We were lucky to catch up with Valerie Prietz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Valerie, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

After 16 years in nursing—six of which were spent in a critical care ICU and the last ten as a nurse anesthetist—I have witnessed the full spectrum of human experience. I’ve cared for patients in their darkest hours, shared in moments of joy, and held the hands of strangers facing unimaginable struggles. Each day in medicine has shaped me, but one particular day transformed my life in profound ways.

I was called to the operating room, only to find my colleague and friend lying on a stretcher, battling seizures. In that moment, my training kicked in, and I just started doing what I knew needed done. As we stabilized her seizures with medications, I placed a breathing tube to protect her airway and rushed her for a CT scan, I felt a heaviness in my gut—I knew the ailment causing the seizures; and then, as everyone in the dark CT room seemed to gasp in harmony, the grim reality of a massive intracranial bleed was confirmed. Tears threatened to spill, but I held them back; this was not the time for grief. I continued to coordinating her urgent care, knowing that hope was hanging by a thread.

Watching the surgical team prepare, I felt a mixture of helplessness and resolve. The prognosis was bleak, a truth we all grappled with silently. Days passed with no news of how my friend was progressing. And then, just days later, I received a call that would change everything: she was coming off the ventilator, and she was getting better. As I drove, tears streamed down my face. After four harrowing days, she was awake and talking—a miracle unfolding before our eyes.

A year has passed since that life-altering day, and my friend is now home, living a different life but a life nonetheless. She’s embraced her new reality, driving again and sporting her hair short—a symbol of resilience.

That experience ignited a spark within me. For years, I had dreamed of opening my own aesthetic practice, but fear had been my constant companion. I feared failure, financial instability, and making the wrong choice. I let doubt hold me back.

But witnessing my friend’s recovery shifted my perspective. I realized that life is too precious to let fear dictate my choices. I took the leap, embracing the uncertainty of entrepreneurship. Now, a little over a year into business ownership, I can say that while the journey is challenging, it is also rewarding beyond measure.

I’ve chosen to face each day with courage and gratitude, understanding that every moment counts. I refuse to look back. Instead, I’m focused on the possibilities ahead, ready to embrace whatever this journey has to offer. Through the trials and triumphs, I am learning that true strength lies not in the absence of fear, but in the willingness to move forward despite it.

Valerie, 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?

With nearly 20 years in the medical field as a nurse, my career has been anything but ordinary. I developed a profound passion for critical care medicine after graduating nursing school. I spent six years in the ICU, and when I felt the itch for more, I moved from Ohio to Florida to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia.

After five years of practice as a nurse anesthetist, I sought to broaden my expertise by venturing into aesthetic medicine. For the past five years, I immersed myself in this dynamic field, honing my skills in various treatments, like botox, fillers, biostimulators, skincare, and regenerative medicine.

I love learning which helps me stay on top of the very best treatments and injection techniques. I now have a blended career as a nurse anesthetist providing anesthesia care and as a nurse injector. Staying true to my adventurous nature, in 2023, I opened my own aesthetic practice, adding business owner to my resume.

My extensive nursing experience drive my practice. My patients are privy to my years of experience as an advanced practitioner and my advanced knowledge of underlying pathological disease processes. I see my patients more often than they usually see their primary care provider, so my eyes and ears are on more than just their aesthetic treatment. This elevates the patient experience when they’re in my office. Spindrift Aesthetics was curated to the one-on-one experience between the provider and the patient.

The one-on-one experience sets my practice apart from the franchised med spas. I prioritize my patients’ needs, guiding them to achieve their best selves. In an industry increasingly influenced by private equity, I remain committed to patient care over profits. My focus is on delivering the highest quality medical injectables and treatments, ensuring that my patients receive the best possible care without the constraints of shareholder interests.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As I was gearing up for a busy quarter 4 and planning for expansion of services and upgrades to the office, we experienced not one, but two very impactful hurricanes here in the Tampa Bay/St. Pete area.
Luckily, neither my home nor business took on structural damages. However, I didn’t see a single patient for the entire month of October. Many local residents were and still are dealing with power outages, damages, massive flooding in their homes, and overall a very difficult time. I never imagined how a natural disaster would impact my business. But at the end of the day, the show must go on. I discovered this is a “cost of doing business”, and though I am feeling the economical impact, I am not dealing with structural damages and the impact of having to close a business for repairs, or permanently. I am continuing to push forward into quarter four refusing to slow down. I also looked at this as an opportunity to be an outreach in the community offering a place to rest and recharge, offering coffee and bagels at the office. I also was able to offer 10-15 free facials for those impacted by the hurricane, hoping to offer a small bit of reprieve during this stressful time. Philanthropy is part of my core value as a person and a business owner, so this was a great opportunity to help others around me.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Despite what we all think and see in marketing, word of mouth has been the best avenue for growing my clientele. I work to be involved in the community and at community events. I think the most important thing is to just keep trying new things and see what works and what doesn’t work. I held an event at my office once and it wasn’t a good turn out–but those are the times to ask ‘why didn’t it bring in the crowd I wanted?’, ‘what could I do better or different next time?’. I think it’s also important to align yourself with other businesses that share you core values–another source of word of mouth referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.spindriftaesthetics.com
• Instagram: @injector_valerie
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/104939931/admin/feed/following/
• Other: Podcast: The Aesthetics Injector Gang on Apple and Spotify