Ashley Churchill

100% God. There's nothing I could have done without that, and I know that feels like a generic answer, but there's not a reason I should have the career I have, or have the life that I have. So definitely God, and 100% my family. My parents have always been my loudest cheerleaders, and they have never questioned whether or not I can do something, which led me to never questioning that as well.

It's not so much advice I've received, but through my experiences, I've learned that you don't need to confine yourself. I always grew up thinking you had to be a doctor or a lawyer, and that's how you would be successful, so that's kind of how I found myself in medicine. But the more I grow and the more I see other careers in business or entrepreneurship, there's so much out there. I don't think you need to confine yourself, even if you do find yourself in medicine or as a lawyer. There's such a big world out there, and the world needs the information that you have in other careers, so don't limit yourself just because you have one title. I would also say that being a single mom shouldn't define your career path. A lot of people told me that now that I'm a single mom, I kind of have to slow down, move to the suburbs, get situated there. And I said, no, I want to take on a new career, I want to do what I've always planned on, and yes, I have a kid with me, but that doesn't mean being a single mom should define your career or your career path.

I would say do the hardest thing that you can find. A lot of women look at dermatology and aesthetics and say, well, that's the pretty girl job, and that's the easy medicine job, and I can't tell you how often I'm told that about my career. I love my career, but I don't see it as that. I worked my tail off through surgery to get where I'm going. So I think more women need to not put themselves in this box of, even though I work in medicine, I have to do the pretty things. No, go to surgery, go to the hardest thing. It's important to essentially pay your dues, but also prove to yourself how much you're capable of. And then shoot for the stars from there.

One of the biggest challenges is that when you become an injector, you're kind of placed in this niche of 'I just do lips and Botox.' Yes, I do lips and Botox, but I also do so much more. I think a lot of people don't see injectors as true medical providers. It's definitely a stigma that I want to break. We're not just Instagram personalities, we're not influencers, we're true medical providers, and I think that when patients are making selections on who they want to be injecting their face, they need to not just be looking at Instagram. They need to be looking at someone's background, someone's education, much as you would if you're picking out a surgeon. As for opportunities, because you kind of put yourself in this corner when you go into aesthetics and can't really jump back into surgery, I've had to make this essentially entirely new career path. For someone who doesn't necessarily want to own a med spa and doesn't have any business degrees, what does that look like to jump into a more business role as someone who really all I have to offer right now is medicine and a really big excitement to learn more, or a passion to learn more? I'm making the business see me, and that's really exciting to me. Once I can break through that wall, I think the opportunities are endless.

Loyalty is definitely number one. You have to be loyal to the people you work with, you're loyal to your friends, you're loyal to your family, because that will always come back tenfold. Everyone reaches hard stages in their life, but if you have God on your side and you've been loyal to the people around you, you're never going to be alone. I also think being ethical is so important. There's been a lot of times where maybe I could have made more money or had a bigger career if I wasn't as honest, but at the end of the day, I don't think that pays off. I think just being honest with yourself, honest with your patients is crucial. I used to have to tell patients that they had 6 months to live, and it's not so much an ethical dilemma as it is you don't want to skirt around it. You kind of just have to tell people the truth and be honest, and I think in all aspects of life, that's the best policy.