August 11, 2025 • 18 mins
How do you know when it’s time to leave a “comfortable” role for something that will truly stretch you? In this engaging episode, Thomas Helfrich talks with Stefanee Clontz, Director of Operations at The Hydra+, a growing med spa brand in metro Atlanta. Stefanee shares how she cut the tie to a stagnant role, embraced a massive challenge, and grew into a leader managing multiple locations and an expanding list of wellness services.
From a start in journalism to a career in aesthetics, Stefanee’s journey proves it’s never too late to redefine your career—and that growth often comes when you choose the more uncomfortable path.
About Stefanee Clontz:
Stefanee Clontz is the Director of Operations for The Hydra+, overseeing three med spa locations in Sandy Springs, Buckhead, and Virginia Highland, with a fourth on the way. With nearly two decades in the aesthetics and wellness industry, she specializes in building patient loyalty, expanding service offerings, and leading teams through growth. Stefanee’s background ranges from TV journalism to clinical operations, giving her a unique perspective on both storytelling and client care. Her mission is to create wellness experiences that keep clients coming back—not just for the services, but for the people delivering them.
In this episode, Thomas and Stefanee discuss:
- Cutting ties with a career identity
Stefanee shares how she let go of her early dream to be a TV news reporter and pivoted into a completely different industry. - Choosing the uncomfortable option
When faced with two job offers, she took the one with more responsibility and the opportunity to create new service lines from scratch. - From clinician to operations leader
How Stefanee grew beyond the treatment room into overseeing everything from IT issues to staff management. - Balancing ambition and family
Stefanee opens up about missed soccer games and late nights, and the importance of a supportive family who understands the mission. - Gratitude for trust and opportunity
She reflects on the owner who took a chance on her and the team that supports her vision.
Key Takeaways:
- People are the true differentiator
Products can be copied—relationships and trust cannot. - Growth often requires discomfort
Choosing the harder, less certain path can lead to the most significant personal and professional growth. - Support systems matter
Success is easier when your family and inner circle understand and back your mission. - You have more time than you think
Stefanee reminds us not to compare timelines—many successful careers start later than you’d expect.
Connect with Stefanee Clontz:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaneeescay/
📍 The Hydra+ Locations: Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Virginia Highland, GA
🌐 Website: https://www.thehydraplus.com/
Connect with Thomas Helfrich:
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfrich/
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: t@instantlyrelevant.com
🚀 InstantlyRelevant.com: https://www.instantlyrelevant.com
Serious about LinkedIn Lead Generation? Stop Guessing what to do on LinkedIn and ignite revenue from relevance with Instantly Relevant Lead System
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Cut the Tide podcast.
Hi, I'm your host, thomasHelfrich.
I'm on a mission to help youcut the tide of whatever it is
holding you back in your lifefrom success, and that success
is something you've defined foryourself, and today I'm joined
by Stephanie Salance.
You're gonna butcher it.
Hello Stephanie, how are youGreat, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm delicious, thank you for asking I'm hydrated.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I'm delicious.
Thank you for asking I'mhydrated.
No idea what show I'm on rightnow Some of the three yarns.
You got to go do it.
This is so much fun.
Stephanie, you're in Atlanta,I'm in Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
But that aside, take a moment to introduce who you
are and what it is you doStephanie Klontz, director of
Operations for Hydra Plus.
We've got three med spas in themetro Atlanta area, so we're in
Sandy Springs, right now I'm inBuckhead, and we've also got a
location in Virginia Highland.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Very cool.
So there's a lot of med spas.
There's a lot of things in thespace.
Why do people pick you?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Because of the people , honestly right, and don't give
me specific examples of that,because I have been in this
industry for close to 20 yearsand I have patients who have
followed me from practice topractice but, just like you know
, our competitors we've got IVhydration and medical weight
loss and hormone replacement,botox, all of that stuff.
(01:17):
But really it's therelationships that you're
building that Hang on someone'scalling my phone, relationships
that you're building that hangon someone's calling my phone.
Really it's the relationshipsthat you, that you build with
your clients, your patients,that like that's why they come
and that's what keeps themcoming back.
And also, and I've neverchanged my phone number in the
last few years so they alwaysknow how to find me- it's.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I mean it because you're, you're, you know.
A lot of times people talkabout the competitive edge of
any business.
Oh, you can't say it's thepeople and that's so not true.
Like I've heard this so manytimes in my career, I'm like
that is like the people actuallymake the difference.
Your products, most productsand services, are commoditized
to some degree.
There are very few things thatsomeone can do that no one else
can do from a servicesstandpoint.
(02:02):
But how it's done and how youfeel before and after an
experience is is is people?
It's 100 percent people, so areour people.
My English is not so good, so Iwould agree with you before we
get into your journey a bit andkind of like, you know the
things you had to do to getthere, to find success, but can
(02:22):
you define success on your terms?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
or define success.
But can you define success onyour terms?
Waking up every day and notfeeling like a chore that you
have to go to work and alsoputting in the work and it not
feeling like you're I have tohere we go again, type thing.
This, like, my role here is nota nine to five, and I know that
, and it's also not a five day aweek thing.
So I mean, and being okay withthat, you know, sometimes it's
(02:51):
missed soccer practices and it'smissed games and it's, you know
, late nights and early morningsand that sort of thing.
But when you get to a point towhere you know that that's the
way it is and it's not takingits toll on you, it's not
wearing on your relationships,that sort of just the way it is
and it's not taking its toll onyou, it's not wearing on your
relationships, that sort ofthing, then it's like, okay, I
think this is my forever home,that's how I feel.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And I think that definition of success, obviously
it evolves over time and itwill for you, as it does for
everyone else.
Talk about your journey alittle bit.
And what the metaphor, ty.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Maybe you had a cut to achieve the success you just
defined okay, well, so I have alittle bit of a gypsy life right
I born and right.
I was born in california,raised in dallas, texas, did my
undergrad in minneapolis, did myfirst internship there, believe
it or not.
I went to school to be a TVnews reporter.
I was going to be the next LisaGivens.
(03:45):
Do you know that, lisa Givens,I'm dating myself?
I don't know who Lisa Givens isFrom.
Entertainment Tonight, remember, with Mary Hart.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
We didn't have TVs growing up.
I'm kidding, I did.
I was probably watching StarWars, to be fair.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Okay, well, so I do like TV news or entertainment
news or anything like that,right?
So that's what I went to schoolfor.
My degree is journalism.
So after my internship with NBCin Minneapolis, I went to my
first TV job, nbc in Waterloo,iowa.
You want to ask me how awesomeIowa is.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I've been to Iowa.
I'm from the Midwest.
It is actually nicer thanpeople think I'll give it credit
in some areas.
I don't to Iowa, I'm from theMidwest.
It is nicer than people thinkI'll give it credit in some
areas.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I don't get it.
Yes, iowa not so much, you know.
Anyway, I put in my two yearsthere and then I moved to CBS in
Fayetteville, arkansas.
Not sure that that was muchbetter, but I needed to make the
lateral move so that I couldget from.
I started off as a producerjust behind camera, wanted to
(04:46):
get in front of the camera as areporter, so I went to CBS.
Hang on my phone's ringingagain, all right.
So I went to CBS inFayetteville, arkansas.
I lasted 10 months and Irealized this is not what I want
to do with my life.
You know, I was just speakingat a career day last week in
Lithonia you know where that isand I was telling the kids, like
(05:08):
that, this presentation, right.
And I was basically saying that, like, even if you don't know
what you want to do, or if youdo, if you change your mind,
that's okay.
So that was my first severingties, right.
There was like cutting tieswith the idea that I was meant
to be this famous TV newsreporter, anchor, whatever.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I envy you'd create it for yourself from a very
young age.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yes, yeah.
So after quitting TV, I mean, Iwas in different jobs that were
completely unrelated tojournalism.
I was a publishing company, Iwas with a cardboard company, I
was with a personal law firmpersonal injury and this was
2008 when everything exploded,right, and one of the attorneys
(05:57):
there said hey, you'll just gowith my son, he's a chiropractor
, he's opening up his own weightloss clinic.
And that's when my journeybegan.
Wow, that's when my journeybegan Wow.
Well, about five years ago, thatthis is what I was meant to do,
so I'm a late bloomer.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Well, you're blooming exactly when the flower was
supposed to bloom.
I mean, you can't, you can't.
Well, I think the AugustaMasters people can make flowers
bloom earlier, I don't thinkanyone else.
So, on that journey, a, you'veidentified it, you know you,
you've, you've, you know you.
(06:33):
You know what you need to do.
Do you remember the exactthough moment when you're like I
am doing this, I'm going to domy own, I'm creating my own
thing?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, I do.
So let's let's rewind to aboutthree years ago.
Three years um will be 2022.
So September of 2022 iswhenever I came on board with
HydroPlus, so we're talkingabout August and I had this aha
moment.
I told my business partner Iwas at another med spa, by the
way, and I said I'm going awaysoon he's like what?
(07:03):
And I said, yeah, so mytimeline is by the end of the
year.
It's time to move on.
I feel like I'm a hamster in awheel and there's not really any
room left for me to grow.
I think, first coming to termswith that and then within a week
, and then maybe I manifested it.
I had two job offers.
One of them was for a med spathat I would do exactly the same
(07:24):
thing, except I had a longercommute, same pay.
And then the other one was forhere for Hydro Plus, and it was
only IV hydration.
So it was going to be my roleto bring in the weight loss, the
hormones, the Botox, all ofthat stuff times three and you
know, a little bit more pay buta lot more work.
And I went with a decision thatmade me the most uncomfortable.
(07:45):
And here I am.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
I love that, so that you know you've you made the
decision, you did it, you hadclarity of mind to make, find
success and and no doubt fearslike your success was going to
pivot again and you're going tobe like I'm going to go do that
now.
Uh, what's been the impact foryou since making the move?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
You know, I think that maybe I didn't realize the
the workload that I was takingon, and so I, you know, I
thought maybe I was just here tosee weight loss patients and
you know, help people withhormone replacement and and I
didn't really realize that I wasgoing to be, you know, dealing
with when the internet goes outor when the alarms are going off
in the middle of the night, orwhenever staff is calling out
(08:28):
sick or you know, just like thebig and the little day to day
things.
And so it made me learn to takecharge more of the operations
side of it, instead of justbeing in the clinical setting.
And so I was like, okay, I haveto learn more.
So I started taking classesfrom Cornell on the psychology
(08:48):
of leadership and I just think Iwanted to be better at my job.
So that's been the impact isthat it's like, okay, what else
should I do next?
Speaker 1 (08:58):
It sounds like it's forced you to grow.
So well you know, if you cause,if you don't grow you're,
you're withering Right.
And so if you, if you don'tfeel like you're, you have room
to go.
And I think in your own earlierstatement it sounds like at
some point, unless the ceiling'sbig enough in there, you might
have to bust through that and go, do something, grow even bigger
to something else.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
We're in our fourth location right now, so I mean
that is a big project to take onright now.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It's a good business to open one location, let alone
having a new one plus threeothers to manage.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
We have a state, so challenge accepted.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I love that Challenge accepted.
Let's do this.
What are you most grateful for,though, in your life?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I think I'm most grateful for people taking like,
people like the owner of Hydra.
He took this chance on me, youknow.
I mean everybody can talk a biggame right, like, oh yeah, I
can run that and I can bring inall of these products and
services and have all thesepatients who will follow me.
My first week here I was likewhat if nobody shows up?
Right, and you can't let itfail.
And so I think I'm grateful forthat, first off, and then
(10:04):
secondly for, like, the supportsystem around me, right?
So I mentioned before that youknow I don't get to make it to
every soccer game, I don't getto be present on the sidelines
for practices and sometimes Imiss, you know, I don't get to
make it to every soccer game.
I don't get to be present onthe sidelines for practices and
sometimes I miss, you know,school performances and
sometimes, you know, I can'thave date night with my husband
and that sort of thing.
But the second thing that I'mmost grateful for is really just
(10:24):
the support around you, like,like my husband gets it, my
daughter gets it, like it's not,like I'm just off, you know
eating.
What is it?
What are those Bonbons?
Bonbons.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Bonbons.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
And just hanging out with my friends, Like I mean,
you know, I'm trying to buildthis, like you know, empire, and
I love that my daughter and myhusband can appreciate that.
That's really important.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
It is, and you know, one of the questions I always
ask is kind of like the lessonfor the listeners, and I'm going
to offer one that the lessonfor your loved ones and you know
they get, or they're learning,if they're, you know, you know
it's your husband, your, yourchild is that you have to
sacrifice to get what you want.
Like you're not going to get itwithout some type of giving.
Yet, and as long as you'retransparent with what the
(11:12):
reasons are and the why and thedirection, people will support
you, and they're not.
They'll be better for itbecause they'll know that.
No, you know she was doing whatshe needed to do but didn't do
it because she didn't want me tobe there, Because you know the
kid steps what hits hard, right?
That's the subject.
That's a good lesson, thoughYou're teaching them that you
have to sacrifice to get whatyou want.
You you will.
You know, if you're an athlete,you got.
(11:35):
You're going to give up partiesand you're going to give up
drinking.
You're going to give up lots ofthings friends and other people
around you are going to bedoing, so you can go chase what
you want.
If you're a business person,you're going to give up time
sometimes with loved ones to goget some stuff done.
You're gonna get up sleep.
Just how hard.
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
You don't want to sacrifice, entrepreneurship is
not for you.
So I try to tell people that,like I mean it's you're going to
have to give up sleep, andsometimes you're going to have
to give up family time, andsometimes you have to give up,
like you know, your weekends oryour nights.
And if you're not willing to dothat, or you don't have the
support system who will allowyou to do that, then
entrepreneurship should be foryou.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I mean, allow you to do that, then entrepreneurship
should it be for you.
Entrepreneurship is a Frenchword that's defined as crazy ass
people that might bepotentially ADHD, to give up
everything to chase absolutelynothing with the hope that
they'll be successful.
I just made that up.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I was like oh my God, is that me?
I think he's the guy that's me.
I attacked.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
You know what it is.
It's true, it's controlledmadness.
It is, it's true, it'scontrolled madness to some
degree.
What's the best in businessadvice you've ever received.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You always have more time than you think.
Somebody told me that when Iwas 28.
Just for reference, I'm 44.
It was that long ago thatsomebody said that to me.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
This is a lot.
If you're 44,.
Either we're talking about thefilters you're using on the
camera or I'm coming for youbecause, holy cow, I would have
guessed you like me.
And I mean that.
Guys listen, don't be creepy.
Go watch the video, you'll belike oh yeah, that's weird, no
way.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yes.
So it's like you know, I alwaysthought, okay, well, you know
what?
All my friends are married, allmy friends have kids.
And I kept comparing myself to,you know, the people who
already owned a house, or thepeople who already had kids in
grade school and whatever.
And you know, here I was stillchasing my dreams and, like you
know, then it does, like itfinally resonates with you that
(13:34):
you that there's a lot more timethan you think.
People like Jeff Bezos and allthese successful people right, a
lot of them didn't start any ofthat stuff until they're mid to
late.
Bill Gates right, a lot of usare late bloomers.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I would say I don't think you're that late.
I think you got a lot more timethan you think to do that.
That's great advice, by the way.
You don't have as much time asyou think.
Especially when you have kidsin the mix, it accelerates
quickly.
It's like a multiplier per kid.
I'm pretty sure If you had tostart over today, when would you
do that and what would you dodifferently?
Speaker 2 (14:14):
When would I do it?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Like, what part of your timeline would you go back
to and say, ah, we're going todo something different at this
moment?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Probably before I got married the first time, I
probably wouldn't have done that.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Skip that one.
What did the?
I don't know.
Let's just skip that episode.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
She had the cliche where people were like, well, if
you didn't get married, thenyou wouldn't have your daughter,
and so that no, and that'stotally true.
I think I was at it, and I'msaying that really because I was
in a different place in timewhen I was 31.
So like the things that Iconsidered success or the things
that you know made me feel likeI was wealthy, or the things
(14:50):
that made me feel like I wasimportant, like it's not what it
is now, you know.
So I probably would havechanged it in my early 30s.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
It's interesting.
So the same perspective youhave today will also have the
same effect back for 10 years.
You'll be like oh, thatactually wasn't important, it's
going to happen again At 49,.
I'm telling you, it's going tohappen again at least twice more
.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I believe it.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
So, all right, where was I going to?
I always had a deeper thoughtto ask you oh, I had it here.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
We're going deep.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
If there's a question I should have asked you today,
but I didn't, what would thatquestion have been and how would
you have answered it?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
If you were going to ask me a question.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
What was the?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
question.
I should have asked you that.
I didn't.
I don't know, I don't know, Idon't know.
Can I, can I sleep on that one?
Because here's the thing Ididn't know what you were going
to ask me at all.
I didn't even know what thejoke was.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
I know that's the best part of that question.
I usually swim people thequestions.
It's automated and that's thelast question I put on there.
I'm going to part of thatquestion.
I usually swim people thequestions.
It's automated and that's thelast question I put on.
I'm going to ask you thatquestion, but this is the best
part of editing is I won't do it.
What is the thing that someoneshould ask you?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
They never do, maybe where I went to school, maybe
what your educational backgroundis.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
I don't know, I mean be what's my bench or something
fun like I mean like I know thatnobody does that I would ask
people that actually that is aleading question is like which
is what muscles on the beat.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
The first thing you say is hey bro, what do you bet?
Speaker 1 (16:33):
no, I'll ask like a random person hey's your squat,
and it might be a five-year-oldand they're like I'm like I bet
it's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Well, I think people should know about your
educational background.
You know, like, why don't youjust blow and smoke up your butt
?
And like I really have nobackground in that.
I think it's good to know that.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Yeah, education, we won't go down.
I can do a whole.
I can do a whole startingpodcast on education right now.
All right, question, it'sshameless plug time.
First of all, thank you forcoming on a show and listen.
I love when people have no ideawhat's going on.
It's the best, because I havemore fun in those shows.
I'm like, oh, this is going tobe good.
Who should get ahold of you andhow should they do that?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I mean anybody, just to say hi, Men and women, 40 and
up, anyone looking to loseweight, anyone looking to gain
muscle.
You're like looking for, youknow, anti-aging remedies, iv
hydration.
If you have a massive hangover,you can come in and get a
hangover bag.
You know, if you need to look alittle bit more snatched in the
(17:41):
face and you want someinjections done, anything like
that.
Basically, we're now one-stopwellness, so there isn't
anything we don't have access to.
We're about to roll out somestem cells and then it's next
level after that.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
That's great Peptides .
I'm going to add these wrinkles.
You could like do laundry onthese things, you could like.
I'm worried.
If I get Botox, it's going totake my eyebrows and just shut
my eyes down.
Basically, I look like ChrisCrinkle.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Like a shark bay.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Anyway, thank you, Stephanie, for coming on the
show today.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Thanks.
When do we get to see it?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Oh, you don't.
We borrow it forever, that'sall you have to pay for it.
Okay, We'll figure it out.
We do a bunch of these.
There's a process.
You probably won't read youremail anyway, it seems like if
we do it so it'll just be outfor weeks and you'll be like oh
no.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
There it, oh.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
No, there it is yeah, thank you for coming on, I
appreciate it awesome.
Keep in touch well and listenanyone who's made it this part
of the show.
Thank you for watching.
If this was your first timehere, I hope it's the first of
many.
Get out there, go cut a tie tosomething holding you back, but
first to find success on yourterms, so you know what it is
you're chasing.
Have a great.
Welcome to the Cut the Tide podcast.
Hi, I'm your host, thomasHelfrich.
I'm on a mission to help youcut the tide of whatever it is
holding you back in your lifefrom success, and that success
is something you've defined foryourself, and today I'm joined
by Stephanie Salance.
You're gonna butcher it.
Hello Stephanie, how are youGreat, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm delicious, thank you for asking I'm hydrated.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I'm delicious.
Thank you for asking I'mhydrated.
No idea what show I'm on rightnow Some of the three yarns.
You got to go do it.
This is so much fun.
Stephanie, you're in Atlanta,I'm in Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
But that aside, take a moment to introduce who you
are and what it is you doStephanie Klontz, director of
Operations for Hydra Plus.
We've got three med spas in themetro Atlanta area, so we're in
Sandy Springs, right now I'm inBuckhead, and we've also got a
location in Virginia Highland.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Very cool.
So there's a lot of med spas.
There's a lot of things in thespace.
Why do people pick you?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Because of the people , honestly right, and don't give
me specific examples of that,because I have been in this
industry for close to 20 yearsand I have patients who have
followed me from practice topractice but, just like you know
, our competitors we've got IVhydration and medical weight
loss and hormone replacement,botox, all of that stuff.
(01:17):
But really it's therelationships that you're
building that Hang on someone'scalling my phone, relationships
that you're building that hangon someone's calling my phone.
Really it's the relationshipsthat you, that you build with
your clients, your patients,that like that's why they come
and that's what keeps themcoming back.
And also, and I've neverchanged my phone number in the
last few years so they alwaysknow how to find me- it's.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I mean it because you're, you're, you know.
A lot of times people talkabout the competitive edge of
any business.
Oh, you can't say it's thepeople and that's so not true.
Like I've heard this so manytimes in my career, I'm like
that is like the people actuallymake the difference.
Your products, most productsand services, are commoditized
to some degree.
There are very few things thatsomeone can do that no one else
can do from a servicesstandpoint.
(02:02):
But how it's done and how youfeel before and after an
experience is is is people?
It's 100 percent people, so areour people.
My English is not so good, so Iwould agree with you before we
get into your journey a bit andkind of like, you know the
things you had to do to getthere, to find success, but can
(02:22):
you define success on your terms?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
or define success.
But can you define success onyour terms?
Waking up every day and notfeeling like a chore that you
have to go to work and alsoputting in the work and it not
feeling like you're I have tohere we go again, type thing.
This, like, my role here is nota nine to five, and I know that
, and it's also not a five day aweek thing.
So I mean, and being okay withthat, you know, sometimes it's
(02:51):
missed soccer practices and it'smissed games and it's, you know
, late nights and early morningsand that sort of thing.
But when you get to a point towhere you know that that's the
way it is and it's not takingits toll on you, it's not
wearing on your relationships,that sort of just the way it is
and it's not taking its toll onyou, it's not wearing on your
relationships, that sort ofthing, then it's like, okay, I
think this is my forever home,that's how I feel.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And I think that definition of success, obviously
it evolves over time and itwill for you, as it does for
everyone else.
Talk about your journey alittle bit.
And what the metaphor, ty.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Maybe you had a cut to achieve the success you just
defined okay, well, so I have alittle bit of a gypsy life right
I born and right.
I was born in california,raised in dallas, texas, did my
undergrad in minneapolis, did myfirst internship there, believe
it or not.
I went to school to be a TVnews reporter.
I was going to be the next LisaGivens.
(03:45):
Do you know that, lisa Givens,I'm dating myself?
I don't know who Lisa Givens isFrom.
Entertainment Tonight, remember, with Mary Hart.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
We didn't have TVs growing up.
I'm kidding, I did.
I was probably watching StarWars, to be fair.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Okay, well, so I do like TV news or entertainment
news or anything like that,right?
So that's what I went to schoolfor.
My degree is journalism.
So after my internship with NBCin Minneapolis, I went to my
first TV job, nbc in Waterloo,iowa.
You want to ask me how awesomeIowa is.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I've been to Iowa.
I'm from the Midwest.
It is actually nicer thanpeople think I'll give it credit
in some areas.
I don't to Iowa, I'm from theMidwest.
It is nicer than people thinkI'll give it credit in some
areas.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I don't get it.
Yes, iowa not so much, you know.
Anyway, I put in my two yearsthere and then I moved to CBS in
Fayetteville, arkansas.
Not sure that that was muchbetter, but I needed to make the
lateral move so that I couldget from.
I started off as a producerjust behind camera, wanted to
(04:46):
get in front of the camera as areporter, so I went to CBS.
Hang on my phone's ringingagain, all right.
So I went to CBS inFayetteville, arkansas.
I lasted 10 months and Irealized this is not what I want
to do with my life.
You know, I was just speakingat a career day last week in
Lithonia you know where that isand I was telling the kids, like
(05:08):
that, this presentation, right.
And I was basically saying that, like, even if you don't know
what you want to do, or if youdo, if you change your mind,
that's okay.
So that was my first severingties, right.
There was like cutting tieswith the idea that I was meant
to be this famous TV newsreporter, anchor, whatever.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I envy you'd create it for yourself from a very
young age.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yes, yeah.
So after quitting TV, I mean, Iwas in different jobs that were
completely unrelated tojournalism.
I was a publishing company, Iwas with a cardboard company, I
was with a personal law firmpersonal injury and this was
2008 when everything exploded,right, and one of the attorneys
(05:57):
there said hey, you'll just gowith my son, he's a chiropractor
, he's opening up his own weightloss clinic.
And that's when my journeybegan.
Wow, that's when my journeybegan Wow.
Well, about five years ago, thatthis is what I was meant to do,
so I'm a late bloomer.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Well, you're blooming exactly when the flower was
supposed to bloom.
I mean, you can't, you can't.
Well, I think the AugustaMasters people can make flowers
bloom earlier, I don't thinkanyone else.
So, on that journey, a, you'veidentified it, you know you,
you've, you've, you know you.
(06:33):
You know what you need to do.
Do you remember the exactthough moment when you're like I
am doing this, I'm going to domy own, I'm creating my own
thing?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, I do.
So let's let's rewind to aboutthree years ago.
Three years um will be 2022.
So September of 2022 iswhenever I came on board with
HydroPlus, so we're talkingabout August and I had this aha
moment.
I told my business partner Iwas at another med spa, by the
way, and I said I'm going awaysoon he's like what?
(07:03):
And I said, yeah, so mytimeline is by the end of the
year.
It's time to move on.
I feel like I'm a hamster in awheel and there's not really any
room left for me to grow.
I think, first coming to termswith that and then within a week
, and then maybe I manifested it.
I had two job offers.
One of them was for a med spathat I would do exactly the same
(07:24):
thing, except I had a longercommute, same pay.
And then the other one was forhere for Hydro Plus, and it was
only IV hydration.
So it was going to be my roleto bring in the weight loss, the
hormones, the Botox, all ofthat stuff times three and you
know, a little bit more pay buta lot more work.
And I went with a decision thatmade me the most uncomfortable.
(07:45):
And here I am.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
I love that, so that you know you've you made the
decision, you did it, you hadclarity of mind to make, find
success and and no doubt fearslike your success was going to
pivot again and you're going tobe like I'm going to go do that
now.
Uh, what's been the impact foryou since making the move?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
You know, I think that maybe I didn't realize the
the workload that I was takingon, and so I, you know, I
thought maybe I was just here tosee weight loss patients and
you know, help people withhormone replacement and and I
didn't really realize that I wasgoing to be, you know, dealing
with when the internet goes outor when the alarms are going off
in the middle of the night, orwhenever staff is calling out
(08:28):
sick or you know, just like thebig and the little day to day
things.
And so it made me learn to takecharge more of the operations
side of it, instead of justbeing in the clinical setting.
And so I was like, okay, I haveto learn more.
So I started taking classesfrom Cornell on the psychology
(08:48):
of leadership and I just think Iwanted to be better at my job.
So that's been the impact isthat it's like, okay, what else
should I do next?
Speaker 1 (08:58):
It sounds like it's forced you to grow.
So well you know, if you cause,if you don't grow you're,
you're withering Right.
And so if you, if you don'tfeel like you're, you have room
to go.
And I think in your own earlierstatement it sounds like at
some point, unless the ceiling'sbig enough in there, you might
have to bust through that and go, do something, grow even bigger
to something else.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
We're in our fourth location right now, so I mean
that is a big project to take onright now.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It's a good business to open one location, let alone
having a new one plus threeothers to manage.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
We have a state, so challenge accepted.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I love that Challenge accepted.
Let's do this.
What are you most grateful for,though, in your life?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I think I'm most grateful for people taking like,
people like the owner of Hydra.
He took this chance on me, youknow.
I mean everybody can talk a biggame right, like, oh yeah, I
can run that and I can bring inall of these products and
services and have all thesepatients who will follow me.
My first week here I was likewhat if nobody shows up?
Right, and you can't let itfail.
And so I think I'm grateful forthat, first off, and then
(10:04):
secondly for, like, the supportsystem around me, right?
So I mentioned before that youknow I don't get to make it to
every soccer game, I don't getto be present on the sidelines
for practices and sometimes Imiss, you know, I don't get to
make it to every soccer game.
I don't get to be present onthe sidelines for practices and
sometimes I miss, you know,school performances and
sometimes, you know, I can'thave date night with my husband
and that sort of thing.
But the second thing that I'mmost grateful for is really just
(10:24):
the support around you, like,like my husband gets it, my
daughter gets it, like it's not,like I'm just off, you know
eating.
What is it?
What are those Bonbons?
Bonbons.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Bonbons.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
And just hanging out with my friends, Like I mean,
you know, I'm trying to buildthis, like you know, empire, and
I love that my daughter and myhusband can appreciate that.
That's really important.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
It is, and you know, one of the questions I always
ask is kind of like the lessonfor the listeners, and I'm going
to offer one that the lessonfor your loved ones and you know
they get, or they're learning,if they're, you know, you know
it's your husband, your, yourchild is that you have to
sacrifice to get what you want.
Like you're not going to get itwithout some type of giving.
Yet, and as long as you'retransparent with what the
(11:12):
reasons are and the why and thedirection, people will support
you, and they're not.
They'll be better for itbecause they'll know that.
No, you know she was doing whatshe needed to do but didn't do
it because she didn't want me tobe there, Because you know the
kid steps what hits hard, right?
That's the subject.
That's a good lesson, thoughYou're teaching them that you
have to sacrifice to get whatyou want.
You you will.
You know, if you're an athlete,you got.
(11:35):
You're going to give up partiesand you're going to give up
drinking.
You're going to give up lots ofthings friends and other people
around you are going to bedoing, so you can go chase what
you want.
If you're a business person,you're going to give up time
sometimes with loved ones to goget some stuff done.
You're gonna get up sleep.
Just how hard.
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
You don't want to sacrifice, entrepreneurship is
not for you.
So I try to tell people that,like I mean it's you're going to
have to give up sleep, andsometimes you're going to have
to give up family time, andsometimes you have to give up,
like you know, your weekends oryour nights.
And if you're not willing to dothat, or you don't have the
support system who will allowyou to do that, then
entrepreneurship should be foryou.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I mean, allow you to do that, then entrepreneurship
should it be for you.
Entrepreneurship is a Frenchword that's defined as crazy ass
people that might bepotentially ADHD, to give up
everything to chase absolutelynothing with the hope that
they'll be successful.
I just made that up.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I was like oh my God, is that me?
I think he's the guy that's me.
I attacked.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
You know what it is.
It's true, it's controlledmadness.
It is, it's true, it'scontrolled madness to some
degree.
What's the best in businessadvice you've ever received.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You always have more time than you think.
Somebody told me that when Iwas 28.
Just for reference, I'm 44.
It was that long ago thatsomebody said that to me.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
This is a lot.
If you're 44,.
Either we're talking about thefilters you're using on the
camera or I'm coming for youbecause, holy cow, I would have
guessed you like me.
And I mean that.
Guys listen, don't be creepy.
Go watch the video, you'll belike oh yeah, that's weird, no
way.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yes.
So it's like you know, I alwaysthought, okay, well, you know
what?
All my friends are married, allmy friends have kids.
And I kept comparing myself to,you know, the people who
already owned a house, or thepeople who already had kids in
grade school and whatever.
And you know, here I was stillchasing my dreams and, like you
know, then it does, like itfinally resonates with you that
(13:34):
you that there's a lot more timethan you think.
People like Jeff Bezos and allthese successful people right, a
lot of them didn't start any ofthat stuff until they're mid to
late.
Bill Gates right, a lot of usare late bloomers.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I would say I don't think you're that late.
I think you got a lot more timethan you think to do that.
That's great advice, by the way.
You don't have as much time asyou think.
Especially when you have kidsin the mix, it accelerates
quickly.
It's like a multiplier per kid.
I'm pretty sure If you had tostart over today, when would you
do that and what would you dodifferently?
Speaker 2 (14:14):
When would I do it?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Like, what part of your timeline would you go back
to and say, ah, we're going todo something different at this
moment?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Probably before I got married the first time, I
probably wouldn't have done that.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Skip that one.
What did the?
I don't know.
Let's just skip that episode.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
She had the cliche where people were like, well, if
you didn't get married, thenyou wouldn't have your daughter,
and so that no, and that'stotally true.
I think I was at it, and I'msaying that really because I was
in a different place in timewhen I was 31.
So like the things that Iconsidered success or the things
that you know made me feel likeI was wealthy, or the things
(14:50):
that made me feel like I wasimportant, like it's not what it
is now, you know.
So I probably would havechanged it in my early 30s.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
It's interesting.
So the same perspective youhave today will also have the
same effect back for 10 years.
You'll be like oh, thatactually wasn't important, it's
going to happen again At 49,.
I'm telling you, it's going tohappen again at least twice more
.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I believe it.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
So, all right, where was I going to?
I always had a deeper thoughtto ask you oh, I had it here.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
We're going deep.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
If there's a question I should have asked you today,
but I didn't, what would thatquestion have been and how would
you have answered it?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
If you were going to ask me a question.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
What was the?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
question.
I should have asked you that.
I didn't.
I don't know, I don't know, Idon't know.
Can I, can I sleep on that one?
Because here's the thing Ididn't know what you were going
to ask me at all.
I didn't even know what thejoke was.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
I know that's the best part of that question.
I usually swim people thequestions.
It's automated and that's thelast question I put on there.
I'm going to part of thatquestion.
I usually swim people thequestions.
It's automated and that's thelast question I put on.
I'm going to ask you thatquestion, but this is the best
part of editing is I won't do it.
What is the thing that someoneshould ask you?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
They never do, maybe where I went to school, maybe
what your educational backgroundis.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
I don't know, I mean be what's my bench or something
fun like I mean like I know thatnobody does that I would ask
people that actually that is aleading question is like which
is what muscles on the beat.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
The first thing you say is hey bro, what do you bet?
Speaker 1 (16:33):
no, I'll ask like a random person hey's your squat,
and it might be a five-year-oldand they're like I'm like I bet
it's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Well, I think people should know about your
educational background.
You know, like, why don't youjust blow and smoke up your butt
?
And like I really have nobackground in that.
I think it's good to know that.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Yeah, education, we won't go down.
I can do a whole.
I can do a whole startingpodcast on education right now.
All right, question, it'sshameless plug time.
First of all, thank you forcoming on a show and listen.
I love when people have no ideawhat's going on.
It's the best, because I havemore fun in those shows.
I'm like, oh, this is going tobe good.
Who should get ahold of you andhow should they do that?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I mean anybody, just to say hi, Men and women, 40 and
up, anyone looking to loseweight, anyone looking to gain
muscle.
You're like looking for, youknow, anti-aging remedies, iv
hydration.
If you have a massive hangover,you can come in and get a
hangover bag.
You know, if you need to look alittle bit more snatched in the
(17:41):
face and you want someinjections done, anything like
that.
Basically, we're now one-stopwellness, so there isn't
anything we don't have access to.
We're about to roll out somestem cells and then it's next
level after that.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
That's great Peptides .
I'm going to add these wrinkles.
You could like do laundry onthese things, you could like.
I'm worried.
If I get Botox, it's going totake my eyebrows and just shut
my eyes down.
Basically, I look like ChrisCrinkle.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Like a shark bay.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Anyway, thank you, Stephanie, for coming on the
show today.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Thanks.
When do we get to see it?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Oh, you don't.
We borrow it forever, that'sall you have to pay for it.
Okay, We'll figure it out.
We do a bunch of these.
There's a process.
You probably won't read youremail anyway, it seems like if
we do it so it'll just be outfor weeks and you'll be like oh
no.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
There it, oh.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
No, there it is yeah, thank you for coming on, I
appreciate it awesome.
Keep in touch well and listenanyone who's made it this part
of the show.
Thank you for watching.
If this was your first timehere, I hope it's the first of
many.
Get out there, go cut a tie tosomething holding you back, but
first to find success on yourterms, so you know what it is
you're chasing.
Have a great.
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