There comes a point in every entrepreneur's journey when working harder stops producing better results. The business may continue to grow, but if the woman behind it isn't growing too, success can begin to feel surprisingly empty.

In this episode, we're sitting down with Shonna Dexter CEO of Recreating Rays whose definition of success has transformed over the years. What started as a side hustle in her basement while balancing a full-time corporate career eventually became a thriving, multi location company. But the biggest milestones weren't measured in revenue—they were measured in self-awareness, healing, and learning how to lead differently.

In this episode we talk about the pivotal shift from being an exceptional service provider to becoming a true CEO, building systems and a team that no longer depend on you being everywhere at once. Along the way, she shares how sobriety brought clarity, how a late ADHD diagnosis helped explain years of hyperfocus and burnout, and how navigating perimenopause challenged her to rethink the pace at which she wanted to build.

Rather than chasing more hustle, she began pursuing something far more valuable: time affluence. Together, we explore why protecting your energy is just as important as protecting your profit, how nervous system regulation has become a leadership tool, and why sustainable growth requires creating a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

This conversation is ultimately about creating more than a beautiful business. It's about creating a business that gives you freedom, preserves your identity, strengthens your relationships, and opens doors for other women to grow alongside you.

Because sometimes the greatest business strategy isn't another marketing plan or pricing change.

Sometimes it's becoming the woman your next level of business has been waiting for.

Lets connect on Instagram and keep the conversation going!

Connect with Shonna @shonna.dexter, @sunlesslegacy & @recreatingrays

Connect with me: @creatingmorethanpretty

Pretty results are easy to post. The hard part is the life happening behind the scenes while you build them. In this episode I’m joined by Jaclyn Cook, a 20-year spray tan industry veteran and the founder behind Phoenix Sunless and The Sunless Edit, to talk about what long-term success actually takes when you’re a woman running a beauty business, leading a team, and still trying to show up at home. 

We get into the real story of growth: the hustle-culture years with late nights and saying yes to everything, then the shift into boundaries and building a business that can run without you. Jaclyn shares how her definition of success changes from “I just want to make $500 a week” to time freedom like taking July off, traveling with family, and knowing revenue still comes in while she’s away. Along the way, we talk product innovation driven by actual client needs, the pressure of launching and relaunching an e-commerce brand, and what it feels like to carry the emotional weight of decisions that affect your family and your staff. 

One of the biggest takeaways is practical: protect your business relationships. We unpack why contracts matter even with friends, how to define expectations at the beginning, middle, and end, and why planning an exit strategy can save you money, stress, and heartbreak later. If you’re building a service business, a beauty brand, or a creative company that you want to feel aligned and sustainable, this conversation will meet you where you are. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with a woman who needs the reminder that she’s allowed to do it her way.

Connect with Jackie on Instagram: @phx.sunless @the.sunlessedit 

www.phxsunless.com 

www.shopsunlessedit.com

Connect with Deana on Instagram: @creatingmorethanpretty

Pretty branding can get attention, but it can’t carry you through postpartum hormones, leadership pressure, and the quiet anxiety of wondering if the business still fits. I sit down with serial entrepreneur Sasha Fedunchak to talk about what happens when you outgrow a version of yourself and your company at the same time, and why “more than pretty” is about building from the inside out, not just curating what people see online.

Sasha shares her path through multiple ventures, from the beauty world and creative branding work to brand photography and videography, and now helping small business owners sell their businesses. We get honest about the temptation to burn down what’s working, the pull to look more “professional,” and the way motherhood can force an identity shift you didn’t plan for. If you’ve ever felt yourself sliding into survival mode, ignoring your intuition, or trying to power through a season your body is begging you to slow down in, you’ll feel seen here.

We also dig into what actually supports sustainable growth: gratitude as a grounding practice, mindset shifts like the seven levels of energy, and the practical value of building better systems instead of piling more onto your plate. Sasha offers a simple but powerful alternative to going it alone: creating a Personal Advisory Board, a trusted circle you can lean on for both real strategy and real support.

Subscribe to Creating More Than Pretty, leave a review, and share this conversation with a woman building something meaningful. What part of your business are you ready to let yourself do your way?

We talk about what happens when a business looks successful on the outside but feels misaligned on the inside, especially while raising kids and managing multiple brands. Emily shares how systems, boundaries, and honest self-checks helped her choose peace over pressure and start planning a future that fits her life.

• Emily’s life update from postpartum to running multiple businesses again 
• Buying a long-time local bikini store and adding a wax studio 
• Redefining success around time with kids and real quality of life 
• The mental load of motherhood plus entrepreneurship and why it matters 
• Building systems that run without you and the hidden cost of managing people 
• Why burnout can hit hardest once things finally feel “stable” 
• How social media can push you into models you only admire 
• Health, stress, and the decision to stop sacrificing well-being for growth 
• Permission to pivot & drop what isn’t working!

• Creating opportunities for others without crossing your own boundaries 

*Plus the announcement she's been sitting with and is ready to share...

If this conversation resonated with you, please be sure to follow the show plus leave me a review. And most importantly, be sure to share it with a woman who's building something meaningful and remind her that she's allowed to do it her way.

Emily:

@thebrowfox
Emily's businesses

@browfoxbeauty @sloswim @suitespotslo

The Intro..

Welcome to Creating More Than Pretty

Welcome to Creating More Than Pretty—the podcast for entrepreneurs building beautiful businesses from the inside out.
This is a space for creative professionals who know their work is about more than aesthetics, More than trends, More than what looks good on the surface.
Here, we are peeling back the layers of what it looks like to build businesses that feel aligned, sustainable, and deeply fulfilling—while still creating exceptional experiences and meaningful results for the people you serve. Be ready to hear real, unfiltered conversations from professionals who share their wins, lessons and their behind the scenes moments that don't always make it to the public eye.  Together, we’ll talk about growth, purpose, and the beauty that comes from building something meaningful — inside and out. Because the work you do creates more than what people see.

Mama, get ready because you're about to be  extremely inspired by my guest Emily, The Brow Fox!  She shares that when the pandemic hit and having her second child,  she found herself exhausted and in overwhelm while running her multiple beauty businesses.  Emily is so transparent in her struggles and explains how hitting this point forced her to restructure her business as a service provider to fit her and her families needs. 

Often times clients can feel so connected {as a friend}, yet disconnected {as a mom with kids} from us by taking advantage of showing up late to appointments, canceling last minute or just not showing up. My guest was done with these scenarios! 
Emily shares that restructuring her business around HER needs and setting clear boundaries allowed her to keep her job as a service provider. A recurring schedule gives her the structure and the flexibility that she WANTS and NEEDS!

Emily is not only a service provider but a landlord and a product creator.  Like most moms she wears many hats, however in this episode she tells us what that truly looks like,  how she's evolving by creating structure in ALL her businesses that work around being a mom and how she is trying to incorporate self care as a top priority.  Which is honestly something we as women and moms should really try to do! 

Let's Connect:
@mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast

Connect with Emily:
@thebrowfox
@browfoxbeauty
@suitespotslo

In this episode with multi beauty business owner Kelly Callaghan she shares how transitioning from Entrepreneur to Momprenuer has actually made her a better business woman.   

As we all know becoming a mom changes us, and as a business owner navigating life & business with a new baby is quite challenging.  Life as we once new it is now very different!  Kelly is an industry trailblazer who notoriously started an international spray tan business and grew it from $0 to over a half a million dollar a year business.  Now she's learning to juggle all the things with a one year old.   During our interview Kelly shares that becoming a mom has actually made her a better entrepreneur!  She states that "It forced her to become more organized, to stop half-assng things and to really prioritize her time."   

Kelly also shares her struggles as a new mom working at home and why it wasn't healthy for her, how she was affected by postpartum depression and how setting boundaries and putting non-negotiable in place changed everything!

Being a business owner isn't always easy,
Being a new mom isn't always easy,
often times from the outside it looks easy to others,
but we do it by figuring it out and putting our priorities in place!

Enjoy!

Connect with Kelly:
Spray Tan Class
Beauty Business Babes

Mentions:
Sheila Bella 
Shannellle 
Brandi 
Kimber 

To some it looks like a glamorous fairy tale! It's often what some starting in the Spray tanning industry dream of.  For Keri Elliott of Bronze Me Babyy in Dallas Texas, she'll tell you it is most definitely fun AND glamorous, BUT it has not been easy or effortless.  In this episode Keri and I chat about what it has been like for her going from being a stay at home mom of 3 boys to the wild ride of traveling the globe tanning beautiful people.  Keri found herself lonely, often what happens to moms when their children grow up and are not needed for every little thing.  She decided to start spray tanning and, as her dear friend Fabiola told her, it's what SHE did with an opportunity that allowed her to flourish.

"Being a mom is a challenge and I am always facing challenges at work" said Keri.   I think most moms who works in the beauty industry can relate with this statement.  She shares the full circle moments that she's had going from a homeroom mom to a working mom and how she has handled it all.  Life is what you make of it and the things you learn along the way and Keri shares her journey with us on this episode.

Enjoy! 

Connect with Keri: Bronze Me Babyy

REAL TALK!!!!  

My guest, Mistie Collins and I dive DEEP into the real talk on being a new mom in the beauty industry.   

As a new mom, who chooses to go to work,  we find ourselves constantly questioning if working is the right choice.  As Mistie mentions.."sometimes I'm killing the game and sometimes I question what I'm doing... is working and missing out on watching my son grow truly worth it?"   We are judged by clients, family and society on working OR staying home with our kids.  Mistie and I agree that it's so important to just go with what feels right for the individual.  She shares that, most days, working is so good for her mental health.  Yes, she misses her son, however while working she gets to showcase her individuality and be "Mistie"! 

We also dive into how she juggles work life balance and how she loves structure.  She shares that postpartum was hard because of the lack of structure and control.  We  discuss Astrology and how being a Scorpio plays a role in her decisions and how it can affect working in the beauty industry with different clients and personality types.  Mistie tells me that she is a firm believer in self reflection.  She takes the time every day to give herself 30 mins of alone time to decompress and self reflect, which allows her to stay grounded.  We also discuss that some days, being a beauty professional, we are the therapist (giver) and other days we are the receiver.  We often pour into our clients naturally, however often times the table gets turned.  She shares that, It's being strong in who you are and what you do to be able to understand and accept this.  

Lastly we touch on triggers, and why they're important to sit with.  How her clients energy effects her, what she does to release it and what her non-negotiable are now that she's a mom! You're going to love this episode! 

Enjoy!


Connect with Mistie @mistiecheystyles & @somethingblu