Steph Meyer & Co ‘Inspire’ Retreat Mornington Peninsula Victoria.

When Steph Meyer first opened Steph Meyer & Co in St Kilda, Melbourne, she wanted to create an exclusive, boutique salon focused on providing a stress and anxiety-free environment - for both her clients and her team.

This led to a unique business model –only doing ladies colour work (and cuts), with each stylist working one-on-one with clients. As a result, Steph Meyer & Co doesn’t have the expected crazy, busy salon vibe, instead it’s a relaxing experience for the team and clients.

Cultivating this salon and team culture was heavily centred around mindfulness with regards to mental health and creating a safe work environment.

An extension of this mindset, Steph led her very own inaugural INSPIRE Retreat over a weekend in July 2023, booking a house for 3 nights on the scenic Mornington Peninsula for her Steph Meyer & Co team to motivate, inspire and rejuvenate out of the salon.

What has been the game-changer for you in your salon?

Definitely our one-on-one concept – it’s completely different, and honestly, difficult for clients to grasp at first! However, once they visit us, we believe it’s unlikely they will ever return to a ‘traditional’ salon. It really has worked in reducing workplace anxiety and stressors that can be associated with working in a really busy salon environment. It’s also meant we have attracted a team that suits our salon’s vision/mission and who are truly committed to delivering what they do best in a relaxed, high-end environment. Every day we set out to continue to create a salon space that is community-oriented, safe and a mindful environment – essentially where everyone is happy and loves what they do!

I’ve noticed over the years so many hairstylists suffering with extreme anxiety and burnout and resorting to leaving the industry completely. It was my goal to create a space where stylists did not feel this way. Changing the way, we see the industry and how things on the salon floor can be done differently. Being extremely busy does not always mean successful. If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed at the end of every day/week this, to me, is not success. I have created a structure where we have balance in the workplace yet also ensuring its profitable and the business can continue to grow.

What was the purpose behind the Steph Meyer & Co INSPIRE Retreat?

As the name of the retreat says, I wanted to inspire my team and give them an opportunity to experience education in a different way. Also having the two salons in St Kilda and Horsham, it was a wonderful opportunity for us all to come together and bond as a team outside of the salon. I also welcomed a friend who owns her salon and her team, too.

Why was hosting the retreat important to you?

I have always loved education myself; being inspired, learning, and sharing knowledge but I personally don’t love the classroom vibe as it can be a bit boring, and for some stylists, it can be a bit intimidating with many other salons there. I wanted to create a weekend where it was more personalised and tailored to the team. I have always loved things a little more VIP in general - it’s more special!

Who did you invite to ‘headline’ the education for the weekend, and what were the take-aways from each guest?

• Bernadette Beswick – This was a phenomenal 5hr hands on session. She took us through all things layers, bangs and bobs, learning simple techniques that we are able to utilise in the salon daily. It was great going back to basics and show how easy it is to create some beautiful looks.

• Nicole Healy: A chilled sit-down and chat vibe, Nicole led us in looking at our social media bios with a critical eye, updating everyone’s bios, and educated us on how to obtain/generate unique content inspiration. We had a chat about what we do and why, and how we are able to use social media platforms to help gain more clientele.

• Andrea De Deudg: A sit-down, look and learn personalised up-styling session.

Andrea had a rough schedule but went with the flow of the questions and what the girls wanted to learn. There were lots of oohs and ahhs and sharing of valuable little tips and tricks in this session. Simply by watching someone do their thing, you can learn so much, especially when you have the opportunity to be up close and personal.

• Schwarzkopf – A hands-on session that addressed foil placement and Balayage techniques, before covering some toning options and playing with the new TBH range and colour swatches.

You also had someone leading Pilates and meditation?

As mentioned earlier, mental health mindfulness is a huge part of my business structure, so I wanted to incorporate some of this into the weekend.

We had a pilates class together on Sunday afternoon which was a great way to finish off the day - exercise and a laugh!

To finish Monday’s sessions, we undertook a meditation session. Everyone was encouraged to get comfortable and spoken words of affirmation were accompanied by meditative music. This was an incredibly powerful moment (we didn’t capture any of this as we were in the moment) and a lovely way to finish off the last day.

Overall, what did you & your individual team members take away from the Retreat?

During Monday night’s dinner, we took a moment to look back and discuss our learnings. The consensus was clear: the team’s connection, the inspiring atmosphere, and the valuable insights from each educator were the standouts. Looking ahead to 2024, we have a few specific artists in mind to invite. Reflecting on the retreat, I wouldn’t alter much – it was truly an amazing experience over those few days, and the investment in my team was undoubtedly worth it.

@ stephmeyerandco