Meet Jessica Le | Owner and Certified Aesthetic Injector of Flora Medspa, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Le and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thoughts for starting my own business began years ago though I had not been fully conscious of these thoughts. I have always been inspired by entrepreneurs and people who built their owns paths. I just never knew how they did it, they seemed so brave and sure of themselves. I really looked up to these business owners and never thought I could be one myself.

However 14 years into my healthcare career and 8 years into my career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist, I realized I wanted more. I love my job as an anesthesia provider, and I would never leave my profession. I did start wondering though if this was it, was I just going to go the hospital, work my shift and go home every single day for the rest of my career. I knew I wanted do add something else for my path but I was not sure what. As an anesthesia provider, I am very specialized and I just didn’t know what else my skills could translate too. I knew going into education and teaching just wasn’t for me and I went into a leadership position as the Chief of Anesthesia for a year. The hours and stress of that leadership position also did not speak to me and what I was hoping for in terms of more fulfillment.

All this time I watched several other healthcare workers starting their own Wellness Clinics, IV Therapy Clinics, Ketamine Clinics and Aesthetic Medspas. I watched from the sidelines for a while. Medical Aesthetics really interested me because as an anesthesia provider, I do advanced procedures such as spinal anesthesia and nerve blocks. I thought that Medical Aesthetics could be perfect for me since I already perform injections.

During this time, I got married and my husband and I went on a honeymoon to Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Our honeymoon was on a live aboard sailboat for 2 weeks and the couple who owned it had left their corporate jobs in France to pursue their dreams of owning a sailboat and scuba diving for a living. I must have been very inspired by my time in this magical place and my time on the sailboat which was literally named “Majik”. I came back from our honeymoon and two weeks later I took the leap and signed up for training in Medical Aesthetics and started my own PLLC. It happened very fast but before I knew it, I had started my own business and was by all means the Business Owner of Flora Medspa.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been in healthcare for 14 years, I began as a Critical Care Registered Nurse and worked in various Level One Trauma Centers. I began in Albuquerque, New Mexico for my first couple years as a nurse, then became a travel nurse in California and Utah. After 4 years in Critical Care, I decided to further my career and pursued my Masters Degrees as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist (CRNA). I wanted to advance my practice and longed for more autonomy in the hospital. I have worked in Phoenix as CRNA for the last 8 years. I am the most proud of my ability to take care of critically ill patients and keep them safe under anesthesia. I worked at Arizona Heart Hospital for my first 3 years of my anesthesia practice and took care of the sickest patients in Phoenix. I really developed skills during that time to be able utilize my critical thinking and work under highly stressful and intense situations. I carry those skills with me and they translate into other areas of my life.

After 8 years as a CRNA, my daily work became monotonous. I again longed for more autonomy and wanted to build other skills and use my creativity more. That is where Medical Aesthetics came into my life as an interest. I had always had a softer side of me that loved all things beauty and would watch makeup videos during my breaks. I thought Medical Aesthetics was a great way to combine my love of beauty with my advanced medical skills as an anesthesia provider. After an inspiring trip across the world for my honeymoon, I came home and realized I needed to pursue this dream. I opened Flora Medspa, An Aesthetic Boutique and began my very first business.

My road was not easy to get to where I am today as an anesthesia provider and business owner. My career in anesthesia started out working long hours with intensely ill patients for years. I worked long and hard day in and day out and experienced burnout early into my career. I have since found a better work/life balance, but I wish I had figured that out earlier on and set better boundaries at work. The high volume of intense sick patients I put under anesthesia on during the early days of my career made me a strong provider. However, I had to learn to my health was not worth the stress of working that intensely. I encourage newer providers to find that work/life balance early on into their career.

Much further into my time being a CRNA, I am now much more comfortable with my work and know the value I bring with so much experience under my belt. I believe I will bring these skills into my new journey as a Certified Aesthetics Injector. With my years of advanced practice skills I will be able to perform aesthetic procedures safely, effectively and always up to par with the latest industry standards just as I would in healthcare. I believe in continuing education in aesthetics just as I continue to do so in anesthesia and this is paramount to give the best treatments and give my clients lasting, natural results. Clients can expect a high standard of care from me and know their safety and proven results are at the core of my practice at Flora Medspa.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting for the week we would be eating, hiking, biking, and shopping the entire time.

We would start off with a mountain bike ride at Mcdowell Mountain preserve, I love biking there because you get amazing views of Four Peaks on top Scenic Trail. After that we would go to brunch and coffee at Valentine, this is my favorite spot for southwestern flavors and low key delicious food. After that we would relax with a dip int the pool.

The next day we would start off at Well Coffee with a Pistachio Latte and pastry, then head to Black Canyon for a desert hike, I love the views of the river and saguaros all along the trail. For dinner, we would go to Belly, a modern Vietnamese fusion restaurant and order a Vietnamese pizza, street food in Vietnam.

The next day we would go paddleboarding on the Salt River and check out the wild horses. Followed by lunch at Hopes Fry Bread. I am originally from New Mexico, and I love good fried bread.

The next day we would visit Bunky Boutique, this is my favorite local boutique in downtown Phoenix. They have tons of local clothing, jewelry and household southwestern items. This would be followed by dinner at Palma, they have awesome Asian fusion and the best cocktails.

We would end with one last hike at Piestewa Peak, this is a perfect short hike that is a great workout with amazing views of the city at the top. This would be followed by a honey latte and a burrito from Giant Coffee Shop. Our last dinner would be at Bacanora. I love the seasonal changing menu items at Bacanora and every single thing on the menu is amazing.

We would finish off the week with a farewell brunch at Persephsen before her flight! The charcuterie from Persephsen is next level. That would finish off a perfect week in Phoenix.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my husband. He has been supportive of my journey every step of the way. He has encouraged me to pursue this business even though it has risk and uncertainty. My husband has been behind the scenes for this entire startup, from helping me set up my space, to being my guinea pig for any new procedures or skills I am learning. He would much prefer me to take the risk to do something I could love than to stay stagnant in a job that is guaranteed. I know that no matter what, I have his support in whatever path I choose to take.

Website: www.floramedspa.com

Instagram: @floramedspa

Facebook: @floramedspa

Image Credits
Union Jack Media