Profiles In Aesthetics

Leading with Heart: Julie Bass Kaplan’s Aesthetic Journey

• Lonny • Season 1 • Episode 1

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In this powerful debut episode of Profiles in Aesthetics, we sit down with the ever-inspiring Julie Bass Kaplan, a pioneer injector, aesthetic educator, and founder of Disappearing Act Medical Aesthetics. From mopping OR floors to injecting Botox before FDA approval, Julie opens up about what it means to lead with heart in the world of aesthetic medicine.

We cover injectable artistry, leadership lessons, team culture, and building patient trust, but also dive into rarely spoken truths, sexual assault, dyslexia, and burnout, and how they’ve shaped Julie’s life and purpose.

Whether you're a seasoned aesthetic pro or just getting started in the world of fillers, lasers, and injectables, this conversation is a masterclass in authenticity and resilience.

Guest Info - Julie Bass Kaplan

Julie is the founder of Disappearing Act Medical Aesthetics and Jubilant Head & Breakfast, and she’s a nationally recognized aesthetic mentor, speaker, and injector.


👨‍⚕️ Host Info - Lonny Green, MD

  • Instagram | Facebook | YouTube: @ninjainjector
    Dr. Lonny Green is a board-certified physician, injector, educator, and advocate for elevating artistry, ethics, and mentorship in aesthetic medicine.


Episode Highlights & Timestamps

[00:00] “The Quilt of Leadership”
Julie reflects on the threads of her career and the mentors who taught her strength and servant leadership, one of whom mopped blood from OR floors to quicken turnover times.

[06:40] Botox Before the FDA: A Behind-the-Scenes Origin Story
Did you know Botox was once injected into vocal cords? Julie shares how she began injecting Botox before it was FDA-approved and what she learned along the way.

[12:00] The Power of Aesthetic Purpose
Why a bunny disappearing a hair launched her brand, and how lasers, tattoo removal, collagen, and fillers became tools of empowerment, not vanity.

[14:05] Who is Julie Bass Kaplan, Really?
Shyness, empathy, and the messy journey from hardship to confidence. Julie opens up about her roots and the pivotal women who believed in her.

[20:30] The Real Magic Isn’t the Needle
You’ll never look at your practice the same way again. Julie shares how a patient’s reflection is the real transformation, not just the result of the injection.

[25:10] Dyslexia as a Superpower in Aesthetics
Thinking in 3D, visualizing faces, and why dyslexic brains are wired for injection precision and facial artistry

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💬 Join the Conversation
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Hosted by: Lonny Green, MD – injector, educator, and advocate for real, unfiltered conversations in aesthetics.

Lonny (00:00.258)

L-A-D-L-A-D Island. Oh, here we go.


Julie Bass Kaplan (00:04.354)

Hi!


Lonny (00:06.518)

Hello there, good morning.


Julie Bass Kaplan (00:09.441)

Good morning. How are you?


Lonny (00:13.686)

We are great, really, really good. I totally appreciate your time. I know how busy you are with everything and all the craziness of life. So thank you so much for getting up and at 9 a.m. your time.


Julie Bass Kaplan (00:24.915)

Oh, of course.


Julie Bass Kaplan (00:28.961)

Oh gosh, that's, it's nothing. I've been up, I always get up at six no matter what. So it's not early. Just had trouble finding the dongle for this wonderful microphone you sent me. But I found it. Well, actually, Tori found it. We had to call our 23 year old son to ask where it was.


Lonny (00:43.614)

Oh cool.


Lonny (00:50.958)

Ha ha ha. Of course, of course, yeah. We're just gonna have a good time. Okay, go ahead. Yeah. And luckily you and I have.


Julie Bass Kaplan (00:55.785)

I got to turn off notifications. Yes, we are. Yeah, we are going to have a great time. How's everything coming through?


Lonny (01:07.938)

It's coming through well. I think when you held that microphone a little closer, was that good? I've got, I'll tell you, I'm lucky. I'm not alone here. I've got Neon Ghost here helping me do all this stuff and making this look good.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:21.849)

That's amazing. I love that you're doing this, Lani.


Lonny (01:24.726)

Yeah.


Well, thank you, Julie. There's so much inside of me having gotten into this really cool space and meeting cool people like you that, and actually part of the inner circle stuff, propelled me to really get off my butt and kickstart some of this and talking to you and Tim and Miranda and of course Felix and stuff. So you just never know where life's gonna take you, right?


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:48.481)

for you.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:55.561)

You don't. It's such a wonderful journey, isn't it? When you get old enough to step back and look at that quilt that's been weaving every single day of your life, it's really cool.


Lonny (02:00.575)

Yeah, yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (02:10.401)

Because when you're young, all you see are the threads, right? You'll see a red thread. You're like, ah, then you see a blue thread. You're like, oh, okay. And then when you step back when you're, you know, over 55 years old, you step back and you go, oh my God, what a beautiful quilt I've been weaving. Look at this tapestry. This is just gorgeous and...


And then you start seeing things come together, like things like you said, the inner circle and all the connections we made there. Just things, you know, the subject of leadership. I went to bed thinking about some of the most amazing leaders that I've had the pleasure of, you know, just...


being with and the influence that they've had in my life is profound. So I just think when you're older and you look back you can really see how people, circumstances and things that happen in your life, it can impact you for the better. And even though it seems really sucky at the time, you know, it's just a beautiful thing. But yeah, I went to bed dreaming about these leaders. I woke up thinking about them.


So I appreciate you doing this. This is amazing.


Lonny (03:30.446)

Of course, what made them in your mind good leaders?


Julie Bass Kaplan (03:36.277)

Wow, okay, so looking back, the ones that really impacted me the most were my time. I spent 10 years as a surgical technologist in the OR and


All of the leaders that impacted my life were those three women that I had the privilege to work with. I also, my 10 years in the OR, worked with a terrible leader.


who was a man and you heard my story at Inner Circle with how that ended up. And so I've had, you know, on this continuum of leadership, I've had the worst, you know, somebody who literally sexually assaulted me, to the best, some three ladies that were OR leaders that absolutely inspired me to be strong and not take crap off of anybody.


You know, I was a 23 year old little girl, very, very shy, starting my career in the OR. And...


These ladies taught me to be strong and when I did get sexually assaulted from the owner and the leader of that hospital, I was able to mentally handle it and I was able to navigate that and heal from it. But I think back and I think if I didn't have Katherine Trumbull and Kathleen


Julie Bass Kaplan (05:17.415)

absolute puddle, a puddle of mush I think. But they taught me so much and the main thing is their styles of leadership were radically different but the heart of it all is they cared about their team and they absolutely were there for every single team member and I remember learning about, I got my


Julie Bass Kaplan (05:48.015)

and thinking that I would learn all these great things and be a great leader like Katherine and Kathleen and Lynn that were OR leaders for me in the operating room. But really that whole degree was all about being a hospital administrator and I have no interest in being a hospital administrator. But I really spent $30,000 to get my master's degree in


is them. When all it really takes truly to be a good leader is to have that passion and that you care about your team. Katherine I remember very vividly she's this she's a leader of the entire team so she's an OR leader with doctors, she's nurses, PAs, everybody right and to quicken the turnover times


Julie Bass Kaplan (06:46.875)

big administrator, she'd get in there with a mop and be mopping blood off the floors. And that's just super cool when you just, you're a servant leader and you literally serve your team. I'll never forget that bloody mop going back and forth and her just going, come on we got this, let's go, you know with a smile on her face. That's the kind of leader I want to be. You know and I think about


Lynn Hoyer, I left that team and went to work for this man at this hospital. It ended very badly as you know. It ended with a sexual assault in front of coworkers, people watching it happen right in front of me and it was devastating. I went back and called Lynn Hoyer and I said, Lynn, this happened and I told her about it and she cried with me and she says, Julie, we don't have an opening right now.


but when you're ready to come back, I'm gonna welcome you with open arms. And that changed my life.


because I never had a time where I didn't have a job. She believed me, she knew me, she knew my heart, she knew I wasn't lying. Even though there wasn't an opening, I was welcomed back. And I went back in two weeks, because I needed some time to really heal. And I still get teary when I think about Lynn, saying, you got a job, don't worry.


I'm happy to have you back. I want to be that way. I want to always care about my team. I want to.


Julie Bass Kaplan (08:33.297)

I just want them to be comfortable and feel safe enough that I never feel unsupported. And then lastly, Kathleen Gollich. Oh my gosh, she didn't take guff off of any, not the meanest surgeon out there, you know, not the surgeon, you know, the kind that spit fire. She just like reflected their fire and how to shield and she taught me that you can be strong and smart and capable and compassionate.


at the same time. It's possible. So, oh thank you honey. Ah, coffee. Jory's the best. Jory, do you want to say hi to Lonnie? He's right here. But yeah Lonnie, I um, I and this guy, he's been a great leader. Hey Lonnie. Good to see you.


Lonny (09:20.994)

Bring them on.


Lonny (09:24.81)

Well, hey, Jerry, I got to tell you, I have met your, of course, your beautiful wife, but your two outstanding sons. And I've told Julie this before. They don't raise themselves. So kudos to you. I feel like I know you just from talking to Julie, but you've done a remarkable job.


Julie Bass Kaplan (09:35.169)

Yes, thanks.


Julie Bass Kaplan (09:42.09)

Oh yes, thanks.


Lonny (09:48.738)

And, you know, the two of you starting in 1999 in this space, kudos to you for the foresight. Um, I, I just can't wait to meet you in person.


Julie Bass Kaplan (09:53.643)

Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (10:00.473)

I thought you had, I'm sorry. Yeah, I don't know. Were you at Inner Circle?


Lonny (10:04.426)

No, I feel, I... Yeah, but... Yeah, I mean, I spent a lot of time with Tracin.


Julie Bass Kaplan (10:10.561)

There was somebody who was out on the dance floor. Yeah, with Tracen, of course, went to a lot of the meetings, but I was out on the dance floor. I danced like a bird. An old man dancing like a bird. That was me. It's true.


Lonny (10:28.526)

Yeah, well, it was that was it. Yeah, that's right. Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (10:32.393)

And it's not easy to do. I mean, a lot of people have tried to copy that, those dance moves. They're difficult. I try, I try. I cannot dance like Jory. It's unique. Our daughter, our daughter comes close.


Lonny (10:42.774)

Well, certain things you have... Yeah, yeah. Goals, you know, goals. Goals for me.


Julie Bass Kaplan (10:50.061)

Yeah. You want to dance like a bird too. Yeah. I look forward to seeing you again next time whenever it'll be. Yeah. Oh God. Thank you again for the coffee. So anyway, speaking of great leaders, Jory is, he is, he just is. He, he, he leaves room for wild ideas and, and that's another really good quality. I mean.


Lonny (10:53.751)

Yeah.


Lonny (10:58.602)

Yep, absolutely, yeah. Wow. Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (11:19.105)

Disappearing Act Medical Aesthetics was my wild idea, because I had a goatee, and I saw that this laser came out for hair removal. And Jury was already a pioneer with laser. He's already had a private company called Reading Mobile Laser Link, and he hired a guy to schlep lasers all the way from one-


OR to another, there's two competing ORs in town, and he would deliver the lasers and he would do all of his thyroidectomies with laser and, you know, parotidectomies. So he removed his specialty was removing cancer, facial cancer, head and neck cancer. So he would always use a laser. So he had already a couple of lasers in a company that was a private company to deliver him. So...


because of that he was like sure why not buy another laser and that's how disappearing act started i wanted to make hair disappear and that's why my logo is a bunny out of a hat making a hair disappear ha you know like a magic trick uh so


Julie Bass Kaplan (12:36.257)

Uh, but yeah, so hair disappear. And then we got, um, a laser to remove tattoos. Uh, I was injecting collagen. I was injecting Botox before it was FDA approved because he was putting, this is a little secret. That's not so much a secret. Um, I'm thinking the statute of limitations is over. So I think it's safe to say that I learned, um,


I learned how to inject Botox because there he would teach me, you know, and he before it was FDA approved because they were doing it in LA to make wrinkles disappear. So if there was any leftover Botox from a vocal cord, he would put it into vocal cords for, you know, people who had spasmodic dysphonia. And yeah, so I, he let me practice on, on people like recovery room nurses.


afterwards. So yeah, the recovery room lady's looking pretty hot. I thought, you know, after a while. So I've been injecting Botox many years.


Lonny (13:39.758)

Gosh, wow.


Julie Bass Kaplan (13:46.357)

Yeah.


Lonny (13:46.838)

Well, that is tremendous. There's so much to unwrap in all that you've said. I want to go back for a second and ask a question. Who is Julie Baskaplin?


Julie Bass Kaplan (14:05.037)

I can't dance like a bird, but I can't dance much at all honestly. I'm widely known to have fallen off a stage and broken my foot trying to dance, but I was actually trying to twerk. But who am I?


I am a basic, at the core, a shy person. I am an empath. I lead with my heart and reason later. I can't even kill a spider. I rescue spiders out of my house humanely. I look where I step so I don't accidentally step on a bug. I'm just a big heart. I can't get.


I try to be different, but I can't. It's just not, I can't. So I care too much. And sometimes it does lead to some trouble because I can't help everybody and I want to help everybody. But things affect me deeply. But I try to...


pull myself out of my genetic shyness too. I was so shy growing up. My mother, I mean my stepmother is a nurse and she really helped me get out of being shy and helped me get confidence. So I thank Susie Bass for being my original nurse leader because I was so shy I didn't think I could really do anything and she


Julie Bass Kaplan (15:46.363)

you can do this. If I can do it, you can definitely can do it and you'll love it. And I think the reason I love being a nurse is because of my heart and because of my shyness and because I just want to help people and being that empath. And you know...


Getting confidence early on, I guess I was, I didn't really get full confidence until I turned 30. I don't think we're real adults until we turn 30, honestly. I think at our 20s we're still developing our brain, we're still developing who we are. So who am I? After 30, I'm stronger. I dealt with a lot of stuff, including a boss who sexually assaulted me. Nobody messes with me anymore.


But I have this capacity to love and I'll never ever want to change that. And even if it's drag to rescue a spider or not step on a bug, it's okay. I know that's who I am and I just want to keep helping people and I want to keep helping people feel confident like my mom did for me.


My birth mother was an alcoholic, so she made me feel the opposite of confident. She was Jekyll and Hyde when she was drunk.


really nice lady when she was sober, but really insecure. She never got her confidence. And I think that led to the severe alcoholism. By the time I got home from school at 3.30, she was already mean and already drunk. So I never had friends come over, just one friend who knew what the deal was. But I didn't wanna be that kind of mom.


Julie Bass Kaplan (17:36.877)

She, you know, we were very poor. Her job, when she had a job, would be working for seven, at 7-Eleven at the counter, right? So we didn't have much at all. And my stepdad was a big rig mechanic. So growing up in Coos Bay, Oregon, a small little coastal southern Oregon town,


Julie Bass Kaplan (18:06.801)

It gave me a desire to work hard not to live like this. It gave me a desire to never be the kind of mom that was drunk, especially before the kids got home. And it took me moving to Reading to be with my wonderful dad, Randy Bass, and my wonderful stepmom, Susie Bass, until I finally started saying, you know what? I can be a nurse. I can be anything I want.


be and I could still be a nice person. I can still have humility and be kind to people and find a career that serves me and my soul. And I did and I know that's a long answer Lonnie, but it's hard to ask who are you if you don't start from scratch and from that little girl that came out. A joyous little girl who lost her confidence and was really shy.


Lonny (19:07.758)

I think it's a beautiful answer, Julie. It's a really beautiful answer. And I'll follow it up with another question. That's all right. That's all right, this is real. Let me follow that up with another question. What does Julie Baskaplan do?


Julie Bass Kaplan (19:11.838)

It got me a little bit salty.


Julie Bass Kaplan (19:16.577)

I'm sorry.


Julie Bass Kaplan (19:28.027)

I make people...


I try to assist, I don't make people do anything. You can't. I try to assist people to see the beauty in themselves. I try to assist people to see the beauty in things. When you and I talked a lot at Inner Circle, you helped me figure out that my purpose in life is to use my artistic ability


more beautiful and to help people see the beauty that is there to enhance the beauty of the world to enhance the beauty of people and I think by doing little tweaks you know with our needles we can we can do that but that's not the real magic so the magic for me is not in the cannula or the needle or the laser


Julie Bass Kaplan (20:31.623)

with my patient and the conversations we have and them seeing in themselves what I see in them. Because gosh, if you ever, I don't know if you have children in your lives where they just think they're ugly and you just wish that they could see themselves in your eyes because you see that beauty in that child.


I see that in my patients and I want them to say, look in the mirror, walk by and pass instead of five things that they hate about themselves in just a split second, sit there and see five things that they love about themselves. Just in that one little glance in the mirror. I am a great person. I love myself and gosh, you know, I look happy today. I look jubilant today. I look vivacious.


good things and not see the bad. So that's, that's I think my big purpose in this, in this world, in this life. And I know you see how beautiful you are Lani because we've had lots of conversations about that.


Lonny (21:34.732)

Yeah.


Lonny (21:40.782)

Well, look, you know, you...


You, what's interesting is I've gotten to know you over the time is everything you just said. And then it seems to me that your mechanism is that, you know, I believe that you're quite creative. And I also believe you passionately love to teach and you have taken that and you have become this creative teacher. You teach creatively.


Lonny (22:12.708)

us who are able to benefit, I think it fills you as well, does it?


Julie Bass Kaplan (22:18.857)

It does, it does. I really love to teach in small groups because...


I can connect with the people because I am addicted to people. I realize if I'm going to have an addiction, it's not going to be alcohol or drugs. It's going to be people. People are my drug of choice. It's just true. So to be able and from the time I was a little girl, I got some confidence because the art teacher would always say, oh, you're very talented. You better do something with art in your life. Mr. Schnoor said that to me. If you don't do something artistic in your life, I'm going to be very upset.


because you have to have a career with art in it. And I did, Mr. Schnorr, I did it. But also people, right? So teaching is great. And then another great thing about that first inner circle is Dr. Subio. Dr. Subio taught us how to use our creativity to teach. What the heck? Procreate looked like too hard for me to ever tackle, but he step-by-step taught us how to use.


procreate how to you know I've procreated that's for sure I got two great boys but I didn't know how to use procreate. God.


Lonny (23:32.563)

Yes, you have. Yes, you do. I did not know that you and Subio procreated. That is like crazy. No, I know, I know, I know. I'm not going there. Yeah. And if that scoundrel's listening, I have it out for you, Subio. When are you coming on? I just want to put that out there to him.


Julie Bass Kaplan (23:40.449)

No, not together!


Julie Bass Kaplan (23:47.559)

No, not in this life, no.


Julie Bass Kaplan (23:57.862)

Interestingly, he has two beautiful boys as well. I have two beautiful boys, but they are different boys. Ha ha ha.


Lonny (24:00.668)

I know, I know.


Lonny (24:04.826)

Yeah, at different stages too, at different stages. Yeah, yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (24:08.257)

Yeah, I'm 10 years older than that chap. Not only to be his mother, but you know, I'm older. Yeah. And wiser. I'm wiser, Subi-O. I'm wiser.


Lonny (24:11.713)

Yeah.


Lonny (24:16.925)

Yeah, well, I appreciate it.


I think everyone's wiser than him, if you want to know the truth. Listen, sorry, I don't mean to get on if, you know, yeah, me too, me too.


Julie Bass Kaplan (24:30.449)

No, I love that guy. I love that guy. So funny. Creative too. But I mean, but yeah, using your talents, whatever they are, to, to reach your dream, I think is absolutely 100% necessary. And


Not everybody can draw or paint or, you know, do that. But I think that it doesn't matter. I know wonderful injectors that can't pick up a paintbrush. And that's fine. They still do a really beautiful job. You know you. And I also have the gift of dyslexia, which I think is an incredible gift for an injector. You know, I really


Lonny (25:09.134)

Absolutely.


Julie Bass Kaplan (25:19.067)

I can read slowly, but I can read. I just read slowly and that's okay. I write slowly. I do everything slowly because I have to recheck spelling and everything. And I'm a perfectionist so everything has to be spelled right or it's going to drive me crazy. So things take me longer to do. That's why I don't post every single day. I take a long time to do everything I do. But I can think in 3D. One of the things about dyslexia is the ability to think in 3D.


We have larger right brains and I can walk around a room in my head. I can walk around a face. I can see in my mind's eye what that face is going to look like when I'm done. And if it doesn't look like it looks in my head, then I'm not done. So that's why I don't like to charge per syringe. I like to give people a price range.


Julie Bass Kaplan (26:19.007)

my head before I'm done and I could predict it, I could see it and I don't think everybody could do that. I think one in five people can because one in five people have that ability because of dyslexia. So if you have trouble reading out there, you guys, if you get tired reading, it's probably because you might have undiagnosed dyslexia and if you do, just think of it as a gift, man. If you can walk around your kitchen and your head, you might have that gift.


But anyway, I digress, but I'm just saying use your gifts, whatever they are. Even disabilities, it could very well be a gift, you know.


Lonny (26:59.274)

You know, that's great, Julie. I gotta tell you, for the listeners out there who are thinking about a career in aesthetics or what have you, I'm gonna echo what, or add to what Julie said just to encourage you. I have terrible spatial relationships in terms of like if you, those tests where you had to see dotted lines and create, if you were gonna fold that into a box, I can't do that stuff. When we get new things in the house, my wife throws away the instructions and puts it together in 10 minutes.


It would take me three hours. So I didn't do a plastics rotation. I thought, this is ironic, but when I went through surgery, I thought I could never do that. And I trained myself. And so I'm very happy that I think I do halfway decent work aesthetically with fillers. And so don't be discouraged out there by labeling yourself ever, ever. If you want it and you want to work hard, you can create it. Yeah, I love that.


Julia, I don't even know where to go with this. You're so full of great information. But you touched on the, I consider you one of the true leaders in aesthetics and I know that you also run or you started this appearing act and you have a team. So on the aspect of leadership, one of the things that I have learned is or.


found is that a vulnerability is not a sign of weakness. And you went on stage in front of a lot of people in a circle and talked about your sexual assault and you were just so very vulnerable in that moment. And I just wanna ask you, in that moment, how were you feeling?


Julie Bass Kaplan (28:52.387)

Mmm.


Julie Bass Kaplan (28:57.581)

I felt because it was a few days after we all got to know each other, I felt like I was in an environment where I was supported. I felt cared for and loved and safe. Otherwise, I don't think I could have done it. One of the hardest things is my son, my 21-year-old son was in the audience.


my baby, right? And he knew, he knew that it happened. He knew what happened. He just never heard the details of it. And I, because I felt so safe and so supported by that 50 people that were there, including my son, I felt like now's the time to talk about this. So maybe


Julie Bass Kaplan (29:54.039)

dealing with the same thing and they might find that strength to get out of that toxic situation, get out of that toxic environment and then I thought you know what my son I've raised him to be honest. I raised him to be strong. I raised him to be kind and this is probably one of the most powerful things he'll ever hear and maybe he'll support his daughter, his wife someday


know from my core he's never gonna be that kind of a man that would ever hurt a woman like I was hurt so that's how I felt Loni I felt supported it you could have heard a pin drop in that room and


And for the first time in, you know, what was it, 20 years that I've spoken about it, I do have a, what's that, what's that contract where you're not supposed to talk about it? Non-disclosure, NDA? And I'm violating it, and you know what? I don't care, because you can sue me. I could afford it now, fine, go sue me. You know, you're going to re-expose yourself as a monster that you are if you do.


Because, you know, trust me, if I go to court, the world's going to know what a monster that person is. I don't care. But me, at 30 years old, I just chose not to honor that NDA and be quiet about it. So that one speech is the first time I've ever publicly talked about it. And I was really grateful to have been so loved and supported in that room.


is very, very powerful.


Lonny (31:47.33)

Thank you for having the bravery to do that. I think it...


I have daughters, I have a wife, I work mainly with women. I think that what you've done, what you did and what you continue to do is very, very important for women. It's important for men. I have sons as well. It's extremely important and extremely important to talk about. I think, again, in your way, in yet another way, besides your faculty teaching, you brought all of us in.


circle that Felix brought together even closer. You know, it's not the times when we stand and talk about how great our technique is, it's how tough some of our times are and you were willing to share that. I really thank you for that. It was a big deal.


Julie Bass Kaplan (32:40.945)

It was beautiful afterward. Several people came up to me and told me their stories. And it's not rare. Sadly, it's not rare. Sadly, it happens. You get a bad leader like that. They have power over you. You know, I had a mortgage. I had a believe it or not. I was married to somebody else at the time when it happened and he wasn't strong.


He wasn't able to really handle it. So it was a tough time. And...


I ended up getting out of two toxic situations after that happened. I got out of my work environment, which is toxic and my marriage, which was also toxic. So I just want to encourage anybody who's in a toxic relationship, a toxic environment period that not every marriage is like that. Not every workplace environment is like that. There will be others. There will. There are excellent leaders out there who would welcome you.


And just there are other great partners to be with later on, but you don't even need a partner. That's the thing. None of us need a partner. It's great when we find it, but you have the strength to do everything on your own. You don't need that. I just want to say that. I think that's a problem with a lot of us is we think we need it, you know, and I didn't need it.


Lonny (34:19.968)

it.


Julie Bass Kaplan (34:21.225)

without it.


Lonny (34:22.974)

Yeah, that's a really important message. Can you tell me, I know you're not there all the time, but...


either in the disappearing act or the head and breakfast or your organizations, not when you're out there teaching, but what do you do to inspire your team? What do you do to create culture? What, what, cause I don't get to see you at the local level. I haven't had the pleasure yet of head and breakfast. I plan it. So I might to do this, but what do you do to create that culture and inspire your team?


Julie Bass Kaplan (34:56.985)

Oh my gosh, okay, so let's first talk about my disappearing act team. I love these people. We have a man on our team right now and I'm so happy about it. So it's not just ladies, we used to be the DA ladies, the dolls, and now we have man and it's really cool. He's got such good ethics and he's such a kind, vivacious, smart guy.


So yeah, we're getting some diversity. But he's great. But my team...


We hire very much to culture. We just at the interview, I sit down with my practice manager, Becca McAbee, and we sit down and we're really looking for compassion, hard-working, caring. I like to hire people that don't have any experience at all because it's so much easier to train them the way you want to be trained


instead of bringing in bad habits and bad you know and just kind of


I just want to start fresh. And so I really like to teach and train and assist them. So now that I'm not seeing my own clinic for eight hours a day every day, I go in and I'm able to pop into rooms and assist the my team and really offer insights and watch them work and watch them create those relationships


Julie Bass Kaplan (36:44.883)

So I think about Katherine Trumbo with her bloody broom in the OR, right? Just getting in and helping out, you know. So I'm in there changing garbage, wiping off counters at the end of the, and wiping off the beds. And I think of her often as I'm being a servant leader. I'm elbow to elbow with my team and helping. Helping him turn over the room, helping him get the next patient, helping him help with...


A lot of these little issues that come up, a difficult patient or unhappy patient, being there, I'm always available on text if I'm traveling or if I'm up in my Ashland Oregon home, FaceTimes, I just always am available for them. But they are really, they have a lot of autonomy and I believe in them. I believe in their abilities because they have that same culture of compassion and caring.


or they wouldn't have got hired, right? None of them wear crowns. Everybody, no matter how many followers they have on Instagram or whatever, it doesn't matter. Everybody is the same. Everybody is part of this wonderful team. And we do a lot of fun things outside of work too. We have parties and we just go on fun little adventures and retreats and things like that.


usually Amspa because it has something for everybody on the team you know from answering the phone to poking people's faces it has something for everybody so and let's see so that our leadership no our marketing team is gonna go to needle art with Subio this fall as well so little fun things like that and travel and getting them out of their stay in Reading bubble so they're we're all you know traveling all over and


Lonny (38:35.054)

Peace.


Lonny (38:42.687)

Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (38:42.855)

And it's really fun. And then as far as Head and Breakfast team, I'm meeting everybody. There's 12 people that come every single month. And these 12 people, most of them I don't know when I walk in and see them. I have no idea who they are. And so I have to learn 12 names all at once, which is my biggest challenge. The older I get, the less I remember names. So...


But by Sunday, I know them. I know their names. But working with that is a totally different dynamic because I'm taking 12 strangers and connecting with them, but also having them connect with each other. So that by Sunday, they have 12 new friends that are going to be with them, maybe the rest of their entire career. I have messages from the groups from the first year.


Lonny (39:30.5)

Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (39:42.235)

2021 and they're still getting together to see meetings. They're still going to each other's openings of their offices and you know kids bar mitzvahs, graduations. They're just they're staying together and that just is a beautiful thing. It just makes me so happy. So building those teams is so rewarding because you're taking strangers and making communities out of it and it's beautiful.


Lonny (40:11.053)

Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (40:12.175)

It's a beautiful thing. So yeah, it lifts me up. It does.


Lonny (40:14.642)

Yeah, it's a gift that keeps on giving. Yeah, it's wonderful. So, Julie.


Julie Bass Kaplan (40:20.36)

Totally.


Lonny (40:21.722)

These days there are a lot of people who have either already taken a step and opened their own place, or a lot of folks who are in the profession but are thinking about doing that. What piece of advice would you give them as a, let's say someone who's contemplating it, and you now have the perspective of what it takes to have a place, be a leader, run a place. What would you tell them as far as weighing the pros and cons and tips to make it successful,


already in one successful, what do you see from a leadership standpoint? What would you tell people?


Julie Bass Kaplan (40:56.845)

Well.


You know, it's so hard because it depends on where they live, what experience they already have. If somebody, no matter where they live, if they're in a toxic work environment where the leadership doesn't care about safety, because safety should be number one, first and foremost. And then, you know, I'd say patient connection.


Julie Bass Kaplan (41:27.915)

have 15 minutes to see every patient. You don't have time to connect. You don't have time to do informed consent. You don't have time to really get to know your patient at all and then you're it's you've got to see 20 people and you got to pop and then there's no care about safety. Well that's just terrible. I'd say get out of that's toxic. Get out of there and if there's no other place you really dream of being a business owner then


start your own. Definitely go out and do it. But start small. Don't go buying, getting a loan for you know million dollars worth of lasers. Just start small. Maybe rent a little, lease a little place and one patient at a time. Connect. Don't just don't over extend yourself because you don't want


Julie Bass Kaplan (42:27.895)

scary situation where you can't feed your children or feed yourself. I see that happen a lot and they give up and they quit and they go to some other form of nursing and I don't want to see anybody leave a toxic situation and then you know get discouraged with failure. Failure it happens. It happens with all of us. I can just totally list several failures and bad decisions I've made


Julie Bass Kaplan (42:57.655)

it who cares it you should launch yourself off of those failures and make better choices so if I had to do it all over again somebody told me early on the first five years you're not gonna make any money and that's true I didn't make any money for the first five years either I had the first profit I got was five years into it


Be in a position that that's okay if you can. If you can't, then be very, very low overhead. I know people that lease a Sprinter and they're doing a mobile thing. If that's legal in your state and you can be safe, do that, you know? But do something that is safe first and foremost and something with low overhead first and foremost until you develop your


your patient base and then start buying inexpensive stuff maybe PRF system maybe RF micro needling maybe laser hair removal the most popular you know but then gradually add these services as you have that profit save and pay for it to me that burden of debt is far too great a burden to bear in your first five years


Lonny (44:22.254)

Tell me about a time, Julie, you have this sunshine, joyous, bright persona. You know, that's just who you are. Tell me about a time when you had someone in your organization that didn't believe what you believe and you had to let them go. Tell me what that was like and tell me about one of those times.


Julie Bass Kaplan (44:48.345)

Sure. I don't... I have a practice manager that is really amazing who does all the firing for me because I can't do it. I can't. I can't. I can't do this. So, dude, I can't even step on a spider. You think I'm going to tell somebody that they don't fit our culture and they need to go? No. That is Becca's job.


Lonny (45:07.383)

Ha ha


Julie Bass Kaplan (45:19.898)

And I love, I love too much. So my heart is big and even though they're not working out and even though frankly I want I don't see them having a future in my thing. I have Becca do it. And there I it's the truth. I'm not going to both smoke up your little tushy but I can't do it. I can't do it.


Lonny (45:20.103)

Okay.


Lonny (45:38.789)

Okay.


Lonny (45:44.846)

Gotcha, I gotcha. I respect that. I respect that, okay. Fair, that's a fair answer.


Julie Bass Kaplan (45:48.317)

I can't do it. But I'll tell you about some times. So I'll tell you about some times. There's, luckily, some people, you have a garden that you curate, a garden that is your beautiful garden, right? And sometimes there's a weed that kind of pops up. So you might have hired this beautiful little flower, and then all of a sudden, there's weeds all around this employee. And they're just, they become this uncontrollable weed.


You know, maybe they start wearing a crown and go well, I'm not gonna do that Well, um, I don't want to do fought for lasers in a day. It hurts my back or you know, I don't want to do that They would start wearing a crown. I start thinking okay That little flower I hired is now a weed And I they're not fitting in the garden anymore But luckily over the years and I've had many employees over the years


I call these weeds, you know, these situations are weed situations and it's so good when you have the case of a self-pulling weed, right? So they pull themselves out of your garden. I'm going to go start my own thing or I'm going to go, I decided I want to be an ICU nurse. They, they oftentimes realize that they're not fitting in with the culture. So they


Lonny (46:59.284)

Mmm.


Julie Bass Kaplan (47:17.017)

pull themselves out of your garden. And that's great. And I don't get too sad about it. Cause I'm like, okay, you know, Becca didn't have to do it. They did it themselves.


Lonny (47:19.128)

Yeah, yeah.


Lonny (47:26.662)

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (47:28.721)

And that's okay. And there's been cases where the person fit our culture. The person was super nice, super lovely, but they had ham hands, you know, like they couldn't be a fine. They didn't have the finesse to be a good injector. And you think it's easy, but it isn't. It's not everybody can do it.


Julie Bass Kaplan (47:58.675)

for them to do in your organization because there might be a place they shine that doesn't involve a fine needle stuff right but if you know a couple of times over the years I've had somebody who can't even hit a tattoo with a tattoo removal laser that's pretty bad so if you can't do that you best believe you're not going to be doing a good job with a tiny needle and


We had to let her go even though her heart was beautiful, her mind, her everything was beautiful. She just couldn't do it. Couldn't do it. A lot of complaints from patients and your only your reputation is only as good as your least talented or least wonderful person, right? So you can call it a weak link, but I don't like to call people weak links, but it...


If you can't bring them up to par of your standard, if you don't want to sit in their chair, well, you shouldn't be putting unsuspecting patients in that chair either. So you know what I mean? Like if I'm not going to sit in that chair because their hands are literally ham hocks, I can't, I'm not going to, they're not going to be in the chair for anybody. And I give them a chance. I try to train them, but you just can't, one thing you learn is you just can't train everybody


technically.


So yeah, over the years I've had to let a few people go because of that. A few people go because they become a weed. But they're few. Most people, you know, they leave because life takes them out of the city or out of the, you know, their situations change. Their personal situations change. They don't have to work as often or whatever. So yeah, things change.


Julie Bass Kaplan (49:59.452)

But it's hard letting people go because you do get attached. And for me, I love people so it's hard for me to do that.


Lonny (50:09.878)

Yeah, no, I appreciate that. I think I like your analogy of the weed because it's not so much that.


that one individual is gonna have such a negative impact, it's their effect on the organization. So when you bring someone new into your culture, if your culture is strong, they become part of your culture, but if your culture is weak, then your culture becomes like them. And I think that's a really important thing for anyone who aspires to have their place to do it, it's conscious. You know, I've asked other people this,


Lonny (50:51.166)

As far as the leadership aspect, you've sort of, well, let me go back. I think that you, I haven't seen you in your local place, but you now become a leader much more in aesthetics as a whole. People look up to you, they respect you for your education, for your outlook, for many reasons.


Lonny (51:20.08)

space we're in. I don't know how I ended up here a couple of years ago but I will take it and I'm gonna run with it. If you had a magic wand what would you change right now about our profession that you if you could you know one thing?


Julie Bass Kaplan (51:40.637)

Okay, that's easy. I would want multi-specialty respect.


Lonny (51:48.829)

Mmm, okay.


Julie Bass Kaplan (51:49.877)

And to me, there's too much of this. You know, there's even a hashtag stop scope creep. It really boils my blood. I can't, it makes me very, very sad about our field of medicine. I stopped using the word industry. This is not an industry. I mean, we're not making cars for crying out loud.


of medicine and you know in this field of medicine


It's legal for nurses to inject in most states in the United States around the world. It's not always the case. But if we can legally inject give us some damn respect for crying out loud. Stop this whole. Oh, I'm a doctor. I'm a dermatologist. I only can do this. This nurse can't do this and this whole if you don't want a complication don't go to a nurse. I can't handle that.


cool and there's so many wonderful physicians out there like you. I mean I could I could spend an hour listing all these wonderful physicians who respect the multidisciplinary aspect of our field of medicine and that's what I would do. I would say that


that needs to stop. There's conferences where nurses can't get up and speak. PAs can't get up and speak. A dentist, really? A dentist can't get up and speak? Can't even attend like IMCAS, MCAS? Dentists can't even attend the talks or nurses? You know, I'm sorry, but nurses and PAs are doing 80% worldwide of all these injectables. While doctors are busy being doctors, for good


Julie Bass Kaplan (53:47.323)

So give us some respect, damn it. We deserve it. And I'm gonna pull my Kathleen Gullidge spitfire strength here. If you don't respect me, then...


Lonny (53:58.071)

Yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (54:02.893)

Have a good one. Good luck with your little bubble because you're going the way of dinosaurs. You're not gonna survive in this field of medicine if you're in this little tiny bubble. Only doctors can come, only doctors can speak. Well, I'm popping that bubble, damn it. Ha ha ha.


Lonny (54:04.27)

AMF yo-yo. Yeah.


Lonny (54:24.406)

Yeah, I know. I totally understand that. In my whole life, every time I've ever hired someone or chosen someone to be around me, it's not the initials after their name, it's who they are, you know? It's much more important. Obviously, it has to be legal, but yeah.


Julie Bass Kaplan (54:39.253)

Yeah, obviously. And you know, in the United States, there are people that aren't nurses that can legally inject. And I'm telling you, I'm happy to train them. I'm happy for them to come to my head and breakfast. I'm happy because knowledge teaching it makes the whole field of medicine stronger. I don't sit there and go, oh, you're not a nurse. You're an MA and you inject. I'm not going to teach you. Well, that's kind of stupid, right? That's like what the dermatologists are saying to me.


Well some, not all of them. And it's if it's legal in your state, if your state says you can eject then you're welcome to come and have me train you. That's how I feel and I'm strong about it and I might get some pushback with some colleagues but you know what's the difference? It's legal.


Lonny (55:30.602)

So look, if you're a nurse, a PA, a doctor, or even a ninja, even a ninja, right? Even a ninja, yeah. You teach a ninja, you teach a ninja, huh? All right, I'm coming your way. All right, so look, this isn't the last question, but we're heading towards that. And I wanna ask you if there's anything you wish I had asked that you could have had a chance to answer.


Julie Bass Kaplan (55:35.937)

Even a ninja! I would even say ninja! Ha ha ha! 100%.


Julie Bass Kaplan (56:01.367)

Wow, Lonnie, that's good. Any conversation with you is going to be a good one because your heart just shines out all of your pores. I love that about you. I love how deep and thoughtful you are. And


how you can get, you're just so, you can go deep in five minutes or five seconds. Looking back at the subject of leadership, I can't think of anything you didn't ask me, but I would say that...


One of the most important things that we should do is always be authentic. Be ourselves. Don't try to, you know, don't try to fit into somebody else's culture.


Lonny (56:57.454)

Hmm.


Julie Bass Kaplan (56:58.369)

Just like you wearing your ninja cap, you're just so adorable. You're not trying to like be some schmoozy, swarmy, just stepped off a yacht and off of a jet and you're all just fancy with your, you know, designer this and that. Let's not do that. Let's not play the designer game with everybody at every conference. It becomes a fashion show. Although I do like designer stuff. I'm like, oh, yeah.


Lonny (57:24.694)

You got a couple of shoes, don't you? A couple of pairs of shoes. Yeah, that's right.


Julie Bass Kaplan (57:29.71)

Just a few. But that's just because I grew up poor and I'm compensating.


Lonny (57:38.542)

That's all right, Julie. I love you no matter how many pairs you have.


Julie Bass Kaplan (57:39.405)

But, uh, but uh... Ha!


But I don't want people to feel that pressure of trying to fit into something else. So I want to close with that thought. I don't care what you look like, who you identify with, or who you whatever, whatever your story is. Don't think that you can't make it in this field of medicine because you're different. I think you can make it in this field of medicine because you're different. If you try to look like everybody else with this beautiful, silky, straight hair, with


down to your knees and your big ol' lips and your designer this, designer that, and your, you know, oh your cookie cutter, five face, you know, all proportionate face and...


you're gonna look like a Kardashian like everybody else and nobody's gonna see you're gonna look like everybody else so nobody's gonna you're not gonna stand out so you know I don't care what the design is I don't care what the fashion is I threw on corduroy today because I wanted to you know do what you want to do wear what you want to wear my twisted thoughts that I always have made my hair grow twisted out of my skull so I'm gonna keep my twisted hair you know


And it's easy. I roll out of bed and it's like, okay, it's done. Be yourself, damn it. Be yourself. I did put on lipstick for you, but I, but just don't, don't succumb, succumb to all the pressures. There's too many pressures out there. People constantly say, I want to go to this meeting, but I don't know what to wear. Wear what you feel confident in. If you're confident in it, wear it. Put it in your suitcase. If you're not confident in it.


Lonny (59:06.082)

Thank you. Appreciate that.


Lonny (59:19.406)

Heheheheheheh! Yeah!


Julie Bass Kaplan (59:26.327)

wear it, you know, it doesn't matter.


Lonny (59:30.431)

never had that problem.


Yeah. I, what you said about authenticity and leadership just inspired me to come up with something. I think I like it. People won't follow a fake. They won't follow a fake. Yeah. I love that. So, um, well we have, yeah, we have a tradition here on this podcast where, um, we pick at random a question that one of our listeners has submitted, not knowing who would get the question. Okay. So here is your clothes. Here is your closing question.


Julie Bass Kaplan (59:40.55)

Yeah!


It's obvious, isn't it?


Julie Bass Kaplan (59:56.609)

Oh, perfect. I love it.


Lonny (01:00:02.864)

for you to answer. So here it is.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:00:09.085)

I know what it is. Why is Lonnie Green so damn cute? That's what it is.


Lonny (01:00:12.598)

No, no, no. That's going to be on the cutting room floor. Graham, note that, please. OK. So what drains and depletes you? What invigorates and brightens you?


and what do you do in your daily life to stay away from the negatives and move towards the positives? Wow, this is a perfect one for you. So let me say it one, you ready? One more time. What drains and depletes you, what invigorates and brightens you, and what do you do in your daily life to stay away from the negatives and move towards the positives? Your turn.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:00:36.373)

That's a perfect question for me!


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:00:48.573)

Oh, I love it! Are you sure they didn't know who they were asking it for? Because that's such a big question. Alright.


Lonny (01:00:52.326)

I know, yeah, but it was the fates, it was the ninja fates.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:01:00.77)

Okay, things that drain into me to bleep me are negativity. I can't handle it. Even in my marriage, if Jerry is having a bummer day and he's like, whoa, whoa


Lonny (01:01:19.17)

Yes, yes, yes.


Lonny (01:01:23.187)

I don't like that. Don't like that.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:01:27.413)

Jubilant Julie has no room for negatory jury. Mm-mm. You need to stop that right now. Go leak that somewhere else. But, that drains and depletes me, this woo woo. Yeah, that's not the budget. You're spending too much money, woo woo. And I'm like, I don't wanna die with any money, man. Our kids will be fine. I wanna spend it now.


Lonny (01:01:31.666)

Mm.


Lonny (01:01:38.319)

Hahaha


Lonny (01:01:52.73)

I hear you, I hear you.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:01:53.273)

But anyway, that drains and depletes me as well as I was getting drained and depleted seeing patients all day long, plus trying to teach my team. And I shared with that with you in our inner circle. It was just insane. I was seeing too many patients and trying to teach my team, trying to be a team leader and seeing the clinic. So I did stop seeing a clinic full of patients every time I was in Reading.


Lonny (01:02:05.038)

Sure.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:02:24.087)

And you know, my home is two and a half hours away from my office. So driving there, seeing lots of patients and maybe spending the night at my house there. I would hit the pillow and just be asleep. I couldn't handle it. All the patients drained me and all the responsibilities drained me. So working too much outside of your comfort level, having too much on your mind. It's like sometimes I wake up.


do that it feels like scrambled eggs like scram it's all like that drains into please me so I did hire an assistant who helps me with messages it's good to have a lot of followers and a lot of people on Instagram and it's good to have a lot of patreon I love my patreon peeps man those JJPs invigorate me they're so eager to learn and they're you know they're subscribing for you know nine


you know, $100 a month, there's a tier, and those people excite me. So I want to have time to help them and time to help my team at Disappearing Act. And I want to be a mentor to my mentees on Patreon. So I hired an assistant to help me with the hundreds of messages I get every day, hundreds of emails I get every day. So that has helped the scrambled egg situation. And you already know the answer to this, that what invigorates me and sets me up is when people are...


I can connect with these people and they are excited to launch and to be themselves and to do better. So when I hear I get messages from people that will say I went ahead and breakfast or I met you at a conference and you inspired me to do better. You inspired me to be myself. I have now the courage to start this thing and start that thing and that


brings tears to my eyes and it really makes me feel like when I do leave this earth when my body turns to compost because that's what I want to do I want my body organs to be donated and then I want compost when I'm compost and my organs are out there in different people I want to my ripples of helping maybe thousands of people with this field of medicine I hope that my ripples will


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:04:53.167)

hundreds of years, thousands of years maybe, who knows, but that kindness, that inspiration, that jubilant attitude, I hope that goes on for years and years and years to come, you know, and I hope my compost grows some really pretty stuff.


Lonny (01:05:13.438)

Yeah, well that's a beautiful closing here, Julie. I will say that there's, I have been very, very fortunate in this industry to meet some just truly wonderful people.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:05:23.565)

Alright, you said industry, you said the I word.


Lonny (01:05:25.87)

Uh, thank you profession. Yeah. I'm, I'm getting away from it. I appreciate that in this profession. Um, because it is truly a profession and we're lucky to be here. So it, you know, I've met many and also, uh, many who I consider leaders and, and it's fascinating to me, this whole, I wasn't planning to do a leadership podcast, it was more going to be clinical, but I'm just fascinated by the different ways that people lead. And you have a very, you are, I consider you.


very much a leader in the profession and a leader that I look up to and that I've learned from and I think what really strikes me is that you have I have now seen you lead by jubilance and I've seen you in person I've seen you lead by tremendous depths and lows and being vulnerable willing to share that and


So I thank you for what you have done, what you continue to do. And I have no doubt that in the cosmic karma of things, you already, your compost is not here yet, thankfully. May it be many, many years in the future, but your energy is already spreading positive cosmic karma throughout. So I thank you for that very much.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:06:52.025)

Thank you. Thank you so much, Eleni. Of course.


Lonny (01:06:53.706)

and thank you for making time. And I look forward to seeing you and Jory and your family in person whenever that will be.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:07:00.949)

Yeah, hopefully soon.


Lonny (01:07:03.167)

All right, until next time.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:07:05.549)

Thank you, Leni. Love you.


Lonny (01:07:07.35)

Love you, bye.


Julie Bass Kaplan (01:07:17.081)

Alright, do you want me to log off? Yep.