For The Record

Some careers unfold exactly as planned. Carrie Galpin's was peppered with the unexpected, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her experiences have made her the industry icon she’s become today and a fierce advocate for training, development and long term success of the aesthetic specialty. From launching Sculptra in the HIV population in 2007 to expanding the Galderma Aesthetic Injector Network (GAIN) and supporting clinical educators, speakers, and trainers, Carrie has been in nearly every room that matters. Now she's building her own as the new CEO of TITAN Aesthetic, the recruiting and talent development company founded by Mary Beth Hagen a decade ago.This conversation is about what happens when experience, opportunity, and a willingness to start over all arrive at the same time. It's also about two things this industry desperately needs and rarely talks about honestly: a clearer path for injectors who want to enter or advance in aesthetics, and better systems for practices that struggle with hiring and continue wondering why.What You'll Learn:• Picking up the torch: How Carrie came to lead TITAN after a summer of unexpected transition, why she's approaching the role with a crawl-walk-run mentality, and what it means to inherit a business built by someone you deeply respect with that person staying on to mentor you through the first year• The talent pipeline problem: Why there is an abundance of education in aesthetics but almost no clear path from curious nurse to credible injector, and how that ambiguity costs practices, practitioners, and patients every single day• Screening as a superpower: What TITAN's assessment process actually evaluates, intangibles like grit, work ethic, cultural fit, and critical thinking, and why those transferable skills often predict success better than clinical experience alone• The onboarding gap nobody talks about: Why practices spend significant money recruiting and then hand a new hire a badge and wish them luck, and what it would look like if someone actually owned that handoff• See one, do one, teach one: The Johns Hopkins framework Carrie has carried throughout her entire career and why she believes it applies just as much to business development as it does to clinical training• Gratitude as a leadership strategy: How Carrie navigated one of the more uncertain chapters of her career, why she keeps coming back to gratitude as her anchor, and the advice she'd give anyone who finds themselves asking "what's next?"• What to expect from TITAN in the next 90 days: Screening and placement services for practices with candidates to evaluate, coaching for PAs, nurses and NPs curious about the aesthetic space, and the groundwork being laid for a much bigger 2027• VASTOZ- a conference unlike anything the industry has seen: Carrie's other major project for 2026 is consulting on this intimate, advanced-level conference hosted by Dr. Yan Trokel at The Pierre Hotel in New York on November 13–14, 2026. One room. Eleven CE credits. Faculty from Brazil, Dubai, and the US, and a focus on what lives beyond toxins and fillers like regenerative medicine, the Y-loop technique, GLP-1 patient management, and the real next frontier of aesthetic medicineQuoteworthy Moments:"There is a significant number of opportunities out there, but because there's no clear path to competency and credibility, there's a lot of ambiguity in the marketplace. I'm a little Pollyanna about it, but I’m bound and determined to help create that clearer path.""Stay in a place of gratitude for all things, good and bad, because they are intended for you. And who you are is enough."Connect with Carrie, TITAN & VASTOZInstagram: @carriegalpin_aestheticsEmail: [email protected]: TITANaesthetic.comVASTOZ Conference — November 13–14, New York City (The Pierre Hotel):Website: vastoz.comInstagram: @vastozsummitLimited Time Promotion: Buy one ticket, get the second at 50% off | Buy two, get the third free

1,500 attendees. 116.75 CME credits. Over 200 sessions. A Secret Service detail that nobody saw coming. And a Saturday night dance floor that had everyone sweaty and still not ready to leave.Aesthetic Next 8.0 is in the books, and Dr. Tiphany sits down with Aesthetic Next Senior Events Manager, Macy Robinson, for a full debrief on what happened, what surprised them both, and what's already in motion for AN 9.0.The Lessons: This year felt different. K-beauty panels were standing room only—a sign that skincare has officially moved from afterthought to main event. Hormones, menopause, and peptides dominated the programming, with Lexi Yoo delivering a full-day dual session along with multiple panels and lectures. Hair made a major comeback. Advanced injection workshops replaced the basic demos of earlier years. And a strong, consistent message ran through multiple sessions: stop using adverse events as a social media strategy: it's scaring patients and hurting the industry. The Moments: The evenings were just as memorable as the sessions. True Biologix kicked off Thursday night with a block party, and the exhibit hall had everything from Xtresse's puppy park featuring adoptable shelter dogs (at least one found a forever home) to SkinSpirit's networking lounge, headshots and IVs.Friday's Nexties swapped the traditional awards show format for a full casino night, with craps, roulette, and Texas Hold 'Em tables alongside the award presentations. Congratulations to Delaney Poor, Olivia Salmon, Amy Birkenstam, Heather Zade, Leslie Fletcher, Merz, and Waseem Garbia & Erika Barry with Aesthetic Intel. Saturday's Studio AN 8.0 was, by all accounts, the best party in AN history!!! The outfits, the music, the dancing.....so good!Oh, and the RNC came to Dallas the same week, because of course they did, so the Secret Service showed up on day one. Plans changed and everyone rolled with it and lived to tell the tale.What's Coming:Looking ahead, AN 9.0 moves to the Lowe's Arlington Hotel and Convention Center on August 26–29, 2027, a new venue, a single-floor layout, and slightly earlier dates that should make life easier for East Coast attendees navigating back-to-school.Abstracts should open November 1, but check the AN instagram for actual availability. Exhibitor interest forms are live now at aestheticnext.com, and with nearly half of all attendees serving as owners or decisions makers, it's a great place to be for any brand! And if you missed AN 8.0, the virtual venue is available through March 15 for $600 including all sessions from the main 4 tracks and all CMEs included.Aesthetic Next 9.0:Venue: Lowe's Arlington Hotel & Convention CenterDates: August 26–29, 2027Abstracts open: November 1 (check IG)Exhibitor interest forms: Live now at aestheticnext.comVirtual venue for AN 8.0: Available through March 15 — $600 for all sessions + full CME accessFollow @aesthetic_next on Instagram for tickets, deadlines, and updates. And if you missed it, don't let it happen again next year!!Learn more at aestheticnext.com

We are well conditioned to think about what to do when an adverse event or bad outcome strikes. But do we think enough about what happens when the medical board walks in, the malpractice carrier finds a loophole, or a patient's attorney starts pulling the thread on everything that wasn't properly documented?Meika Mirabelli, JD, FNP-C is one of the industry's rarest voices: a practicing nurse practitioner, a licensed attorney, a former legal nurse consultant at a major South Florida malpractice law firm, and the founder of Maven Aesthetics Studio in Plantation, Florida. She has spent her career standing at the intersection of clinical skill and legal accountability, and she uses both fluently. She's also a mentor, a speaker, and the creator of the Injector Launch Lab, an online course designed to help new and aspiring injectors determine if this career is right for them before they spend the money, quit the hospital job, and figure it out the hard way.This episode covers a lot of ground, from the underrated lessons she learned watching her mother say no to bangs and bad haircut requests (yes, that's in here), to the real risks of injecting without understanding what your malpractice policy actually covers, to why she still doesn't prescribe peptides in her practice. It's one of the most practically useful compliance conversations the show has ever had, and it doesn't require a law degree to follow.What You'll Learn:• Training does not equal competence: The uncomfortable truth about weekend certification courses, why trainers rarely tell students what they're not going to know after two days, and what a new injector should actually be told at the end of a training class• What a medical director should actually be asking before delegating: The full checklist Meika walks through - clinical background, critical thinking indicators, ICU vs. nursing home experience, social media professionalism, LinkedIn presence—and why the totality of the package matters more than years of aesthetic experience• Malpractice insurance isn't just for the Practice: What a declaration page is, why you should ask to see your employer's before you start injecting, why your policy may not cover you if you switch practices or add a service you didn't disclose, and why the people most likely to not have coverage are the ones most likely to need it• The GFE problem and why medical directors aren't optional: Why the "I didn't know I needed one" defense doesn't work in front of a board, and why your medical director fee is not a cost. It's the price of protecting your license. • Why compliance isn't sexy, and how to make yourself care anyway: Her honest answer to why the industry keeps ignoring the legal foundation it's built on, and why the "it won't happen to me" mentality is exactly what the malpractice attorneys she used to work for were waiting for• Injector Launch Lab: What's inside the course: compliance, anatomy, complications, business checklists, LinkedIn templates, a 90-day launch plan, resume templates, and a first module designed to help you decide if this is even the right career before you spend another dollar on trainingQuoteworthy Moments:"Nurses, you have the right to interview your employer. Ask about malpractice coverage. Ask about the medical director. Ask to see the declaration page. If they make you feel bad for asking, that tells you everything you need to know.""Compliance isn't sexy. It doesn't bring patients in. It doesn't produce revenue. And most people don't know they need it until they're sitting in front of a board that's asking for the thing they don't have."Connect with Meika:Maven Aesthetics Studio: https://mavenaestheticsstudio.com/Injector Launch Lab: https://mavenaestheticsstudio.com/injector-launch-lab/Meika’s Instagram: @theinjectormaven

Some practices make you feel like a patient. Some make you feel like a number. And then there's Flawless Aesthetics in Chattanooga, Tennessee—where you walk in to a signature scent, a glass of champagne, a massage chair, and a front desk team who already knows your name.Lindsay Bright, FNP-C is the founder of Flawless Aesthetics, a five-time Best Injector in America honoree, national trainer for multiple brands, and one of the most compelling brand builders in the industry. She didn't come from money or business school. She came from plastic surgery offices where her ideas kept getting shut down—until her husband finally said, "You know what you want. Just go do it." Two weeks later, she was injecting out of a hair salon closet. Two years later, she was in a 7,000-square-foot practice with a thriving business.This episode is a masterclass in what it actually means to build a luxury brand from the inside out—from hiring philosophy and handwritten patient letters to the new Flawless Formula, a six-month comprehensive treatment planning model that is quietly transforming how her practice retains and reconnects with patients. And as a special bonus, her 12-year-old daughter Eva joins the conversation to talk about Lil’ Flawless and Skintuition, her two skincare lines for tweens and teens—and what she's already learning about entrepreneurship, loyalty, and showing up even when you don't feel like it.What You'll Learn:• The vision she created: How Lindsay spent years envisioning the practice she wanted—the champagne, the chandeliers, the signature scent, the whole feel of it—and finally stopped waiting for permission and opened her own practice in two weeks flat• The front desk is the most important hire you'll ever make: Why Lindsay pays her front desk team exceptionally well, protects them fiercely, and credits them as the first and most critical point of the luxury patient experience—and why most practices dramatically undervalue this role• Love on the patients you have: The year-one-to-two mindset shift from "I need more patients" to "I need to know the ones I have"—and how slowing down, increasing room time, and genuinely getting to know patients transformed the business• The Flawless Formula: Lindsay's newly launched six-month comprehensive patient check-in model that revisits treatment plans, checks in on what's working and what isn't, and creates the kind of ongoing dialogue that stops patients from quietly leaving for someone else without ever saying why• Building culture before building locations: Why Lindsay delayed opening her third location in Knoxville for months—not because she didn't have the space or the demand, but because she hadn't found the right people who truly embodied the Flawless culture yet• Hire smarter people and listen to them: The hiring philosophy Lindsay adopted early—find people who know things you don't, give them a seat at the table, and actually listen when they bring ideas—and how that approach has kept most of her original staff through five years of growthSpecial guest & Lindsay's daughter, Eva Bright, Founder of Lil' Flawless & Skintuition, also joins us!At 12 years old, Eva has already launched two skincare lines. Lil' Flawless is a gentle, age-appropriate routine designed for tweens and younger teens who want to care for their skin without overwhelming it. Skintuition is her second line—stronger and targeted for acne-prone teen skin. Eva designed the packaging, helped develop the formulations, and handles her own social media content. She's proof that the entrepreneurial spirit can manifest at any age, and she talks about the lessons she's learning from Mom & Dad and the challenges that come with managing 2 skincare lines. Connect with Lindsay & Flawless Aesthetics:Flawless Aesthetics: flawlesschattanooga.comLil Flawless & Skintuition: available at https://www.flawlesschattanooga.com/category/all-productsInstagram: @flawlesschattanooga @flawless.injector

Chris Murray has been in almost every room that matters in this industry. Galderma. Revision Skincare. Platinum Dermatology Partners. And now—after more than a decade of building other people's businesses, launching private label lines, managing 432 providers across 125 locations, and quietly answering every call on the first ring—he's building his own.Catalyst Aesthetic Advisors is the business Chris has been talking about starting for years. The concept is as simple as it is rare: a “talent agency model” for aesthetics that doesn't sell you a playbook, a software, or a marketing package. It sells you a result. You tell him where you want to go, grow revenue, scale locations, exit, or bring a big idea to life, and he diagnoses what you actually need, finds the right people to execute it, and stays in the room until it's done.This is a conversation about what you learn when you've stood on every side of this industry. What practices get wrong about vendors. What vendors get wrong about practices. Why the million-dollar ceiling exists. Why private equity isn't the threat people think it is. And why the Forrest Gump of aesthetics might be exactly who your practice needs to call.What You'll Learn:• The CAA model for aesthetics: Why Chris modeled Catalyst after Creative Artists Agency—the talent agency that revolutionized Hollywood by packaging talent instead of producing content—and how that same idea translates to packaging the right consultants, operators, and experts around a practice's specific goal• Four reasons to call Catalyst: Grow revenue, scale and add locations, exit the practice, or develop a big idea, and why knowing which one you need changes everything about the path forward• Diagnose, assess, refer, execute: The operational model behind Catalyst, and why "execute" is the differentiator—not the diagnosis or the referral, but staying in the room until the result is done• The 30,000-foot view problem: Why most practice owners are stuck at 10 feet (survival mode, day-to-day) with no one operating at 20,000 feet, translating between the board level and the treatment room, and why that gap costs more than any single expense line on the P&L• Stop carrying everything: Why focusing on two or three vendor partners and giving them preferential treatment results in better pricing, more samples, more training support, and less panic at the end of every quarter• The private label reality check: When private label makes sense, when it doesn't, why volume equals price, and what it actually takes to build a custom formulation versus just putting your name on someone else's product• Five ways to grow an aesthetic practice, and new patients is only one: Why retention, cross-selling, increased visit frequency, e-commerce, and membership are all being left on the table while practices pour money into lead acquisition• When to expand: Don't even think about a second location until you're hitting $1.4 per provider and $1 million in EBITDA in year one. Get your house in order first. Expanding chaos is just more chaos.Quoteworthy Moments:"Hope is not a strategy. That's a T-shirt I wear constantly. And it is what most marketing plans in aesthetics are built on.""There's no litmus test for how well a practice is doing. I've shown someone their books and said, 'Do you realize how good you're doing?' They had no idea. You can't go from a B-plus to an A-minus without knowing what a B-plus looks like first."Connect with Chris:Website: catalystaestheticadvisors.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/catalystaestheticadvisors