We recently connected with Natalya Borakowski and have shared our conversation below.

Natalya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When you’ve been a professional in an industry for long enough, you’ll experience moments when the entire field takes a U-Turn, an instance where the consensus completely flips upside down or where the “best practices” completely change. If you’ve experienced such a U-Turn over the course of your professional career, we’d love to hear about it.

I’ve worked in the aesthetic space for nearly 20 years—beginning as an esthetician, opening my own skincare clinic, and, six years ago, completing my naturopathic medical training. From the start at Desert Bloom, I treated skin as a window to systemic health. While the broader industry often reacted to symptoms at the surface, my practice asked a different question: What’s driving this—hormones, stress, inflammation, nutrition, or lifestyle? My approach has always been lifestyle-first, procedure-second; injectables can be useful, but they’re not a substitute for health. This year, I’m seeing a true inflection point: medicine and aesthetics are moving away from quick fixes and toward comprehensive, evidence-informed, whole-person care. That U-turn—away from symptom management and toward root-cause skin health—validates a vision I’ve held for years, and it’s a win for patients who want results that are natural, sustainable, and aligned with overall wellbeing

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

About Dr. Natalya Borakowski
I’ve spent nearly two decades helping women feel at home in their skin. I began as an esthetician, opened my skincare clinic Desert Bloom Skincare clinic in Arizona, and—driven by the belief that skin is a window into the whole body—went on to earn my doctorate in naturopathic medicine. That journey shaped my philosophy: we don’t “fix” beauty, we reveal it. Aging is not a flaw to fight; it’s a season to navigate with wisdom, care, and agency.

How I got here
Very early in my clinic, I saw the same pattern: women were oversold procedures while the root causes—stress, hormones, sleep, blood sugar, gut health, self-talk—were ignored. I built a practice that looked beyond the mirror: first the person, then the protocol. Procedures can be helpful, but health is the strategy. That whole-person lens became the foundation for Unveil You.

What I do today
Unveil You is a modern learning and community platform for women who want to age on their own terms—combining psychology, biology, and aesthetic medicine without fear-based marketing.
• Courses (digital)
o Beyond the Mirror – emotional aesthetics, mirror anxiety, body image, and self-compassion.
o Aesthetics Unfiltered – myth-busting guidance on injectables, lasers, threads, skincare, and surgical trends so you can make confident, values-aligned choices.
o The Science of Graceful Aging – hormones, stress, sleep, nutrition, skin–gut–brain axis, plus “Lab Testing 101” and practical daily rituals.
• Community & Experiences
o Unveiled Radiance (podcast) – conversations with clinicians, psychologists, and practitioners who share real science and real stories.
o Inner Circle (7-week small-group enrichment) – guided implementation, coaching, and reflection for women who want deeper support.
In-clinic work (Desert Bloom Skincare)
o Evidence-informed skincare and aesthetic treatments with a “natural, you-but-rested” aesthetic, always in harmony with health.

Problems I solve for clients
• Mirror anxiety & comparison spirals → practical tools to quiet the inner critic and rebuild a kinder gaze.
• Hormone-mood-skin confusion → clear education on estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid, and how they influence skin and self-perception.
• Treatment overwhelm → unbiased frameworks to evaluate skincare, devices, injectables, and surgeries—what works, what doesn’t, and what’s right for you.
• Burnout & inflamed skin → nervous-system and lifestyle strategies (sleep, blood sugar, stress biology) that improve both wellbeing and visible skin quality.

What sets me apart
• Whole-person, science-and-soul approach. I integrate psychology (self-image, self-talk, default-mode narratives), biology (hormones, immune & gut health), and aesthetic expertise—without hype.
• The Reflected Radiance Method. A five-phase framework—SEE, SOOTHE, SHIFT, STRENGTHEN, SHINE—that moves women from self-critique to self-ownership, and from scattered tips to a cohesive path.
• No fear, no shame. You’ll never hear “fix your flaws” from me. We use honest education so you can choose with clarity and calm.
• Natural outcomes, long-term thinking. I advocate “lifestyle-first, procedure-second,” and when procedures are chosen, they should respect your features and your physiology.

What I’m most proud of
• Building a movement that normalizes skincare and self-compassion. For years, I’ve pushed against perfection culture and quick fixes. Watching women reclaim their reflection—and their health—without losing themselves to trends is my proudest work.
• Creating accessible education. From case studies and expert interviews to journaling prompts and self-assessments, Unveil You turns complex science into everyday choices that actually stick.
• Staying human. Patients and students tell me they feel seen, not sold to. That matters.

What I want potential clients and followers to know
• You are not broken. Your skin and your reflection are messengers, not enemies. When you learn to listen—and support your biology—the glow follows.
• Beauty is personal. There is no single “right” routine, treatment, or look. We’ll find the approach that honors your life season, health, and values.
• Agency over algorithms. Trends come and go. Your features, your history, and your health deserve more than the explore page.
• This is a safe space. We talk about real things—hormones, stress, aging, motherhood, menopause, career pivots—without judgment.

How to engage
• Listen: Unveiled Radiance podcast for myth-busting, mindset shifts, and expert insights.
• Learn: Choose an Unveil You online course to go deeper.
• Explore care: If you’re local to Arizona, visit Desert Bloom Skincare for individualized, health-forward skincare and aesthetic options.
Tagline I stand by: Age on your own terms.
Core belief: When a woman loves herself fiercely and unconditionally, she becomes unstoppable—and her radiance becomes a tool of self-ownership that lights up everything she touches.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2024, I reached a quiet breaking point. I’d spent nearly two decades in aesthetics and loved the women in my care—but I was increasingly disillusioned by the culture around us: faster appointments, trend-driven treatments, and marketing that whispered “you’re not enough” to sell another quick fix. I didn’t become a naturopathic physician to chase symptoms on the surface. I wanted time to understand what was changing in a woman’s body—hormonally, emotionally, physically—and to give her the language and tools to care for herself with clarity, not fear.

So I pivoted.

I redesigned my work around a simple principle: conversation before correction. We start with education—how stress, sleep, blood sugar, thyroid, and sex hormones shape skin and self-perception. We map her season of life: motherhood shifts, perimenopause, career stress. Then we choose options that respect her features and physiology. Procedures can help; they are not the plan. Health is the plan.

Out of that decision, Unveil You was born. It’s a platform that turns unbiased, science-based education into a tool of self-ownership—so a woman can choose (or decline) any treatment with confidence. We teach the psychology of self-compassion and the biology of aging in plain language. We talk about the skin–gut–brain axis, cortisol, and collagen without shame or hype. And we center a simple promise: your reflection is not a problem to fix; it’s a relationship to nurture.

What sets my work apart isn’t a secret technique—it’s the order of operations. First, we restore understanding and nervous-system safety; then we personalize skincare and, if desired, thoughtfully integrate aesthetic procedures for “you-but-rested” results. I’m most proud when a patient says, “I finally understand what’s happening in my body—and I feel calm making choices.”

If there’s one thing I want women to know about me and about Unveil You, it’s this: you are not broken. You deserve education without agenda, care without pressure, and beauty that looks like you. My pivot wasn’t away from aesthetics; it was toward integrity—so every woman has the freedom to age on her own terms.

Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?

I launched Desert Bloom Skincare with two things: a $5,000 loan from my then-boyfriend (now my husband of 17 years) and an unshakable belief that care should come before commerce. A friend warned him not to lend me the money—he was sure it would disappear without a return. That doubt lit a fire in me.

The $5,000 covered the office deposit and opened the door—literally. From there, I scraped and built: I used my small savings and, eventually, my credit cards for essentials—basic equipment and supplies, insurance, licensing, and a simple website. The first 18 months were tough; I was often just breaking even. But I had a clear promise to every person in my chair: I will treat your skin as a window into your whole health, and I will earn your trust appointment by appointment.

I refused to grow by pushing procedures or trends. Instead, I invested time—longer consultations, education on hormones, stress, sleep, and skin biology, and realistic home routines. That relationship-first approach slowed revenue at the beginning, but it created something more valuable: loyalty. Clients stayed, referred their friends, and returned through life’s seasons—pregnancy, perimenopause, career changes—because they felt seen and supported, not sold to.

Profitability followed purpose. As cash flow stabilized, I reinvested carefully—upgrading devices and training, adding services that aligned with my philosophy, and building systems that protected both results and reputation. Years later, that same belief in relationship-first, whole-person care became the foundation for Unveil You, my digital education platform. Today, whether online or in-clinic, the principle hasn’t changed: honest education, science without fear, and choices that respect a woman’s features and physiology.

If there’s one lesson from my funding story, it’s this: you don’t need perfect circumstances to build something meaningful. You need clarity, discipline, and a values-driven model that earns trust. I’m proud that Desert Bloom grew from a $5,000 start into a profitable practice known for exceptional retention and patient satisfaction—because we chose relationships first, profits second. That is still the DNA of everything I do

Contact Info:

• Website: www.desertbloomskincare.com www.unveilyou.life
• Instagram: @natalyaborakowski @desertbloomskincare @unveilyou.life
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalyaborakowski
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Unveil-You
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/desert-bloom-skin-care-scottsdale