Resilience and high performance go hand in hand, but too often, we confuse endurance for resilience. At the 2025 Salon Owners Summit keynote by Ronan Harrington, a resilience expert who has worked with industry leaders like L’Oréal, Deloitte, Meta, and KPMG, the audience was taken on a deeply moving journey—one filled with laughter, moments of awe, and more than a few tears. His talk on Sustainable High Performance was met with a rousing standing ovation, and for good reason.
Here are the key insights from his talk, which challenged our perceptions of resilience and provided a roadmap for maintaining peak performance without burning out.
The Power of Wow Moments: Creating Lifelong Loyalty
Ronan began with an anecdote about his hairdresser, Ricky, whom he travels five hours to see because of the exceptional experience he delivers. A single subpar haircut elsewhere was enough to reinforce his loyalty to Ricky for life.
The lesson? A wow moment can redefine expectations and create lifelong loyalty.
But how do we consistently deliver wow moments when the reality of running a business is demanding, exhausting, and often overwhelming?
The Cost of Endurance Culture: Industry Burnout and Its Consequences
Burnout is rampant across industries, and the salon and beauty sector is no exception:
65% of stylists report experiencing anxiety, burnout, or depression at some point in their careers, while 40% feel burnt out often or always (according to a L’Oréal Professional Paris report).
The problem is not just personal—it’s a business issue. Overworked employees lead to a poor client experience, which results in lower pricing, fewer sales, higher churn, and an unsustainable business model. It creates a vicious cycle of diminishing returns.
Ronan’s core message was clear and met with applause: Resilience is not endurance. The high-performance model we’ve been taught—pushing through exhaustion at all costs—is flawed.
Sustainable High Performance: The Science of Working at Your Best
1. The Stress-Performance Curve (Yerkes-Dodson Law)
Ronan introduced the Yerkes-Dodson curve, a research-backed model that shows optimal performance happens under moderate stress—not under chronic exhaustion.
As leaders, our job is to help our teams find this sweet spot. We must balance:
- Employee well-being
- Client satisfaction
- Revenue and client volume
The goal is not to avoid stress but to manage it effectively, knowing when to push and when to recover.
2. The Cadence of Peak Exertion and Renewal
Businesses often operate on a boom-and-bust model—working at unsustainable intensity until people crash. Instead, we need to see work as a rhythm between peak exertion and renewal.
Ronan humorously illustrated this with a group singing exercise, showing how high performance is about controlled effort followed by deliberate recovery—not constant overexertion.
3. The Internal vs. External Motivation Trap
One of the most impactful parts of the talk explored why we work so hard. Ronan quoted Rumi:
“Maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots.”
Too often, we push ourselves because of an unconscious belief that we are not enough. This fuels overwork, perfectionism, and burnout. Instead, we must cultivate internal motivation—not from a place of people-pleasing or fear, but from genuine passion and purpose.
Queer Eye Power Moves: Transforming the Client Experience
Ronan drew inspiration from Queer Eye to highlight how a great client experience is about more than just technical skill—it’s about emotional connection. Your clients don’t just come to your salon for a service. They come to feel seen, confident, and beautiful. Here’s how to create that emotional wow factor:
- Begin with intention – Set a goal to uplift your clients beyond just their hair or skin.
- Skip the small talk – Instead of “How are you?” try “What was the highlight of your day so far?”
- Reveal yourself – When clients ask how you are, don’t just say “busy.” Give an authentic response.
- Validate their experiences – Ask meaningful follow-up questions like “Wow, what was that like?”
- Go gently – Not every client wants a deep conversation; read the room and adapt accordingly.
Ronan’s Personal Journey: A Lesson in True Resilience
The talk took a deeply emotional turn as Ronan shared his personal journey. Growing up in rural Ireland, he lost his brother Mark in a tragic accident at a young age. The trauma shaped him, leading to a relentless drive for achievement.
His high-flying career took him from Oxford University to becoming Head of Political Strategy for Extinction Rebellion. But the relentless pace led to severe burnout, PTSD, and fibromyalgia. In a matter of weeks, he went from taking on Boris Johnson in the media to being bedridden, overwhelmed by the weight of his declining health and mental state, and unsure if he had the strength to go on.
Six years on, his health struggles continue. But his perspective has shifted: resilience is not about pushing through. It’s about self-compassion.
“Resilience is not tough bravado. It’s putting your hand on your heart and saying, ‘Okay. Right now, I feel like this. And I’ve got you.’”
Final Thoughts: The Golden Thread of Resilience
Ronan closed with the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi—the art of repairing broken pottery with gold, making it even more beautiful than before.
We all experience cracks. True resilience is about putting ourselves back together with wisdom, self-awareness, and care.
And, most importantly, he left us with this powerful reminder:
“If you do not tend to your wellness, you will be forced to tend to your illness.”
A message for ourselves, our teams, and our clients alike.
Key Takeaways for Business Owners and Leaders:
- Wow moments drive lifelong loyalty – invest in the client experience.
- Burnout is a business problem, not just a personal one – prioritise well-being.
- Sustainable high performance requires balance – push, but don’t break.
- Emotional connection is the secret weapon of premium businesses.
- True resilience is soft, kind, and self-compassionate – not just tough.
Ronan’s talk was a masterclass in redefining success—not as relentless endurance, but as sustainable, human-centred high performance.
What changes will you make to prioritise resilience in your business and your life?
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