In this greatest hits episode, we revisit a conversation between AmSpa President and CSO, Cathy Christensen, and top leadership coach and bestselling author Sohee Jun, PhD. They discuss the myth of balance, Jun’s journey into leadership coaching and her advice for overcoming challenges as a business leader. Their conversation includes:

• Why she’s allergic to the word “balance;”
• Integrating our priorities and thinking about our values;
• Her journey to organizational psychology and leadership coaching;
• What working with a leadership coach looks like and who her clients are;
• Advice for cultivating a team of leaders;
• Recognizing when to pivot and elevate your leadership style;
• The challenge of leading multigenerational teams;
• Her keynote at the 2023 Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference.

Reignite your passion to lead with mentorship from aesthetic innovators, entrepreneurs and renowned experts at the 2025 Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference, October 3 - 5 at Terranea Resort in Southern California. Learn more about the connections and experiences that await you at experiencewalc.com.

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This week, AmSpa President and CSO Cathy Christensen speaks with Cy Wakeman, drama researcher, New York Times bestselling author of No Ego, and 2023 world's number one leadership guru, to discuss reality-based leadership. They talk about common leadership challenges in medical spas, including managing diverse teams, implementing standardized processes, and balancing in-office and remote work. Their conversation includes:

• Why you should be managing the energy of your team, not their behavior;
• How to clean up your thinking, find your impact and take the next right action;
• Why stress comes from the story we make up about reality;
• Train to act, not react: Co-regulating to diffuse drama and look beyond ego;
• The four types of boundaries leaders must set in the workplace;
• Standardizing processes to eliminate errors and improve safe patient care;
• Cy’s upcoming keynote presentation at the Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference (WALC).

For a masterclass on restoring sanity in the workplace and calling your team up to greatness, join Cy Wakeman at the Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference October 3 - 5, 2025, at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Her closing keynote, “Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama and Turn Excuses Into Results” will give leaders the tools, techniques and proven coaching models to skillfully navigate the interferences of drama, hardwire personal accountability and help their teams deliver on their business goals. Learn more and register at experiencewalc.com.

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This week, AmSpa founder and CEO Alex R. Thiersch, JD, speaks with RealSelf CEO Minou Clark to discuss the platform’s transformation into a dynamic, consumer-first destination for aesthetics. Clark shares how RealSelf is evolving to meet the needs of today’s beauty consumer by embracing med spas and amplifying the human side of aesthetics.

• Clark’s transition from Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media to her first CEO role in aesthetics;
• RealSelf’s evolution from a plastic surgery directory to a multifaceted consumer platform;
• How social media shifted aesthetics from taboo to pop culture and self-actualization;
• RealSelf’s rebrand: modern UX, aspirational design and intuitive navigation for younger users;
• Launching seamless booking to remove friction and drive conversion across providers;
• Supporting coexistence between med spas, plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists;
• RealSelf’s commitment to vetting quality providers and elevating industry standards;
• Clark's vision for activism, how aesthetics changes lives, and more!

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This week, AmSpa founder and CEO, Alex R. Thiersch, JD, speaks with Nena Kallopoulos, PA-C, founder of Drip Medi Spa in Englewood, New Jersey, to explore the realities of practicing aesthetic medicine as a physician assistant. With nearly two decades of clinical experience, Nena shares the challenges of building a compliant aesthetic practice and reflects on her experience navigating a license lapse and subsequent regulatory review. In this conversation:

• Transitioning from emergency and concierge medicine to IV therapy and aesthetics;
• Building a compliant med spa as a non-physician;
• The unexpected consequences of administrative oversights;
• Her experience with the state licensing board and broader implications for PAs;
• Why education, unity and advocacy are essential to the future of aesthetic medicine.

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This week, AmSpa founder and CEO Alex R. Thiersch, JD, sits down with Chris Suchánek, founder and CSO of Firm Media and creator of Ailm Atelier, a new online platform showcasing aesthetic doctors and their stories. They talk about Chris’s journey from the music business to specialty medical marketing, and how authenticity, storytelling, and innovation are reshaping how med spas and aesthetic practices connect with patients.

• How he transitioned from Grammy-winning music marketing to aesthetic advertising;
• The origin and mission of Ailm Atelier as a platform for storytelling and recognition;
• Why authenticity and patient trust are the new currency in aesthetic branding;
• The nomination-only process for Ailm’s featured top aesthetic doctors;
• How he redefined his personal brand with inspiration from a 90s billboard campaign;
• A mixed media marketing approach to target med spa patients in their homes;
• The future of Ailm as a consumer-facing, digital platform.

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In this greatest hits episode, we revisit an empowering keynote recorded live at AmSpa’s inaugural Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference (WALC) in 2023. Listen in as Carrie Strom, senior vice president of AbbVie and president of Global Allergan Aesthetics, chats with Sara Blakely, founder and executive chairwoman of SPANX. Following a brief introduction from Strom and AmSpa founder Alex R. Thiersch, JD, this keynote conversation explores the founding of a household name, along with leadership insight on confidence, failure, purpose, mindset, and much more!

This year, AmSpa's WALC is honored to present keynote speaker Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics. Join us October 3, 2025, for “Becoming Unstoppable,” an inspiring keynote where Jamie shares her inspiring journey from rejection and self-doubt to resilience and success.

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This week, AmSpa founder and CEO Alex Thiersch, JD, speaks with Lisa Lickstein, MSW, MBA, co-owner and COO of Lickstein Plastic Surgery and Medical Spa. She previews her upcoming talk at the 2025 Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference and shares how the concept of “unreasonable hospitality,” inspired by Will Guidara’s renowned book, has reshaped her approach to leadership, team development and the patient experience. This conversation includes:

• How clinical director Christina Hobgood Naugle, PA-C, built a thriving med spa patient base;
• What Lisa learned from Eleven Madison Park’s rise to #1;
• Why they created a staff book club to learn and grow together;
• How to systematize staff engagement for a strong company culture;
• The three rules of unreasonable hospitality and how to implement them with your team;
• How her team identified and elevated 100 patient touchpoints to enhance the overall experience;
• A sneak peek at what attendees can expect from her WALC presentation.

Join Lisa at https://experiencewalc.com/, for her session: “Achieving Competitive Advantage and Increased Profitability Through Unreasonable Hospitality.”

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This week, AmSpa founder and CEO Alex R. Thiersch, JD, speaks with Lori Werner, founder and chief marketing whiz at Medical Marketing Whiz, a woman-led marketing agency that specializes in marketing for wellness and medical aesthetics practices. They talk about her path from medical device sales to entrepreneurship and how her team helps med spas get discovered online using answer engine optimization (AI-SEO).

• How she transitioned from medical device sales to founding a woman-led marketing agency in aesthetics and women’s health;
• The marketing blind spots of practices newly adding cash-based aesthetic services;
• Why SEO and AI-SEO are critical to get recommended by Google, ChatGPT and other AI platforms;
• Going beyond Meta and Google ads with a strategy rooted in how patients research and choose providers;
• Using YouTube, press releases and scheduled content to boost search visibility and trust;
• Email, text and AI tools like Dr. Social Whiz that drive conversions.

For more on this topic, check out Medical Marketing Whiz’s recent webinar: Answer Engine Optimization (AI-SEO): How to Become the Recommended Provider in ChatGPT and Other AI Platforms

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