The GroomPod

Episode 466: Poodle Sauce, Pistachios, and the December IssueWelcome to the virtual salon! In this episode, Suzy and Barbara celebrate the start of their 12th year of The Groom Pod. To kick off the anniversary, the duo dives deep into the December 2025 issue of Groomer to Groomer magazine, sharing their unfiltered takes on everything from business advice to breed tutorials.In This Episode: The "Secret Sauce" Experiment: Suzy shares her latest "mad scientist" moment mixing Funky Poodle’s Hair Oil with water-based detanglers. Barbara weighs in on the science of emulsifiers and how to keep your mixtures from separating. The Pistachio Craze: Barbara falls for the TikTok-famous pistachio scent but has some serious reservations about the ingredient labels on the Pistachio Dream shampoo. Magazine Review: Measuring Success: A look at Amanda McGrath’s article on tracking holiday add-ons and the importance of "doing the math". The Boss vs. Leader Debate: Why small shops often struggle with the "friend vs. boss" boundary. Darryl’s Tips: Practical advice on making gradual grooming adjustments to manage client expectations and your own stress levels. AI in the Salon: The hosts discuss a new intake app that uses AI to generate visual representations of client requests. Is it the future of communication, or just more "fake" images to worry about? Technical Talk: Quick thoughts on the English Setter tutorial and the age-old debate: to whisk or not to whisk?. Sponsor Shoutouts: Best Shot, ShowSeason, Precision Sharp, Groomore, and Stazko.

🎧 The Groom Pod Episode 465: What to do when they pass, and Whiteners and optical brightenersWelcome to Episode 465 of The GroomPod! Join your host, Susy, a mobile groomer from Seattle, Washington, and her co-star, the curator of ingredients, Barbara Bird.This week, we are tackling two very serious, yet important, topics for every professional groomer:🐾 When They Pass Away (00:01:08)Susy opens up about the emotional toll of grooming and the devastating loss of beloved long-time clients. We discuss one of the hardest questions in our industry: What do you do when a client's pet passes away? We cover: How to handle the grief and emotional side of pet loss. The importance of making that hard phone call to the owner. The essential, yet unpaid for, service we provide in validating a client's grief. High-emotion, low-cost gestures, like sending a framed photo or sharing a specific memory of their pet's quirks. Professional tributes, such as shelter donations or memorializing the pet with a service like Pet Perennials. The critical business step of immediately archiving the pet in your software to prevent sending a next-appointment reminder. ✨Bbird's Classroom: Whiteners and Optical Brighteners (00:32:00) Time to shake off the heavy stuff and dive into the science that makes white coats pop! Barbara takes us to school on how we achieve that "blinded by the light white". The Magic & Science: Learn the difference between dyes (like DNC blue colorant, the most common whitening agent ) and optical brighteners. Optical Brighteners: These chemicals, such as Disodium Diamino Stilbene Disulfonate (used by Best Shot), absorb one band of color and reflect back another, making colors pop and whites appear whiter—an optical illusion!. The Myth: Barbara busts the myth that optical brighteners deposit tiny particles of plastic on the coat. Best Practice: The real mechanism for a whiter dog is deep cleaning, often requiring a clarifying shampoo or one with stronger surfactants before using a whitening product. Sponsors: This episode is brought to you by Best Shot, ShowSeason, Precision Sharp, Groomore, and Stazko. #GroomPod #PetLossGrief #GroomerLife #DogGrooming #MobileGroomer #OpticalBrighteners #WhiteningShampoo #GroomerEducation #PetGroomer #BestShotPet #ShowSeason #Stazko

🐶 GroomPod 464: Stress Buckets, Trigger Stacking, and the Tea Tree Oil TruthWelcome to episode 464 of The Groom Pod! This week, hosts Suzy and Barbara Berg dive into two critical areas that affect every groomer's daily work: canine behavior management and ingredient safety.🌊 Part 1: Trigger Stacking & The Stress BucketEvery dog arrives with a "stress bucket" already partially full. Learn how seemingly small events—from the car ride to the sound of clippers—can stack up, leading to a meltdown on your table. We discuss: The Whispers vs. The Yells: How to recognize and respect a dog's early stress signals (lip licking, yawning, whale eye) before they escalate to growling or biting. Decelerating the Overflow: Five critical steps you can take to reset a stressed dog, including stopping the trigger, creating space, and allowing for decompression. Why stopping a groom is not a failure, but a true mark of professionalism that prioritizes the dog’s emotional and physical safety. 🌿 Part 2: B-Bird's Classroom on Tea Tree OilBarbara, the curator of ingredients, breaks down the science behind Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia). Is it a magical cure or just "fairy dust" in your shampoo? The minimum effective concentration needed for Tea Tree Oil to be truly antimicrobial (it's higher than you think!). Why you need to check the ingredient lineup to determine a product's true efficacy. A critical warning: Tea Tree Oil is toxic to dogs and cats when applied directly or in high concentrations. Learn why it should never be used with cats. Plus, Suzy shares her thoughts on thoughtful holiday appreciation gifts for clients that aren't a "craft chore"!🏷️ Episode Hashtags: #GroomPod #DogGrooming #TriggerStacking #StressBucketTheory #DogBehavior #CanineCommunication #TeaTreeOil #Melaleuca #GroomingSafety #PetWellness

This week, Susy kicks things off with a rant about a major change in Google's search algorithm. Due to new AI involvement , the podcast's 462 previous episodes are no longer easily searchable, as the new system requires full transcripts to mine data. Susy explains her new process for posting transcripts and asks listeners who can't find an old episode to private message her directly for a link.The hosts also field a listener question about the Penelo comb brush. They describe it as a "hybrid brush" with cone-shaped tines and share their favorite ways to use it, such as for detangling and helping to shed double-coated dogs during drying.Next, Susy and Bbird dive into the November 2025 issue of Groomer to Groomer magazine. Highlights include: A discussion (sparked by the October cat issue ) on the benefits of having owners assist during cat grooming. Reviewing an article on "Pet Owners an Underutilized Resource" , leading to a debate on the pros and cons of owners brushing at home. Their pick for the best article: "The Theory Behind the Fluff" by Dylan Gonzalez, which details Asian Fusion styling. Other favorites: an article on exercises at the grooming table , the "flippy dryer" pet peeve article by Jennifer Bishop Jenkins , and Daryl Connor's piece on dryer maintenance. A look at the All American competition winners , including the Day of the Dead-themed People's Choice winner and explanations of the "Compassionate Groomer" and "Clipper Challenge" categories. Finally, the episode provides an in-depth breakdown of Results Rinse , a product Barbara helped Show Season develop. Barbara explains it is an acidifier with detangling ability designed for use when traditional conditioning is too heavy. They cover its many uses:Restoring springiness to coats (like Bichons) without adding weight. Clarifying the coat and removing product buildup or smoke odors. Controlling odor by lowering the skin's pH. Speeding up drying time.         Locking in creative color by closing the hair cuticle.They also share application tips, including using it in a recirculating system or as a pour-through rinse , and Suzy's favorite "magic bullet" combo: mixing it with Best Shot The Max.

🎙️ Episode 462: Grooming Disasters, AKC/NDGAA Fallout, and Chris Christensen's New FormulasWelcome to Episode 462 of The GroomPod!This week, hosts Susy and Barbara don't hold anything back as they tackle industry controversies, confess their biggest career mistakes, and dive deep into product ingredients.Inside This Episode: ⚠️ Industry Alert: We discuss the shocking news out of Portland regarding the abrupt cancellation of the AKC/NDGAA certification workshop, leaving two dozen groomers disheartened and out thousands of dollars. We share our thoughts on what this means for the future of certification. ✂️ Grooming Disaster Confessions: You are not alone! We open up the confession booth to share our most cringeworthy "oh no" moments, including a trainee's legendary 40-blade reverse mohawk, a terrifying scissor slip that injured a dog's tongue, and the time a client accused a groomer of molestation. 🧪 B-Bird’s Classroom: Barbara breaks down the science behind the products! We analyze the NEW Chris Christensen "Ice on Ice" formula and reveal the surprising ingredient still found in "SmartWash 50." 🐩 Product Review Wrap-Up: We give our final thoughts on the Funky Poodle products, discussing the fantastic shampoo and the infamous hair oil that made Suzy's horse smell exactly like Froot Loops cereal. Whether you're looking for honest product reviews, industry commentary, or just need to laugh at some truly awful grooming mistakes, this episode is a must-listen!

In this episode we give our first impressions of the Funky Poodle products, a new face in the marketplace.  Then we talks about all kinds of options for handouts for your clients.  

Barbara and Susy interview Dave and Tracy Campanella about the grooming industry and how to age gracefully while continuing to work.                                                       

This episode includes our discussion of the Groomer to Groomer Magazine September 2025  ads and articles.  

We interview Sandy Gyorgyi from Showseason about her start in the industry and what the future has in store for Showseason.  We learn some fun facts about the company, too.

This episode includes a rant about an ingredient that should not be included in any pet shampoo, Triclosan.  Then the ladies discuss pricing options and finally Barbara reviews volumizing ingredients.

This episode is full of talk about Thinning shears including blenders, and chunkers.  Then Barbara tells us to think about fragrances and their use. 

Barbara Bird and Susy the Groomer discuss the August 2025 issue of Groomer to Groomer magazine and Barbara gives us a Bbirdseye view of the Opaws protein spray.  Does she like it or not? Tune in to find out.

Barbara and Susy discuss the importance of coat prep and give some tips along the way.  Then Barbara reminds us of Kim Laube and his history in our industry.  

Want to get the most out of your next grooming trade show? In this episode of The GroomPod, Susy is joined by field reporter Dana Chavez-Rey to share their best tips and strategies for navigating these exciting events. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or attending your first show, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you maximize your time, budget, and networking opportunities.

Barbara and Susy share their experiences with what grooming notes should include, and then Barbara gives us an Igroom update and reviews their new 2 in 1 shampoo.

This week Barbara is off and Chrissy Neumyer Smith comes on to talk with Susy about Consent and Cooperative grooming.  This is the audio version of the video that appears on YouTube and it is lightly edited.  

This episode we revisit the topic of communication with our clients, and Bbird reviews a shampoo that didn't hold up to her scrutiny.  

Barbara and Susy each present Chris Sertzel with case studies to discuss, and Barbara and Chris talk about their upcoming webinar, too.

Susy and Barbara talk about some of the biggest time wasters in our shops, then Barbara lets us know what Biothane is, and how it can be valuable in our work.  Then she investigates the Groom it line from Botaniqa. There is a companion handout at the GroomBlog on theGroomPod.com

Join us as we chat with Chuck Simons to learn where he started in the grooming industry, and how he developed his very cool products.  He is the producer of Susy's Goldilocks Brush: the Flexit he tells us about that, too.