Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katherin Sambache Mencías. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Katherin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
It all started in medical school. It has always been fascinating to me to know how the human body works, how our breathing works, how the heart keeps us alive, how from the union of two cells we become a machine that works perfectly and automatically. This was the reason that motivated me to study medicine.
When I was studying the sixth year of general medicine at the Central University of Ecuador, the hospital practice was very demanding. I discover that it is no longer so fun to sleep little, eat on the run, not exercise, not see my family on important dates like Christmas and New Year, not having enough vacations to travel. I discover that not only is it not fun, but I had entered a state of stress that I could no longer control, causing an early appearance of signs of aging in my metabolism, in my face, in my mind and in my spirit. The brilliance of the young student who loved the sciences of the human being was fading. At the age of 27 I looked and felt old.
It was a turning point in my life. I had 2 options at that moment: do what everyone else expected of me (become a specialist and reach a recognized position in the hospital, which meant 10-15 more years at the same rate), or take charge of my own life and be free in every single way.
I chose the second option. I graduated from general medicine in 2015 and decided to be a specialist first to rescue myself :). During the mandatory year of rural medicine in 2016, I began to take the first steps to restore myself by changing my lifestyle. Happily, I did my community year in a paradise called Tena, a small city surrounded by enchanting rivers and landscapes in the Ecuadorian jungle. The perfect place to reconnect with myself.
I changed the way I eat, choosing organic, fresh, and rich in nutrients food prepared with love by myself. I started a physical training with weight lifting. The quality of sleep improved dramatically, I finally felt rested and energized. And being in constant contact with nature greatly facilitated my stress management. I began to feel the balance in me, that I had recovered my vitality, strength, shine, beauty and youth. In conclusion, I had rejuvenated my metabolism, my face, my mind and my spirit. I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life: be a guide for people who want to restore their lifestyle and rejuvenate.
In 2017, I traveled to Mexico to study Aesthetic Medicine and Cosmetic surgery for 3 years, where I established the lifestyle that I wanted to have and realized that it was also super possible to create a business with this approach. During this time, Rejuvenation Aesthetic Medicine was one of my best allies to recover my own signs of youth on my face. I fell in love again with the image I saw in the mirror. I finally felt and looked how I wanted. I was aligned.
In 2020, I did a master’s degree in Anti-aging and Longevity in Spain. And in June of this same year I launched myself to create my personal brand, Elixir Medics, an integral rejuvenation center.
The mission we have is to be a tool for the patient to discover itself, accept itself, love itself, take care of itself, improve in everything that can be improved, finding true well-being in all areas of its life: physical, mental, spiritual, intellectual, financial, etc. Be the best version of itself regardless of age.
From my own experience I have been able to prove to myself that reversing aging is possible with a high impact on quality of life and emotions. Looking and feeling good is priceless. In the three years that I have been shaping my business, it has been a process to discover my gifts and from there, to be able to spread that information to others in favor of self-love. If we have ourselves covered, the world is covered, making it friendlier to the only places we have to live, our being and mother earth.
Now we have patients who come to Quito from different parts of the country to rejuvenate from the inside out and vice versa. I also expanded this project in the city of Tena. I feel a lot of gratitude for discovering my gifts and making a profitable business out of it.
Katherin , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I found myself immersed in this discipline when I lived from my own experience that I presented a premature aging process as a result of my own habits, decisions and belief system. Being aware of this, I wanted to show myself that reversing the damage caused and rejuvenating is possible, restoring vitality, strength, health, beauty and youth, truly invaluable things that human beings can have because they have a great impact on the quality of life and the way we relate to others. Rejuvenation Aesthetic Medicine is a great ally for me to prevent diseases and experience a true well-being physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, financially, socially, etc. In short, live life to the fullest.
The services we provide in our integral Rejuvenation center are Aesthetic Medicine, Integral Nutrition, Holistic Cosmetology, Yoga, Deportology and soon we want to implement other services and programs that are aligned with integral well-being.
What makes the difference to our medical center is that we see the patients as a being composed of its three spheres: body, mind and spirit who wants to improve its quality of life and rejuvenate. So we can identify the habits and belief system that they hold and that they no longer want to have. With the entire team of professionals, we accompany the patient’s process in discovering their personal power and feeling deserving of a fulling life full of health, vitality, strength, beauty and youth.
The most gratifying thing for me and what I am proudest of is when I see my patients who have followed the complete process, they look radiant and healthy in every way, they shine with their presence and it is what inspires me to continue innovating with this life project. Many patients write to me to thank how much their lives have improved since their visit to Elixir Medics and recommend me to their relatives. What they give me is extraordinary: inspiration, joy and a way of life that I am passionate about.
What I want the public that reads me and sees me on social media to know is that they can always bring their years back to life, no matter their age, past or wounds, they can always be reborn, rejuvenate and choose to be who they have always wanted to be from the inside out and vice versa. We have dedicated time and energy with a lot of love to create personalized programs for the patient: facial and body rejuvenation, eating plan, exercise plan, yoga and meditation plan, healing rituals, with the aim that patients integrate this self-care space in their daily routine.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I launched my personal brand in June 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. I had finished my studies in Mexico 3 months before and due to the pandemic I gave all my savings to support my family. When I started I had nothing, I borrowed an office from friends who had a clinic. There, I attended my first patients, who were my mother’s friends. The marketing, the logo, the website, the scheduling system were made by myself following tutorials on Youtube. I worked this way for 4 months until I saved money. In October 2020 I was able to pay rent for my office, my father supported me with a desk and a stretcher. Since then it has been a step by step until today, equipping Elixir Medics with technology, arrangements, decoration, professionals who join the mission of integral well-being, etc. It still doesn’t look the way I envisioned it, but we’re getting closer day by day. I am very grateful for all the blessings and all the people who trust me and my project.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy to grow my clientele has been to share my own story of rejuvenation both on social media and in talks that I give to institutions. I like to share my experience, explain about rejuvenation programs and do giveaways. I find a dynamic way to sow the seeds of self-care and rejuvenation. More and more people are aware of the importance of physical, mental and spiritual health. Companies have now also considered giving their employees a space to understand well-being and thus have greater productivity in the company, so we organize a talk and give some benefits to the workers who attend the consultation. This is how we form a network and alliances with other institutions for mutual benefit. All of this added to impeccable work based on love and awareness, creating bonds of trust with patients so that they recommend our services.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elixirmedics.com
- Instagram: @elixirmedics
- Facebook: Elixir Medics
Image Credits
Photography: Erika Sambache M.