
Medical Spa Insider
AmSpa Founder and CEO, Alex Thiersch, takes an in-depth look at today's aesthetic entrepreneurs and what makes them successful.
Latest episodes

Oct 25, 2023 • 57min
The Timeline and Considerations for Medical Spa Real Estate
Albert Miles, vice president of Xite Realty, brings expertise in medical spa real estate to the conversation. He delves into the timeline of securing prime locations and the critical factors in site selection, such as demographic analysis and market saturation. Discussing real estate as a powerful advertising tool, he highlights common misconceptions in costs and lease negotiations. Listeners gain insights on strategic financial planning and how to avoid pitfalls in the planning process, ensuring a solid foundation for their medical spa ventures.

Oct 18, 2023 • 36min
Adding Levity and Pioneering Safety with Dani Sher
This week, AmSpa President and COO, Cathy Christensen, speaks with Dani Sher, PA-C, founder of Sparkle Aesthetics. They discuss Sher’s comedy background and ultrasound in aesthetics. Their conversation includes:
Her non-linear path to aesthetics;
Bringing comedy to aesthetic medicine;
Finding the everyday truths that exist in this world;
How she brought ultrasound from the ER to facial aesthetics;
Mitigating risk and the question of malpractice;
How much training is needed to adopt ultrasound;
Credentialing for facial ultrasound;
And much more!
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD and Podium. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com and https://www.podium.com/amspa/ to learn more!

Oct 11, 2023 • 55min
Franchise Development with VIO Med Spa: Business Realities and Expanding with the Industry
This week, AmSpa CEO, Alex R. Thiersch, JD, catches up with Ryan Rao, chief development officer, and Ryan Rose, CEO, of VIO Med Spa. They discuss medical spa trends on a national scale, the business benefits of wellness treatments and what newcomers learn before investing in medical spas. Their conversation includes:
An update on location growth, sales trends and service lines;
The process of introducing wellness treatment plans;
How mental health intersects with medical aesthetics;
What makes the learning curve steeper for new medical spa owners;
Building a brand with a backbone of compliance;
Dichotomies of leadership and developing culture within a medical spa;
Perceptions and realities of franchising in the medical spa category;
And much more!
Listen to their previous conversation on franchise development and the launch of VIO Med Spa here: Franchise Development with VIO Med Spa: from Single Unit to National Name
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD, HansBiomed and Podium. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com; https://www.mintliftsummit.com/; and https://www.podium.com/amspa/ to learn more!

Oct 6, 2023 • 44min
Pivoting and Priorities: Advice from a Top Leadership Coach
This week, AmSpa President and COO, Cathy Christensen, speaks with Sohee Jun, PhD, top leadership coach and bestselling author. They discuss the myth of balance, her 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;
And much more!
Learn more from Dr. Jun during her closing keynote at the Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference from November 1 – 3, 2023 in Miami.
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD, HansBiomed and Podium. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com; https://www.mintliftsummit.com/; and https://www.podium.com/amspa/ to learn more!

Sep 28, 2023 • 43min
How Medical Spa EHR Highlights Similarities Across the Atlantic
This week, AmSpa President and COO, Cathy Christensen, speaks with Dr. Toby Makmel, cosmetic physician and Co-founder and Head Medical Advisor at Clinicminds. They discuss the aesthetic medicine use case for EHR, the ways his software adapts to the needs of providers across the globe, and how the business of medical aesthetics compares in the Netherlands. Their conversation includes:
How Clinicminds expanded across countries, languages and time zones;
Differences in software focus from Amsterdam to the U.S.;
Aesthetics regulation and compliance landscapes in the U.S. and Amsterdam;
The vital components of treatment registration;
How medical spa EHR software updates with the changing landscape;
Which medical professionals are entering cosmetic medicine in the Netherlands;
Running a successful video consultation;
And much more!
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD, HansBiomed and Podium. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com; https://www.mintliftsummit.com/; and https://www.podium.com/amspa/ to learn more!

Sep 20, 2023 • 41min
Personal Branding and Danish Wisdom with Erika Barry
In this engaging conversation, Erika Barry, an international trainer and founder of Moksha Aesthetics, shares her transformative journey from a hospital setting to the aesthetic industry. She discusses her marketing strategies and the nuances of personal branding, emphasizing the importance of making clients feel valued. Erika also dives into the art of patient assessment and the vital role of patience in both employee and client relationships. Her insights offer a unique perspective on fostering community and continual learning in the aesthetics field.

Sep 13, 2023 • 42min
Using AI to Reach Your Leads Faster
This week, AmSpa CEO, Alex R. Thiersch, JD, speaks with Shannon Blake, senior partner manager at Podium, and Cortney Hall, clinic director and COO at Imago Medical. They speak about the increasing usage of AI in medical spas and how AI is streamlining text marketing for medical aesthetics. Their conversation covers:
Automating features to get your time back;
How AI assistants answer patient questions;
What differentiates text marketing from email;
Taking emotion out of communication with generative AI;
What’s next with AI in medical spa marketing;
Maintaining the human element;
And much more!
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com to learn more!

Sep 6, 2023 • 43min
Investors, Injectors and Business Leadership with Alchemy 43
This week, AmSpa President and COO, Cathy Christensen, speaks with Nicci Levy, founder and CEO of Alchemy 43. They discuss how she built and defined a niche for Alchemy 43, best practices for her nationwide brand, and how becoming a mother has impacted her leadership. Their conversation covers:
The story of Levy’s path to aesthetics and founding Alchemy 43;
Advice for opening locations in new markets;
Defining her brand’s focus on microtreatments;
Supporting profit margins in an injectables-focused model;
What the process of raising capital looks like and how to work with investors;
The challenge of recruiting, training and retaining skilled injectors;
Finding harmony between business leadership and family as a woman entrepreneur;
And much more!
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD and Boulevard. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com and https://get.joinblvd.com/amspa/ to learn more!

Aug 30, 2023 • 40min
Recognizing Burnout and What to Do About It
This week, AmSpa President and COO, Cathy Christensen, speaks with Paula Davis, JD, MAPP, founder and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute. They discuss the experience of burnout in the workplace, elements that contribute to this stress, and what leaders can do when they recognize burnout. Their conversation covers:
How to handle the feelings associated with burnout;
Sources of uncertainty and chronic stress in the workplace;
The effects of a leader’s burnout on the team;
The necessary process of introspection;
Recognizing the line between stress and burnout;
Davis’ mini checklist to recognize burnout;
How to support recovery from stress and burnout;
And much more!
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD and Boulevard. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com and https://get.joinblvd.com/amspa/ to learn more!

Aug 23, 2023 • 40min
HIPAA: Steps to Compliance for Patient Comfortability and Profitability
In this week’s episode, AmSpa CEO, Alex R. Thiersch, JD, speaks with Liam Degnan, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Compliancy Group. They speak about HIPAA compliance in the medical spa space, where to start and how it benefits your business. Their conversation covers:
How to mitigate your liability and make patients feel comfortable;
The profitability of compliant businesses;
Identifying risks and deficiencies in your workflows;
Why your business needs personalized policies and forms;
What training your employees need;
Sources of trouble in your medical spa’s compliance;
When you get fined and how to protect your business;
And much more!
Read more about complying with HIPAA in AmSpa’s recent blog post.
This episode of Medical Spa Insider is sponsored by RepeatMD and Boulevard. Visit https://www.repeatmd.com and https://get.joinblvd.com/amspa/ to learn more!
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