Coming Full Circle: The Stories Behind Our Guest Speakers with Kate Reed
- Rana Kennelly
- Feb 8
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 19
Welcome to our newest series, "Coming Full Circle: The Stories Behind Our Guest Speakers", that follows the journey of individuals who have spoken or will speak at our Confidence Circles. We believe that learning is a lifelong journey, and we take pride in being able to host experts at our Confidence Circles to help us all learn.
How did you get started on your professional journey?
When I think about how I got to where I am, it really was a series of my own plans, interrupted. I always knew I wanted to go into the field of medicine. Maybe it was my familiarity with my grandparents and their health ailments or my own health battles through childhood or adolescence that shaped my interest. To be fair I also thought I would make a great lawyer, I do love to always be right, just ask my husband! In high school I had narrowed it down to a physician or a nurse but wanted to do them both for different reasons. It was the 1990s and Nurse Practitioners were not well known in the Midwest, but once I found out about the profession, I knew it was for me. I attended a talk about what would become my alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, that started to shape my nursing career. They spoke about joint degrees in nursing and law and sub matriculation to master’s nurse practitioner programs. I loved the idea of not having to go to medical school but being able to provide the medical services with the nursing approach. This was the best of both worlds for me as I felt it would accomplish my plans and the life I had laid out for myself. While in college, I was sure I would take care of adults in an ICU setting preferably. However, the plans I had were not always the best, I just was not aware of this, yet thankfully I gave in (usually with lots of tears and turmoil) and each unexpected plan has turned into an amazing nursing career. A chance meeting with my sorority faculty advisor would turn into a summer internship in the NICU at RUSH, this led to my love of the NICU, and my desire to be a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. I loved that I would be able to manage care and perform procedures like intubation and line placement. I loved doing procedures and this love for performing with a delicate touch and tiny needles would clearly come in handy many years later when my unplanned career in Medical Aesthetics started.
What inspired your pursuit of this career path?
It was another one of those unplanned turns that would shape the next chapter of my career. This turn uncovered my love for medical aesthetics, wellness, and safety in the field. I had been dabbling with neuromodulator treatments at local med spas but was never super happy with my results. I felt that every time I would call a provider for a follow-up appointment, my concerns were dismissed. I was never educated as to why I was unhappy with my results or even how the neuromodulator was working to give me the results I desired, and I was frustrated. At the urging of my fellow NP and friend, Mary, I accompanied her to a weekend filler and tox training in Nashville. My goal was to learn enough to safely inject her so she could inject me. That was the plan, tox at cost and a friend I trust, or so I thought. The course was not one I would recommend, and I didn’t learn much about anatomy or safety. I was taught the 5 dots on the forehead and linear lips and NLF but was intrigued in the idea of making someone feel better by improving their looks. I honestly thought lip filler would make me look like a duck and was terrified when they needed us to model. I was so nervous that I almost passed out! The world was on the tail end of COVID and we were all starting to come out of our shells and wear real clothes and makeup again. I loved the confidence I felt when my wrinkles stopped moving but still needed to know more. I wanted to seek out education but had no plans to start a business or even treat anyone besides my friends. This seeking education turned into a passion! That story would take a book! The building and carrying out was a lot of work and continues to be more work. Some days I ask myself the question: Why work so hard to become an expert in a new field when you can just be comfortable as an expert in your current one? Some days I don't have a good answer. I do know that I developed a passion for a type of medicine I didn't know existed but one that gives me the best reward. When a patient loves their results, or compliments me on my knowledge base, it reminds me why I went into nursing. To care for people and make them feel better, whether that be physically or mentally, or both.
What impact do you hope to leave in the field of aesthetics?
I hope the impact I have on the lives of my patients is one that leaves them feeling more confident on the inside and out. I hope they know that I spent endless hours seeking out education and collaboration to provide them with the safest and best care possible. I hope that my colleagues remember that safety and continuing to learn daily were the foundations for my practice. I hope that I encourage them to seek out answers and feel honored that they trust and ask me for mine.
Neonatology and Aesthetic Medicine have a lot more in common when it comes to the ever-changing landscape of the fields. Neonatology has been a new branch of medicine around the world in the last 50 years and is constantly evolving with a goal of providing the safest, most effective, care with the least amount of risk. Aesthetics is similar in that regard. I am not comparing the life of a preemie to a patient getting lip filler but the everchanging research and knowledge to provide the best care to our patients does parallel.
What advice would you share with newcomers to the medical aesthetics field?
Never stop learning! Even if you feel like an expert, you are not! That one patient will humble you back down to earth. Use your community to learn, share, and make the field a safe place for those that seek out treatments and those that provide them. Nothing comes easy. If you have a passion, it will manifest into a career, but don’t make too many plans. They never end up just how we envision them, and that’s not a bad thing after all!
Xoxo Kate