The Dressing Gown CEO

What would make you walk away from 19 years of your life with nothing lined up?

For my guest today, Jean Vadnal, it was clarity.COVID stripped everything back, revealing exactly what she was tolerating, so she left.

No plan, two kids at home, a mortgage, and a baby who didn't sleep. What she created next is one of Canberra's fastest-growing salons, a team who genuinely love each other, and a business that held her together through the hardest chapters of her life.

Today, I’m sitting down with the founder of Elluca Hair, Jean Vadnal (and yes—it’s VA-D-nal, not vandal!).

In this raw and honest conversation, we dive into the reality of building a culture-first business, the "emotional overload" that is currently burning out our hair artists, and the brutal honesty of navigating grief, chronic pain, and at-home palliative care while running a business.

Jean shares why she believes business ownership, rather than being a source of stress, was the very thing that saved her mental health during her most difficult years.Whether you’re a salon owner feeling the weight of the chair or a founder struggling to find the balance between success and survival, this conversation is about the power of boundaries, the beauty of "the power of the chair," and why you should never, ever hire for skill over attitude.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Leap: Why Jean walked away from a 19-year career with no plan B, and why trusting her gut paid off.
• The "Power of the Chair": How hairdressers act as accidental therapists and why the emotional toll of the industry is heavier than ever in the age of AI and TikTok.
• Building a Non-Toxic Culture: How Jean maintains a team that actually likes each other, including her approach to difficult conversations and protecting her team from toxic expectations.
• Grief and Resilience: A deeply personal look at caring for her father at home while managing a business, two kids, and her own health challenges.
• The "Why": Why Jean credits business coaching before opening as the reason she is still standing today.
  

A business decision like this questions your brand, and that's the scary part.

Twelve years into this, a decision was made that I never thought I would have to...

We permanently dropped our prices at Foil Me on the 3rd of August.

This was a deliberate, planned move that I genuinely struggled with because every instinct I have as a founder told me it could look like we were going backwards and that we were cheapening our brand.

And I am going to tell you exactly what brought us there, what the conversation with our advisor looked like when he disagreed with me, and what scared me more than lower margins.

Because we started Foil Me in 2014 to make premium tools accessible for ALL hair artists and that is what we need to get back to.

This episode is everything that people actually want answers to. Tune in to this episode and remember - Be real, be raw, and you be you!

#TheDressingGownCEO #FoilMe #SalonOwner #HairBusiness #BusinessStrategy #Pricing #Entrepreneurship #HairArtist #CEO #Founders

Follow me: @foilme.thedressinggownceo

Foil Me AU: foilme.com.au

Foil Me US: foilmefoils.com

Can trauma be transformed into leadership?

For this episode of The Dressing Gown CEO podcast, I’m joined by James Henderson - hair artist, owner of two salons called Clarity, and a certified mindset coach. After his powerful presentation at our Metamorphosis event, we sat down to dive far deeper into his personal story.

From stepping up as a protector at age 14 in a childhood marked by domestic violence to finding true freedom through forgiveness, James candidly shares:

• The unexpected phone call from a spiritual teacher that rerouted his life into coaching.

• The exact technique he uses to instantly ground stressed clients in his chair.

• How to ignite genuine passion in your team instead of just managing them.

• Why he refuses to let industry fear-mongering define his career - and his advice for any hair artist questioning if they belong.

Tune in for a raw, authentic, and deeply grounding episode.

Follow along:

• James: @james.kym.henderson.111

• Salons: www.claritybyjameshenderson.com

• Podcast: @foilme.thedressinggownceo

Trigger Warning:

This episode contains an open and honest conversation about domestic violence. If this is a sensitive topic for you, please take care of yourself first.

What does it take to back yourself when nobody around you sees the vision?

Lauren Herzog grew up on a 183-acre farm in Pennsylvania, shovelling sh*t, picking produce, and bottle-feeding calves in the freezing cold. 

Twenty-one years later she's a nationally recognised balayage artist, award-nominated, published in Beauty Launchpad, and co-owner of a salon she opened with her two best friends.

Your host is Emily Ciardiello, CEO, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Foil Me, a multi-million dollar global hair brand that started in a back shed in Adelaide.

When Emily's not designing foils or running a global business from her dressing gown, she's having the kind of honest, unfiltered conversations on this podcast that the hair industry actually needs.

In this episode, Lauren tells the version most artists are too scared to air like her thoughts on the salon that she thought was family that told her it was closing it’s doors only to open again in a short amount of time with new staff. 

That year she nearly walked away from hair for welding school. The first client she ever fired, who happened to be her son's godmother. 

Charging her worth in a small town that swore nobody would pay it. And raising two boys who watched their mum push boulders uphill every single day.

Hit play and settle in. This one is worth your time.

New episodes every month. Follow the show so you never miss one. If this episode moves you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Connect with Lauren: @thehillbillyhairpainter

Connect with Emily + Foil Me:

Instagram: @foilme.thedressinggownceo

Explore our hair foils: 

foilme.com.au | foilmefoils.com

MJ Freitas built Floractive into one of the most recognised names in the Oceania hair industry, introduced an entire technology category to a market that had no word for it, trained over 3,000 hair artists through her online university, and did all of it beside her husband, Sam, while raising two kids. 

On paper it reads like a dream. In reality it was 9,000 salons to convince, a product nobody had heard of, and a version of her business she genuinely wasn't sure would survive.

In this episode we get into the fights between co-founders that most people are too polite to bring up. The copycats who arrived after she did and combatting imposter syndrome, especially when somebody said to her ‘Who are you? You’re a nobody.’

MJ is one of the rare ones who will tell you the real numbers, the real panic, and the real price. If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to create something where nothing existed before, this is the conversation.

Hit play and settle in. This one is worth your time.

New episodes biweekly on Thursdays. Follow the show so you never miss one. If this episode moves you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And remember, be real, be raw, and you be you.

Connect with MJ: 

https://floractive.com.au/pages/about-us

https://www.instagram.com/majilly/

Connect with Emily + Foil Me: 

📸 https://instagram.com/foilme.thedressinggownceo  

📸 https://instagram.com/foilmefoils

🌐 https://www.foilme.com.au/ | https://www.foilmefoils.com/ 

Tune into this latest episode of The Dressing Gown CEO, where we are real, raw, and authenticity is our middle name.

Conviction, not convincing. - Gary Vee

This quote is something I have been trying to put into words for a long time. When you genuinely believe in something, you don't need to convince anyone. The conviction does the work. The convincing is what's left when the belief isn't there.

In this episode, I'm pulling apart why so many talented women in the beauty industry are stuck in convincing mode, and what it actually costs. I use Gary Vee's framework, look at three founders you know well (Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Huda Kattan), and bring it straight back to your chair, your pricing, your business.

I also walk through the energy audit. One question. It will show you immediately where your conviction is leaking.

This one is for the business owners who soften their prices before anyone pushes back. For the hair artists who have been sitting on an idea, waiting until you feel ready and for anyone who's been waiting for the nod.

You don't need it. You never did.

Tune into this latest episode of The Dressing Gown CEO, where we are real, raw, and authenticity is our middle name.

How to Talk So Clients Listen And listen so clients stay

Tom Hendrick is back. And this time, we're getting into the conversations that make or break a salon business.

Your host is Emily Ciardiello, CEO, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Foil Me, a multi-million dollar global hair brand that started in a back shed in Adelaide. When Emily's not designing foils or running a global business from her dressing gown, she's having the kind of honest, unfiltered conversations on this podcast that the hair industry actually needs.

Tom Hendrick is an online public speaking coach who understands something most people miss: communication isn't just what you say. It's what you make the other person feel, do, and remember.

In this episode we cover:

• How to decode "just a trim" and "natural blonde" without a 20-minute interrogation

• What to say when a client is unhappy in the chair

• How to deliver a price increase without losing loyal clients

• Firing a client, is it real, and how do you do it without the drama

• Why hairdressers have access to what Tom calls "infinite upside" that almost no other profession has

• Tom's card game Mic Check, and we actually play it live on the podcast

This one is practical, a little nerdy (in the best way), and packed with things you can use behind the chair tomorrow.

Tom also shares what happened after his last episode, including a UN ambassador and a dairy farmer who booed the timekeeper. You'll want to hear it.

Connect with Tom:

https://www.instagram.com/tomhendrick_com/

https://www.talentacademy.com.au/post/transforming-communication-inside-tom-hendrick-and-talent-academy-s-elite-public-speaking-workshops

https://www.tomhendrick.com/

Connect with Emily + Foil Me:

instagram.com/foilme.thedressinggownceo

instagram.com/foilmefoils

www.foilme.com.au | www.foilmefoils.com

In this episode of The Dressing Gown CEO, Emily sits down with James Henderson and Sophie Margetts, two of the key presenters for Foil Me’s upcoming education event, Metamorphosis.

This conversation goes far beyond hair and is a sneak peek into the upcoming event.

We tell all of what it REALLY takes to grow in the hair industry; from mindset and self-belief to communication, consultations and stepping outside your comfort zone.

James, salon owner of Clarity and certified mindset coach, shares how confidence, energy and communication behind the chair can transform not only your salon career but your entire life.

Sophie, salon owner and Redken educator, dives into the consultation process that has helped her build deep client trust; and why creating a client journey, not just a service, is the secret to long-term success.

Throughout the conversation we discuss:

• Why self-belief is one of the most powerful tools a hairdresser can develop• The biggest mindset shift salon professionals need to make• Why consultation can make or break your business• How stepping outside your comfort zone creates real growth• What apprentices and emerging stylists should focus on early in their careers• Why education is still one of the most powerful investments you can make

If you’re a stylist, salon owner, apprentice or creative professional looking to evolve in your craft and career; this episode will leave you inspired, challenged and ready to take the next step.

Because real transformation doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens when you choose it.

Tickets to our upcoming event (Monday the 16th of March) are available here:

https://www.foilme.com.au/products/foil-me-metamorphosis-community-education-eventConnect with our guests:

James:

https://www.instagram.com/clarity_parkside/

https://www.instagram.com/james.kym.henderson.111/

Sophie:

https://www.instagram.com/socohsalon

https://www.instagram.com/sophiesocoh/

Connect with host, Emily + Foil Me:

https://www.instagram.com/foilme.thedressinggownceo/

https://www.instagram.com/foilmefoils/

www.foilmefoils.com - USA website

www.foilme.com.au - AUS website

Hellooo!

How exciting that I got to do another episode recording with my hubby and co-owner of Foil Me, Ili! He has a WEALTH of knowledge and a very chill way of explaining stuff so listen up as we go through the mistakes, the wins and the stories of 12 years of building Foil Me. Which was an idea that became a global business that is now doing over $4 million in revenue. 

We talk about: – How Foil Me actually started – The product decisions that changed everything (hello, wide foils 👋) – The accidental launch that sold out in 24 hours – How Instagram became our biggest growth driver – The $50,000 mistakes that forced us to level up – The realities of inventory, distributors and expanding overseas – Why community is our jam and always will be!

This is the real story; the wins, the stresses, the lessons, and the moments that have turned us into the business owners and people we are today! 

Sooooo if you haven’t already started listening, then keep reading because if you’re building a business, scaling a brand, or navigating growth, then NOW you’ll want to listen or watch (you can see me stroke Ili’s leg in a very suggestive way)…

Because you can’t have 12 years of success without a few VERY expensive lessons along the way, can you? And if you say yes, you’re lying!

Connect with host, Emily + Foil Me:

https://www.instagram.com/foilme.thedressinggownceo/

https://www.instagram.com/foilmefoils/

www.foilmefoils.com - USA website

www.foilme.com.au - AUS website

In this episode of The Dressing Gown CEO, I sit down with Rebecca Wood; former hairdresser educator + salon owner turned straight-shooting coach, and host of the Rebel 25 Mentor Podcast.

This conversation is real, raw, and wide open: we discuss identity shifts, resilience, boundaries and how to create and keep them, and what it looks like to rebuild yourself after devastation in your life changes everything.

We Talk About:

Why Rebecca left hair education behind and stepped into coaching

The “aha” moment that sparked Rebel 25

The pressure women carry to do it all, and why it has to stop

Grief, trauma, and what recovery actually requires

Boundaries, self-worth, and reclaiming your power

Pole dancing, embodiment, and learning to love yourself again.

Filters, ageing, and dropping the facade that ‘everything is okay’

Content Note:

This episode includes discussion of suicide and grief.

Connect with Rebecca:

Links to Rebecca + Rebel 25 Mentor:

https://www.instagram.com/rebel25mentor/

https://www.rebel25.com.au/

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/rebel25-the-podcast/id1824573146

Connect with host, Emily + Foil Me:

https://www.instagram.com/foilme.thedressinggownceo/

https://www.instagram.com/foilmefoils/

www.foilmefoils.com - USA website

www.foilme.com.au - AUS website