Meet The Founders

SPEAKER_01 0:30

My name is Kimberly Nickel, and our business is called Radiant Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine. And we serve anyone who wants to look and feel better from the inside out.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

I'm Mimi. I am also a co-owner with Kim, Radiant Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine, located in Lansdowne, Virginia. And we also have a location in Haymarket.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Awesome. I can't wait to just learn more about everything you guys do. So to start off, can you share your story and how the two of you came together to create Radiant Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine?

SPEAKER_00 1:06

You gotta tell that one. So yeah, Kim and I met like a long time ago. Four years ago. Yeah, over a decade ago, former ER, she's an ER physician. I'm an ER nurse. We work together and we had quite a bit of rough night shifts that are that are to go down in the memory book. Yep. And about five years ago, we started

ER Roots And Partnership

SPEAKER_00 1:29

noticing that we need some help with our aesthetics and our lifestyle as well. So Kim took the opportunity and opened a mobile book talk service, which happened to be the same time that COVID hit. So people did not want to go and get aesthetic places done. So Kim left the ER shortly after COVID and opened a mobile aesthetic services. And so I asked her if I could join her and be her employee, which I did. And I did that for a couple of years. And then we had an opportunity to open another location in Leesburg or Lansdown, Virginia. And I asked her if I could become her business partner. And she was obviously delighted to have me. Of course I was. Yes. And so we have been open in our second location since July. So that's how we met.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Well, congratulations, you guys. What a journey. I love it. It was just your calling. Having worked side by side in healthcare for nearly two decades, how has your long-standing friendship influenced the way you run your practice today?

SPEAKER_01 2:28

That's a great question. So I think what's really great is that we've known each other for so long, like in very difficult circumstances, both with our family, with work. We've gone through a lot together, good and bad. And for that reason, we're just, we just have a lot of like wisdom and insight into ourselves with how to take care of patients. And we know each other so well that sort of running a business together. I know this sounds crazy, but almost as it comes intuitively to us. It's been really wonderful so far.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Right. Absolutely. I don't need to tell her how I feel. She can just look at me and see how I feel. And our thoughts are almost what, 99.9 or on this page.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Yep, yep. And if we don't, we're both really comfortable enough with each other that we can say, hey, you know what? I don't agree with you, or no, it should be this way. And we're just right really lucky in that way to know each other so well, starting out. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

There's nothing better than that. I can tell you guys are so in sync. I think it's such an awesome We're like sisters, yeah. Yes, business partnership you have going on. And Radiant Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine is often described as more than a traditional aesthetics clinic. How would you describe the experience you aim to create for clients when they walk through your doors?

SPEAKER_00 3:42

I would say our the experience is realistic honesty and giving them realistic expectations. We have that one-on-one with our clients where we make them feel great. We reassure them that, hey, if you look in the mirror

Defining The Client Experience

SPEAKER_00 3:59

and don't like what it is, really that's a normal thing to go through. And we're here to help you feel confident and not only make you look great, but also help you feel great. That's our goal. And so we start, our clients are like our best friends. We look, we know everything about them in that one-hour interaction. We've already have established what we know how many kids they have, they want to tell us everything. Or they're therapists too. Oh my goodness. Just last night we had a Google review where the client put in what they're my best friends, like from the first visit. And so that just that just what makes our job worth it. Not necessarily the way they look, but even the way they feel and the way they talk about us. So that's just a great positive aspect of our business.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Yeah. And I would add to that too that we've had people tell us, okay, when I come through here, I just feel welcomed and relaxed and at home. That's exactly what we want. We want them to feel like they can talk to us, like they can tell us anything, they can confide in us, and that we're there to help them, not make them feel judged or like they need to change. We're there to help them if they want to start seeing changes.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

We also between the two of us and other our other staff, we speak what almost four, five, four to five languages.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

So we serve everybody. We serve everybody. And so that has been a great positive feedback that we're getting from everyone to speak different languages.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

Wow, that's awesome. It's almost like a family type situation. It is.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Actually, my six-year-old has scrubs. He tends to work with a name tag. He's the cutest.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

He has blue scrubs and has a and he's like a name tag. I work for radiant aesthetics and I like to do facials. Like he's so cute.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

That is so sweet.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

He finds me every morning. He doesn't want to go to school, he wants to go to radiant aesthetics.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

So future employee and training, right? Yes. Yes. Wonderful, wonderful. And going off of that, clients often say they feel heard, supported, and cared for on a deeper level here. Why is taking that extra time to truly listen? Is why is that such an important approach to your work?

SPEAKER_01 5:58

It is probably one of the most important things because you have to, when you're doing aesthetics or when you're treating someone from a medical standpoint, you have to gain their trust, right? And you can't just jump in there and be like, hey, okay, we need to fix this, we need to do that. You really need to sit down and get to know them, let them know that you can answer any questions they have, let them feel that they can get to know us and trust us before we even attempt to try to start implementing changes or suggesting procedures. So that that really warms my heart to hear that, that people at clients are saying that because that's exactly what we want.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

I think that's the best compliment you can get in this field, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Yes, yes. I would agree with that.

SPEAKER_02 6:39

And you've both spoken about aesthetics being a journey rather than a quick fix. What does that philosophy look

Listening First, Then Treating

SPEAKER_02 6:46

like in practice for your patients?

SPEAKER_00 6:48

A lot of people that walk in through the doors, they're not 20s or early 30s, they're a little bit more mature. And some of them have never even done any aesthetics or haven't even used any skincare. So all of a sudden they wake up and they feel like their face is falling apart. That's when we, and this applies towards everybody, whether you have been doing aesthetic services or not, but we recommend that we give them a real expectation that listen, it's not just one visit where I can fix this, but rather it's a journey where you're gonna start with me. And we could even start with basic facials. Hey, let me show you how to take care of your face, like just putting proper vitamin C or SPF. I can't get you to your Instagram look in a couple in a couple of days. It's gonna take me at least six to seven months of consistency and you doing the work, you're doing your facials, you're doing your applying pharmaceutical great skincare. It's a journey. And this is where Dr. Nickel comes in and she can help them with things that I can, for example, like hormone replacement therapy and also lifestyle. So that's where we look at a picture as a whole, and it's not something that we can change over a day, just like you going to the gym. Can you build that muscle and look awesome in like from a one-hour workout?

SPEAKER_02 8:00

It's a process.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

It is a process. So we're super upfront with them. That is exactly it's you didn't come here looking like this. It didn't take you feeling, it didn't take you one day to feel like this. It's not going to take one day to get back to feeling like yourself. So we set that expectation always.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Absolutely. That transparency. I love it. It truly is just a customized, personalized experience. And I just love that.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Yes. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

And the industry has shifted significantly over the years from your guys' perspective. What are some of the biggest changes you're seeing in aesthetic medicine today?

SPEAKER_01 8:36

I think one of the things that jumps out the quickest is really a shift from treatments such as fillers to augment the way the face looks or restore lost volume to something called more like biostimulators or regenerative medicine. So things that help you to increase your skin quality, increase

Aesthetics As A Long Journey

SPEAKER_01 8:55

your skin thickness, help you build the foundation to make your skin look better, as opposed to just filling, filling, filling in the past. Now, don't get me wrong, we still absolutely do fillers and they have a place, but we're seeing more of a shift towards more natural results and more biostimulator-based treatments.

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Okay. And we were regenerating.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Ever since the Kardashians dissolved their fillers, I feel everyone started on that train and it's a great me like use fillers. I use fillers. She uses fillers, but is that the first thing that I'm going to jump on to? No. I need to make sure that my skin is producing that collagen and elastin every day. I need to make sure I'm washing my face twice a day at least. I need to make sure that there is some something that's helping me grow collagen and elastin rather than relying on that filler.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

And they just reminded me too, along the same lines, more and more people are realizing that lifestyle matters. So your lifestyle absolutely matters. We can do a facial on you, we can hydrate you, we can put some fillers in your face. But if you go home and drink a bottle of wine and don't get enough sleep and you're stressed out, you're not going to look as good as you want to look. So another thing we're seeing is like people are really starting to consider more how their lifestyle plays into their look. And we love that because that's part of our business.

SPEAKER_02 10:10

For sure. As a whole, how we take care of ourselves as a whole. Yeah. Awesome. And as medical professionals, how do your clinical backgrounds shape the way you educate clients and guide them through decisions about their care?

SPEAKER_00 10:24

My God. I think that's my favorite question so far. I'm I'm not trying to bring anyone down, but I do see a lot of, I'm going to speak from a nurse's point of view, is many are graduating, going straight into aesthetics without having that experience. I think what makes me a better injector today is the fact that I do have experience at bedside. I can identify within when the patient comes in for her treatment for a Botox, if she's suffering from some type of autoimmune or she's on medication, I know I have a solid knowledge of what those medications. And I know that even though Dr. Nichol is right there with me, I feel confident to say, hey, you know what, this might contraindicate with this treatment because you're on this and this type of medication. So I feel like having that solid background, it really makes us a better provider. And also coming from the ER, we're literally equipped in every single room.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

We see it all, we do it all. We're comfortable with that.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

We carry EpiPans, we have like allergic reaction boxes in every room just because we're a little cautious. I would say I think prepared is the word. We're very well prepared. So which we should be. And that we can put an IV with our eyes closed. So I just feel like, and this is my advice for every new grad that wants to get into aesthetic, go work at the hospital first. Get your experience because that is going to make you just a better injector in the future.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

And not only that, having that real life experience with patients, it helps you meet a patient where they are. So you said what's your like philosophy? For me, it's meet someone where they are. Okay. So you get a chance to get to know them, you feel out where they're ready for, what they're ready to talk about. And then instead of not knowing and just jumping right into something,

From Fillers To Regeneration

SPEAKER_01 12:06

a clinical treatment or suggesting a treatment, having all of those years, but we have 40 years combined experience right between the two of us, I think it serves us so well. And I'm so proud that we have it. Like really proud.

unknown 12:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

Absolutely said. That's all I can say. I'm happy. We got really excited for that project. That was a great question. Yeah. No, I love it. And it's you guys having that extensive background in the ER, they're in the best hands that they could possibly be in with treatments like this. Yeah. If something goes wrong, we are ready. Yes, you're prepared and you are ready. Technology and aesthetics has evolved rapidly. Can you share some of the newer devices or treatments you're currently offering and how advancements in technology are enhancing these results for your patients?

unknown 12:49

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Want me to take that one? Sure. Yeah. Okay. So what I can speak to the devices that we have. We have two devices. We have a CO2 laser machine. And then more recently, we just bought a it's called an Everest machine. It's a monopolar radio frequency skin tightening device. I know that's a mouthful, but essentially what it does is it delivers energy to tighten, volumize, and lift skin. And it's painless and has no downtime. So to back up and answer your question, technology is evolving like crazy. I feel like every two months there's a new device, right? And it's, oh, do we need this? Do we need that? Do we got to keep up? It's hard because you want to keep up, but you also want to have proven technology and something that you know is gonna stand the test of time. So for us, I feel like it was a pretty easy decision to start with our CO2 laser because CO2 laser has been around for, I believe, 30 years. It's evolved quite a bit. And now the one we have is awesome. A lot less downtime in the past.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Yeah, not only that, we you have some clientele that do not want a single shot in their face. They do, they don't want Botox, they don't want fillers, they'll do a facial, but they're always concerned and they'll never have a plastic surgery. And you got to respect their decisions for them not to choose to have any type of needles in their face. This device is a great option and you can see results because you're actually they're getting a tightening and lifting within an hour and without having to have any downtime or a single needle in their face. So it's a great device. I actually did it on myself, on my thighs. And it's just, it's great, great. And that's the other thing. We will never buy any device if we both don't try it and fall in love with it.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Yeah, there's nothing that we offer that we haven't tried

Lifestyle As A Beauty Multiplier

SPEAKER_01 14:30

or used ourselves because we want to be able to speak to it. How did it feel? How long did the bruising last? How much did it hurt or not? So it's really important to us to really be able to speak personally to every single treatment we offer.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

I love that. And also when you tell your client, hey, you know what, I did it like the day before Christmas. This is what my face looks like on Christmas. And so they're like, oh, you did it. Oh, okay. And so that's what they want to do, what you do, and they want to know if you tried it. So we want to be able to relate our own experience to them before they make a decision to proceed with a treatment. It's a very important thing for us.

SPEAKER_02 15:07

Speaking from personal experience goes so much farther. Yes, I think, and in over anything. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

And we do get that pretty often. What are all the things you've done if you don't mind my asking? And they love that because they're saying, okay, if Dr. Nickel did it or Mimi did it, like, okay, they look good. We want to do that too.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

So it's really it helps all the time. For sure. Yes. We have one particular client who I love dearly. Every time she comes, what did you do this time? I'm I did my cronia. Sign me up. It's like she doesn't want to miss on anything. And sometimes I have to tell her, like, listen, aesthetic FOMO. Yes. I say, you know what, we're gonna back up on this month because you've done enough. Like we do say that, and that's when you really think I don't need it. No, you do not need it this month. Let's

Clinical Training And Safety

SPEAKER_00 15:46

wait another couple of months and it's okay. But they want to do what you do and they want to know if you've tried things, and we do have we will never offer anything unless both of us have tried it. Okay. And loved it. So that's our that's our thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

I like what you mentioned about making a plan and guiding them with your professional expertise. I think that's I think that's great.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

You're able to walk them through it in the safest way, the best way for them. That's awesome. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

And that brings up a good thing too, or a good point is sometimes we do have to say no. We don't just say yes to everybody who walks in the door because it might not be right for them. It might not be safe for them. They might have had too many treatments. So we do sometimes use our judgment to say no to sometimes requests. But that's part of our job. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 16:32

For sure. For sure. And for someone who may feel overwhelmed or unsure about where to start, how do you guide them through building that personalized treatment plan?

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Meet them where they are. Yeah. You just feel them out, ask the questions, what are their concerns? What are they scared of? That's probably the most important thing. Is if you sense that they're hesitant, but they're there, they want help, but they're afraid. So you try to dig deeper and find out what is it that you're afraid of, and then work with them there.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

So meet them where they're at and then go from there just slowly. I would add to that is that majority of the challenges, especially in today's economy, is budget. And so you don't want to make them feel like just because they have a lower budget that they can't get any service or they can't feel and look great. We start them off with we respect their budget and we start them off even with a like a monthly service of a medical great facial or sometimes just skincare. Just sometimes just skincare. And you know what? And they come in with a certain budget thinking that they can get Botox. And yes, we can collect that money and give them a little Botox, but we know that's really not gonna help them. What I say is save your money. Okay, keep putting more money on the side, and when you're ready, come and see me. But for now, this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna we're gonna start with a medical grade facial. You've never had anything, so that just makes them feel comfortable. They make them think that I have a little money, but I can still part of ingredient aesthetics family. That's an important part, I feel like. So whether you work um in a gas station or you own your own business, you guys are both welcome into our place. Everyone deserves to have nice skin.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. And everyone can. It's not unattainable for anybody.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

Yes, absolutely. I love that. Yeah. And you recently opened a brick and mortar location in Lansdowne. What has that milestone meant for you as business owners and practitioners?

SPEAKER_00 18:23

Oh God, now I'm gonna cry. I know we didn't have any plans opening in Lansdown. Like our goal was to open in Haymarket, go big in Haymarket, and I live near Lansdowne, and it just happened to be one of our clients actually who owns that place and kept insisting that we go see the place because he was

New Tech: CO2 And RF Tightening

SPEAKER_00 18:42

about to retire. And I really brushed him off for three months. Uh-huh. And I kept calling Kim and telling her, hey, we gotta go see, we gotta go. We had literally training. It was located across the street from here one day. I was like, Kim, we're gonna be in Leesburg today. Let's go ahead and see the plate. And we'll just tell the owner kindly, no, thank you. We'll come up with an excuse, but at least it shows that we care. We tried. I actually called other injectors before. I'm like, hey, there's a place. There's a place on landsdown. They're like, no, no. And we just walked in. Both of us were like, What?

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Yeah, the light, it was like beautiful windows, so much natural light coming in. And we looked at each other, we were like, I don't know if I can swear on this, but else we were like, holy yes, like this we need to work here. Yeah. So it just really fell in our lap and it happened.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

And normally when we're in training, we talk nothing but about the training. Like we left that training, we went out to dinner that night. We kept talking, like, are you serious about this? Oh my God, this is good. This is perfect. This is that was really cool. And it was just what we signed the lease, what, a month later? Less than that. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. And one of the things that the owner did say, and I said, There's too many competitions in this area. I'm gonna keep my location in Haymarket. He said, I know. He goes, look at me. I have so many other places that I can go to, but I choose to come to you. He goes, You can't think like that. And I was like, You're right. So we're so glad we did. We're stuck in this for how long? Five years. Okay. It's going great.

SPEAKER_02 20:09

It was just meant to be, right? Yeah, yeah, yes. The rest is history.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

Yeah, glad we did. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

Congratulations again. I'm so happy for you guys. Thank you. And looking ahead, how do you envision radiant aesthetics and lifestyle medicine continuing to grow and in the impact you want to have on the community?

SPEAKER_01 20:27

I definitely see us growing in the future. Like I we are, even unintentionally, right? Every day we're not every day, but feels like every month we're thinking of a new service or a new something to add or hiring someone. And we're always thinking about growing. So down the line, potentially we would open another location closer to where I live in Haymarket Gainesville. That's the goal. But in terms of impact on the community, like we we just want to be known as like the place where everyone is welcome and everyone can come and feel loved and heard and taken care of in a way that they're not normally used to in a spa.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

I can't wait to come. That's all I gotta say. Please, we can't wait to have you.

unknown 21:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:07

Love the environment that you guys are creating here. And to close, what does aging truly mean to each of you? And what do you hope every client feels when they leave the clinic?

SPEAKER_00 21:17

All we have to do is show you a picture of us from 10 years ago.

unknown 21:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

Aging, I really I've never believed in aging backward, but I really truly believe in aging backwards and aging gracefully, doing it the right way with all the technology and all the amazing procedures and still looking like you're still yourself. I'm happy that I aged. I'm telling you, I look back at pictures

We Try Everything Ourselves

SPEAKER_00 21:41

from 10 years ago and I'm like, oh my God, I don't want to look at these. And it's just, I'm not afraid to age. I'm not afraid to age.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

I would say the same thing. So for me, aging well is aging with confidence, with wisdom, and with my head held very high. So I'm gonna be 49 next month, and I'm so proud and so excited. I'm excited to turn 50 next year. I don't think most people say that, but I truly like every year I gain more knowledge, I meet more people, I have more experience under my belt. Like I'm so excited to be aging. So I think it's Are you 50 next year? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:17

Wow. Yeah, no, and I'm happy. You could have me senior displayments or not, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

Maybe ARP comes. Oh yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Here we go. Beautiful, beautiful. I love it, you guys. So, you know, as we wrap up, is there Anything you would like to add that I haven't touched on today?

SPEAKER_01 22:35

I would just like to say thank you for giving us this opportunity. It's both of our first podcasts. And I can say I was so nervous like 15 minutes ago, but now I'm like, yeah, bring on the questions. Seriously. I love you so much. Bring it on.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

We'd love to have you back again. Yeah. I just want to thank you so much, Kevin Mimi, for joining me on the podcast, sharing your knowledge with us, and also your inspiring story. All right. Wish you both the best of luck in all that comes your way in the future. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 23:01

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 23:02

Thank you.