I realized I needed a mentor in medical aesthetics because smart people keep asking me to mentor them.
Over the last few months, peers who want to start or buy businesses have been reaching out asking if they can pay me to advise them on behavioral health clinics. Behavioral health has been my world for more than twenty years, so I have a lot of context. I’ve ended up giving away hours of guidance each week. I’m happy to do it. It feels like community service and a way to give back to a business community that has welcomed me with open arms despite my non-MBA background.
I’ve spent my career scaling multi-site healthcare. I helped grow Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry from one clinic to more than 350 nationwide, designed their Psychiatry, Child Therapy, and Measurement Based Care programs, and built and sold two clinics of my own. I’m now building my first medical aesthetics practice in Northern or Central Virginia.
Helping others navigate a new industry reminded me that I’m now the one in a new industry. That brought me to this post.
I am looking for a mentor who has built a strong, safe, high-quality medical aesthetics practice. Ideally someone within about 90 minutes of Stafford, Virginia, so I can learn hands-on. This is not a path to an acquisition pitch. I will not ask you to sell your business. I want guidance, not a deal. If mentorship ever evolves into deeper collaboration, great. If not, I still learned. I’m also open to spending time inside a clinic in any useful capacity. I don’t need to be paid. I want real operational reps, not shortcuts.
Here are the kinds of questions I’d want to run by a mentor as I move from early planning into real operations:
• What experienced operators see inexperienced owners or absentee investors get wrong
• What reasonable involvement from a medical director looks like and how operators keep protocols current
• The early quality and safety decisions that matter most
• How to evaluate injectors and front desk talent beyond before-and-afters and personality fit
• The cultural or staffing choices that made their clinic safer and calmer as they grew
• Operational red flags during diligence
• What separates a forgettable medspa from one that builds lifelong client trust
• How to find hands-on learning opportunities inside real clinics
I have clinical and executive operator experience, but medical aesthetics has its own rhythm and I want to learn it the right way. I am willing to pay for a mentor’s time because I respect the experience they have earned.
If you know someone who cares about safety, quality, compliance, long-term client relationships, and doing things the right way, I’d be grateful for an introduction.
I want to approach this industry with clarity and respect. If someone comes to mind, please let me know.
This piece was originally shared on LinkedIn and sparked thoughtful discussion among medical aesthetics practice owners. I’m sharing it here for those who prefer to read privately.
View the original LinkedIn discussion →
If this resonates, or if you’re thinking about the future of your practice, I’m always open to a confidential, owner-led conversation.