Ep 367 – The Esthetician Reset: Small Things We're Changing This Year

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: ASCP Esty Talk
Episode: 367 – The Esthetician Reset: Small Things We're Changing This Year
Date: January 7, 2026
Hosts: Maggie Spacek (ASCP Program Director) & Ella Cressman (Licensed Esthetician, Content Contributor)

This engaging episode explores the trend of “reset culture” and how both minor and meaningful resets can positively impact estheticians in both their personal lives and professional practice. Maggie and Ella discuss their own intentions for the new year, unpack the pressure within the beauty industry to constantly reinvent, and share realistic, sustainable strategies for making lasting change—one small adjustment at a time.

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Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. What is “Reset Culture”? (02:12)

• Definition: “Reset culture” is the contemporary trend of continually overhauling routines, habits, and environments, often shared on social media as “life audits,” “seasonal resets,” or glow-up challenges.
• Maggie’s Take: Resets don’t have to be dramatic; small tweaks—like simple life improvements—can be more meaningful than constant revamps.
• Ella’s Experience: Many people (herself included) make lists of resets they intend to do, but often struggle to follow through (02:33).

Quote:
“She loves Esty Talk. She said to say hi to Ella.”
— Maggie Spacek (01:49)

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2. The Illusion of Resets vs. Real Self-Care (03:21–04:23)

• Social Media vs. Reality: Many ‘reset’ videos are full of aesthetics—candles, face masks, linen sheets—but don’t reflect sustainable change.
• Real Self-Care: Practical resets—consistent bedtime, boundary-setting, adequate hydration—matter most.
• Industry Pressure: Estheticians often feel urged to upgrade and revamp constantly, but meaningful changes, even small ones, can make a bigger difference.

Quote:
“People are filming their reset more than they're living it. So it can be like little dopamine hit. Not a lifestyle change."
— Maggie Spacek (03:21)

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3. Industry Trends: Reset Pressure in Esthetics (04:24–07:02)

• Ella's Example: A recent redecorating reset in her clinic (led by her colleague Kira) boosted retail sales and attracted new clients—proof that sometimes a fresh environment triggers positive outcomes, even if clients don’t consciously notice the change (04:43).
• The Influence of Social Media: The push to constantly try new treatments or content is often more about appearances than true business evolution.
• Seasonal Trends: Client influx varies—sometimes, post-holiday momentum, sometimes, a drop-off as clients stretch out appointments. Ella noticed a dry spell in early 2025, but a rebound in late-year and January bookings (06:21).

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4. Realistic Resets for 2026 (07:39–14:15)

• Small, Sustainable Changes: The hosts discuss why giant New Year's resolutions often fail, and propose incremental, actionable tweaks.
• Maggie’s Mini-Resets:
  • Less coffee
  • More morning “me time”
  • Turning off work notifications after hours
• Ella’s Approach:
  • Focuses on “one little thing at a time,” adding new habits each week, rather than overhauling everything at once (e.g., gradually eliminating bread, cheese, processed foods)
  • Concrete goals: a step-count challenge, accountability with friends, and a water-intake challenge

Quotes:
“I think that's easier, bite size for me... January 1st, the gyms are packed. January 15th, it's like half as many people. ...We all go into that going, this is my year. Have you ever said that to yourself?”
— Ella Cressman (07:54)

“I'll never give up bread and cheese.”
— Maggie Spacek (10:37)

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5. Making Resets Work for You—In and Out of the Treatment Room (14:15–15:30)

• Personalizing Resets: Find tricks that work for you. Start with achievable goals—one at a time—so progress sticks.
• Small Wins, Big Effects: Minor tweaks can impact your energy and confidence, which is then transferred to clients in the treatment room.
• Self-Compassion: Avoid tying self-worth to unrealistic goals. Focus on what’s manageable and brings you confidence.

Quote:
“Tiny life tweaks shift your energy in the treatment room, I think.”
— Maggie Spacek (14:39)

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6. Detaching from Negativity & Earning Rest (15:30–17:43)

• Don’t Let Disappointments Linger: Don’t obsess over missed goals or negative comments.
• Letting Things Be Easy: Rest doesn’t have to be earned through ‘hustle culture’—rest is part of investing in your best work.
• Setting Boundaries: Learning to leave workplace stresses at work and not take everything personally is a reset in itself.

Quotes:
“Not every comment is a crisis.”
— Maggie Spacek (15:41)

“I am investing in my work by resting right now.”
— Ella Cressman (16:16)

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7. Handling Negative Reviews and Feedback (16:46–18:22)

• Perspective: One bad review among many positive ones shouldn’t dominate your focus (16:46).
• Professional Response: Respond to criticism with calm, professional language; it makes your business look legitimate.
• Empathy: Sometimes, negative feedback says more about the reviewer’s bad day than your service.

Quote:
“I have 5000 five-star reviews, but I have this one bad review and I'm focused on this... But if someone's going to look at your profile ... they're also going to look to your response.”
— Ella Cressman (16:46)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the reality of resets:
  “People are filming their reset more than they're living it. ... But real self-care is going to bed on time, setting boundaries, drinking enough water.”
  — Maggie Spacek (03:21–04:23)

• On boundaries:
  “So setting those boundaries. ... Not me. I'm not. I'm done. I'm done disappointing myself.”
  — Ella Cressman (10:06)

• On incremental change:
  “What really worked well for me instead of being so ... strict, was one little thing at a time and then adding onto it a week at a time.”
  — Ella Cressman (10:06)

• On negative reviews:
  “Don’t worry if you got one bad one. It just makes you look legitimate.”
  — Ella Cressman (17:43)

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Key Takeaways

• Tiny, specific “resets” add up! Choose one achievable change at a time for sustainable progress.
• Set boundaries and prioritize self-care over aesthetic, performative “resets” seen online.
• Your own confidence and energy power your client relationships—take care of yourself first.
• Don’t let negative feedback or minor setbacks define you; focus on the larger picture and your overall progress.
• Reset your mindset as needed—be kind to yourself, let some things go, and remember that rest is productive.

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Segment Timestamps

• 01:29 – Welcome and Shoutout to Listener
• 02:12 – “Reset Culture” Defined
• 03:21 – Social Media Resets vs. Real Self-Care
• 04:24 – Industry Pressure for Resets; Ella’s Experience
• 06:00 – Client Influx and Seasonality
• 07:39 – Personal Reset Strategies for 2026
• 10:06 – Incremental Change and Habit Building
• 14:15 – How Resets Affect Energy in the Treatment Room
• 15:30 – Earning Rest, Hustle Culture, Letting Things Be Easier
• 16:46 – Handling Negative Reviews and Setting Boundaries
• 18:22 – Resets as Mindset Shifts

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Listener Call to Action

Share your esthetician reset! Connect via Instagram, Facebook, or email at [e-mail]

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Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Maggie Spacek]

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[Ella Cressman]

Foreign.

[Maggie Spacek]

Welcome to ASCPS South Dakota Talk. I'm your co host Maggie Spacek, ASCP's program director.

[Ella Cressman]

And I'm Ella Cressman, licensed esthetician, big fan of aesthetics and content contributor for asdp.

[Maggie Spacek]

Ella, Happy New Year.

[Ella Cressman]

Happy New Year. Did you have a good holiday?

[Maggie Spacek]

Yes, it was good.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah. Love that weather. Yeah.

[Maggie Spacek]

Ella, we have a shout out.

[Ella Cressman]

Oh my gosh.

[Maggie Spacek]

This is to Carrie Faulkner. She loves SD Talk. She said to say hi to Ella.

[Ella Cressman]

Hey Carrie. Oh my gosh. I'm waiting for your dm, girl.

[Maggie Spacek]

It's January, which means I'm in full reset mode. But not the new year, new me kind. I'm talking about tiny little life tweaks that make everything feel just a little easier.

[Ella Cressman]

Fully, a little bit. I'm on board. Can't wait. Yeah.

[Maggie Spacek]

So let's talk. What even is a reset anymore? Reset culture is this new trend of constantly starting fresh new routines, new habits, new rituals. It shows up as life audits, seasonal resets. Maybe it's home or wardrobe makeovers. Do you find yourself doing little resets?

[Ella Cressman]

I do. I find myself like having a list of intended resets, but like not executing them though. Do you do that?

[Maggie Spacek]

I do. Without even thinking about it, I am doing little resets and I can see how it catches up with me.

[Ella Cressman]

Okay. Oh, in a good way.

[Maggie Spacek]

Um, not always in a good way. I have intention and maybe I don't follow through on it or it's too much.

[Ella Cressman]

Here's one for me. Big one. And I. I think there's something psychologically Stuck for me. I have way too much, too much stuff, period. Especially now after the holidays, we've got even more stuff. Ugh. And I think I'm gonna have a garage sale someday. So I have all of these like, oh, that'll go in the garage sale things. But I'm probably not gonna have a garage sale. I don't know what it is that I can't just let it go.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, I get that. Absolutely. So reset culture actually has gotten outta hand. According to some people. People are filming their reset more than they're living it. So it can be like little dopamine hit. Not a lifestyle change.

[Ella Cressman]

I understand. You know what's funny is that's what a lot of my stuff is from. I have this step aerobics step in a box unopened because of one of the resets I was going to do like three years ago. That's in the garage sale pile. I don't need that.

[Maggie Spacek]

No.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah, a dopamine hit for me, thinking I was going to be like this hip hop step aerobics artist, amazing person in 2023. But that's just not the facts.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, yeah. So reset videos are candles, matcha lattes, linen sheets, face masks. People filming this idea, but it's not real life. But real self care is. Going to bed on time, setting boundaries, drinking enough water.

[Ella Cressman]

I like that.

[Maggie Spacek]

So estheticians feel this pressure hard, I think, or some do. Estheticians are taught or pressured to perhaps constantly upgrade, refresh, revamp, elevate for you and your business. Do you put that pressure on yourself?

[Ella Cressman]

I've seen it in a lot of practitioners. I feel like it's hard for me to say because we just went through a reset or redecoration, if you will. When Kira, who shares this space with me, like we added some things and it really was driven by her, but it needed to happen. If it wasn't for her, I would have kept the same decoration. I would have kept the same, you know, very similar process. I've made small tweaks over the years, but not like a reset. Like basically what we did, we got a new window and everything. And I feel like had it not when that happened, there definitely was an energy shift even in, I don't know where in the ethos somewhere where I did start getting an increase in retail sales. Isn't this ironic? And I did start getting new clients, which they wouldn't have known before either. So that definitely needed to happen. But I. I don't know that I've felt the pressure as much I do feel like there is an influence of try this new treatment or do this new style. But it goes kind of to what you're saying. More of the content creation world than the actual. Other than, you know, those that I don't know it. It didn't have as much of an impact on my business as I thought it would. But we see that with trends too. Our industry's kind of built on that. Resets or trends or following certain pathways.

[Maggie Spacek]

I'm curious too. In the new year, do you also see an influx of new clients because they have decided on a New Year's resolution or a little mini reset? They need to change the routine or they want better skin health or just self care in general. And so they're now seeking out an esthetician.

[Ella Cressman]

Not the last two years. Last year, 2025, January was like a crash, I guess, like a screeching halt for new business and then existing. This is just for me and it might be just where I live, but a screeching halt for new business at all and a stretch of existing business. So rather than coming in once a month, they wanted to come in every other month or every six weeks. That has since changed. I think it's kind of coming back. I have had a lot of new clients. November, December, and on the books now for January, like brand new people. I say a lot, but a lot compared to last year, which was none. Yeah, minus.

[Maggie Spacek]

It's interesting. So it's, you know, maybe the industry is just evolving or shifting in general.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah, I think that could be something. And that could be something to consider for marketing efforts. I feel like a lot of people are like energetically hungover in January. So it's really hard. They're focusing on, you know, what do they call this month? Sober month or something? Dry January or something like that.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, Dry January.

[Ella Cressman]

I'm like, I don't even know what the people call that, but I feel like there's a lot of things and they're coming off of the energy of being so social that, you know, what you're making me think of for next month even is like having some kind of a reset protocol, maybe.

[Maggie Spacek]

Oh, smart. I love that. So speaking. Speaking of resets for your business, let's talk about what our tiny little resets are gonna be for this next year, 2026, or maybe it's just for the month like you mentioned. Dry January.

[Ella Cressman]

I think that's easier bite size for me because I feel like we all do this New Year's resolution thing. They say a good Example is at the gym. January 1st, the gyms are packed. January 15th, it's like half as many people. Because it's well intended, but I feel like we all go into that going, this is my year. Have you ever said that to yourself?

[Maggie Spacek]

Every year.

[Ella Cressman]

This is my year. This is the year things are going to be easier. This is the year things are going to be more productive. This is the year I am fit. This is the year. And then we get to March and we forgot those words that we said.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

And then we could look back and like, dang it. Well, maybe next year. Then we go March through December, just kind of figuring it out.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, I mean, even my little resets, I'm saying them. I'm not gonna live by them.

[Ella Cressman]

Hold that thought. We'll be right back.

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[Ella Cressman]

Okay, here we go. Let's get back to the podcast. What are yours?

[Maggie Spacek]

Less coffee, more me time in the mornings. Turning off my work notifications after hours. So setting those boundaries. And like you just said, I'm also telling myself, this is the year I'm going to be more fit. I'm going to get better sleep, like everything. I'm going to be a whole new me.

[Ella Cressman]

Hallelujah, 2026.

[Maggie Spacek]

Oh yeah, look out.

[Ella Cressman]

Not me. I'm not. I'm done. I'm done disappointing myself. Yeah, because I do that too. But my what I might try. So I had lost a bunch of weight before. I mean, my whole life I've been trying to lose weight or get healthy or whatever. But what really worked well for me instead of being so like inhibitory or like strict, was one little thing at a time and then adding onto it a week at a time.

[Maggie Spacek]

Oh, okay. Tell me about this.

[Ella Cressman]

So being very specific. So what I did, I mean, who wants to give up bread and cheese?

[Maggie Spacek]

I will never give up bread and cheese.

[Ella Cressman]

I did it for two years. Wow. I did it for two years. And soda and anything drive through in except For Starbucks, anything processed. So I had basically fajita vegetables, sweet potato. I can't even say the word anymore. I definitely burn out on it. But it was something I just like this first week I'm gonna do no bread. Then I still have cheese. I'm fine, you know. And then the next week I'm like, okay, I'm gonna stop with like creamer, coffee, creamer. Okay. And then the next week I'm gonna stop with cheese. And so I did like slow rolled it out and it worked. And so for you, you said less coffee, but what does that mean? So do you normally have like three cups?

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, I would say sometimes it's four.

[Ella Cressman]

So like, would you say instead I'm gonna have two cups of coffee?

[Maggie Spacek]

Even just hearing you say this, I'm having anxiety.

[Ella Cressman]

Your face is getting red. It's getting red. Cuz you have to commit to. It's so much easier to throw it out there. Like, I'm gonna get better. But like, what does more me time in the morning mean for you?

[Maggie Spacek]

Okay, so I'm already doing this.

[Ella Cressman]

She's getting anxiety, you guys. She's sweating.

[Maggie Spacek]

This is not the day to discuss it. I am sweating. It's just one armpit.

[Ella Cressman]

She's half. Half anxious.

[Maggie Spacek]

So more me time in the mornings is making sure I'm out of bed with enough time that I can have.

[Ella Cressman]

Those four cups of coffee. Okay.

[Maggie Spacek]

And maybe it's, you know, like read a little or just, you know, chill. So it's not. I'm rushed, I'm feeling late, I don't have time for the breakfast, you know?

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah, I love that. I think that is doable. I think that maybe you should do. Pick one. I would pick the second one. Which.

[Maggie Spacek]

Which is what?

[Ella Cressman]

More me time in the morning.

[Maggie Spacek]

Oh, oh, you mean of my resets?

[Ella Cressman]

Of your resets, yeah. Pick one and do that for a little bit. And then the next one. And then the next one. Because you're. You're calling these tiny resets, but these are big deals.

[Maggie Spacek]

Are they?

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah. Less coffee. I smell your face. I know this is a big deal, like to have that coffee because that coffee is something for you.

[Maggie Spacek]

It is.

[Ella Cressman]

It's more than just hot liquid. It's a probably source of life. Yeah. Hug. There's a hug for you. So I don't know my. I have a hard time doing like a resolution. But what I've been working on is connecting more with my physical self. I feel like, you know, with my diagnosis of IIH in 2021, I really kind of Succumbed to that. And I let that lead physically for a while. So I'm kind of taking charge back of my state of physicality. So that means I have this watch, you know, like, it's a Fitbit, but whatever. So I'm doing a walk challenge. So at the office or at the shop, I get up and I walk around more. A lot more. So those are things that I've added into. I have to hit X amount. And then I've made myself accountable to my friends because we're in this group and we have to text each other at 9 o' clock that we had this many steps.

[Maggie Spacek]

Oh, so smart. I love that.

[Ella Cressman]

Because if it's by myself, I'm gonna be like, oh, I'm tomorrow, tomorrow, and I'm in a resolution, just like a New Year's resolution, and I'll forget that. And then the other thing is a water challenge that we do.

[Maggie Spacek]

Okay.

[Ella Cressman]

Because it's hard.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

It is hard.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah.

[Maggie Spacek]

So those are really hard.

[Ella Cressman]

And that's it. That's all I'm doing for 2026. Anything else is bonus. Okay.

[Maggie Spacek]

I think these are really good things, though. And they're not little either.

[Ella Cressman]

They're not. It's a. It's a big deal because I tell you, at 5 o', clock, I've got four hours left, and if I'm like 3,000 steps behind, I'm walking, literally walking circles around like a crazy person. You're going on a little hike indoors because it's a January.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, Yeah, I hear that. Okay, so we've kind of been talking about this a little bit already, but making resets work for you. I guess everybody is different, but you gotta find those little tricks that work. And I love what you said about one week at a time. I'm gonna implement that. I'm cutting that bread for one week.

[Ella Cressman]

Oh, my gosh. It could be your bread, you know, it could be whatever is important to you.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah. Yeah. So tiny life tweak shifts your energy in the treatment room, I think.

[Ella Cressman]

Absolutely. Because you're giving confidence or you're taking confidence away, depending on the tweaks that you're setting or the reset that you're studying or the resolutions that you're setting. If you're like, oh, this is my year and I'm gonna double my profits. And if by June you haven't doubled your profits, you're gonna feel down.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

And so if you feel down, that energy is transferred in the treatment room. They could feel it. Yeah. So instead of finding small goals that are attainable that just boost you up, make you sit taller. Taller, Taller. When you're in the treatment room or when you're walking into a consultation with a brand new client, they see that, they think, oh my gosh, I want that, I want that. And that's somehow inferred and transferred to me what they have.

[Maggie Spacek]

So the difference between giving up and letting something stop. Taking energy. So I'm done taking everything to heart. Not every comment is a crisis.

[Ella Cressman]

Uh huh. Yes.

[Maggie Spacek]

Again referring back to the treatment room. So also letting some things be easy this year and we don't need to earn our rest.

[Ella Cressman]

Interesting subject because I think this goes back to hustle culture.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

Where we think we've got to go so hard so that we can earn a day off. And it's kind of how corporate world is structured after you get one day a month or whatever. I don't even know. It's been so long since I've been in that space. But that there's a reward for putting in so much instead of approaching it like I am investing in my work by resting right now.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, totally.

[Ella Cressman]

Okay. So you said something about being unbothered that was interesting. What do you mean by that?

[Maggie Spacek]

Not letting those little things get to you. Maybe you have a client whose energy is down. Don't let that energy take you down. Or if you didn't hit a particular goal, perhaps that you had for that day, don't let that bring you down.

[Ella Cressman]

I think that's important. A way to disconnect from the metrics.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

Personally and professionally, I think that there's also, I mean, can you relate to this? I'm sure then our listeners can relate to it too. I have 50005 star reviews, but I have this one bad review and I'm focused on this and I'm hyper focused on this and how should I reward this and what should I say and how do I rebut this? But if someone's going to look at your profile and they're looking at your stars or how you're rated and they're looking at that one star, it's just to gather information. They're also going to look to your response. Can I tell you a story?

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

There's this massage place in town here and they are brutal with their responses. For me it's hysterical because they're like, no nonsense, I'm not taking anything. But I can see how it would be very off putting too.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

So just not acknowledging or something to the effect of I'm sorry, that was your experience. You know, reach out.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

I feel like as someone who does look at ratings or reviews, like, don't let it. Don't worry if you got one bad one. It just makes you look legitimate.

[Maggie Spacek]

Totally. And also, reviews are hard because I think sometimes people also are posting reviews simply because they want to complain.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah. You know, they had a bad day and they want someone else to hurt because they're hurting. Yeah. I often think of those people as having to go to the bathroom in traffic. You can have empathy for that.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

It's very uncomfortable.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah, entirely. That might be one of my little tweaks. My reset is resetting my thinking, my frameworking faster. Yeah.

[Maggie Spacek]

Yeah, I like that. Kind of putting up a little boundary almost.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah. Boundaries are so important.

[Maggie Spacek]

Listeners, we want to hear from you. What's your esthetician reset? Share with us on social media, through Instagram, Facebook, or by emailing getconnectedscpskincare.com thank you for listening to ASCP SD Talk. And as always, for more information on this episode or for ways to connect with Ella and myself, or to learn more about ascp, check out the show notes.