The Future Of Beauty: “Combining price transparency with lead generation” With Dr. Jonathan Kaplan

To take advantage of this new generation of younger patients that are “starting early and staying longer,” our contribution to technology in this space isn’t new devices. It’s to improve the customer service experience and capture more loyal patients. How do we do this? One of the most oft-asked questions about any cosmetic procedure (or healthcare service in general) is how much does it cost? Doctors and med spas are very reluctant to reveal price ahead of time for various reasons. My office on the other hand, allows consumers to check our prices but in a way that is mutually beneficial. They can check pricing on our Price Estimator and receive an instant, automated email estimate after they provide their contact information. So we’re combining price transparency (a huge buzzword and impetus behind a recent Executive Order) with lead generation. The consumer doesn’t have to search in vain for the price and the healthcare provider receives a lead in return!

As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing… Jonathan Kaplan MD, MPH

Dr. Jonathan Kaplan is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in San Francisco, CA and founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health, a price transparency-lead generation platform.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

From the age of 11, I had the opportunity to watch my father, a general surgeon, operate in the operating room at the local hospital. During one of these trips when I was 16, I went in to watch a plastic surgeon remove a skin cancer from a patient’s leg and close the wound using skin from their wrinkly neck. When taking the skin from the neck, the surgeon made sure to do it in such a way that the final incision would be hidden within a neck crease. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a plastic surgeon — not because I saw some glamorous facelift or boob job!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

During the beginning of my plastic surgery career, I did a lot of reconstructive surgery, before the time of social media. Now that I’ve moved from Louisiana to San Francisco to do primarily cosmetic surgery, many of the patients from my past now share and post my reconstructive work on social media! You can see an example here.

It’s just fascinating to live these experiences initially in real time, and then relive them years later in social media time!

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

Very early on in my career, I noticed patients always calling and asking about the cost of cosmetic procedures since they’re paid out of pocket. Telling the patient they had to come in for a consult to determine price was very frustrating to the patient and giving them all of the pricing information over the phone took way too much time. I figured there had to be a way to check pricing online — but there wasn’t. That’s when I had an epiphany and created a price transparency platform, BuildMyBod Health. But to make it more palatable to healthcare providers, who are reluctant to post pricing, I “linked” price transparency to lead generation. So now, consumers can check pricing on cosmetic and medically necessary services that will be paid out of pocket because a deductible hasn’t been met on our patented Price Estimator that’s embedded into doctor’s website and the doctor gets the consumer’s contact info in return. It’s for all consumers and doctors — not just cosmetics. We work with bariatric surgeons, ObGyns, dermatologists, medspas, dentists, etc. (see links). We now have over 250 healthcare providers using our Price Estimator to provide pricing info to consumers and generating leads in return. Even though providers were reluctant to offer pricing, I kept pushing this idea because I knew it worked in my practice and could work in others.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

When I had this idea for a price transparency platform, we started with building an app for it. But I needed help with coding. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, mentioned that she had friends from high school in Connecticut that knew how to code. I figured these were probably guys that just played World of Warcraft! But she connected us and it was a perfect fit. They’re now our technical cofounders. You can see the whole story here.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?

To take advantage of this new generation of younger patients that are “starting early and staying longer,” our contribution to technology in this space isn’t new devices. It’s to improve the customer service experience and capture more loyal patients. How do we do this?

One of the most oft-asked questions about any cosmetic procedure (or healthcare service in general) is how much does it cost? Doctors and med spas are very reluctant to reveal price ahead of time for various reasons. My office on the other hand, allows consumers to check our prices but in a way that is mutually beneficial. They can check pricing on our Price Estimator and receive an instant, automated email estimate after they provide their contact information.

So we’re combining price transparency (a huge buzzword and impetus behind a recent Executive Order) with lead generation. The consumer doesn’t have to search in vain for the price and the healthcare provider receives a lead in return!

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

One major risk, and also why doctors are worried about showing pricing, is that consumers could just go to the cheapest doctor without regard to quality. That’s already happening because consumers call around, taking up the front office staff’s time asking about pricing, then hang up and call the next doctor. All in an effort to find the cheapest doctor. With a Price Estimator, they can check pricing on the doctor’s website without wasting front office staff’s time. Plus, with the common use of review sites, it will quickly become apparent if a doctor is cheap but not good.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

It’s 1) becoming less taboo, 2) more people are talking about it, 3) more people are doing it, 4) doing it early, 5) doing it longer and 6) sharing their experiences on social media!

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

There’s a great deal of medical information based on dogma. People keep repeating the same information even though it’s not true. A perfect example is with Botox. So many ill-informed practitioners tell patients not to work out or lay down after Botox treatment. It’s nonsense! It’s not like sauce in a saucepan — it doesn’t slosh around! These misconceptions are more common now that more non-cosmetic trained doctors enter the industry. In other words, because the insurance-based method of practicing medicine is becoming so difficult for doctors, you have ER doctors, ObGyns, intermal medicine doctors, etc entering the cosmetics field and offering Botox and other non-surgical services. It’s not illegal but they weren’t trained during a residency or fellowship on these treatments. But I can educate the public in three different ways: through price transparency so they understand what they’re paying for.. The other is through social media — I broadcast my operations on Snapchat and Instagram Stories @RealDrBae. Third, I am constantly creating video and blog content to further educate the public.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

  1. Simple treatments like Botox to the upper lip to treat a gummy smile. It’s inexpensive and patients love the result! Gives them a “lip flip”
  2. Makeup to highlight cheekbones and avoid fillers
  3. If a patient is uncomfortable in bathing suits or has difficulty finding clothes to fit because of breasts that are too big or “too small,” a breast reduction or a small implant, respectively, can help so much. Too much shaming about patients getting breast augmentation. No one said they had to be huge!
  4. Lip fillers: use one syringe and STOP! No one has to have overfilled lips. You can stop!
  5. For men, there’s no shame in hair restoration. The techniques are so much improved and avoid the big ugly horizontal scar across the back of the scalp.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Clearly it’s price transparency. The knowledge of how much healthcare costs before you get the bill is a no brainer and can help patients plan financially ahead of time. And by introducing competition into commodity services like X-rays and blood tests, this will make outpatient healthcare less expensive.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

From the plastic surgery perspective, good plastic surgery ain’t cheap and cheap plastic surgery ain’t good!

From the price transparency perspective, only when the consumer is in control of their healthcare and healthcare finances, only then will they be free to plan for their future.

How can our readers follow you online?

I’m @realdrbae on Snap, IG and TikTok and @BuildMyBod on Twitter and LinkedIn. www.buildmybod.com and www.RealDrBae.com

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

The Future Of Beauty: “Combining price transparency with lead generation” With Dr. Jonathan Kaplan was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“How I Was Able To Thrive Despite First Experiencing Impostor Syndrome” With Rob Cross, CEO of Muru

Check the evidence — consider what evidence you have that really proves you’re not capable of doing the role. For the COO, there wasn’t a single shred of evidence that proved it. He was highly regarded. Yes, there were a few projects that hadn’t gone to plan, but that’s not uncommon. His boss and the board loved him. The evidence he was relying on to reinforce his insecurity was just what he was creating for himself

As a part of our series about how very accomplished leaders were able to succeed despite experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rob Cross.

Rob is the founder and CEO of Muru — a next generation leadership coaching and development consultancy that aims to debunk redundant models of what it means to be a leader, and help individuals, teams and groups unlock their true potential.

20% psychologist, 10% agony aunt, 30% motivational speaker, 40% bullshit detector and 100% Dad and Husband, Rob’s no-nonsense approach to life and business makes him a refreshingly human leadership expert and mentor in today’s ever evolving and changing business landscape.

Bringing together his 20 years of hands on leadership, and practical experience of developing others, Rob researched, designed and launched Muru Leadership and ‘The 3 Questions’ ™. In today’s age of acceleration, where the classic definitions of being a leader are no longer working, ‘The 3 Questions’ ™ methodology helps individuals and teams build greater courage and conviction in their own leadership, empowering them to lead and achieve higher levels of success and fulfillment both at work, and in life.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?

Born in the UK, but raised in a small country town in Victoria, Australia, my passion for understanding people and leadership started at an early age.

A big believer that variety and diversity maketh a ‘more rounded individual’, I began my career in the Australian Air Force as a civil engineer. I quickly seemed to rankle many of my senior officers as I worked my way up through the ranks at pace. Dealing with resistance and the conflict this caused was my first foray into the true hurdles and politics of leadership, and the psychological issues at play that can create great teams or send them toppling into chaos.

An injury literally left me grounded, so with my RAF days behind me I moved to the UK and into the big blue-chip corporate world working with the likes of BT, LexisNexis, SIG and the Prudential. Quite a different kind of politics, but no less cut throat.

At this time, I experienced the tragic loss of my best friend. This profound event opened my eyes to the fact that ‘life happens’ to everyone — even leaders — so why do we put pressure on ourselves to lead as though nothing else impacts our lives and our ability to manage?

The next profound event in my life was the moment I became a father. This was my light bulb moment. I started seeing the patterns and failures of traditional leadership models that don’t allow for the fact that leaders are humans too — and shouldn’t have to be unrealistically devoid of emotion or super-human performance.

Cue a refocus of priorities and a career change. Bringing together my 20 years of hands on leadership, and practical experience of developing others, I took the plunge and launched Muru Leadership in 2018.

Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

In May 2019 I was in the middle of a major culture change programme that I was delivering for a client organisation. As part of my regular catch up with the sponsors I went for a coffee with the global COO. As we walked out of the office, I asked him how he was doing. He took a deep breath and said that things were ok, but that he was struggling.

“How so?” I asked.

“I feel like I’m waiting to be found out,” he replied. “I feel like an imposter.”

I was a little taken aback by this response. Even though this guy had been in his role with the company for five years and was really highly regarded, he still felt as though at any minute someone would burst through the door to ‘out’ him as not being incompetent.

More on that story later, but it was at this moment I recognised I had the ability to help more people appreciate their worth and true potential, and the seed was planted for my future business. Increasingly, I have found the experience of this particular COO, is actually quite common across senior leaders. They function day to day focusing on delivering their job, all the time feeling insecure that they are going to be revealed as frauds.

The key takeout for me is that ultimately though we may try to keep it well hidden, regardless of how senior and experienced we are, we are all humans with the same weaknesses and insecurities.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

The focus of Muru Leadership is twofold. Firstly, we help people understand the true drivers of our human behaviour, our human dilemmas. These are the inescapable aspects that sit below our beliefs and values, which make us human.

We then use these drivers to help leaders find greater courage and conviction in their identity, their purpose and ultimately how they practice and show leadership. The goal of our coaching is to help individuals identify the personal story they have to tell that defines them, and from which they can draw strength, and reset their mindset to recognise that we are all human beings leading other human beings.

How does this work in practise? Continuing the story of the COO I mentioned earlier, after a deeper conversation than we both planned over that coffee, and with some pretty direct challenge and support from me, the COO learned to transform the energy that was driving his insecurity and Imposter Syndrome. Instead, he re-focused his strengths on the contribution he was making to others. He developed a bunch of new habits including mindfulness, going to the gym and learning to say no, all of which gave him greater energy to do his job and be the great leader he was capable of being. The ultimate outcome of this is that he no longer feels like an imposter, and instead feels comfortable in his own skin as the leader he wants to be, rather than trying to be the leader he felt he should be.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’ve had some incredible mentors throughout my career, all of whom have helped me develop and define my identity, purpose and practice as a leader.

When I first joined the Australian Air Force in 2000, there was a senior leader called Steve Richards who took me under his wing and helped me make the shift from being a purely logical and rational technical engineer into someone that deeply understood people and how to get the best out of them. He helped me pause to consider what was really going on with my team, helping me to understand there is a human behind every professional. This was a profound moment for me and has gone on to shape my profession, my career and my business.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the experience of Impostor Syndrome. How would you define Impostor Syndrome? What do people with Imposter Syndrome feel?

Fundamentally, Imposter Syndrome is that dreaded feeling that you will be caught out as a fraud. It’s that anxiety inducing niggling self-doubt that seeps in that you are incapable of delivering the role you are appointed to do, and that at any moment you’re going to be exposed.

What are the downsides of Impostor Syndrome? How can it limit people?

People who experience Imposter Syndrome feel a high degree of insecurity, which makes them work incredibly hard, but limits their full potential.

What I mean by this is they focus on volume rather than value, putting in long hours, saying yes to every task they are set, and putting themselves and their teams under pressure to often deliver against unrealistically tough targets and deadlines.

The rationale for this, is they feel like they need to over achieve to prove their worth. This can limit individuals from being great leaders as they are so busy delivering the day to day that they fail to recognize that challenging the status quo is sometimes the greatest value they are capable of offering.

How can the experience of Imposter Syndrome impact how one treats others?

Individuals with Imposter Syndrome find it hard to say no as they feel it shows signs of weakness, and evidence they are not capable of delivering. This can have a detrimental impact on their ability to communicate well with peers and colleagues.

This manifests with the teams they work with in two ways. They are either too accommodating or can come across as short, and sometimes abrasive. The two are intertwined. The inability to say no, often directed at senior team members they want to please, results in peers and the teams they manage suffering the consequences. Individuals with IP are often over worked, stressed and too exhausted to recognise the cause and effect of their actions.

We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?

In my previous corporate roles I’ve often felt like an imposter. I would find myself committing to things that I just didn’t have time to do as I was fearful of being judged as incapable. But I learnt pretty quickly I was on the road to burnout.

It was tough at first, but I dropped the act and soon began to appreciate the strength of being able to say no. This not only helped me get more focused at work and deliver better results, but I also lived with less worry and anxiety. Ultimately I then achieved more and got noticed more, which also helped to accelerate my career.

It’s these same skills that I help people learn through my training and to appreciate that putting yourself first isn’t a sign of weakness, its actually incredibly powerful and the quickfire surest way to get the best results out of you and your team.

Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?

I don’t think you ever fully shake off the feeling, and to be honest I think that’s a good thing, we just need to learn how to channel the energy that comes with feeling like an imposter to our advantage. As humans we need to feel a little insecure and experience some pressure so that we don’t become complacent. Imposter syndrome can actually be helpful to us if used in the right way. When we are overcome with those feelings of self doubt, instead of dwelling on it try channeling that associated energy into considering how you can be more valuable to your team and the business around you to make a bigger and better difference. It certainly worked for me and that COO.

In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone who is experiencing Imposter Syndrome can take to move forward despite feeling like an “Imposter”? Please share a story or an example for each.

  1. Realise you’re not alone — over the last 20 years I’ve not met a single leader across the globe who hasn’t or doesn’t feel like an imposter at some stage in their career. We all experience this fear, so give yourself a break, and quit thinking it’s just you.
  2. Check the evidence — consider what evidence you have that really proves you’re not capable of doing the role. For the COO, there wasn’t a single shred of evidence that proved it. He was highly regarded. Yes, there were a few projects that hadn’t gone to plan, but that’s not uncommon. His boss and the board loved him. The evidence he was relying on to reinforce his insecurity was just what he was creating for himself.
  3. Change your story — when we feel like an imposter the story we tell ourselves is all about feeling like a fraud. Once we’ve checked our evidence and found there’s no facts that back up our story, we need to create a new one. This story shouldn’t be one that tries to over compensate. It should instead help us focus on our strengths and the true impact we’re making. It should also focus on who we want to be as our true authentic self. The COO didn’t suddenly go “I’m now the world’s best COO”. Instead he started to build a story that was based on the evidence; “I’m a well regarded, focused professional who delivers the results for the company and for the people. I make a difference through what I do.”
  4. Use your energy positively — as our new story unfolds we should start to shift our energy from maintaining our old story to serving our new one. It frees us up to redirect our efforts away from trying to avoid being found out, to focus on the even greater contribution we can make through our actions. The COO recognised that whilst feeling like an imposter he was constantly tired as he invested all his energy in his old story and trying to avoid being ‘found out’.

Once he created a new story, how he directed that energy shifted dramatically. He invested his energy in things both in work and in his personal life that gave him even more energy to focus on not only delivering his job, but hobbies and activities outside of work that gave him pleasure and improved his physical and mental wellbeing.

  1. Focus beyond self — when we feel like an imposter our focus is on ourselves and is driven by the negative fight mode of fear. As we let go of this belief, we stop focusing on ourselves and instead focus on the contribution we can make to others. With this new focus it’s no longer solely about the person in the mirror. Instead, it’s about how the person in the mirror can make a more positive contribution to the world around them.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Too much of what we are doing in society today is about celebrating difference. Though in many respects this has driven positive change and acceptance in society of groups of individuals that have experienced discrimination or marginalisation, it can also be the trigger for polarisation and a return to protective ‘tribalism’ driven by self preservation, fear and sometimes hate. We just need to witness the global rise of right wing populist parties in politics, and call out how social media has been weaponised or used in a mailcious way by individuals and organisations to spread misinformation.

It’s stopping us accept that in spite of all our differences, at our very core one thing unites us all; we are human beings. Regardless of your age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs, as human beings we are magnificent and vulnerable creatures that all have a story which defines us. If we could each spend a little more time focusing on the unifying thread that we are all human beings, perhaps we could stop allowing our differences to define us. This would mean that we’d also stop feeling insecure that others are better than us, and instead recognise that as humans we each have skills and capabilities that we can use to make a greater difference to all those around us. So whilst I don’t think we should stop celebrating difference, we should at the same time celebrate the humanity that binds us all together.

We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂

Barack Obama would be my №1 choice. In spite of whether you agree or disagree with his policies, I believe he was a very human leader which we have much to learn from.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Follow us at:

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-cross-65bb0b2/and https://www.linkedin.com/company/muru-leadership/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuruLeadership/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuruLeadership

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

“How I Was Able To Thrive Despite First Experiencing Impostor Syndrome” With Rob Cross, CEO of Muru was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dreamers: “They told me It was impossible and I did it anyway” With Dr. Rhonda Kalasho

My goal in life has always been to limit the suffering of others. I believe that if everyone’s mission was the same than the world would run of sugar canes and fairy dust. Many great minds feel the same like Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, or Neil Degrass Tyson, all of whom have at one point spoken on the topic of suffering. Human suffering and the suffering you can bring to your self can all be diminished if you try, and imagine how amazing the world would be, if every person creed was to the limit the suffering of themselves and their neighbors.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Rhonda Kalasho, DDS of GLO Modern Dental.

Dr. Rhonda Kalasho was born in a country where bomb raids and corrupt government were bigger threats than tooth decay and gum disease. She arrived to the United States in the nineties on an E-1 visa where her father opened a series of small businesses in California. Her family were Iraqi expatriates who left everything they knew and started fresh. Dr. Rhonda Kalasho remembers the morning she left Baghdad, with all of her toys still on her bedroom floor, tea on the kettle, clothes in the dryer, cars in the driveway, her family’s business was running per normal hours, and she remembers leaving it all behind to give the illusion they would be back. You see, Dr. Kalasho and her family could not just leave, or at least not leave the country permanently. A few weeks prior to leaving Rhonda’s father was arrested at his business in Baghdad city for not contributing a percentage of his income to the Ba’ath Party, which was expected of business owners who earned a considerable living. He was beaten and imprisoned for several weeks, and his release was contingent on paying 300,000 American dollars. When they released her father, Rhonda’s parents packed all six of her children, including Rhonda, no different than if she was making a trip to the grocery store. They told no one, not even other family members, neighbors or friends.

Dr. Kalasho experienced what a lot may not have had the privilege to; losing everything, and starting fresh. Children who experience creating something exceptional out of self will, who have felt true hunger, who understand loss, gain a superpower. The story of her life is not of woes, nor one of episcopal burden, but of a series of unfortunate circumstances that built up high enough to reach for the stars.

Now, Dr. Rhonda Kalasho is LA’s go to Dentist. She is a double board-certified Dentist who is highly regarded for her aesthetic and surgical workmanship. She is one of a handful of dentists who has completed an advanced residency training in full mouth reconstruction and hospital dentistry.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

I grew up in San Diego California after my family emigrated from Iraq in 1992. When we arrived in California we purchased a Pizza restaurant from a family acquaintance. Funny thing is, we never tasted or even knew what a Pizza looked like, but all five siblings and I worked the restaurant. Weekends and after school were dedicated to cleaning the floors, bathrooms, stocking the fridge, and doing homework in between. We made the dough, cut the toppings, delivered the pizzas, answered the calls, it didn’t matter that I could not see over the counter, my father and mother’s philosophy was success through hard work and we surely lived by that creed.

When I was ten years old I experienced one of the worst pains of my life, dental pain. I felt it in my ear, in my throat, it radiated throughout my body, I could barely open my mouth. I was eight years old. My mom took to see a local dentist, and he seeing the pain I was in and the condition of my mouth, lamented to say it was “child abuse”, but little did he know that we simply just had no idea about oral care. We did not have fluoride in the drinking water where we were from, let alone floss. Oral hygiene knowledge was rudimentary. I remember him showing me a piece of floss and asked, do you use this. I remember being so excited and enthusiastically saying “yes!, my mom has that connected to her sewing machine.” After the treatment, I was liberated from the excruciating pain, and from then on, I was obsessed with good oral care. I knew from then I wanted to be dentist.

I purchased my first office when I turned twenty-eight, partnering up with an older dentist who was looking to sell his share as he got closer to retirement. However, his practice, mentality, and his older less technically savvy way of practicing felt mundane. I realized quickly that modernity in dentistry was the way to go. Dentistry, like any other avenue of medicine, only advances with time, therefore behavior management, biomaterials, techniques were all advancing, but my older partner refused to change. I wanted to be a part of this new age of dentistry, the 3D milling, digital scanning, layered ceramics, bonded resins, age of dentistry. I sold my share, and went solo at twenty-nine. By age thirty I had a booming top rated West Hollywood practice, with state of the art dental technology. My five star practice abides by the mission of patient comfort and quality of care above all else. I am the sole dentist with a team of eight, which includes two ceramists, who help create beautifully fabricated well adapted restorations using 3D printing technology. My team and I constantly expand in our dental proficiency through continuing education courses, bringing new advancements in the field and integrating it in our oral care. The rare times I am not at work, I spend it teaching burgeoning dental students treatment techniques, as well as practice management.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Currently, I have my hands in development, creating an advanced mouth rinse to help combat gum disease based on clinical controlled data. The formulation is currently undergoing clinical trials and its showing incredible abilities in the treatment and prevention of severe cases of gum disease. Many people lose their teeth as they get older, and a large percentage of Americans go into partials or dentures by the age of sixty-five, I am hoping that my formulation proves itself to be a medicament that not only preserves the longevity of teeth and gums, but the youthfulness of many smiles.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

My dental office is an all female owed and operated office, or at least it started that way. Taking on the name GLO Modern Dental, GLO which was an acronym for Great Ladies of Modern Dentistry which is a dental practice with the reputation among the community that far exceeds the rest. We are most acclaimed for our genuinity in care, professionalism, nurturing demeanors, and our high quality of treatment. All members of my company are constantly honing in on their skill sets and advancing in their methodologies. All members are required, and encouraged to take continuing education courses to expand on what they know, and learn what they do not. Any patient treated by our team immediately shares the same sentiment, that they can feel the happiness among the team, that their treatment was exceptional, and the enthusiasm for the field is palpable.

Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?

I worked several dental practices, both in the private and corporate sector. Every dental office generally operated the same way, and each one, that I came across at least, lacked ingenuity, dentists locked in the old world of dental materials and techniques. I wanted to be a sole practice owner, with a completely modern practice. I wanted to own a thriving practice in West Hollywood. Many from my hometown thought it was too competitive an area to be successful in, especially without a business partner, or any finances for that matter. The overhead was high in the building I set my sites on, and there were three dentists in the building before me. Many banks would not fund my practice, especially because the previous owner had lost the practice, but I showed over 13 different banks that I was resilient. I brought my business plan to each and every one, and after months of searching for funding, one bank came through.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂

I managed to get funding as well as a working capital for the first few months of operations, luckily, I did not use the working capital, and my business plan of an all modern, female run and operated, multidisciplinary dental office proved a success. People felt the difference in care and treatment quality, which drove in more patients, and referrals. I guess all those banks that denied funding, and all those that said I could not compete in the high demand market of West Hollywood, were indeed, wrong.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I was once asked for by a paper covering young entrepreneurs who inspires me, but it was never just one person, or one thing, what inspires me is seeing what actually precipitates from self-drive, dedication, and hard work. I witness this truth through my families trajectory. We started an entirely new life, every single one of us. We had this urge to exist comfortably, to gain what we lost, and seek the things we never had. Humans are fascinating, and our willingness to thrive is incredible. I simply love what I do and immerse myself in my passions everyday, and subsequently there lies the success.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

Nothing should fuel your drive more than negativity. I used to have a strong accent when I was younger, learning English, and I remember getting made fun and bullied for it. I went home and watched and rewatched every episode of Full House, and mimicked the way the pronounced words, and inflections. I did this for weeks. What I got out of it was an ability to not only recite entire Uncle Jesse and Joey monologues, but the realization that if I tried hard enough at anything, at the very least, I surprise myself with how far I can success, but for the most part, I actually do what I intended.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

  1. Choose a Goal
  2. Try your hardest to achieve that goal
  3. Do not fear failure, but do not remain contempt with failure
  4. Learn to hit your personal marks
  5. Use the Naysayers chants of negativity as a driving force to your victory

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

“You cannot be protected from the things that frighten you and hurt you, but if you identify with the part of your being that is responsible for transformation, then you are always the equal, or more than the equal of the things that frighten you.”

― Jordan B. Peterson

I love this quote by Jordan Peterson, who is a fantastic writer, clinical psychologist, and speaker. The quote is where I derived my third strategy for success, which is to not fear failure, as fear is incredibly debilitating and limiting. You must face your fear, and tell your fear to bring it on, and you will soon see that your fear can actually be a great influence.

It reminds me of what my father’s dogma, to always take the road that makes your feet tired, because that will be the road that defines your resilience the most.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

My goal in life has always been to limit the suffering of others. I believe that if everyone’s mission was the same than the world would run of sugar canes and fairy dust. Many great minds feel the same like Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, or Neil Degrass Tyson, all of whom have at one point spoken on the topic of suffering. Human suffering and the suffering you can bring to your self can all be diminished if you try, and imagine how amazing the world would be, if every person creed was to the limit the suffering of themselves and their neighbors.

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Absolutely, my social media page is @dr.rhondakalasho We certainly look forward to hearing your questions and answering any questions you may have.

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

Dreamers: “They told me It was impossible and I did it anyway” With Dr. Rhonda Kalasho was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Leigh Winters: “Beauty comes from connection”

I believe beauty comes from connection. Beauty can be connecting with yourself during your nightly skincare routine or grabbing coffee with a friend and having a conversation that nourishes the soul.

As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing Leigh Winters.

Leigh is the founder and CEO of Leigh Winters Beauty. Leigh’s clean beauty and holistic wellness expertise has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including NBC News, Allure, Shape, Health, Well+Good, mindbodygreen, Bustle, and POPSUGAR.

Thank you for joining us! What brought you to your current career path?

I attended graduate school for neuroscience and focused my research on olfaction. Growing up, I was enchanted by our sense of smell and personal care products. My lifelong interest informed my academic path and a few twists and turns of life later, I now work in clean skincare and sustainable beauty.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you began to see that you were on the road to success? In retrospect, did you do anything differently in order to begin seeing positive results? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from your realizations?

In all honestly, a particularly salient memory was when I woke up one morning and was suddenly verified on Instagram. It was like a sign from the universe because I was deep in reflection contemplating my overall contribution in the digital sphere — was I sharing meaningful and educational content that made a difference in the world and aligned with my authentic purpose? I was really racking my brain with these important questions and pondering what it meant to give precious time and energy to a platform where I could be creating bigger change or re-directing my creative energy elsewhere.

Having this blue badge is what made me not delete my Instagram account. I was on the cusp of actually saying goodbye to it! Seeing it next to my name made me confront some self-limiting beliefs that I had about myself, and my business — sentiments of imposter syndrome and the like, which a lot of women entrepreneurs face. It made me come to terms with the idea that I can present myself and my work on my own terms and not actually need any sort of external validation to do so. My work was making an impact in the world because I stuck to what I believe in and I shared it with others.

Do what you love, even if it’s in a small way. The universe has funny little ways of surprising and supporting us.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

It truly takes a village. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for a gifted mentor of mine, whom I will not name out of respect for privacy, but he is a gifted biochemist who has helped me greatly with the development of my science and ethos.

Some people come into our lives right when we need them and it seems like magic — that’s what it was like when we connected. Though we live on opposite corners of the world, are nearly forty years apart in age, and come from different cultures and backgrounds, it was the marriage of our partnership that really created something magical.

Allow people to help you on your journey, but also trust your gut when a connection seems off or doesn’t feel quite right. Finding talented people to trust who can help you build your dreams doesn’t come overnight for most of us. Take your time searching for people with whom you truly would love to work or learn from and do what you can to make it happen!

The beauty industry today has tremendous technological advances. Can you tell us about the technologies that you are working with, utilizing, or introducing? How do you think these technologies will help consumers of beauty products?

For updates on everything that I’m working on, you’ll have to stay tuned for Leigh Winters Beauty. If I said anything else, my lawyer would not be happy with me!

But I’m excited about a few areas of the industry — like understanding if skincare personalization is the way to go, as I’m still deciding if it’s actually an area that’s worthy of investment. I’m also very enthusiastic about some proprietary developments that are being made in natural preservatives and sustainable packaging, which I believe are major areas in which there is impressive progress.

Keeping the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about technology developments in the beauty industry that people should be aware of?

For years, the beauty industry has benefitted from providing consumers with little to no transparency — from product markups to ingredients sourcing. Now, more than ever, consumers are educated and hungry for more information about brands and products. With the ability to Google ingredients and poke around on the Internet anywhere in the world from your cell phone, brands are starting to face the music about a whole slew of concerns raised by conscious consumers — from adverse events shared on Twitter to baseless marketing claims.

A lot of beauty tech companies are focusing on high-end platforms or algorithms that are promising to greatly improve different skin measurements (moisture, wrinkle formation, etc.) But are we already in the weeds of splitting hairs? These technologies are expensive to develop and most companies in this space are in the midst of developing de facto answers as to whether their solutions improve skin or solve problems better than what already exists on the market. Given what science and research currently demonstrates about certain ingredients and how to formulate them for particular concerns and conditions, is personalization the end all be all? It’s a sexy idea, there’s no doubt about that. But is the venture capital world obsessed with it mostly because of the promise of ROI and not because there’s enough definitive research to validate the hype?

I think an unintended consequence of swinging too hard in this tech-obsessed direction might lead to consumers and experts in the industry shedding light on different techniques and products that care for skin in a similar vein as some of the ones that have been developed with AI technology. Consumers might reject the promise of personalization when they realize that the benefits are so marginal, and that they can get more bang for their buck elsewhere. This opens up a larger philosophical conversation about universal skin behavior — if there is such thing, which I believe there is: how does personalization and the conversation around “skin type” fit into the future of beauty? Interestingly, there’s been a real consumer return to loving and supporting basic skincare — from understanding which nutrients are needed by all skin types and how best to use products. This shift might give beauty tech a big run for its money as we return to nature and look at other variables that impact skin, like nutrition and fitness.

What are three things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

Unveiling technology that’s driven by research on the lymphatic system, fascia, and inflammation; deepening research on and developing sustainable and clean biotechnology ingredients; and focusing on sustainable supply chain and packaging initiatives.

What are three things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement ways in which to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

Lack of federal personal care product and beauty safety regulation; non-existence of independent, third-party accountability organizations to vet vapid and misleading marketing claims; and rampant misinformation and fearmongering from the misunderstanding of terms such as “chemicals”, “toxic”, and even “essential oils.”

I am a fierce advocate for federal change in the personal care product space — we are truly behind the times. In the future, the FDA should be responsible for regulating formulations of personal care products, which is something that our country hasn’t initiated since 1938, when mercury was still touted as a miracle cure for pimples. Most other industrialized countries have regulatory agencies that protect consumers, for instance the European Union bans over 1,500 ingredients for use in personal care products and the United States bans about thirty.

Just as our government has funded massive research efforts in the medical sector over the last century, it should turn its attention to funding research for green chemistry education and sustainable business initiatives.

Can you share some ideas — with examples — that anyone can use to feel beautiful?

I believe beauty comes from connection. Beauty can be connecting with yourself during your nightly skincare routine or grabbing coffee with a friend and having a conversation that nourishes the soul.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the greatest number of people, what would that be?

Stay tuned for my mission and vision for Leigh Winters Beauty! But, I will say that I believe education is one of the keys to empowerment. When we educate people about the science and safety behind products and chemicals, we grant them the opportunity to make more informed decisions for themselves and those in their care.

As beauty and wellness continue to go hand-in-hand, the movement around what it means to have a totally interconnected body that operates healthily will continue to gain momentum. In my eyes, beauty is ultimately just health.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote” and how it was relevant to you in your life and career journey?

“Keep two pieces of paper in your pockets at all times. One says ‘I am a speck of dust,’ and the other, ‘The world was created for me.’” — Rabbi Bunim of P’shiskha.

When I was in graduate school, I came across this quote, or rather a version of it and it has stuck with me every since. It’s a great reminder to me of balance — we are all more than we can possibly imagine, but we cannot take our significance seriously.

There is wisdom in knowing which pocket to reach for at different times in life. As an entrepreneur, coming back to this idea of being both everything and nothing is comforting and serves as a reminder to trust the process.

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Leigh Winters: “Beauty comes from connection” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dreamers: “They told me It was impossible and I did it anyway” With Said Alievich

I would always talk to myself and convince myself every day that I will accomplish what I’m going after and no one will stop me. It’s very important to be mentally sharp and self-disciplined.

Watch motivational videos on a daily basis and stay physically strong. Those two things build a strong character and self confidence. I had to sacrifice a lot of fun just to be where I’m at and I’m not even close to where I want to be yet. I’m still hungry for more.

I looked at it like I had no other choice than to be successful because I needed to take care of my parents just like they did when I was young.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Said Alievich.

Said Alievich was born in Dagestan, Russia and moved to Amman, Jordan as a child. By the time he finished high school in Jordan Said had one dream: to come to America to become a Petroleum Engineer. Fast forward to today, Said has his degree in Engineering and is a serial entrepreneur. He’s the owner of Platinum Transport luxury car service in Southern California as well as the Founder & CEO of a health & wellness CBD brand called VVENERA.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

I was born on November 10th, 1991 in Dagestan, Russia (located in the North Caucasus region). When I was 10 years old my parents got divorced. A few years later my mother got married and moved with my stepfather to Abu Dhabi. At first, I couldn’t go with them because I had to stay in school. I also didn’t know any Arabic language to adjust accordingly to the middle eastern culture.

By the time I completed 6th grade, my mother and stepfather moved to Amman, Jordan and decided to bring me with them. It was a difficult transition in my life that included a strong culture shock. However, I didn’t let that stop me from progressing. I was very determined as a kid to adjust and adapt to a new environment and culture. By the time I finished high school in Jordan, I had one dream to come America and become a Petroleum Engineer and to come back to work with his stepfather in the Oil & Gas industry.

I first arrived at the U.S. in January 2011 at Palm Desert, CA to attend community college to follow my dream to become an engineer. My life’s story would repeat itself as I was walking into a new culture and having to learn a new language. However, this time it was different because I had no parents around and was facing a lot of pressure from school.

I was grateful that my parents were able to support me financially throughout my first year in college, but after that it was all on me. Aside from trying to learn a new language, adapt to the culture here in the U.S., and complete my engineering degree with good grades, making ends meet was tough. From working in construction to other various side-jobs to pay my way through college, it felt like a never-ending struggle. However, I was always a self-motivated person that used my struggles as motivation to keep going and to not give up on my dreams.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes. I started a health and wellness company called VVENERA. My mission is to create a healthier, happier life for millions of people that are struggling to make it through a productive day due to their stressful and anxious minds. In addition to their battle with stress and anxiety, those people more than likely suffer from a poor quality of sleep which lends itself to a rough day the next day. Unfortunately for many, this cycle never seems to end.

A twice-daily dose of CBD helps me relieve a lot of stress and anxiety that stems from a busy schedule. After discovering CBD and how it’s helped me sleep better, I’ve been able to wake up feeling more rested, relaxed, and focused for my entire day ahead. With that said, I was inspired to craft my own premium CBD products that help regulate and finetune the physiology of our body’s systems without having to succumb ourselves to the harmful side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. I’ve built VVENERA to share my “secret” with the world and to help others achieve a healthy life balance with themselves.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

My background and my personal journey are what have instilled a tremendous work ethic within myself which has led to the dedication, the vision, and most importantly the quality of VVENERA’s final product that we deliver to those who use our products.

VVENERA strictly oversees the entire manufacturing process of our products to produce the nation’s premier line of industrial hemp derived Phyto Cannabinoids to use within our products. To attain this, VVENERA has partnered with subject matter experts in every vertical within the industry to ensure the delivery of perfectly sourced CBD products to its consumers. Our 3rd party testing and full compliance ensures that we’re not just keeping up with the standards but raising the bar.

The mindset I have is I’m either “all in” or “I don’t waste my time.” With VVENERA, I’m all in every single day.

Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?

I have always had people tell me that I couldn’t do it. Lots of people have doubted me along the way, sometimes making it seems impossible.

For example, a few of my friends heard that I was planning to move to the U.S. to achieve my Engineering degree, and they’d constantly tell me how difficult it would be, and that I wouldn’t be able to make it. Every day, their voices would be in my head saying that I won’t make it and that I can’t make it, but that only made me stronger and I only used it as a motivation to prove them wrong.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂

Now, I’m in the U.S. and officially an Engineer and I’m involved in multiple business ventures. Those people that didn’t believe in me at the time are actually friends of mine now, and they are very proud of my accomplishments and they give me a lot of credit for how far I’ve come.

My advice for anyone that is going through a similar situation is to not give up no matter what, and to keep pushing and believing in yourself. Use those naysayers as motivation for yourself.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My parents always believed in me and they were always there for me. Especially my mother, she had to sacrifice a lot, and I would not be anywhere near where I am now without her. I’m very grateful for that.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

I would always talk to myself and convince myself every day that I will accomplish what I’m going after and no one will stop me. It’s very important to be mentally sharp and self-disciplined.

Watch motivational videos on a daily basis and stay physically strong. Those two things build a strong character and self confidence. I had to sacrifice a lot of fun just to be where I’m at and I’m not even close to where I want to be yet. I’m still hungry for more.

I looked at it like I had no other choice than to be successful because I needed to take care of my parents just like they did when I was young.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

  1. Be confident
  2. Use the naysayers as motivation by proving them wrong.
  3. Keep small goals and stay with them until you accomplish them.
  4. Talk to your self, believe in yourself, and believe in that voice inside of you.
  5. Work on your mental endurance to build up will-power and self-discipline.
  6. Focus on yourself and don’t worry about what others are doing.
  7. Educate yourself. Knowledge is power.

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

“TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST, PAIN IS TEMPORARY”.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Do what you love, be passionate, start your own business, and work like hell. However, you need to remember to enjoy the journey. While you’re on that journey:

  • Don’t complain, just keep pushing
  • Eat healthy, exercise, and learn new skills.
  • Travel and explore new places
  • Be yourself.
  • Surround yourself with successful people and manage your time wisely.

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Yes, My Instagram is @Saiiid_alievich

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

Dreamers: “They told me It was impossible and I did it anyway” With Said Alievich was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.