[329] AI is soon coming to Phorest, and this serves as officially non-officially the first conversation in a string of ones to be sprinkled into the podcast’s schedule during Season 10.

A version of this conversation could easily live in extremes, but this one does not. Rather, it asks a valid and core question of our time: How do you adopt new technology, AI & automation more precisely, without losing what makes your business human?

In this episode, joined by guest co-host Rich Cullen (Principal Product Designer at Phorest), we sit down with Jennifer Jade Alvarez, founder of Naperville, Illinois’ Refined Beauty, to discuss what it has been like to bring AI and automation tools into various areas of her business. And beyond discussing tools, we also spend time discussing decisions: what to automate, the trust factor, and what should perhaps never be automated in a beauty and wellness business.

We unpack the opportunities, the trade-offs, the real-world lessons—including what happens when AI gets it wrong—and the paybacks. All of it, with a deep belief that the businesses that win in the future won’t be the ones to remove the human touch. They’ll be the ones who remove friction around the craft and care.

Connect with Jennifer Jade Alvarez

Download Jennifer’s Top 50 Ways Salon Owners Buy Back Their Time: A free checklist using AI, automations, and virtual assistants

Learn more about the Salon CEO Method™ coaching program, listen to the Beauty Business Game Changer Podcast, and connect with Jenniger on Instagram @JenniferJadeAlvarez

All things Phorest

Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets for 2027: https://www.phorestsummit.com/

Learn more about Phorest Software.

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This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

[328] On the surface, this conversation with Juliann Upton, the founder and driving force behind Mesh Hair Studio, Nail Bar & Head Spa, revisits key moments of her career and the lessons she’s learned along the way. And if you pay attention, you’ll find each meaningful chapter of her career — of those she shared anyway — seemingly began when she met her future self halfway, in the unknown.

For Kitty Knorr's Reel on creativity and change, click here.

To learn more about Mesh Hair Studio, Nail Bar & Head Spa, click here.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!

Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

In this second (and final) bonus episode from the Salon Owners Summit 2026, more on-the-floor reactions from salon, spa, and clinic owners attending the event, an overview recap of the 2026 lineup and a candid conversation with Davina Devine, one of Ireland’s most recognizable drag queens and cabaret showgirls (@davina.devine on Instagram).

Briefly stepping away from her hosting and emcee duties of the day, the discussion explored Davina's flavour of drag, how she goes about warming up a crowd, and her relationship to the industry.

For more about Davina Devine and to inquire about bookings, click here.

For her podcast, Petty Little Things, click here.

Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets for 2027: https://www.phorestsummit.com/

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!

Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter or here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.