Beauty Industry Leaders

Sammy Kennedy
  • 5.0 (2)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to the no-BS podcast for beauty entrepreneurs who are here to lead. This is for the ones raising the standards - not just in their own business, but for the entire industry. Not for hobbyists or side hustlers. This is for those who are all in. Each episode brings together raw, unfiltered conversations with beauty business owners - from service providers and product creators to educators and consultants, plus guest experts who are leading in their field. You’ll hear the real stories behind their success, the mistakes they’ve made, and the lessons that helped them evolve. Hosted by Sammy Kennedy, a 7-figure entrepreneur, business strategist, and multi-industry disrupter - the Beauty Industry Leaders podcast, a show where legacy and leadership collide to spark industry evolution. With 17 years of hands-on experience in small business (across 8 family-run ventures and 3 of her own), Sammy delivers a fresh, strategic lens on what it actually takes to grow a profitable, scalable, and values-driven business in today’s competitive landscape. In each weekly episode, you’ll hear real, raw conversations with small business owners, CEOs and guest experts covering everything from: 🔥 Mindset, Imposter Syndrome and your CEO Identity 🔥 Profitable Pricing & Cashflow Clarity 🔥 Leadership, Culture and Team Performance 🔥 Brand Positioning & Social Impact 🔥 Marketing Strategy That Converts 🔥 Sales & Client Conversion 🔥 Client Experience & Retention Strategies 🔥 Smart Systems & Business Efficiency We shine a light on the silent achievers behind the scenes, the rising stars who are building with purpose, and the leaders at the top redefining what success looks like in the ever-changing beauty industry. It’s a space to celebrate those doing incredible work behind the scenes, spotlight those who are shaping the future of our industry, and share practical, powerful insights that move us all forward. Whether you’re leading the way or just finding your stride, you’ll feel at home here. This podcast pays it forward - for the betterment of you, your business, and the beauty industry as a whole. Subscribe to the podcast now so you don’t miss a moment and get ahead of the rest of the pack in this competitive industry. Connect with Sammy and Join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement  https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/  https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

  1. 1D AGO

    100 Episodes In. $500 in My Bank Account When I Started. Here's the Full Story.

    Send us Fan Mail 100 episodes. $500 in my bank account when I started. A $25,000 contract I had no idea how I was going to pay for. And a rebrand I've been sitting on for over 12 months. This is it. The full, unfiltered story of how Beauty Industry Leaders went from a post in a Skool community to 25,000 downloads across 1,247 cities, and why the next 100 episodes are going to look very different. I'm not holding anything back in this one. I talk about the woman who tried to bully me out of starting this before I'd even recorded a single episode. The $680-per-episode cost of audio-only production when I could barely afford food. Splitting my grandma's meal prep containers into thirds just to make it through the week. Breaking my mic three weeks after it arrived. Recording in my studio apartment with blankets draped over the wardrobe to kill the echo. And the 150+ retakes per episode that nearly broke me. But I also talk about the friendships that changed my life. The guests who made me cry. The moment I realized long-form content was my superpower. And the identity crisis I've been quietly battling for the last 12 months, wondering if I'd outgrown the very brand I built. This episode is where I share what's next. I'm announcing the rebrand. I'm telling you the new name. And I'm sharing why this evolution has been the hardest and most necessary decision I've made since starting this podcast. In this episode: → The full origin story of Beauty Industry Leaders, from the first idea to the first download → Signing a $25K contract with nothing in my account → The podcast agency journey: what worked, what didn't, and why I brought everything in-house → Building a $30K studio on a $3K budget → My top five episodes and what each one taught me → Why storytelling outperforms strategy content every time → The content funnel: short-form to long-form to community → The 12-month identity crisis I never talked about publicly → The official rebrand announcement and what it means for you → And a tease of the family business docuseries that's coming next If you've been here since episode one, thank you. If this is your first episode, welcome to the most honest version of this podcast I've ever put out. Here's to being a little bit delusional. I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    1h 21m

  2. MAY 10

    My 79-Year-Old Grandma Taught Me More About Business Than Any Course Ever Could

    Send us Fan Mail She came to Australia from Hong Kong with nothing familiar. No friends. No family nearby. No safety net.  She built a business with my grandfather and ran it for decades.  👉 And she never once paid herself a salary. This episode is different from anything I've ever done on the show. I'm sitting across from my grandma, Julia Lau. I call her Po Po. She's turning 80, and she's never been on a podcast, never done an interview, and until a few years ago, had never said "I love you" out loud to anyone in our family. But she's the reason this podcast studio exists. She's the reason my parents' bowling alley survived. And she's the woman who quietly held our entire family together through eight businesses, decades of financial hardship, and more sacrifice than any of us fully understood. In this episode, we go deep into the real, unfiltered story behind everything I've built: Leaving Hong Kong and raising kids in a country where she knew nobody The miscarriage, the homesickness, and the depression she carried in silence How my grandfather pivoted from nursing to acupuncture with no business training Running a business at breakeven for years because no one told them how to structure their finances Paying 17% interest on their mortgage on $300 a fortnight take-home pay Her honest reaction to my mum choosing a non-Chinese husband The moment she and Gong Gong decided to back my dad financially, even when they weren't sure What she really thought when my degree was cancelled and I pivoted into marketing And the cultural wall that kept her from ever saying "I love you" until I challenged her on itI also share some hard lessons I've been sitting on about pricing, investing, fire sales, and why the belief system I inherited almost kept me stuck at $60K a year forever. This is the most personal episode I've ever recorded. And if you've ever built something with your family, or you're trying to create something that outlasts you, I think it'll hit home in a way you don't expect. I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    1h 13m

  3. MAY 3

    I Got Approached by One of the Biggest Brands in the World — and Turned It Down

    Send us Fan Mail A big brand  offered me $985 a month to promote their products. Free samples. Commission. Cash incentives. 👉 I said no. And in this episode, I explain exactly why. I've invested over $80,000 into this podcast and $30,000 into the studio. So when one email from one of the biggest brands in the world landed in my inbox, it nearly tested everything I'd built. Not because the offer was bad, but because saying yes would have undone years of brand trust in a single Instagram story. This is a real, honest breakdown of how the partnerships you choose, the products you stock, the people you hire, and the ambassadors you attach to your name will either elevate your brand or erode it. In this episode: → Why I turned down a paid collaboration from a global brand, and what it taught me → The hidden cost of choosing products based on price alone → How to use established brands in your business to borrow trust while you build your own → Why the influencer I worked with had 60K followers but brought zero clients, and the demographic mistake behind it → The body sculpting launch party I attended that attracted the exact wrong audience → Why your dream client needs to see themselves in your content, not a picture-perfect model → How to explain premium equipment and products in language your clients actually understand → The difference between Chanel and Kmart, and how every product, person, and purchase in your business is placing you on that spectrum If you've ever been tempted by a partnership that felt like easy money but didn't quite fit, this episode will give you the clarity and the confidence to say no, and the framework to say yes to the right ones. I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy. Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you'd like me to answer on the show, or if you'd like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/ I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    27 min
  4. He's Raised $60 Million and Says Most Beauty Businesses Are Marketing Wrong — Here's Why

    APR 26

    He's Raised $60 Million and Says Most Beauty Businesses Are Marketing Wrong — Here's Why

    Send us Fan Mail He's raised over $60 million in capital, built an agency from scratch over 20 years, and his brand strategy breakdowns have been seen by hundreds of thousands of people online. But when Sammy asked Es Chandra what advice he'd give his younger self, his answer wasn't about funnels or ad spend. 👉 It was, "Just chill the f**k out." In this episode, Sammy sits down with Es Chandra, founder of Glide Agency and one of Perth's most respected marketing strategists, for a conversation that goes way beyond social media tips. Es breaks down the real reasons most beauty and wellness businesses struggle with marketing, and it starts long before the ads are turned on. From booking systems that undo the work your content is doing, to businesses offering so many services that clients can't figure out what to book, to the difference between a brand and a logo, this episode is a strategy reset for anyone who's been guessing their way through growth. In this episode: 👉Why most beauty businesses have a strategy problem, not a content problem 👉 What your website actually needs before you spend a cent on advertising 👉 Hero products vs. foot-in-the-door offers, and how to use both 👉 The "law of least resistance" behind McDonald's, Aldi, and Kmart, and how to apply it to your salon 👉 Google Ads vs. Meta Ads: when to use which and why 👉 Agency vs. in-house marketing: how to decide what's right for your stage 👉 Why building a personal brand is the most underused growth lever in the beauty industry 👉 The burnout, the ego, and the moment Es realized his business needed to match his life, not the other way around This is one of those episodes you'll want to listen to twice. Once for the marketing frameworks, and once for the life lesson buried at the end. Connect with Es Chandra:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/es_chandra/ Website: https://glideagency.com.au/ I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy. Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you'd like me to answer on the show, or if you'd like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    1h 24m
  5. A $50K Loan, a Surprise Pregnancy & the Fitout From Hell — How Isla Grace Built Her Empire Anyway

    APR 19

    A $50K Loan, a Surprise Pregnancy & the Fitout From Hell — How Isla Grace Built Her Empire Anyway

    Send us Fan Mail Her first employee was ready to leave the day after she went on maternity leave. She was 38 weeks pregnant. The stress was so severe her doctor induced her early. And that was just the beginning. In this episode, Sammy sits down with Isla Grace MacPherson — beauty salon owner, mum of two, and the woman behind one of Perth's fastest-growing brow and lash studios. But this isn't a story of overnight success. Isla started in her childhood bedroom with a dining chair pulled from the kitchen table. She had no clients, no qualifications worth bragging about, and at one point, she waxed her friend's entire arms before realising she had no strips. When COVID hit, she turned a spare room into a home salon with nothing but a wax pot, a set of brow dyes, and 300 Instagram followers. Within months, she was fully booked. But being fully booked wasn't a business — it was a trap. So she signed a lease, took a $50K loan under her partner's name, and started building the fitout from hell. Then she found out she was pregnant. This episode gets into all of it: 👉 How a surprise pregnancy mid-fitout nearly derailed everything 👉 The employee who agreed to stay through Christmas — then resigned at midnight via email 👉 Why she was induced early due to extreme business-related stress 👉 The moment she sat in a termination clinic for her second pregnancy because she was terrified of losing the business 👉 How her partner Shawn took a personal loan, built the fitout by hand, and held the family together 👉 What a $45K surprise tax bill teaches you about actually understanding your numbers 👉 The $130K fitout reality vs. the $50K fantasy — and what she'd do differently 👉 Going from 300 followers to 15K and a post that reached 36 million people 👉 How she went from working 6 days a week on clients to 2 days on the tools and 1 CEO day 👉 Why she cut her own eyelashes with scissors as a kid — and how those same girls now pay to sit in her chair If you're juggling kids, clients, a team, a fitout, or just trying to figure out how to build something real without losing yourself in the process — this one's for you. Connect with Isla: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islagrace/ Website: https://islagracebbs.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isla.macpherson.7/ If this episode hit home, take a screenshot, share it to your stories and tag @beautyindustryleaders and @sammykennedycoach — we'd love to hear your biggest takeaway. I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    1h 47m

  6. APR 12

    The Story I Tried to Hide Built the Life I Have Today

    Send us Fan Mail I don't talk about this much. And honestly, I'm embarrassed by most of it. But when I was interviewed for a book about my family, I was asked about my high school years — and I realized just how much I've been avoiding. The rebellion. The self-destruction. The complete breakdown of my relationship with my parents. The shame I carried when I moved from Albany to Perth, trying to rebuild my life from scratch. For years, I thought if I just didn't talk about it, I could leave it in the past. But here's what I've learned: the things we try to hide don't disappear. They shape us. And if we're brave enough to face them, they can become our greatest strength. This episode is different. It's personal, it's heavy, and it's one of the most vulnerable conversations I've ever shared publicly. I'm talking about learned helplessness — a psychology concept that explains why some people stay stuck even when the escape is right in front of them. And how it showed up in my own life in ways I didn't even realize. In this episode, we get into:  ✅ The psychology experiment that changed how I see struggle (and why it matters for business owners)  ✅ What really happened in my high school years — and why I've kept it hidden for so long  ✅ How moving to Perth became my chance to completely rewrite my identity  ✅ The choice between being the hero or the victim in your own story  ✅ Why entrepreneurship is the biggest personal development journey you'll ever go on  ✅ How the hardest things you've been through can become your secret weapon in business  ✅ The one question you need to ask yourself if you keep self-sabotaging If you've ever felt stuck in a pattern you can't break, if you're carrying shame about your past, or if you're trying to build something meaningful while dealing with your own stuff — this episode is for you. Your past doesn't have to define your future. But you have to choose to rewrite it. I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy. Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand Connect with us: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/ I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    36 min
  7. No Room for Failure: Maria Enna-Cocciolone’s Rise to Building 3x Multi-Million Dollar Brands

    APR 5

    No Room for Failure: Maria Enna-Cocciolone’s Rise to Building 3x Multi-Million Dollar Brands

    Send us Fan Mail She put $600,000 of her family's savings into a skincare brand at 42 years old. Her husband said the budget wouldn't stretch to 13 products. Her response? "Then the budget is wrong. Fix it." Three weeks after winning the ABIA Hall of Fame — the highest honour in the Australian beauty industry — Maria Enna-Cocciolone lost her mum. She still hasn't celebrated that win. This is one of the most raw, unfiltered conversations we've ever had on this podcast. Maria is the founder of O Cosmedics, GINGER&ME, and INSKIN.CO — three brands, 85 staff, 40 years in the industry, and a business built from a million-dollar bet that had no room for failure. But this episode isn't just about the wins. It's about the cost, the grief, the hard calls, and the mindset that kept her standing through all of it. In this episode, we get into: ✅ How Maria raised $1M to launch O Cosmedics — including $300K from friends over breakfast ✅ Why she created an entirely new skincare category and trademarked it worldwide ✅ The moment she shut down a clinic's account on her first day back from leave ✅ Why she calls her stockists "partners" and will close accounts that don't meet the standard ✅ How she reframed retail selling from "confidence" to "accountability" — and why that shift changes everything ✅ The raw truth about grief, leadership, and showing up when your world is falling apart ✅ What she told her kids after losing her mum — and why they told her to stop talking ✅ Exit strategies, legacy planning, and why she brought in an equity partner before she needed to Whether you're just starting out or you've been in this industry for decades, this conversation will challenge the way you think about brand, business, and what you're really building it all for. I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy. Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand Connect with us: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/ I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    1h 34m

  8. MAR 29

    How To Develop An Offer That People Will Buy

    Send us Fan Mail Most beauty professionals don’t have an offer problem… they have a clarity problem. In this episode, I’m breaking down one of the biggest mistakes I see when service providers step into education, coaching, or courses, trying to teach everything instead of selling a clear, specific result. If your offer feels hard to explain, difficult to sell, or overwhelming to deliver, this will likely show you why. I introduce my CLEAR Offer Framework, a simple but structured way to build offers that actually convert, by focusing on who it’s for, what problem it solves, and the transformation it delivers. I also share lessons from my own experience rebuilding an early course that tried to do too much, and how refining my offers led to better results for both me and my clients. In this episode: ✨ Why “more value” often makes your offer harder to sell ✨ How to define exactly who your offer is for (and who it’s not for) ✨ The three problem stages: start, fix, and scale ✨ Choosing the right delivery method for real client results ✨ How to position ROI using proof, outcomes, and guarantees A practical breakdown for anyone ready to move beyond services and build an offer people actually want to buy. I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy! Ready to become an industry powerhouse? Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand. https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

    26 min
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About

Welcome to the no-BS podcast for beauty entrepreneurs who are here to lead. This is for the ones raising the standards - not just in their own business, but for the entire industry. Not for hobbyists or side hustlers. This is for those who are all in. Each episode brings together raw, unfiltered conversations with beauty business owners - from service providers and product creators to educators and consultants, plus guest experts who are leading in their field. You’ll hear the real stories behind their success, the mistakes they’ve made, and the lessons that helped them evolve. Hosted by Sammy Kennedy, a 7-figure entrepreneur, business strategist, and multi-industry disrupter - the Beauty Industry Leaders podcast, a show where legacy and leadership collide to spark industry evolution. With 17 years of hands-on experience in small business (across 8 family-run ventures and 3 of her own), Sammy delivers a fresh, strategic lens on what it actually takes to grow a profitable, scalable, and values-driven business in today’s competitive landscape. In each weekly episode, you’ll hear real, raw conversations with small business owners, CEOs and guest experts covering everything from: 🔥 Mindset, Imposter Syndrome and your CEO Identity 🔥 Profitable Pricing & Cashflow Clarity 🔥 Leadership, Culture and Team Performance 🔥 Brand Positioning & Social Impact 🔥 Marketing Strategy That Converts 🔥 Sales & Client Conversion 🔥 Client Experience & Retention Strategies 🔥 Smart Systems & Business Efficiency We shine a light on the silent achievers behind the scenes, the rising stars who are building with purpose, and the leaders at the top redefining what success looks like in the ever-changing beauty industry. It’s a space to celebrate those doing incredible work behind the scenes, spotlight those who are shaping the future of our industry, and share practical, powerful insights that move us all forward. Whether you’re leading the way or just finding your stride, you’ll feel at home here. This podcast pays it forward - for the betterment of you, your business, and the beauty industry as a whole. Subscribe to the podcast now so you don’t miss a moment and get ahead of the rest of the pack in this competitive industry. Connect with Sammy and Join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement  https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/  https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

Information

  • Creator
    Sammy Kennedy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Beauty Industry Leaders
  • Show Website
    Beauty Industry Leaders

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