SKIN DEEP

What are the three biggest tax mistakes Jose Cruz sees entrepreneurs make—and how do you avoid them? In this episode of Skin Deep, Dr. Chacon welcomes Jose Cruz, CPA and founder of Cruz Tax and Advisory Group. Jose, a Cuban-American accountant who arrived in the U.S. at age three, shares his journey from a high school accounting internship to building a practice dedicated to serving immigrants and...

Could telehealth services make you eligible for Puerto Rico's 4% tax rate and 0% capital gains? Dr. Chacon speaks with Víctor Delerme, CPA, founder of Delerme CPA with offices in San Juan, Miami, and Atlanta. With over 16 years of experience and licenses in both Puerto Rico and Georgia, Víctor specializes in helping high-income physicians, entrepreneurs, and investors dramatically reduce their tax...

“Even when the system seems unbeatable, persistence, evidence, and truth can prevail.” - Dr. Rifai Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and host of Skin Deep, welcomes Dr. Muhamad Aly Rifai — triple-board-certified in internal medicine, psychiatry, and addiction medicine. A genuine telehealth pioneer since 2006, Dr. Rifai helped build the nation's first emergency telehealth system and co...

What drives a surgeon to leave the operating room? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Samuel Sarmiento, a physician-turned-strategy consultant who transformed his medical career into entrepreneurial success. Dr. Sarmiento, founder and CEO of Juniper Life Sciences, brings a unique blend of surgical training from Mayo Clinic and dual graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University in public health and busi...

What if your smartphone camera could capture your complete vital signs during a virtual doctor visit—no wearable required? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Joshua Engle, founder of With You MD, a virtual-first medical practice specializing in primary care and chronic care management for Medicare and Medicaid populations. Dr. Engle completed his training at USC and Harvard's Beth Israel, where he devel...

Are you unknowingly violating Medicaid rules that could trigger a license investigation? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Phoebe Gutierrez, a compliance and operations expert with over 12 years of experience as a California state regulator overseeing Medicaid programs. Phoebe is the founder of Camino Strategy, a boutique consulting firm specializing in digital health compliance, and co-hosts a weekly podc...

What happens when physicians realize their $300,000 debt has created golden handcuffs they can never escape? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Rami Wehbi, a former family physician who transformed burnout into entrepreneurship. As Founder and CEO of Match Day Health and host of The Dream Job Podcast, Rami guides healthcare professionals through strategic career transitions beyond clinical practice. His...

If you were served legal papers at work tomorrow, would you know who to call and what your rights are? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Gita Pensa, an emergency physician who survived a devastating 12-year malpractice case that fundamentally changed how she practices and teaches medicine. What began as a seemingly routine patient encounter in 2006 evolved into two jury trials, an appellate reversal, a...

How does a physician turn personal struggle into professional purpose? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Brittany Busse, a physician and healthcare disruptor who has transformed systemic challenges into powerful solutions for independent practitioners. Specializing in addiction, trauma, and mental health, Dr. Busse left surgical residency at UC Davis after experiencing discrimination and sexual harassm...

What are adaptogens, and why did one dermatologist believe they were the answer to COVID-era skin pathology? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marianna Blyumin-Karasik, MD FAAD, co-founder of Precision Skin and Body Institute and creator of Stamina Cosmetics. Dr. Blyumin-Karasik shares her remarkable journey from childhood in the Soviet Union—where summers by the lake and...

Why does a beauty industry veteran with access to ANY trend choose to stay in scientific, evidence-based skincare? Join Dr. Anna Chacon as she welcomes Ewelina Aiossa, a renowned beauty authority and brand architect with over 15 years spanning scientific skincare, medical marketing, and product innovation. Her leadership at L'Oréal SkinCeuticals, Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmetics (Glytone, Eau Thermale...

Why do trans women still feel forced to choose between authenticity and safety in 2025? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Rajee Narinesingh, a multiracial transgender woman of color who transformed life-threatening trauma into global advocacy. After suffering severe disfigurement from black market cosmetic injections—what she describes as a "rite of passage" many trans women feel pressured into—Rajee emerg...

What if the practice of medicine is actually holding you back from building the healthcare company you envision? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Haroon Ahmad, MD, founder and CEO of Proton Health, to discuss his remarkable journey from eczema patient to health tech innovator. A trained physician who practiced in the UK, Dr. Ahmad shares how his lifelong struggle with severe eczema—combined with witne...

What if the future of dermatology depends on doctors taking control of technology—before tech entrepreneurs do it for us? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Bilal Fawaz, board-certified dermatologist and associate program director at Boston University's Department of Dermatology, who is revolutionizing healthcare technology as the founder of DermHub—a mobile teledermatology app created and run entirely...

Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Carolyn Francavilla, a family physician and obesity medicine specialist who founded Green Mountain Partners for Health nearly a decade ago. What drove her to launch a practice just seven months pregnant, a year out of residency? Dr. Francavilla serves on the board of the Obesity Medicine Association and chairs the AMA's Private Practice Physician section, bringing uniq...

What if the practice of medicine is actually holding you back from building the healthcare company you envision? Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Laura Purdy, MD MBA, a family medicine physician turned healthcare entrepreneur and CEO who has become one of the most visible voices in telemedicine. From her roots in rural southern Kentucky to building a fast-growth digital health startup while raising fi...

If your career is your oxygen, how do you balance international manufacturing, teenage kids,  and the tears that flow behind the Instagram-perfect moments?     Join Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and host of Skin Deep, as she welcomes Ximena Kavalekas, the Ecuadorian-born fashion designer and creative force behind her eponymous luxury handbag brand. Known for blending Italian artis...

What's the one mindset shift that separates successful entrepreneurs from everyone else?     Dr. Anna Chacon hosts young entrepreneur Sean Frimpong on Skin Deep, exploring his remarkable journey from Baltimore struggles to millionaire status by age 19. Frimpong, a Ghanaian-Lebanese immigrant who became a father at 17, transformed financial hardship into success through e-commerce mastery and strat...

"You can get help even if you don't have insurance. There's help and resources." - Patient Janet Viera     Dr. Anna Chacon, MD FAAD, hosts a powerful conversation with Janet Viera, a patient courageously sharing her three-year battle with hidradenitis suppurativa . Janet's journey began in 2021 when severe, draining nodules forced her to quit her job and seek specialized care. After finding Dr. Ch...

How did a car accident lead to a successful HR partnership?     Dr. Anna Chacon interviews Elizabeth Garcia and Vanessa Garcia, of Specialty HR Consulting, a three-year-old firm specializing in customizable HR services for small to medium-sized businesses. Elizabeth, with over 15 years of HR experience, and Vanessa, director of operations with 8 years in HR, emphasize their unique approach: "We do...

Why did an orthopedic surgeon choose Google Workspace over a $1M Epic EMR system? Dr. Anna Chacon hosts orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Paull, founder of Easy Orthopedics, who transformed his career after quitting fellowship to create an innovative mobile, insurance-free practice. Inspired by his own recovery from a devastating skiing accident at 14, Dr. Paull advocates for sustainable healthcare mo...

Did you know that $1,400 laser treatment actually costs the owner half a million dollars in equipment?     Dr. Anna Chacon, a board-certified dermatologist and host of Skin Deep, sits down with Angela Baldasare, an experienced entrepreneur who successfully built and sold her med spa practice twice over 25 years. Baldasare brings unique insights from her journey starting with holistic medicine and...

Why does this doctor think physicians are "born entrepreneurs" with natural grit?     Dr. Anna Chacon hosts emergency medicine physician and serial entrepreneur Dr. John Shufeldt, who has built an extraordinary career spanning clinical practice, business ventures, and education. Board-certified in emergency medicine with an MBA and JD, Dr. Shufeldt founded NextCare (expanding to 60 locations acros...

"Opening up our own private practice together has been such an incredible experience. It's so meaningful that we're able to help so many people and make a difference in so many lives." - Marly Gaitan   Dr. Anna Chacon interviews Dr. Sergio Gaitan and his wife Marly, the dynamic duo behind Certified Cosmetics, a Miami-based cosmetic dermatology practice. Dr. Gaitan brings a unique engineering backg...

Could one injection treat your rare skin condition, severe asthma, AND eczema all at once?   Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and host of Skin Deep, welcomes Jacob Edwards, a 35-year-old patient from the West Coast who has been courageously battling Kimura's disease for over a decade. Jacob was among the first Caucasians diagnosed with this rare condition in the United States, making...