Hot Smart Rich with Maggie Sellers Reum - Maggie Sellers On Why She Got a Breast Augmentation—And What No One Tells Ambitious Women About Surgery, Recovery & Self-Confidence

Episode Date: April 9, 2025

In this raw and unfiltered episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie opens up about something she’s never talked about publicly before—her recent natural breast augmentation, also known as an NFTBA (Natural Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation). From the real cost of the procedure to the unexpected emotional rollercoaster of recovery, this is the tell-all she wishes had existed when she was making her decision. She breaks down exactly what the experience was like—both physically and professionally. From downtime as a founder and managing brand campaigns while recovering, to the mental load of plastic surgery as a high-achieving woman, Maggie shares the part no one talks about. If you’ve ever typed “fat transfer breast augmentation reviews” into Reddit, wondered whether fat transfer actually lasts, or debated between implants vs natural enhancement—this is your go-to guide. She also reveals why Dr. Steven Teitelbaum was her surgeon of choice, what no one tells you about post-op depression, and how this surgery intersected with her identity, body image, and ambition. What This Episode Covers: Why Maggie chose fat transfer over implants (and what she’d do differently) What to expect with plastic surgery downtime while running a business What Maggie wore during recovery, what helped her heal, and what no one warned her about The actual cost and why it was over $17K The business of beauty and how investors and VCs are capitalizing on medical aesthetics and plastic surgery How to approach elective surgery as a working woman in the corporate world This is for the woman who’s ambitious, informed, and unapologetic about wanting to feel confident in her body—and still wants the full breakdown before making a decision. Whether you’re in your “research era” or just here for the tea, Maggie’s story will leave you feeling informed, empowered, and maybe a little less alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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So let's get into it. Hi, Angels. Welcome back to another episode of Hot Smart Rich. So I'm here with Katie, who flew in from Toronto. We have a really big weekend of my family meeting Courtney's side of the family. And so Katie flew in here a few days earlier to do some work. And we have just made it to film at the Spotify studios. Are you freaking out?

I am kind of freaking out. Like, we got to the front door and I was like, oh, my God. Like, we're at Spotify. This is intense. Also, doesn't it, like, kind of bring back old corporate life for you? It did. Yeah. As soon as I walked in and there was, like, the iPad where you had to, like, punch in and you're waiting for someone to come and receive you.

And the receptionist is, like, they will be with you now. Yeah. I'm going to message them on Slack and Maggie and I are like, um, we have, like, 50 WhatsApp channels that we can't keep straight. I felt like a total T throwback because I don't remember the last time I, well, Salesforce was honestly kind of the last time I was in this structured of an environment. Yeah. But they have this like really cool pod set up. So huge announcement is that we are officially managed by the Spotify creator podcast program, which is so freaking cool. So freaking cool.

And so with that we get to use the Spotify studios. So not that we'll record here every single time, but obviously I had to take advantage of it when we were invited. Yeah. So they have this like really cool. What's it called pod station? They call it Pod City. Pod City. Which I said we're like entering love is blind going into the pods.

I can't relate because I don't. really watch reality TV, but like it's a very interesting little, it is a little city. You know, there's like 12 rooms here. There's an engineer, Sam, shout out Sam. He's been amazing. And then we got to meet with our camp manager and a few other people at Spotify. And it feels like a dream come true. And this is why it's so cool working with your family because you had to celebrate huge milestones with your sister. Yeah, there's just like nothing like celebrating something with someone who we know for the rest of our life will be to talk about it and celebrate it versus like major milestones at work with other people.

Well, even like driving here, you were like, remember last year ago we were driving to Expo and the Tesla and self-driving like drove a different way and I like grabbed the steering wheel trying to like those are memories that like, yes, it's work events that we're doing or whatever, but it's also like you're with your family. Yeah. And it's just like life. It's life. So we're here.

I'm having a match with dairy milk, full dairy. Katie's having hopefully 10 shots of espresso because she's a little tired. I'm starting a vanilla latte. But we are, we've made it. And so now that we've made it, I'm just kidding. Now that we've made it, we are going to talk about something that people don't talk about. Yeah. Which is my NFTBA experience.

Do you know what an NFTBA is, Katie? Well, through spending time with you, I'm aware that it is a natural fat transfer breast augmentation. So I have officially coined the term an FTABA because nobody talks about this surgery. I had nobody to go to. And now that I'm three weeks post-op, I want to spill the tea. And I want to talk about everything from cost to the surgeon to why I did it, to the pressure of plastic surgery, to my experience down to like what the aftercare is like. Also, what it's like working when you are getting work done. Yeah. Nobody talks about the ramifications of the working girl that's doing these procedures.

Like, we actually have to go to investor meetings and go to company meetings and be running investments. And it's like it was a huge impact on our business that we were not expecting. So I feel like we need to touch on that towards the end. I also want to talk a little bit about some problems that I noticed in the space that like are actually areas for people to start businesses in. those on like the practitioner side and also on the consumer side. Yeah. But I just really wanted to be as transparent as possible because I think that is what I lacked when I was making this decision. And to start with my why, I have always had a small chest, especially for my frame.

Like I'm 5'7, which people always say they're like shocked by. They're like, I thought you were so much like, I don't know, either people in person say that they think I'm shorter or taller. I forget which one. No, I feel like when you say I'm 5.7, they're like, what? I feel like you're shorter. Yeah, that means that they think I'm like flump, plumber. But actually just to dive right into that, that's been one of the hardest things about getting surgery, especially this surgery.

Because we'll talk about how inflamed you get is like I, this is the first day I'm wearing jeans in three weeks. I live my life by working out and not being able to have the flexibility to go work out and like stretch my legs and feel like I don't fit into my clothes has been a side effect. that nobody warned me about and has actually been the hardest on my mental health. And that's why they say there was like literal post-surgery depression. But to go back to my why, I have always felt really, not embarrassed, but just like really lacking. And really like something was missing from my body.

And I think you guys have always joked. What did you call me growing up? The little mosquito bites. My mom and my sister, like they are not bullies. but like they would call my breasts mosquito bites. And I would say going into the surgery, I was a really like pushing a small B. Barely. Yeah, barely.

Yeah. Like just to be transparent, I, when I got fitted at stores, was a 32B. Yeah. And I had kind of heard through the grapevine when I would talk about breast augmentation that there was like maybe something that you could do that wasn't an implant, but there was no research online. No one. Yeah. No one. And so I started to look into it and found three doctors across America. So one in Miami, Dr. Kraft, one in North Carolina, Dr. B something. And then through the grapevine, the celebrity grapevine, I heard that this doctor is the best at this specific

surgery, which is the NFTBA natural fat transfer breast augmentation. So obviously, I wanted to do consultations with everybody, but I was like, I'm going to go to the person in LA first. So I ended up walking into his office and immediately felt so comfortable. And the thing that they don't tell you about this surgery that is different from an implant, obviously they tell you, but they don't tell you the extreme of it, is that you are going to get fat, literally liposuctioned out of your body, mixed around, and then reinjected into your breasts. If you don't know people that have had liposuction, you don't not understand what that

means. I thought that was going to be the easy part and the breasts were going to be the hard part. Inverse that. We'll get into that later. But I went in for a consultation. Not really sure if I was fully going to do it. I was just exploring. Obviously, plastic surgeons, they see probably so many people that don't actually have intent to purchase. So they have a consultation fee. I believe his was 250 or 500, which you can put towards your surgery. So I paid that. This was back almost a year ago that I did this consultation. This was a long time ago. Because it took me so long. to even get to the point of actually doing it. Yeah.

So we go, he's like, you are a candidate. There is enough fat if we take it from eight different areas. But like, you definitely don't need this surgery. And that's the first thing I loved about him. His name is Dr. Titlebaum. He did not make me feel like it was something that I needed. Yeah. He was very much like, we actually can't take it from your stomach because, like,

you don't have enough fat there. And like, it will look like it will wrinkle and it will have lumps and all the things that you don't want when you hear about liposuction. So I left the consultation being like, okay, I'm not really sure because there was no before and after pictures at his office. That was the craziest part. He had books and books and books of like before and afters of implants. There was one photo.

And it wasn't in a book. It was like you had to ask them to print it out. And it was a very moderate change. The breasts looked fuller. The shape was a little different. But you are not going from like an. cup to a decap. No.

That was not what I wanted, though. Yeah. And I, as a low B, wanted to get to, like, a full C. Yeah. That is exactly what I have three weeks post off. Yeah. So I left that consultation always in the back of my mind. Like, I had thought about it.

I went in for another consultation about six months later. With him still? With him still. Yeah. Because I was like, I still have questions. Like, there was just so much unknown still. Yeah. I didn't pay a second consultation fee.

but that's when I found out, or the first time I went in, I found out the price of the surgery, and he quoted me almost $17,000. So I, obviously, that's a huge number. You're like, how am I going to be able to do this? Like, I also have a job, but I wasn't even thinking about the post-op care. That's the craziest part. Yeah, yeah. So six months in, I go back.

He kind of says the same thing, like, that he had already said. And he was actually very much, like, swaying me away from the surgery and was like, If you are looking for a subtle improvement, this will work. But if you're not, like, this is not for you. Like, you need to go in a different direction. Yeah. So finally, I decided when I was in, I think it was, like, towards the end of the fall. I was like, I am going to do this.

And he is a really in-demand surgeon. So, like, he books up crazy amounts in advance. They had an opening. And we had the busiest end to the year. year, which was like the coolest thing ever was December, like the launch of my nude sticks campaign. We were doing our-H-S-R-S-R suite. The H-SR suite. Our holiday event meet-it for the first time.

Our Bravo toast event. It's also the holidays. I was going to Bali, going to Taiwan. And they're like, we have an opening next week on Tuesday. And I call my sister and I'm like, I booked my surgery for next week. Katie literally almost through a fit. She goes, Maggie, do you not remember what you looked like when you got your wisdom teeth taken out?

You get so swollen from general anesthetic in surgeries. I was like, this is literally the biggest month of our life. You need to move the surgery. If I had done it then, I would have been so mad at myself. So mad. Going in, okay, so here's what happened. I didn't do enough research of what the surgery was like. I was so fixated on the breasts.

Like I was so. The outcome of what they would. be versus the recovery and like what your body goes through to get the fat to put into your breast to inject. Like that is what I hope to share on today's podcast because it was like on anything I've ever experienced in my entire life. So December comes I like tell Katie I've put the deposit down. I'm getting this surgery.

It is like 10 days before our biggest events. Not even. It was like a week before. A week before. Yeah. And she convinces me that this is the worst decision in the world because as a a woman with a career, you have to think about things. Exactly. Like, you can't just be like, oh, I can go into hiding for three weeks, which is essentially what I should have done.

Yeah. But like, we had to execute and like, we are a startup. So we were the ones actually until 11 p.m. at night, like putting everything together, waking up at 6 a.m., transferring things over. Like, I still can't even lift doors or like do anything. Open doors. Like getting out of the car today, you're like, can you take my bag? Yeah. Yeah. So, okay, thank God. Katie, was like the voice of reason and was like you are not doing the surgery in December. So that day, we then were like, let's use the deposit to put down for February. Yeah. So I knew that I was going to be away in January, which was my time to go skiing, which also like a huge mistake that I made was I thought that I should gain a bunch of weight before the surgery because I was like, then they'll

have more fat to take to put into my breasts with the liposuction. What that has ultimately done is like, now I'm at a place where I want to get back to like my trim ideal body because I do feel so much bigger than normal and swollen and inflamed. And it's like the mental health post-surgery depression that I have is so real that like I actually think what I would have done is just stayed the exact same because the doctor had cleared me to have enough fat to transfer to my breast regardless. Like I shouldn't have tried to put on weight. I was skiing every single day. So I was like eating twice the amount that I normally would because I was working out so much. And I think if I could do it over again or for anybody that's listening that ends up doing

this, it's like, do not try to gain weight because you are going to want to lose that. And then the problem with this surgery is like it can then get lost from your breasts. So now what I'm doing is like I'm trying to have to like lift a bunch of weight versus like lose weight. I'm just trying to transfer the fat into muscle. So we decided to push my surgery to February. January, amazing month was able to go to ski every single day. February comes and I start having panic attacks because I have gone under general anesthesia for my wisdom teeth and for my appendix, which is an emergency surgery. I've never gone under for a cosmetic procedure. And leading up with the business on a role, things happening, podcast secured. Like my boyfriend and I

deciding to move in together and have all these amazing life moments. and all these exciting announcements that are to come, I kept just thinking to myself, like, what am I doing? Like, I value my life so much more than I value the size of my breasts. Like, why am I putting myself through the potential risks of this surgery? I didn't do my diligence to find out, like, what are the potential side effects of your life going into a liposuction surgery versus normal general anesthesia? And so because I've been under general anesthesia so many times, I've gotten multiple colonoscopies because of my celiac disease. You didn't even say that before.

No. Wisdom teeth. Like appendix, I didn't think it was going to be a big deal. And then when I started doing research, I was like, oh my God, this is actually, like, it's not a risky surgery. No. But I have never chosen to do a surgery where there could be a complication. And so I start having panic attacks, like going into the surgery.

And I have to shout out my boyfriend because not only. Only did he take care of me, which we'll get into the aftercare. But he was and you were such a voice of calmness for me during that where I would be in a business meeting and I'd be texting Katie B and like I think I'm going to cancel because I can't do this. Like I can't put myself into the position of potentially having something happened to me. And I said it'll be the best $17,000 you ever spent will be canceling the surgery. I remember that because you will not live with any regrets of like if you're not met. mentally ready for it, you shouldn't do it. So that was something that happened like the week before I went.

The weekend, the weekend, I was going to go. Yeah. Because no one talks about this because I had nobody to look to. I was like, what am I doing? And I had already paid the full amount. So like, that's a lot of money. Yeah. And I said to Katie, like, I need to cancel.

Like, but I'm such an idiot. I already paid this. Like I don't have like $17,000 like hanging around. Like I can't just like throw that down the drain. Yeah. And you said the best thing to me when you said, it will be. be the most, the best $17,000 you will ever spend, will be canceling it if that's what you decide to do.

Yeah. And if you are planning on getting surgery, you need people around you like that. Yeah. Because there's actually an entire section in Dr. Titlebaum's book where he gives you like a full play by play of everything to expect, a month out, two weeks out, a week out, a week out, after care, family and friends. And they do talk about this post-surgery depression that you can enter into. and like the impact of your friends and family around you,

not even to mention your colleagues or your work. Like that's a whole other thing. Yeah. Which we're going to get into as like the people that run the business and then also employers and like people that have managed people if they were also going through this. So once you said that, I felt like I got control back. And once I felt like I had control, that's when I was like, okay, I need to go into the depths of the internet and like research this.

I, disclaimer, have never been on Reddit before this weekend. I found this plastic surgery Reddit thread. And I was like, this is Reddit. Like, I understand Reddit now. I just thought Reddit was this place where people would like hate on people. But it's actually this amazing community of people that are there like helping each other. I was seeing before and after for the first time. Like, oh wow. Rightups of like, this is what my experiences was. I'm a year post job. I'm this. And I was like, oh my God. Like, why is it on the dark web of the internet? Why can't this be like in cosmopolitan or on TikTok or like on a podcast? Yeah. So throughout the weekend, I started feeling like, okay, I am much more comfortable doing this surgery.

Yeah. So I remember the night before the surgery, I and Courtney and I had like the most beautiful moment of just like pure love with each other. And it made me just feel so comfortable going into it. You were texting me the morning of being like, are you still doing the surgery? Because when I said literally we had the conversation where I was like, it'll be the best money you've ever spent can. canceling it. Then just like dead silence for like days. And I was having anxiety. I was like, is this happening or not? Like, I don't know what's going on. Okay. So I shut out people when I'm going through really bad times. You know that about me. And then what ended up happening is like Courtney was obviously Courtney, my God, he is the best thing that's ever happened to me. He was so there for me like through the mood swings of yes, no, yes, no. And then the night before your surgery, the anesthesiologist calls you. Okay. And that is the person that is like, meant to keep you alive during the surgery. She had been with my doctor, Dr. Tidalbaum for,

I think, over 20 years. She was like, this is exactly what you can expect. She answered every single question. She made me feel so confident, so calm. She was just like, no bullshit, like no like HR answers or like whatever. She just was like, this is the real thing. This is what you're going to come into. And I was like, okay, I'm ready. And I think having the doctor, the anesthesiologist, call you the night before, you just feel better. For sure. So it's like 6 a.m. You wake up. no food, no water, you go there. And Courtney and I had this like really, well, he didn't cry, but I was like crying in his car. And we walk in. He's there throughout the whole thing, like holding my hand. We're filling out forms. And then every detail of the experience with Dr.

Tidalbaum was like to a level that makes you feel so comfortable that I didn't experience any anxiety when I was there. So like you meet with the nurse that's actually like, I think it's like the attending nurse in the OR. they answer every single question. They're not rushing you through. They even give you like little nice robes to put over top of your surgical gown. So you don't feel like you're in this like surgery that reminded me of my appendix bursting or like all the like horrible surgeries that I've had. And then the anesthesiologist comes in.

They answer all of your questions. They go over all of your health history to make sure that like they know exactly how much anesthesia to be giving you. And then Dr. T enters the room. Dr. T. Dr. T. And I will say, I think I chose Dr. T as my surgeon because he doesn't have social media. Yeah. I do not want the doctor that is doing TikTok trends to be cutting me open and putting something in my body.

Yeah. However, why I feel so inclined to share Dr. T's information and my process and my experience is like he is the best at breasts. Yeah. If you want your breasts done, this is the doctor that you need to go to. He doesn't use social media. So how are you supposed to find out about him? It's patients like me who are brave enough to honestly be open about their surgeries that need to put these surgeons on the map. So he walks into the room.

He has such a presence and such an aura. He is no bullshit. He's very experienced. He makes you feel like the most important thing, as he should. and answers everything. Then it's like just little things that you pick up from somebody like that where it's like even though he's seen my breasts a million times, when we're sitting and talking after I've had to take off my surgical gown for something, he's like, oh, you can cover it up

now before we keep chatting. He's not like keep your shirt off, you know? Like he's there to make you feel comfortable. So then once we had all signed off, it's me, Courtney, the attending nurse, the anesthesiologist, the doctor. He's like, okay, Meg, you and I are going to go take your pictures now. and like this is the first time that I'm being marked up. Like,

yeah. I knew where the fat was going to come from. But like seeing the pen actually get onto my skin was the first time that this became like a woe. This is like this is happening. Like I'm getting surgery for the first time like this. So he marks me up. He then takes a bunch of photos. He then for the first time actually like showed me like a potential of what it could look like.

And I think that was something that there isn't, again, a ton of before and afterers. You're kind of trusting the process. The thing for me was that I didn't want to change the shape of my breasts. I love my breasts. They were just mosquito bites. So they needed to be like three eggs. Juicy mangoes. So he shows me what it's going to be like. I'm in love. And then you immediately are like, okay, let's do this. The next thing I knew, I'm going into the OR. I'm getting onto the table. And you have a little small talk with the anesthesiologist. And then you're going. out. And when I woke up, I was in the recovery room. Courtney's there. And the first thing I say is, Dr. T. You look so young. That's the first thing I said. I was literally like, you, I don't know why. He just looked to me like 20 years younger. I don't know why. So you're drugged up. The first day was the best day post-surgery because you can't feel or think or really remember. And anything but like you have to get home but that didn't hurt yet two days later i like was holding my

breast as we're going over the bumps you realize how bad the la like roads are when you're getting a surge like that and you're just in so much pain but the first day was honestly you just don't remember you have to wear compression garments that they put on you and i'm still wearing them you wear like post-surgical ones the day of with like foam in it because you actually like leak a lot And this is the thing that like, again, I didn't do my research with liposuction. Like, I didn't even want to say that I was getting liposuction because to me, it's like I would never get liposuction if it wasn't for the natural fat transfer breast augmentation. It's not even really branded as liposuction. It's like it's natural fat transfer.

But yeah, you have to get liposuction. It's liposuction. Like I have had liposuction. Yeah, that's intense. And honestly, like this is the thing. Did you know what liposuction was such a hard recovery? No. Well, like, I think that's to your point.

People don't want to talk about the fact that they've had liposection if they have had it. Like, it definitely, I don't know anyone who, if they've had it, has ever said, I've had liposuction. So, like, all right, well, anybody that's listening to this, like, liposuction is the hardest thing and the most painful thing you will ever go through. I think it is so worth it now. Like, three weeks post-op, I am thrilled. They're really good. They're really good. Like, for the four days following, I would say to Courtney, I'm an idiot.

Why did I do this? I'm in so much pain. I cannot believe I did this for myself. Like, it was horrible. Yeah. And then day five, I'm like, I'm thrilled. This is amazing. Like, I feel like a woman for the first time.

And long story short, like the liposuction is just a level of pain that you are not prepared for. And I don't know as a mom, like when I deliver my first child, I will be able to. to tell what is worse. Yeah, you can compare. But like it is, so I got the fat taken from the back of my arms, my bra bulge that existed without wearing a bra that always really bothered me, my outer thighs and my lower back. So essentially my entire body, minus my stomach and my inner thighs, which are other places

that people do it. So like I couldn't get in and out of bed by myself for three or four days. Like Courtney is literally lifting me out of bed to get out of bed. to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. It was the best part of my days were standing and working. The craziest part is the day I came home from surgery, I edited a video trailer for the podcast. Which did amazing. Wasn't that Christine's?

Yeah, it was Christine. That one of the best trailers we've done. So the drugs worked. The second day, I actually did a few calls. And I remember I just had to stand for them because the sitting down was the work. And then that was the best position I could be in was just being vertical versus horizontal. Like your legs have to be elevated. I wore the same pair of pants.

These were not the everyday pants that everyone has loved from Enzocosta. This was like sweatpants for the first week. Like you just are not okay. I had scheduled like an entire weekend of plan. So I got the surgeon on a Tuesday. I was going to like my boyfriend's sister's birthday party. I was going to do a dinner with my friends. Like I was not prepared for what this was because I was told that it was like going to feel as if it was a hard workout. It was not a hard workout. And so I was basically bedridden and house ridden for five days. I still have not drove a car. I have still have not driven a car in three weeks. Okay. Kind of like because we were in London and then the car got hit. So like there's so. And then I'm here and I'm driving. Yes. But I don't think that you can drive or I wouldn't suggest driving for at least a week. Yeah.

And then the work part of it was really challenging. Yeah. Because I wasn't expecting to feel so off for so long. And I remember we had booked a podcast recording on the Monday. Yeah. We had booked going to prison with 30 women. Oh my gosh. Yeah.

Seven days post-off. And I remember five days in there was a turning point where, because like for five days, I was like, I'm not going to be able to go. Like there's no way I can drive for two hours in a bus, host people. We were coming up with plans that were like, what if we have to, like, eject you in the middle of the day? Like, how are you going to get home? Like, it was intense. Intense.

So day five, there was a turning point where I was like, okay, I can get through this. Like, I can do a podcast the next day I could go to prison. It wasn't pleasant. So for anybody that came to that day and, like, maybe I wasn't 100% myself, but, like, now you kind of know the real story of, like, what's going on. I think that's the hardest thing about. when you choose to get work done when you work in a corporate environment is like one it's like disclosing it if you're comfortable with that right it's like you are going to be off for a few weeks and your productivity level will not be there no so i mean i'm not your employer but if it was somebody

that was at our office and was like i need to take off time and i'm getting a surgery i would prefer them to literally be completely offline as if it was an out of office for that almost 10 day period like you get it on a Monday. You would then have until the next or you get it on like a Friday. Yeah. You have that weekend the full next week, then a weekend and then you come back to work. Yeah. Because I think after 10 days mentally you're okay.

I didn't take any painkillers. I took one and then I was like never again. So I think after 10 days you would be good to go back to work. But I will say to this day I still feel the effects of like not feeling like myself. Yeah. And like stamina and being able to be on the go and like moving around to different locations. Like it's a lot. It's a lot. So I think if you're working a desk job and you're remote, it's totally different. But if you are going into the office and like you are going to have to be dressed up a certain way, you work in finance, like it is something where you will have to take off that full week and then have those two weekends to make sure that like you are going to be appropriate to go back to the office. Because I, this is the first day I fit in jeans three weeks later. Yeah. Like it's crazy. And you would need to plan for that. Like, what are you going to be wearing? Even 10 days going back to work because your clothes aren't going to fit you. And what do you think about like if people at your office, people at our office or even when you were in Missouri, like, if they came to you as their manager and were like, I'm getting surgery, like, do you feel like how do you feel like you would have reacted? Well, I mean, I think it's totally dependent on the environment that you work in. Right. Like when I was working at Missouri, we did have an experience actually of someone. who had a very serious plastic surgery treatment. And it was like because the environment was conducive, it was 75% women.

People talked about it. A lot of women were new mothers coming off of postpartum. You're back at work. And so like that's a totally different experience where if the environment is conducive, I would encourage people to be as transparent as possible. And just to like have a plan with your manager or your boss, whoever it is. But I totally get for like the girls who are working. on Wall Street or you're in a big four or you're in like a corporate environment.

Like that's a totally different situation where you might want to choose to your point be like you book it on a Friday and you're not back for 10 days. And you don't talk to anyone about what happened because there's a risk they're going to view you differently. And that's the unfortunate situation that women are in today is like you're going to be judged for it. Yeah. The craziest thing at the London meet up was I remember there was a few girls that do work at

bank banks and they were like, I feel like I really can't be myself and I can't be feminine. And it's just like so interesting to me because if you think about like I have dated investment bankers and have like gone out with them and their partners late at night and played dice and like all the things that like the bros do, they are talking about things that like if they talked about as a woman like would be a completely double standard. And I think that's where like hot smart rich hopefully is helping change the narrative because it's like it does not. And that's why I do post about stuff like this because it does help other women where. they can be like, okay, yes, but like this girl does talk about it, you know? And I'm not saying that

that's your invitation to just go and be like 100% transparent with your employer because some people are just not going to be okay with that. Yeah. But I think also mentally to know that there are women that operate in your space that are doing procedures like this. Yeah. Because it makes you feel less alone and less ashamed of it. Yeah. Like hopefully if you do work in a corporate environment, you can find an ally. Like there must be someone in your office who's even if it's just like, you know, I had Botox the other day. I've had this green friggin, like, bruise on my forehead for 10 days. Like, people have done things and it's, it's finding your allies. Wait, I have a question. Like, don't you think that it would be like, because you know how medical aesthetics,

if you work in private equity as an example, like medical ascetics is like one of the biggest acquisition targets right now because they're just like so profitable. Customer research. You should honestly, like, I would test out being like, honestly, I'm just being a good consumer. That is my thesis. It's like, yeah, yeah. These men want to buy these businesses in, plastic surgery in medical aesthetics, yet you're judged if you work behind the scenes and you actually know firsthand what a patient experience is like, yet you're judged for that. So I would actually, not in a sassy way, but in a way where it's like, I think that actually makes me more valuable for our experience.

Like if it's in private equity or it's something related to it, is like I actually have a firsthand experience of it. Like own your power. Own your power. And you always say this. People treat you the way you let them treat you. Yeah. If you're ashamed going to them, of course they're going to treat you that way, you know, versus like to your point, you're being a good consumer and just own it. That's another avenue you can take. And then each person needs to weigh the risks on their environment, their relationships and figure out what's going to work for them. Yeah, totally. Wait, so what was the experience at Missouri though? So, yeah, we had someone who did have like a full plastic surgery experience, like a full body. And were they honest about it? They were honest about it. To everybody, or just leadership.

I mean, to like the people who needed to know about it, they were transparent about it. And it was like, you know, came up with a plan. They would be away for X number of days. And then when they did return, it was really hard on them. Why? Really hard. Well, the same things that you're experiencing. And they did come back like less than seven days after.

And so they would be in meetings, like to your point, you're sitting. so like they're getting up, they're trying to move around, they're leaning against the wall. Like you could just tell that it was really, it was mentally hard, it was physically hard. It was just like. Was there like chatter amongst the office around it? I mean, I think there probably was a little bit of chatter, but it was not any of the amount of chatter that would have been like if you're on the trading floor. Yeah. You know, it was like there was chatter, but I think there was also just genuine like curiosity about what they had experience.

Well, and I think that's what, like, is also hard about being so open about this experience is like I was actually pulling up some notes on Botox because Botox is something that is like almost so accepted that it's almost an expectation now. And if you think about Botox and its history, like it's really only been around since over the last 20 years. It has this like monopoly. So it's really interesting because the history of Botox is like in 1989, the FDA approved it to treat eye muscle disorders when. that's when doctors started noticing that it was actually helping wrinkles go away. And so in 2002, it was then approved for cosmetic use. Only for your 11s and your wrinkles, I guess, like that's the truth and your crows feet. Yeah. So then in the early 2000s, it was really only used by like the ultra rich, the celebrities, super hush, hush. When celebrities started normalizing it in 2006, that's when it has just become so mainstream

to the point where it's almost become like a Kleenex where we use the word Botox to describe anything that is an entire category. Yeah. And so it's interesting because I think two things about this. I don't want to normalize surgery so that it's an expectation for people. But I think especially being on camera, we are so critical. Like right now, it's like I have a pimple on my face. I feel so swollen. And it's like I do start picking apart things about myself.

And so there is this world that we're moving. into, which is like so video focused, so appearance focused. So there is that pressure. And like, I do want to be a place where people can come and listen to a genuine review and understand what they're going to get themselves into. But by no means does this mean that you should go and get surgery. No. And like, you don't feel pressure to get surgery after watching my experience. And I usually don't feel pressure. Like when I see someone do a nose job, I'm not like, I need a nose job. Yeah. But I do worry about that effect. of like Botox with influencers like Kim Kardashian normalizing it and like getting it on TV.

It's like now it's the expectation and the norm. So I think it's like one thing you just have to be really careful of because one thing I will say that I was not expecting because I do not have an addictive personality at all. When I saw the results and how good they were and like how happy I am with them, I did feel this sense of like, oh. that is interesting that you can change something so much. And like it wasn't as bad in a former episode that Courtney was in. He was talking about how you only remember good things. You forget the bad. And it's so true.

Like that experience for me recovering was honestly horrible. Yeah. Now I only really look at myself and I'm like, this is amazing. Like I'm so happy I did this. And so you can get yourself into a really scary situation if you start to spiral. And I think like we even met somebody yesterday who, has a face where it's like you have done too much to it like your natural beauty has gone away. Yeah.

And there's actually a TikTok that I saw, um, a few weeks ago that I've saved that we'll put in the show notes. But it's like, can we go back to the 90s when every single person's face look different? Like yeah, it was, it was, um, the Charlie's Angels, like Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore. What's the other one's name? Lucy Lou. Yeah. Jennifer Aniston.

Like everybody looked so. different yet so naturally beautiful. Yeah. And now I feel like there's a face. There's a face. Yeah. And it's like you just need to make sure that you're not going into the rabbit hole of like going too far. Yeah.

So any other questions that I haven't answered around like price, costs, experience? Like how long was your experience that whole day in the office? Like when you arrived until when you left? So we got there at seven. And then we left, I don't remember. So I remember that like the surgery I thought was supposed to start at nine. I think we didn't start until like 10, 30 or 11. And I'm pretty sure my surgery was like three or four hours.

Like it's a large surgery. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I should talk about scarring. Yeah. So I have little scars underneath my breasts, which you can't see because they've naturally already started drooping. And like it's the end, the size of the end of your fingernail.

Like they're tiny. Even like I had to get a bunch of moles removed for pre-cancerous potential moles. Those scars are bigger than the lipos scars. Yeah. So under my breasts, it's just there. It also was on the top of my nipple. And so that has blended completely into my nipple. You can't even see that anymore.

I have one on my elbow. And then one behind my, see, like I can't even like put my arm there yet. One at the back of my arm here. And then the butt area is where you can see most of the scars. So there's like one at the top of my butt. There's two below. And then I think there's like two more in my actual butt. So those will go away.

But it's like you're mostly wearing pants the whole time. Unless you're in a thong bikini, you won't be able to see them. Well, even I have like an eight inch scar from having a C section. When it first got done, it was so red. And now three years in, it's like completely flesh color. Like you won't even be able to notice it. Yeah. You have to show me later.

Yeah, I'll show you later. There was some really interesting. So it's such a big market and I would be so interested to actually do some diligence on this. But one thing I noticed is that there is one company called Marina, which is the post-surgical garments. That's what I was going to say. You have to talk about like the post-surgical what you needed that you didn't have. No, like that is an opportunity for people. Like they have a monopoly on post-surgical garments, which so many people are doing surgery nowadays.

it's like this is actually an opportunity to create like the spanks or so yeah you have to wear surgical one garments for two weeks post surgery then you can switch into something like skims or spanks but like these garments are so like awkward and uncomfortable and like I will say they they are the best ones on the market it's what my surgeon put me into initially once I had like woken up I was wearing this stuff because they have to keep your compression your swelling down explain why you have to wear them yeah so you have to wear them yeah so you have to have to to keep your swelling down. It also is supposed to help with lumps that I've heard. But like my doctor was like, no, if you're going to get lumps, it's because you went to a bad doctor. Like, I have

zero lumps from the liposuction. And so they put you in these garments and you only have one pair, right? So it's like I had to go and buy almost like $600 worth of other compression garments of the same company because I'm not wearing the same thing for days. And you said you're leaking. You're leaking. So it's like you need multiple pairs. And so Marina is the best. And so Marina is the company for that. There's really only one good company out there. And I still think that there's a ton of room for innovation. Like as an example, the way that my arms surgical garment went on, it's like there's a there's an opening for like the bra bulge area, which is like the only place that I felt like wasn't being compressed and was swelling. And then there's just like other things. Like even going to the

bathroom today wearing all the garments took me like 10 minutes to get everything on and off. You know? So I just think that there is an opportunity to create something in that space. It's like the figs. Like who's going to do the figs of plastic surgery? Of plastic surgery garments. Let's do it. Yeah. No, we're not doing that. But I think that there is a huge market for that. And like figs is an amazing. I'm so glad that you said that. Like who is building the figs of plastic surgery garments? Yeah. Yeah. And then it's interesting like on the practitioner side. So I've invested in this company called Upkeep, which is like the medical aesthetics, the class past. for medical aesthetics.

Doctors' offices for surgeons are a business, right? But, like, they're a surgeon. So, like, it's interesting because Dr. T is, I want him to be an expert at his craft. I don't want him to be a social media star. Do you know what I mean? Like, I think that there is an opportunity. I don't have the answer. But the problems that I've seen existed is, like, reviews for plastic surgeons, like,

even having a place where you can go and, like, like, a Reddit type thing for plastic surgery. I've heard that there's something one. person told it to me so it's not widespread yet. Even like booking and booking your follow-up appointments and like it's a very archaic space where like I think technology could come in and really offer like a seamless customer experience for patients and even like being able to when they're taking your pictures before and after like being able to log on to something and like track your

progress. Like digital health delivery of the post-surgery experience. Yes. Like remember when I got Invisaline and they like. remind you every week to like change your invisible line then you take pictures of your mouth so it like you can actually track your progress like I feel like something for that especially for surgery which takes months to actually settle like your breasts they say your nose whatever it is like you need a period of time to validate that well even like so valeria lipovetsky who I love just as a creator in

general she recently got her nose done and she was talking about this too where she was like I had to do all of my own research I was literally on chat GPT figuring out like what's my meal plan? What are my supplements? So I'm like not inflamed and like she was doing all of that. And there's an opportunity for like the digital health delivery of like this is your pre and post-op plan to take care of yourself. Yeah. So those are two business ideas. If you're interested in building in the plastic surgery, medical, aesthetic space, I feel like there's actually so many problems to solve. And I think that patients are willing to talk about their experience because they are, you're paying. Let's just use mine like $17,000. So it's like you are. You are. You are. are willing to maybe add on $50 a month for proper post-surgical care. Well, when it's probably one of the largest cash outlays that people might make in their life beyond like a house, a car,

and an engagement ring maybe. Totally. It's just crazy to me that like nothing exists beyond that Reddit community that I found. Yeah. Overall, three weeks in, I am thrilled with my experience.

Like, I am a little nervous because there is a lot of chatter around. Like, lose weight, you will lose it, which yes, it is your fat. It's like if you lose and gain a bunch of weight, your fat fluctuates, right? But because I'm not really trying to like lose weight, I'm trying just to tone up. I am hopeful that like it does retain. Oh, and this is the part that I was going to say. So when I woke up from surgery and Dr. T, I was like, Dr. T, you look so young, he goes, oh my God, I'm so happy because when we were injecting your fat,

it wasn't moving. And we can tell that you are the type of patient that will retain like 80 to 90% of the fat. And that is what is so hard about the surgery because you can go in and the myth that I heard is like, oh, you'll only retain 30 to 50%. Yeah. That depends on how your body metabolizes and like moves fat around. And from what Dr. T said, he's like, it's really hard because pre-surgery, we really can't tell whose fat will stick and whose will like just be more at risk to potentially go away. And And he said after the surgery, literally the minute I woke up, he was like, you are just one of those patients that will retain 80 to 90%. Yeah. Which makes me feel really good. But also going into it, you don't know. It's a huge risk. It's a huge risk. Like you can pay close to 20 grand, go through the pain.

And then if you only retain 30%, I went into it thinking that was going to be my result. And there was like a thing I really wanted to switch, which was like that brawl bulge that I naturally had without wearing a bra that I was like, even if that gets fixed. I'll be happy. Yeah. But I also think there's another business idea where it's like, how can they have a test that tells? Yeah. Where you can go in for like a pre-op little like whatever it is. And within an hour, you'll know if it's worth it to spend $17,000 or if you should just get breast implants.

Yeah. Which I still don't like, and it's funny, I'll leave the episode as kind of a cliffhanger. Like we will continue to update you guys like six months and a year from now. they say that your results will be kind of full done like after three months. I actually got cleared to work out yesterday. So that's three weeks post-op. I got cleared to work out. I'm going to wait another week and then start just lifting weights.

But I don't know what my decision will be if a year from now the fat has gone away. Because now experiencing what I've experienced, it's like I don't want to go back to not having breasts. But I also don't want to be one of those people that has an implant. So it's TBD. I'll keep you guys posted. I hope that if you were listening to this, it is really helpful because I wish that I had this type of a conversation when I was going through it. And I hope that you leave this episode also knowing that you definitely don't need surgery.

This is not the point of this. This is just to be a resource for anybody that is considering it. But you don't need surgery. You're definitely beautiful enough. And I am actually so excited about this idea of like having individual faces again and having like a distinct look. Because I think that is truly like what people crave. And I think that is what is the hardest part about surgery is like things come into trend

and then leave. Yeah. And so just owning who you are, being naturally beautiful is I think the most important sign of beauty. And it's truly like the only lasting part of beauty is like inner confidence. And I think if you have inner confidence doing something to elevate your life or something you've always wanted to do, there isn't anything wrong with it. But don't do surgery.

if you're chasing confidence because that's never going to solve itself if you're going under the knife. Like the only thing that will solve what you want to fix is working on the inside of yourself and your inner confidence. And then if you reach that, then yes, go and get something done if you've always wanted it. But one does not equal the other. You also waited a really long time in your life to actually do anything, which is something I wanted to mention was like, you know, there's so much pressure on young women nowadays. And you see these girls. You know, girls going in and getting their breast done. Like Alex Earle, when she's 18 years old, and like, you've waited until you're in your 30s.

32. To work on the confidence and do the inner work, like, heal your child, all that kind of stuff. And like, I love what you said about don't do it for confidence because it will never solve that problem. It's actually such a good point. And it's something that, like, I didn't even really think about. But I've wanted this surgery since I was 18. I waited until I was 32 to do it.

Yeah. And one, it's like, I paid. for it myself. Yeah. And like I felt like I had really done the work to be the best version of myself without doing anything cosmetically. Yeah. And once I achieve that, now it's like I wasn't going and solving for something that I could

never find. Yeah. You fixed the things that you wanted to gain internally. And this is just like the icing on top. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's a really good point.

I'm really happy. See, this is why I need to win the podcast. This is why we need to, this is why we need to protest. till Katie moves her family to LA. Every time I'm here, Maggie's like, so when are you moving? When are you moving? Honestly, it is, it's one of those like blessings and a curse. Like, we can do so much together. And it is so fun having your best friend around. Like, especially working with your family. It's like we can have these conversations or like post-surgery. Our life is very different than a lot of people's where like we had to do calls and almost like you are kind of a proxy for me.

where it's like I had to cancel a lot of more, I would say, important things and like you're able to get on the phone with them, you know? It's also different when you're saying it's my sister and my business partner versus like, here's my business partner. People just treat you differently. So I know our situation is unique, but for anybody that's listening, I hope this was helpful. Let us know any other questions that you have in the comments. We're going to link Dr. Titlebaum's information. If you are thinking of doing any breast augmentation work, he is who you absolutely need to go to. He is the best.

I do not get paid to say that. Like, I don't get a kickback or a referral fee. Like, he is genuinely the best human, the best doctor. And I would trust nobody else with my breasts other than him. And obviously my boyfriend. But thank you so much for listening. If you haven't already, please rate, review, subscribe, and let us know what we should talk about next time. But we love you guys.

And see you next time.