Bridging the gap between skill set and mindset in aesthetic practice

Adeesha: Starting an aesthetic practice or even growing within one often starts with mastering the technique. But the providers and practices that truly stand out, they understand that skill alone is not enough. From how you connect with patients to how you lead your team to how you confidently communicate your recommendations, the human side of aesthetics plays a much bigger role than most people realize.

Adeesha: Welcome back to the Business of Aesthetics podcast. I’m your host, Don Adeesha, and joining us today is Nicole Cocuzza. Nicole brings a unique perspective to this space with a background spanning aesthetics, artistry, education, and patient care. She has spent years helping practitioners not only refine their craft but also bridge the gap between skill set and mindset, something that directly impacts patient trust, team dynamics, and overall business growth. Today, we are going to talk about the patient-practitioner connection, team leadership, and why bridging that gap between skill and mindset is critical to building a successful aesthetic practice.

Adeesha: This episode is brought to you by Ekwa Marketing, the digital growth partner behind this podcast and a trusted resource for aesthetic practices looking to dominate their local markets. With that being said, Nicole, welcome to the podcast.

Nicole: Thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure.

Adeesha: Absolutely. The pleasure is ours.

Adeesha: Let’s get into the conversation. Nicole, in aesthetics, a lot of people focus heavily on technique. At what point did you realize that clinical skill alone is not enough to create real trust, real outcomes, or truly a successful practice?

Nicole: Honestly, it’s bridging that gap between skill set and mindset. Having been in the education sector of aesthetics for so many years, I’ve worked with many, many, many talented experts. Even medical practitioners that have a hard time connecting with people. The first rule of thumb is really connecting with people, your patients, your clients, educating them, asking questions, and having the confidence behind it to answer some of the tougher questions. With so many patients and clients being more educated with social media and what the internet is providing, whether it’s right or wrong, people come in and they feel like they’re much more educated in what their needs are with their skin and their bodies. So we have to really be on our game and have the emotional intelligence, if you will, to be able to bridge that gap so you can earn their trust and you can execute that final treatment plan for them with confidence and security, knowing that they’re in good hands.

Adeesha: Nicole, was there a specific patient interaction way early on in your career where you did everything right technically, but the patient still left feeling unsatisfied?

Nicole: Yes, I will. I was a very young esthetician and this was the early 90s, so it was kind of like towards the Triassic period of skincare and wellness. But this particular day, I’ll never forget it. My mind was in a completely different space. I had just had, and I’m going to just be honest, I was a young esthetician, I was in my early 20s, and I had an argument with my boyfriend before I went to work. I had a regular client of mine that I had been seeing for a long time. She came in and I was kind of just in the crux of it. I was very emotionally dysregulated. I started her facial and I executed the whole facial. The facial was an hour. But when I was done, from what my mindset was, yes, I was dysregulated, but I didn’t think or feel that I was emitting that energy into her.

Nicole: She mentioned to the manager at the front desk, "I’ve been coming to Nicole for a long time and she’s a wonderful esthetician, but today something was off. I felt a little rushed. I felt a little not seen, not heard, and almost like her mind was somewhere else." That moment in my career changed everything. It changed me. Because when you’re in school, you’re not really taught, especially back in those days, that the energy you’re emitting through your hands goes right into your patient. It was more about treating your patients, executing their needs, cleaning their skin, but not realizing that your energy is so, so invaluable in that treatment room. It has to be fully present with your patients and your clients.

Adeesha: You really thought you were not emitting any of that dysregulation, but they totally felt like not being seen.

Nicole: She felt it. Yep. So that was a very pivotal moment for me in learning and understanding about business and connection with people.

Adeesha: Really appreciate you sharing that story with us, Nicole. When you think about the patient-practitioner connection, what do the best providers do differently in those early conversations that makes patients feel understood instead of just assisted?

Nicole: My philosophy is, see every single person that comes into your practice as you see yourself. These people need time to speak about their needs, what their goals are. You ask questions, but it’s mostly about education, educating them on these treatment modalities that you offer, what the best treatment modality is. And most of all, don’t rush anybody. This is not a race. It’s a marathon. Most of these concerns that these patients have have taken many, many years to develop. It’s not going to take two or three treatments for everything to go away, or sometimes one, which is expected from some patients that come in. That’s the big question: how many treatments, will this be gone in one treatment?

Nicole: You’re offering them the confidence that you’re taking this journey with them. You’re on this personal journey to reach their needs and goals. But never, ever offer high expectations. Because if these patients are expecting something that’s not in the perspective of what you can offer, then they’re not going to be happy. So it’s being honest, being truthful, gaining their trust, and offering them compassion and empathy towards whatever their needs and goals are. It’s really just about connection. It’s like you’re making a friend. The sale will come later. Don’t focus on selling. Focus on connection.

Adeesha: For our providers who are focused on the sale, they need to hit their revenue targets, how can they really balance that out? Especially if they are a solo practitioner, they need to make the sale and they feel that desperation. What do you have to say to them? How can they balance it out?

Nicole: The mindset of desperation is never good. To me, slow and steady wins the race. You connect with the patient, you do a great service, and you have them refer people and refer friends. Because then the conversation gets cut in half. You’ve already battled half that battle of making that connection. When you have those patient referrals, it becomes more of a flow. But if you have your mind on desperation and desperate measures, desperate times call for desperate measures, you may be hasty in what you’re offering, you may be hasty in what you’re selling. That’s never really a good thing.

Nicole: It’s different when you’re actually confident in your abilities. You have a treatment plan in line with them, you have a goal you’re going to set with them, and you have this timeline mapped out where the patient can understand it and you can understand it. You’ll have a much better outcome. You may not always reach those goals, and I’m not saying it’ll never happen, but desperation is never really good to work on that business model. You oftentimes will do things much more hastily.

Adeesha: Speaking of compassion and empathy, what is one specific question a provider can ask in the first five minutes to make a patient feel seen rather than just mapped?

Nicole: I usually ask them, if you were to change three things about your appearance, the three top things you would like to change, what would they be? You’ll always get the same answers: the eyes, maybe labial here, sagging jowls, whatever. The answer should always be something that you can identify with. "Oh, I understand that. Yeah, those are the most common areas. You’re not alone." People come into a lot of these practices and they’re very intimidated. It’s intimidating. You’re giving away your vulnerabilities.

Nicole: So you want to meet with people that you can identify with, that you can maybe even crack a joke with. I like to crack a joke while I’m doing the consultation, and it just lets that tension come down. They feel like, wow, this person is human, and can see me, and maybe possibly at one point, if not, has the same concerns as I have. So I start with the three main concerns and then we work it from there. We do one at a time, one thing at a time. It’s really letting them see you, putting yourself behind their chair, sitting with them in their chair, and identifying with what those needs are.

Adeesha: I really appreciate that. You mentioned earlier that their concerns have developed over years, and you want to give them a one-shot answer, but that’s not the case. It’s usually a journey. The first part of the journey seems to be really acknowledging their concerns. By acknowledgement only, you can make a patient feel seen.

Adeesha: There are a lot of talented practitioners who know what to do clinically, but they still struggle to communicate with confidence or even lead the consultation well. Where do you see that gap show up most often?

Nicole: I see it show up most often in practices that have medical doctors. They’re great in prescribing. They can come in and they can follow up. But you really need that team lead that can answer those tough questions, that can make them feel comfortable, get that anxiety level down a little bit, and then have the doctor come in just to reiterate or answer any follow-up questions. That’s how the practices that I’ve worked at, I’ve gone in and I usually take the call, I address the concerns and do a little pre-consult over the phone, just to get to know them on a semi-personal level.

Nicole: Then when they come in, it’s like we’ve already crossed that bridge a little bit. I already know what your concerns are, I know what you’re more interested in, in your anti-aging concerns or whatever it is. Then I bring them in the room and I go over the top three once I see them. We do our photos. I give them treatment options. We discuss price according to their budget, that’s always important. At the end of the consultation, that’s when I bring the doctor in to answer all the follow-ups, anything, maybe medical history, things that I couldn’t discuss with them. Then they leave happy. I present them with their quote for their treatments that we discussed. Most of the time we’ll convert that day, or we tell them to go home, take a look at it, see how they feel, and we’ll give you a call tomorrow to answer any follow-up questions. That’s what we find works the best with patient conversions.

Adeesha: Amazing. Those same-day conversions are the ones that we really want to get.

Nicole: Same-day conversions. Yes.

Adeesha: Nicole, can confidence be taught through a script, or does it require a more fundamental shift in how the provider sees their role?

Nicole: I don’t believe confidence can be taught. It’s like a muscle. The more you utilize it, the stronger it gets. I always tell my newer estheticians or my newer practitioners that may feel a little not confident: it’s body language. It’s walking with your shoulders back. It’s being assertive. It’s looking people in the eyes. When you’re shaking their hand, you’re giving them a firm but not, you’re not going to break their hand, handshake. I call it the al dente, like pasta, a little softer on the outside, a little firmer on the inside. Not a wet noodle handshake.

Nicole: Sometimes I will have to give them a little bit of a script that they have to study. It is about the top three things, what would you change? They can write those things down. And the personal connection. Seeing yourself as that person, they’re coming to you for a need and you have to be confident. Because if you want to see yourself and ask yourself questions, you have to have that confidence to say, yeah, I would want to get treated by me. I’d want them to come see me, because I’m confident and I’m assertive and I’m looking people in the eyes and I’m confident in my abilities.

Nicole: You’ve got to utilize it every day. Even when you’re going and ordering coffee, or when you’re on the phone, maybe you’re disputing something, or maybe you’re calling because you’re unhappy with a service somewhere else, you have to be strong because people will take advantage. So it is a muscle, and you have to use it. But I am there to help these practitioners and these estheticians through it, because I was once there. I lived through it.

Adeesha: It seems that confidence, there is a bit of a "fake it till you make it" kind of thing, but it’s not necessarily faking it. You’re trying to model yourself after the ideal look of what ideal confidence looks like for you and is perceived by people as well. So body language, underrated.

Nicole: Yes, absolutely underrated. Even the way you dress, the way you wear your hair, the way you have your makeup done. There’s so much that goes with it. But body language is the first thing.

Adeesha: Before we continue, a quick word from our sponsor, Ekwa Marketing. If you’re a practice owner looking to attract more high-value patients, Ekwa is offering Business of Aesthetics listeners a complimentary marketing strategy meeting. This is a personalized session built around your practice. Their team spends four to five hours researching your online presence, your competition, and your biggest growth opportunities before the meeting, so you can walk away with a tailored plan, not generic advice, on the call. They’ll show you how to improve visibility, increase qualified patient inquiries, and build a clear path to measurable growth. There are only a limited number of spots available each month. To reserve your session, visit www.businessofaesthetics.org/msm.

Adeesha: Let’s move inside the practice. When you’re building or leading a team, how do you create a culture where people are not just technically strong, but emotionally present, accountable, and aligned in how they care for their patients?

Nicole: You have to have a connection with your team members. You have to have meetings. You have to have pep rallies in the morning. You have to have a plan of execution from the moment you walk in, going through the whole entire day, every patient, what the plan is and how we’re going to prepare to offer them the best service. For me, it’s all about communication and staying on the same page. Because too many times in practice, you ask one practitioner one question, then you walk in the room with somebody else, ask them, and you’re going to get a different answer. Because you did not have these team meetings in the morning. You did not have all of your patients lined up, ready to start the day, and communicate the plan of action for each patient.

Nicole: So it doesn’t matter who’s actually treating that person, I don’t care if it’s the doctor, myself, one of the other laser technicians, or one of the other estheticians. These patients are our patients. We all have to be on the same page, from preparing to planning to execution and what we have in line. And if this patient asks this question, how are we going to answer it? We usually have all these things planned out. Now, it’s never going to be absolutely perfect, but you have got to communicate with your team constantly. If there’s any gray areas, ask. Let’s get it out. Let’s run through it. Never assume. And just have all the lines of communication open always.

Adeesha: For our listeners who are already doing the huddles, but they are not necessarily seeing the return, they are not aligned, what do you think is missing from such a huddle? Or what’s your ideal huddle agenda look like?

Nicole: My ideal huddle agenda would be going through each patient every single day with your team. We start with whoever’s at that nine o’clock marker, or whatever time you’re starting. Who’s doing her, who’s going to be meeting with her, who’s going to be following up with her, what’s our plan of action? When she came in last, what were our appointment notes? What were our charting notes? What was she happy with, unhappy with, displeased with, maybe wanting to change? Every single treatment that we do, whether it’s just a basic facial, or if we’re doing a plasma treatment, a NeoGen, there’s always going to be a question or a follow-up that we have to be there and ready for.

Nicole: These patients are on a journey with us. Our charting and our patients are usually with us for six months. It’s a six-month commitment. And those six months, we have a plan of what we’re going to do with that patient each month and how we’re going to follow up with that person to get to exactly where they need to be with that goal that they had in mind. So we sit with every single practitioner, and they have to be there, and they have to be present. That’s what helps the flow.

Nicole: Now, if the day is still not going as smooth, then there is definitely some sort of lack of communication. Maybe there’s somebody on the team that thinks they know a little bit more than the other person. "I’m going to handle this myself, I don’t need that person." There’s a lot of ego and a lot of "I’ve been here longer, I know better." If you have that mindset, that’s not a good business model either. We all have to be humble. I’ve been in this business for 35 years. The girls I work with have been in the business five years, but they’re teaching me. They’re teaching me things. So I never, ever put myself in the position that I know more than you, you need to listen to me, it’s my way or the highway. I’m always open to listen to other perspectives because that’s how success is built, through other people’s perspectives and being respectful of that.

Adeesha: Now, when a practice gets this right, patient connection, provider confidence, and team culture, tell us what actually changes on the business side.

Nicole: Everything. You start to realize, wow, this is a great system. The systems are working. Because I believe people are systems. You can have your KPIs and SOPs and all these different things, but if you don’t have the people behind it, it’s never going to measure up. So there’s so much in that team connection and keeping that connection together and staying on that same page. The end result is going to be patient referrals, more patient referrals, more revenue. The patients will trust you more. It’s going to your profits. The profits are going to be much, much better. You start to see the numbers go up. You start to see the value of the treatments going up because you’re sharing every single day the respect and the perspective of one another.

Adeesha: Value of treatments going up. Is that a byproduct?

Nicole: I say the value of treatments because when everybody’s practicing with the same mindset and the same goals, we like to push. I’ve worked in practices before where the protocols have never been pushed. So everybody gets it, it’s like the same one-size-fits-all. If you’re coming in and you have a concern with hyperpigmentation, whatever the default settings are on that laser, just stay with the default settings. But the default settings are usually the safety zone. That’s great, we want to be in that safety zone. I’m not saying don’t go out of the safety zone.

Nicole: But I always say that the best recipes are never made by looking and following the back of a Rice-A-Roni box where you have water, butter, and rice. It’s when you add the seasonings to it and you add a couple extra vegetables and maybe fry the rice up a little bit. Maybe add some grilled chicken. Maybe add some different types of proteins in there, that’s where the magic happens. So the value of the protocol is all about the patient, practitioner, and how we’re designing that protocol to meet the needs of that specific client’s concerns, skin type, condition, etc. Because I’m not going to treat you and your skin type the same way I would treat the person that’s going to come in right behind you. That is where, when I say value of protocols, that’s where practices work together to think a little bit more outside of the box, but very mindfully and safely.

Adeesha: Looking ahead, what do you think will happen to practices that keep investing in devices, training, and treatments, but never address the human side of how their providers connect, lead, and build trust?

Nicole: I think they’re on a sinking ship. I would say good luck to you. Because you can have the best modalities, you can have the best even practitioners as far as skill set goes. "Wow, I got all the best ones, I got the top graduates." But if you don’t have emotional stability, you cannot regulate your emotions. You’re bringing your emotions into the practice. You’re bringing your anxieties or fears. And laser senses fear, I’ll tell you that. Lasers, any modality you’re working with, they sense fear. It’s going to bite you.

Nicole: And if you don’t have a team that has the emotional regulation that’s needed to provide and operate and deal with people all day long, of all different demographics and all different personalities, you’re not going to sustain. I’m being honest, it’s not going to happen. Your wheels will just keep spinning. Unfortunately, I see so many practices that invest in consultants and brand managers and social media marketing and "we’re going to do this and we’re going to do that." It’s what is behind that door. It’s not what’s going on on the highlight reel. Who is going to be doing that treatment? Who is going to be counseling the person doing that treatment? Who is going to be there pushing that protocol? It does not work with the machinery and all the investments. You need to get a return, and the return on your investment is the people.

Adeesha: Tell us a first step for our practitioners listening today who are coming to the realization that they’ve been neglecting their mindset training. What can they do? What’s the first step?

Nicole: Well, they can call me, first of all. No. Read some books. Go on social media and follow some TED Talks on building confidence in the workplace and team leadership, like compassionate leadership. There’s so many amazing resources just to get your foot in the door. I’m a follower of Ryan Dunlap, and he’s a former hostage negotiator. He gives such amazing tips and tricks on communication and most of all, conflict management. Because conflict management is not addressed in the workplace at all.

Nicole: So who is going to handle conflict management when you have a disgruntled patient or client that’s disgruntled with a practitioner? Or what if you have two practitioners that work together on a team, and they’re running into deep conflict, and they’re maybe causing a scene or they’re speaking loudly in the office and they’re making a spectacle of themselves in the office and people can hear them? Who is going to defuse that? Who’s there to handle the conflict between these two people if they can’t handle it themselves? People just have to educate themselves. Leaders, managers, owners, I beg of you, read books, watch podcasts on leadership. It is so valuable and it’ll help you get your business to the next level. I promise you that.

Adeesha: With that being said, we have arrived at the end of our conversation. So to all those listening in, get educated on various modalities of communication and leadership. Find your start. That was a powerful conversation with Nicole Cocuzza. If there’s one key takeaway from this episode, it’s: technical skill may get you started, but connection, confidence, and leadership are what will sustain as well as grow your practice. If Nicole’s perspective resonated with you, I highly recommend connecting with her and following her work in this space. Actually Nicole, where can the people find you?

Nicole: I’m on Instagram at thebitchinesthetician. TikTok at thebitchinesthetician. Those are the two best places to find me. You can reach out with any questions and I would love to help and help your practice grow and make you the most confident practitioner, esthetician, whatever medical practitioner you can be.

Adeesha: Amazing. Before we wrap up, one final reminder from our sponsor, Ekwa Marketing. If you want a clear plan for attracting more high-value patients, they’re offering Business of Aesthetics listeners a complimentary marketing strategy meeting. Their team will review your current online presence, identify missed growth opportunities, and give you a tailored action plan for your practice. You can reserve your session at www.businessofaesthetics.org/msm. I’m Don Adeesha, and this has been the Business of Aesthetics podcast. Thanks for listening. Keep on leading.