Skin Connection with Gay Wardle: Recent Episodes

Gay Wardle

Welcome everyone to Skin Connection the Podcast!

I am your host, Gay Wardle

In Skin Connection, I interview some of the most amazing thought leaders, influencers and educators in our industry and talk to them about everything skin and science.

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In this enlightening episode of Skin Connection, I am joined by the incomparable Tamara Reid, a two-time startup founder and Head of Strategic Partnerships for Timely business management software. Tamara, with her unique blend of passion and expertise, has profoundly impacted the world of aesthetics and beauty.

Dive deep as Tamara and I explore the rapid evolution of the beauty industry. We reflect on the journey from the simplistic early days of pedicures and manicures to today's advanced, results-driven treatments and back to the heart of nurturing and client-centred care. You will gain insights into the delicate dance between technology and tradition, where the rush for innovation meets the essential human touch.

Tamara reveals her leadership journey, from the establishment of Beauté Industry and its thriving community to her role in elevating the discourse in the beauty realm. Uncover her philosophy behind a healthy culture that leads to a respectful, validated, and engaged team. In a world where leadership and management often intertwine, Tamara’s insights delineate a path for aspiring leaders.

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The remarkable Tina Viney has dedicated over five decades to the skincare industry. Her impressive career has made her a respected thought leader and educator in the industry. As the founder of APAN (Aesthetics Practitioners Advisory Network), Tina has tirelessly championed the cause of creating regulations to elevate the industry's standards. Her dedication extends to liaising with government departments, earning her recognition from state and federal bodies.

In this captivating episode, Tina shares her wealth of knowledge and insights into the ever-evolving landscape of finance, skincare, and science as she delves into the incredible potential of the Australian beauty industry, which is set to witness a staggering 26.4% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2030.

So, if you're ready to ride the financial growth wave in the beauty industry and want to learn how to navigate the changing tides and seize opportunities that will help you and your business soar to new heights in 2023 and beyond, tune in.

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Today my guest is Grooming Guy, Media Presenter, Writer/Author and Wellness Warrior - Will Fennell.

Will has made the passion he has for skin care, health and wellness into a lifestyle program he loves to share.

After completing his studies, Will ignored all the advice he was given from his peers about the market for men’s grooming and in 1996 opened his first skin care clinic aimed at men. Everyone told Will it would never work, but he knew that all men needed was the ability to go somewhere that didn’t threaten their masculinity. Perhaps it was luck, maybe it was Will's insane passion, but from day one it was a great success. Will still owns this very busy male-friendly clinic, ‘Will and Peta’, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Will joins me today to talk all about spearheading the industry for male therapists and clients alike, bringing Biodroga to Australia, all the way to his career in modelling. This incredibly fun episode is one you don't want to miss!

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If anyone knows the power of good skincare, it’s James Vivian. In 2004, a facial literally changed his life, inspiring him to swap a career in music for one in dermal therapies. Determined to share the feel-good effects of amazing skincare, James launched award-winning mobile dermal therapies clinic, The Travelling Peelsman, in 2010. Arriving at homes and offices in a Mini and armed with his bag of tricks, James quickly earned a loyal following with his holistic approach to skincare, intuitive expertise and genuine commitment to his clients. Word spread and as client numbers grew, The Travelling Peelsman stopped travelling and set up a clinic in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, joined by a carefully selected team of experienced therapists.

Dubbed a skincare luminary, James’s dedication, care and innate understanding of the links between skin, mind, body and environment flow through his clinics, making each visit an experience that goes far beyond skincare.

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Today I am joined by Danné Montague-King, a world-wide leader in the field of skin rejuvenation.

As far back as the early 1960's this visionary and pioneer in Alternative Methods of Natural Pharmacology became aware that something was missing in the way skin care was approached. Inspired by his own severe bouts of acne, he began treating his own skin with chemistry that the human body recognizes. The incredible results Danné achieved on himself lead him to research similar methods for treating other skin conditions including aging and ethnic related conditions.

Danné was the first scientist to recognize the powers of enzymes for hydrolyzation of dead cells in the skin. He created the now renowned Remove, Rebuild, Protect & Maintain system which has revolutionized the way aesthetics is now being approached throughout the industry.

His work with Vitamin C therapy as an age retardant and collagen enhancer stretches back nearly thirty years. He was the first journalist to alert Europe and Asia to the powers of Alpha Hydroxy Acids for professional use, yet was the only person to caution against its use in home use products.

Danné Montague-King strongly believes that there should be a positive working relationship between the medical and aesthetics professions. To achieve this, Danné has worked with some of the leading physicians and surgeons throughout the world to elevate the importance of proper skin care for healthy skin maintenance, surgical alternatives, scar revision and pre & post-operative care.

Danné is also a tireless educator who annually travels throughout the world conducting lectures and training professionals and consumers. As an invited guest speaker at many of the aesthetics exhibitions, Danné has become a well known figure within CIDESCO and BABTEC.

As a journalist, Danné Montague-King is a regular contributor to many of the world's most important professional journals including: Professional Beauty, Les Nouvelles Esthetique, Health & Beauty, Shjkonnet og Helse, Australian Beauty, Beauty New Zealand and Irish Beauty. Although his writing can sometimes be scientific, his inspirational use of analogies combined with wit and humor have created a loyal fan base.

Anyone who has met Danné in person or listened to one of his lectures will understand why he has become a figure of the popular media. His strong personality is balanced by his knowledge of the industry and his controversial willingness to contradict the current thinking within it. Danné has been interviewed by journalists from around the world for magazines such as Marie Clair, Cosmo, Elle, Vogue and Tattler. In the early go's, Danné hosted a local Los Angeles cable show called Skin Deep and has been interviewed on various radio talk shows throughout his career.

Danné and I sit down and debunk one of the most common skin myths: That you have to peel to get results!

We dive deep into peels, their action and their place in the industry, and also discuss DMK's revolutionary concept of remove, rebuild, protect, and maintain.

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Today, I am joined by Motivational Speaker, Reiki Master, Business Trainer, Fire Walker and Dog lover: Linda Woodhead.

After an incredible career across different publications in both the UK and Australia, Linda launched Mocha Publishing – A hair and beauty company that creates print and online magazines, hosts amazing events and provides awards to the hair, beauty and barber industries.

Instead of Skin and Science, today I wanted to sit down with Linda to talk about how she came to launch Mocha publishing and how she balances her life and career.

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Helping to educate people every day about dermal science and integrated wellness within the cosmetic and beauty industry, with such passion, positivity, and clarity is something only Debbie Dickson can do.

Sharing over twenty-years of industry experience as a Chinese herbalist, integrative wellness practitioner and dermal lecturer; focusing on results based skin revision, with combined approaches to age management, acne, rosacea, scarring, pre-and post-operative skin treatment, and Enzyme Therapy.

Debbie is also the international distributor of DMK Australia and New Zealand and also oversees the curriculum, and delivery methods of DMK training worldwide as Head of Education for DMK.

Launching her own supplements range Regul8™, knowing first-hand the importance the gut-brain axes and the dysfunctions associated with poor digestive function. Debbie continues to put all her Nutritional Medicine training and research into the product and brand.

Today, Debbie shares with us the importance of gut health, along with her journey to creating the Regul8 supplement range.

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Jenni Champion is the Retail and Personal Services Industry Skills Advisor for the Department of Employment’s Small Business and Training’s Industry Skills Advisory Program. She provides the Department with evidence-based information about skills needs, jobs growth and new industry directions to guide investment decisions and program design to DESBT.

The Industry Reference Group are currently working on a proposal to request the endorsement of the Diploma of Beauty Therapy as an Apprenticeship in QLD. 

Today, Jenni Champion talks to us about why this proposal is so vital to the beauty industry and how we as an industry can support this application.

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Chiza Westcarr is a university qualified nutritionist and skin specialist.

Founder of the Nutritional Skincare Academy, skin conditions, weight management, lethargy and bloating are just some of the health concerns Chiza works with daily.

Seeing many in our industry either mistreating or avoiding treatment on darker skins, Today Chiza joins us to share how we should be tackling our darker skinned clients, the limitations of treating a darker skin and everything you need to know to treat higher fitzpatrick’s with proficiency!

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At the age of 25 with only $50 to his name, Justin Herald set about changing the course of his life.

Justin’s success was so well noted that he was named the “INTERNATIONAL ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR” for 2005. He recently was also awarded the Future Leaders Award, which recognises him as being one of the 50 most influential leaders of the next generation in Australia.

A few years back he launched Customer Culture, now one of Australia’s leading customer service and customer engagement training companies, that not only teaches staff the “how” to give great service, but more importantly, “why” it is needed.

Along with his wife Rene (who has been named the Best beauty salon 4 rooms and under in NSW and Australia for the last 4 years in a row plus so many more other awards in the beauty industry), they created Business Beyond Beauty which is a mentoring business solely dedicated to the beauty industry.

Today Justin Joins us to give us insights into the psychology for success and re-finding our “why” as a beauty business owner.

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From your Beauty Expo keynote speaker, educational webinar host to even your aesthetic technology educator, Lashana Shepherd has no doubt been on your radar over the past few years. Lashana's 13-year career started as a therapist working in day spas, medispas, laser clinics and with doctors before moving into the training and education space.

A previous Training and Education Manager, Lashana played an integral role in developing and delivering industry-leading education programs for prominent aesthetic technology across Australia and New Zealand. Lashana's latest role, Brand Coordinator for Gay Wardle Education and Beaute Industrie has seen her combine her two passions - therapist education and resource creation.

Throughout her diverse career, Lashana realised that therapists were not equipped with all the tools they needed to confidently and effectively deliver treatments. Sure, there was an abundance of training available but the resources that came with them needed to be more engaging, easy to follow and exciting to learn.

Lashana now pairs her clinical expertise, deep understanding of our industry and creative flair to build learning resources for therapists like never before. Known across the industry for her infectious enthusiasm and signature bold lip, Lashana shares with us her career highlights, her passion for technology and what her excites her most about the future of the industry.

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My first guest needs no introduction. If you have ever heard of The Aesthetic Bureau, I am sure you have heard of Trevor Neale.

Trevor is a well-recognised thought-leader, educator and engineer within the local aesthetic industry. Trevor has written and delivered the Laser and IPL component of the Bachelor of Health Science Dermal Therapy degree at Victoria University, and is a regular presenter at Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Society conferences on Laser, IPL and Radio Frequency.

With over 30 years’ experience as a technical support engineer and over 20 years’ experience in clinical training for various manufacturers, Trevor’s practical understanding of devices allows him to drive the development of superior technologies to produce devices of the highest quality.

Today Trevor talks to us about LED, it's history, how to best utilise it in your business and what it means to be the only TGA recognised Australian manufacturer of LED.