Best Ryan Ouellette Podcasts (2024)

1
251 - Piercing minors: Liabilities and Policies. 55:54

15d ago55:54

55:54

Do you pierce minors? Why, or why not? We kick off this episode with a discussion about piercing minors, and some factors that might go into deciding the issue in your studio. Liability is a word I want piercers to think about from time to time. What kind of liabilities come up when piercing a minor? How can we minimize our exposure to liability in…

1
250 - How well do you fail? Bethrah Szumski on mental health, economics, and career goals 56:56

22d ago56:56

56:56

How well do you fail? Bethrah Szumski, former APP president, former APP secretary, studio owner, and all around boss comes back to the show. I wanted to make episode 250 (thank you, by the way) special, and that meant having a guest with something to say. Admittedly we didn't have much of a plan going in to this one. Bethrah was kind in offering to…

1
249 - A.P.P. 2024 conference recap 51:24

2M ago51:24

51:24

Insert clever description here My brain is fried from a long work week and an overnight flight home. Enjoy this recap of Lola and Ryan talking about their 2024 APP conference experience. We know that the post-conference blues hit hard, so lets keep those conference vibes with us for as long as we can. See you next year!…

1
248 - Is the "all gold" business model sustainable? 39:00

2M ago39:00

39:00

Lola and Ryan are heading to Las Vegas for the A.P.P.'s 2024 conference, come say hi at the Piercing Wizard expo booth. We'll have exclusive shirts, pins, and hats that you can grab including a special shirt for supporters at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. On this episode Lola brings up an issue we think more piercers should talk about, is the "all gold"…

1
247 - Ask-Us-Anything part 6: Guest Spotting, Jewelry Ordering, and Bad Apprenticeships 1:14:48

3M ago1:14:48

1:14:48

Ryan and Lola are back with another Ask-Us-Anything episode where we answer your burning questions.00:45: How do you grow your online presence?12:15: How to go about guest spotting.23:15: Using a Statim with reprocessed tools / clean item bulk storage.31:25: Efficient jewelry ordering methods and systems.43:20: Advice for piercers that went through…

1
246 - Forward Helixes, Teaching in Spain, Building the New Shop(s) 59:12

4M ago59:12

59:12

Hola! Ryan and Lola sat down with frequent guest Jef Saunders while they were all in Zaragoza Spain to instruct at the 2024 APPE conference. They talk about teaching through a translator and how the conference was going after day 1. They also discuss forward helix piercings, how they perform them, and some educational content they have made about f…

1
245 - Walk Ins Return (kinda), Constructive Critiques, and talking about Mental Health and Help 1:11:28

5M ago1:11:28

1:11:28

Please be aware this episode ends with a memorial to Canadian piercer Deacon Matheson who recently passed. Starting at 46:00 will be some thoughts from Ryan and Lola about mental health. Starting at 57:30 there will be some highlights from episode 232 featuring Deacon's voice. The majority of this episode will be Ryan and Lola talking about their r…

1
244 - Managing Jewelry Repairs, Lola gets scarification, and BME news 59:34

6M ago59:34

59:34

In this episode Lola and Ryan talk about how to manage jewelry repairs in the studio. It may seem like a simple thing to get broken jewelry fixed, but like many other aspects of the studio we pick apart all the little complications. We also talk about Lola's experience of having scarification performed by Ryan, and we have some exciting news about …

1
243 - Shadowing and observation, do's and don'ts 1:04:39

7M ago1:04:39

1:04:39

Who knows what secrets lurk in the heart of piercers? The Shadow knows. On this episode Ryan and Lola talk about setting healthy boundaries and expectations for shadowing (typically, observation outside of your home studio). We discuss some of our experiences with shadowing and how they can helpful for others, either as the host or as the shadowing…

1
242 - Fair compensation in piercing & 2023 year in review 59:15

8M ago59:15

59:15

During Lola & Ryan's holiday Lord of the Rings marathon, somewhere between the battle of Helm's Deep and the battle for Minas Tirath, we recorded this episode for you. We talk about fair compensation in the body piercing industry as well as a few other subjects. We chat about pubic piercings, labret piercings, if clamps still have a place in the mo…

1
241 - "Is this everything you have?" ...and other difficult questions 47:58

8M ago47:58

47:58

Join Lola and Ryan for another q&a episode where we discuss some questions submitted by our listeners. Is this everything you have for jewelry? Do you really need two needles for an industrial? Can you pierce around creases and wrinkles? How do you maintain good physical and mental health as a piercer? Should you pierce immunocompromised clients? H…

1
240 - Eden Thomson from Absolution New Zealand 1:00:56

9M ago1:00:56

1:00:56

Eden Thomson from Absolution Piercing in Christchurch, New Zealand comes on the show this week. Eden and Ryan sat down in Sydney during the AUPP conference and talked about piercing, access to suspension, and the BME vibe. Eden is fantastic piercer from the other side of the world and I'm glad I could finally get him on the show. I have a new semin…

1
239 - Surface Piercing and what we've learned along the way 56:55

9M ago56:55

56:55

For this episode Lola and Ryan do a deep dive into surface piercings (about 3/32" in most cases). We talk about surface piercing methods in 2023 and all the various methods we tried out going back into the late 90's. Surface bars, body placements, and a range of techniques from clamps and plastic jewelry up to punch & taper and wound shaping. We al…

1
238 - Suzanne Hallett at AUPP Sydney 2023 50:53

9M ago50:53

50:53

I was really happy to have been invited to teach at the first Australasian United Professional Piercers (AUPP) conference in Sydney, Australia. While I was there I sat down with Suzanne Hallett, from the AUPP's board of directors, and one of the event's key organizers. We talk about how a local organization can push standards higher in ways that mi…

1
237 - Which conference is best? + business advice 1:14:15

10M ago1:14:15

1:14:15

Lola and Ryan went to all the conferences and all you got was this lousy podcast. We recap some of our favorite parts of the BMXNET conference in Berlin, the Professional Piercers Poland conference in Gdansk, and the UKAPP conference in Manchester. Every conference has its own personality, community, and benefits. We share our experiences to help y…

1
236 - Responsible Experimentation: Live at BMXNET with Kale Roberts 1:17:00

11M ago1:17:00

1:17:00

This PWP was recorded in front of a live studio audience. Lola and Ryan went to BMXNET 2023 in Berlin, while we were planning this episode we got a suggestion from a US piercer named Kookie to invite Kale Roberts as our guest. Kale (ig: fleshpiece) recently transplanted from the US to Germany, and this was also their first full conference experienc…

1
235 - Preventing Predatory Behaviour + International Conference Season 54:26

12M ago54:26

54:26

Lola Slider recently released a video presentation titled "Predicting and Preventing Predatory Behaviour". On this episode she discusses the importance of the topic with Ryan. You can watch the full video presentation for free at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Ryan and Lola also discuss the upcoming piercing conferences they will be instructing at. BMXNE…

1
234 - Tongues, Cheeks, and Dermal Punches 1:39:15

1y ago1:39:15

1:39:15

Tongues and Cheeks and Dermal Punches, oh my. Ryan made a new video about tongue piercings and it sparked off a whole thing. Lola joins in for a conversation about common practices that have become less common, why, and what we're going to do about it. We approach tongues as a staple piercing that is making a comeback post-facemask-life. We approac…

1
233 - Wikilea talks about piercing in China 1:14:28

1y ago1:14:28

1:14:28

The final interview in my APP 2023 series will be with a piercer who goes by Wikilea on ig. Wikilea was a POC (piercer of color) scholar for this year's conference, she is a piercer who might describe herself as an American piercer and as a Chinese piercer. Lola and I sat down with Wikilea to talk about the current state of the Chinese piercing sce…

1
232 - Deacon Matheson, when its time to move on 50:09

1y ago50:09

50:09

Its pretty obvious when you need to leave a bad workplace, but what about when the workplace is mostly fine? Sometimes a piercer may plateau in a studio for various reasons, and it can be time to think about finding growth elsewhere. Canadian piercer Deacon Matheson sat down with Ryan and Lola during the 2023 APP conference to talk about what lead …

1
231 - J'son D'souza, India's mrpiercer 1:05:36

1y ago1:05:36

1:05:36

J'son D'souza is a piercer and studio owner from Mumbai, India. I met J'son at a conference in Germany and was happy to see him apply for, and receive, a legacy scholarship from the APP to attend their 2023 conference. Lola and I sat down with J'son to talk about some of the cultural history of jewelry and piercing in India. You'll find some fascin…

1
230 - APP conference 2023 preview, Industrial piercings, and Apprenticeship progress 49:16

1y ago49:16

49:16

Ryan and Lola are getting ready for the 2023 APP conference! We talk about our classes and what we'll be doing in the expo. After our conference chat we talk a little about industrial piercings and our opinion(s) on if they should be healed with one piece of jewelry or two. We wrap up by talking about some of the progress Lola has made with her app…

1
229 - Surface Anchors (Microdermals) 1:17:49

1+ y ago1:17:49

1:17:49

Surface anchors (aka microdermals, dermal anchors, single point piercings) were the coolest thing ever at one point... but many piercers, Ryan and Lola included, have either scaled them back or eliminated them altogether at this point. We discuss their inception, the innovations for jewelry and techniques, and also their limitations and common prob…

1
228 - Downsizing, Retainers, and Referrals 1:14:44

1+ y ago1:14:44

1:14:44

Lola and Ryan discuss one of the most common issues facing today's piercing studios, and its not even about using a needle! Downsizing backings, changing out jewelry for retainers, and handling referrals from other studios is a daily occurrence for many of us. Sometimes this can be a quick service to fit in, but sometimes it becomes a speed bump to…

1
227 - Vibe Check with Ryan and Lola 1:02:37

1+ y ago1:02:37

1:02:37

Back at the grind in 2023 but Ryan and Lola want to start off with a quick vibe check. We talk about the balance between the energy we give to our clients and the energy we keep for ourselves. Lola will be performing a Talk APP session about self care at this year's conference so its at the front of her mind lately. We touch on bedside manner, sile…

1
226 - Keep Scarification Special 1:12:59

1+ y ago1:12:59

1:12:59

My final episode of 2022 is all about Scarification. Kevin Jump came on for episode 146 and we did a show called "keep piercing sacred". Kevin is a skilled scarification artist and while we were in Germany teaching a scar class together I thought we should record "keep scarification special". Scarification has changed a lot for me over the 20 years…

1
225 - We're doing the best we can (aka piercing in 2022) 1:18:26

1+ y ago1:18:26

1:18:26

2022 will go down in history as a year that definitely happened. Ryan and Lola talk about some of the year's occurrences and highlights. We say a few thank-yous and dive into submitted questions and subjects. How do you avoid toxic communities while you are searching for teachable conversations? How do you avoid being the toxic element in a learnin…

1
224 - Evan Quinno 2022 shop recap 1:03:24

1+ y ago1:03:24

1:03:24

Evan Quinno is the piercer at Precision Body Arts (my shop) and I am really happy to have him on the show. Evan worked his way up from the front desk to an apprenticeship to being a very experienced and skilled piercer. We talk about how the shop has changed recently and what working at our shop is like these days. Check out the new video content a…

1
223 - Matias (fka Rata) Tafel

1+ y ago

—

Matias Tafel (formerly known in the industry as Rata) is a heavyweight piercer and educator from Argentina. Matias has been a leading educator to the Latin piercer communities in Central America, South America, and Europe for decades. I've wanted to get him on the show for a long time. This interview was recorded in August 2022 at the GEP conferenc…

1
222 - 2023 APP Conference Legacy Scholarship Info

1+ y ago

—

If you are a professional piercer looking for financial assistance to attend the 2023 Association of Professional Piercers conference listen to this episode. If you know someone who might benefit from applying, share this episode with them. APP administrator Caitlin McDiarmid comes on the show this week to talk about the Legacy Scholarship, the min…

1
221 - Blake Perlingieri of NOMAD 1:05:34

2y ago1:05:34

1:05:34

In the early days of the professional piercing industry there were big shop names and even bigger personalities. NOMAD was a studio pushing boundaries in a time when body piercing couldn't be defined by one name anymore. Blake Perlingieri, founder of NOMAD, was exploring and sharing a new aesthetic to the piercing community and helping to create a …

1
220 - Spooktacular scary stories from the piercing room 1:11:26

2y ago1:11:26

1:11:26

Enjoy this haunted episode where Ryan and Lola talk about scary stories for piercers: fainting clients, bleeding, creeps, and more (content warning; brief mention of stalkers and inappropriate client behavior). We threw this together for you early Halloween morning. Check out my new video on vertical labret piercings at www.patreon.com/ryanpba.…

1
219 - Here comes trouble(shooting) 1:12:43

2y ago1:12:43

1:12:43

Regular guest Jef Saunders comes on to talk about troubleshooting and how troublesome it can be. As piercers we all have our preferences for aftercare, but problems can and will still come up. How do we handle troubleshooting? Reinforce our aftercare? Try to figure out what is the root cause of the issue and adapt to resolve it? What things can be …

1
218 - BMXNET & UKAPP conference round up 2022 54:27

2y ago54:27

54:27

I needed to take a few weeks off because I was way over-extended, partly because of what I was doing when I recorded this episode. I went to Essen for the BMXNET conference, and Manchester for the UKAPP conference. Lola and I instructed a combined 11 classes over two weekends and it really wiped me out. I'll get back to editing and publishing all t…

1
217 - Becky Crossan on building your business 1:09:27

2y ago1:09:27

1:09:27

Becky Crossan is a piercer from the northeast of England and is currently serving on the board of directors for the UKAPP as their public outreach liaison. Becky talks to us about growing a business through planning and dedication. Getting involved in the local business community, curating a jewelry inventory, and making upgrades to your studio lay…

1
216 - Ryan and Lola make-up some answers 1:18:22

2y ago1:18:22

1:18:22

Watch the video version on any tier at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Lola gives Ryan a makeover and they discuss: -central eyebrow and bridge piercing safety -how long does it take to write a class -navel rejection and re-piercing -anodizer safety -comparing staple items from different vendors -how often do you disinfect -industrial piercing viability -…

1
215 - Brian Skellie on mill certificates and material verification 1:57:14

2y ago1:57:14

1:57:14

Do you have a complete understanding of what a mill certificate is, how to read and verify one, and how it relates to quality body jewelry? Don't worry, I don't either. Fortunately, we have some very smart and engaged people in our industry who can help explain it to us. Brian Skellie is a current board member for the Association of Professional Pi…

1
214 - Royce Green 2022 legacy scholar 50:58

2y ago50:58

50:58

One last conference episode for you, legacy scholar Royce Green comes on the show this week. We talk about Royce's week in Vegas and the connections he made. Royce is a great follow on social media. ig: rollsroyce09 tiktok: HeyItsRoyce_. I have a new narrated video about Vertical Clitoral Hood (VCH) piercings available at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. A…

1
213 - Pablo Perelmuter has the eye of the tiger 1:06:54

2y ago1:06:54

1:06:54

APP board of directors member Pablo Perelmuter comes the show to talk about how much of a nerd he is (in the best way possible). Pablo grew up in Argentina and had quite the journey to be where he is today. If you're looking for your daily dose of inspiration here it is. We also talk about the APP's new jewelry certification program and how it will…

1
212 - Rivka Chavi speaks on career longevity and well being 1:02:49

2y ago1:02:49

1:02:49

Rivka Chavi has pierced for thirty years. It takes a lot of thought and self care to make it that far in a career, especially one that can be so taxing on the body and the mind. We talk about longevity, ergonomics, boundaries, more. We also talk honestly about imposter syndrome and how even after decades in an industry you can still feel like an ou…

1
211 - Fatma Tarek 2022 APP Legacy Scholar 54:24

2y ago54:24

54:24

My next 2022 APP conference episode is with legacy scholar Fatma Tarek. Fatma grew up and started piercing in Egypt, now she is living and working in Dubai. Fatma received a scholarship to conference this year and we talk about her journey to get there and her experience as a volunteer. I have two classes open for registration. Sunday August 14 202…

1
210 - Piercing kids with Jasper Valke 1:17:06

2y ago1:17:06

1:17:06

The first of my 2022 APP conference interviews is with Jasper Valke. We talk about piercing younger children and how to make it a positive experience for the child, the parent, and ourselves as the piercer. We walk through our processes step by step and share some of the valuable experiences and insight we have picked up along the way. Whether you …

1
209 - Recapping the 2022 APP conference

2y ago

—

The Association of Professional Piercers conference 2022 has came and went, and I thought it was a great success. I took some classes, I instructed some classes, I saw old friends and made new ones. Thank you so much to everyone who made it possible. This week I recap some of my conference experience and give you a preview of the upcoming episodes …

1
Ryan and Lola will see you at APP 2022!

2y ago

—

Ryan and Lola are going on an adventure! Join us at the 2022 Association of Professional Piercers conference in Las Vegas for a week of classes, fellowship, jewelry, and fun! If you can't be there in person we will capture some of the conference magic for you. If you are in Vegas stop by the Piercing Wizard Podcast booth at expo and say hello! If y…

1
208 - APP conference 2022 prep-isode

2y ago

—

The Association of Professional Piercer's annual conference is back after a three year gap! The APP conference will have loads of changes this year due to covid, no on-site registration, scheduled expo sessions, and more. Ryan is joined by Cale from the APP's board of directors to go over some helpful info. Topics include: checking in and getting y…

1
207 - Aftercare is puzzling 1:30:57

2+ y ago1:30:57

1:30:57

Ryan went all the way to Glasgow to see Lola and all you got was this lousy (quality audio) podcast. Ryan and Lola talk all about aftercare while they have mimosas and work on a puzzle. Piercing aftercare evolves year by year and we talk about how our understanding of aftercare and wound healing has evolved with it. Why don't we suggest cleaning a …

1
206 - Ryan and Lola talk about anatomical variations

2+ y ago

—

Ryan and Lola talk about anatomical variations this week, and more importantly how to discuss them with a client respectfully. Ryan got a suggestion for this topic from a patreon supporter after he posted some new videos on the subject (floating navel, inverted nipples). Sometimes it can feel awkward or difficult to talk to a client about their bod…

1
205 - Lola Slider interviews Quentin of Kalima Emporium UK 1:18:55

2+ y ago1:18:55

1:18:55

Frequent co-host Lola Slider takes over the show this week to talk with longtime UK piercer Quentin of Kalima Emporium. Quentin made a connection with ritual during his travels through India, Nepal and beyond, and now he works to share that connection in his body art career. Quentin and Lola also discuss how priorities and perspective can change ov…

1
204 - Zakk Boyer; the dream lives on 1:12:14

2+ y ago1:12:14

1:12:14

In late 2019 I had my friend Zakk Boyer come on the show (ep. 139) to tell us about his piercing journey. He was just starting out in a major shop and he had a mix of excitement and anxiety, but it didn't work out for Zakk at that shop unfortunately. Life goes on, and that is exactly what we talk about on this episode. It would have been easy to gi…

1
203 - Alicia Cardenas memorial 2:28:42

2+ y ago2:28:42

2:28:42

On the 27th of December 2021 Alicia Cardenas; a mother, a tattooer, a piercer, a mentor, and a former President of the Association of Professional Piercers was shot and killed in her studio in Denver, Colorado. Alicia was my friend and I thought the best way to grieve and heal would be to ask some of Alicia's friends and colleagues to share their t…

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