Who it’s for, and how it works
The Vitality Project program, end to end.Recognizing that you and your people are your greatest asset in your beauty business’s bottom line. Here we know what is good for people’s health and wellbeing is good for your business’s health and wellbeing. Education, workplace wellness operational systems, and an AI-powered wellness app that protect your most critical asset: people.
Scope
Built for every corner of the industry
Beauty schools
The first turnkey wellness curriculum for beauty schools. Training for your teachers, staff and students, from recruitment and admissions through the classroom, the clinic floor and career readiness.
How it works in schoolsSalons & spas
A culture operating system for owners and their teams: the education, the systems and the app that turn wellness into performance, profit and loyalty.
For salon & spa ownersSolo professionals
The same tools and community for independent pros: better boundaries, better mental health, and support so you are not building a business alone.
For solo prosFranchises & enterprise
The program at scale, across locations, with the consistency and reporting a multi-site brand needs.
For beauty franchisesApproach
Three things, working together
Education
The Vitality Method: the curriculum, the workbooks, the on-demand library and the live coaching that teach beauty and wellness pros the skills to protect their mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and career health.
Workplace wellness operating systems
The rhythms and tools a school or salon runs on: mindful moments, check-ins, the Vitality Pod, team challenges and the culture operating system that keeps it going after launch.
The Vitality app
An AI-powered wellness app where the program, the membership and the community live, for every member of the team, on demand.
The research behind it. Pivot Point International’s wellness studies of beauty professionals and beauty schools, in partnership with the Vitality Project.
Students that feel good, for schools that do good
Wellness: the secret to academic success
Enrollment rates, retention rates, graduation rates and industry placement rates are all negatively affected by rising student and instructor mental, emotional and physical wellness challenges. Post-pandemic stressors have exacerbated these challenges, with over 88% of students and 87% of instructors reporting personal wellness struggles that negatively impact motivation, academic performance, job satisfaction and classroom dynamics.
You have enough to worry about. Let The Vitality Project invest in your people and build a future where everyone thrives.
Introducing The Vitality Project
Elevating wellness for student success and instructor retention. The Vitality Project is a wellness-driven education initiative designed for beauty schools, salons and organizations that prioritize the well-being of their people. By enhancing mental, emotional and physical wellness through trauma-informed and evidence-based approaches, we empower students and instructors to achieve greater success and sustainability in their careers.
What we do
We offer a comprehensive wellness program tailored to beauty education, including:
Interactive wellness curriculum
Holistic, engaging lessons for students and instructors.
Ongoing support
Tools for stress management, mindfulness and emotional regulation.
Burnout prevention strategies
Skills to enhance engagement, reduce absenteeism and improve retention.
How we do it
Our methodology is backed by evidence and combines the latest research in neuroscience, psychology and sustainable behavior change with industry-specific insights. The scientific backing, each explained further down this page:
- Somatic therapy
- Polyvagal theory
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Neuro-linguistic programming
- Mindfulness
Tailored for the beauty industry. Programs specifically designed for the unique challenges beauty educators and students face in the industry, with real-world application that ensures practicality and relevance.
Benefits of The Vitality Project
For students
- Increased motivation and academic performance
- Enhanced readiness for state exams and professional success
- Higher level of placement post-education
For instructors
- Improved work-life balance and job satisfaction
- Reduced turnover and better classroom management
- Reduced burnout and enhanced engagement
For schools
- Differentiation as a wellness leader in the industry
- Improved retention rates and reduced recruitment costs
- Competitive advantage in attracting students and instructors
Our program performance is data-driven
Proven impact. Our data-driven approach includes survey data from Pivot Point, including 700+ students and 200+ instructors. This research highlights the significant benefits of integrating wellness programs into beauty education. Our results validate the need for wellness support, and our outcomes show improvements in student engagement, reduced absenteeism and better instructor retention.
Before The Vitality Project: student challenges
reported mental, emotional or physical challenges
reported challenges that reduce their motivation and academic performance
identified social issues at school that directly impact success, participation and the ability to complete their education
Before The Vitality Project: instructor challenges
face personal wellness challenges
reported challenges with work-life balance
reported challenges with mental wellness
reported challenges with health
After The Vitality Project
- 43% of students report improved performance and well-being.
- 84% of instructors express strong interest in continuing wellness tools for stress management and emotional resilience.
- Schools that prioritize wellness report higher retention rates, lower turnover and improved outcomes for both students and staff.
About the founder
Elizabeth Faye, founder of The Vitality Project, is an accomplished speaker, expert in nervous system regulation and a wellness disruptor with over 15 years of experience in the beauty industry. She has taken the workplace wellness model and perfected it for beauty schools because she is passionate about empowering aspiring beauty professionals with skills to improve sustainability and profitability in their careers.
She has held leadership roles with global brands such as L’Oréal and Pivot Point, and has impacted 30,000+ professionals through her private coaching practice, expertly curated retreats, popular podcast and scientifically designed corporate wellness programs.
- Pivot Point Beauty Pro Teacher
- Certified Life Coach
- TEDx speaker
- Certified in NLP
- Certified in polyvagal theory
“The Vitality Project is more than a program; it’s a movement to redefine success in beauty education. By integrating our proven tools and strategies, your school can lead the way in fostering a thriving, sustainable workforce.”Elizabeth Faye
Normal everywhere else
What workplace wellness looks like in other industries
Workplace wellness is one of the most common employee programs there is. Johnson & Johnson has run one since 1979, Google teaches its staff mindfulness, Salesforce built quiet rooms into its offices, and most large employers offer something like it. Almost none of it is health insurance or clinical care. It is education, habits, time and culture, and it usually looks like this:
Mind & stress
- Mindfulness and meditation courses
- Employee assistance programs with confidential support
- Mental health days and no-meeting days
- Quiet rooms and wellness rooms
Body
- Gym memberships and fitness stipends
- Step and fitness challenges
- Ergonomic set-ups and standing desks
- Healthy food and nutrition workshops
Time & rest
- Paid sabbaticals after a set number of years
- Summer Fridays and four-day-week pilots
- Generous paid time off
- Paid volunteer days
Growth & money
- Learning stipends and tuition help
- Coaching and leadership development
- Financial wellness and planning
- Emergency savings support
Culture & connection
- Wellness weeks and a theme of the month
- Team offsites and retreats
- Wellness champions in every department
- Regular pulse surveys on how people are doing
The beauty industry gets almost none of this, because most salons, spas and schools are too small to have an HR department. That is the gap The Vitality Project fills: the program a large company would build for its people, packaged for a salon, a spa or a school. Wellness themes, huddles, ambassadors and check-ins are exactly what the big companies do. Ours are built for this industry.
The science behind it
What this is, and what it is not
What the Vitality Project teaches, where it comes from, and just as importantly, what it is not. Written for the owner, the school board or the brand partner who needs to know exactly what they are bringing into their business. Nothing on the right is a hedge; it is the actual boundary the program operates inside.
It is
- Education and skills training for working professionals
- Peer community, facilitated by coaches who work in this industry
- Workplace culture systems, run by the business itself
- Practical tools for stress, workload and career longevity
It is not
- Therapy, counseling or any form of clinical mental health care
- Diagnosis or treatment of any condition
- Medical, psychological or psychiatric advice
- A substitute for professional care when someone needs it
Coaches are coaches. When something is outside that scope, the answer is a referral, not a workaround, and the mental health page lists real crisis resources for exactly that reason.
Where the teachings come from
The program draws on established fields rather than anything invented here. The methodology combines research in neuroscience, psychology and sustainable behavior change with industry-specific insight, and it is built on the Vitality Method curriculum and the Pivot Point International wellness research it partners on. These are the disciplines, who developed them, and how each one shows up in the program.
Somatic therapy
A therapeutic approach focused on the connection between mind and body, addressing stress, trauma and emotional health through mindfulness and movement. Rooted in the work of Wilhelm Reich and developed further by Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) and Pat Ogden (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy). Somatic Experiencing International
How we use it: somatic exercises like shaking, grounding, mindful movement and body scanning, so students and instructors can release stored stress and build emotional resilience.
Polyvagal theory
A framework for understanding the role of the vagus nerve in regulating emotional and physiological states, supporting techniques for emotional regulation and stress management. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges. Polyvagal Institute
How we use it: practical applications like breathing exercises and self-soothing strategies, so students and instructors can manage stress and feel a sense of safety and connection.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
A widely used psychological approach focused on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors. Developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy
How we use it: CBT principles that help students challenge self-defeating beliefs and develop practical coping strategies for performance and relationships.
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)
A psychological approach that uses language patterns and techniques to reframe thought processes and improve focus, confidence and communication. Developed by Dr. Richard Bandler and Dr. John Grinder. NLP Comprehensive
How we use it: NLP exercises that help students and instructors reframe negative self-talk, sharpen focus and build self-confidence in challenging situations.
Mindfulness for habit formation
A practice that uses mindfulness techniques to build awareness and intentionally establish positive habits in daily life. Popularized by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Judson Brewer. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
How we use it: mindfulness strategies like setting intentions and tracking progress, so students build sustainable wellness habits for personal and professional growth.
The questions we get asked
Every session is built around something a professional does at work the next day: how they handle a difficult client, recover between appointments, or run a team meeting. Breathwork and meditation are in there because they are practical tools for a nervous system under load, not because of anything mystical.
No. See the boundary above. Nobody in the program diagnoses, treats or prescribes, and the material says so in the sessions themselves.
The industry data sits on the salon research and school research pages, and the outcomes members report are on the salon and school success story pages.