The Heart of the HGA: How an Online Academy Built During COVID Became a Lifeline for Professional Groomers
- Stephanie Zikmann
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
When isolation threatened to divide us, we chose connection instead.
The Unlikely Beginning
It was March 2020 and the world shut down. Businesses closed their doors. People retreated to the safety of their homes, and for many in the pet grooming industry, uncertainty loomed large.
It was during this unprecedented time of isolation that I decided to introduce The Holistic Grooming Academy - not in spite of the challenges we all faced, but because of them.
The few years prior to this moment were challenging - the concept of 'holistic grooming' protocol often resulted in kickback from some of our most "influential" groomers. Ironically, it was before COVID when I felt most alone. I struggled to be heard and yet I continued to carry on, allowing my hope for the industry to carry me.
But when lockdown was enforced upon us, everything changed.
While other industries scrambled to adapt to remote work, I saw an opportunity to do something different. I didn't want to create just another online course, I wanted to reach out to the individuals who needed support and provide them with a safe space to share and learn together.
More Than Education - The HGA Are Family
What started as a platform for learning quickly became something a whole lot more empowering.
As people quietened down and became much less busy, there The HGA was sharing its message and asking if people would spare a few moments to listen - and they did.
Not long after, I published not one, but three vocational books and an advanced online curriculum introducing 'The Holistic Grooming Protocol' - a combination of behaviour, training and grooming concepts. In a matter of a few weeks, I had became an Amazon Number One bestseller in seven categories, was nominated for various awards and secured my first intake of grooming students.
Today, the HGA family spans across continents, yet even still feels closer than many traditional classrooms. From the UK to the USA and beyond, our members, students and graduates have created bonds that transcend geographical boundaries.
But, our community efforts go beyond even this!
Take Clare from Raggy Rascals in Newcastle, England. Upon having two of our HGA graduates and myself nominated for 'Best Dog Groomer' and 'Best Animal Sector Tutor' at the iAwards January 2025, she travelled hours just to be there and cheerlead (as it turns out, she collected my award on my behalf and later travelled all the way to Gretna just to get it to me!).
Fast forward to this weekend past, and Clare celebrated her third business anniversary through a fun dog event, and it wasn't just her local community who showed their support!
Fellow HGA members, Vanessa of Wag-Wagatha Christie, Jackie of Blue Bee Dogs and I, all travelled from different parts of the UK to be there in person - because we care. The joy in her face when she saw us reminded me why community matters so deeply.
The Science of Support
Our approach isn't just heartwarming, and I'm not just bias (though I obviously am) - it's strategic.
Research shows that online learning communities with strong peer support have 85% higher completion rates than isolated programs. But for us, the statistics are just a beneficial by-product of something much more important to us.
Every week, our students are seen to support each other through a designated online space. With live weekly check-ins and monthly group zoom sessions, we connect and engage with one another despite the miles between us.
We share stories, we vent and we laugh together, and because of this, we feel less alone and more motivated to keep going.
Our graduates don't just disappear after graduation either - 100% of them continue to contribute to our community, give advice to our students and members and actively make use of our membership hub space. And for some of our highest performing grads, opportunities to expand into our community as HGA Tutors, Mentors and Ambassadors is also there for the taking!
30% (and growing) of our students and graduates go on to be content creators themselves - hosting workshops, courses and lectures for both peers and dog carers. Many of them are given the chance to represent the HGA at public speaking engagements - stepping into platforms to further demonstrate their value as reputable holistic grooming behaviourists.
80% of our students and graduates have won awards - being recognised for the amazing work that they do in their own communities and beyond with many being featured in local press, and I genuinely believe we wouldn't have close to these statistics without the support of each other.
There is simply no denying that our community is indeed, a force to be reckoned with.
Why Connection Matters In Professional Development
In an industry that is largely competetive and hostile, the HGA community champions peer-success. They thrive on collaboration. They repel a competitive mindset because they understand that change requires unity, compassion and togetherness.
They celebrate each other's wins, they share resources to further expand knowledge and understanding, and they openly offer support during industry challenges.
To me, this isn't just nice to have - it has became a fundamental benchmark of the HGA's success.
70% of our HGA Graduates now feel confident to charge premium prices for their grooming services, and 85% of them have gone on to sell long-term packages to devoted dog carers fully invested in holistic grooming processes. Many of them are at full capacity and struggling to the meet the demands.
That's not to say that it's not without its hardships - but, through our 'strength in numbers' approach, we have steadily built-up a reputation for being specialists equipped to help and rehabilitate dogs with grooming-related trauma, and to those families who have known the suffering in trying to care for a traumatised dog, our services offer them a lifeline.
The Ripple Effect
When you join the HGA, you're not just enrolling on an online course - you're becoming a part of an industry that holds welfare and ethical excellence at the heart of everything it does.
We are not a cult and we are not "cliquely".
We advocate for professional collaboration which means we welcome into our space, all other like-minded people and organisations with the widest of open-arms!
But our students do naturally become advocates, mentors and lifelong representatives of the HGA - they refer their friends to us (70% of our students come from referrals), and through this work they gain invaluable experience in networking, mentoring and supporting like-minded peers.
The HGA family is a GLOBAL network with limitless potential.
Your Invitation To Belong
If you're a grooming professional feeling isolated in your work, unmotivated and/or conflicted with how things are done, and you want to feel inspired and supported stepping into the future, you may very well just have found your 'place'.
The HGA family is waiting for you.
We are a community that thrives on building bridges rather than walls.
We are a community that shows distance is nothing when hearts and minds are connected.
Ready to join our community and begin the next chapter of your professional development journey with us?
Applications are open and we are eager to welcome a fresh new intake into our space to keep our momentum building.
And if you know of someone who has already joined, you can do them a kindness and request their special link to enrol so that they may get a little commission - every little helps.
THis is so lovely I bet Clare was made up to see you! xx