How I Found My Why: The Story Behind Luxe Longevity
If you're new to Luxe Longevity, I thought my first blog post should be a little different.
Before I start talking about hormones, labs, weight loss, longevity, skincare and all of the other things I'm passionate about, I want to tell you how I got here.
Because Luxe Longevity was never really part of my plan.
"You're Bored. You Need to Find Something That Excites You."
About six years ago, my boyfriend at the time - now my husband - asked me a question: "What do you want to do with your life?"
I remember looking at him and saying something like, "I'm an ICU nurse. Why do you ask?"
His response caught me off guard.
He told me, "You're bored. You should find something that excites you."
He was right. I had been a nurse for many years. I loved critical care, loved the challenge, and loved taking care of patients. But I was ready for something new.
At first, I thought Botox and fillers sounded fun. Seriously. That's where this all started!
Trying to Find My Way Into Aesthetics
I started researching aesthetics with a few of my ICU coworkers. We wanted to know what it would take to get into the industry.
It didn't look easy - and it definitely didn't look inexpensive. I even asked a couple of places where I had personally received treatments how someone like me could get started. The responses made it sound almost impossible to break into the industry.
But I kept looking.
Eventually, I decided to just take a chance. I reached out to the owner of a local medspa, told her a little about myself and asked if she would be willing to train me.
She hired me.
I thought I had found my exciting new adventure in Botox and fillers. I had no idea that something completely different was about to change the direction of my life.
Then She Asked Me About Hormones
After I started working there, I was asked if I would be willing to become certified in hormone therapy.
I signed up for a course that cost me about $2,500.
And that course changed everything.
I found my why.
Suddenly, I couldn't learn enough. I started reading and listening to everything I could find about hormones, menopause, metabolic health and healthy aging. Audible became one of my best friends. One book led to another, one course led to another, and every answer seemed to give me ten more questions I wanted to understand.
What started as an interest in aesthetics became something much bigger. I became fascinated by what happens to our bodies as we age - and even more fascinated by how much we can potentially influence the way we age.
My Years in the ICU Changed How I Saw It
I've spent more than 18 years working in critical care. In the ICU, we meet people during some of the worst moments of their lives.
We're treating the heart attack.
The stroke.
The complications of chronic disease.
The patient who suddenly becomes critically ill.
I am incredibly proud of the work I've done in critical care, and I still work in the ICU today because those skills are important to me and I don't want to lose them. But learning about hormones, metabolic health and longevity made me start looking at healthcare from the other direction.
Instead of only asking:
"How do we get this person through this crisis?"
I became fascinated with another question:
"What could we have done years earlier?"
That's where my passion really took off.
Sometimes the Right People Show Up at Exactly the Right Time
Eventually, I realized the medspa where I had started wasn't going to be the right long-term fit for me. I began looking for another opportunity.
Then a local chiropractor approached me with an idea. Would I consider starting my own business inside her office so I could offer hormone services to her patients?
And yes - I could bring Botox and fillers with me too!
There was one major piece I still needed. I needed an NP or physician to work with me on the medical side of the practice.
That's when I was introduced to Allison, an NP already working within the office providing IV infusions and peptide services.
As Allison and I started talking, something clicked.
She was interested in men's hormone health.
I loved women's hormone health.
It felt like the perfect fit.
Then we realized something funny: Allison and I had actually worked together years earlier at the hospital when I briefly worked on the ortho-neuro floor.
We had crossed paths before without knowing where life would eventually take us.
Today, Allison has become one of the best partners I could have imagined.
And Luxe Longevity was born.
Almost 300 Patients in Two Years
What started with me wondering whether Botox and fillers might be fun has grown into something I never could have imagined six years ago.
In only about two years, Luxe Longevity has grown to nearly 300 patients.
And I still sometimes have to stop and think about that.
I love aesthetics. I love helping someone look refreshed and feel more confident.
But what truly drives me is helping people understand what's happening inside their bodies.
I love sitting down with someone and going through their labs.
I love teaching women about hormones and the changes that happen during perimenopause and menopause.
I love talking about metabolic health, nutrition, muscle, insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk, healthy aging and all of the pieces that contribute to how we feel today - and potentially how we live years from now.
Most of all, I love when someone tells me:
"I feel like myself again."
Why I Still Work in the ICU
People sometimes wonder why I continue working in critical care while running Luxe Longevity.
Part of it is simple: I worked very hard for those skills, and I don't want to lose them. But working in both worlds also continually reminds me why I'm so passionate about what I do at Luxe.
In the ICU, my job is often to help someone survive one of the most serious moments of their life.
At Luxe Longevity, I have the opportunity to work much earlier in the story.
I can educate.
I can listen.
I can look for risk factors.
I can encourage healthier habits.
I can help someone understand their hormones, metabolism and health.
And when appropriate, I can work alongside their other healthcare providers to address issues before they become bigger problems.
We can't prevent every disease or guarantee what the future will bring. But there is so much we can do to support our health along the way.
That is what longevity means to me.
It isn't simply about adding years to your life.
It's about doing what we can to make those years healthier, stronger and more enjoyable.
And That's Why I'm Starting This Blog
Education has become one of my favorite parts of what I do. I'm constantly learning, and I'm constantly sharing what I'm learning with my patients.
So I decided it was time to create a place where I could share more of it with you. Here we'll talk about women's hormones, perimenopause and menopause, metabolic health, weight management, comprehensive lab testing, nutrition, supplements, healthy aging, skincare, aesthetics and longevity.
Some posts will answer questions I hear in the clinic all the time. Others will come from new research, books I'm reading or things I'm learning myself.
My goal is to take complicated health information and make it easier to understand so you can ask better questions and take a more active role in your own health.
Six years ago, my husband told me I needed to find something that excited me.
I had no idea I was about to find my purpose.
Welcome to Luxe Longevity.
I'm so happy you're here.
Sherry
Luxe Longevity
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