Rachael Stevens | CEO, Circadia Australia 

Over three weeks have passed, and I am still thinking about the room we brought together.

Every year we set out to build an event that gives our partners something they can actually use the following Monday morning, not just a nice day out. And every year, I am reminded that the education is only half of it. The other half is what happens when you put hundreds of skin professionals in one room and let them talk.

Elevate 2026 was held across two days at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, and I want to share what stood out to me, first from our Education Day, and then from the evening Awards Gala that followed it.

Education Day: Science, Strategy, and a Room Full of Beach Balls

Registration opened at 8am on Friday 14th August in the Magnifique Ballroom, and by the time I stepped up to welcome everyone at 9am the energy in the room had already set the tone for the day.

We began the day with news we've been looking forward to sharing, the launch of our Circadia Ambassador Program. A special mention to Leanne Cave, our Head Ambassador, for leading by example of what Circadia stands for dedication, resilience, and strength.

After an overwhelming number of applications and a considered selection process, we're delighted to announce the partners who will represent Circadia Australia for the next 12 months. Each ambassador was chosen for their professionalism, their commitment to results-driven skin health, and the trust they've already earned within their own clients. 

Congratulations to the following partners:

WA: Belinda Macri, Paula Anderson & Gemma Iannantuoni

VIC: Nicolette Kocsi Goldberg & Sarah Thompson

QLD: Kate Wilson, Bre Sanders & Eliza McArlein

NSW: Charmian Johnston, Aida Anani & Tevin Le

SA: Gemaine Preece

 

We had built the program around a simple question: What do our partners actually need to know right now, in this market, to grow?

The answer spanned across anatomy, artificial intelligence and technology, science, and retail shelving, communication, and we covered all of it.

Gay Wardle opened with The Art of Creating Consultations. Gay is an ABIA Hall of Fame inductee and one of the most influential voices in dermal education in this country, and watching her break down the consultation, the single most undervalued fifteen minutes in any clinic, was the right way to begin. Her insight into the smallest details in the industry are impeccable.

 

Michael Q. Pugliese followed with Past, Present & Future. As the third-generation CEO of Circadia by Dr. Pugliese, Michael carries the legacy of modern skin science his grandfather established, and there is something genuinely special about hearing that story told first-hand. He was so welcoming and generous towards our Circadia Australia family and held a live book signed event. Meeting, greeting, and signing copies of his book over morning tea, and the exciting queue said everything and more about how hungry and curious our partners are about learning and growth.

 

From there the program turned firmly to business:

•     Victoria Long, CEO of Luxe Derma Partners, on Profit Starts with Performance. A clear-eyed look at the numbers behind a healthy clinic.

•     Paul Heslop on The One-Person Media Company, Built with AI. Paul runs Creative Juicey, a studio built exclusively for skincare and wellness brands, and his session involved beach balls flying across the ballroom. I will let attendees explain that one.

•     Emelly Simons on Grow with What You've Got: Turning Supplier Partnerships into Business Growth. Emelly has twenty years across treatment rooms, education and multimillion-dollar brand portfolios, and she is very good at finding the revenue a clinic is quietly leaving on the table.

•     Melissa Hodgkinson, our National Sales and Training Manager, on Stack it, Display it, Sell it: The Art of Selling Without Saying a Word. All about being active and practical, immediately actionable merchandising from someone who has spent over two decades helping therapists succeed.

After lunch, Dr. Bryan K. Williams joined us by digital appearance with Leaders Serve and Servers Lead. Bryan has worked with global hospitality and wellness brands on client experience, and his message, that service culture is a leadership decision, not a front-desk task, landed hard with the clinic owners in the room.

 

Kris Astroff, the Global Circadia Educator, then took us back to the science with Chemical Romance: Hormones, Oxidative Stress & the Skin. Kris holds a bachelor's degree in biology and has a rare gift for making complex ingredient science more understandable and feel less intimidating in the treatment room.

 

We closed the education day with a panel I had been looking forward to all day: What Successful Skin Businesses Do Differently, hosted by Kimberley Haworth, the Beauty Business Coach, and featuring Victoria Long, Belinda Macri of Cosmedica Skin, and Karen Meiring de Gonzalez of Skin Correctives. Four people who have built real, profitable, purposeful businesses, talking honestly about the decisions and mindset shifts that got them there. 

 

And for the group who joined us on Saturday, our Circadia Masterclass in the Murphy Room gave a small number of attendees hands-on time with our Global Educators, advanced technique work, and an early look at the new product launch, the Green Coffee & Adaptogen Mask, that had not yet been released. The session was deliberately small and exclusive for those who were eager to learn and elevate their clinics.

 

The Awards Gala: Celebrating Our People 

If Education Day is about what we can teach, the Gala is about what our partners have achieved, and it is, without question, my favourite night of the year.

Arrival drinks opened at 6pm in the Magnifique Ballroom, and the reception began at 6:30pm sharp. Blue carpet, media wall, photobooth, a DJ, two courses and a dessert table that did some serious damage to everyone's resolve.

Cocktail dress code, and the room delivered.

 

But the reason we created the gala is the awards themselves.

Our awards program recognises partners across every state and territory, with winners and runners-up in three categories:

• Sole Trader
• 2–3 Therapists
• 4+ Therapists

From those, we crown our National Sole Trader of the Year, National Clinic of the Year (2–3 Therapists) and National Clinic of the Year (4+ Therapists), each earning a trip to International Circadia Maison Paris 2027, to network with global leaders and bring that knowledge home.

Alongside those, we presented awards that measure the things sales figures cannot:

• The Circadian Rhythm Award - for the clinic that embodies everything Circadia Australia stands for
• The Circadia Excellence Award - for an individual who lives our philosophy
• The Education Award - for genuine and sustained commitment to learning
• Best Brand Representation
• New Clinic of the Year
• Top Selling Therapist (Non-Owner) of the Year
• The Social Media Creativity Award

 

2026 Skin Transformation Challenge results

This is the one that gets me every year, because the before-and-afters on screen are not marketing images, but they are real clients, using our products and treated by our partners in local Australian clinics. Congratulations to our 2026 Skin Transformation Challenge winners:

Acne:

1st place Lina Nasser

2nd place Bre Sanders

3rd place Maigan Grant

Ageing:

1st place Michelle Evans

2nd place Madelyn Ruxton

3rd place Katy Morrison

Pigmentation:

1st place Bre Sanders

2nd place Amba Owen

3rd place Fernanda Rueff

Sensitive: 

1st place Sara Willey

2nd place Sarah Thompson

3rd place Bre Sanders

We also took a moment to recognise our own Circadia team. Nicola Le Lievre, QLD BDM & PR Manager, took home the Top Sales Award, and Natasha Loong, Brand Manager, was named Circadia MVP. Anyone knows them and has had the privilege of working with either of them will know how well-earned these awards were, their dedication and commitment is truly outstanding.

Thank You

To every partner who booked a flight, closed their clinic for a day, and showed up: thank you. You are the reason the room felt the way it did.

To our speakers, who gave us their best material and their honest experience. To Michael and the US team, who travelled a very long way to be with us. And to the Circadia Australia team, who had been planning months for this special weekend, I am grateful for each of you.

Elevate exists because this industry is better when we learn together and celebrate together.

We hope to see you at the next one, save the date: 6th August 2027.