Women in Aesthetics:

BUSINESS OF AESTHETICS | EXPERT PANEL TRANSCRIPT

Transcript

Leading Transformation, Mentoring the Future, and Redefining Success

Women in aesthetic leadership, work-life integration, mentorship, clinical training standards, patient safety, ethical decision-making, technology adoption, peer support, and redefining professional success.

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Full session transcript

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Women in Aesthetics

Ashton Rogers 00:00:13

Good evening, and welcome to the Business of Aesthetics Expert Panel, where your practice of success matters. Tonight's session, Women in Aesthetics, Leading Transformation, Mentoring the Future, and Redefining Success, addresses a pivotal shift in our industry. How women are not just participating in the market, but fundamentally redefining what leadership and success looks like. I'm your host, Ashton Rogers, and alongside our three incredible panelists, we are going to uncover the strategies you need to lead with confidence and clinical excellence. By the end of this hour, you will have a roadmap for balancing high-level operations with personal wellness and professional impact. We'd also like to give a massive thank you to our Platinum sponsor and growth partner, ECHO Marketing, founded by Nareen Aroraja, the very same founder of the business of aesthetics. For nearly 20 years, ECWA has helped aesthetic practice owners across the globe. stop being the best-kept secret in their town. They believe great care deserves great visibility. Now, here's something every practice owner should be thinking about. The way patients find you online is changing fast. Search engines and AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI overviews and voice assistants now give quick answers on the page. This means some people may not click through the way they used to. traditional search is still important, it's just evolving. So the question becomes, how do you stay the practice patient's trust and shoes? The answer is simple. Build enough authority and trust so that search and AI see your practice as a helpful, reliable source. That means clear, expert-driven content, accurate profiles, and consistent name, addressed and phone details, strong reviews, and pages that answer real questions in a simple but helpful way. In this new world, it is not only about being found, it is about being easy to understand and easy to choose. Stick around to the end. We have something that can help you take the next step with confidence. Tonight, we are moving through our four critical pillars. We start by breaking stereotypes, examining how women are setting new standards in clinical outcomes. Then, we tackle the evergreen challenge of work-life integration, and redefining success on your own terms. We'll move into mentorship and the gender gap, discussing how to pull the next generation up with us. And finally, we look at innovation and impact, how to stay resilient in a tech-driven market. This isn't just a discussion, it's a masterclass in leadership. Now, moving on to our wonderful panelists that we have here today, starting with Tracy Mancuso. Our first panelist has spent over 30 years proving that clinical safety is the strongest foundation for a profitable business. From the front lines of laser medicine to founding the Dermaroom Collective. She has dedicated her career to elevating standards across North America. She doesn't just help clinics survive, she helps them build systems that protect patients and ensure long-term growth. Please welcome the woman who is redefining clinical excellence, Tracy Mancuso. Right, our next guest is a world-renowned surgeon who views the human face and body as a canvas for both science and art. As the founder of Barbarino Surgical Arts, she has mastered the delicate balance between complex surgical procedures and the latest non-surgical innovations. A global educator and lecturer, she is a leading voice for women in surgical leadership. who are unwilling to compromise on results or ethics. Joining us tonight, Dr. Sheila Barberino. Right, and… In 1984, our final panelist began a journey that would ultimately shape the entire landscape of aesthetic nursing in Canada, as a founding member of the Canadian Society of Aesthetic Specialty Nurses and a past president of ISPN. She has spent nearly four decades fighting for the standards and guidelines that keep patients safe today. She is a mentor. An editor, and a pioneer, who continues to train the next generation of clinical leaders. Please welcome Tracy Harda. Alright, now, moving on to our questions. So, my first question for us today… is for you. Tracy M. What obstacles have you encountered balancing clinical work, business operations, and personal wellness? And what lessons help you achieve meaningful work-life integration?

Tracey Mancuso 00:05:33

Well, I think, first of all, there is a very big misconception that you can have work-life balance, and I love those people who say that, who say, oh, I want work-life balance. And I like to ask what that actually means, because for each person, it's very different what work-life balance is. But the reality is, is that there's times when there's more work than family. There's times when there's more family than work, and that's the balance that you have to achieve. is where your focus is going to be. And if you're like myself, where I have clinical practice, I have a thriving business that I'm working with, and a consulting arm, I have 3 different businesses. At any time, I can focus more time on one part of my business. while I'm also trying to balance, you know, being a daughter, being a wife, all of those things, being a friend, all of those things. And it's not that you have to sacrifice one for the other, it's that you have to understand timing. And surround yourself with people who understand that as well. And at the start of my career, I really thought, you know, I had opened my own clinic, and I thought, you know, I have to work 24 hours a day, I have to be here all the time, I have to make this work, and that was great at that time. I was in my late 20s. And I sacrificed a lot of things. Friends at the time, and marriage as well. And, you know, the practice was thriving, but also my health wasn't thriving. You know, my being as a human wasn't thriving. And, you know, I sold my business, and I left for a little while, and came back into aesthetics. And looked at things and said, I have to do things differently. I want to be here. I love this. I love patient care, but I also love helping clinics grow. And I also love my family. I want to be around my family and my friends, and so it was really choosing those times But that's why I really value time. So I value time over money. And that's a really big lesson I learned, is that at any time, if I need to gain something, I look at how do I gain time? How do I get that time back? How do I… I make sure that I spend this time wisely. I won't waste time on things. I'll waste money on a lot of things. I actually went shopping today. I don't even have to tell you what I wasted money on, and I'm sure I'm not even gonna own it in a year from now. It's probably gonna be in the trash, but anyway, I waste money, but I won't.

Sheila Barbarino 00:08:04

Good for you. Yes. You deserve it.

Tracey Mancuso 00:08:09

That's… that's my break. That's, the mental health break. Go quickly.

Sheila Barbarino 00:08:13

Yeah, sometimes you do. Sometimes you just need to do the things that, you know, kind of bring us back to having fun, and the things that we enjoy, and… You know, it's funny when you say, you know, it was my shopping break, but it's like, you know, it also recharges your batteries, you know, and I think that sometimes you need those, fun things, or the fun wind sprints between, you know, the, the tougher times and the tougher projects that you got going on, right? So, I… You were like, you know, what is work-life balance? I don't know what that means either. You know, it's just, it's not a real thing, right? It's just, there are times that it's, you know, tougher, to balance work and life and family and yourself, right? So, like, you know, we don't even think about ourselves, right? So it's not even an issue, so it's… I think it's very interesting that you said that. I think the one thing that I heard you say, and I'm sure Tracy would, this resonates with you as well, is, you know, kind of what I got from what you were saying is something that I very much believe in, is that, you know, if you're Making the most of the time that you have, and you're being present. you know, with your family or at work, it's, you know, everyone always says, like, you know, Dr. B, you do a million things at one time, and you do them well, how do you do it? And it's like, because when I'm doing that one thing, I'm very focused on doing that one thing. And whether it's having a good time with my son, or at a concert with my girlfriends, or whatever it is, I'm very focused on, you know, doing whatever I'm supposed to be doing at that time, right? So, that means that, you know, I can… you know, be out the night before, you know, at whatever concert, and then get up the next morning and operate like a champ, because then I'm focused on, you know, being in the operating room or with my patients, you know, and giving them 100%.

Tracey Mancuso 00:10:03

Absolutely. It is all about being present in the moment. and making sure that you're getting the most out of it, and saying no to the things that really aren't going to bring you value, and the things that aren't helping you, and moving things along in your life. And that was a hard thing to do, because I like to say yes to everybody, and…

Sheila Barbarino 00:10:22

Me too. I'm like, I still think I'm having that problem. I have not learned the power of no yet, but I try every day to learn it, and I'm still not. But, you know, the power of yes is so powerful, as we all know. You know, if we… you know, I look back on so many times in my… life that, you know, I… probably should have said no, and I said yes, and then something great came out of it. So, you know, that's, I think, the problem with, you know, the no, is that I… The power of yes is so powerful, and has changed my life in so many good ways, that it's hard for me to say no, because it's like, you know. you know, 9 out of 10 times, it's not going to pay you back the way you think it's going to, but then it might lead you to that one relationship that leads you to the other relationship, you know? I, you know, there's so many conferences that, you know, I've come back from, and I'm like, you know, what did I learn? Did I learn something new? No, but, you know, I met, you know, 3 people that actually You know, actually had an impact… a significant impact on my practice or another project in the future. So, you know, those things do matter, right? And, I think that we forget that, you know, these relationships and doing these little things actually build, relationships and build other things for the future.

Ashton Rogers 00:11:44

Yes, amazing. Thank you for the both of y'all, for that insight into work-life balance. And the next question, Shayla, for you. Across cosmetic surgery, So sorry, I have a sore throat, and it's like.

Sheila Barbarino 00:11:57

No, it's fine. I'm like, I feel like everybody has… is sick right now.

Ashton Rogers 00:12:01

Everyone either has.

Sheila Barbarino 00:12:02

That's allergies, or they're sick. I don't know what's going on. The world's, like, you know, everything's going on in the world, right?

Ashton Rogers 00:12:08

Yeah, and yeah, so continuing on with my question, across cosmetic surgery and non-surgical treatments, what shifts are you seeing in women stepping into leadership or influence within aesthetic medicine today?

Sheila Barbarino 00:12:24

Okay, we'd say that again. So, what shifts am I seeing that, in leadership.

Ashton Rogers 00:12:29

In women stepping into leadership or influence within aesthetic medicine today.

Sheila Barbarino 00:12:35

You know, that's an interesting, question, because, you know, I feel like there have been so many, women before me, female surgeons, that have led the way and made that path for me, and I couldn't be more grateful for them. I do think that right now. It's a time of pivoting. I think the economy is tough. I think that, you know, we've got, you know, lots of stuff going on overseas. Everyone's unsure of what's gonna happen in the future, and I think that our… practices are changing quite a bit, you know, whether we want them to or not, right? So I think that, the one thing we always have to remember is that we always have to be able to pivot, and I think the people who… that don't adapt to their situation are the ones that fail, right? So I think, for the leadership… women in leadership, I think that to… feel like you've finally made it is never a good perspective, right? You always want to be striving for the next, and so I think that that's one thing that I would like to see, more of a shift. I think that In the last 3 or 4 years, I've seen a lot of the women that have stepped into leadership roles, not even only women, but men too, that, you know, once they shift into those roles, they're like, okay, I've made it. And, they're not advancing after that, right? And they're not seeing what's new, and they're not evolving, and I think that, you can never be complacent, you know, no matter how high on the totem pole you get.

Ashton Rogers 00:14:03

Definitely. Wonderful answer there. And Tracy, Tracy H, next question for you. As one of the earliest nurses injectors in Canada, what shifts have you observed in how nurses participate in leadership and clinical decision-making within aesthetic medicine today?

Tracey Hotta 00:14:24

Thank you. When I first started, I mean, it was 36 years ago when I, started in aesthetics, and it was a new career. There was only 5 of us in the Toronto area that were injecting, so… Back then, we didn't have a sense that we could actually make a business out of doing aesthetics. We were working… most of us were working for plastic surgeons. We were kind of their extra arm. For the surgeon, and, you know, even though we're under their guidance, it would ensure oversight, but it did limit the fact that we could actually have an independent, career and have independent judgment. So, in 1994, I partnered with an industry partner that came over from was in Europe and came over to Canada and said, you know, all the nurses are injecting over in Europe, and we need to start that here, so… I started a training program that was for nurses and non-core physicians, because we weren't allowed to be trained by plastic surgeons, at that point. We weren't allowed to go to any of their meetings, so… doing this training with industry, I started working for contract with the industry, and then teaching, and then that gave me a sense that we could actually, as nurses, have an independent practice and become entrepreneurial and have our own, have our own, you know, form our own career path. So, today, I think education has evolved to reflect the complexity of the specialty. There are high-level training programs that emphasize advanced anatomy, complications, treatment… evidence-based treatment plans. And, nurses are not learning just how to inject, they're learning why to inject, and it's really made that shift. Because when I first started, we didn't know the why, because we didn't have that background yet. We knew the how. And just the fact that, you know, working with a plastic surgeon and understanding surgery and working in the operating room, I could see the anatomy, which had an advantage to me, but that was surgical anatomy, not injection anatomy. And now that has all changed, in that the new nurses coming out are more highly educated when they do go through their training program, so that they have more clinical, decision making. Yeah, nurses, I find that a lot of the nurses that are coming into the practice, they're teaching at national and international levels. They are breaking the boundaries. They are applying… putting abstracts into position meetings, and they're being accepted because they're being seen at a different level now than they used to be. And… They don't… we don't mind hearing no, but if we don't try, we don't get accepted. So, I think that it's… it's… I've seen a huge shift. in… nurses coming into the practice, coming into the aesthetic arena, and having different goals, as opposed to just injecting. They have different goals now, and they're… They're reaching it. I mean, we've come a long way, but it's still just the beginning.

Ashton Rogers 00:17:39

You've come a long way as well in this whole industry. Yeah.

Tracey Hotta 00:17:43

It's been a ride.

Ashton Rogers 00:17:45

It's been a crazy ride.

Tracey Hotta 00:17:46

Crazy ruined.

Ashton Rogers 00:17:48

Almost four decades of it, so…

Tracey Hotta 00:17:50

And it's still changing. Still changing, and yeah, and it always will be.

Sheila Barbarino 00:17:56

That's a part of it, right? That's why we do it every day.

Tracey Hotta 00:18:00

It's not static, that's for sure. Nope.

Ashton Rogers 00:18:03

Exactly. And now, next question is for Tracy M. When mentoring emerging women leaders, how do you decide which guidance to prioritize between clinical expertise, leadership skills, and business strategy?

Tracey Mancuso 00:18:20

That's a really good question, because I have a lot of mentees under me now, especially, and… Some of them are just in practice. And that's all they need is the clinical side. But… It's not really the case, because even though you're just in your treatment room, you're doing your treatments, you're seeing your patients, there is a leadership, and the leadership is that you're actually managing your patient. And that's what they have to understand, is that it's not just about delivering the treatment, they have to understand how to manage that patient, how to manage how that patient understands the treatment, how they understand what the results are, how they're going to treat themselves when they get home, the post-care, how they continue with maintenance, so they have to understand, and you're actually guiding that patient. That's your responsibility. And so, they're actually in a leadership role, and they don't even realize it. So, it's guiding them through all of that, and teaching them how to do that. And then, hopefully, having their career expand, if they want to, and lead into teaching others how to do that, and guiding them, and being an example for others in the clinic and the practice. Now, when it comes to someone in a management role within a clinic practice, sometimes they have a clinical expertise, sometimes they don't. It depends on the practice. And it's sitting down with them if they don't have a clinical expertise and saying, look, you still have to know about these procedures, you still have to understand about them. I've worked in clinical practices my whole career on the plastic surgery side, and I know all about those procedures. Would I have a scalpel in my hand over? No, I'm not a surgeon. But I do know all about them, and I have to, because I work in the practice. I have to understand it. And so it's the same thing with somebody who is working the front desk, it's somebody who is managing the practice. They have to understand intimately all of these procedures to be able to talk to patients, to be able to understand patients, and to be able, again, to manage the patients. People forget that one component Which is that we need to manage our patients. We're not just leaders for each other and people in practice, we're managers for our patients. And that's the big skill that you have to teach when you're teaching, especially with practitioners and, like I said, the management of the staff and the clinic managers.

Ashton Rogers 00:20:41

Definitely, and patients are the ones that keep the practice running, in a sense. So yeah, yeah.

Tracey Mancuso 00:20:46

Exactly. And if you don't manage them properly, they're gonna go somewhere else. You're gonna lose them.

Ashton Rogers 00:20:51

Definitely. And the next question, over to Shayla. Patient expectations increasingly emphasize natural outcomes and long-term trust. How is that shift influencing how aesthetic clinicians build reputation and authority today?

Sheila Barbarino 00:21:11

So… like Tracy said, you know, if you don't give them the results they want, they're gonna go somewhere else, right? So, we have to constantly strive to do our best to give natural results, better-looking results, less downtime, And really make the patients feel the way… or look the way they feel, right? Because I think that's the whole thing, is they want to be confident, they want to feel confident, One of my patients was joking around the other day, and she said, I… I like to be, you know, I come in here, and it seems like I'm high maintenance, but I do all this so I can be low maintenance. So I can just, you know, wash my face and go, and I look good, and I feel good. And, you know, I think, who doesn't want that? Who doesn't want to be wash and wear, right? Like, who wants to spend all this time putting on makeup and, you know, doing all these things that they don't… and everyone wants to just live their life and enjoy their life, and I think part of our job is to deliver natural-looking results, so no one looks at you and says, you know, what did you have done, but just that you look really good, and, you look so happy, and, that's our ultimate goal, and all of us, you know, like Tracy. said, it's like, we're always upping our game, you know, and it's a constantly evolving field, and what's nice about it is it's giving us more and more tools for us to give those natural results to our patients.

Ashton Rogers 00:22:36

Definitely. And to address a challenge that some practices might be having, so how do you handle the Instagram patient who wants an unnatural result that might damage your long-term reputation?

Sheila Barbarino 00:22:50

So, you know, you have to say no at some point, you know, and I think that, there are a couple things that I like to do when someone comes in and they're, you know, with their filter, and they're like, let me… make me look like that, you know, or, you know. I have this a lot. Patients come in, and they're like, I want to look like Kim Kardashian, you know, and it's like, you know, this blonde, you know, Irish, you know, of descent, you know, and you're like, she's of, you know, a different background, you know, like, there's no way you're going to be able to look like her, and why would you want to, right? But, I mean, she's beautiful in her own right, but so is the person, right? So, what I like to do is Kind of talk about their favorite features, and kind of bring out those features, and make those the highlight. Or, what I'll do is I'll narrow it down and say, what about this picture of Kim Kardashian that you do like, right? And then we can discuss that, because I think that's a really good approach, too. So, you can either, you know, address the patient's best features, or the features that they like in that person, or that idol that they're looking to achieve. I think that's the best way. But, you know, really, it's so hard these days with these social media patients, you know? There's more and more pressure for patients to look their best and look a certain way, and what we don't want to do is create a bunch of people that all look the same, right? That they all have big lips, they all have a certain chin, they all have this, right? We want patients that look like the best version of themselves. You know, everyone has beauty in their individuality, and I think that that's something that we really need to explain to our patients and really highlight.

Tracey Mancuso 00:24:25

And there's another type of thing that's becoming a phenomenon, and I'm sure that Dr. Barbarino sees it too, and Tracy Hoda has heard about it, is the patients who are using chat. to figure out what they need to have done. So I had a patient, you know, recently call me and say, I know you recommended the following procedures, but ChatGBT was telling me that these are the procedures I should have. And I've also had patients come in with their photos, and they put them into chat, and then say, can you optimize me? And they'll say, this is what chat says that I can have done with injectables, or, you know, energy bites, or even surgery. And now I'm sort of arguing with AI. And so that's become really problematic for all of us in the field, because we're seeing it more and more. And so it's giving people the tools and mentoring all of our… I mean, whether they're women or men, it doesn't matter, all of our colleagues on how to deal with these when our patients are presenting with these.

Sheila Barbarino 00:25:25

You know, one thing that I think has really, become a phenomenon in my practice that I think is just absolutely crazy is I keep getting these younger and younger patients that are coming in talking about facelifts. You know, a 25-year-old should not be consulting me for a facelift. I had, my last patient of today, I think she's, like, 26, and she's like, well, I mean, I probably should just have a neck lift, and it's… she didn't have significant weight loss. She hasn't had… it looks perfectly fine and beautiful, and there's not any surgery in the world that would make her neck look any better. And I don't know why, everything's shifted to you know, make these younger girls feel almost insecure about, not having facial surgery. So I think that we need to, you know, shift the paradigm back to, you know. if you do a facelift at 25, and then you have one at 29, and then you have one… I mean, all of us have seen patients have multiple, multiple, facelifts. And what happens is, is because we keep cutting away the SMAS, or tightening the mask, or moving the SMAS, at some point, it looks so thin and… and weird. You know, you… you know, all of us know that when, you know, you have too many nose jobs. You know, but for some reason, you know, if you have too many nose jobs, it starts to look like putty just put on your… it just… at some point, the nasal structure can't support all that surgery. And I think that's something that we have to get out to the general public, is that you can't… you can have too much facial plastic surgery as well. You know, can I… can I do a virtual facelift? Sure. But I think, in general. You know, how many facelifts can you have over a lifetime and still retain looking natural and not weird and have that thinning skin look?

Ashton Rogers 00:27:23

with social media and with AI, everybody thinks that they are their own doctor.

Sheila Barbarino 00:27:27

Yeah.

Ashton Rogers 00:27:27

I'm just gonna try everything and see.

Sheila Barbarino 00:27:29

All the time. I have patients that text me, and they're like, you know, this medication's the first-line treatment for this. What, you know, why did you put my son on this? And I'm like. Because he doesn't have that. He has another problem, you know? Like, clearly, wasn't listening to my diagnosis, wasn't listening to the problem. The patient does not have a staph infection. That is not what's happening here, you know? So, like you said, they become their own doctors, and like you said, you know, we're arguing with chat GPT and AI, you know? It's ridiculous. All of us know that AI can be wrong, ChatGPT can be wrong, right? We also can be wrong, right? But at the end of the day, there's… you know, all of us have been in practice for… I've been in practice for 19 years, you know, there is something to be said about the clinical experience, right? We've seen this, we've done this, we know we've been down this road, we've walked down this road, we know what happens if we don't do this, right? So, that's what separates the boys from the men, or the girls from the women, right? It's just, knowing that this is going to be okay if we do X, Y, and Z, right? Or that, you know, does this look like an infection? no, this is not an infection. This might appear to someone else that it's an infection, but it's not, you know? And, you know, that just happens with clinical experience.

Ashton Rogers 00:28:52

Definitely. And then, Tracy H. So, when training new aesthetic injectors, how do you balance rapid skill development with the responsibility to uphold patient safety and evidence-based standards?

Tracey Hotta 00:29:07

Well, this is a trick question. Because I don't think that it should be rapid skill development. Only because You know, true confidence isn't measured by how quickly we can inject. It's on how consistently that we can make safe and informed clinical decisions. So, somebody that says they're taking a weekend course where they're injecting, and then they say, yes, and then you can go off injecting, I would second think about that training program. New injectors are really eager to get in and get hands-on experience. And it's always like, so as soon as I take this, then I can go inject it. It's like, no, you're gonna have to do mentoring, you're gonna have to… you know, there's preceptorship and everything to make sure that you are a safe and competent injector. They need to slow down. They need to take foundational training first, they need to understand how to do a proper treatment plan before they even touch a patient, looking at product selection, rheology, placement of the product, understand how to do a facial assessment. That is not something that comes Easily to some people. So really need to do in-depth training on how to look at a… look at a patient's face to see what you can do with… with your… with your skills to get a proper outcome, or a… The optimum outcome. comprehensive medical history. They need to understand the questions that they need to ask. And understand why they're asking the questions, so that they can… and not yes and no, you know, not closed questions, open-ended questions, so that they can really delve into the medical history, because that's going to be able to… Maybe prevent a complication that could happen if they didn't look into the history well enough. underlying anatomy, definitely they have to have a keen sense on that, looking so that they can understand the layer of injecting, not just the anatomy, textbook anatomy, but actually thinking about the layers or the depth of injecting.

Sheila Barbarino 00:31:10

Tracy, I always think it's so… I always think it's so interesting from what you're saying, it's like, I know so many injectors that have never taken a cadaver course, or, you know, don't really know the anatomy of where they're injecting. I think that's so fascinating, right? There's so many… when you really sit down with them, they don't know the anatomy, and they've never taken a cadaver course, and, you know, they… you know, and they're like, oh, well, I've been injecting for, like, 4 or 5 years, and you're like, and you've never, you know, taken an anatomy course, you've never taken a cadaver… it's always so interesting to me. because it's like, you know, I operate, so, you know, that's different. I'm in the face, I see the face, you know, but I think it's very important that anybody that wants to pick up a syringe to really know the anatomy of where they're injecting.

Tracey Hotta 00:31:54

Yeah, and I think that that comes back to the training company, so whosoever doing the training, they should… and it needs to be standardized, and we're working on standardization for trainers and training companies, is that there is certain levels that need to be met before you can actually inject a patient. And a lot of that is with the anatomy. Cadaver labs are expensive. I work with a few of the different companies for, For doing the facial anatomy labs, and they're expensive.

Sheila Barbarino 00:32:25

Very expensive.

Tracey Hotta 00:32:25

Very. Yeah, but it is worth every penny, and you need to… in aesthetics, it's expensive to take a program, and it's expensive to maintain your education, but you have to put money back into it to be an effective injector, aesthetic provider.

Sheila Barbarino 00:32:44

invest… invest in yourself, right? If you're gonna…

Tracey Hotta 00:32:47

been best.

Sheila Barbarino 00:32:48

do it.

Tracey Hotta 00:32:49

Yeah, yeah, and I find that, most of the new injectors, you know, that we train. are… it's… it's a… it's a process. It's not a rapid skill. So, when I saw it, I was like, nope, it's not rapid. No. That was my…

Sheila Barbarino 00:33:07

I was… when I was interviewing injectors, not too long ago, one of the gals was saying, well, you know, I've never injected, but I want you to guarantee that I'm going to be injecting patients and on my own in 6 months, you know? And I'm like, well, I mean. I don't know… I can't promise you that. I mean, it could be 3 months, like, it just depends on how quickly you learn the anatomy, your foundational skills, your aesthetic eye, how quickly you learn, right? So, for me to guarantee contractually that they're going to be seeing patients on their own by 6 months, I can't do that. You know, no one should commit to that, right? Because, you know, I think that just sets… them up for failure and us up for failure, right? Because, you know, I don't think anybody is, you know, a master or an excellent injector at 1 year or six months, right? But can they be on their own? Sure. And, you know, it always scares me, too, when people are like, well, it's just Botox. Let's, you know, it's just filler. Right? You know, that is the scariest part, right? Is that they don't realize that, no, it's not just Botox, it's not just filler, right? There's, it's a medication. Right?

Tracey Hotta 00:34:19

Yeah, and again, that comes back to the training company. Yeah. So, I mean, in Canada, you have to have third-party training, you can't be trained by industry, and it's up to the training company to really take an importance and a lead role in making sure that they're trained properly. not everybody passes our training. I won't pass somebody if they're not competent. They have to continue with mentoring.

Sheila Barbarino 00:34:43

I think that's wonderful that they have to get third parties, but, you know, I think that everybody loves to, like, you know, hate on industry, you know, that do the trainings, but I… you know, all the training.

Tracey Hotta 00:34:52

I don't hate on industry.

Sheila Barbarino 00:34:54

I'm not saying you, I'm saying, I'm saying other people. Like, a lot of people are like, oh, you know, you know, this one does a training course, and they're totally biased, because they only, like, yeah, of course they're going to train you on their product, because they have their product, right? But, you know, what the people, the participants should glean is, like. if they like that technique, they take that into the product that they like, or they should try other products with using that technique, or whatever they learn. I think that a lot of the companies have been really good about investing in trainings, and, you know, I think it also helps with the… providers that don't have the financing, you know, a lot of these people don't have a significant amount of money to go train with people or to a certain training academy, right? And what's nice about the industry trainings, it's that most of the time they're free, right? So take any training, take all the training that you can, you know?

Tracey Hotta 00:35:49

it's in our… it's in our provincial, scope of practice, is that we have to… if we're taking aesthetics, we have to take… that's… that's part of our scope. We can't… we can't just start injecting without taking proper training that's not third party. That's our laws in Canada.

Sheila Barbarino 00:36:04

That's wonderful. They should do that in the United States, you know?

Tracey Hotta 00:36:08

Yeah, yeah, so… and then… and then definitely we… you go off to… and you take as many courses as you can through industry. You take as many things, like.

Sheila Barbarino 00:36:16

Even if it's like, even if it's something that you're like, I'm not ever going to use that, I don't like that technique, but at least they learned that they don't like that technique, you know?

Tracey Hotta 00:36:25

Yeah, yeah, they use their critical thinking to say whether that's going to work in their hands or not. Question the KOLs. Just because they're KOLs doesn't mean what they're doing is something that you should do, which is how we try to teach them to have good clinical judgment, and not just so-and-so does it, so I'm gonna do that.

Ashton Rogers 00:36:43

Yeah.

Sheila Barbarino 00:36:43

It's really… There's so many, there's so many, there are so many injectors in the United States that do actually have that mentality. And some of them don't even realize it, to be very honest, so I'm not, like, you know, even calling them out, you know? Like, they don't even realize it. When I say, like, you know, why do you do that? And they're like, oh, well, because so-and-so does it, and you're like. And then when they hear themselves say it, they're like, oh my god!

Tracey Hotta 00:37:07

Why?

Sheila Barbarino 00:37:08

Right, great.

Tracey Hotta 00:37:09

Yeah.

Sheila Barbarino 00:37:09

You know, they just haven't had the right person to push them and mentor them in a productive way that it forces them to critically think for themselves.

Tracey Hotta 00:37:19

Yeah, yeah.

Ashton Rogers 00:37:21

Definitely. You're injecting somebody. You need to think about the patient as well. You can't just be going into this willy-nilly.

Sheila Barbarino 00:37:27

Right? But, you know, there's so many, times that people… You know, based on their training, you know, like you said, you know, there are a lot of, you know. Paint-by-numbers injected.

Tracey Hotta 00:37:41

Right.

Sheila Barbarino 00:37:42

And.

Tracey Hotta 00:37:44

It's a cookie cutter. It's not a cookie cutter.

Sheila Barbarino 00:37:46

And, you know, it's so funny, because, my, I have oculofacial plastics as well as full body, and, you know, when… I was training in residency and fellowship, we have loops, which, you know, they're great, you know, I'll use them most of the time for half the case, if that, but when people… when oculop… when other oculofacial plastics see me operating, they're like, why don't you wear loops to operate? And… part of it is because it's so focused on such a small area. And yes, you know, can I see better for that one little area? Sure, it's great. It's the best, like, microscope you're ever gonna see, that one area. But the problem is, is that so much of what we do is macroscopic. It's like, take a step back. Stop looking at just the looks, right? Look at the foundation, look at the support of the lower face, right? Like, step back instead of… You know, looking at like this, and, you know, having all my surgical training be, like, look at this, you know, it opens up your world so much to step back. And, I think that that's one thing that they don't train as much, in the United States for new injectors.

Ashton Rogers 00:39:01

I love this whole back and forth going on here, with all this answering and everything, but before we move on to Tracy M's question, I've got a little gift from Echo Marketing for everyone here tonight. A complimentary one-on-one marketing strategy meeting. So, let me just share the details with all of you attending here today. Alright, wonderful. So… Here's the question we'll answer for you. When someone in your city searches for Botox near me, Morpheus Acost, or lip filler before and after, are you the practice that gets found trusted, and chosen. In your strategy session, you'll sit down with a senior marketing analyst who already works with thriving aesthetic practices across North America. You'll get a live audit of how you can attract more clients, build your reputation, and grow sustainability. The marketing analyst will actually spend several hours researching your online presence, your competition, local SEO, everything. And they'll come to the call ready to walk you through custom recommendations just for your practice. This session is designed to help you answer those questions and fix anything that's not quite working. As you can see on screen, it's a $900 session. Completely complimentary for you tonight. So, you'll see a QR code on the screen right now. You can scan that with your phone to book your session, or check the chat for a direct link. Tracy H. just got out of phone to just do that immediately. Thank you, Tracy. And it takes less than a minute to book. So, availability is limited, since, as I mentioned, every audit involves real research into your market. So here's how to think about offers like this. What's the risk if you say yes? Honestly? Just your time. There's no obligation whatsoever. But what's the risk if you don't? You might be missing out on something that could really help you grow your practice. So, I'll leave that with you. But truly, I encourage you to grab this opportunity. Book your session with ECWA. It'll be time well spent. What do you think about that, ladies? That amazing offer?

Sheila Barbarino 00:41:18

That's great.

Ashton Rogers 00:41:18

900… $900 session for free.

Tracey Mancuso 00:41:21

I think that's incredible.

Ashton Rogers 00:41:23

Exactly. And now, Tracy, the next question for you. Which leadership barriers most limit women in senior aesthetic roles? And what concrete strategies have you found effective in advancing representation?

Tracey Mancuso 00:41:39

Well, that's… it's an interesting question, because I'm part of ASLMS, which is one of the oldest and most respected energy-based type of boards. And we actually have a particular committee dedicated to women in energy-based medicine, and medicine in general, because there is kind of a stigma, and it's kind of like the old boys club, right? And it was easy for men to get into medicine, it's easy for them to get in and do public speaking, it's easy for them to be on the podium. You look at the papers that are published, there's a lot. that are authored by men, and you see, you know, the second and third names being women because they're assisting. And so I think women, quite often. You know, we're… we're great at taking care of people. We're great at… at being the, you know. Robin of the Batman and leaving… leaving Batman do all the work and the shine, but we're the ones in the background who are really the ones pushing the needle forward. And so, it's really to mentor women to say, you know what, you can stand up and do this on your own. You can go out and get that paper published. You can go out and stand on that podium. I can't tell you how many women I've sat down with who said, I'm terrified to go up on the podium. And myself, I'm a very strong speaker on the podium, and I'll say to them, you know what? I was terrified the first time I went up. I thought I was gonna vomit. Are you kidding me? I could feel my heart beating. I was sure everyone else could hear my heart beating. I was so scared. And you just have to get through it, and helping them to understand that It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to not have your presentation memorized verbatim, or read off slides, you know, things like that. You don't have to read off a script. You can just be genuine and talk about what you actually know. And contribute to that other person's learning that's watching or listening. And really encourage them to do all of these things, and be more in the forefront, and celebrate other women. Because one thing we don't do is we don't celebrate other women. And, you know, the minute I see one of my colleagues or friend, and I see them doing something, opening a new clinic, getting a paper published, which I'm gonna, just sort of puff up, Tracy's tires here about, the paper today that I saw. Incredible, and her team. And, you know, it's… it's… encouraging those kind of things from other women as well, and saying, you can do it. And it's not in a patronizing way. It's in a, you can do this. You don't have to be Robin anymore. You don't have to stand back and let everybody else take the shine. You can do it.

Ashton Rogers 00:44:25

Wonderful explanation right there. And Shayla, so when evaluating emerging surgical or non-surgical technologies, what criteria guide your decision to adapt Adopt, delay, or decline them in practice.

Sheila Barbarino 00:44:44

So, first, is it safe? Right? The safety…

Ashton Rogers 00:44:48

Lisa.

Sheila Barbarino 00:44:48

Is, you know, the first thing, the efficacy, you know, is it effective? I want to see the clinical studies, I want to see before and afters, I want to see, you know. you know, really, you know, the papers, the… what they've done, you know, is it FDA approved, is it not FDA approved? And then I want to try it in my hands, you know? I think any… device or any company that doesn't let me try something, is probably not the right fit for me, because no matter how great the other provider can deliver results, if it's not… if I can't deliver those results, then there's no point in me getting it. And there's so many technologies that I think in the past that, even though they were great, they were effective, you know, they took a long time, and sometimes, you know, you have to see if you just even enjoy giving… doing this procedure, right? So, like, if you're buying some technology so that somebody else in your practice can deliver it? What if that person leaves? What if they get sick? You know, what if, you know, Anything can happen, right? And… if you aren't planning on giving that treatment yourself, you shouldn't get it. You know, I really think, that's… something that I've really, you know, I think we've all bought equipment that we didn't ultimately end up liking or using, you know, I think that's different. I think that technology comes and goes, and sometimes, you know, we thought that certain machines would be more effective than they are, and then we stopped recommending them, right? And they've retired them in our, you know, a bad decision-making room, or, you know, the dumpster, whichever, you know. is easier. But, you know, ultimately, I think that's the main criteria. If you can't sell it to your… all of us have, like, our ride-or-die patients, right? And if you can't sell that… there's so many companies, laser companies, and… Technology companies that are like. buy this, you know, and you're gonna get this whole new revenue stream, you're gonna get this whole new wave of patients that you… that, haven't come into your, practice for whatever reason, right? I… those are false promises, right? Like, you know, you don't want those OBGYN patients that, you know, you don't normally serve. You know, it might be new blood in your practice, but, like, you're not going to be able to come to brands of, like, treat them, right? So what you want is, if you can sell whatever treatment that you bring in your practice to your ride-or-die patients every day of the week, that's what you want to bank on, right? Because those are the patients that are going to show up in your practice hell or high water, right? And that's when you adopt it, and you bring it in and get new patients, you know, because those patients are just going to come, because your ride-or-dies are at happy hour, or they went and visited their friend, and they're like, God, she looks so good, I need to do whatever she's doing. And that's when you get the 10 patients from, you know, that patient referral.

Tracey Mancuso 00:47:46

It has to make sense within your practice, because if your patient population is mostly having facial treatments, and all of a sudden you jump into something that is, let's say, a gynecological procedure, it doesn't make sense, and you're going to struggle and fight against the grain. And I see this all the time, actually, in another industry, where dentists jump into things like laser hair removal. And, you know, I'm not going to sit in the chair and have, you know, my teeth cleaned, and then have my Brazilian bikini done. It's just not going to happen. So it doesn't make sense, and it has to… you have to sit down and ask your patients, and I have a form that I have my patients fill out when I want to bring something in, and I say. This is the technology I'm thinking of bringing in. This is what it does. This is how much a treatment's gonna cost. Are you interested in this? First of all, it gives me a nice list of people who are actually interested in the procedure, if I do bring it in. Second of all, it gives me a good thumb on whether or not my patient's population actually wants to have this procedure, because there's no point in me bringing it in if I get back 100 of those surveys, and 90 of them say, no, I'm not going to bring it in for 10 patients, it doesn't make sense. Right? I ask a lot of…

Sheila Barbarino 00:48:57

the… a lot of the products nowadays, I feel like they're so exorbitant… I mean, everything costs more, right? I mean, gas costs more, eggs cost more, right? But… you know, we're doing… talking about the business of aesthetics tonight, right? And, you know, the… consumable, you know, because so many times, you know, a rep will come in and they'll say, buy this machine, you know, the consumable's only… it's only $25 a patient, but you're like, but the laser is $300,000, right? So, like, you have to figure out, and then how many… how much it… time it's going to take, how many hours it's going to take to pay back down that laser, you know, you might never make that money back. And that's something that you really have to think about, you know? You… the last thing you want to do, ever, I don't care how rich you are, is to be underwater with a device, because I… all of us have done it. I don't even want to ask, because, like, it's even a sore subject with me. It's like, you know, I've bought equipment, and then every time I'm at a meeting, every time I take a vacation, every… I take an afternoon off, it's like sitting there collecting dust, and it's like… It should be firing on all cylinders every single day, right? And it's like, you don't want that pressure. Don't put that pressure on yourself. You know, the… the… things that are gonna sell, you're gonna know with, like you said, Tracy, like, your patients are gonna tell you, like, you know, would you pay for, you know, this kind of result for that kind of money? You know, if your own personal answer is absolutely not, you know, we might get it for free to try it, or whatever the case is, but would you pay $3,500 to have this done? If the answer in your for… for you, is no way, I wouldn't spend that kind of money on that. There's your answer right there.

Ashton Rogers 00:50:44

100%. And Tracy H, so during your career advancing aesthetic nursing standards, what implementation challenge revealed gaps in training or safety culture, and what lesson reshaped your approach to education?

Tracey Hotta 00:51:03

Interesting question, or a good question. our… my… the training program is accredited through the Canadian Nursing Association, and every two years, I have to do a gap analysis to see what is missing within my training, so that I can add that in. So I've just done my my accreditation, so I've gone through my gap, so this just fits right in perfectly. I think one of them is a deeper understanding of the facial anatomy, so I do… I have… and it's not textbook anatomy, it's anatomy according to doing injections. So, I have provided more cadaver dissection pictures, some videos of doing some dissections in order so people can see a little bit better on the, you know, more realistic. So they can visualize the layers, the danger zones. The other part, so I just did another course, really focusing on complication, recognition and management. So now that's a separate course, not within the neuromodulator or the dermal filler course, because I think that's extremely important, that if you can identify a complication, then you can treat it and manage it better. And it… that's constantly changing, just because… I think because of ultrasound devices, we now know what the product is doing in the skin. Before, it was just assuming what it was doing, or you're injecting cadavers, which is not alive. Now we can see with an ultrasound exactly how it's moving, and maybe integrating, not integrating, whether it's in the SMAS, and how it could be limiting muscle movement, so… putting more emphasis on complication recognition, management, and the use of ultrasound devices, so I've added that. GPL1s, that's a whole different thing now that we have to start talking to patients about, which we didn't have to before. We didn't realize that it was going to affect the aesthetic practices. So incorporating that into our medical histories, is something that recently we've done. Looking at, psychological effects, like, body dysmorphic disorder, learning how to say no, so, you know, bringing in a screening tool into the training program so that more patients or more providers understand that that has to be Something that needs to be looked at and addressed. Professional ethics, I have always been, very high standards on professional ethics and working within your scope of practice, so, very much on the ethics of social media, and making sure that providers are working within their scope, they're following the college and regulatory and Health Canada standards, and making sure that we're not, Promoting unproven treatments, and that we're not Following social media trends, and that we're doing educational content. And the last is the diversity, so really needing to add a whole component on transgender, gender reaffirming care, cultural diversity into our facial assessment course. So I think that needs to be emphasized as well.

Ashton Rogers 00:54:22

Definitely. And then, Tracy M. So, a question on you. I know you touched on this topic a bit before, but how do you structure mentorship and peer support programs so emerging clinicians gain practical skills, confidence, and leadership readiness without overloading mentors or teams?

Tracey Mancuso 00:54:41

So that's a really good question, because I know… previous courses that I've taken. that have involved somebody else in the clinic that would have to mentor me. It would take a lot of time away from them, it would take time away from their patients, it would be a stress. So, what I usually suggest is that it's a step approach where They begin with, if they're, let's say, learning a new device or a new treatment, they would learn first through the clinical path of that particular device. And then they would learn, also through mentoring with one person in the clinic that is deemed to be, like, a lead of education for that particular device. And they wouldn't have to necessarily be with them every single treatment, but review with them the treatment parameters prior to doing the treatment. They would review the cases with them as they were continuing to do The cases, and then they would have some job shadowing with them, so maybe every second or third case, you'd go in and watch, just to make sure you could tweak things along the way. And then, as they graduate to being on their own, one thing I do particularly in practice is with my team and with other teams. after I've trained them, one thing that happens with trainees is we come… become a little lazy. And so we start developing our own fun and interesting little habits. And those are things that sometimes are okay, and sometimes are not. And so I like to, every 6 months or so, pop into the treatment room with any of my colleagues who I've trained on specific treatments, and just watch a treatment. It's not laborious. It doesn't take away from my patient population. I make sure it's time that I'm going to be free anyway. And I just pop in, watch a little bit of the treatment, see if there's anything new that's developed, or anything that they could change to make the treatment safer, more efficacious, etc, or even maybe more efficient. Because sometimes it's an efficiency problem. And those are really important. The other thing is also chart reviews. I can't tell you how many clinics I work with, and they say, oh, well, yeah, we do chart reviews every now and again. No, it can't be every now and again, it's every week that you grab a couple of charts, you just sit down, you take a look at them, see what their parameters are, see what their rationale is. Behind it, and we do this regularly in practice. And, you know, I'll sit down with my medical director, and I'll say, you know, these are the type of parameters that I'm using, and this is why I'm using it for this case. And then we go back and forth and talk about different parameters, and we optimize what we do in practice. And this is really important communication to have. And this is something that, you know, Tracy and I have actually been working very strongly on, is this communication between The providers, and so whether it's, you know, the esthetician, it's the nurse, it's the nurse practitioner, or it's the physician, it's having everybody working together for that one patient. And that's part of that learning, is learning from each other as well, and keeping an eye on each other to make sure that you catch anything, you… you can learn things from each other, those kind of things. So that's… it's more of a 360 approach that I do when I'm… I'm training somebody in clinic, whether it's, like I said, in my practice or someone else's practice.

Ashton Rogers 00:58:00

Definitely. And Shayla, so… If you could describe a clinical or leadership decision that initially went wrong, and ultimately reshaped how you guide patients or teams today.

Sheila Barbarino 00:58:16

Gosh, that's a hard one. You know. I think I am one of those people that want people to have a voice. And I think that… One thing that… I used to do that. I used to really let everybody in the clinic have a voice, and I… it's not that I don't now, but, you know. Everyone can have a voice, but ultimately, my voice is the one that matters, right? That's the one that we're gonna follow, right? So, if something's going on, if there's, you know, an issue, if there's, you know, everyone can have an opinion, but ultimately, I'm gonna make the decision for the clinic, you know, in the best interest of the clinic, you know? And I think that That's something that I've changed, and had to change for just… Patient safety, and for, really, the betterment of the office, right? Because, you know, when, you know, the… you know, the… what is it, the… path to hell is paved with good intentions, right? It's, you know, everybody wants to be, you know, wonderful and stand out and do… but sometimes that's just not the right decision, right? And, you know, after owning my own practice for, I don't know, 15 years now, you know, I've, you know. Realize that you know, you don't have… you have to guide and lead the clinic, you know, as best as you can, you know, and like I said, there's… I always tell everybody, you know, this is not a democracy. You know, I want to hear all of your opinions and all of your ideas, and I want to you know, support you in your roles as best as I can. But ultimately, you know, we have protocols and procedures that you have to follow. Just because you think it's not maybe the right thing to do, you know, there's a reason why that we're doing it that way.

Ashton Rogers 01:00:13

I think it's very common.

Sheila Barbarino 01:00:14

And when you explain to them, you know, why we're doing it, then they get it, you know?

Ashton Rogers 01:00:18

Yeah, definitely. I think it's really important that you mention that you're the voice that leads it, right? Even though teamwork is a main thing. Yeah, that's a really.

Sheila Barbarino 01:00:25

Yeah, you know, I think everybody, you know, there's such a millennial, or is it Gen Z, or whatever it is, mentality that, right, that every… your opinion… yes, your opinion absolutely counts, but it doesn't… count when it comes to protocols and procedures. We have to follow them. There's a reason we have them. There's, you know, you don't just, you know, if a patient calls, you don't just get around to telling me what happened. You know, later, there's a, you know, there's a chain of command that you have to follow, you know, and the reason is, is because people You know, at the end of the day, this is medical care, and we need to support the patients and give them the best care possible.

Ashton Rogers 01:01:06

Definitely.

Sheila Barbarino 01:01:09

I would love to hear the other ladies' opinions of that.

Ashton Rogers 01:01:13

You guys wanna give a shot? Into that.

Sheila Barbarino 01:01:16

What was a leadership thing that you guys did that you decided ultimately was not maybe the right decision?

Ashton Rogers 01:01:23

How about Tracy H? So, that'll be the last question of the evening for you, then. So, the last question of today, because we have actually exceeded the one hour. So, Tracy H. Yeah, if you want to take over that, ask the final question.

Tracey Hotta 01:01:36

The… Sheila's question? Yeah. Leadership thing, I… I don't know, I mean, it… I think anything that I've done, I've done because I wanted to further myself. You know, like. being president of Iceman, you know, sort of worked way up and never thought that that was going to happen. I don't think there was anything that I, you know, within my own personal that I really… look back on and saying that I shouldn't have done it. I don't think… I mean, in my own practice, when I had my own practice, I think I was a little bit of a micromanager, so I didn't give enough.

Sheila Barbarino 01:02:16

All of us started that.

Tracey Hotta 01:02:17

Yeah.

Sheila Barbarino 01:02:17

Like, all of us, right? It's personal, you know?

Tracey Hotta 01:02:21

Because it's your business, so, you know, ultimately, everything is your responsibility, and if, you know, you've really got to watch out everything that's going, but, you know…

Sheila Barbarino 01:02:32

business people, people are like, don't take it personal, it's just business. But our business is personal, right? Yeah. So it's very different, right? Because, you know, we lead from our heart, and we treat our patients with our heart. So when people, you know, use this, you know. phrase in business, you know, don't take it personal, it's just business. It is personal. It's my business. And that's, you know, it's different.

Tracey Hotta 01:02:55

Yeah. I surrounded myself with Family members, so that was easy.

Sheila Barbarino 01:03:00

Oh my god! I'm like, my lazy family members aren't helping me!

Ashton Rogers 01:03:07

Alright, so, what a wonderful way to close off the questions that we had. So, before we close off everything, I want to ask each of you for a 30-second final sentence, just one sentence, for the women listening who want to lead. What is the one principle they should hold on to? Starting with Tracy M?

Tracey Mancuso 01:03:27

That's a really good one. So, the one principle they should hold onto is. To do what matters, and what matters to you. And even if it's something that other people say, you know, you're not good at it, or you, you know, you're not gonna do it, or, you know, no other woman has done this, or it's not common for women to do it, just do it. If you love it, and you want to do it, do it.

Ashton Rogers 01:03:55

Shayla?

Sheila Barbarino 01:03:57

Yeah, that's a… that's a hard one. I think, the biggest advice that I would give is. you know, block out the noise. You know, I think that if, Everybody's gonna give you opinions. Everyone wants to give you an opinion, right? if they haven't done it, if they don't… you know, it's one thing to have a mentor, and that's what I really think that every person in this field… I certainly have had many, I certainly mentor, and as you guys do, mentor, people, But I feel like there's so many people that want to give you, you know, opinions and unsolicited advice, right? And I think that it's so easy to take it to heart, and let it hurt, and let it feel bad, and try to pivot, and do stupid things that, you know, you know don't feel right, right? So, at the end of the day, you know, find a good mentor, you know, have a good sounding board, and then, you know, block out the noise.

Ashton Rogers 01:04:58

Definitely. And Tracy H?

Tracey Hotta 01:05:01

I would say, you know, do what you've… what feels right to you, and don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it. You know, strive for… strive for the ultimate height. Rely on and lean on your colleagues that are around you, because they will help to lift you up as well, and celebrate your… your successes.

Ashton Rogers 01:05:24

Definitely. What great advice. And now we have reached the end of this wonderful session. Thank you to our panel, and one last reminder, if you want that $900 strategy session with Echo Marketing to see if your practice is AI-ready, the link is in the chat for the last time. Tracy M, Shayla, and Tracy H. Thank you for your time and your legacy. To our audience, thank you for investing an hour and more in your own growth. Also, please take 30 seconds for our feedback survey, which will pop up on a new browser tab as you exit this event. We use this to build our next panels for you. You can visit us on our website, businessofaesthetics.org, and now, everyone, go out there and lead. Good night, everyone, and thank you once again to our panelists. Bye-bye, everybody. Good night.

Tracey Hotta 01:06:15

Thank you, huh.

Sheila Barbarino 01:06:16

us.

Tracey Hotta 01:06:17

Thank you.

BOA •