Some clients come to me ready. And some clients come to me prepared to wait until they are.
Lisa was the second kind. And she is one of my favorites.
When Lisa first found me she was on a weight loss journey. She wasn't ready for surgery yet and she knew it. But she wasn't going anywhere either. She stayed. She learned. She attended the live Q&As I host with my Collective surgeons, asking questions, absorbing everything, building a foundation of knowledge that most people never take the time to build. Month after month, she showed up. Educated herself. Trusted the process. And waited for the day when her journey would truly begin.
That kind of patience is rare. And it is beautiful to witness.
When that day finally came, Lisa already had someone in mind. There was a surgeon in my Collective she had come to deeply respect through his live appearances — someone whose manner and approach had earned her trust over time. She wanted him. And I understood why.
But I had to tell her something she didn't expect to hear.
Based on her unique needs and the specific results she was hoping for, I felt another surgeon was showing stronger, more consistent evidence of repeated patient outcomes in that exact area. I told her honestly. And Lisa, being Lisa, didn't dismiss it — but she also wasn't ready to let go of her first choice without hearing from him directly.
So she consulted with him first. And he did something that I believe is one of the greatest marks of a surgeon worthy of my Collective — he told her the truth. He confirmed her area of concern and he was honest about his uncertainty. No ego. No sales pitch. Just honesty.
She respected him enormously for it.
We then moved to the surgeon I had recommended and the difference was immediate. He was confident, clear and completely certain in his ability to give her the results she had been working toward for years. Everything clicked. Not in a dramatic way. In a quiet, settled, this is exactly right kind of way.
And then the real journey began.
The texts and calls between us never stopped — especially not during that quiet, grueling stretch between consultation and surgery. If anything they became more constant. Last minute questions about anesthesia. My little tips and tricks for the early days of healing. The kind of conversation that only happens when two people have built something real together over time.
After surgery we spoke every day. She sent photos. I looked at every single one. And then came the swelling days — and with them, the panic calls.
She was convinced something was terribly wrong. The swelling was significant and her mind went to the darkest place it could find. I listened. I reassured her. And I told her what I suspected — that emptying the dishwasher and doing the laundry were the likely culprits.
She called her doctor. He confirmed exactly that.
It is always nice when I am on the same page as them.
A year later Lisa is thriving. Her story is coming to my site — shared in her own words, in a video, with her surgeon adding his perspective. Because that is what our surgeries are. They are not transactions. They are stories. Journeys lived. Lives changed.
"Lisa was in my life for a surgery season. But what happened in that season was not small. It was care and compassion and love and every ounce of everything I have built this for."
I am living my dream. I am making a difference in this industry. And clients like Lisa are the reason I never stop.
Ready to begin your season? I'm here.