My Why....

I want to share something personal with you today:  my why.
The reason The Grooming Goddess Academy exists.

Back in 2016, I decided to have a bit of a push on educating my clients about coat care. I’d had one too many matted dogs in the salon and not only was I getting extremely resentful of some of my owners, I was getting myself upset at the neglect of some of the dogs. 

I know some of you reading this know exactly how I felt. Maybe you've even felt that way in the past few weeks? 

So, I made a change! My de-matting policies and slightly resentful lectures with a hint of frustration weren’t working. Dogs were still getting matted. Owners either hopped to the next groomer or repeated the same cycle. 

I realised something that I now teach and embed into all my students: The minute we start to lecture - the owners tune out! They don’t want to be lectured! (Who does?)

But we can communicate the exact same information - (the importance of coat care and its link to welfare), in another way and they do listen. We can educate, we can encourage, we can reward and we can do that by stepping up as professionals. 

Many owners aren’t wilfully neglectful, they’re simply misinformed or uninformed about their dog’s coat and grooming needs. We can sit back and judge and shake our heads, therefore continuing the divide between groomers and owners - with grooming education being transmitted with resentment or not at all!

 …Or we can crack on and take our place as the coat care professionals in dog owners’ lives. (There is a vacancy there, I promise you).

I want dog owners to understand the importance of grooming. Not as a “beauty treatment.” Not as a luxury. But as a fundamental part of their dog’s health and welfare.

And I believe the best people to educate them are us — the groomers.

Because when owners see us as the skilled professionals we are…
✨ They listen.
✨ They respect our time, prices, and policies.
✨ They care more about maintaining their dog’s coat properly.

I believe in a time when dogs don’t suffer from painful matting just because their owners didn’t know better.
I believe in a time when groomers are recognised as essential, respected professionals in every dog’s life.

But this change won’t happen if only a handful of groomers are spreading the message — especially if it’s done from a place of (understandable)  burnout and resentment. The message gets lost or ignored, groomers continue to be viewed as an afterthought; underpaid and disrespected.. and dogs continue to become unnecessarily matted and uncomfortable. 

That’s why I created The Grooming Goddess Academy.

Inside, I help groomers:
💡 Raise their professionalism (so owners truly listen)
💡 Build respect and boundaries (without guilt)
💡 Educate owners with confidence
💡 And in turn… help more dogs live comfortably and happily

It’s a cycle. When we elevate ourselves, we elevate the industry.
We help owners. We help dogs. (And yes we help ourselves too).

We aren’t taught how to run our businesses more than: groom dogs - charge money!

Nobody teaches us how to present ourselves as professionals, how to communicate our messages of welfare and coat care (so they’re actually received), how to combine amazing customer service with boundaries and handing out policies. How to stay sane over the years and feel like you’re building something worthwhile. 

And that’s not a dream. That became my reality! 

It took work, but I gradually educated my clients, placed and upheld boundaries, charged prices that paid me a bloody good salary and covered the bills, and most importantly I helped the dogs in my salon -I completely eradicated matted dogs! 

Not by losing them but by educating their owners. And for me, that was just as good of a feeling as my monthly paycheck. 

Together, we can change how grooming is seen — by owners, by the public, and by the industry itself. 

I’m fed up with believing the respect for our industry needs to start with the owners. Why would it? What’s their incentive? What if it needs to start with us? 

I'm ready to take responsibility for my part in the future of our industry. 

This is my why.

But maybe… it’s yours too?