Lisa Rivero, an essential member of The Confidence Lab's education team, imparts her invaluable expertise, wisdom, and insights drawn from her decade-long role as an injector and educator.
In a world of nurses, aesthetic providers and aesthetic educators, there are individuals who embody the spirit of empathy, education, and empowerment.
I can only aspire to have those words be used to describe me one day.
I began my professional journey as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Memorial Hospital, now known as Lurie Children’s Hospital. As a young nurse, I was guided by compassion and a desire to make a positive impact on the lives of those little ones struggling with morbidity they did not deserve. Helping them feel “normal” was my constant compass as they battled testing, lab draws, medication and surgery. I wanted them to feel strong and indestructible. I wanted them to feel empowered.
After earning my advanced nurse practitioner degree from DePaul University in 2006, I continued to follow my calling of service and care. I was extremely fortunate to be employed at a federally qualified health center in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. I was able to offer my expertise and compassion to those facing barriers to healthcare due to lack of insurance or financial means. I prided myself on being the best educator to my patients to help them navigate the many diagnoses that were rampant in low-income societies. I wanted to offer them a sense of understanding and support they so many times we not given.
In 2012, a new chapter began as I entered the aesthetic industry. The start of my career was challenging. I took a position as a mobile aesthetic provider where I had to drive to the homes of my patients to perform aesthetic services. Aesthetics was not your typical avenue for nurses. I was not supporting patients through health issues but rather boosting self-confidence and allowing them to take charge of the aging process. I realized that I was helping to make a difference in their personal lives, their professional lives, and to their mental wellbeing. I realized I was EMPOWERING my patients with aesthetic treatments.
In 2022, I joined the esteemed team at The Confidence Bar. It was here that I finally found my WHY in my life again. I adore my patients. I am always striving to be the best provider for them. I love building their self-esteem. But I found a SECOND WHY in my life. And one I found to be even more powerful. It wasn’t until I was offered the chance to educate other aesthetic providers, that I was brought back to my core passion of empowering others, but now as an educator.
Through education, I am able to help individuals reach levels of self-assuredness they are all striving to have. I am able to build a sense of confidence that propels them forward to become even better. I am able to help them recognize the that aesthetics is STILL MEDICINE and we need to be safe and thoughtful with all our treatments. Being an educator of aesthetic providers has not only become my profession, but also my purpose and motivation in the aesthetic industry.
The role of an educator demand significant effort on my part to uphold the pillars of empathy, education, and empowerment, principles I firmly believe in. Principles that I strive for in my personal and professional life and principles that I feel are exemplified and taught at The Confidence Bar.
