My origin story

Apr 27

I always thought I would never get Botox.

It’s not that I thought it was bad, I just didn’t care that much. I’ve never been a fashion/nail polish/makeup girl, especially not when I had two toddler girls at home. But that changed one day when I was 37 years old, and it started me on the path to becoming an aesthetic clinician myself.

I was not the target demographic

I was working as a nurse anesthetist in the operating room at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH. I was actually having a great day, my patients were doing well, I was chatting and joking with colleagues, everything was fine. Until I had to pee around midday.

I did my business and went to wash my hands when I caught sight of myself in the mirror and my heart instantly dropped. What I saw in my reflection did not at all represent how I felt inside. I looked tired, haggard, sick. I took a photo (see above) and sent it to my friend asking, “what is going on with my face?!” She replied, “you’re just tired.” But I wasn’t tired, I felt fine–or I had felt fine until I saw myself in the mirror.

This was the first time I ever considered having any treatment. Around the same time, I became aware of an elite training opportunity for aesthetic medicine, and that put a bee in my bonnet. Still, I was pretty reluctant to jump into having treatments myself, and I didn’t want to be doing treatments to anyone else that I didn’t think were a good idea.

The maybe-dream

I have to admit, for months I was really indecisive. The idea of leaving a safe, very well-paid job for this maybe-dream felt like a massive risk. My husband was not sold on the idea either, but he saw how hospital-based medicine was draining me (it was also early in COVID), and he supported me trying something I could feel passionate about.

After months of deliberation, I decided to go for it, with one promise to myself: I would never do anything that I didn't think was genuinely good for a patient; I would never take advantage of anyone’s insecurities just to make a buck. I didn’t know if I could build a successful business with these rules, but if that meant failure, I was ok with it.

What 5 years has taught me

It’s been over five years since that day, and I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned that I LOVE Botox, it makes me feel great about my skin and I don’t have to wear makeup. I’ve learned that women in southern New Hampshire are looking for someone who feels safe, conservative, and careful, and that I never once had to break my promises to myself.

I’ve learned that I could make way more money doing anesthesia in a hospital, but the connection I have with my patients and the very real ways I help them live better are more important to me than a paycheck.

I’ve learned that my background in anesthesia gives me specific strengths as an aesthetic clinician. Namely, my career-long experience using ultrasound has positioned me to be an early adopter of ultrasound in aesthetic medicine. I cannot stress enough the importance of being able to see beneath the surface when placing dermal filler, or even botox. If dermal filler is placed into a blood vessel, the result can be catastrophic. When I use ultrasound, I can see my needle and your blood vessels the whole time.

How to choose the right provider for you

I didn't write this to convince you to choose me. But I made myself a promise five years ago that I'd never take advantage of someone's insecurities for a paycheck, and that promise extends to this: I'd rather you find the right provider than choose the wrong one just because you found my Instagram first. Take your time. Ask hard questions. Choose someone whose values match yours.