By Eric Atienza, Assistant Director of Digital Marketing and Marketing Technology

Owning a medical spa practice is an intense responsibility. Like all owner-operated businesses, not only does your livelihood hinge on your decisions, but you also carry that burden for everyone that works for you. That’s why business owners tend to work too much while reserving so little time for themselves.

But what if the key to growing your business isn’t grinding harder—but stepping away?

It might feel counterintuitive. For many women business owners, especially in aesthetics and wellness, the pressure to do it all is relentless. You're the strategist, the manager, the decision-maker, the visionary. But when you’re always “on,” you leave no room for the one thing your business truly needs most: a clear-minded, recharged you.

Leadership retreats aren’t indulgences. They’re investments. In your growth. In your clarity. In your ability to lead powerfully and sustainably.

It’s time to press pause. You deserve to be inspired. You deserve community. You deserve an experience.

And the Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference can provide all that and more.

 

The hidden cost of constant hustle

Let’s be honest—burnout has become a badge of honor in entrepreneurial circles. We glorify overwork and wear exhaustion like it's a sign of dedication.

But the reality? Chronic stress and decision fatigue sap your creativity, emotional resilience, and ability to lead with vision. A study by Deloitte found that nearly 77% of professionals have experienced burnout at their current job, and business owners are among the hardest-hit.

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in reactive mode, making decisions from survival rather than strategy, you're not alone. But staying in that place is optional.

The most successful leaders aren’t the ones glued to their laptops 24/7. They’re the ones who know when to unplug, step away, and return stronger.

As Nicole Byers, Ph.D. writes in Psychology Today, “Our brains weren’t designed to work all the time. But we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to work past our limits. The problem? This is a quick path to burnout, and you end up getting less done in the long run.”

Writing for Entrepreneur, Sherry Walling, Ph.D. states that while business owners often prioritize sending their team members to educational trainings or team-building retreats, they often consider stepping away for themselves indulgent, trivial or just impossible. But, she writes, “Entrepreneurs are a primary business unit. We are core functions of our business, and we are also worthy of investment, fine-tuning and recharging. If we are in top form, that helps our businesses function.”

 

Clarity comes from distance

You can't lead with purpose when you're buried in the weeds.

Leadership requires perspective. Big-picture thinking. Space to ask bold questions. That’s nearly impossible to do while fielding texts from staff, answering emails, and managing a full appointment book.

 

Dr. Jaquel Patterson writes in Forbes five ways taking a break can create success:

1. It begets creativity. When you always live in your work with no break, it is more difficult to step back and think of creative ideas that may help your business. You begin to live in "how it always is" instead of "how it can be."
2. It generates inspiration. It provides time to allow you to become inspired instead of always inspiring, particularly as a leader or entrepreneur.
3. It improves morale. It also demonstrates that, as a culture, breaks are essential, hard work is rewarded and the importance of self in the workplace is respected.
4. It increases productivity. When you and your team are given helpful breaks, research shows staff members are more productive.
5. It prevents burnout and improves health. It is important that the rest doesn't come to you in a forced way due to burnout. It is important to catch it before it begins to occur.

A retreat gives you strategic distance—and with it, fresh insight. It’s the difference between reacting to problems and architecting your next move with intention.

At WALC 2025, learn from Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics, as she shares her inspiring journey from rejection and self-doubt to resilience and success. Drawing from personal experiences, Jamie reveals the mindset shifts, strategies, and lessons that helped her overcome obstacles and achieve her dreams. 

Meet her, hear her story, and reflect on how those lessons can help you write your next chapter.

 

Luxury isn’t a distraction—it’s a catalyst

Luxury retreats are not just about escape; they’re about elevation. When you're surrounded by beauty, serenity, and high-level peers, your nervous system relaxes—and your creativity wakes up.

Here’s what a luxury leadership retreat offers that your home office or team meeting never can:

• A high-vibration environment that inspires possibility.
• Curated experiences designed to challenge, uplift, and expand your leadership capacity.
• Time for self-reflection in a setting that makes you feel safe, powerful, and seen.
• Like-minded women who know what it means to carry the weight of vision—and are ready to rise together.

It’s not just pampering. It’s rewiring. The kind that makes you remember who you are, why you started, and what kind of leader you’re becoming.

 

Terranea Resort, the home of WALC 2025 is a luxury resort on the Southern California coast sitting on 102 oceanfront acres. Enjoy a picnic under the stars, welcome the morning with oceanside group fitness classes, center yourself with a mindfulness workshop and indulge in tastes crafted from local, seasonal ingredients.

 

 

The power of connection and collective wisdom

No one climbs alone.

One of the most underrated aspects of a luxury retreat is the people—the other high-achieving women who are also choosing growth over grind. These aren’t casual networking connections; they’re collaborators, co-creators, and companions in the trenches of entrepreneurship.

You learn from their wins and their wounds. You share vulnerably and are met with real support. And you leave with a community of women who truly get it—and who will cheer you on long after the retreat ends.

 

Between group activities, receptions and simple scheduled downtime, WALC 2025 brings together the most brilliant and welcoming minds in medical aesthetics. Connection is on the agenda, and when it comes to building your community, these are the rooms you want to be in.

 

The Conference That Does It All: Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference

 

If you’re ready to step into the next version of yourself and your business, there’s no better place to begin than the Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference.

This isn’t your average industry event. It’s a luxury leadership retreat designed exclusively for women like you—leaders in aesthetics who crave connection, clarity, and high-level growth.

At this conference, you’ll get:

• Strategic sessions led by powerhouse women who’ve built thriving businesses.
• Luxury accommodations and experiences that nourish your mind and spirit.
• Candid conversations around leadership, boundaries, growth, and legacy.
• Unforgettable community with ambitious, heart-centered women in aesthetics.
• And most importantly, time for you—to dream, to rest, to reconnect with what really matters.

Whether you're feeling on the edge of burnout or simply craving inspiration, this retreat is your permission slip to pause—and your invitation to lead like never before.

 

Join us October 3 - 5, 2025 at the Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference where luxury meets legacy, and your next level begins.