NeoMetal body jewelry recently made waves by announcing a new corporate partnership, and the piercing community imploded. I asked NeoMetal's John Kittell to come on the show and tell us about their new business plans and if we should expect any changes in their jewelry going forward. We also discuss their company history and the origin of the threadless jewelry we use today.

For more information on the show visit: www.piercingwizardpodcast.com or follow at: www.facebook.com/piercingwizardpodcast/ or www.instagram.com/piercingwizardpodcast/.

2019 Association of Professional Piercers conference scholar Ryan Caruana comes on the show this week. He gives insight to the application process, what it was like arriving in Las Vegas and meeting so many other piercers, and what it was like taking all that information home and unpacking it. Reminder the APP's scholarship applications are open until February 6th 2020, so don't delay if you want to apply. Visit: https://www.safepiercing.org for more info.

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John Balk is a busy guy. In between videography projects he sat down to talk about something most of us deal with annually, the slow season. We talk about how to manage a limited income by carefully planning orders, utilizing technology, and paying attention to your customers. We also talk about running specials, is it a benefit or a risk to discount your products and services? We also chat about the boom of earlobe piercings, especially for kids.

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Welcome to 2020! My first guest of the year is Canadian piercer Alicia Lowe. On New Year's day we happened to both be in the same city so we sat down at a cafe and recorded a chat about shadowing. We talked about how to take that first step in asking a respected colleague if you can come observe and ask questions, if you plan your day on a structure or if you go with the flow. We also talk about the sticky concept of potentially "training your competition". A nice chat with a nice piercer, enjoy.

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I was invited to speak at an event called SCARRED by MAE-Africa.org recently. The event focused on cultural body art practices in Africa, mainly body painting and scarification. While I was there I sat down with the event's organizer MAE Africa founder Temi Fet'era. We discussed scarification from both a cultural perspective and from that of a contemporary practitioner, as well as MAE Africa's efforts to document and preserve these practices.

For more information on MAE Africa visit their website at www.mae-africa.org or follow them @maeafricaorg (www.instagram.com/maeafricaorg) on instagram. Follow film maker Nadine Ibrahim @nadineibrahimfilms (www.instagram.com/nadineibrahimfilms) and artist Yusuff Aina @yusuff_ aina (www.instagram.com/yusuff_ aina) on instagram.

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In need of some inspiration? I met a piercer named Zakk Boyer at the first private seminar I did, back in 2017. He told me he was sleeping in the train station that night because he spent his money to come to the class. Fast forward one year and he was a stand out scholar at the APP conference. Fast forward two years and he is working at Piercing Experience in Atlanta, one of the oldest and best shops in the country. Hard work pays off.

Give the show a 5 star rating and review on itunes. Like and follow the show at: https://www.facebook.com/piercingwizardpodcast/. Support the show at: www.patreon.com/ryanpba.

Piercing down under is looking up! Australia and New Zealand piercers now have an organization to call their own, the Australasian United Professional Piercers (AuPP) organization just had their first public meeting. Kyla Scrivener comes on the show to discuss the AuPP's progress and future goals. We also talk about how you grow a high end market from scratch and the work that goes into running a safe piercing business when your body jewelry has to be imported.

Get more info on the AuPP at: www.safepiercing.org.au or follow safepiercing_au on instagram. Like and follow the show at: https://www.facebook.com/piercingwizardpodcast/. Support the show at: www.patreon.com/ryanpba.

In the few short years that I've known William Barron I have seen him rise through the ranks of APP volunteering and committee work, become a public speaker and international instructor, and accept a nomination to run for a spot on the APP board of directors. Most of you know him simply as Barron. We talk about Barron's work on the membership committee, his first time teaching at the UKAPP conference, and his growth from being a Chicagoland piercer to accepting a position in one of the country's top piercing shops in Tennessee. One team, one dream.

Give the show a 5 star rating and review on itunes. Like and follow the show at: https://www.facebook.com/piercingwizardpodcast/. Support the show at: www.patreon.com/ryanpba.

Former APP conference scholar Erica Martin joined me for a podcast while I was in Florida recently. We talked about the scholarship application process and conference experience, but also Erica's growth as a piercer. We talked about making the difficult decision to step out of a comfort zone and offer higher quality piercing even if it means a higher price tag. Growing pains are something many piercers have to endure, and I can definitely see how that hard work paid off for Erica.

If you're interested in APP conference scholarships get more info at: https://www.safepiercing.org/aldscholarships.php or https://www.safepiercing.org/otherscholarshipopportunitie.php.

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