Some episodes stop you in your tracks. This is one of them.

Sam & Jen are joined by one of Sam's closest friends and hair besties, Brooke Wolf from Paper Rokk. For a conversation that is as honest, warm and real as it gets.

Brooke has built her salon business over 12 years through some of life's most defining moments. Loss, burnout, single motherhood, a new build and now navigating the early days of a significant personal change. And through all of it, one thing has kept showing up as the answer.

Connection.

This episode explores what connection actually looks like in business and in life. The connection you have with your team, your clients, your closest friends and yourself. It is a conversation about showing up for people in ways that matter, about the salons that save us when everything else feels uncertain, and about what happens when you finally let yourself lean into the people around you instead of pushing through alone.

Brooke's story is one of resilience, self awareness and grace. And her reminder that we are in the business of connection, even when we forget it, is something every salon owner needs to hear.

What we cover

1. Brooke's journey from heartbreak to building Paper Rokk over 12 years
2. Opening a salon after loss and figuring it out as you go
3. Running two salons, burning out and knowing when to let one go
4. Navigating separation as a business owner and a mother
5. Why grief doesn't stop, it just moves with you
6. The difference between sending a text and actually showing up
7. How your salon can save you in the seasons you least expect
8. What connection really means for your team, your clients and yourself
9. Why saying yes more often can change everything
10. The glass balls and the plastic balls, what you let fall and what you don't

The answer was always connection. It just takes the hard seasons to remind us.

Timestamps:

00:00 Episode Summary

02:33 Meet Brooke Wolf

03:27 Friendship And Support Crew

06:27 Starting A Salon After Loss

09:27 Second Salon And Burnout

12:15 Closing Palm Beach Lessons

13:43 New Space Pregnancy Chaos

15:07 Group Chat Lifeline

19:20 Separation And New Chapter

25:43 Grief While Leading

28:49 Finding Joy In Small Moments

32:37 Saying Yes Again

34:31 Glow Up And Bucket List

35:44 Better Apart Realizations

36:45 Trauma And Overworking

39:13 New Hobbies And Joy

42:57 Friendship Web Story

46:13 Connection Over Everything

51:02 Salon As Safe Haven

56:21 Business Lessons And Team

59:03 Show Up For People

01:05:30 Grace In Breakups

01:08:30 Co Parenting And Closure

01:10:02 Final Connection Reminder

Most salon owners are sitting on a network they have barely touched. The clients in their chairs, the brands they love, the people they already know and trust.

In this Mini Moment, Jen sits down with Sherri from Timely to talk about one of the most underutilised assets in your business, the community you have already built around you.

It is a conversation that started with a question Timely kept hearing from salons: costs are rising, times are tough, how do we actually help? The answer became Timely Perks, a growing initiative built to ease the real financial pressure of running a salon by connecting owners with brand partnerships, exclusive offers and education, all in one place. But the conversation quickly opens out into something bigger than a product feature. It becomes a genuine exploration of what it means to build with your community rather than just within it.

From leveraging the clients already in your chairs to rethinking what collaboration can look like across brands, artists and industries, this one will shift the way you see the network you already have.

What we cover

1. What Timely Perks is and why it was created
2. How to support clients through tough financial times without discounting
3. Treating your clients as partners, not just appointments
4. Leveraging your existing client network in ways you probably haven't tried yet
5. The power of collaboration across brands, artists and industries
6. Why community over competition is more than a hashtag
7. One simple thing you can do today to start building those connections

Your next great business partnership might already be sitting in your chair.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM