Raising the Bar in Canadian Esthetics: A Chat with Meredith Thompson on CESA and Education 
 [00:00:00] Meredith: So CESA came up out of a desire to raise the bar of education in Canada 
 [00:00:07] Darine (2): Welcome to this week's episode of Beauty Babble. Today we're talking about spa and aesthetic associations and we're joined by Meredith Thompson. Meredith is a spa consultant, educator and vice president for the Canadian Aesthetics and Spa Association. Meredith, welcome to the show. Thanks so much for joining us today. 
 [00:00:29] Darine (2): Thanks 
 [00:00:29] Meredith: for having me. 
 [00:00:29] Suzanne: Why don't you start off with telling us a little bit about your journey where you began and how you ended up where you are today 
 [00:00:39] Meredith: over 
 [00:00:39] Suzanne: the years. 
 [00:00:40] Meredith: It seems like everybody gets to this industry a little bit differently. I feel so I got into this industry because of what I felt. It was going to offer me at the time in my early twenties, I'd already started a corporate career with a big [00:01:00] organization that had like 30, 000 people in it, just in Canada, not including people in other countries. 
 [00:01:06] Meredith: And it offered me a lot that was good and great, but what I saw that it offered me some things that were just maybe not my priority at the time. And I saw in the beauty industry. Maybe. a flexibility that I was going to be able to take advantage of as my life evolved over time. So that's why I got into it. 
 [00:01:30] Meredith: And, you know, there are so many places you can take a career in aesthetics and spa. If you can roll with the punches and take advantage of opportunities that prevent themselves, present themselves and ones that you can create for yourself. So I took advantage of that because that's what I needed and I really saw it. 
 [00:01:49] Meredith: Saw it in this industry and I stayed for so long, I think different reasons that I initially got into it. The flexibility, even though that's great, it just became [00:02:00] less of a big deal in my life, but I did find myself losing all of my background, all my education, all of my talents, and so it just became a very challenging and fulfilling. 
 [00:02:14] Meredith: Very fulfilling career. I use a lot of what I've ever learned, and I get to express a lot of my little interests, too. There seems to be a place for everybody in this industry. I was able to construct and put together a career out of various opportunities that I had that was, you know, Just right. 
 [00:02:31] Meredith: Just right for me. And I think that being in that space helped me know myself better what I really wanted in my career, what I really valued. And I don't think that my previous career path would have provided that for me had I gone back. 
 [00:02:48] Suzanne: Can you tell us a little bit when you say it, your expertise or the things that you learned, it helped develop into? 
 [00:02:55] Suzanne: Can you give examples of things that 
 [00:02:57] Meredith: you've done? 
 [00:02:58] Suzanne: Sure. 
 [00:02:59] Meredith: Well I [00:03:00] have a background in the sciences. My degree is in cellular microbial molecular biology, which is very applicable to our industry. And I was an entrepreneur. I had a small boutique beauty salon and spa in for a decade you know, had a couple of employees and I have a lot of education in the industry, some postgraduate skills as well as, you know, all the basic skills. 
 [00:03:26] Meredith: I'm I like to be creative and I'm interested in business and business topics. And I'm interested in culture. And so where I ended up being in this industry uses so much of what I'm good at. And so much of what I do and I had I been good at other things I think I would have been able to find just as fulfilling of a place in the industry. 
 [00:03:48] Meredith: If I had been even a very different person. Thank you. So this industry satisfies my intense curiosity for the world. I think there's so much to learn in this industry, depending on what you're interested in [00:04:00] and what you're good at. And I feel that most people can find a place here. 
 [00:04:05] Suzanne: I love that intense curiosity. 
 [00:04:08] Suzanne: That does lead to a lot, doesn't it? So we're, we did ask you to come join us to talk a little bit more about associations. So, Asisa, specifically, if you, tell us how that started and what brought you to I guess starting an association, because that's no small task, because it's Canada wide. 
 [00:04:29] Meredith: It is. So CESA came up out of a desire to raise the bar of education in Canada. We noted that there were a lot of provincial associations, and some of them are doing a great job where they are, but we noted a lack of recognizable national bodies that were education specifically was the focus. So that's really how we started as a group of, you know, several like minded individuals in this industry who had, [00:05:00] you know, good connections to other bodies as well as others in the industry who were like minded. 
 [00:05:06] Meredith: And so we had a really good launching pad for being able to fulfill that role in Canada. We felt. 
 [00:05:14] Darine (2): And I just want to clarify for our listeners, when you say CISA, you're referring to the Canadian Aesthetic and Spa Association. That's right. CISA is much easier to get out. Can you give us, like, that's a little bit of how it started. 
 [00:05:30] Darine (2): Can you tell us a little bit about, like, what is it? 
 [00:05:33] Meredith: Okay so CISA, like I said Really wants, like I said, wants to promote great education in our industry in Canada, and we believe in certain ways. We're promoting certain ways to do that. One of them is Sidesco. So maybe I'll start with that because Sidesco is a big, important part of the Canadian Aesthetic and Spa Association. 
 [00:05:55] Meredith: So Sidesco is an internationally recognized [00:06:00] awarding body. Meaning that rather than being a school itself, it awards qualifications. To those who pass its exams. So schools and students of schools that are approved Sidesco training centers can challenge Sidesco examinations in various fields of study, and that way they have credentials that many jurisdictions around the world will recognize and trust as being of a high standard of assessment, not only the, not only having the credentials from their school, so they have something else as well. 
 [00:06:36] Meredith: So. Sidesco qualifications will appeal to beauty, aesthetics, spa students who want More in depth education, which is one of the reasons why we really highly support SIDESCO at the Canadian Aesthetic and Spa Association. People who are not just satisfied with learning what to do and what not to do, but really want to go [00:07:00] into the depths of why. 
 [00:07:02] Meredith: So, individuals who are thinkers. and doers at the same time, so they get satisfaction from the educational process itself. Being in a Sidesco program is very satisfying even before you get into the industry for an individual like that. So, as well as leaving with very solid, your education with very, very solid credentials. 
 [00:07:23] Meredith: And then employers love Sidesco around the world because they know what it means for the competence. Other staff, and especially if the business serves an international clientele and has staff from many different countries, think about the big hotel chains. Beautiful with beautiful spas, and we have them in the major tourism destinations all over Canada, avid spa goers who are really into that lifestyle. 
 [00:07:50] Meredith: They know Sidesco, and if they travel, they look for Sidesco certified personnel because they trust that person to deliver, you Safe and [00:08:00] effective, thoughtful treatments even if they don't know what the standards of that place are usually like. So CISA became Sidesco's Canada section. So Canada has, or Sidesco, rather, has chapters in many different countries. 
 [00:08:17] Meredith: And the local chapter of Sidesco is called a section and national sections organized Sidesco graduate schools, beauty salons and spas, they, they will hold a body of members and they'll help support Sidesco education in that country. So, because of what we want to do, we thought we were a natural fit, natural fit with Sidesco. 
 [00:08:38] Meredith: And so the Canadian Aesthetic and Spa Association, or CISA, is Sidesco. Sidesco's Canadian section. So we also have a table, a seat at the table at the Sidesco General Assembly. And that's an annual meeting where all of the national sections. Discuss the policy and direction of Sidesco, [00:09:00] and because Sidesco is so respected around the world, the direction that Sidesco takes in certain areas of study has this ripple effect in the global industry, and so it's very exciting to be a part of. 
 [00:09:14] Meredith: How long ago did you 
 [00:09:16] Suzanne: start this? Sorry, 
 [00:09:18] Meredith: we incorporated in 2021 and we became active more in 2022 as the pandemic was starting to wind down. But we have been recognized by Sidesco as their section 2021, but I think most people would have started to have heard heard about us in 2022. 
 [00:09:38] Darine (2): I was looking through the website for CISA just to get a better idea of what it is and so you have memberships, people can become members of the association, and there's like individual members, you've got student memberships, different types of membership, what is the benefit of being a member? 
 [00:09:58] Meredith: Well [00:10:00] there's some immediate benefits, but there's also some, you know, long term, long term benefits. 
 [00:10:05] Meredith: I think that being part. The fact that you're part of a good association gives you a sense of being connected to something big. The reputation of that association and how they active they are in their industry, that's going to facilitate that. So CESA brings, you know, like I've said, internationally important to education to Canada. 
 [00:10:25] Meredith: That's no small endeavor all by itself. We work with schools who want to be involved in that and work, walk kind of alongside them to get them involved. And then for spas. And aesthetic salons, you know, we provide a way for them to be attached and associated to an internationally regarded brand, like a recognized leader everywhere. 
 [00:10:46] Meredith: And then professionals, they find themselves in this community where there are others that want what they want. For the industry where they can get information and they feel like they're contributing to raising that [00:11:00] bar of, of what well educated people in our industry look like in Canada, what they know, and you know what they're capable of. 
 [00:11:09] Meredith: I think that. That all of us in CISA want to move Canada closer to being one of those highly regarded producers of top tier, sought after practitioners that other jurisdictions in the world enjoy more than we do now. Their reputation precedes them and we want that for Canada. And I think that we all want that. 
 [00:11:30] Meredith: And, but you pointed out, we have a lot of membership levels, tiers, and Sidesco doesn't appeal to absolutely everyone. It's not what every practitioner or school or spa or salon finds attractive. And so we have a lot of different types of membership. You can be a CISA member, you can be a Sidesco member, depending on what you qualify for. 
 [00:11:50] Meredith: And we even, like you said, we have special membership for students. So the details of what you have to have to qualify for our different types of membership, they're [00:12:00] all on the CESA Canada website. But we want to be a place where everyone, not every, not even, not only those. Who are involved with SIDESCO can come to be a part of this. 
 [00:12:14] Darine (2): I love that. I just, a note about associations, like I'm a communications professional and I'm part of the International Association of Communications Professionals. And I just find it like, it's that sense of community, your sense of belonging and a place to turn to when you have questions or need resources. 
 [00:12:34] Darine (2): And this to me sounds like what you're providing for us statisticians in Canada. 
 [00:12:40] Meredith: Yeah, there's some more immediate benefits other than what I've just talked about. You know, there's, like you said, access to information. We provide industry webinars and membership gets you discounts on things that, as a practitioner or industry business, you might need, like supplies. 
 [00:12:59] Meredith: [00:13:00] Continuing education courses, advertising. So, we. We, we feel that you get a lot of out of a membership with CESA you know, rather we don't just take your fee and do nothing with it. So we want to be active for our members and really give them value for being, being together with us and what we're trying to do. 
 [00:13:21] Suzanne: So I have a question because I know on your website you have the two types of memberships which you talked about was the CESA membership and then SEDESCO. Either one will give you the same benefits or if you're a SEDESCO member, Certified person, you would have that section or would you have the CSA just to explain the differences? 
 [00:13:43] Suzanne: Yeah, so whether for csa, I guess you could say versus sesco. 
 [00:13:47] Meredith: So whether you are a CSA individual or sesco individual. And then same with salons and spas and schools. You get the same benefits from CISA, [00:14:00] okay? Now, Sidesco, if you qualify to be a Sidesco member, Sidesco offers their own benefits as well. So, for example they periodically hold an International World Congress, which is a very exciting event where we get together with people from other subnational sections. 
 [00:14:16] Meredith: The last one was in Bali, it was fabulous. You know, I've been to Chicago, Stockholm attending Congress, so it's, those are fun events and, you know, they have their own, they have their own you know, webinars and, and, and information, and, of course, they have all the qualifications that they offer and can connect you, you know, to the right school, and we can help you with that as well. 
 [00:14:35] Meredith: So as far as CESA is concerned, no matter what membership tier of ours you belong to, it's very similar. Similar benefits, whether you're, say, a CESA individual or a SEDESCO individual, and then the schools have different things that are useful for them in their, in their benefits package. 
 [00:14:52] Suzanne: So you don't need to have both, per se? 
 [00:14:55] Meredith: No, you don't. But if you're a SEDESCO member, you're automatically 
 [00:14:59] Suzanne: a 
 [00:14:59] Meredith: CESA member. [00:15:00] 
 [00:15:00] Suzanne: Ah, there we go. Okay. I understand now. Yeah, that's interesting. What is some of the feedback that you have been getting over the last few years as you've been growing? Feedback 
 [00:15:13] Meredith: regarding us, specifically? What have you noticed? 
 [00:15:16] Suzanne: Yeah, I guess let's take it from your side. What have you noticed starting this association? Maybe the questions or how it's helped others to be a 
 [00:15:25] Meredith: part of the association? Okay. A couple of things that stand out would be just people, a lot of people express. A lack of standards that are consistent. Okay, so you get the good, bad and the ugly, so to speak, as the adage goes. 
 [00:15:40] Meredith: And I think that that frustrates a lot of us in the industry. And we see other jurisdictions who have national frameworks, for example where, you know, there is someone, someone in authority is saying, this is what everyone in this industry needs to know. And how they need to be assessed. And so, in this, [00:16:00] in our, in our area, this is what you can know these people know. 
 [00:16:05] Meredith: Okay. We don't have anything like that. Our, our country works is almost. You know, a grouping of almost little countries that run themselves and we, we all have our own individual rules and our neighbors to the south are very much like that as well. Other countries aren't like that. It's much easier to say everyone do it like this. 
 [00:16:22] Meredith: And that's just not, it's not easy to do that here. Not only is it easy, arguably, it's not feasible just with government and all that kind of stuff. So. There, we feel that one of the answers for that, though, is something like Sidesco, which is international. And there are countries that use Sidesco's syllabi and qualifications as their framework. 
 [00:16:49] Meredith: So there are huge organizations where Sidesco is the top, that's what they want, you know, a national framework for Sidesco, and what they [00:17:00] actually want to even be a part of their organization, because they recognize what it stands for, the level of education that it stands for. And so it's, it's a great. 
 [00:17:10] Meredith: Substitute for having a you know, country wide framework that might be, you know, put down, put out by the government. This is a really great substitute for that because it also allows for enough flexibility, you know, that schools can. Can still feel that they're, they're doing it in a way that I think reflects their values and people can find, you know, a school that really fits really well with them. 
 [00:17:35] Meredith: But they can get these very regarded credentials that are recognized and stand, really stand for something. 
 [00:17:42] Suzanne: I know Doreen and I were talking about this subject before asking you to join us. And we thought what our listeners would want to hear about this or why they'd want to hear it. And, you know, I brought up. 
 [00:17:54] Suzanne: How you mentioned even that this industry has a lot of different levels and degrees of [00:18:00] education and training and when I had my spot I utilized the fact well one in BC when I, that's going back a long time ago it was licensed so I held my license and I knew that Alberta didn't have a license so I used that. 
 [00:18:13] Suzanne: And I think this is something that people can look at how to differentiate themselves as educating their clients and the people around them and tell them to tell others, if you want to set yourself apart, these are ways you can do it. So you don't have a Sidesco diploma. That's okay. I mean, maybe, maybe this is something you can look at challenging if you're listening to this right now. 
 [00:18:35] Suzanne: But what are the other things you can do in the meantime to set yourself apart? Because we are a very, what's the word? What's the word I'm looking for? A lot of people have gotten into this industry all over the world, I guess you could say, and taking these little courses, not understanding the differences of why one would be so different than the other. 
 [00:18:55] Suzanne: They only see cost, usually. They're not looking at time and [00:19:00] who's teaching and experience and all those things. But I think that's something to look at. You know, if you do have Sidesco, do you hopefully they've been, taught to put that up on their wall. But if you don't have Sodexco, this is another opportunity for you to look at to set yourself apart from the others and your competitors if you're wanting to up level your, I guess, your, the lens of people watching you, you know? 
 [00:19:25] Meredith: Yeah, I mean, I think especially people who have businesses, In the industry you know, CISA gives you a platform, I think, to, you know, showcase yourself and that you are part of the community of aesthetics and spa in the country and kind of, you know, be associated with a group that is really wanting to do something and that stands for something, right? 
 [00:19:48] Meredith: It declares, I think, to everyone what you, what you stand for in this industry. And if Being the, being the best and having you know, the profession, good professional [00:20:00] reputation and you support excellent education, you know, CESA, being associated with CESA is something that's going to declare that because that, that's what we stand for and will always stand for. 
 [00:20:10] Suzanne: Excellent. Yeah, I don't know if there's any more you want to add or ask, Doreen? 
 [00:20:14] Darine (2): No, I think I, like we had talked before, I think it's great to have that setting the bar, setting that standard. And we talked about like, you know, hairstylists get licensed, but some provinces there is, but for aesthetics, we don't have that. 
 [00:20:29] Darine (2): And we don't have that across the board. And there's a lot of people who, when they're going to get education, wouldn't know that there's different standards, like you were saying.. I 
 [00:20:42] Suzanne: think it's only Manitoba, and is it Nova Scotia? Correct me, I can't remember, that are licensed. 
 [00:20:48] Suzanne: I know 
 [00:20:48] Meredith: that in in Manitoba, you we are recognized as a trade, a registered trade, and it's mandatory. And then in Saskatchewan they are as well, but it's voluntary. You don't have to [00:21:00] challenge. The the exams for that you know, and yeah, in Nova Scotia, there is a body there that does kind of help to maintain standards of education in schools and that kind of thing, but I'm not sure if it's Technically a registered trade. 
 [00:21:14] Meredith: In in Nova Scotia, but in in Saskatchewan and in Manitoba, it definitely is. So in those provinces, there's no someone keeping an eye and and and looking but to connect everyone nationally have something that everybody can be involved in. You know, I think that the unit, you know, for unity and standardization, you know, standardization, standardization of practice, but still allowing creativity and flexibility in our, in our craft. 
 [00:21:43] Meredith: I think that that's something that CISA offers and CDESCO offers. Because I think it meshes very well. In fact, I know some of the people involved 
 [00:21:50] Suzanne: in 
 [00:21:51] Meredith: the Saskatchewan Effort to to get what they have there as far as trade recognition, et [00:22:00] cetera. And and and I've met some people in Manitoba, too. 
 [00:22:03] Meredith: We're also you know, sit and sit Esco diplomats. So they go very well together. You know, any. Anyone in Canada who's been wanting to raise that bar and to raise the standard generally speaking for everybody, whether you become involved with Sidesco or not, just raise the expectation across the board, I think sees the value in what Sidesco has to offer for people, so. 
 [00:22:29] Suzanne: Excellent. So Canadian Aesthetics and Spa Association, Canada wide, recognized nationally, is your place to go and inquire. Doreen's going to put that information in the chat. With this, so you can inquire there. Otherwise, you can go to their website which is Canadian Aesthetics and Spa Association. 
 [00:22:50] Suzanne: Thank you so much, Meredith, for joining us today. 
 [00:22:53] Meredith: Yeah, the URL is CISACanada. 
 [00:22:56] Suzanne: ca. 
 [00:22:57] Meredith: Perfect.