thrive

    For salon and studio owners stuck in indecision: the psychology behind hesitation, practical decision-making strategies, and working through limiting beliefs.

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  19. Episode 19

    EP19: Overcome Impostor Pricing Syndrome

    Impostor Pricing Syndrome in hair, skin, beauty and wellness: four signs you're undervaluing your services and how to raise prices with confidence.

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  20. Episode 20

    EP20: From Slow to Grow, Part 1

    Part 1 of five tips for growing through quiet economic times: the client journey, team training, analyzing your financials, and self-care to stay resilient.

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  21. Episode 21

    EP21: Go from Slow to Grow, Part 2

    Part 2 of five downtime strategies for salon owners: efficient systems so the business practically runs itself, and honest feedback from lost clients.

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  22. Episode 22

    EP22: Create Promotions That Deliver Results

    How salon owners can run promotions that pay off: define your ideal client, measure results, avoid the discounting trap, and use boosting vs targeting right.

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  23. Episode 23

    EP23: From Old Wartburgs to New Beginnings

    Adrienne shares her childhood in communist Hungary, the move to Australia, and the lessons that shaped her salon business. A Beyond the Mirror episode.

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  24. Episode 24

    EP24: Finding Strength in Life’s Challenges

    Jodie Fielden on a tumultuous childhood, her path from hairdressing to business ownership, raising a family while building a business, and setting boundaries.

    Show notes
  25. Episode 25

    EP25: From Rented Chairs to Salon Ownership

    Jodie and Adri's unfiltered journey from hairstylists to salon owners: starting with limited resources, buying a salon, and handling betrayal and staff changes.

    Show notes
  26. Episode 26

    EP26: Google Ads with Belinda Irvine

    Google Ads expert Belinda Irvine explains how ads work for salon and beauty businesses: common misconceptions, her viability calculator, and tracking ROI.

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  27. Episode 27

    EP27: From Renting a Chair to Salon Owner

    Adrienne's journey from renting a chair to owning her own salon: vendor finance, client and staff management, and using mentorship for business growth.

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  28. Episode 28

    EP28: Debunking the Paid Ads Myth

    Jodie and Adri debunk the myth that paid ads are the fastest way to grow revenue, making the case for organic marketing and retaining existing clients.

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  29. Episode 29

    EP29: Stop the Holiday Burnout

    How to prepare your salon for the busy holiday season: value-driven promotions, organizing your team for peak efficiency, and keeping momentum after Christmas.

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  30. Episode 30

    EP30: Salon Challenges in Today’s Market

    A 30th-episode look at the salon industry's two big struggles, finding clients and staffing: client communication, attracting talent, and the fundamentals.

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  31. Episode 31

    EP31: The Truth About Salon Profit-Sharing

    How to build a fair profit-sharing system that motivates your salon team: pricing foundations, KPIs, three sharing methods, and financial transparency.

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  32. Episode 32

    EP32: Profitable Salons: The Uncomfortable Truth

    What separates the profitable 20% of salons from the struggling 80%: knowing your numbers, hard conversations, boundaries, and taking complete ownership.

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  33. Episode 33

    EP33: Turn Clients Into Recurring Revenue

    How to build profitable salon memberships and packages: cost your services, price on real margins, cap at three tiers, and add value instead of discounting.

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  34. Episode 34

    EP34: Fix Salon Communication in One Step

    Why salon team problems are often miscommunication, not motivation: the Communication Style Test, the four learning styles, and adapting your leadership.

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  35. Episode 35

    EP35: 5 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting a Salon

    The five biggest lessons Jodie and Adri wish they knew before starting their salon: separate profit from wage, build systems early, and trust yourself sooner.

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  36. Episode 36

    EP36: Building Your Brand with Sarah Hudson

    Sarah Hudson, an aesthetic practitioner with over 25 years in skin health, on staying true to your brand, niching down, and avoiding fear-based decisions.

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  37. Episode 37

    EP37: 25 Years of Success with Sarah Hudson

    Sarah Hudson returns with lessons from building a high-end skin clinic: her biggest mistakes, rebranding, her own skincare line, and reinvesting in technology.

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  38. Episode 38

    EP38: What Thriving Salon Owners Do in January

    How smart salon owners use quiet January and February to prepare, reset, and grow: a strong start-of-year team meeting, shared KPIs, delegation, and systems.

    Show notes
  39. Episode 39

    EP39: When Life Falls Apart But Your Business Needs You

    Showing up as a salon owner when your personal life is falling apart: the myth of just taking a break, avoiding burnout, and why imperfect consistency…

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  40. Episode 40

    EP40: When Your Salon Becomes Your Anchor

    For salon owners carrying burnout and pressure: how the salon becomes an anchor in hard seasons, and how showing up for clients rebuilds confidence and purpose.

    Show notes

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