Lisa Starr, principal of Wynne Business, has launched the StarrCast Podcast, interviewing wellness professionals regarding their career paths. The journeys of the interviewees represent different origins—from hospitality, F&B, and fitness to less traditional beginnings such as linguists, attorneys, marketing executives, dot-commers, investors, and academics. Season one features eight individuals from six countries who reflect on their experiences in conversation with Starr. The goal of StarrCast, according to Starr, is to encourage those in established careers wanting to make a change, or young people thinking of their future, to consider a position in the booming wellness industry.
“I started the StarrCast podcast because so many of us in spa and wellness have taken different paths into our fulfilling jobs, and I have always found the stories fascinating. There is so much opportunity to work in wellness, but career paths are undefined, often unpredictable, and even unplanned,” says Starr. “The goal is to interest those who might be lingering on the sidelines of the industry to take a plunge with us.”
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The 2018 ISPA Workforce Study confirms the need for defined career paths to attract industry talent: 60 percent of management members would like to have a long-term career in the industry, but only 25 percent said they have access to the training they need to develop their career. Among service providers, 80 percent would like a long-term career in the spa and wellness industry, but 25 percent stay fewer than five years.
StarrCast Season One Lineup:
- Mia Kyricos, president, Kyricos & Associates, USA
- Tara Grodjesk, VP, Massage, Spa & Wellness, Living Earth Crafts, USA
- Sara Jones, managing director & editor, Spa & Wellness MexiCaribe, Mexico
- Karen Mitchell, beauty therapist, UK
- Michael Tompkins, partner, Hutchinson Consulting, USA
- Alfrida Boinett, CEO, Private Collection, Kenya
- Andrew Gibson, wellness visionary, Sweden
- Elena Bogacheva, president, Spa & Wellness International Council, Russia
“Having a peer-to-peer conversation with Lisa was easy,” says Tompkins. “Her decades of writing skills transfer easily to StarrCast in an authentic way. I shared my story with confidence knowing everything Lisa does is quality.”
StarrCast will cover the entire spectrum of the wellness industry, from spa and beauty to holistic and integrative health, nutrition, and fitness to workplace wellness, wellness tourism, and wellness communities. Seasons two and three will be released in coming weeks.
