Name

Sam Marshall

Sam Marshall, Skin Guru and owner of The Beauty Guru specialises in skin therapies, waxing and other beauty treatments.  When considering her future at school, she remembers her careers advisor asking what was the first page she turned to in a magazine.

“It was always the beauty page.  This is what prompted me to train in beauty therapy, despite the expectations and objections from my parents.  At 16 I totally rebelled.  I was set to be a barrister or scientist. I now believe what I do now is an essential therapy – COVID actually proved that our profession isn’t just about beautifying people, it can massively boost mental health too.

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Sam has naturally found her niche in providing a safe salon for people who are trans and/or gender diverse.

“To think that some people have to risk assess a situation before they go into it, even everyday places like a hair or beauty salon, isn’t right.  It is a reality for some that is completely overlooked by many cis or het people.

Sam decided during lockdown to develop a course on trans awareness and gender inclusivity to help other organisations be more inclusive. Now her training is very much in demand within the beauty industry and beyond and is currently working with the IHG Hotel Group to educate their teams.

“Investment in staff should include education about trans and gender diversity, as it is with race and disability. Often it is left to  the trans employee to educate the rest of the team, which is no OK.   My goal is to train as many companies and brands to reflect our colourful and diverse society, it’s so encouraging to see some of the mainstream brands like M&S doing it, I’d like to enable many more.

Sam is now a recognised a leader in her field of beauty and inclusiveness and is regularly featured in the media as an ambassador.  Sam has also been invited onto the DEI committees for The British Beauty Council, The Federation of Nail Professionals and the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority (HABIA).  She is columnist for Salon EVO and is nominated for the “Visionary” award for Scratch Magazine, whom she also holds a column with.