Ep 363 – Freakiest Friday

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: ASCP Esty Talk
Episode: Ep 363 – Freakiest Friday
Hosts: Ella Cressman & Maggie Stasik
Date: December 3, 2025

This episode dives into the difference between routines and rituals in the context of self-care for estheticians and skincare professionals. Ella and Maggie engage in an interactive, creative discussion where they push each other to turn everyday skincare routines into soul-nourishing, intentional rituals. The episode is infused with humor, realness, and practical mantras and is designed to inspire listeners to bring more meaning to their daily self-care practices, both professionally and personally.

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Main Theme

From Routine to Ritual:
The hosts discuss how beauty and skincare professionals—and everyone—often run on autopilot, treating routines as checklists. They challenge themselves (and listeners) to pause, add mindfulness, and transform ordinary routines into restorative rituals.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of Daily Routines

• Ella and Maggie start by reflecting on their mornings, which often revolve around taking care of others—clients, partners, pets—rather than themselves.
  • “We have these routines in the morning, but often it’s to check off boxes. It’s everything else besides ourselves.” (Ella, 01:55)

2. The Difference Between Routine and Ritual

• Definition:
  • “A routine is what one does. And a ritual is how you do it and why that routine matters.” (Ella, 03:27)
• Insight: True care happens when we’re present in the moment, not just going through motions.

3. Transforming Skincare into Self-Nourishing Ritual (Morning Segment)

• Ella crafts a mindful morning ritual for Maggie:
  • Begin with three deep, intentional breaths (Inhale calm, exhale chaos; inhale clarity, exhale overthinking).
    • "Inhale, calm. Exhale, chaos. Inhale, clarity. Exhale... your overthinker." (Ella, 05:06–05:29)
  • Cleansing as emotional release: Visualize each motion lifting away stress and yesterday’s residue.
    • “With each little circle, you're lifting away stress, doubt, and yesterday's emotional residue.” (Ella, 05:48)
  • Ritual mantras to repeat:
    • "I release what's heavy."
    • "My glow is lighter than my worries." (05:16–06:21)
  • Applying serums/moisturizer as self-worth practice:
    • “Imagine you're patting in your serum...like you're painting on self-worth." (Ella, 06:43)
    • Fun sidebar on eye cream preferences (“Go rogue. Skip the eye cream…”)
    • Final affirmations:
      • "I hydrate my skin and my spirit."
      • "Boundaries tight. Barrier strong. Today I am radiant and unbothered." (Ella & Maggie, 07:14–07:22)
  • Seal the ritual: Look in the mirror and say, “Go on, glow getter. The world isn’t ready for this level of luminous rebellion.” (Ella, 07:40–07:42)

4. Transforming Night Routines into Ritual

• Closing the day with intention:
  • Deep breath to wash away accumulated stress
    • "Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Kind of like you're sighing out every group text, every team's meeting, every to-do, every tiny stressor..." (Ella, 08:08–08:30)
  • Set boundaries with cleansers:
    • “Each sudsing bubble is a boundary that you're setting. Each rinse is a reminder of what you decide sticks with you.” (Ella, 09:04)
  • Replenishing affirmation:
    • "I replenish what I gave away today." (Ella & Maggie, 09:32)
  • Further mantras on strength and repair:
    • "I am soft. I am strong. And I'm still learning how to glow through it." (Ella & Maggie, 09:41–09:46)
    • “My skin and my soul are both on their nighttime repair cycle.” (09:49–09:52)
  • Signature Transparency: “I still don’t do eye cream. And somehow I still see things clearly.” (Ella & Maggie, 09:56–10:00)
  • End with self-kindness:
    • “Look in the mirror, maybe a little sleepy-eyed, and say, 'Good night, gorgeous.'” (Ella, 10:04–10:15)

5. Mantra Exchange – Maggie Creates a Ritual for Ella

• For Ella, the “Moon Mother Goddess”
  • Introduction & tone: playful, spiritual, personalized
  • “I am Ella. Moon mother goddess.”
  • “I harness the lunar cycle.”
  • “But I also check my email on my phone.” (Maggie & Ella, 11:17–11:44)
  • “I trust my intuition and my ingredient deck.” (Maggie, 11:50–11:54)
  • “My light is radiant, my energy magnetic. And my SPF always applied.” (11:59–12:15)
  • “I bring balance to the barrier and harmony to the hustle. I am the moon mother goddess. I am magic.” (Maggie & Ella, 12:23–12:38)
  • Final group affirmation: “I must stay young / I'ma stay young!” (12:38–12:45)

6. Practical Takeaways for Skincare Professionals (and Everyone)

• Ritual transforms repetition into restoration.
• It’s not about adding more steps, but adding more soul and intention to what you already do.
• Listeners are encouraged to integrate similar rituals into all aspects of daily life, not just skincare—e.g., laundry, dishes, commuting.
  • “Routines keep us organized, but rituals can keep us connected, especially to ourselves.” (Ella, 12:56)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Routine vs. Ritual:
  • “A routine is what one does, and a ritual is how you do it and why that routine matters.” (Ella, 03:27)
• Release & Renewal:
  • “I release what’s heavy. My glow is lighter than my worries.” (Mantra, 06:17–06:21)
• Self-empowerment:
  • “Go on, glow getter. The world isn’t ready for this level of luminous rebellion.” (Ella, 07:40–07:42)
• Night Ritual Wisdom:
  • “Each sudsing bubble is a boundary that you’re setting. Each rinse is a reminder of what you decide sticks with you.” (Ella, 09:04)
• Signature Humor:
  • “I don’t do eye cream and I still see things clearly.” (Ella & Maggie, 10:00)
  • "I harness the lunar cycle. But I also check my email on my phone." (Maggie & Ella, 11:38–11:44)
  • "And my SPF always applied. Because goddess or not, UV rays don’t care." (Maggie & Ella, 12:15–12:20)
• Transformative Takeaway:
  • “A ritual transforms repetition into restoration.” (Ella, 13:23)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:55 | Discussing the challenge of prioritizing self in routines | | 03:27 | Defining routine vs. ritual | | 05:05 | Starting the mindful morning skincare ritual | | 06:17 | Mantras for cleansing (morning routine) | | 07:40 | “Go on, glow getter” – affirming self before the day starts | | 08:07 | Beginning of evening routine transformation | | 09:32 | Nightly affirmation: “I replenish what I gave away today” | | 10:04 | Nightly closure: “Good night, gorgeous” | | 11:07 | Maggie’s custom “Moon Mother Goddess” mantra for Ella | | 12:38 | Group affirmation: "I must stay young" | | 13:23 | The importance of transforming routines into rituals |

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Final Takeaways

The hosts encourage estheticians and listeners to reclaim mundane moments and layer them with presence and intention, making self-care a practice in connection, not just function. Ritual, not rote routine, is what nourishes both skin and soul, contributing to resilience, radiance, and balance for busy professionals.

Call to Action: Listeners are invited to share their own rituals and transformations on Instagram, Facebook, or by email.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Did you know that working at a Massage Envy franchise location comes with perks you'll love? You'll have access to professional skin and body care products from brands you know and trust like Marini Skin Solutions and PCA Skin, as well as free continuing education and training opportunities and of course an annual ASCP membership with insurance at no cost to you. Learn more about location specific benefits when you search for open esthetician positions near [e-mail] sdcareers and apply today.

[C]

Hello and welcome to ASCP STTalk. I'm Ella Cressman, licensed esthetician and content contributor for Associated Skincare Professionals.

[A]

I am Maggie Stasik, licensed esthetician and ASCP's program director.

[C]

Okay, so we have a treat for the listeners today.

[A]

I'm excited.

[C]

Oh, a while ago we were talking about just our lives off. Off of the recording. We were talking about how dutiful our lives are, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And how we have these routines in the morning, but often it's to check off boxes. It's everything else besides ourselves. It's for, I think both of us. We have dogs or our husband's needs or trying to get out the door or prepare for our clients or prepare for your workmates, whatever it is. And this came about when we were talking about self care specifically. So we talked about routines in the mornings and how to make space, if you will, for self care, how to find that time. Yeah, so we're doing something a little different because we also agreed that it's easier for me to tell my clients to do this or for me to tell my friends how they should do this, but it's not as easy for me to do it for myself, right?

[A]

Yeah, a hundred percent.

[C]

So you talked about your routines and that you have specific routines, right?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Okay, thanks. Now let's not talk about the other routines like breakfast and coffee and the dogs and all that stuff. Let's just talk about this little moment of time that we as licensed professionals can create something for ourselves. Okay, so tell me about your routine.

[A]

My Skincare routine?

[C]

Yes, their skincare routine.

[A]

Okay. It's pretty basic. It is simply just cleansing and a little serum, little moisturizer, and always my spf.

[C]

Easy, breezy. How about at night?

[A]

At night, same, minus the spf.

[C]

Okay, good. All right. So if it's okay, let's get into it. I've rewritten your routine for you.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Are you open to it? Totally.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay, let's first say a routine is what one does.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And a ritual is how you do it and why that routine matters.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

So most of the time, we're moving through our days on this autopilot. We're washing, brushing, scrolling, checking boxes, and then calling it self care. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But true care happens when we pause long enough to feel what we're doing. You think about that with, like, eating. Do you ever think about the nourishment that happens when you're eating, or are you just, like, going through it?

[A]

I do like to savor my food, but I'm not thinking about being nourished.

[C]

I don't either. Sometimes I'm like, oh, my gosh, I knew that tasted good, but that was so fast. Or I knew that I was supposed to be doing something. I'm just going through the motion, so I'm not really fully in the moment with myself on anything. But in doing that, we can make routine ritual. So, specifically with the skincare application, it's less about what's on the skin and more about what's happening beneath it as you're going through that. So let's put it into practice. Maggie and I decided to switch things up. She's assigning my ritual or my mantra, and I'm assigning hers. Neither one of us know what's coming, but that's kind of the point, because sometimes self care gets a little more interesting when someone else holds up the mirror. Right. Are you ready? I'm ready. Okay, I've got a morning and an evening ritual for you which is completely outside of Maggie's box. In the morning, I want you to imagine you're getting ready to wash your face. Okay. I want you to take three deliberate breaths that land in your body.

[A]

Right now?

[C]

Yes. Whenever you want. Let's start. I'll walk you through it. Okay, so inhale, calm. Exhale, chaos. Inhale, clarity. Big.

[A]

Oh, yeah, they're in there.

[C]

Okay. Exhale. Whatever that text message meant. Inhale, peace. And exhale, your over thinker.

[A]

Oh, that's good.

[C]

All of it? Yeah. Get it all out. Great. Are you ready?

[A]

I'm ready.

[C]

Okay, Here we go. So let's begin with your cleansing ceremony. Okay, imagine you've got your cleanser. You put it on and you're massaging it in. And with each little circle. Can you imagining it?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Your eyes are open. Yep. No, you're not. With each little circle, you're lifting away stress, doubt, and yesterday's emotional residue.

[A]

I love that.

[C]

That meeting, that exchange. The grocery store rent it away. This rinse is a ritual. And let the water carry anything you've outgrown. Down, down, down the drain. So repeat after me. I release what's heavy.

[A]

I release what's heavy.

[C]

My glow is lighter than my worries.

[A]

My glow is lighter than my worries.

[C]

See? It's easy, right?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Can you implement this?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

All right, now let's go on to step three. Serums and moisturizers.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay, so imagine you're patting in your serum, your moisturizer, whatever potion. Cross your face like you're painting on self worth. Oh. Ooh. Right.

[A]

Yeah, that's deep.

[C]

Ella, when you get to your eyes, go rogue. Skip the eye cream.

[A]

You know I will.

[C]

And say with confidence, I don't do eye cream. I take my moisturizer up to the lash line because that's what I believe.

[A]

I don't do eye cream. I take my moisturizer up to the lash line because that's what I deserve.

[C]

Believe.

[A]

Believe.

[C]

Dang it. You deserve eye cream. But we know your thoughts on it. Then I want you to repeat after me. I hydrate my skin and my spirit.

[A]

I hydrate my skin and my spirit.

[C]

Boundaries, tight.

[A]

Boundaries tight.

[C]

Barrier strong.

[A]

Barrier strong.

[C]

Today I am radiant and unbothered.

[A]

Today I am radiant and unbothered.

[C]

How do you feel?

[A]

I feel light as a feather.

[C]

Okay, now let's seal it off. Take one more slow breath in. Now you can open your eyes and look in the pretend mirror and grin at this masterpiece staring back and say, go on, glow getter.

[A]

Go on, glow getter.

[C]

The world isn't ready for this level of luminous rebellion. The world isn't ready. Or whatever you want.

[A]

That was awesome, Ella.

[C]

Okay. Are you feel ready for the day now?

[A]

I do.

[C]

Like, in all fairness, do you think that's something that you can follow a little bit of take anything?

[A]

I'm. I sure am gonna try.

[C]

I. I believe it. All right, let's talk about at the end of your day. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Now we're gonna start the end of our day the same way we started with the beginning of our day. And that's pause before you even pick up the Cleanser. Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Kind of like you're sighing out every group text, every team's meeting, every to do, every tiny stressor, every that thinks it's able to rent space in your forehead. Not today, cortisol.

[A]

Not today, cortisol.

[C]

Not today, cortisol.

[A]

Not today, cortisol.

[C]

And then louder. Not today, cortisol.

[A]

Not today, cortisol.

[C]

Now let's talk about the great unclogging. Because you've talked like that's when you do a lot of treatments, is at night, right? Yeah. Okay, so as you cleanse, imagine you're washing off the day. Not just that spf, not just city dust or computer dust or whatever, but really the emotional residue of everyone else's energy. Each sudsing bubble is a boundary that you're setting. Each rinse is a reminder of what you decide sticks with you. So visualize that drain just taking away all of those things. Can you see it?

[A]

I can see it.

[C]

All right, now it's time to rehydrate and reclaim. So now you're doing your night moisturizers, your retinols, your actives, and I want you to think about what is going to change. I replenish what I gave away today.

[A]

I replenish what I gave away today.

[C]

So now you're thinking about the actives in your skincare are really activating your spirit at the same time.

[A]

That's cool.

[C]

Say I am soft.

[A]

I am soft.

[C]

I am strong.

[A]

I am strong.

[C]

And I'm still learning how to glow through it.

[A]

And I'm still learning how to glow through it.

[C]

My skin and my soul are both on their nighttime repair cycle.

[A]

My skin and my soul are both on their nighttime repair cycle.

[C]

I still don't do eye cream. And somehow I still see things clearly.

[A]

I don't do eye cream and I still see things clearly.

[C]

Awesome. And then one last deep inhale, exhale into stillness. Look in the mirror, maybe a little sleepy eyed, and say, good night, gorgeous.

[A]

Good night, gorgeous.

[C]

You survived, you thrived, and your moisturizer made it all possible.

[A]

You survived and you thrived and your moisturizer made it all possible.

[C]

Nice. What do you think?

[A]

Oh, that was amazing. Ella.

[C]

Isn't it weird? Just. I mean, I know we were having a little bit of fun with it, but you can feel the opportunity to take those things away. Because sometimes when I'm doing these rituals, these routines, I'm thinking about everything that went on throughout the day. And sometimes I'm turning up the volume on Some circumstances rarely do. I let it wash down the drain personally.

[A]

That's important.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, now I have a little mantra for Ella. And since she already is doing this looking in the mirror and she is a moon mother goddess.

[C]

Amen.

[A]

Yeah, this one's a little different.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

So, you know, deep breath, light your sage, align your chakras or whatever.

[C]

Yeah, good.

[A]

Get it, girl.

[C]

Got it.

[A]

I want you to say before you do your first cleanse. I am Ella.

[C]

I am Ella.

[A]

Moon mother goddess.

[C]

Moon mother goddess.

[A]

And as you are massaging and swirling all those cells Thuds. Into your face, I want you to say, I harness the lunar cycle.

[C]

Oh, I love that. I harness the lunar cycle.

[A]

But I also check my email.

[C]

But I also check my email on my phone. Uh huh. Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

I trust my intuition and my ingredient, deck.

[C]

I trust my intuition and my ingredient deck. Yes, I do.

[A]

Yes, you do. Yes, you do.

[C]

All right.

[A]

My light is radiant, my energy magnetic.

[C]

My light is radiant, my energy magnetic. Come on. Good things.

[A]

And my SPF always applied.

[C]

And my SPF always applied.

[A]

Right. Because goddess or not, UV rays don't care.

[C]

Ooh. Because goddess or not, UV rays don't care.

[A]

Yeah. I bring balance to the barrier and harmony to the hustle.

[C]

Ooh. I bring balance to the barrier and harmony to the hustle.

[A]

I am the moon mother goddess.

[C]

I am the moon mother goddess.

[A]

I am magic.

[C]

I am magic. Oh, I love that. I must stay young.

[A]

I'm a stay young.

[C]

I'm a stay young. Everybody say that with me. Thanks so much for doing that. That means so much. I am going to take that. Do you have. Did you write that down?

[A]

I wrote it down. I will send it to you.

[C]

Okay, great. Thank you so much. I think it's really important that we understand routines keep us organized, but rituals can really keep us connected, especially to ourselves. And now that I've received your ritual, for me, I feel connected to you and vice versa. So when we approach self care as a ritual, even like simple acts like washing your face, applying moisturizer, taking a deep breath, these become moments of presence and intention. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Really important. So a ritual transforms repetition into restoration. And those are some key things to think about. It's not about necessarily adding more steps to your day because wanting to add an opportunity for self care can feel like impossible when you've got so many things going on. But really it's about bringing more soul into those steps that you're already taking. So you can add these into. It's natural for us as caretakers into our skincare routines, but you can also think about adding this into laundry or dishes or driving when you're if you commute to work. So think about that. And listeners, we really want to hear from you. How do you turn your routines into rituals? Reach out via Instagram, Facebook, or send us an [e-mail] we want to know all the details. In the meantime, thank you for listening to ASCPSI talk. For more information on this episode, or for ways to connect with Maggie or myself, or to learn more about ascp, check out the show notes and stay tuned for the next episode of ASCP sdtalk.