Piercing Wizard Podcast Ryan Ouellette

How well do you fail? Bethrah Szumski, former APP president, former APP secretary, studio owner, and all around boss comes back to the show. I wanted to make episode 250 (thank you, by the way) special, and that meant having a guest with something to say. Admittedly we didn't have much of a plan going in to this one. Bethrah was kind in offering to record a conversation shortly after she arrived to Las Vegas for the 2024 APP conference. Bethrah has always been someone who will just tell it like it is. Content warning, we will talk about mental health and therapy, we'll talk about the current economy and how it is strangling many shops, and we'll talk about a few other things that loosely fit into the "career goals" column.

I have other various stuff to promote, but just go to www.ryanpba.com for that. New videos, new merch, new class announcements, yadda yadda.

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My brain is fried from a long work week and an overnight flight home. Enjoy this recap of Lola and Ryan talking about their 2024 APP conference experience. We know that the post-conference blues hit hard, so lets keep those conference vibes with us for as long as we can. See you next year!

Lola and Ryan are heading to Las Vegas for the A.P.P.'s 2024 conference, come say hi at the Piercing Wizard expo booth. We'll have exclusive shirts, pins, and hats that you can grab including a special shirt for supporters at www.patreon.com/ryanpba.

On this episode Lola brings up an issue we think more piercers should talk about, is the "all gold" business model sustainable? To be clear both of our studios use gold daily, but we also want to make sure that safe piercing can be accessible across a wide range of demographics. We're putting some thoughts out and encourage the professional piercer community to continue the discussion.

Now available at patreon.com/ryanpba is a new video showing exercises you can utilize to grow your confidence and skills with bevel theory. Check it out on the arch-mage tier, while you are there keep your eyes peeled for details on how to grab a conference exclusive shirt!

Ryan and Lola are back with another Ask-Us-Anything episode where we answer your burning questions.
00:45: How do you grow your online presence?
12:15: How to go about guest spotting.
23:15: Using a Statim with reprocessed tools / clean item bulk storage.
31:25: Efficient jewelry ordering methods and systems.
43:20: Advice for piercers that went through a "bad" apprenticeship.
52:20: What made you realize you wanted to teach?
1:05:50: If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be and why?

Are you going to be at the 2024 APP conference in las Vegas? Come stop by the Piercing Wizard booth in the expo and say hello to Ryan and Lola. There will be all kinds of fun stickers, pins, and shirts. If you are a subscriber at www.patreon.com/ryanpba you can come snag an exclusive t-shirt!

Hola! Ryan and Lola sat down with frequent guest Jef Saunders while they were all in Zaragoza Spain to instruct at the 2024 APPE conference. They talk about teaching through a translator and how the conference was going after day 1. They also discuss forward helix piercings, how they perform them, and some educational content they have made about forward helixes. The show wraps up with a discussion about opening new studios. Jef is currently working on a new Gamma Piercing shop in Milwaukee and Lola recently opened her new Forest Piercing studio in Glasgow. Enjoy.

If you'd like to get more info about forward helix piercings you can find Jef's presentation at www.patreon.com/piercingnerd. You can find Ryan's upcoming video on double forward helix and triple forward helix piercing at www.patreon.com/ryanpba, while you're there you can also find Lola's video showing a single forward helix piercing with a fully disposable method, as well as how she "reverses direction".

You also still have time to sign up for Ryan's may 20th 2024 webinar about bevel theory, get more info or sign up at www.ryanpba.com.

Please be aware this episode ends with a memorial to Canadian piercer Deacon Matheson who recently passed. Starting at 46:00 will be some thoughts from Ryan and Lola about mental health. Starting at 57:30 there will be some highlights from episode 232 featuring Deacon's voice.

The majority of this episode will be Ryan and Lola talking about their regular piercer bullsh*t. Walk ins are starting to creep back in to both of our studios. We talk about what lead us to give walk ins another chance after settling in to an appointment-only comfort zone. We also talk about how to give and receive constructive critiques. Its not as easy (or as common) as you might hope.

You're probably going to hear us being a bit more open about mental health issues throughout future episodes. Like any health and safety issue in piercing industry, mental health is easier to manage with more information.

Ryan also has another webinar coming up in may, which feels weird to plug in this description, but hey everybody has to pay bills I guess. You can get more info about the May 19 2024 Bevel Theory online webinar & workshop with this google form (https://forms.gle/58x6YnJhuiVL1HjKA) or by visiting www.ryanpba.com.