We recently connected with Jade Gonzales and have shared our conversation below.
Jade, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
We’ve all heard the term no risk, no reward! But not all risks, promises rewards, sometimes its a loss, its a heartbreak, the outcome or expectation, doesn’t always give back the dream or success we hope for. Because of this, what I found stopped me, and what stops others is FEAR.
The first risk I took was a personal one, this is what led me to actually taking many risks in other areas of my life. including my career. At the age pf 30 I filed for divorce after a 12 year relationship with a man chose to intentionally deceive me for years. Coming from a Filipino culture where the core strength and value is family I was encouraged by people in my family, to turn the other cheek in order to keep the family together, I was judged by many members of the church, The FEAR of the unknown, the fear and stigma of single parenthood, the fear of judgement was stopping me from doing what I knew was the best choice for me and my kids. I had a CHOICE…to listen to others and stay in the same position, or I could follow what my spirit was telling me to do, which was CHOOSE the UNKNOWN. That single choice changed my life forever. For the better. Not easy, but with moving forward doors of self-discovery opened that ultimately led me to where I am today. It was because of this personal choice, that I look at fear, gauge the risk, and take the chance.
A door opened for me back in 2017, where I found the love of my career. Medical Aesthetics, I never knew I could love waking up to a job that I was enthusiastic about everyday, felt like I was getting paid to have fun! For the first time I can say I fully understood the quote by Confucious “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I knew this was for me because it felt like home. The risk in this situation? Being judged for not being a hospital nurse, working in an industry that generally looked down upon, and when I first started was a huge pay cut.
Fast forward to almost 9 years later…I work as an independent contractor under LA Nurse Jade LLC to as many as 6 medspas at a time, in this 9 year span I’ve worked at 16 medical spas all over Southern California. Even till this day people often ask me why am I working at multiple places all at once?! Again, it is the risk I chose to take. Why? If I stay at one place, what I learn in one place will just be limited to that, by being at multiple locations, I learn it all! With medical aesthetics constantly growing I can see the best treatment out there and expanding my knowledge to the fullest.
My experience in this industry wasn’t always glitz and glamour as seen on social media. I found there there was a very dark side to this industry, because it is not regulated like hospitals there is a gray area that I found out the hard way that was full of dishonesty and deceit. Which comes to my next risk, suing a “trusted” doctor who was stealing money from me, and deceiving clients of counterfeit product. Once I found out I left, and got in touch with attorney. Again sure fear was there, what if he harms me, or what will I lose? But if I don’t do this, he will do it to the next person, another person could be harmed, and I would just be as guilty for not saying anything about it all out of fear of trying. Again I chose the unknown, the risk is I tried and lose my case, or I win and help others speak up against practices that could potentially harm others financially or medically.
Jade, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I”ve been a Registered Nurse for almost 13 years, I graduated Cum Laude in Nursing School, my original plan was to be an amazing Nurse working in the hospital. I found that I hated my job, I dreaded going into work, and thought I made a mistake in my career choice, I worked from home for several years, and hated that. One day I was in the parking lot and I saw an aesthetic nurse walking into her office, and I remember thinking wow I wish I could be that. There was something about it that appealed to me but I didn’t know what. I was just drawn or pulled to it. Medical Aesthetics is very specialized I would like to say the most specialized field in nursing because it’s something that is not taught in nursing school. I landed my first job by accident in aesthetics, I had a friend ask me to come work for her doing some laser hair removal, I wanted to say no when she told me the pay, but I wanted to also help her out and my first day I knew this was for me, because it felt like home. At that point the money didn’t matter, I found something that I love, and am passionate about, and it gave me a sense of purpose whenever I had someone in my chair, that the money wasn’t even on my mind. In time the money came, and now I make more than I ever would have if I stayed at the hospital probably 20 years or more.
Medical Aesthetics isn’t only a science but it is a literal art. The face, the body is an aesthetic nurses canvas. Our tools: injections, and machines is like the pallete and brushes to an artist. When it comes to beauty it is in the eye of the beholder. It is SUBJECTIVE. I tell my clients, I don’t care about what your mama wants, what your boy friend wants, or what I want for your face/body. I hand them the mirror, instruct them to look at themselves in the mirror and I ask them “what is it that you want?”
Although people look at me as crazy for working at so many places, I do see it as a strength because of the vast knowledge I’ve learned at multiple places, even the different demographics preference, or influence, for instance in the suburbs it’s very conservative, nothing obvious, in Beverly Hills, the more obvious the better. This allows me to expand my artistic craft.
As an aesthetic nurse the main goal I try to provide my clients is just helping them look and feel better, Whatever that may be for them, whether its clearer skin, sun spots they want removed, anything aesthetic that will make them feel more confident and bolder to take on life.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
There is a saying,- life humbles you! Through failures and losses, we are humbled. But I found that not everyone gets out this state of “failure”. If you can get out, then great you build this strength and resilience that allows you to keep going, if not then precious time is lost. I have a couple stories, but one that sticks out most was one where I became truly mentally unwell. To the point my mindset of positivity turned into negativity, the life I once loved turned into a dark hole and I didn’t know how to get out. I tried my usual methods of using talk therapy, working out, journaling, praying to get me out of my own mind. My traumatic experience was tormenting me, to the point the the suicidal thoughts became appealing. But I wanted to live. I just didn’t know how. Instead of talk therapy I spoke to a life coach who provided guidance not only holistically, but had a specialty in enterprenuership. Although our sessions only touched on this topic, here I am today living the manifestation we discussed career wise.. But in terms of resilience and my mental health at the time she challenged with a goal I feared but desired. That was to do a fitness show. My life coach said, when we get off on this call, pay for the registration and tell me it was done. I did just that, and focusing on my body is what got me out of that dark hole, and led to my resilience, and the dark clouds that once tormented my thoughts cleared the way for my path to mental wellness, and ultimately where I am in my career which was to take a chance on myself.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One lesson that I learned late in life is that you don’t need a college degree to be successful. Growing up in a working class family in the 80s and 90s I was taught this was the way of life. You do well in school, go to college, get a good job, get married, by a house, and tell the future generations to do the same. Very cookie cutter life. This was a lesson that I learned was not wrong, but it wasn’t the only way either. Education is a great value, but it is not the only way to success. Now I find education to be something that adds a hue to our life. It’s a very black and white thought that were taught, which unfortunate because it keeps our mindset limited and fear creeps in when we try to step out of those limits. Which is what entreprenuers do all the time, testing limits and boundaries, taking a risks, failing again and again, making business moves in unconventional ways to see what works and doesn’t work without expectation in just hopes that their creativity and risks will give them a return, and ultimately success. Its a gamble. But what I love about unlearning this lesson about school, is that it allows you to not only work for yourself, but you the self-growth and the expansion of your mindset become limitless.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: LA Nurse Jade
Image Credits
Tracy Hang Photography
JM Productions