RealSelf University artwork

RealSelf University

47 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 6 ratings

Stories and data from the aesthetic medical industry's most interesting and successful personalities, both doctors and the people who contribute to their success behind the scenes. Our guests, questions, and topics are focused on strategies and tactics for connecting with today's prospective patient.

Marketing Business Management realself practice management cosmetic medicine aesthetic medicine medical spa plastic surgery
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Episodes

Stanley Okoro, MD

August 27, 2020 13:00 - 29 minutes - 40.9 MB

Stanley Okoro, MD tells us the story of the long and strange path he took from Nigeria to New York City to Atlanta and then to the US Navy, how he crossed over from military practice to private practice, and shares the surprisingly easy method he discovered to write a book on BBLs for patients in just one weekend, and what the results have been. Special Guest: Stanley Okoro, MD.

Tom Seery and Bill Portuese, MD

August 20, 2020 13:00 - 49 minutes - 68.7 MB

Seattle facial plastic surgeon William Portuese, MD and RealSelf CEO Tom Seery reflect on 13 years of collaboration from Dr. Portuese’s unique perspective as the first surgeon to answer a question on RealSelf, what he’s learned by answering over 30k consumer questions on RealSelf and why he’s still doing it today. On this episode, you’ll also hear why Dr. Portuese thinks BDD is the largest single challenge of his practice, why he openly posts his prices online, how he’s handled multiple thef...

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD

August 11, 2020 20:00 - 38 minutes - 52.4 MB

Facial plastic surgeon Jonathan Kulbersh, MD lets us in on his approach to marketing, including how he’s handling the request to work with a TikTok “influencer” who has 3.5M followers, what he learned being around the camera during his time doing a fellowship with Dr. Paul Nassif, and the surprising Hollywood story of how he ended up at the premiere of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in the first week of his fellowship. Special Guest: Jonathan Kulbersh, MD.

Virtual Exhibit Hall - Aesthetics Biomedical, Inc.

August 11, 2020 16:45 - 5 minutes - 7.97 MB

Aesthetics Biomedical® Inc (ABM) headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona is the company that stands behind innovative and leading-edge products such as the Vivace® Microneedle RF, SoME® Skincare, SENZA Laser Hair Removal, and PlasmaMD. It is an organization of visionaries committed to ethical science, quality, excellence, innovation, and the pursuit of healthy, beautiful skin. The Vivace Experience® is a minimally invasive, FDA-cleared, radiofrequency microneedling treatment that stimulates the nat...

Alex Zuriarrain, MD

July 30, 2020 13:00 - 23 minutes - 31.7 MB

Miami plastic surgeon Alex Zuriarrain, MD lets us in on how he’s managed to generate over 400 patient reviews just 1 year into private practice, how he became the go-to plastic surgeon for Spanish television in Miami without spending a dime, and the strategies he uses for driving maximum impact with those TV appearances. Special Guest: Alex Zuriarrain, MD.

James Marotta, MD

July 23, 2020 13:00 - 28 minutes - 39.1 MB

Dr. James Marotta joins us to discuss his new book “Don't Let Other People Make You Feel Bad About Looking Good” and how it addresses the recurring challenge he sees with patients feeling guilty for considering facial plastic surgery. Special Guest: James Marotta, MD.

Umang Mehta, MD

July 16, 2020 10:30 - 30 minutes - 41.3 MB

Umang Mehta, MD talks with us about how getting started in the 2009 recession helped prepare him for the pandemic, the distortion of patient expectations caused by social media, and how he uses technology to prevent BDD and set realistic expectations with rhinoplasty patients. Special Guest: Umang Mehta, MD.

Josh King and Tom Seery

July 14, 2020 15:45 - 53 minutes - 73.2 MB

Guest host & RealSelf CEO Tom Seery sits down with RealSelf in-house counsel Josh King, a nationally known attorney and expert in legal issues surrounding online reviews, free speech, First Amendment, and media law issues. On this episode, you’ll hear how just 26 words in the Communications Decency Act provided for the rapid proliferation of the Internet and protects Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… and RealSelf. Special Guests: Josh King and Tom Seery.

Lorrie Klein, MD

July 09, 2020 13:00 - 34 minutes - 46.8 MB

Longtime cosmetic dermatology KOL and leader Lorrie Klein, MD shares her perspective on practice management, marketing, and business including the challenges of cosmetic procedure pricing, why she sold her practice a decade or more ahead of retirement and how that’s turned out, and what she’s planning to do with her MBA once she’s finished with it. Special Guest: Lorrie Klein, MD.

Virtual Exhibit Hall - TouchMD

July 07, 2020 22:30 - 10 minutes - 24.2 MB

TouchMD Chief Business Development Officer Karson Smith tells us about TouchMD’s unique patient consultation and communication platform. The RealSelf University Virtual Exhibit Hall is an easy, no-pressure way to learn about a product or a company that might fit a need in the practice. Special Guest: Karson Smith.

Denise Jaeschke and Tom Seery

June 25, 2020 13:00 - 43 minutes - 59.7 MB

If you’re an aesthetic professional or an industry brand, your consumer audience is also our audience. Guest host & RealSelf CEO Tom Seery takes us to the consumer side of the RealSelf marketplace to hear from Denise Jaeschke, VP of Consumer Marketing, about what it truly means to the researching patient that RealSelf is your go-to advisor for cosmetic decisions. Special Guests: Denise Jaeschke and Tom Seery.

Sonia Badreshia, MD

June 18, 2020 13:00 - 34 minutes - 47.3 MB

Noted Bay Area dermatologist Dr. Sonia Badreshia joins us to share how building a raving fan experience for patients is her top priority, how she found her niche on TV ten years ago, and what the results have been from both earned and paid TV, reaching and attracting patients from six continents, 25 countries, and 49 states. Special Guest: Sonia Badreshia, MD.

Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD

June 18, 2020 13:00 - 34 minutes - 47.3 MB

Noted Bay Area dermatologist Dr. Sonia Badreshia joins us to share how building a raving fan experience for patients is her top priority, how she found her niche on TV ten years ago, and what the results have been from both earned and paid TV, reaching and attracting patients from six continents, 25 countries, and 49 states. Special Guest: Sonia Badreshia, MD.

Bridgette DeBrino

June 11, 2020 13:00 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MB

Bridgette DeBrino, marketing director for Allenby Dermatology and BodySquad, takes us through the trials and successes of building BodySquad in Boca Raton, from the decision to replace their Emsculpt machines with CoolTone, the challenges of getting non-surgical fat reduction patients to return for photos, and what’s worked for driving high quality leads to the practice. This episode is part two of two in a series featuring an inside look at one of the nation’s most successful non-surgical bo...

Janet Allenby, DO

June 10, 2020 17:00 - 31 minutes - 43.4 MB

Cosmetic dermatologist Janet Allenby, DO shares her perspective on 2+ decades of practice growth in South Florida, why she decided to open a 2nd practice devoted entirely to non-surgical fat reduction, which parts of the marketing strategy she owns, and the importance of cultivating a loyal, family environment with her staff. This episode is part one of a two-part series, featuring an inside look at one of the nation’s most successful non-surgical body contouring practices with both the marke...

Virtual Exhibit Hall - Pinpoint Strategic Communications

June 04, 2020 13:00 - 5 minutes - 7.37 MB

Founder and designer Tami Vileta briefly discusses the services offered by her company, Pinpoint Strategic Communications. Pinpoint has provided high-level creative marketing services to over 250 practices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Africa. Their work focuses primarily on patient experience and retention initiatives, including Brand Development & Curation, Patient Loyalty Marketing, Event Promotion, Email Marketing, Patient Education, Collateral Design, Social Media Marketing, ...

Tami Vileta on Loyalty Programs

June 04, 2020 13:00 - 35 minutes - 48.8 MB

Longtime practice marketing expert Tami Vileta walks us through the various types of patient loyalty programs, how such programs can insulate you from price cutting and offer value to patients without making you look cheap, and what it takes for your program to rise to the top and set you apart from others in your market. Special Guest: Tami Vileta.

Matthew Nykiel, MD and Johnny Franco, MD on Instagram

May 28, 2020 13:00 - 56 minutes - 77.1 MB

Johnny Franco and Matthew Nykiel are two scrappy plastic surgeons and longtime friends working within the same niche, with similar strategies that led to massive Instagram success for each. On this episode, they battle over how their approaches to Instagram are both similar and different, and reveal how they’ve handled challenges such as hiring influencers, shadow banning, and the stupidity of buying followers. Special Guests: Johnny Franco, MD, FACS and Matthew Nykiel, MD.

Greg Buford, MD

May 21, 2020 13:00 - 43 minutes - 59.6 MB

Greg Buford tells us how the dumbest thing anyone ever said to him about the practice of medicine turned into his entire practice marketing philosophy and covers the hard lessons he’s learned in marketing. On this episode, you’ll get the questions you absolutely have to ask before you build a website, learn how to know when to hire a full time in house marketing director, and hear what it took to write and publish not just one, but two books (and why he probably won’t write another one). Spe...

Mark Sandritter and Tom Seery

May 19, 2020 13:00 - 43 minutes - 59.5 MB

Guest host & RealSelf CEO Tom Seery uncovers the strategy behind the explosive growth of the RealSelf Instagram account to 200k+ followers with Mark Sandritter, RealSelf Head of Digital Marketing. Special Guests: Mark Sandritter and Tom Seery.

Clint Carnell

May 14, 2020 13:00 - 28 minutes - 39 MB

CEO Clint Carnell talks with us about The HydraFacial Company’s pivot to support aesthetic providers with their quick decision to develop and produce the FaceLife mask, why providers love it so much, and the surprise requests they received from customers once the mask hit the market. Special Guest: Clint Carnell.

Jon Hoffenberg

May 07, 2020 14:45 - 41 minutes - 57.7 MB

Who will thrive upon reopening, and who won’t? What did they do differently? From daily conversations with doctors and practice owners ranging from Europe to Canada to throughout the United States, practice management consulting veteran Jon Hoffenberg breaks down how decisions made during the early part of pandemic either set a practice up to thrive or struggle at reopening. Jon Hoffenberg is the founder and CEO of Yellow Telescope and a popular speaker at many meetings thanks to his past han...

Virtual Exhibit Hall - Yellow Telescope

May 07, 2020 14:30 - 8 minutes - 12.1 MB

Founder and CEO Jon Hoffenberg briefly discusses the services offered by his companies, including Yellow Telescope, SEOversite, iScreamSocialMedia, and ReceptionScope. The RealSelf University Virtual Exhibit Hall is here to bring you an easy, no-pressure way to learn about a product or a company that might fit a need in the practice. Special Guest: Jon Hoffenberg.

Virtual Consultations

April 30, 2020 14:00 - 43 minutes - 59.5 MB

Telehealth, virtual consultations, and virtual appointments have gone from rarely used to daily use. While most have adapted quickly, there’s definitely a learning curve, so we’ve been working hard to bring best practices to our audience and accelerate learnings to help maintain open patient communication. One thing everyone seems to agree on is that virtual appointments are here to stay. On today’s episode I talk with Drs. Richard Reish, Gaurav Bharti, and Bill Kortesis, all of whom have b...

Nick Magruder

April 23, 2020 14:30 - 25 minutes - 35.6 MB

As we reflect and reconsider everything in the post-COVID world, we will be forced to make decisions about what to keep and what to throw out to make sure patients are safe while moving through the practice. Nick Magruder believes our industry has already been competing over the paper marketing footprint inside aesthetic practices for too long, and are about to see a dramatic acceleration in all things digital for the practice. Special Guest: Nick Magruder.

Virtual Exhibit Hall - Friend Media

April 23, 2020 14:15 - 9 minutes - 13.2 MB

CEO Nick Magruder shares how Friend Media declutters your office and engages patients on beautiful HD displays with content relevant to your practice and the services you offer, enabling you to capitalize on upsell opportunities without spending thousands on external advertising. The RealSelf University Virtual Exhibit Hall is here to bring you an easy, no-pressure way to learn about a product or a company that might fit a need in the practice. Special Guest: Nick Magruder.

Drew Leahy

April 16, 2020 17:00 - 42 minutes - 58 MB

Email marketing is often forgotten or neglected in a practice marketing strategy. But over time, it has the potential to become the strongest and most cost effective channel you have. After experiencing the shortcomings of most agency marketing models, Drew Leahy went heads down to figure out how to actually have an impact on practice marketing with email that doesn’t fit the usual mold. At a time when no-cost/low-cost marketing efforts are desperately needed, his timing couldn't be better. ...

Virtual Exhibit Hall - Patient Nectar

April 16, 2020 16:45 - 5 minutes - 8.36 MB

Patient Nectar founder Drew Leahy is here to tell us about the innovative content marketing and email services they offer, and how it’s different from the content marketing we’re used to. The RealSelf University Virtual Exhibit Hall is here to bring you an easy, no-pressure way to learn about a product or a company that might fit a need in the practice. Special Guest: Drew Leahy.

Introducing Hey Seery

April 14, 2020 17:15 - 9 minutes - 14.5 MB

On this preview of the new Hey Seery podcast, RealSelf CEO and Founder Tom Seery interviews aesthetic practice marketing veteran Eva Sheie about everything inside the world of online reviews. Find out how to prevent leaving money on the table by learning how to acquire reviews from nearly every patient who comes through the practice, and hear the rarely shared secrets to doubling conversion rates overnight. _Hey Seery is a look inside the world of RealSelf Founder and CEO Tom Seery and his p...

Sheila Barbarino, MD

April 09, 2020 14:00 - 46 minutes - 63.9 MB

Dr. Sheila Barbarino has many titles -- surgeon, KOL, mom, wife, owner, researcher, entrepreneur, president, and risk taker to name a few. A few years ago, she unexpectedly found herself expanding from Los Angeles to a second location in Austin, and tells us how she’s managed to divide her time and continue to grow. Special Guest: Sheila Barbarino, MD, FAAO, FAACS, FACS.

Jason Pozner, MD on Downtime and Disasters

March 28, 2020 22:00 - 22 minutes - 30.6 MB

No one has been through a pandemic, but in an effort to understand the current situation of our doctor community, we thought an expert in past disasters might be a useful place to start. Boca Raton plastic surgeon Jason Pozner returns for a special edition to talk about his experience and lessons learned from unplanned office closures due to hurricanes, extended power outages, and mandated statewide closures. As the pandemic changes our new normal by the day, we appreciate you keeping in mi...

Clark Mackey

March 26, 2020 13:00 - 54 minutes - 75.1 MB

Myths and misinformation about SEO continue to hold aesthetic practice revenue back. While it may seem more interesting to take a long nap than to deconstruct Google’s recent changes to the algorithm, winning the SEO game has a profound impact on both patient relationships and practice revenue. Clark Mackey has a pragmatic and deeply data-driven perspective on aesthetic practice search engine marketing, which he shares freely for doctors and marketers alike. Clark is the co-owner and head SE...

Johnny Franco, MD

March 18, 2020 14:45 - 42 minutes - 58.1 MB

Over the last 8 years, Austin plastic surgeon Johnny Franco has gone all in on his dream to do what he loves, but there were no shortcuts! During this challenging time, we get his scrappy and practical advice for authentically connecting with patients through virtual consultations based on his deep foundation of experience with rural and cross-country patients, and go deep into his runaway success growing his practice on his own terms with both RealSelf and Instagram. Special Guest: Johnny Fr...

Jason Pozner, MD

February 27, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 42.1 MB

Well known for being an early adopter and champion of new technology, Boca Raton plastic surgeon Jason Pozner, MD is seen as an expert in his field and works hard to be on the cutting edge of innovation and technology in the field of cosmetic surgery. Dr. Pozner tells us the story of the unusual circumstances around the purchase of his first laser, predicts what’s next in non-surgical body contouring and injectables from his unique vantage point, and shares his honest feelings about what it m...

Vu Ho, MD

February 20, 2020 14:00 - 25 minutes - 35.2 MB

Growing a strong repeat and referral business is the key to growth. But you can’t get there without investing in marketing first. Dallas facial plastic surgeon Dr. Vu Ho takes us through the trials of his first ten years in solo practice, both the smart moves and the mistakes. He shares his thought process on the painful decision to rebrand and recounts the positive impact a professional PR person had on his growth, along with his unique approach to the challenge of asking patients to share t...

Meghan Rundell

February 13, 2020 14:00 - 35 minutes - 49.3 MB

The front desk in an aesthetic practice is a critically important touchpoint for patients. Practice management and staff training expert Meghan Rundell talks with us about the unique characteristics of the high-performing front desk, and reveals the single most important skill to look for (that’s also the hardest to find). Meghan’s home base of Detroit is a notoriously tough market, and she shares lessons we can all learn from the volatility of the auto industry and how that impacts her day-t...

Matthew Richardson, MD

February 06, 2020 14:00 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MB

It’s unusual to find one and even more unusual to find two surgeons who began their private practice straight out of fellowship. On this episode we’re hearing from RealSelf Verified facial plastic surgeon Matthew Richardson from Frisco, Texas. He joined forces with a colleague and they jumped right in, learning some lessons the hard way and sharing those with us today. He gives great advice for others early in practice, including the biggest marketing fail to avoid in your first few years, ...

Ed Syring

January 30, 2020 14:00 - 35 minutes - 49.2 MB

Ed Syring reveals the biggest mistake doctors make before walking into a consultation, goes deep on what makes a great patient coordinator, and tells us why staff incentives are an absolute requirement for practice growth. As a veteran practice management consultant and the Executive Vice President of YellowTelescope, SEOversite, and iScreamSocialMedia, Ed has worked with over 10,000 patients worldwide, oversees the staffing, sales, and marketing for clients nationwide and has worked with hu...

Brannon Claytor, MD and Sarah Claytor

January 23, 2020 18:00 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MB

What makes some people so bold and unafraid of change? On this episode, we hear from the risk taker and the person married to the risk taker. My guests today are RealSelf Verified plastic surgeon Dr. Brannon Claytor and his wife Sarah. Together they tell us their story of negotiating without fear with the largest provider of health care real estate in the country, the surprising effect a new space had on the staff and patients, and the most important advice anyone considering a buildout fro...

April Linden

January 16, 2020 14:00 - 38 minutes - 53.2 MB

What we can learn about patient experience from the Ritz Carlton? Practice consultant April Linden goes deep on the simple, daily 5 minute process that leads to explosive practice growth. She shares the most impactful growth strategies she’s learned over 20 years of supporting practice growth, including how a team can work around a surgeon who’s never on time, the four stages of decision-making that occur between first contact and completed surgery, and the recent a-ha moment from a deep dive...

Jonathan Kaplan, MD and Tom Seery

January 09, 2020 14:00 - 51 minutes - 70.9 MB

Price transparency expert Dr. Jonathan Kaplan talks with RealSelf CEO Tom Seery about the one piece of information that doubles likelihood to schedule surgery, the (often ridiculous) reasons aesthetic surgeons reject price transparency, and how he’s booking patients straight onto the schedule via Instagram DM without ever picking up a phone. Special Guests: Jonathan Kaplan, MD and Tom Seery.

P. Daniel Ward, MD

January 02, 2020 14:00 - 25 minutes - 35.6 MB

Known in Utah as the "Blue Collar Plastic Surgeon," Dr. P. Daniel Ward tells us the truth about why people in Utah are so hesitant to admit they’re "getting work done," explains how Instagram has changed the demographics of who’s coming in to see him, and reveals the secret weapon that helped him get to 28k followers on Instagram. Special Guest: P. Daniel Ward, MD.

Andrew Campbell, MD

December 19, 2019 14:00 - 33 minutes - 46.4 MB

Dr. Andrew Campbell takes us through the growing pains he's experienced through over the last 15 years as he shouldered gut-wrenching risk to grow his aesthetic practice from 1 to 5 very successful locations, while maintaining their authenticity and a warm, small town feel in the not-so-typical cosmetic surgery destination of Northeast Wisconsin. Special Guest: Andrew Campbell, MD.

Josh Korman, MD, FACS

December 04, 2019 17:00 - 17 minutes - 24.7 MB

Plastic surgeon and author Josh Korman talks about what to do if a Botox Bandit strikes you, goes deep on the painful subject of fraud and theft in the practice, and reveals how a pattern of negative online reviews can be a sign of employee theft. Understanding the ‘Triangle of Fraud’ How a pattern of bad patient reviews can be a sign of employee theft Recognizing the difference between theft and embezzlement Checks and balances to protect your business What to do if a Botox Bandit strikes...

Richard Reish, MD, FACS and Jeanine DiGennaro

November 18, 2019 18:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MB

A look inside the conflicts and challenges faced at the world's largest plastic surgery practice. Long Island Plastic Surgical Group's Director of Marketing Jeanine DiGennaro and RealSelf Verified plastic surgeon Richard Reish, MD join us to discuss: The unexpected reason Dr. Reish takes Uber everywhere he goes Why Dr. Reish believes buying fake followers on Instagram is an epidemic The challenges of marketing the largest plastic surgery practice in the world Incorporating and managing the ...

Cameron Chesnut, MD

November 18, 2019 18:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MB

RealSelf Verified facial plastic surgeon Cameron Chesnut gives us an inside look at the rapid growth of his facial plastic surgery practice in Spokane, Washington. The benefits of his obsession with patient photography How he requests face patients share their before & after photos The epidemic of “pillow face” and what’s causing it The unusual market conditions driving hyaluronidase to be his #1 injectable Special Guest: Cameron Chesnut, MD, FAAD.

Gaurav Bharti, MD and Bill Kortesis, MD

November 12, 2019 21:30 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MB

RealSelf Verified plastic surgeons Dr. Gaurav Bharti and Dr. Bill Kortesis, who practice together in Charlotte North Carolina, are involved in what we in the Seattle tech industry sometimes call “growth experiments” — but they don’t call it that… it’s just their way of life. I caught up with them at the ASPS Plastic Surgery meeting in late September in San Diego, and I uncovered just what makes these two entrepreneurs tick, how they think about marketing, and the unusual things that have h...