word. with Gordon Miller. Each episode begins with a word — but it never ends there. Gordon explores the ideas, language, and narratives shaping the professional salon industry. Because, simply put, the words we choose… shape everything we do.

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What happens when context is incomplete or missing? Gordon expands on Episode 2 to dig deeper into what he sees as a profoundly important topic, this time including industry-specific examples to consider. The bottom line: &#34;Understanding context may be the most underrated professional skill in your proverbial toolbox.

3. Context: A Deeper Dive

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What happens when context is missing? Gordon explores how context shapes meaning—and why misunderstandings often happen when pieces of the story are missing. In an industry built on communication, understanding context may be one of the most important skills we have.&#34;

2. Context

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1. WORD

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This week marks the end of one pod and the birth of another! Thanks to all who have listened in for 135 episodes of this title -and be sure to come back January 7th for Episode 1 of my all-new BUZZ by Gordon podcast. In the meantime, hit play for my year-end talk about data-driven insights and business trends relative to salons. Wishing all a wonderful holiday season and an amazing start to another new year!! -gordon :-)

135. The Final SBM Episode

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A quick episode offering some context on the uncertain times we find ourselves in. Reading the consumer press, it&#39;s hard not to be concerned about the direction of our larger US economy. And although we are not (yet) officially in a recession, being aware so that we can best react (proactively, ideally) and plan is the best place for most of us to start.*Note: this episode was published originally as #112

ENCORE: "It's the Economy Stupid"

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I&#39;m excited to welcome back @growmysalonbusiness founder Antony Whitaker to discuss the state of the industry during what I consider to be &#39;fuzzy&#39; economic times, the importance(and power)of investing in yourself to solve business and career challenges, and much more (all related to the business side of creating long-term success). Note: Be sure to check out one of my favorite industry podcasts: Grow My Salon Business, hosted by Antony Whitaker.*Note: this episode was published originally as #109

ENCORE: "Whatever the question is, the answer is education!" - Antony Whitaker

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As 2025 begins to quickly wind down, i take a look at texts i&#39;ve sent myself over the last month or so - all connected to what i view as important ideas and trends that impact us all. Note to my regular listeners: 2026 is bringing changes to this podcast—a new name, direction, and focus. Stay tuned for more on that!

134. Text Messages to Myself: 2025 Lessons Learned

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Debra Neill Baker is CEO of the Neill Education company, an iconic organization with an 80-year history of innovating in the categories of distribution, salons, schools, manufacturers, salon software &amp; events. We talk about the power of curation when connected to vision and values - as part of a deep conversation about Serious Business 2026.

133. Getting Serious about Business (and Your Life) with Neill's Debra Neill

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In the final episode of my series on salon tech, Paul Tate, a leading figure in pro salon tech, digs into the value of data to brands, salons, and pros. Paul shares a sampling of findings from the KIM report, an industrywide project spearheaded by Salon Interactive. The KIM report partners with POS, booking and payment processing platforms to aggregate data to provide meaningful “Key Industry Metrics” to help our larger industry understand the challenges and opportunities ahead of us all.

132. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 12: Salon Tech Thought Leader Paul Tate

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When “certain coaches/podcasters&#34; call brands &#34;parasites&#34;, I have to fire back with truth and experience based logic. In this episode, I break down the danger of &#39;BS&#39;, share why affiliate links aren’t the future, how real profit are only enhanced by smart retail, and why partnership—not paranoia—built careers and salons. My take: this is a must-listen reality check for pro, businesses, and brands who care about the industry.

131. Bad Coaches Are Back?? Oh f.... yes they are!

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This week, Gordon&#39;s goes solo with his take on highlights from our last 10 episodes featuring leaders in the salon tech space, as well as sharing his thoughts on how tech is re-shaping the salon — and what comes next.

130. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 11: Gordon's Take

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Kimi Bennett, co-founder and CEO of Sole Business Solutions, the pro beauty industry’s first 24/7 AI-powered coaching platform, is a longtime working professional and suite owner turned tech entrepreneur. Kimi joins Gordon to share the inspiration behind her groundbreaking work with co-founder and COO Michael Sandoval, a long-time salon coach, in launching the platform.  Long a champion for educating and coaching professionals towards their dreams of success, Kimi and Michael have both embraced Generative AI (and the power of voice as a modality) as a way to take the power of coaching to new levels.

129. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 10: Kimi Bennett, co-founder, Sole Business Solutions, Pro Beauty’s 1st 24/7 AI Powered Coaching platform

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Sudheer Koneru. a former Microsoft Engineer and successful tech entrepeneur, is the founder and CEO of Zenoti, an AI powered, platform of salon management, marketing and customer care tools focused on helping salons to grow. Sudheer joins Gordon to share his journey from tech into the wellness space and back to tech again– but this time creating tech that is firmly focused on solving challenges facing the pro salon and wellness space. Sudheer goes deep into the topic of AI and what it means for salons today and tomorrow.

128. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 9: Sudheer Koneru, founder & CEO of Zenoti on AI and Pro Salons

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Vish’s Chief Innovation Officer Tim Howard joins Gordon to dive into the story behind the creation of the innovative and powerful salon color management software platform. Designed to transform how salons think about and approach hair color usage, Tim shares how Vish came to life, why waste reduction matters, and how better management of color inventory through technology can not only save time for busy colorists but also drive profits for salons.

127. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 8: Vish’s Tim Howard on Tech Transforming the Business of Color

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SalonInteractive&#39;s Alain Audet joins Gordon to discuss their latest initiative focused on the power of data to empower brands, distributors, and professionals alike. A groundbreaking e-commerce platform, SalonInteractive was created to allow salons to compete with Amazon more effectively. Today, SalonInteractive has evolved into a marketing and data collection platform that leverages the power of big brands, tech companies, and distributors to support salons and pros in new ways by way of its K.I.M. Report.

126. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 7: SalonInteractive's Alain Audet

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Gordon shares highlights from his recent AI sessions at the Moroccanoil Collective, exploring why tech can’t be ignored, how it fuels efficiency and profitability, and why the professionals who embrace it will be the ones who thrive.

125: AI & Beyond: The Digital Revolution & Salons

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Join Gordon for a rapid-fire mix of insights on the biggest challenges facing many salon pros today. From social media shifts and smart pricing strategies to retail realities, AI-driven communication, and the power of data, this episode serves up an honest take to help you navigate what’s challenging salons across the industry.

124. Random Notes (Gordon Style)

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Welcome to the premiere episode of Salon Tech Talks, a 10-part series featuring conversations with innovators and leaders in the pro beauty tech space.In this kickoff episode, Gordon is joined by longtime industry tech strategist and advisor Paul Tate. Together, they explore how salon technology has evolved over the last 20 years — and why, despite major advancements, many pros still feel overwhelmed rather than empowered by their systems. They also share insights on the innovations most likely to revolutionize salons in the near future — and how to make smarter tech choices today to get ready for what&#39;s coming next.*Note: this episode was published originally as #118

ENCORE: Salon Tech Talks, Pt 1: Paul Tate on the State of Technology for Pro Beauty

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Tech Talks is a 10-part series featuring conversations with leading innovators in the pro salon tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Universe Walker, Founder of BeautyDeskAI. When she realized that unanswered calls to her salon were &#39;leaving a lot of money on the table, Universe put together a tech-savvy team to help build an &#34;AI-powered system designed to handle client phone calls and messages, automate booking, and give salon owners their time back&#34;. Universe talks lessons learned along the way as a woman founder in the tech space and connects the dots to her experience in beauty. Visit www.beautydeskai.com for details.

123. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 6: BeautyDeskAI founder Universe Walker on the digital front desk

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Tech Talks is a 10-part series featuring conversations with leading innovators in the pro salon tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Fred Helou, Founder and CEO of Vagaro. A software engineer with an entrepreneurial spirit, Fred founded Vagaro to solve problems and support small business owners in the pro beauty space. Today, he oversees one of the industry’s leading digital platforms – processing millions of transactions annually. Fred shares insights into ongoing innovation across tech platforms and tools, including the integration of artificial intelligence into the daily lives of pros.

122. Salon Tech Talks, Pt 5: Vagaro Founder/CEO Fred Helou on the future of Pro Beauty Salon Tech

Word by Gordon Miller. Each episode begins with a word — but it never ends there. Gordon explores the ideas, language, and narratives shaping the professional salon industry. Because, simply put, the words we choose… shape everything we do.