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Transcript

Cover to Care with SkyLee Edmiston · The Aesthetic Report

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the Aesthetic Report, a podcast for skincare professionals who want to grow their careers by hearing directly from the individuals who have been there, dealt with that, and behaving the future of their industry.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_03: Join us for the latest in all things skincare, beauty, wellness, business, and more.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_03: From interviews with leading experts to the burning topics on your mind.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_03: The aesthetic report starts now.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, hello, everybody, and welcome to the Aesthetic Report, a podcast by Dermoscope.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: I am your host, AIA President and Director of Education, Michelle de Allard Brenner.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: And as so many of you know, the Aesthetic Report is for skincare professionals just like you who want to learn more about how to make it in the industry by hearing straight from our industry leaders with the hottest one-on-one interviews about all of the latest dish on all things professional skincare.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: And this episode's guest is an aesthetician, an educator, a certified nutritionist, and the founder of Face the Fight and a Local Wellness Collective.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: She's Tucson's only OTI accredited oncology trained esthetician and the winner of Dermoscope's 2025 cover contest.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's December's cover girl, Sky Lee Edmondson.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Skyly, thank you so much for being here with me today.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: I am so excited.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's going to be fun.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: We're just going to chit-chat.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I've got a million questions.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I know our big focus today, we're going to talk about the cover contest and what it is.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: But you have a really great story as to how you built your business, actually more why you built your business.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I'd love for you to tell our listeners a little bit about what you do and why you do it, in case they haven't read the magazine yet.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I started, gosh, it's been, I think almost 17 years now.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: I've been an esthetician, but I began as an esthetician just because I loved beauty, everything, beauty, including hair.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: And in school, it started very early that I was unfortunately, you know, close to someone who was diagnosed with cancer.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And she stopped coming to see me as a student, and I couldn't understand why.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, she told me she was scared.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: She didn't know if it would be safe for her to receive treatments during treatment.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And that kind of sent me down the rabbit hole of oncology and what they go through and all the different things because I'd never known anyone before that had cancer.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, that was kind of the first introduction to me realizing that there was this whole other world that I had no idea about.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's where I found Morag, who's, you know, the pioneer of oncology.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I just got obsessed, honestly, with helping people feel better when they were going through this awful, awful thing.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then my nonprofit kind of sprouted from there because I understood what it was like to not be able to afford something that you desperately needed.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't want that for people who were already emotionally, physically, and financially expended at that point.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I decided I was just going to start offering free services to them and hope that I'd be able to pay for it and help, you know, have other people that would help me to be able to fund it.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I I have two questions, sort of, that stems with that from that.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: But the first one is, you know what, Skyly, so many people think about or consider doing things like a not profit and or or getting involved for certain reasons.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: And they say, Oh, but I don't know what to do or I don't know how.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: What was it either like about you that did that?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: Is it part of your personality?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: Is it something that drove that?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because you know it's so frustrating.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes you hear people say, Well, I'd love to do that, but and there's all these excuses, but you did it.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: So what was that driving force to make you actually take the step, aside from the fact that your heart was obviously in it?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: I have a little bit of an obsessive personality, not addictive, but obsessive.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: I get something in my brain and I convince myself that like no matter what anyone else says or or thinks, I'm gonna make it happen.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's been to my detriment when it's something that I probably shouldn't be so obsessive about.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: But for the most part, it tends to work really well for me because I'll I'll decide I want to do something and you know, people will say that's never been done, or or that's not a normal thing, or that's not how you should do it.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And and I'm I'm a little stubborn, well, a lot stubborn, honestly.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, I'm like, oh, really?
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, then you know what?
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's even more reason for me to want to prove you wrong because I I just I don't know, I have this like almost detrimental personality that makes me think that anything in the entire world is possible if you want to make it happen.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just do it and 99% of the time it ends up working.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess it's not that bad.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't think it's a detrimental personality trait at all.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: I because I'm I'm very much like that, and you're right.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: 99% of the time, it usually ends up working out, and you know, I said failure is just an opportunity to figure out another way to do something, that's all it is.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: So my second question, based off of, you know, just your introduction, what we chatted about a little bit.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: There are so many of our listeners, and I will even say, going back years and years ago, prior to knowing anybody that had any type of cancer and was going through this, you oftentimes hear, well, skin is skin, or well, sensitive skin is sensitive skin.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's all the same.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Can you, and I know you could probably talk for hours about it, but can you share with our listeners a couple of things that you learned about cancer patients that that are different, that are different from your regular customers?
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'd say one of the biggest ones that kind of I didn't prepare for.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, I took the classes, I read all the books that were given to me, I learned all the things in terms of like the treatment courses they go through and the science behind what cancer is.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: The thing that I think we spent such a little bit of time on that should have been expanded more that kind of slapped me in the face was the psychological.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: I did not prepare myself, and it was probably a couple years into it that I finally felt comfortable when I'd have someone come in and they'd feel just so ugly to themselves.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: They were so hard on themselves, they'd feel awful, they didn't want to go out in public, or if they did, they felt like they had to put on like all these things, you know, wigs and fake lashes and and things to make themselves feel quote unquote normal.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And they would cry in the studio, and and I had to learn how to function with that and not spend all my time crying the whole time with them because sometimes it's okay, but you know, for the most part, I need to let them have the treatment be about them and not about me over here bawling in the corner, too.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's the the biggest thing that was such a difference for me.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I obviously I know aside from cancer, people every day can feel ugly, can feel like they're not themselves.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: But I think with cancer, it's such a fast thing and and it's so unexpected.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And from every woman and man that's ever come into my studio, they have said that that's something that the doctors have never talked to them about.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they talk to them about what might happen.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, you might lose your hair, you might do this, but they don't say prepare yourself to not feel like yourself.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I would have to assume too, another point, and because you're right, we always come across people that aren't happy with themselves and don't feel good about themselves for whatever reason.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: But when it comes to a customer with cancer, that is something they absolutely have no control over and can't change.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's like completely out of your realm of control.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's a good point that I didn't even think of.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like there's so many other things that we can work on, we can help to treat, but you know, especially in the midst of treatment, you can't be working on hyperpigmentation.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: You can't be, you know, working on all these things aggressively.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: So you are kind of in this like holding pattern where you've got to try to help someone feel as good as possible with as minimal aggression and treatment as possible.
• 8:42
  unknown: Yeah, yeah.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know what?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: That I mean, thank you for your service in a sense.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's really that's it's a huge undertaking.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I I can't imagine the skill and the effort that it took for you to be able to separate yourself from those individuals.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: That had to be a huge milestone, a huge stepping stone.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it and you know, it's something that I think I had talked to Dorian about this during our initial interview.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I have learned to really be able to compartmentalize things.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it kind of started with that and then just kind of translated over into working in schools with students and things like that and being able to separate, you know, my feelings from what's going on in the business.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right, absolutely.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so let's move on to something fun and exciting, I guess.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: Not that that isn't by all means, but Skyle, how long have you been part of the Dermoscope community?
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's yeah, I know, I know I can see that thinking process.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: What was it that drove you to our community?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: To be honest, so in the first few years of my career, I was very segregated in a school because I worked for a school that was very one product line, one focus.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so I didn't spend a lot of time outside of that.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't go to conventions yet.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: I hadn't really taken a lot of extra courses.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to say I I thought about this for so long.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to, I think when I went to the Vegas convention for the first time, which was probably maybe 10 years ago, you guys had a booth.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I walked by and was like, what is this?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: And they were, you know, of course, they were like, Oh, get, you know, sign up today and you get a year for whatever price.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Well, it's a deal.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, what worse that could happen, right?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: And then it was just kind of history from there.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: I just, you know, was excited every month to get my copy.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: And every time I got a new magazine, it was like some amazing new information that I'd never heard before.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: So it just kind of became this exciting little gift every month.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: It is like a little gift every month.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: And even for all the years that I've involved, and it's, you know, it's always education is so important.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: And even if it's something you think you know, hearing something a little different about it just one more time is like, ah, or you forget about something at the same time.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Spoken like a true school owner.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, yeah, I know.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: You can hear it 30 times and it's always gonna be different.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna hear it again.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's it, that's exactly right.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, so you can hear it from your teachers a million times.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody else says it, and you're like, ah, I get that now.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: I've never heard that before.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: So you're a multi-hyphenite professional in a sense.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do you answer when people ask you what you do?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: Because you've kind of got your fingers in in different areas.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, it kind of depends on who I'm talking to.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm talking to my dad, he still thinks I rent a booth somewhere.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, there's that.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm talking to my clients.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't talk a ton about myself.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, aside from them asking me what I do during the day, I'll say, Oh, I work for a beauty school.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I don't, I guess I don't spend a lot of time being like, here's all of my credentials.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I I just I'm an aesthetician.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, at the heart of it, I love skin.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love all things skin.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's such a great business.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: There's there's just so many things in it.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, so if you look at all the things that you do, what are if you had to pick one or two highs and one or two lows of wearing so many different hats, what would that be?
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: The highs is I get to always have something new happening.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, whether it's a different type of client or a new service that I'm trying out or new curriculum that I'm writing, there's just always something changing, moving, and and it's keeps it really fresh and exciting because I get bored very easily.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'd say probably the low of it is sometimes I take on more than I should.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: And my boyfriend will tell you this more than anyone.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like, finish a project before you start a new one.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you looked at my backyard and like the amount of projects I've started that I haven't finished, they eventually get done.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: But he just says, I need you to to focus it in a little bit more and like not take on so many things.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it can definitely be a little overwhelming.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I try to say no to things now, whereas I never did before.
• 13:09
  unknown: Yeah.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think that that comes with maturity, doesn't it?
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: Either that or just the experience.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: You just get to the point where you're like, oh my gosh, it's too much.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: So do you and I'm gonna ask you.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: So first of all, do you remember when the cover contest first like stuck out to you or grabbed your attention?
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: Was there a particular time that you're like, hmm?
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'd say probably it had to have been two or three uh ep uh episodes, two or three covers ago.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: I had seen it and I didn't realize when I first looked at it that that's what it was.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: I just thought, oh, this is another person on the cover, like whatever, you know.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I opened it and started reading, and was like, oh, contest winner, like what is that?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then last year I had applied, and never, never in a million years did I ever think that like I was at a place where I'd be considered, even this year.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so I applied last year and then just kind of forgot afterwards because I was like, yeah, it's probably never gonna happen.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then same with this year, like I did the application and then I kind of just put it out of my brain and was like, yeah, I'm not there yet.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like one day I'm just gonna keep applying and they'll get tired of me.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it was uh it was really cool because I was like, man, it's really detailed, but I just didn't know what type of person you guys were looking for.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: So you know, I didn't I didn't think I had a shot.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Well, clearly you did.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: No, which is just I it's just fantastic.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: So talk a little bit about about the process because you just said, you know, it is a little detailed for listeners that are out there that you know didn't pick up on it or didn't catch it.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: What are some of the details or some of the things that caught your attention that you're like, wow, this really is uh it does require a little bit of effort and skill.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it was it was a pretty long application in terms of questions.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: I can't remember how many exactly, but I want to say it was at least 15 questions.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and it really makes you have to kind of look at yourself and also not be afraid to, I don't want to say brag, but not be afraid to like put yourself out there as far as what you've done and be proud of what you've done.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it can be hard, you know.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: I still struggle with it.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like I want to find that fine balance.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want people to think I'm a bragger, I'm egotistical to a negative sense, but I also don't want to minimize myself because I have worked my butt off and I have done some cool things.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think that's where we as women especially have to like figure out how to look at ourselves from an outside perspective and and maybe list.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's kind of what I did is like, okay, put down on a piece of paper what are the things that you did.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what this application really forced me to do was to like think about in terms of if I was looking at on a piece of paper, what are the things I've accomplished?
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: What are the things that make me different than someone else?
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: Not better, just different.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: And what are the things that I'm most proud of or that I've learned the most?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: And it was a very like introspective application.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's really what it's aimed to do too, is uh, you know, it would be it would be so nice if if more people in the world were like proud of what they did, you know, and really and and and felt good about the things.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: I can recall, and I've I've said this to actually all of my children, male and female children, but to be able to say thank you when someone gives you a compliment instead of trying to, oh, you know, oh, oh, this old dress or oh, it's a bad hair day, or coming up with an excuse just to say thank you so much.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it's true.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: We do.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it took me years to not always discount what people were saying to me.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and especially in the field that we're in, and for yourself, you know what, as as aestheticians, I always said it's the best job in the world because we have the ability to change the way people look and feel about themselves.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: I to me, there's like nothing more powerful than that, and to be able to just say thank you when someone says, Oh my God, you're so amazing, or oh my God, what you've done to me, or oh my gosh, that was the best ever, and to just say thank you.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're right.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: You said, you know what, you worked your butt off for it, and you do.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: You do.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: Dermoscope magazine is the continuing education resource that skincare professionals need to stay current on all things aesthetics, attracting the most prolific experts in the industry for almost 50 years.
• 17:47
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• 17:53
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• 18:04
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• 18:13
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• 18:15
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• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: So when you discovered you'd won, who called you and told you that you were our cover contest winner?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: So that day was such a blur.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like it was not Dorian.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was Amanda.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna be honest, I don't even remember who called me because I was like, you're lying.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this is a joke.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: I thought it was like a prank call at first.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I was like, who's messing with me?
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: You guys are crazy.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: And my dog was sitting next to me, and I just remember because I'm the crazy dog lady, being like, What this is weird.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what kind of day are we having?
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't real, and it didn't like feel real at all.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I sat there for a moment and was like, no, they're gonna they're gonna call me back and be like, just kidding, we messed up, it's not you, it's someone else.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, so I uh I called my partner right after and was just like, so I think I'm gonna be on the cover of a magazine.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: And he's like, that's cool, babe.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, you know, like men and you know, he's on our industry.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: He was just like, Cool, you know, whatever.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then like later on that night, he'd called me back after work and was like, So can you tell me more about this?
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because I I wasn't really paying attention when he first told me, and so I explained it.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, Oh, all right, you're a baddie.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Thanks.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's so cool.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: How about the first time you saw it when you actually saw your was that just unbelievable?
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: I got super teary eyed because you know I had been communicating.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Back and forth with Dorian regarding like some questions she had about the article and things.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I knew the photographer had done all the photos and everything, but I hadn't seen them.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I had no idea what it was going to look like or which pictures they were going to choose, which outfits, like nothing.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I, to be honest, I hate taking pictures.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: I had just, I was have the urge to make a weird face.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I wasn't sure what they were going to look like.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: And it just didn't feel like it was a real thing.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Am I really looking at myself on the cover of this thing?
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: And it just made me really teary-eyed.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: So, Skyly, for our listeners that don't know the process, once you got chosen, what happened next?
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how did we get to the part that we got an article on you and we got your pictures and what was the process that you went through?
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: So the first portion of it was the interview, which was done over Zoom since you guys are based in Dallas and I'm in Arizona.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I'd assume unless someone wins from Dallas, that's kind of how it would probably always go.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so we did a Zoom interview.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: There was a few of us, and they recorded it and just asked me a list of questions, which they did send me beforehand so I could kind of look at them and have an idea of what they were gonna ask me.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: So we went through that.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: That was really fun, really casual, just kind of a back and forth, kind of like we're doing uh almost identically.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then after that, we scheduled the photo shoot and they asked me if I had a photographer that I wanted to use it locally.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they I guess prefer to work with local people, which I love.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so we scheduled a photo shoot.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: Dorian came out here for the photo shoot, and she really gave us amazing creative liberty to just do what we thought was best.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I had no idea what I should be doing, so I left it to the photographer.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, we just did a bunch of different shots in different places in the studio, and you know, she just kind of chatted with me that day casually.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then, gosh, that was in October.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: So then from October till the um issue came out, I was kind of just like hanging out on pins and needles.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, Dorian had a couple questions after the fact, um, just to clarify some of the interview questions and whatnot.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then yeah, you guys mailed me the magazine, and I wasn't sure if I could share it or not because I didn't know if it was like a ahead of time kind of thing.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I had these boxes I was like hoarding in the back, all excited.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I filmed that video the day I got the boxes for Instagram, but then I didn't post it until I had gotten the okay from Dorian that it was good to post.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it was it was really interesting.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then that day, of course, the digital issue came out, and then here we are a week later.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: That is so awesome.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's just I love hearing that story.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, why do you feel it's important to showcase aestheticians with either different or smaller platforms?
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: I honestly think we have spent so much time, and I I see the value in social media, don't get me wrong, but we've spent so much time putting so much stock into people who have these crazy followings.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: And we, these newer aestheticians are coming out of school and they're thinking, in order to make money, in order to be successful, in order to be good at what I do, I have to have 300,000 followers and brand deals and all these things.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not true, you know.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: And and yes, if that's the route you want to go, by all means, strive to get there.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to get wherever you want to go, but I don't love that there are people out there who think that that is the only idea of success.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, I love seeing different types of estheticians and different levels who still are making it.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I know really old school estheticians who don't even use social media at all and they have full books and they're making all the money they want to make and they're happy and living their life, and they're not doing lasers or they're not doing this or that, they're doing exactly what they want to be doing with no thought to what's going on in the outside world.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I think there's a place for all of us.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: And as long as you're authentic and you do exactly what you want to be doing and don't do it for other people and don't do it for the gram, then there's a place for all of us.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's important to see.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's really important to see.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's really important for newer and younger aestheticians to hear that from a seasoned professional because they do think the only way to build their business is social media.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: And we know that 98% of your clients are coming from referrals, they're coming from references.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's not that often someone sees something on social media and says, Oh, I'm booking an appointment with that person.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I loved your last statement because, you know, first of all, you also use the word old school, and I'm so old school that we're circling back around to old school, one-on-one, communication, all of those things we we lost a little bit.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: But uh, what I really love that you said is people think they have to have a niche or they have to somehow stand out in some crazy unique way.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: And your exact words of you know what, you just have to be authentic and true to yourself, and that is what builds your business, and you and you have to love what you do.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: And if you don't have those things, then why bother?
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I thought that was fantastic.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: I think we spend so much time, like especially new aestheticians think you need to need to add every service or do this hot new salmon sperm facial or whatever the other hot new thing is, right?
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but there's nothing wrong with the tried and true, and there's nothing wrong with saying, I'm not gonna jump on every new trend that comes out.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna wait and see and you know, figure out if it's something I even actually really want to do.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: I spent a ton of time on a couple of platforms of aestheticians asking questions about everything and anything all of the time.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes I find myself getting very frustrated, but it's very, very common that I'm finding, and even with seasoned professionals, so for all of our listeners listening to this, they're trying to get up on what's hot, what's new, what's, and then at the same time, I'll get the next message of how do I perform a proper skin analysis?
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: Or or a skin, you know, so and I go back to you can't be doing those things if you don't know the basics.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you're not tried and true 100%, then leave, you know, RF and all those other things to the side if you don't know.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, if you don't even know ingredients, why are you trying to add 50 different new things to your menu?
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, Skyle, how has once you got to open your box of take out your magazines and share it with your friends and your coworkers and and everyone around, how have people reacted to seeing you on the cover of a magazine?
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: So my family, of course, razzes me because that's what they're there for.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they're like, I'm in Ash a supermodel in our midst.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: I expect nothing less from them, but they are proud at the end of the day.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't give me crap, I'd be worried.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, my renters, uh, it's hard to gauge because I never see them in person.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: We're like so opposite on our schedules, you know.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: So they'll like message me on Instagram when they saw it.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, hey, it's out, woo-hoo! Because obviously they knew when the photo shoot was happening, what was going on.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then the my school has been great.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: The uh social media team posted a thing on our main social media feed about it.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then a bunch of my schools have reached out when they saw it and we're like, oh my god, I just saw you, how cool.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, the CEO and the owner both uh personally reached out and and congratulated me, which was really sweet.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, I mean, it's all been very, very positive.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I I I bragged a little bit in my SD groups because I was like, I am in here answering questions for y'all all the time.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna post this.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I just posted it and everybody was super warm and welcoming about it.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it still doesn't, I still don't know that I understand the magnitude.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like I keep having people tell me, like big industry leaders that are like, this is such an accomplishment.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I know it is.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: I just I it doesn't feel real yet.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's what makes you a real person.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good thing.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good thing.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Sky, I thought that I loved your article.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: I loved your story.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_01: I thought that was just, I mean, you were an ideal pick for us by by all means.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: What for for the listeners that read it, and for those that are going to go grab their magazine and read it as soon as they listen to this, what would you like for them to take away from your story?
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: If you had to pick one thing, what would that takeaway be for listeners or readers, I should say?
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: I honestly think at the core of everything I do, and even with my students and teaching, I always want people to do what they think is right for themselves and to not worry about what other people are doing.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think we spend so much time worrying about what people think about us or what would look right or what would feel right.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a different path for each people.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I've seen amazing aestheticians on Instagram who their whole basis of their business is their religion and praying over their clients.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen people who, you know, that's not anything that would ever come into their purview.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it works for them.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I've seen people who do the medical side or the holistic side.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think don't go where you think people want you to go or where you'd make the most money or where you'd get the most recognition.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Go where your heart tells you to go.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you don't, then what's the point?
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, people are gonna see right through you and it's not gonna feel good for anybody.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: So, any words for ostheticians who want to apply next year but feel hesitant about doing it.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: Anyone out there that's either listening to us or that reads it and they're like, oh, you know what, they're never gonna pick me.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_01: So you know what?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: So what?
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: The thing is, I say you're applying in private.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's not like Dermoscope is posting all of the people who applied in their magazine and being like, hey, look at these losers, right?
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's not happening.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: So who cares?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Do it.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't get it, nobody's gonna know.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: Just if you're worried about it, don't tell anyone you're applying, just apply and put it out of your brain.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: And if it happens, then that's amazing.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: And if it doesn't, then go back again next year and do it and keep doing it until it happens for you.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because yeah, I mean, I saw this guy on TikTok today that said I posted four times a day for the last year, and I only had four videos last year go viral.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: But from those four videos, I made like a hundred thousand dollars.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: He said if I had stopped after the first month, I wouldn't have made anything.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I just kept up with the insanity.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it works.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, insanity.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: Keep up with the insanity.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I always have to end my podcast with a game, but before we play our game, Skyly, is there anything that I didn't ask you that I should have or that you want to say to our listeners that we missed out on?
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: I would say if you're not already getting out there and doing things outside of your treatment room, you should.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's just fun and it's good for you.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the trade shows, the the you know, men's conferences, the skin games, all these different things that are out there, even if you don't actively are participating in them, just go to them because it just inspires you every time you do.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I wouldn't still be in this industry if I didn't start getting out of where I was and seeing what was out in the world.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: And same with Dermoscope.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not reading it, you should be because it kind of gives you an idea of what's happening.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: And for so many aestheticians that came into this profession in the last five years or early COVID time, they have no idea.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they entered the profession almost in their own little bubble.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: There's so much, there's so much out there and so much support.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's just, it's so exciting.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's so exciting.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: Are you ready to play a game?
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: This is actually this is a fun one.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I just I love this that you have to play the game, not me, because I hate playing games.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: So okay.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: So the name of the game is apply, try, or pass.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: So simply, I have six questions for you.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: Six scenarios, six questions.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_01: And you have to, as quickly as you possibly can, say, yes, absolutely, I'm gonna apply it.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: Love this.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: Try means maybe or pass.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely no.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's a no-go.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so apply, try, or pass.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_01: First one, you're invited to speak at an international conference you've always dreamed of, but it's in one week.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: Apply.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: A brand wants you as an educator, but you've never worked with them.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: It'd be a try.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: You're asked to mentor someone who reminds you exactly of yourself at 19.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: Apply.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: A client brings their entire support squad, partner, friend, and neighbor to their appointment.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: Try.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: A client asks you to explain everything you know about herbalism in five minutes.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: Apply.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: And the last one, a client wants to bring their crystals into the facial.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: Apply.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: There were no passes.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: How did I know you weren't you were gonna do that?
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I throw caution to the wind to my own uh demise.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: Everything is a learning opportunity, no matter what, right?
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: Skyle, thank you so much for your time.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: Congratulations on your cover.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think that is I'm just it's a great feeling.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm super happy for you and what an accomplishment.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: So congratulations on that.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm honored that I got to hang out with you today because you are a baddie in this industry.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: I've been stalking you.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: No, there you go.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: There you go.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: You know what?
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: I I love this industry.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_01: I love what we do.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm very much like you.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: I like putting myself out there and doing the things that apply, apply, apply, because sooner or later you're gonna get there, right?
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's all gonna work out.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: It will.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: It will.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: So, Sky Lee, thank you again.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_01: Congratulations again to all of our listeners.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for spending 45 minutes with Sky Lee and I.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_01: This is Michelle Dialer Brenner from the Aesthetic Report, and we'll talk to you guys next month.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: Take care, everybody.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for listening to the Aesthetic Report.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you'll never miss an episode.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_03: If you love the show, leave a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_03: And all your FDP.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_03: And don't forget.