Practiceland: Not Your Doctor's Podcast

Angry patients aren’t just upset for no reason. They’re feeling unheard, disrespected, or scared, and how you respond in those first few moments can make or break the relationship. Heather Hughes Hardy and Jenna Hennig share real-world stories and proven strategies for turning tense moments into trust-building opportunities.  Role-playing tough scenarios and creating clear escalation protocols can...

Prospective patients often come in with more questions than answers. They’re unsure about procedures, anxious about costs, and looking for someone who truly listens. That’s where empathy goes a long way. People are more price-conscious than ever, but trust needs to come before transparency. So when pricing questions come up, Andrea and Alli share exactly how to be helpful without brushing them off...

Think being nice and avoiding conflict makes you a better leader? Think again. Kelcy Heringer played nice until she saw that real respect comes from honesty, not people-pleasing. Now she’s all about leveling the playing field and speaking up even when it’s uncomfortable. Blake Lucas learned the hard way that sugarcoating feedback doesn’t help his team or his credibility. When one of his reports ke...

Active listening is more than nodding along. It’s about tuning into the words, tone, and emotions behind what patients are saying (and not saying). When you pick up on those cues and mirror their language, trust starts to form, and that’s when the real connection happens. Heather Hughes Hardy and Jenna Hennig share how to hear what patients are really telling you, even if they’re not saying it dir...

In an aesthetic practice, handling front desk calls is an art.  The connection you make in the first few seconds matters, and it starts with a warm, genuine greeting. It’s not just about being friendly; it’s about making the caller feel heard and cared for right away. And when it’s time to transfer that call to a patient coordinator, knowing how to hand off that prospective patient is a skill in i...

Going above and beyond at work but still not moving up? The unpleasant truth is that hard work alone won’t get you promoted these days. You have to own your career growth. No one else will do it for you. What actually moves the needle is speaking up, getting visible, and going after what you want. Kelcy Heringer returns to Practiceland to share how to shift your mindset and craft a confident, hone...

As the Senior Director of Customer Experience at PatientFi, Blake Lucas thrives on solving problems, calming chaos, and turning challenges into wins. Leading the team that supports practices and their patients,  Blake’s career in customer service shapes his approach to every situation, helping busy staff get their jobs done and ensuring patients feel confident and cared for throughout the aestheti...

Patient care coordinators aren’t just salespeople. They’re listeners first, educators second, and the trusted guides patients rely on to make confident decisions. But stepping into this role, especially if you’re being promoted from the front desk, requires a major mindset shift. Andrea Watkins and Alli Petriella share what it takes to be a standout PCC, and how the rest of the team should support...

High performers, especially women, can find themselves overworked and underpaid when they’ve built a reputation as a “doer.”   Doing too much can keep you from being promoted, and the key is to shift into thinking and acting like a strategic leader who sets boundaries and drives impactful results.  Kelcy Heringer explains why this happens and how to be seen as the leader you really are, starting w...

The front desk does more than answer the phone. It's the first impression, the emotional thermostat of the clinic, and a powerful (and often overlooked) engine behind smooth, profitable operations. Andrea Watkins and Alli Petriella get inside the mindset of this key role in an aesthetic practice and what it takes to be truly great in this role. Even if you’re not on the front line, you need to kno...

Sara Camp is a nurse practitioner turned practice administrator,  and the powerhouse behind Camp Plastic Surgery in Fort Worth.  The Camps met each other while caring for the same patient during his general surgery residency. When Dr. Camp made the leap into private practice in 2016, Sara pivoted from her own successful career to immerse herself in aesthetics, and wrote an 80-page business plan to...

For Jenny Burnley Seestadt and Kacie Killough, the mission isn’t to sell – it’s to build lasting relationships and guide patients through aging with trust and expertise as a team. From the journey that started over a decade ago in an actual closet and continues today, this laser specialist and aesthetic injector at Restora Austin Plastic Surgery Centre share their hardest lessons and most valuable...

We’re back with part two of our deep dive into conversion.  Did you miss Part 1? Go back one episode and start there!  Not just one but TWO conversion-obsessed data junkies share their best lead-generating and consultation-closing tactics, including the easy campaign that generated over 400 leads and 35 consultation requests with a single email. In this deep-dive episode packed with actionable tac...

Not just one but TWO conversion-obsessed data junkies share their best lead-generating and consultation-closing tactics, including the easy campaign that generated over 400 leads and 35 consultation requests with a single email. In this deep-dive episode packed with actionable tactics, Andrea Watkins and Eva Sheie uncomplicate what conversion really is and what a “good” conversion rate looks like....

It could get weird if PatientFi had a podcast without introducing our CEO and co-founder Todd Watts. So here he is!  After seeing how unnecessarily difficult financing plans were for staff and patients alike, Todd created PatientFi to make the cosmetic financing experience easier and help more people reach their goals. That’s also why this podcast exists: to share the tools and strategies that mak...

Andrea Watkins loves fast-tracking practices to success — teaching what works, sharing the best tools, and helping people thrive in their roles. Hear how she made the leap from leading a successful plastic surgery practice to now coaching teams across the nation through the LeadLoop platform as the VP of Practice Growth at Studio III Marketing. Links Learn more about LeadLoop and Studio III Market...

Selling the practice is a big deal, but don’t panic just yet – you’re probably not getting fired! Doctors sell for a variety of reasons, and freaking out at first is normal. But a growth mindset beats a scarcity mindset every time and this is your chance to grow. An advocate for doctors through complex financial transactions, Bill Walker shares what you should and shouldn’t stress about when priva...

Kelcy Heringer asks us to change the way we think about giving direct feedback, especially to those “above” you and even the boss.  Sure, that sounds really scary. But you’ll find out why you shouldn’t be afraid of it and how to do it in a way that doesn't make anyone think you’re a jerk. After all, it’s called giving feedback because it’s a gift. Hear Kelcy, Blake, and Andrea’s takes on when and...

… And other lessons learned growing from a tiny 700 sq. ft. Pepto-Bismol-pink office with three employees to three locations and a team of 90 (with 60 hired in just 14 months!) This week we flip the script as Andrea Watkins sits down with Austin plastic surgeon Dr. Johnny Franco to hear the doctor’s side of the story following our previous episode with two key members of his leadership team.  From...

Growing an aesthetic practice from 30 to 100 team members in just one year is almost unheard of. Heather Hughes and Jenna Hennig, sisters and coworkers at Austin Plastic Surgeon, weren’t just witnesses to this growth—they were key players.  Starting at the front desk, Heather rose to COO while Jenna became a high-performing aesthetic injector. But career growth like theirs doesn’t happen by chance...

Talking about money is awkward, right? It’s taboo, it’s uncomfortable, and everyone has unspoken baggage around it. But success in aesthetics requires confidently discussing costs with patients, and being great at it helps you advance your own career. To help you get over it fast, we’ve invited Janelle Robinson, COO of La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre, to confront the when, where, and how of talki...

Let’s be real—working in an aesthetic practice is a roller coaster. Phones that never stop ringing, leads stacking up, last-minute doctor requests, and the patient right in front of you. Welcome to PracticeLand—where we get it because we’ve been there. So have our guests (your peers and the industry’s best). Each week, we share insider tips and straight talk to help you tame the chaos, get sh*t do...