EP# 241: From Hospice to Aesthetics: Michelle Bowers' Transformative Journey

What makes Michelle Bowers with Biltmore Dermatology a good neighbor?

What happens when a hospice nurse follows an unexpected path into aesthetic medicine? Michelle Bowers, an aesthetic RN with Biltmore Dermatology in Asheville, North Carolina, reveals her fascinating journey and philosophy in this heartfelt conversation.

Michelle brings nearly two decades of nursing experience to her role, having made a dramatic career pivot during the COVID pandemic. Now celebrating five years in aesthetic medicine, she's thrilled to bring specialized cosmetic treatments to Biltmore Dermatology's established practice. What makes her approach special? A dedication to natural, holistic treatments that enhance rather than drastically change a person's appearance.

"A misconception is that everyone's going to look unnatural," Michelle explains, countering the fear of "those big lips or those big cheeks" that many associate with cosmetic procedures. Instead, she focuses on helping patients feel confident while still looking like themselves. This patient-centered approach has created meaningful relationships that Michelle treasures as the most rewarding aspect of her work.

Beyond her professional identity, Michelle shares her love for hiking the North Carolina mountains and spending quality time with her children. She also opens up about a profound personal challenge—Hurricane Helene's devastating impact on her wedding plans and her now-husband's home. Through this crisis, she discovered the extraordinary resilience of the Asheville community, finding unexpected gifts in how people came together during hardship.

Working alongside the physicians and staff at Biltmore Dermatology, Michelle embodies their mission: "We deeply care about people and the whole person. We want people to feel good and be the healthiest, happiest versions of themselves." Ready to learn more? Michelle welcomes listeners to schedule a free 30-minute consultation without any pressure—simply visit BiltmoreDermatology.com or call their office directly.

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To learn more about Biltmore Dermatology go to:

https://biltmoredermatology.com

Biltmore Dermatology 

[phone]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monning.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
So I am very excited today tohave a special guest in the
studio with us, and I'm sureyou'll be just as excited as I
am to learn all about her andher business, because today I
have the pleasure of introducingyour good neighbor, who is Miss
Michelle Bowers, who is aaesthetic RN with Biltmore

(00:37):
Dermatology.
Michelle, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
We are thrilled to have you, like I said, excited
to learn all about what you do.
So if you don't mind, why don'tyou kick us off by telling us
about your business?

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Wonderful.
Well, I joined Dr Lisa May andDr Lisa Nury in practice
Biltmore Dermatology, which hasbeen in Asheville, north
Carolina, for 25 years now, andI have brought in the specialty

(01:13):
of aesthetics and cosmetictreatments which I know their
patients are just thrilled about.
So I've been doing this aboutfive years now and I actually
started out in surgicalaesthetics and then I was in a
med spa setting for a few yearsand I'm really thrilled to be in

(01:36):
dermatology.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
And you kind of touched on this.
But how did you get startedLike in the very beginning?
What's your journey to whereyou are now?
How'd you get started like inthe very beginning?
What's your journey to whereyou are now?
How'd you get started?

Speaker 3 (01:48):
it's an interesting story.
So I've been a registered nurseum for almost 20 years now and
the majority of my career wasactually in some way shape or
form actually in hospice and Iwas approached to join an

(02:09):
aesthetics practice and trainwith the surgeon and at the time
it was right after COVID and Iright during COVID, after COVID,
and I just took a leap of faithand thought, well, I'm going to
see what this is all about andI really enjoyed it.
I've enjoyed learning, I'veenjoyed my patients and I've

(02:34):
enjoyed the differentspecialties that I've been in.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Very good, very good.
Nice to know.
Well, what are some myths ormisconceptions in the
dermatology aesthetics field.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
I don't know about dermatology aesthetics
specifically, but in the worldof aesthetics, which a lot of
people know is one of thefastest growing fields in
medicine, A misconception isjust that everyone's going to be

(03:13):
changed, Everyone's going tolook unnatural or look strange
or different or something I hearall the time is.
You know, I don't want to havethose big lips or those big
cheeks, and it's a bigmisconception because it

(03:35):
definitely doesn't have to belike that.
Specialty really truly is verynatural, holistic treatments
that just help my patients feelyou know great about themselves.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, and that's got to be rewarding, I would think.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
It is rewarding.
Yeah, I really, I really enjoythe patient relationships.
It's it's got to be the bestthing about any nursing job I've
had.
But in this, in this specificfield, you know you, you see
people repetitively and you getto know them and their lives and

(04:18):
it's it's a it's a vulnerablespace for people and it's also
really rewarding.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Very good.
Well, outside of work, Michelle, what do you like to do for fun
?

Speaker 3 (04:35):
My favorite thing to do is hike and be in the
mountains and be in the woods.
I'm very drawn to.
You know where I live.
Obviously, I've been here 15years now and I moved from
Wisconsin and then I have twochildren who are two of my

(04:57):
favorite people in the world,and they're 11 and 13.
So we're always doing, you knowwhat they like to do too, which
is chess and Pokemon and umbasketball and pickleball, so it
keeps things lively.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
I'm sure.
I'm sure.
Well, time with family.
Absolutely best answerAbsolutely.
Well, let's switch gears forjust a second, michelle.
Can you describe a hardship ora life challenge that you've
overcome and how it made youstronger in the end?
Does anything come to mind?

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yes, actually so recently this year, and I'm sure
a lot of people are aware ofthis, but our area got hit by
this um hurricane helene and Iwas supposed to get married to

(05:56):
my now husband rick on october5th my now husband Rick on
October 5th and, needless to say, that wasn't possible because
there was no water and there wasno power and there were no
flights into Asheville andRick's cabins and home and

(06:17):
belongings and everything wasoutside of Hot Springs and
belongings and everything wasoutside of hot springs.
So it got totally destroyed.
It's still standing, buttotally destroyed.
So it has been a reallyinteresting year but ultimately,
on the other side of it, I cansay it's a gift and I can say

(06:39):
that the people that walkedthrough my door at Biltmore
Dermatology, particularly duringthat time, it was really
special, like the community cametogether, people connected
whether that was likeemotionally or whether that was,
you know, by helping each otherphysically, spiritually, and

(07:04):
I've never been so proud to livein this community and just like
really honored that I could besupportive and give a safe space
for people to, you know, heal.
So that was, that was big thisyear.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Huge, huge and impacted so many people, but
it's, it's very.
I live right across the stateline or studios are right across
the state line in Tennessee.
I'm not far from Hot Springsactually and, yeah, hot Springs
got just absolutely hammered,but they're resilient and it's
done my heart good to see howpeople have stepped up to the

(07:45):
plate to help each other, likeyou, I mean.
That's just been amazing.
Amazing Makes me proud to livehere, honestly.
Well, michelle, if you couldthink of one thing that you
would like our listeners toremember about you and about
Biltmore Dermatology and whatyou do in aesthetics, what would
that?

Speaker 3 (08:04):
be at Biltmore Dermatology, which also includes
Alison Phillips, who is a PA,amazing PA and the physicians,
of course, dr May and Dr Nuryand myself.

(08:27):
We deeply care about people andwe care about the whole person
and we want people to feel goodand be the healthiest, happiest
versions of themselves, and Ican say that I'm just so honored
and grateful to be there withthem.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Awesome, good thing, good thing to remember.
So, for those of our listenerswho may be interested in
learning more about yourservices and the services
available at BiltmoreDermatology, how can they learn
more?

Speaker 3 (09:04):
The easiest thing probably.
You can go on the website,which is BiltmoreDermatologycom.
Just call the office and wehave a couple of great front
desk gals that can tell you allabout it.
You're welcome to schedule afree 30 minute consultation with

(09:32):
me, and there's no pressure todo anything.
Just it's all about collectinginformation and making the right
decision for each person.
So that's probably the easiestway, um, and I am not great at
social media.
I don't have much of a presencethere.
I do.
I do have a social mediaaccount, but that probably isn't

(09:52):
the best way to reach me.
So I would say you know, callthe office, the website, and
then I do have an email, um, andit's m brown, built derm
gmailcom, so people can email meas well very good and can can
people book on the website?

(10:14):
not at the present time.
They do have to call.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
Okay, very good.
Very important to know that.
Okay, very good.
Well, michelle, I can't tellyou how much I appreciate you
taking time out of your busyschedule helping people to share
what you do with myself andwith our listeners, and I wish
you and your family and BiltmoreDermatology all the best moving

(10:39):
forward.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Thank you, and maybe we can have you back sometime.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
I would love that.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
All right.
Thank you so much, Michelle.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
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the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.