So, a world class athlete trains so hard that they make they Olympic team. Then, they perform so well they win a gold freakin' medal. But what are we all talking about? Her piercing, that some piercers don't like. Smiley piercings may have crossed your feed recently, what do you think about them? Well Lola (and to a lesser extent Ryan) have some thoughts on the subject that we are going to share with you. We'll also recap our recent trip through Florida to teach some seminars.

Always new content for you at www.patreon.com/ryanpba including my latest video about Jestrum (vertical philtrum) piercings. Check it out.

Interested in learning more about Bevel Theory? Ryan will be doing an online webinar on Sunday April 19th. Get more info or sign up at www.ryanpba.com.

Find out more at https://piercing-wizard-podcast.pinecast.co

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today. Lola and Ryan talk about AI creeping its way into the piercing industry. Will it be an assistant, or a potential rival? We also circle back around to a topic brought up in episode 248 "is the all-gold business model sustainable". With gold prices at an all time high (and climbing) how does this affect piercing? How do we articulate one of our products increasing in cost, without scaring away our clients?

Come join Ryan & Lola for TWO live seminars in Florida. Feb 23 in Tallahassee & March 1st 2026 in Ft. Myers. Get more info or sign up at www.ryanpba.com or with this google form: https://forms.gle/5V1PXzijLbgb7R5s7

Find out more at https://piercing-wizard-podcast.pinecast.co

I can't recall where in the world I met Ricardo Miro, but in 2025 I saw him in no less than 3 different countries. He owns Perforart Piercing in San Juan Puerto Rico, but if you are a regular attendee at international piercing events he will be a familiar face worldwide. Ricardo started a career in body art helping to clean up around tattoo shops and made an impressive upward climb that took him to Italy for 9 years to follow his wife, then back to Puerto Rico and beyond.

Ryan and Lola will be teaching two separate days of seminars in Florida soon. Monday February 23rd 2026 in Tallahassee, FL and then again Sunday March 1st in Fort Myers, FL. Get info on the subjects, available bundles and discounts, or get signed up at: https://forms.gle/EtZPY1XXDZ5XBwtg9

Find out more at https://piercing-wizard-podcast.pinecast.co

2025 felt like it was a month long, and here we are at the end. Lola and Ryan recap some highlights from the year as we answer your submitted questions.

12:30 - Advice for someone stuck in a shop with hazing.

24:00 - Concerns about the legitimacy of extreme body mod "certification".

28:45 - What advice do you wish you had gotten earlier in your career?

36:30 - Tips for someone attending the APP conference alone for the first time.

45:45 - Revisiting the previous question of "is the all-gold business model sustainable?" from episode 248.

And much more. Thanks for listening in 2025, thanks for coming to our classes and watching our videos too. We have lots more coming in 2026.

Ryan & Lola will be offering two live seminars in Florida (Tallahassee on Monday Feb 23 2026 & Ft. Myers on Sunday March 1 2026) you can get info or sign up with this form: https://forms.gle/r84tYGKoXgaj8eAT7

Find out more at https://piercing-wizard-podcast.pinecast.co

Sound the horn, the Goss Horn!! Piercer Jonahan Goshorn comes on the show to tell his piercer tale. Jonathan started his new job in a piercing shop one week before the 2020 pandemic kicked off, he spent years doing the work to get better and move from apprentice to piercer. In 2023 I met Jonathan through the APP scholarship process and the conference it brought him to. We talk about how to find and build your confidence as a new piercer.

Ryan also talks about the APP election cycle happening as this episode publishes. If you are a member you have until December 9th 2025 to vote for up to 4 people to be on the Board of Directors. Log in, read the bios, and cast your vote. It only takes a few minutes. Lola Slider has accepted her nomination to run!

Ryan also also wants to remind you that the application window for the 2026 APP conference legacy scholarships are open NOW through December 31st 2025. Want to come to conference but you need a helping hand to get there? Read the info page and apply at: https://safepiercing.org/legacy-scholarship/.

New content available at www.patreon.com/ryanpba, check out a new video with Lola Slider showcasing her marking and piercing methods for paired lower lip piercings. Available with 50+ other narrated piercing videos on the $15 arch mage tier.

Find out more at https://piercing-wizard-podcast.pinecast.co

Lola interviews Ryan(pba) about Precision Body Arts (PBA) turning 25 this year. Lots of trends have came and went in 25 years of piercing, lots of stumbles, lots of growth. Going from giving out a pager number up to fighting to stay relevant in a sea of online reviews, piercing has changed a lot and Ryan's shop has kept plugging along. We talk about some of the past, present, and future of piercing at PBA.

Ryan has a new narrated video about vertical bridge surface piercings available for you at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Check it out!

This PWP was recorded in front of a live studio audience (at the 2025 UKAPP conference in Nottingham). Ryan & Lola invite special guests Tais Fernandes and Becky Dill to come back on the show and talk about how to actually get things done. -Opening a studio. -The Bay Area Piercing Group and its long term impact on the piercing industry. -How to become an instructor. -How to write an effective proposal for a project. -Working with health departments. -Strategies for a slow season. -Do we notice the next big trend coming? +more questions from the audience.

Every piercing starts out with a little risk. The risks of our every day piercings can be reduced through education and experience, but what about when we're trying something new or trendy? Lola and Ryan discuss the risks that may come with rare piercings, piercing trends, or just experimentation and creativity. Celebrity finger piercings, Austin bar piercings (I didn't know what that was either its ok), and kitten fangs. Where is the line between risk and harm, and how close do we get as professional piercers? We also discuss our recent trip to Poland for a conference, and our future teaching plans.

Time is running out to watch Lola Slider's "Size Matters: jewellery sizing theory" webinar at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Watch it before the end of September 2025 or you'll miss out. You can also check out Ryan's new video about Austin Bar piercings, and much more on demand.