Description
What does it take to grow into leadership—and how does a company actually support that growth?
In this episode of the Day Makers Podcast, host Daved Dolce sits down with three Tricoci University team members—Krissy Crandell (Manager of High School Recruiting & Community Outreach), Stephanie Jones (Campus Director, Peoria), and Marilyn Flores (Community & Social Engagement Manager)—to talk about Tricoci’s Future Leadership Program and how it has helped shape their careers.
They share what they learned about their strengths, confidence, and potential, plus the real-world ways leadership development shows up on the job: coaching, communication, accountability, and showing up as a “day maker” for every student.
Follow our team on social media:
Krissy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krissylosesit/
Stephanie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/styliststeph77/
Marilyn Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandblissbymarilyn/
Show Notes
– Meet the guests: Krissy Crandell, Stephanie Jones, and Marilyn Flores
– What the Future Leadership Program is and why it exists
– Discovering strengths, weaknesses, and untapped potential
– Building confidence through connection with company leaders
– Translating leadership training into day-to-day decisions
– The “day maker” mindset and guest experience
Links:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/4jc5mm42b-o
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/72x2OAf6jK0rn9VDYN2Mu2?si=4cd109dacc7d4140
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, Daved Dolce, and I am here and have the privilege to be with some of my fellow graduates from our Future Leadership Program, and my friends at Tricoci University.
Welcome, ladies!
Hello.
Hi, Daved.
Hi.
So the first thing I need you to do is, um, just tell us who you are and what you do for our company.
I’m gonna start over here with Krissy.
Hi.
My name is Krissy Crandall.
Um, I am the manager of high school recruiting and community outreach here at Tricoci.
So working with high schoolers and teaching them all about what we do here.
Okay.
Yeah.
Stephanie.
I’m Stephanie Jones, and I am the campus director for our Peoria location.
And last but not least
Hi.
I’m Marilyn Flores, and I’m our community and social engagement manager, so I handle all our social media at Tricoci.
Awesome.
And you guys all have very important roles, but we didn’t get to where we are today, myself included, by just chilling, right?
We’re fortunate to work for a company that really supports us in our growth.
Um, they see potential in us, and, you know, want us to fly, which is awesome.
I’ve had jobs before where they don’t want me to fly because I’m great at this- At this.
and if they lose me, oh my god, what are they gonna do?
I mean, that was like kind of previous leadership that we had before, so when we brought on new leadership, brought on new opportunities for all of us.
Um, so what was the biggest thing, Krissy, that you learned about yourself in the Future Leadership Program?
I don’t know.
I think I really just learned about my potential.
We really take the time to dive in.
I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve done the program.
It’s been, oh gosh, 4 years?
5 years?
I don’t know.
I don’t remember at this point.
Um, but we really dive into different things, like what our strengths are, our weaknesses.
We get to learn from others and things like that.
So really just seeing and tapping into what my potential was as a leader, and just really learning from others too and expanding there.
So, yeah.
What about you, Stephanie?
I think I learned I knew way more than I thought I did.
Okay.
Like, and they give you the confidence to keep moving and moving on and moving up, and, you know, it was so nice to connect with the leaders of the company.
Mm-hmm.
And get to know them as people and s- see what they actually see in you- Mm-hmm.
I agree.
that you don’t see in yourself.
100%.
So I think that was great.
Yeah.
The exposure is great.
Um, I thought this was gonna be about learning on how to do a spreadsheet or something, and it dives-
so much deeper, right, Marilyn?
Definitely.
I mean, you learn the whole company in and out, which was like my favorite part of it.
Mm-hmm.
Especially because I started in our call center- Mm-hmm.
which is like, um, you know, we work from home.
You know, we don’t get to always see everybody in the call center.
So sometimes you’re just, you know, you have someone’s phone number in front of you, you’re calling it, but you don’t know how it got there.
You don’t know where the student came from.
Yeah.
You don’t know any of that, and then, you know, you go into the program, they teach you the marketing part of it, the admissions part of it, the financial aid part of it, and then it just gives you, as an employee, a way better understanding of what we’re doing here.
Mm-hmm.
Well, people do, ’cause when you’re in different roles, even like as a teacher, admissions, blah, blah, blah, “What, what’s going on with admissions with my class?”
Then I’m in admissions and like, “This is what’s going on with admissions.”
Like, “We’re bringing you quality students into your class.”
And then as a campus director, I’ve like have such a better appreciation of what financial aid do, ’cause in admissions it’s like, “Why aren’t they funding my students?”
Exactly.
Do you know what I mean?
So as you grow and grow- Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
um, you learn more, but being in FLP and having the opportunity to learn that right from the gate, I think you get a lot more respect for the people you work with and just- Definitely.
all that good stuff.
Uh, Stephanie, what did it feel like for you when you found out you were even nominated for the program?
I was so excited, um, because I knew I wanted to grow and I wasn’t sure where I wanted to grow into yet- Mm-hmm.
at that time.
So it was just, it was an honor to know that somebody noticed what you were doing.
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
So true.
Like, that’s huge.
Yeah.
It is big.
Krissy, were you in my program with me?
Yeah.
Yep.
So we were in the first one ever.
I know.
We trained together and did FLP together.
I know.
That’s the cool part.
I met Krissy her first day with- Yeah.
the company, ’cause it was my first day as admissions- Mm-hmm.
so we got to train each other- Yeah.
and just watch each other grow from that.
Yeah.
It’s cool.
I mean, even Marilyn, you were even a student- Yeah.
I, I knew of Marilyn.
I sat with, I sat with Marilyn during training.
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s right.
Yep, I did.
That’s where I met Marilyn.
It’s just crazy.
I know.
Look at us now.
I know.
It’s just us, literally.
It’s nice.
What was the interview process like for you, Marilyn?
It was nerve-wracking.
I actually will never forget.
I thought I bombed it.
I really did.
So it was on, it was on Zoom, but it’s like all the leaders and they’re all looking right at you, and they’re asking questions, and they asked me a question like to name a scenario.
I don’t even remember, but, um, I didn’t have an answer.
And I was like, “Um, can I take a moment and think about that?”
And they’re like, “Sure.”
And I’m like, “Okay.”
And then I thought of something, I said it, and then at the end of the
I was like, “I blew it.”
Mm-hmm.
And-
I blew it, but then they were like, “Actually, you did really good, and we’re glad you thought about it.”
So that made me feel great.
So yeah.
But it’s a little intimidating at first.
It is.
That’s why I asked that question.
‘Cause like you’re on a Zoom interview with like all the big people in the company.
It’s like 5 interviews at one time.
Literally.
I’m like, “Wait.
What is going on?
This is crazy.”
It’s evolved so much since me and Krissy first did it.
I know.
And they’re, it’s such
Oh my god.
They’re so lucky what all they get to do.
Like I think you guys are in the new program- Absolutely.
too and- They do like projects and stuff like that now.
Yeah.
Oh.
Yes.
It’s been really cool to see it evolve.
They do that new project.
It’s so cool, yeah.
I love it.
Yeah.Um, I have a sneak peek at what their project’s gonna be this next time- Oh.
but can’t say nothing.
Yeah.
Um- Yeah, no.
Joy’ll kill me.
So do you guys think having that exposure to the CEO of the company, the financial officer, you know, Larry, all these people, that, that really helped shape your career with the company?
Oh, 100%.
I, you know, I know when- Agree.
I don’t know if they still do this where you shadow at the end, you get to pick somebody in the company.
That’s right.
Yeah.
Um- I thought that was really, really cool because I picked somebody that I didn’t work with on a regular basis.
So at the time- That’s smart.
it was Joy.
Um, so I came up and, and shadowed Joy for the day.
And, um, just the exposure with them and getting to know them on a different level than just- Mm-hmm.
executive leadership, you know?
Yeah.
Um, really was a great experience.
And, you know, now we all have relationships with them.
And, you know- Yeah.
I, I know that, like, if I have a question or need support, like, we’re fully supported and by all of them, you know?
And, and they’ll do what they need to do to support us.
And like, yeah, we could pick up the phone and call any of them- Yeah.
For sure.
if we had a question or a concern or- Yeah.
Absolutely.
You know?
And it’s not- That’s huge.
It’s not a bother.
It’s not a con- you know, a huge issue.
Mm-hmm.
And it’s so nice to have that support.
I can call the CEO.
I could call Nate on a Friday night and Nate’s gonna answer.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And say, “What’s going on?
What do you need?”
And they don’t care so much.
They’re just as passionate as, like, you are with your job, which makes you feel- 100%.
like you’re at the right place.
Yeah.
And I, I think that’s for all of our employees, not just FLPeople too.
Right.
You know?
I th- I feel like everybody has a level or at least feels, you know, like they have somebody in upper manage- or executive leadership that they can reach out to for support, which is, I think amazing.
Yeah.
I don’t think there’s a lot of companies out there like that.
Yeah.
And we’re lucky enough to have that.
Yeah.
For sure.
There’s not.
And speaking of that, this is a great piggyback question.
We were recognized as one of the top employers to work for by The Tribune in Chicago.
Oh.
What does that mean to you?
Crazy.
It’s amazing.
Yeah.
It’s crazy.
So amazing.
Yeah.
Isn’t it nuts?
I know.
It is crazy.
I tell people all the time, I’m like, because everybody at
So many people go into careers that they don’t enjoy.
They’re just
It’s a job to them every single day.
And people ask me, like, “What do you do?”
And I’m like, “Well, first, that’s a loaded question.”
But secondly
Right.
You know?
That’s a very loaded question.
I’m like, “But secondly,” um, I go, “I get to have fun with what I do.”
I genuinely have fun with what I do.
And working
I’m
You know, Nate has always said, you know, he wants to make this an employer of choice, you know, somebody, somewhere where people want to work.
And, like, I genuinely want to be here.
Like, I love showing up for my job every day.
And I think, you know, I think I feel like all of us probably feel that way.
We absolutely
And yeah, we wouldn’t have been here all week this week- Yeah.
if we didn’t love what we do.
Totally.
It’s so true.
You know?
It shows a lot.
And I don’t think I’ve ever said, but I love my job.
Right.
I love my job.
Yeah.
I love my job too.
I do too.
I truly love what I do.
Mm-hmm.
It’s fun.
What advice do you have for any future Future Leadership Program participants that might be listening to this podcast?
They’re like, “Oh my God, I’m being interviewed by all these people at the same time?”
What advice do you have for them for their interview process?
Speak from your heart.
Yeah.
Just let them know- Yeah.
That’s very nice.
who you truly are and speak from your heart.
Yeah.
I think that’s really- That’s beautiful.
authentic.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Be authentic.
Also just, like, confidently move into it.
If you feel like- Yeah.
you’re not where you’re supposed to be or you don’t know anything, like, that’s the point of the program.
Just go in open-minded and you’ll learn a lot.
Yeah.
It’s, it’s not about perfection.
It really isn’t.
No.
Not at all.
No.
I tell people all the time, I did not get here by doing my job perfect by no means.
We all have a story.
We- Exactly.
When I was like, “Oh, I messed up.”
We all have a story.
Sorry.
Sorry.
If you only knew.
Yeah.
Well, grow.
For sure.
We grow.
So we like to ask a question at the end of our podcast.
What does being a Daymaker mean to you?
Oh my gosh.
W- I think one of the best things about my job is that I get to expose our youth, so our high school students, I’ve
You know, I oversee our high school program here.
And getting them to expose
or getting to expose all of them to all of the amazing things that the beauty industry has to offer.
Mm-hmm.
Um, this isn’t just a behind-the-chair business, you know, or just cutting hair or just doing facials or things like that.
Look at all of us.
You know?
We’re perfect examples of that.
Yes.
You know?
And, um, none of us probably went into beauty school thinking that we would be sitting on a podcast one day-
talking about- Or hosting one.
you know, at a beauty school that, that, you know, and I’m an alumni from here.
So, I think that that’s one of the greatest things that I, I get to do is really just expose them to all the different facets of, of this industry, and it’s, it’s just truly rewarding.
I love it.
Stephanie.
I think that we get to make this industry for anybody.
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Anybody can do it, it doesn’t matter.
We get to see all walks of life- Mm-hmm.
all, you know, different kinds of people and all different backgrounds, and, you know, their success stories are, are what makes the day.
It is.
Yeah.
It really is.
Marilyn, what’s it mean to you?
00:11:14,680.0000000001164 –> 00:11:29,720
I mean, it just means everything because when you’re helping a potential student, you really are possibly helping them change their entire lives, and that’s such a powerful responsibility and job, but I, I love it and I’m so grateful for it all the time.
You know, coming from talking to them on the phone in the call center to meeting them at events.
And sometimes, like, you as a, uh, you know, person at a beauty school, you’re the first person that has encouraged them to sh- go towards their passion.
Mm-hmm.
And that’s just everything.
Yeah.
You know?
It really is.
Yeah.
That’s very, very true.
I want to thank the 3 of you so much.
I know you’ve been working hard all day getting us ready for our Beauty Blitz 2025.
Yay.
So excited.
Um, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I meant what I said, I consider you all to be friends, my family, and, um, that means a lot to me, so thank you.
Likewise.
Aww.
Thanks, Daved.
You’re welcome.