Description
In this episode of the DayMakers Podcast, hosts Daved Dolce and Larry Foster sit down with Samantha Joe Martorano, an esthetics educator and now student success advisor at Tricoci University. Samantha shares what inspired her to pursue esthetics, what it means to teach beyond the “protocol skeleton,” and how real-world energy and honesty help students build confidence and skills that last.
Join them as they dive into why staying current matters in beauty education—from shifting trends to in-demand services—and how innovation in the curriculum helps students see themselves thriving in real professional settings.
Follow Samantha Joe on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.skinstructor/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.skinstructor?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Show Notes
– Samantha Joe’s path into esthetics and what drew her to the industry
– Teaching students the “rules” and how to apply them in real life
– Bringing personality, energy, and authenticity into the classroom
– Why evolving curriculum is a lifeline in modern beauty education
– Trends that surprised everyone (and became top services)
– Bridging classroom learning with real-world experiences and brand exposure
– A memorable student transformation story (and what educators really do)
– The “Day Maker” mindset—and how it builds self-worth and motivation
Links:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/p2vCyBZv2is
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0OGJc6QIAdkm9PoV8GgKlj?si=U1UIsBXLRmOlpALokvuvLA
Transcript:
We are here to make people feel good about themselves.
We really have to feel like we are a day maker for the guest.
“You’ve made my day.”
How great is that when you hear those words from your guest?
Welcome to the Day Makers podcast.
I’m your host, David Dolce.
I’m back with my co-host, Larry Foster.
And we have the privilege today of interviewing one of our favorites, Sam, one of our aesthetic teachers at Tricoci University.
Hello.
Hello.
How you doing today?
Fabulous.
Well, thank you for being here.
So glad to be here.
Good.
So let’s start out with, um, telling us about your journey with aesthetics and, like, what inspired you to want to become a licensed esthetician.
Ooh, that’s such a long journey.
So long ago.
Uh, so thankfully, I wear retinol.
It’s fine.
Oh, God.
Yes.
So long story short, I started my journey about 15 years ago.
So I’ve been involved in the beauty industry since I was very, very little.
Had family members that were in it.
I was surrounded by it.
I tried doing the good old college try, and I started realizing that my setting was not as colorful as I wanted it to be.
Mm-hmm.
So I started going into the field of really just looking into what the options were.
I’ve always been a makeup kid.
I’ve always been surrounded by, like, the 80s-esque pictures that you would see in salons and spas.
And I was always like, “That’s my Tuesday morning makeup.
That’s what I wanna wear.”
Yes.
And then from there, I started Googling makeup schools, and there was nothing within my reach.
And then I ended up finding an aesthetic school near me, and I was like, “Well, what’s aesthetics?”
So when I joined aesthetics, I was in love with it.
I was more fascinated with the science behind it.
So I was more Bill Nye meets Miss Frizzle in a moment.
So from
Right, right?
So from there, I ended up just finding my way in, and I fully engulfed behind the chemistry of it, and I’ve never looked back.
That’s cool, and that’s really shaped your career ’cause I know your career a little bit.
Yeah.
What got you into education?
Oh.
So I was one of those stories where we were in a scenario in the classroom, and students were just asking questions, right?
And students were just kinda going back and forth with each other, and they would just turn to me and say- Mm-hmm.
“What do you think of it?”
And I’m like, “Well, why don’t we play with something,” right?
Like, “Let’s figure things out.”
And I ended up having one of my teachers reach out to me and was like, “You would be a really good teacher.”
And I was like, “I don’t think you know my personality yet.”
So as time was going on, I just realized I gravitated more towards assessing that.
And I said, “You know what?
Let me go out into the real world.
Let me pursue a career.
Let me see how I feel it.”
And realistically, I was always drawn back towards education.
I did it in the makeup field for a very long time globally, and I said, “Why don’t I make a license out of it when I came back?”
Yay.
I’m glad you did.
I know.
So nice.
So one of the things that makes you a really great educator is that energy.
And then when I think of people who don’t color within the lines, I think of you.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, thank you so much.
Because we
And I appreciate that so much about you, you know?
So how does that work for you when you’re actually educating students?
How do you use that for your advantage?
So I’m always gonna use a phrase that I say to my students.
So I always say, “Do you want my unprofessional or my professional opinion?”
Right?
Mm-hmm.
We all know that it’s professional nonetheless.
So my unprofessional is based off of real life experience because- Mm-hmm.
sometimes we’re gonna see those protocols, and we know the skeleton.
So how are we implementing it in the real world?
For example, you might have someone that doesn’t want one product line.
They might want to mix and play and see what works well with each other.
And really, again, just bringing back the Miss Frizzle and the, you know, uh, side of that, the experimental side, and really just seeing you’ve really gotta play with it.
You’ve really just gotta try.
So when students are like, “I don’t know what to do,” I say, “Why aren’t you just trying it 7 different ways?”
Right.
“No one’s gonna knock you if you fail.
You’re just learning from it.”
So
Right.
And I think that’s the piece that students don’t get all the time is that the failure’s okay.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
You know, we really want you to fail because sometimes that that is the way you’re gonna learn.
Yes.
I’ve said that to students before.
They’ll be like, “Oh, Miss Sam, I failed.”
I’m like, “Good.
We got it out of the way.”
Right.
“Now we can succeed.
Let’s run.”
You know?
Exactly.
Love that.
Teaches you how to apply the rules that way.
Yeah.
Right?
Yes.
So, see?
It does.
So you’ve been-
with us for a while, right, here at Tricoci University- Yeah.
so what made you pick Tricoci to work for, and what keeps you here with us?
So funny enough, this was at the time I applied to here, which was in 2020.
Mm-hmm.
So before that, I worked for other schools, right?
And I always say this as a joke because my mom was like, “Oh, she’s a teacher.”
Kinda just, like, pushed it to the side, you know?
She was proud, but she wasn’t, like, promoting.
Uh-huh
And then I had been reached out by another educator that I had worked with before, and she was like, “I think you would really love an opportunity.
Um, there are perks.
1, there’s so many things that you can learn, but also you can meet familiar faces,” pointing at herself.
And I was like, “Oh, where is that?”
And she was like, “Tricoci University.”
And I was like, “Oh, that’s so funny.”
Went back to my mom and told her about it, and she started calling all of her friends, all of the relatives.
She’s like, “Samantha’s Midwest famous.”
Oh, yeah
“She used to go to Tricoci.”
And I was like, “Oh, I’ve made it.
Okay, I should push myself forward into an interview.”
And lo and behold, everybody within my inner circle knew of Tricoci.
Like, it was already a buzzword before I even was made aware of it.
So yeah, that’s what, that’s what drove me here.
That’s right.
I know.
It’s a thing.
Yeah.
It’s a thing.
Yeah.So, I’m excited because you actually have a new position.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Woo-hoo.
Congratulations.
Student success advisor, which, uh, I’m looking forward to how you actually merge what you’ve done in the classroom, ’cause you’re so amazing at it, for motivating the students and getting them on track- Yeah.
to being able to do that schoolwide at your campus.
So I’m looking forward to that.
But with the aesthetics portion, are you
with Tricoci do you think is
set us apart from any of the other schools you worked with before?
The brands, honestly, the brands and the level of education.
Even when I was in school, you know, many, many moons ago, and we were looking into additional training, you know- Mm-hmm.
we were learning just the fundamentals at that time, and I’ve heard all across the board, people have horror stories of always saying that they had a bad experience in their trade school, and I’m like, “Did you actually look into what was available to you?”
And something that really stood out with me here for the aesthetics program is there’s more to add to it than just the fundamentals.
Like, the fact that I’ve talked to other students from other schools, and they’ll say, “Oh, you learn lash extensions?”
I’m like, “Yeah.”
And they’re like, “How much do you have to pay?”
I’m like, “It’s built in the curriculum, but you have an option to buy a kit.”
And they’re like, “We don’t even have that.
That’s not even on the radar.”
So kind of plugging in those ambassador programs and those brands have really benefited, but also giving them that opportunity to be able to be out in the real world- Mm-hmm.
actually seeing what it’s like.
Mm-hmm.
Because we can be in a classroom all day long, but it gets you going when you’re actually in a setting of being like, “Oh, I can see myself being here.”
And I think Tricoci has done that all across the board.
Right, um, you, not just eyelash extensions, but with the airbrush makeup- Mm-hmm.
nano infusion, which is part of microneedling, now lume infusion, which we’re rolling out- Yes.
soon.
is what I think’s gonna be one of your favorites now too- Yeah.
is the scalp spas- I saw that ad and I was so excited.
There you go.
I was like, “Oh my God.”
Yes.
We’re gonna roll that out ’cause it’s gonna be something new for esthe people, you know.
But it’s dealing with the scalp and the condition of the scalp, so I’m really excited to bring that to them.
H- how do you think your students are gonna receive that?
Oh, they’re gonna love it.
Even right now, students are always searching.
And I
this goes all across the board yet again, but students are always searching the new trends- Mm-hmm.
and that is something that has been on the radar for the scalp spa specifically for what, almost 2 years.
They’re like, “When can we do this?”
I’m like, “I don’t know.
It’s a gray area right now ’cause you’re technically working with skin, but there’s hair.”
And- Mm-hmm.
really now seeing it be more incorporated specifically in the state that we’re in, it’s- Sure.
it’s wonderful.
They love it.
They’re gonna be so excited.
Love it.
It’s really cool.
It is.
At first, when I saw the machine, I was like, “Is that the cotton candy machine?”
“Okay.”
And then I pass it by a second time, I’m like, “Oh, that’s the head spa.”
They’re like, “This is the subtro spa.”
“We need, we need the head spa.”
“Head spa, okay.”
So you kind of answered some of my questions, but like I wanna go back to our curriculum.
Um, the curriculum in Tricoci, it’s constantly changing- Yeah.
and sometimes you hear teachers are like, “Again?
Again?”
But we have to keep adding new stuff.
So how important is that to work for a company that actually is changing the curriculum continuously to add new things for our students?
That’s vital.
That’s a lifeline.
Um, I feel like in any scenario, if you’re stagnant and you’re not learning new things and you’re not building into it, you’re falling behind in the older trends.
Yes.
And the whole point is to be a better version of you.
Even if, like, for example, when brow laminations first rolled out, you know, 12 years ago- Wow.
i- in the aesthetic field specifically- Mm-hmm.
I was like, “This is a fad.
It’ll, it’ll pass.”
And it’s literally one of the top 3 services that we see now in the beauty industry.
People love low-maintenance but high-quality services, right?
Mm-hmm.
So if I would have stuck and been like, “Oh, I don’t like it.
I’m not into it,” you still should have some type of understanding into it because just because you don’t like it and it’s not your cup of tea, it’s gonna be somebody else’s shot of espresso, and they’re gonna be like, “I live on this, I breathe on this.”
So if you don’t know it, literally doing your own career a disservice.
That is so true.
It’s about knowing everything.
That’s what I tell my students.
I want, like even fucking cosmetology, “Oh, I’m gonna go”
This is myself.
I’m like, “I’m gonna be a colorist when I graduate ’cause I don’t know how to cut nobody’s hair let alone a beauty school.”
and then fast-forwarded my career, and not only am I teaching people to do haircuts, but I worked in a barber shop for 8 years of that career, too, as well, so- Absolutely.
learn it all.
That’s right, ’cause you never know which way that trajectory is going to take you, right?
Right.
So we have to be prepared all the way out, and we want our students to be.
So with you, what are some of the student successes that you remember in your history?
I have so many.
So with a few of mine, one in particular that I’ll talk about was I noticed a student that I had, she would sit around, everybody would go to lunch, and she would stay in the classroom.
So for the first few weeks, I was like, “Oh, she’s diligent.”
And then for the next few weeks, I was like, “No, she’s not leaving.”
So I sat with her, and, you know, she came to me at 1 point, and she did everything phenomenal.
Like, everything she touched was gold.
And she came to me one time, and she was like, “I think I have to withdraw.”
And I was like, “Well, why?
What
like, what drove you to this point?
Because you’re doing so well, you’re so close to the finish line.”
I think it was, like, 2 months out.
She was like, “I have to be honest, I’ve been living out of my car.”
She was like, “I had to get out of a really horrible situation, and I knew if I stayed, the career wouldn’t persist, but right now-” Mm-hmm.
” we’re hitting a bump in the road.”
And I said, “Well, I can’t handle your housing, but what can I help you with here?”
And she was like, “Well, it’s really hard.
I don’t have money to feed myself, and A, B, and C.”
And I said, “You know, I can’t give you the Ritz-Carlton, but I can for sure make sure that if you’re here, I will have things for you, if you promise me that you will dedicate your career
’cause you know at the end of this, this is your ladder out.
This is the only-” Yes.
” way you get out of here.”
And she
you know, we had a moment, she cried, I cried, and she was like, “If you promise me that I can make it through and it’s going to be okay, I’ll do it.”
And I was like, “I’m never going to tell you it’s okay, but I am going to tell you that there’s success somewhere out there, but you have to climb.
I can’t push you up there.
You have to be the one to do it.”
She ended up finishing out.
She got high honors, so she was, like, a 97% GPA.
She got a 100% attendance, and she’s now been thriving in a business for almost 5 years, and she’s never looked back.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
You know, those success stories are things that really kind of fill our cup all the way around.
Yeah.
And, you know, our students do need someone to be their motivator, their day maker as well, so thank you for doing that.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, thank you.
Thanks.
Samantha Jo.
Hi.
Our signature question.
Oh.
What does being a day maker mean to you?
I think it sets the tone for every step you make.
I think when you are someone’s day maker, when you’re on- your own day maker, you are literally setting a golden path in front of you, because no matter what, you may hit bumps, you may have failures, you may have learning experiences, but it’s never going to be something that knocks you out of the ball completely.
And I think being a day maker really just gives you that amplification of your self-worth.
You know that if you put everything of what you have in yourself, in your character, into what you do, one way or another it’s going to get you into the path that you want- Mm-hmm.
so really just making sure that you hold yourself accountable to that, and really know that motivation is the drive.
Mm-hmm.
No one will ever, ever be as motivated as someone who can’t eat, right?
And it’s like- Yeah.
you can say, “Oh, I can’t eat,” but you can also be like, “No, I can’t eat.
I have to find a way.
I have to make sure that I push myself as well,” so really having that hustle mentality, and really having that positive reflect is the golden goose, so
That’s absolutely gorgeous.
Okay.
I love it.
Well, well put.
Snaps.
Thank you so much for being here with us.
Whoo, thanks for having me.
This has been very fun
Look forward to a fun weekend with you.
And again, just thank you so much.
Oh, thank you, guys.
Bye.
You are very welcome.
Love it.