Welcome to the Season 5 wrap-up of Salon Confessions.  This is our longest season yet, coming in at 14 episodes!  We just couldn’t stop!  

At the end of every season, we like to give you a wrap-up of all the episodes so if you are new to Salon Confessions or missed anything you can get a recap and stay up to date on all the topics we covered.  Maybe there’s something you want to go back and re-listen to, or missed completely and want to check out.

This season was FILLED with episodes we loved making and sharing with you, and this episode will take you through our favorite moments from all of them.

S5E1: Jen & Harper's 2025 Words of the Year

S5E2: [Hypnotic Dreams]: The Elusive Good Night's Sleep

S5E3: Twinkle Fingers, Twinkle Thumbs, That's The Way the LIFEHACKS Come!

S5E4: Grey's Analysis: A Young Adult’s Take on Mental Health

S5E5: Extreme Healing! With Mari Ruddy

S5E6: Gigglefest Medicine- When Laughing with your Bestie is the Perfect Cure to a Terrible Day

S5E7: Jen 'Recked' Her What? A Pelvic Floor Odyssey

S5E8: I'm So Hot!! Why am I So Hot?!?!

S5E9: Jen & Harper Try It Out: A Royal Yoni Steam Adventure

S5E10: Finding our Femininity - When do we feel it and Why?

S5E11: A [Motley] Crew: Rue is live in the Confessional!

S5E12: In the Confessional with a Menopausal Femme Fatale! Satori Shakoor

S5E13: Rethinking Skincare (and Roses) with Dr. Ebru of Aveseena

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Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

In this episode, we welcome one final virtual guest into Jen’s nail studio with us - Dr. Ebru of Aveseena Skin Care. 

Dr. Ebru is an internationally recognized immunologist with decades of research under her belt, and a personal passion for science, skin, and women's well-being. She has spent her career studying the intricate relationship between the immune system and the skin—especially how stress, aging, and environmental triggers affect women as we move through different life stages.

Her work is rooted not just in clinical knowledge, but in a deep care for women’s health—inside and out.  She is also a lot of fun, and we had a great time together!

She’s a brilliant scientist and skin expert, but never acted like she had all the answers. Her commitment to evidence and empathy came through in everything she shared—and that made us want to listen.

AND -we are delighted to offer our Confessionistas a Special offer from Aveseena - 20% off sitewide at www.aveseena.com with the code BeautyConfess, through February of 2026.  

IG @aveseena

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

Our guest today has a litany of writing, performing, music, and acting credits to her name.  Satori Shakoor began her career with acclaim as a background singer and recording artist, touring with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic as one of the iconic Brides of Funkenstein - later becoming an actor, comedienne, and television comedy writer.

in 2011 she joined one of my favorite storytelling organizations - The Moth - as a Mainstage storyteller and host, and continued her spotlight achievements as a 2017 Kresge Literary Arts Fellow, host for Detroit Performs live, and emcee for the 2024 Kresge Centennial Event where President Barack Obama gave the keynote address.

She is also the creator and Executive Producer of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers which she founded in 2012, where she lives her purpose to connect humanity, heal and transform communities, and deliver uplifiting, thought-provoking, and soul-enriching entertainment through the art and craft of storytelling.

On this episode, she joined us virtually in the studio to talk about one of our hot topics - menopause! and her upcoming film release - Confessions of a Menopausal Femme Fatale - a storytelling solo stand-up concert film debuting on AppleTV+, Amazon Prime and Google Play on June 12.   

In her film, Satori relives and explores her menopause journey with wit, song, tragedy, and healing.  She has become a living anthem for the importance of bursting through the taboo of keeping quiet about menopause, and we could not be more humbled and proud to have her join our show to share her message and promote her film.  

We can’t wait for you to hear the rich, poetic way she speaks about her experience, and all women’s experience, as only an accomplished storyteller can.  This was a joyful, soul-filling hour for us, and we know it will be for you too.

Satori Socials:

FB & IG: Satori Shakoor Films

YouTube: Secret Society Stories

BlueSky: [email protected]

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Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

When we shifted from a sporadic side project to a consistent show, my first priority was learning how to edit. Because we record during live manicures, our setup is... challenging. Between “sound bleed” from sitting close together and the background noise—filing, beeping, clinking—we basically picked the worst environment for beginner podcasters.

During a mini-sabbatical from work, Harper was laser-focused on improving our audio. But none of the podcasting advice out there addressed our kind of sound setup or issues. Then she found Rue.

Harper upgraded our gear, learned Audacity, and got brave enough to add guests (and even more audio chaos). But none of it would’ve worked without Rue. When Harper returned to work, she realized she couldn’t keep up with editing, so she asked Rue to take over. Since Season 4, Rue’s been our primary editor. Harper still does final tweaks, but Rue’s the magician behind the mix.

In this episode, we’re bringing Rue into the studio—virtually—so you can meet the third member of our Salon Confessions team. She’s a joy, a pro, and an incredible woman. We are quite the Motley Confessional Crew—and now you’ll hear why.

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

What defines femininity, or masculinity, and how do you connect with those elements of yourself?  That’s the question we are pondering in today’s episode.

In our last episode, Jen and Harper went to a spa and did a Yoni steam, where we sat over pots of steaming herbs to help moisturize and revitalize our female parts.  As we talked about it afterward, Jen shared that it was a good way to connect with her Feminine side, and after that conversation, Harper could not get that comment out of her head.

For the next week, Harper kept wondering what she defined as connecting with her feminine side, and similarly, what it felt like to connect to her masculine energy, and thought about when she wanted or needed to connect more with one or the other.  The whole idea was so distracting and interesting that they decided to talk about it more in this episode.

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

This season, we haven’t yet done a Try It Out episode, and we really thought long and hard about doing a sauna and open water cold plunge, since we live in a cold weather state and cold plunge is supposed to be the best new health trend.  But as this season crept on, we kept not scheduling that cold plunge, and finally realized we just really didn’t want to.  Thankfully, Jen did some more research and found out it’s not as good for menopausal women as it is for men and younger women, so that gave us an easy out!

Then Jen did some more hunting around for a unique experience we could try out for you all, and found the perfect thing for us to try - a Yoni steam.  This is an ancient practice that can be found across various cultures globally, from ancient Egypt to traditional Korean medicine and some African cultures as a part of a rite of passage for young women entering womanhood.  It has been used as a sacred practice for physical, spiritual and emotional cleansing and healing, and now is entering modern practices in spas and holistic health centers.

Jen found a local spa that offered Yoni steam, and was able to book a session for us to try it out in the same room - because, you know, friendship!  And the location was able to set up a space to accomodate our request, allowing us to talk about our experience in real time.

Now, as always, we are not health care providers and we are not going to offer any health care guidance or recommendations for you about your own health care in this episode.  You should always check with your health care providers if you have questions or concerns about your body before trying something like this out.

We had a great time with this experience, and it made us laugh and giggle and think and reflect, and overall we were very glad we did it!

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

As women in our 50s, we often turn to topics related to perimenopause and menopause, because frankly, there is no end to the things we can talk about in this area. 

One of the things we’ve both noticed is that our internal core temperature has seemed to be higher these days, but neither of us felt like we were really having what seemed like “hot flashes.” At least not in the way we had seen and heard them described.  Gross night sweats, evening face flushing, or just generally feeling warmer all the time, sure, but not the dramatic hot flash we had heard about.  

But recently, Harper had had her first real, honest to goodness hot flash, and finally understood why these are so bothersome! 

As we talk, Jen realizes maybe she’s had some hot flashes too, and we also find that there is a hidden benefit for us with this hotter season of our lives!

Have you experienced hot flashes, or how has perimenopausal temperature regulation changed for you?  How much of a bother has it been in your life?  We want to hear your stories!  Email us at [email protected] , or find us on the socials at Salon Confessions Podcast.

And please share this episode with anyone in your life that might need to hear more about what this feels like!

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

The pelvic floor is the entire group of muscles, tendons, organs, and structures that make up the area that includes our bladder, vagina and uterus, and perineum, rectum and anus.  For women, there is a lot going on down there, and when something is off, we might get sent to several different specialists to help diagnose and treat the problem.  Thankfully, more and more women’s healthcare is addressing the pelvic floor and pelvic area health holistically, and we would love to hear your success stories with your healthcare professionals!  Please send them in to us at [email protected].

In this episode, Jen shares with us her recent journey with a pelvic floor issue called rectocele [rek·tuh·seel]. It is a prolapse of the wall between the rectum and the vagina.  Jen has learned a lot from this experience that surprised both of us, and we are so glad that we have this platform to share it with you.  

Women’s bodies are incredibly complex, and we are continuously amazed that every few weeks and months we learn yet another new thing about what issues women face, treatments that are available, and challenges that we face in the healthcare and insurance system getting appropriate care.  Especially in this season of perimenopause and menopause.

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

We’ve been doing this for FIVE seasons now, and every season, we end up with an episode that makes us laugh more than any other.  We call these our Gigglefests, and they are our favorite episodes to record and share with you.  We think they best capture the essence of our friendship, and the essence of all friendships.  Our closest friends are the people we can go and sit with when we are having the absolute worst day and they will just hang out and be there with us, and if we need help with a pick me up, they are there to help us laugh our way to a nice little rush of dopamine and endorphins, and a bit of an ab workout to boot!

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG

On this episode, we invited Harper's friend Mari Ruddy to come in and get a pedicure and tell us about her story and her book Extreme Healing: Reclaim Your Life and Learn to Love Your Body.

Extreme Healing shares Mari's journey of finding salvation through cycling, running, and triathlon. These activities carried her through trauma, type 1 diabetes, and three rounds of cancer. In this book, Mari shares hard-won wisdom and personal experiences, aiming to inspire and motivate you to embrace the endurance athlete mindset and lifestyle for your health, joy, and well-being.

Mari’s story is amazing, resilient, and vulnerable, and she doesn’t hold back sharing all about her journey.  As you know, we don’t shy away from the hard parts of our stories here on Salon Confessions, because that is so often where the most important truths are held, and too often we hold them in secret, afraid to confess and share them.  But on our show, we know that by sharing these important truths, we draw people together, and make the dark and scary things easier to share with the people around us.  And when we share them, we empower others to share their confessions, and together, we keep shining light and opening up new conversations.

We’ve been watching and hearing it happen for 5 seasons now, and Mari’s story is a beautiful addition to that commitment we hold. www.MariRuddy.com

[email protected]

IG, FB, TikTok: Salon Confessions Podcast

Harper: @Harperhasnicenails on IG & @harperhasnicenails.bsky.social on Bluesky

Jen: @Jentakesconfessions on IG, @Confessionista.bsky.social on Bluesky

Sonivia Studios | Rue Spence: @SoniviaStudios on IG