The Traveling Groomers Podcast

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988.This week’s conversation with Mary Oquendo and Michelle Knowles focuses on showing grace, kindness, and patience during the holiday season—a time that can bring heightened stress, unrealistic expectations, financial pressure, and painful memories. The discussion explored how to support coworkers, family members, clients, and even pets by noticing changes in behavior, making a phone call, checking in, and offering practical help without judgment.A key theme that emerged was the importance of recognizing when someone may be struggling more than usual, including withdrawal, giving away meaningful belongings, or becoming difficult to reach. Resources such as 988, community services, faith-based support, and military assistance were highlighted, along with reminders to seek help before reaching a breaking point.The episode also explored ways to reduce holiday overwhelm: planning ahead, simplifying gift-giving with useful or consumable items, decluttering possessions, protecting personal boundaries, and taking calming breaks when frustration rises. Several points were raised about caring for oneself and creating a calmer environment for pets, since stress and agitation can affect everyone around us.

In this episode of Healthy, Wealthy, And Wise, Mary Oquendo and Denise Heroux explore why budgeting is essential for building a resilient grooming business. They discuss preparing now for the slower months of January through March, tracking every business expense, accounting for rising costs, and setting prices that cover expenses, pay the owner, and generate profit.The conversation also covers emergency funds, vacation and retirement planning, capital expenses, employee payroll, and preparing for unexpected disruptions such as illness or business closures. Mary and Denise share personal examples of how advance planning helped them navigate job loss and COVID-related shutdowns without financial crisis.Listeners will learn practical first steps for creating a budget, including writing down every expense for at least a month, reviewing the numbers quarterly, and using realistic work hours and income goals to calculate pricing. The episode closes with a reminder that financial security and long-term goals are built through consistent planning, saving, and delayed gratification—not instant results.

To every groomer, pet stylist, and canine cosmetologist who grabbed their travel mug and rolled with us — thank you. From trade show floors to grooming vans, airport mishaps to heartfelt conversations, the Traveling Groomers Podcast has been one incredible journey, and it only happened because of you. Your loyalty, your laughter, and your passion for this industry have meant more to us than words can say. While this chapter is coming to a close, the road we traveled together — and everything we learned along the way — will stay with us always. Keep rolling, keep growing, and never stop loving what you do. With so much gratitude, Chris and Mary. 🐾❤️Buckle up, because we're taking you back to where it all started! Long before we were rolling down highways and navigating grooming trade shows, there was one Women Petpreneurs episode that lit the spark and set everything in motion. Consider this your backstage pass to the very conversation that launched the Traveling Groomers Podcast — the laughs, the lightbulb moments, and the magic that happens when passionate pet professionals get together and just start talking. Enjoy the ride! 🚐✂️🐾

What were groomers taught that seemed like best practice at the time, but looks seriously questionable now? Chris Anthony and Mary Oquendo revisit the old habits that shaped grooming, from skipping protective gear and wearing the wrong shoes to pre-bath, dematting, avoiding conditioner, and using harsh ear-cleaning methods.They also unpack the “get ’er done” approach to handling, including forcing dogs into uncomfortable positions and treating grooming as an adversarial relationship instead of a partnership. The conversation moves through better communication with veterinarians, improved product education, and the industry’s slow shift toward safer handling and ergonomics. Above all, this episode asks groomers to recognize that going home in pain, skipping lunch, and expecting early career injuries should never have been considered normal.

In this episode of Healthy, Wealthy, And Wise, Michelle Knowles, along with Mary Oquendo, explore the importance of establishing clear, evolving standards in the grooming industry. Michelle discusses the Master Groomer Council Best Practices document, how groomers can use it to guide their salons and support future legislation, and why industry professionals, not outside authorities, should help shape those standards. The conversation also examines the role of continuing education, improved handling techniques, product knowledge, and the responsibility to speak up when a dog’s welfare is at risk. Michelle emphasizes that grooming is a constantly evolving profession in which every groomer and every specialty has value. The episode closes with a reminder that business education is just as essential as grooming technique. From taxes and financial stability to sustainable salon practices, groomers need a strong business foundation to build successful, long-lasting careers.