Creating More Than Pretty

Pretty branding can get attention, but it can’t carry you through postpartum hormones, leadership pressure, and the quiet anxiety of wondering if the business still fits. I sit down with serial entrepreneur Sasha Fedunchak to talk about what happens when you outgrow a version of yourself and your company at the same time, and why “more than pretty” is about building from the inside out, not just curating what people see online. Sasha shares her path through multiple ventures, from the beauty world and creative branding work to brand photography and videography, and now helping small business owners sell their businesses. We get honest about the temptation to burn down what’s working, the pull to look more “professional,” and the way motherhood can force an identity shift you didn’t plan for. If you’ve ever felt yourself sliding into survival mode, ignoring your intuition, or trying to power through a season your body is begging you to slow down in, you’ll feel seen here. We also dig into what actually supports sustainable growth: gratitude as a grounding practice, mindset shifts like the seven levels of energy, and the practical value of building better systems instead of piling more onto your plate. Sasha offers a simple but powerful alternative to going it alone: creating a Personal Advisory Board, a trusted circle you can lean on for both real strategy and real support. Subscribe to Creating More Than Pretty, leave a review, and share this conversation with a woman building something meaningful. What part of your business are you ready to let yourself do your way?

We talk about what happens when a business looks successful on the outside but feels misaligned on the inside, especially while raising kids and managing multiple brands. Emily shares how systems, boundaries, and honest self-checks helped her choose peace over pressure and start planning a future that fits her life. • Emily’s life update from postpartum to running multiple businesses again • Buying a long-time local bikini store and adding a wax studio • Redefining success around time with kids and real quality of life • The mental load of motherhood plus entrepreneurship and why it matters • Building systems that run without you and the hidden cost of managing people • Why burnout can hit hardest once things finally feel “stable” • How social media can push you into models you only admire • Health, stress, and the decision to stop sacrificing well-being for growth • Permission to pivot & drop what isn’t working! • Creating opportunities for others without crossing your own boundaries *Plus the announcement she's been sitting with and is ready to share... If this conversation resonated with you, please be sure to follow the show plus leave me a review. And most importantly, be sure to share it with a woman who's building something meaningful and remind her that she's allowed to do it her way. Emily: @thebrowfox Emily's businesses @browfoxbeauty @sloswim @suitespotslo

The Intro.. Welcome to Creating More Than Pretty

Welcome to Creating More Than Pretty—the podcast for entrepreneurs building beautiful businesses from the inside out. This is a space for creative professionals who know their work is about more than aesthetics, More than trends, More than what looks good on the surface. Here, we are peeling back the layers of what it looks like to build businesses that feel aligned, sustainable, and deeply fulfilling—while still creating exceptional experiences and meaningful results for the people you serve. Be ready to hear real, unfiltered conversations from professionals who share their wins, lessons and their behind the scenes moments that don't always make it to the public eye. Together, we’ll talk about growth, purpose, and the beauty that comes from building something meaningful — inside and out. Because the work you do creates more than what people see.

Mama, get ready because you're about to be extremely inspired by my guest Emily, The Brow Fox! She shares that when the pandemic hit and having her second child, she found herself exhausted and in overwhelm while running her multiple beauty businesses. Emily is so transparent in her struggles and explains how hitting this point forced her to restructure her business as a service provider to fit her and her families needs. Often times clients can feel so connected {as a friend}, yet disconnected {as a mom with kids} from us by taking advantage of showing up late to appointments, canceling last minute or just not showing up. My guest was done with these scenarios! Emily shares that restructuring her business around HER needs and setting clear boundaries allowed her to keep her job as a service provider. A recurring schedule gives her the structure and the flexibility that she WANTS and NEEDS! Emily is not only a service provider but a landlord and a product creator. Like most moms she wears many hats, however in this episode she tells us what that truly looks like, how she's evolving by creating structure in ALL her businesses that work around being a mom and how she is trying to incorporate self care as a top priority. Which is honestly something we as women and moms should really try to do! Let's Connect: @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast Connect with Emily: @thebrowfox @browfoxbeauty @suitespotslo

In this episode with multi beauty business owner Kelly Callaghan she shares how transitioning from Entrepreneur to Momprenuer has actually made her a better business woman. As we all know becoming a mom changes us, and as a business owner navigating life & business with a new baby is quite challenging. Life as we once new it is now very different! Kelly is an industry trailblazer who notoriously started an international spray tan business and grew it from $0 to over a half a million dollar a year business. Now she's learning to juggle all the things with a one year old. During our interview Kelly shares that becoming a mom has actually made her a better entrepreneur! She states that "It forced her to become more organized, to stop half-assng things and to really prioritize her time." Kelly also shares her struggles as a new mom working at home and why it wasn't healthy for her, how she was affected by postpartum depression and how setting boundaries and putting non-negotiable in place changed everything! Being a business owner isn't always easy, Being a new mom isn't always easy, often times from the outside it looks easy to others, but we do it by figuring it out and putting our priorities in place! Enjoy! Connect with Kelly: Spray Tan Class Beauty Business Babes Mentions: Sheila Bella Shannellle Brandi Kimber

To some it looks like a glamorous fairy tale! It's often what some starting in the Spray tanning industry dream of. For Keri Elliott of Bronze Me Babyy in Dallas Texas, she'll tell you it is most definitely fun AND glamorous, BUT it has not been easy or effortless. In this episode Keri and I chat about what it has been like for her going from being a stay at home mom of 3 boys to the wild ride of traveling the globe tanning beautiful people. Keri found herself lonely, often what happens to moms when their children grow up and are not needed for every little thing. She decided to start spray tanning and, as her dear friend Fabiola told her, it's what SHE did with an opportunity that allowed her to flourish. "Being a mom is a challenge and I am always facing challenges at work" said Keri. I think most moms who works in the beauty industry can relate with this statement. She shares the full circle moments that she's had going from a homeroom mom to a working mom and how she has handled it all. Life is what you make of it and the things you learn along the way and Keri shares her journey with us on this episode. Enjoy! Connect with Keri: Bronze Me Babyy

REAL TALK!!!! My guest, Mistie Collins and I dive DEEP into the real talk on being a new mom in the beauty industry. As a new mom, who chooses to go to work, we find ourselves constantly questioning if working is the right choice. As Mistie mentions.."sometimes I'm killing the game and sometimes I question what I'm doing... is working and missing out on watching my son grow truly worth it?" We are judged by clients, family and society on working OR staying home with our kids. Mistie and I agree that it's so important to just go with what feels right for the individual. She shares that, most days, working is so good for her mental health. Yes, she misses her son, however while working she gets to showcase her individuality and be "Mistie"! We also dive into how she juggles work life balance and how she loves structure. She shares that postpartum was hard because of the lack of structure and control. We discuss Astrology and how being a Scorpio plays a role in her decisions and how it can affect working in the beauty industry with different clients and personality types. Mistie tells me that she is a firm believer in self reflection. She takes the time every day to give herself 30 mins of alone time to decompress and self reflect, which allows her to stay grounded. We also discuss that some days, being a beauty professional, we are the therapist (giver) and other days we are the receiver. We often pour into our clients naturally, however often times the table gets turned. She shares that, It's being strong in who you are and what you do to be able to understand and accept this. Lastly we touch on triggers, and why they're important to sit with. How her clients energy effects her, what she does to release it and what her non-negotiable are now that she's a mom! You're going to love this episode! Enjoy! Connect with Mistie @mistiecheystyles & @somethingblu

My guest, Amber Hall, of @the.beauty.hall, shares her story of finding her drive as a young, single mom. After having her daughter she found that she needed to really reflect on her life. During her self reflection time she discovered that she needed to have her daughter to find the drive to do more with her life. She shares that having a baby gave her the push to go from being lazy, to buckling down on a new career and the determination to succeed. Amber used her creative & artistic background to dive into the art of permanent makeup and fine line tattoos. She explains that she keeps her balance with mom/business life by maintaining a firm schedule, working out and having a strong husband who helps guide and redirect her when needed. She is excited for the future of permanent makeup! Connect with Amber: Instagram : @the.beauty.hall Facebook: The Beauty Hall SRQ

Do you have a dream or a goal that you've been holding on to for a LONG time? My guest, Toni Thomas, is sharing her story about her dream to become a New York Fashion Week Makeup Artist and how she achieved it at age 50! She will inspire you, motivate you to work harder, to reach for the stars and to never give up on a dream! Toni Thomas is an award-winning makeup artist, she is the co-founder of 406 Makeup Artistry, the owner of FACE Skincare Studio, the lead instructor of The Beauty Academy, the creative director of Sol Style Magazine, and the author of several beauty industry guidebooks. Her makeup artistry has been featured in several fashion publications, on the runway of New York Fashion Week, and on national television for Fox News Network and ABC News. Toni has spent her entire career in and around the beauty industry working with some of today's most influential creators. Her focus is on projects that inspire creativity and make a difference in the communities she works in. She enjoys doing skincare and makeup in her Montana Skincare Studio and loves teaching beauty business skills to those who are willing to take a leap of faith in their creative careers. During our chat she shares her tips on what she feels has made her successful and why she believes "your purpose is your power"! Toni has lots of great advice for women in the beauty industry no matter your age and regardless of if you're new to the industry or a seasoned veteran. There's always something new you can learn! Connect with Toni: Toni-thomas.com The American Makeup Artist Her Books: (you can find them on amazon!) Professional Makeup Artistry Rock you Beauty Biz The Business of Make-up Artistry Magic Makeup

In this episode with my guest, Holly Tannella of Boho Med Spa in Texas, shares how she is still figuring out how to balance her beautiful family of 5 and running a very successful Med Spa with her husband. We discuss: Challenges Family First Quality Time New Routines with kids Working on self Clean Beauty How to re-energize Being fully present The power of our minds Learning to take care of you is the most important part of being a mom, wife and service provider in the beauty business. Holly discusses in depth why she is committed to working on herself for complete wellness in her life and business. You're going to love her! Connect with Holly @bohomedspa More info @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast

In this episode you'll meet Nakia @thevirtualskincarecoach & @browtotoe from Hampstead, NC. She is a former marine who decided to pursue a career in the esthetics industry as a mom. She shares how being a marine has influenced her as a mom and a business owner. As a mom to a teenage girl, Nakia strives to be someone that her daughter would want to emulate. "Children watch everything we do" she says, and she works hard to make sure her daughter sees all the hard work that goes into not only being a mom, but running a business. She explains that she creates balance in her life by creating structure, rules and boundaries and sticking to them! Plus she is not afraid to say "no". Nakia also shares how she was resourceful during the pandemic and began to coach clients, virtually, about their skin. She felt it was a great opportunity to teach them and knew they would benefit from getting personalized advice from a professional and not from a celebrity. Going from Marine to Mom Boss wasn't easy, however she had a great foundation and has not been afraid to invest in herself. She has a great story to tell that I know you'll enjoy! ________________________________________________ Connect with Nakia: @thevirturalskincarecoach @browtotoe

✨"When the cards fall into the right place and the stars all align" Heather Souther, aka Spray Tan Gun Slinger, shares what it was like to go from employee to salon owner and everything in between! In this episode I sat down with Heather, who is a mom of 4, and she openly shares what it was like to work while pregnant and after having a newborn. Which involved timing contractions or Braxton hicks and pumping in the backroom. She also shares many of the challenges and triumphs of raising amazing tiny humans all while growing her business. She tells me that having an incredibly supportive husband is what has truly allowed her to grow her spray tanning business. We also discuss the exchange of energy that happens as a beauty professional, how Heather manages it ( which includes something we all do daily) and how reframing our mindset around cleaning to use it to our advantage in the salon. During our conversation she mentioned that: Confidence, support and personal development are the pivotal factors in how we rise and I could not agree more! Push play now because you're going to absolutely love this episode! Enjoy! _____________________________________________ Connect with us: @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast @safelysunning @spraytangunslinger Book Mentioned: The Greatest Salesman in the World

Going through life we are faced with MANY challenges along the way. My guest April Blackburn @masteresthetician101 shares her story of how she got started and why she feels she has been able to flourish as and esthetician. April shares openly about her struggles with depression, postpartum, adoption and how she found strength through it all. She shares what it was like to be a young mom and go through school while pregnant. She knows now being a mom in the beauty industry really helps her to align with her clients. Enjoy! Connect on Instagram: @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcsast April: @masteresthetican101

In this episode I openly share why I had to press pause on the podcast, the struggles I faced and how I am ready to move forward. Since publishing my last episode, almost 4 months ago, I have been taking time to heal, reflect and now honor my mom. We are all given a mother, some of us have amazing relationships with our moms, others do not. Mothering is not always easy. It's actually the hardest job there is and we are never able to truly comprehend this until we become a mother. Losing a mother is one of life's hardest roads to travel and now I am here on it, learning to navigate it without my biggest cheerleader. We can all do hard things.

Oftentimes when we enter the beauty industry we think we know exactly what we want to do. Other times that "thing" that we thought we wanted to do is not as fulfilling as we envisioned. But as fate would have it, in the middle of your adventure you try something new and that leads you to your passion. This is exactly what happened to my guest Kirsten Goetzelman aka Tampa Waxer. In this episode she shares her story of starting out on her esthetics journey and how being asked to try waxing changed her path in the beauty industry. Not only did her path change directions, she has evolved as woman, as a mom and as a waxer and couldn't be happier. Kirsten shares how discovering her passion in waxing has allowed to her grow even more, allowing her to share this passion with other women and how she integrates all of it into her motherhood journey. Get ready to laugh & learn. Enjoy! ______________________ Lets Connect : @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast Kirsten: @tampawaxer The Waxing Guide

The day this beauty boss mama started her business journey she was faced with a "hiccup" along the way. In this interview she shares her story of running her business during a challenging time and becoming pregnant. Lauren, of Grand City Tanning, is a creative entrepreneur and has established a business and a parenting style that works for her and her husband. She explains that she feels that even though she became a mom unexpectedly she has found an a calmness and confidence with in herself. Having this empowers her while navigating her beauty business and being a mother. Even during the pandemic she has been able to preserve and rise up in her salon business! In this episode she openly shares her salon business journey as well as how and why she started her newest business adventure. You're going to love her story. Enjoy! ______________________ Connect with us: @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast Lauren: Personal: @bronzedboss Salon: grandcitytanning Clothing Line: @sunnyhunnyapparel

In this episode I am sharing with you 20 takeaways from this year, 2020. If you told yourself, at the beginning of 2020 .... “This is going to be one of MY best years!”, well I’m right there with you! Just like you I spent hours upon hours making lists, checking goals, stretching and making plans of all the things that I wanted to accomplish for myself, for my business, for my family and for this podcast (which was merely a goal) And for the first couple months, YES, everything was going great. I was right on track, even exceeding forecasted goals. Life was going good and you and I were blissfully, not even remotely aware of the fact that our worlds would soon be completely turned upside down. Now that we are only a few days away from the new year, 2021, I have compiled a list of 20 takeaways from 2020 as a mama who runs a beauty business. Sending Hugs to you friend! Enjoy! Let's Connect! Instagram: @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast

Evolving as a mom, as a business owner and as a woman requires us to " bob and weave through life" My guest; a mom of 3, a permanent makeup artist & a business owner, Crystal of Crystal Ink Beauty shares why she feels this is how we can and should navigate our journey. Growing requires learning & evolving, and if we're not evolving we're not changing. How we choose to adapt is everything! Crystal shares how she's grown and changed in the beauty industry. As Crystal says; " we get to choose our perception on wether it's a stressful thing or an awesome new adventure!' Yes!!! I couldn't agree more. We discuss how there are many parallels being both a mom and a beauty boss and how they have helped her grow into the woman, artist and mom she is today. Crystal explains how Trust, nurture and education are 3 pivotal parallels that she has utilized as both a mom and a boss. She shares why she feels an educated client is the best client and how niching down as a permanent makeup artist she discovered what she truly loved! Get ready... this episode is a great adventure into the evolution of becoming the mom, beauty biz owner and woman you desire to be! 💗Enjoy! ____________________________________ Connect with us: @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcast @crystal_ink_beauty Castellano Cosmetic Surgery

Lets chat self care: As a mom who works in the beauty industry we are pulled in many ways: We serve other women We cheer other women We support other women We make them feel confident & Extra beautiful I like to say we wear many hats: your job is not just a job… Essentially we are a Cheerleader Therapist Magician Creative Boss Good vibes enforcer Confidant Repair lady Guide And then you have your other job… your full time, never off, job. The most rewarding job really: mom: And this job is definitely not just a “job”, it’s a job like no other, you are the: Cook Cleaner Driver Shopper Peacemaker Party planner Therapist Hair stylist Clothes stylist Organizer Planner Teacher..... And the list goes on! In this episode I am sharing a few ways on how to give yourself those much needed moments of self care. Let's connect on instagram! @mamaknowsbeautybizpodcat Enjoy!