Doctor, You’re the Brand: How to Build an Aesthetic Practice Around Your Unique Story

Doctor, You’re the Brand: How to Build an Aesthetic Practice Around Your Unique Story

Most of us didn’t go into medicine to be on camera. We didn’t train for over a decade just to figure out Instagram captions, branding colors, or how to position ourselves in the "market." When I left my academic fellowship in 2018 to get into aesthetics, I had no roadmap. Rather, I knew I loved women’s health and beauty and wanted to pursue that.

When I began my journey, I truly felt like a beginner. But I chose to share each step of the process online—attending conferences, taking classes, hosting home parties, working after hours, and talking about what genuinely excited me about skincare and aesthetics. Along the way, I also opened up about why I left traditional primary care and shared my personal wellness journey. Patients were drawn to me for my honesty, consistency, and curiosity.

Here’s what I’ve learned: Your story, your values, and your experiences are your brand- and your patients are craving it.

Too many brilliant providers stay stuck in jobs that steal their time, creativity, and freedom because they fear putting themselves out there.
They’re afraid it will look like bragging. That it’s not “professional.” Or that they’ll be judged for pivoting away from traditional medicine.

But guess what?
Your humanness is what makes people trust you.
And your story is what will set your practice apart in a saturated aesthetic market.

I've Helped Hundreds of Clinicians Build Personal Brands That Align with Their Purpose

Whether you’re launching a med spa, starting a product line, or building thought leadership online, your story is your strategy.
Here are three ways to use it powerfully and authentically.

1. Tap Into Your Broader Message

People don’t follow you because of what you do.
They follow you because of why you do it.

Your business may offer skincare, injectables, or hormone therapy, but what do you stand for beyond that?

For example, I help medical professionals open compliant, profitable med spas. But what I really stand for is this:
"Doctors and nurses deserve full and meaningful lives, even if that means changing their mind about what medicine looks like."

That’s my message. That’s my heartbeat. And that’s what draws people in.

Ask yourself:

• What do I believe that others in my industry aren’t saying?
  
  

• What do I want my patients, clients, or peers to feel when they encounter my work?
  
  

• What do I stand for beyond what I sell?
  
  

Your message is the thread that connects your content, services, and story together.

2. Share the Struggle That Brought You Here

Remember your med school or PA school personal statement?
You probably told a story about an experience that shaped your decision to go into medicine.

Why did we stop doing that?

The journey that led you here — to aesthetics, entrepreneurship, wellness, or leaving corporate healthcare — is important.
Whether it was burnout, an illness, a family crisis, becoming a parent, or simply not feeling like yourself anymore, these moments shaped your next chapter.

You don’t have to share your whole life story online.
But you do need to share something real — what I call a “pocket story.”

Something small.
Something true.
Something that reveals what matters to you.

Patients and clients don’t buy from the most polished provider. They buy from the one they relate to.

3. Give Yourself Permission to Be Seen

This might be the hardest part.
In traditional medicine, we’re taught to be selfless, clinical, and invisible.
Personal stories were discouraged. Emotional transparency was considered unprofessional.
But in entrepreneurship and aesthetic medicine, the rules are different.

Your visibility is an act of leadership.

Your patients want to know who you are, what you care about, and how you show up in the world.

So post the photo. Share the quote. Tell the story. Host the event.
Start small, but start.

You’re not bragging — you’re showing up.
And when you do, you give others permission to do the same.

Ready to Build a Brand That Reflects You?

I’ve helped hundreds of doctors and nurses build meaningful, successful brands based on who they are — not who they think they need to be.

If you’re ready to lead with your values, stand out in the aesthetic space, and create a business that feels like you, book a clarity call with me or explore my mentorship and courses at Elev Institute.

You’re not just building a brand.
You’re reclaiming your story — and turning it into something powerful.