Welcome back to my Fall Reset Organization Series.

For anyone with college students or children that have moved away, you will likely understand the sadness and heaviness that comes at the end of August. The grief of summer ending and my kids moving back to school leaves me in quite a funk for a few weeks. A few years ago, I learned that purging, cleaning and organizing our home during these few weeks after the kids have gone to school brings me a little bit of peace and distraction. A serious case of nesting kicks in and gets me through some of the sadness. Once the house is clean and organized, I reward myself by decorating for fall.

Now, I repeat the process every year without fail.

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This one is all about the house.

Every fall, I get this overwhelming urge to reset everything. Maybe it’s the change in weather, maybe it’s knowing the holidays are coming, or maybe it’s simply my Type A personality telling me that every drawer in the house suddenly needs my attention.

Whatever the reason, fall is when I like to deep clean our home from top to bottom.

It is also deeply therapeutic for anyone that has had to leave a child at college and be an empty nester…

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At least it did for me.

In my 30s and 40s, I could get away with putting myself last a little more often. I could work too much, sleep too little, skip the workout, grab whatever was easiest for lunch, and promise myself I’d get back on track next week.

At 51, I don’t want to do that anymore.

Not because I’m chasing some perfect version of health.

Because I have a lot of life left to live—and I want to feel good for it.

I want energy. I want strength. I want to sleep well. I want my joints to feel good. I want to protect my heart, my brain, my bones and my muscle. I want to travel, work, take care of my property, run my businesses and still have something left at the end of the day.

So as part of my fall organization reset, I’m putting my health on the list.

Not somewhere near the bottom.

Near the top.

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I like a plan. I like a clean kitchen. I like knowing what’s happening next week, what needs to be ordered, who needs to be where, and preferably, I’d like all of it written down somewhere.

Which is probably a good thing, because my life has a lot of moving parts.

I run a med spa. We have a seven-acre farm. We have a lake house. There is work, employees, patients, family, animals, properties, appointments, bills, groceries, laundry, maintenance, and approximately 742 tiny things floating through my brain at any given moment.

And somewhere in there, I’m also trying to enjoy my life.

I get asked a lot:

“How do you keep track of everything?”

The short answer?

I don’t trust my brain to remember anything.

Here’s what actually keeps me organized.

1. If it isn’t on my planner, it doesn’t exist.

I put everything on my planner. There is nothing better than a paper planner!

Work meetings. Appointments. Hair. Botox. Vet appointments. Dinner plans. Things happening at the lake. Days I need to be home.

My planner is the command center for my life.

One of the biggest mistakes I think busy women make is trying to mentally keep track of too much.

My brain has enough tabs open.

2. I make lists for my lists.

This may be the most Type A sentence I’ve ever written.

But I love a list.

Work list. Home list. Farm list. Lake house list. Grocery list. Things to order. Things to fix. Things I need to talk to someone about.

Writing something down immediately removes it from the constant mental loop of:

Don’t forget. Don’t forget.

I have a notebook for work, home and lake house and running To Do lists for each.

3. I separate my life into buckets.

This has been a game changer for me.

Instead of looking at my life as one giant list, I mentally divide it:

LOURE. Home. Farm. Lake. Family. Me.

When I’m thinking about the farm, I’m not also trying to solve something at the med spa.

When I’m making my LOURE list, I’m not adding lake house projects to it.

Everything has a home.

Because when everything feels important at the same time, nothing feels manageable.

4. I do things immediately when I can.

This is probably one of my biggest Type A tendencies.

If something takes two minutes, I usually just do it.

Pay the bill.

Order the dog food.

Send the text.

Schedule the appointment.

Add something to the calendar.

Reply to the email.

I know myself well enough to know that if I say, I’ll remember to do that later, there is a very good chance I will remember it at 2:13 a.m.

So I either do it or document it.

5. I plan ahead—a lot.

I like knowing what’s coming. I look ahead at my week. I think about meals. I think about work schedules. I think about what needs to happen at the farm and when we’re going to the lake.

Is it slightly obsessive?

Perhaps.

But planning ahead gives me something I value more than spontaneity:

peace.

When I know there’s a plan, I can actually relax.

6. I keep things stocked.

This sounds ridiculously simple, but it’s one of my favorite ways to make life easier.

I don’t want to arrive at the lake house and realize we’re out of shampoo.

I don’t want to discover Sunday night that there’s no dog food.

I don’t want to run out of the household things we use every single week.

So I keep duplicates and backups.

The lake house has its own essentials. Home has its essentials. I reorder before we’re completely out.

Could I survive without three bottles of my favorite shampoo strategically located across Wisconsin?

Of course.

But why would I want to?

7. I reset constantly.

I don’t wait until life is completely out of control to reorganize it.

I’m constantly doing little resets.

Clean out the purse.

Go through the refrigerator.

Clear off the kitchen counter.

Look at the upcoming week.

Clean up my inbox.

Rewrite the list.

There is something incredibly calming to me about putting things back in order.

My surroundings affect my brain more than I’d like to admit.

Physical clutter becomes mental clutter very quickly for me.

8. I have learned that organized does not mean doing everything yourself.

This one has taken me longer to learn.

Being capable is a blessing—and occasionally a curse.

Because when you’re someone who can figure things out, you start believing you should figure everything out.

You shouldn’t.

I have learned to delegate at work. Hire people who are better at certain things than I am. Ask for help. Pay for convenience when it genuinely gives me time back.

9. I don’t strive for balance anymore.

I don’t think my life is ever perfectly balanced.

Some weeks LOURE gets more of me.

Some weekends the farm does.

Sometimes we’re at the lake and I intentionally let work take a backseat.

Sometimes business is busy and the laundry pile is absolutely winning.

I’ve stopped expecting every area of my life to receive equal attention every day.

Instead, I ask:

What needs me most right now?

That’s a much more realistic way to live.

10. I’m learning that the entire point is to enjoy what I’ve built.

This might be the hardest lesson for a Type A woman.

We are really good at building.

Growing.

Improving.

Fixing.

Planning.

Achieving.

And then immediately moving the finish line.

There’s always another business goal. Another house project. Another thing to clean. Another improvement to make. Another item waiting on the list.

But I’m 51.

And I’m realizing more and more that I don’t want to spend the next chapter of my life perfectly organizing a life that I’m too busy to enjoy.

The med spa, the farm, the lake house—all of these things were once things I dreamed about.

I don’t want my blessings to become another to-do list.

So yes, I will probably always make lists.

I will always love a good paper planner.

I will probably reorganize something that did not technically need reorganizing.

I’m still Type A.

But I’m also learning to occasionally leave something unfinished.

Pour the drink.

Sit by the lake.

Watch the sunset.

And remind myself:

The goal was never just to build a beautiful life.

The goal was to actually live it.

— Amy

I hope this note finds you well.

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If you feel like everyone is suddenly on a GLP-1, you’re not imagining it.

Ozempic. Wegovy. Zepbound. Semaglutide. Tirzepatide.

They’ve become part of everyday conversation—and with that has come a LOT of information, misinformation, TikTok advice and opinions from people who have never actually prescribed these medications.

As a PA who treats patients with GLP-1 medications, and as someone who has been on them for 5 years, here’s what I actually want you to know.

First: GLP-1s are not the “easy way out.”

Can we please retire this idea?

Obesity is a chronic disease, not a character flaw or evidence that someone simply doesn’t have enough willpower.

GLP-1 medications work on real biological pathways involved in appetite, blood sugar regulation, satiety and digestion. They essentially help turn down some of the biological signals that can make weight loss incredibly difficult.

And one of the most common things patients tell me after starting?

“Is this what normal people feel like around food?”

The constant thinking about food—or “food noise”—can become dramatically quieter.

That can be life-changing.

You still have to do the work.

This is probably the biggest misconception.

GLP-1s are incredibly effective tools. But they’re still tools.

I want my patients eating enough protein. I want them strength training. I want them drinking water. I want them paying attention to fiber, bowel habits and nutrition.

Because the goal isn’t simply:

Get the number on the scale as low as possible.

The goal is to lose excess body fat while protecting muscle and building habits you can actually maintain.

Muscle matters—especially as we get older. Loss of lean mass is one of the concerns we need to pay attention to during significant weight loss.

This is one reason I don’t love the “just eat as little as possible” mentality.

Less isn’t always better.

Side effects are real—but miserable shouldn’t be the goal.

The most common side effects are gastrointestinal: nausea, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, reflux and abdominal discomfort.

That doesn’t mean everyone experiences them.

It also doesn’t mean you should feel terrible every week.

One of the biggest mistakes I see with GLP-1s is escalating the dose simply because it’s time to increase it.

The goal is not to get to the highest dose.

The goal is to find an effective dose that you tolerate well and that produces appropriate results.

If a lower dose is working beautifully, that’s a conversation worth having with your provider.

More medication does not automatically mean better medicine.

These aren’t medications I would buy from a random website.

This deserves more attention.

The popularity of GLP-1s has created an enormous online market. Some of it is legitimate. Some of it should make you very cautious.

In 2026, the FDA continued warning consumers about unapproved GLP-1 products and specifically raised concerns about product quality, fraudulent labeling and dosing errors with compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide.

If you’re getting medication online, you should know:

Who is prescribing it?
Where is the medication coming from?
What pharmacy is dispensing it?
Who do you call if something goes wrong?

A cheap monthly price isn’t necessarily a bargain if you have no idea what’s actually in the vial.

There are risks—and your medical history matters.

GLP-1 medications are not appropriate for everyone.

Depending on the medication, important considerations can include a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2, pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, significant gastrointestinal issues, pregnancy and certain diabetes medications.

For example, Wegovy prescribing information includes warnings regarding pancreatitis and gallbladder disease, among other risks.

This is exactly why I believe these medications deserve an actual medical evaluation—not just a questionnaire followed by a shipment.

Your provider should know your history.

They should know your medications.

They should know what you’re trying to accomplish.

And you should have someone to contact when something doesn’t feel right.

And yes, weight regain can happen.

This is the part nobody loves talking about.

For many people, obesity behaves like other chronic diseases: treatment may need to be long-term.

Stopping medication doesn’t necessarily mean everyone immediately gains all their weight back. But weight regain after discontinuing GLP-1 therapy is a legitimate concern and an area of continued study.

That’s why I think we need to stop treating these medications like a 12-week crash diet.

The conversation should be:

What is our long-term plan?

Maybe that’s continued medication.

Maybe that’s eventually finding the lowest effective maintenance dose.

Maybe the plan changes over time.

But there should be a plan.

One more thing: don’t let the internet scare you.

Every medication has potential risks.

GLP-1s are no different.

But social media has a way of taking a rare event, giving it a terrifying headline and making it sound inevitable.

A good example: concerns were raised about suicidal thoughts and GLP-1 medications. After reviewing the available data, the FDA announced in January 2026 that its evaluation did not identify an increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists and requested removal of that warning from certain weight-loss GLP-1 labels.

That’s why I would rather my patients ask me than spend three hours scrolling through TikTok comments!

My bottom line

I don’t think everyone needs a GLP-1.

I also don’t think anyone should be ashamed of taking one.

For the right patient, these medications can be incredibly powerful. But the best results aren’t just about losing 20, 40 or 80 pounds.

They’re about improving health.

Keeping muscle.

Feeling better.

Understanding your body.

And creating something sustainable enough that six months from now—or five years from now—you aren’t right back where you started.

If you’re considering a GLP-1, my biggest advice is simple:

Don’t just find someone who will prescribe it. Find someone who will actually manage you while you’re taking it.

There is a difference.

Want my complete GLP-1 nutrition plan?
The GLP-1 Edit is now included with every paid Before the Botox membership. Upgrade today and download your copy instantly.

— Amy

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Maybe the 11s.

Maybe crow’s feet.

But after years of injecting, one of the things I find most interesting about Botox is just how versatile it can be.

Botox isn’t technically a wrinkle eraser. It temporarily changes communication between nerves and targeted muscles—or, in certain treatments, sweat glands.

Which means once you understand the anatomy, Botox can do a whole lot more than simply smooth a forehead.

So let’s take a little Botox tour from head to toe.

1. The Forehead

We’ll start with the obvious one.

Those horizontal lines across your forehead are primarily caused by your frontalis muscle, which lifts your eyebrows.

Botox here can create a smoother, more rested appearance.

However, placement is key and every forehead is different. This is where science meets artistry. Because the frontalis is responsible for elevating the brows, overly aggressive treatment can leave some patients feeling heavy.

2. Between the Brows: The 11s

Those vertical lines between your eyebrows are created by the muscles you use when you frown or concentrate.

Treating the glabellar complex can soften those lines and make the entire upper face look more relaxed.

This is also one of those areas where people sometimes don’t realize how much tension they’re carrying until the muscles aren’t contracting as strongly anymore.

3. Crow’s Feet

Smile in the mirror.

Those little lines radiating from the outside of your eyes?

Crow’s feet.

A small amount of strategically placed Botox can soften them beautifully without eliminating your smile.

And that’s always the goal for me.

I want you to look like you—just refreshed.

4. The Brows

Yes, Botox can actually influence brow position.

Certain muscles around the eyes pull the brows downward while the forehead helps pull them upward.

By selectively relaxing particular downward-pulling muscles, we can sometimes create a subtle brow lift.

Notice I said subtle.

Botox isn’t going to replace a surgical brow lift.

But in the right patient?

That tiny change can be really pretty.

5. Bunny Lines

Scrunch your nose.

See those little diagonal wrinkles along the sides of it?

Those are commonly called bunny lines.

They’re easy to overlook until you start noticing them—and then somehow you can’t stop seeing them.

A carefully selected amount of Botox can soften them.

6. The Upper Lip: The Lip Flip

The lip flip has become incredibly popular.

Instead of adding volume like filler, Botox is placed strategically around the upper lip to reduce some of the inward pull of the muscle.

The result can allow a little more of the upper lip to show when the face is relaxed or smiling.

It’s subtle and it isn’t for everyone.

But for the right anatomy, it can be a beautiful little tweak.

7. A Gummy Smile

For some patients, the muscles that elevate the upper lip are particularly active when they smile.

The result is more gum showing above the upper teeth.

Tiny amounts of Botox placed in carefully selected muscles can reduce that upward pull.

This is one of those treatments where precision really matters.

We’re working around the muscles responsible for your smile, so this is not an area where I believe in being aggressive.

8. The Chin

Have you ever noticed a pebbled or dimpled appearance to your chin when you talk or make certain expressions?

That can come from an active mentalis muscle.

Botox can relax the muscle and create a smoother-looking chin.

It’s a small treatment that many patients don’t even realize exists.

9. Downturned Corners of the Mouth

Some people naturally have a stronger downward pull at the corners of their mouth.

One of the muscles involved is the depressor anguli oris, or DAO.

Strategically relaxing it can sometimes reduce that downward pull and create a softer appearance around the mouth.

Again—tiny muscles, tiny doses and a lot of anatomy involved.

10. The Jawline and Masseters

This is where Botox starts getting really interesting.

The masseters are the large muscles along the sides of your jaw that help you chew.

If you clench your teeth and put your fingers along your jaw, you’ll probably feel them pop out.

In people with prominent masseters, Botox can reduce muscle activity and, over time, may create a slimmer appearance through the lower face.

Botulinum toxin is also used in selected patients for jaw clenching or related symptoms of TMJ, although the diagnosis and underlying cause matter.

This is another area where dosing needs to be individualized.

11. The Neck

Those vertical bands you see running down the neck?

That’s the platysma.

Botox can be used strategically to soften prominent platysmal bands in appropriate patients.

You may also hear people talking about the “Nefertiti lift,” which uses botulinum toxin in selected areas of the lower face and neck to reduce downward muscular pull.

This isn’t a facelift.

But in the right patient, subtle changes in muscle balance can make the lower face and neck look softer.

12. The Underarms

This one surprises people.

Botox can be incredibly helpful for excessive underarm sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis.

Instead of targeting facial muscles, botulinum toxin reduces the nerve signaling that activates sweat glands in the treated area.

For someone who deals with significant sweating through shirts, avoiding certain colors or constantly worrying about underarm sweat, this can be a huge quality-of-life treatment. LIFE CHANGING, my patients always say.

13. The Palms—and Even the Feet

Yes.

Botulinum toxin can also be used for excessive sweating of the hands and feet.

These aren’t necessarily the most comfortable areas to have injected, and treatment needs to be carefully considered because of the anatomy and potential effects on nearby muscles.

But for people with significant hyperhidrosis, these treatments can be worth discussing with an experienced medical provider.

14. The Head and Neck for Chronic Migraine

This is an entirely different category of Botox.

Botox has an FDA-approved indication for the prevention of headaches in adults with chronic migraine.

This isn’t simply a few cosmetic injections in the forehead.

Migraine treatment follows a specific medical injection protocol involving multiple areas of the head and neck and should be performed by a clinician trained in migraine management.

It’s a great reminder that Botox is, first and foremost, a prescription medication—not simply a beauty treatment.

One More Thing: FDA-Approved vs. Off-Label Botox

This is something I think patients should understand.

Not every Botox treatment you see on Instagram or TikTok is specifically FDA-approved for that particular cosmetic indication.

Healthcare providers can use FDA-approved medications off-label when clinically appropriate. That’s common throughout medicine.

But “off-label” doesn’t mean “anything goes.”

It makes a proper medical assessment, informed consent, appropriate dosing and—here we are again—a really good understanding of anatomy incredibly important.

Because Botox can be amazing.

But the magic isn’t simply what’s inside the syringe.

It’s knowing exactly what to do with it.

—Amy

To keep my legal team happy: This article is for general educational purposes only and isn't individualized medical advice. Botulinum toxin is a prescription medication with potential risks, contraindications and adverse effects. Treatment should be based on an individualized medical assessment and performed by an appropriately trained and licensed healthcare professional.

You do not need every treatment being marketed to you.

There. I said it.

I own a med spa. I make my living in aesthetics. I love this industry, and I absolutely believe that the right treatments can make a huge difference in how you look—and, more importantly, how you feel.

But after years of treating patients, trying treatments myself, buying products and watching trends explode on social media, I’ve developed some pretty strong opinions about where I would personally spend my money.

And where I wouldn’t.

So if you handed me your credit card and said, “Amy, tell me what’s actually worth it,” this is what I would tell you.

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There’s a version of med spa ownership that you see on Instagram.

Beautiful space. Gorgeous branding. A packed schedule. Expensive devices. A team in matching scrubs. Botox days that bring in thousands of dollars.

And then there’s the version nobody posts.

The empty schedule.

The equipment payment that still comes out whether you treated 30 patients that month or three.

The employee who calls in sick.

The toilet that needs cleaning.

The 10 p.m. text about tomorrow’s schedule.

And the realization that revenue and profit are two very different things.

If you’re thinking about opening a med spa, congratulations! It is a very hard and brave move to step out on your own. The medical field is different these days and for many of us, we are searching for something MORE. More autonomy, more control over our schedules and our lives. More freedom to practice the type of medicine that is our passion. For many of us, we are searching for LESS. Less packed schedules, less demand to see more and do more and make less.

You are about to embark on the hardest and BEST thing you will ever do, but we need to prepare for the real parts of Entrepreneurship.

Here are my top five pieces of advice before you start.

1. Start Small

You do not need the 5,000-square-foot space.

You do not need six treatment rooms.

You do not need a huge staff.

And you definitely don’t need to offer every treatment you’ve ever seen on Instagram.

Start with what makes money.

Get really good at a few services. Build your patient base. Learn what your market actually wants before you spend money trying to predict it.

One of the biggest mistakes new owners make is building the business they hope they’ll have three years from now instead of building the business they actually have today.

Every extra room, employee, product line and expensive laser device becomes overhead.

And overhead doesn’t care if your schedule is full.

Start lean.

There will be plenty of time to build your dream space later…

My Experience: Our first space was 600 square feet, had 2 exam rooms and 1 room that was our “everything else” room: break room, storage room, office. We did not have laundry, or bathrooms within our space, were on the second floor and didn’t have an elevator. But the rent was affordable! This was the PERFECT space for us for the first 6 months until we knew that we had outgrown it. We did not have staff at first, Nikki and I both did everything: Physician Assistants who answered the phones, made the appointments, did the treatments, cleaned the rooms, ordered supplies, did the social media posts, called our husbands when something broke, you get the idea…

2. Don’t Buy the Expensive Device

This one deserves its own article.

The reps will make it sound incredible.

“This device practically pays for itself.”

“You only need X treatments a month to cover the payment.”

“Practices are generating $30,000 a month with this.”

Maybe.

But before you sign anything, ask yourself one question:

Do I already have enough patients asking for this treatment to justify buying it?

Are your patients actually asking for it?

As a new business owner, you will likely have to take a loan for this device and the interest rates are not usually in our favor. And those monthly payments keep coming whether you use the machine or not.

In the beginning, cash is oxygen.

Protect it.

My Experience: we bought a laser hair removal device right away and this has been a powerhouse for us, however, this was our painful introduction to horrible interest rates for a medical device. We did not buy another laser device until our 4th year of business.

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There are two kinds of Botox advice on the internet:

The polished version.

And the version providers talk about behind closed doors.

This is the second one.

After years in aesthetics, I’ve learned that the best Botox results usually aren’t about getting more Botox. They’re about understanding your face, choosing the right injector, and knowing when to leave well enough alone.

So, if you’re spending hundreds—or thousands—of dollars a year on injectables, here are 10 things I think you should know.

1. More Botox does NOT automatically mean better Botox.

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that if a little is good, more must be better.

Nope.

The goal shouldn’t necessarily be a completely frozen forehead. The goal is to soften the muscles contributing to lines while still keeping your face balanced and natural.

Sometimes the prettiest treatment plan involves doing less.

2. Your friend’s “units” mean absolutely nothing for your face.

“My friend only gets 20 units.”

I hear versions of this all the time.

But your friend doesn’t have your muscle strength, facial anatomy, eyebrow position, forehead height, or aesthetic goals.

Botox dosing should be individualized.

So please stop comparing unit counts like they’re jean sizes.

3. Cheap Botox can become very expensive Botox.

I understand wanting a deal. I love a deal too.

But your face is not where I’d choose the lowest bidder. NO Groupons here, please.

You are paying for much more than the product in the syringe. You’re paying for someone’s knowledge of anatomy, experience, judgment, technique—and their ability to recognize and manage a complication.

Choose your injector first.

Then worry about the price.

Want the other 7 things I wish every Botox patient knew?
This is where we get into the things we talk about behind the scenes in aesthetics—the advice I give my own patients, friends and family. Keep reading with a paid subscription. 💉

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I’m a PA-C, a med spa owner, an aesthetics consumer, and—probably like many of you—a woman who has stood six inches from a mirror wondering if I suddenly need to “fix” something I didn’t notice yesterday. Especially when I hit my late 40’s and suddenly had wrinkle lines on my forehead.

I’ve also spent years watching women walk into aesthetic appointments with no idea what they actually need, what they don’t need, or what questions they should be asking before someone comes toward their face with a syringe.

So I’m starting this newsletter.

Not because the internet needs another person explaining what Botox is.

It doesn’t.

I’m here because I think women deserve to understand the industry they’re spending thousands of dollars a year on.

I’ll tell you what’s worth it. What’s overhyped. What I’d do to my own face. What I’d never do. What makes me nervous. What makes a great injector great. And what I’d want my best friend to know before she booked an appointment.

I’ll also tell you what it’s actually like behind the scenes of building a 7-figure aesthetics business while raising a family and attempting to convince my Type A brain that productivity isn’t a personality trait.

Some weeks we’ll talk Botox.

Some weeks we’ll talk business.

Some weeks we may talk about why I re-organized my pantry at 6am or what trip we are going on next.

Consider this the conversation we’d have if you were sitting across from me with a glass of wine and could ask me anything.

Welcome to Before You Botox.

Let’s talk about the things your injector probably didn’t tell you.