What if the business you built to prove your worth is the very thing draining it? In this honest conversation, hairstylist and coach Maxi Dotorri shares why she sold a thriving family-run salon and chose health, clarity, and self-respect instead.

In this episode, we talk about:
• The warning signs of burnout Maxi ignored for years
• How lockdown exposed migraines, panic, and an identity tied to being “the owner”
• The moment a team resignation became the catalyst for change
• Selling a salon fast and rebuilding life around energy, not optics
• Why resilience is not pushing harder but building systems that protect you
• The industry myth that 12-hour days equal success
• Simple health and leadership frameworks that actually work in busy seasons
• How better boundaries create stronger teams, calmer leaders, and healthier families

Maxi now runs two businesses on her own terms and is fully booked into 2026, helping women reclaim their health and leadership. This episode is a powerful reminder that you are allowed to move the goalposts, sell the thing you built, and redefine success in a way that supports your life.

Share this with a salon owner or creative who needs it. If it resonates, follow the show and leave a review so more leaders can find their way back to themselves.

To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon

Start strong, breathe deeper, and write the year you actually want to lead. This guided intention setting session with Tess is for salon owners and leaders who want less stress, stronger culture, and sustainable growth in 2026.

Through calm structure and practical reflection, you will move from vague goals to clear leadership behaviours that shape how your salon feels, functions, and grows.

In this episode, we guide you through:
• A short breath practice to settle your nervous system
• Defining values that anchor decisions during busy seasons
• Designing a thoughtful client and team experience from booking to follow-up
• Conscious leadership habits that support clarity, presence, and feedback
• Setting three meaningful SMART goals beyond vanity metrics
• Simple culture rituals that build trust and teamwork
• Boundaries that protect energy, focus, and work life balance
• Streamlining operations to reduce friction and overwhelm
• Choosing your word of the year and a proud outcome for 2026

Grab your journal, press play, and pause as needed. If this session helped you get clear, share it with a salon friend, subscribe for the next episode, and leave a review with your word for the year.

To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon

Ready to close 2025 with clarity rather than chaos?

In this guided reflection, Tess leads salon owners and leaders through a calm, intentional review of the year that was so you can carry the right lessons forward and release what no longer fits. This episode is designed to help you slow down, breathe, and reflect honestly before stepping into 2026.

In this reflection, we cover:
• A short breathing practice to settle your nervous system
• Key prompts to recognise what you are proud of and how you grew
• Lessons from challenges, turnover, and culture shifts
• Reconnecting with joy through meaningful in salon moments
• Clarifying where you need stronger boundaries and simpler systems
• Reflecting on leadership habits that shaped your team and your life
• Noticing how investing in yourself impacted your business

Bring a notebook, pause when you need to, and let this be a grounded close to the year you actually lived.

If this reflection supported you, share it with a fellow salon owner and follow the show for more calm, practical leadership conversations.

To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon