One Brockton nurse's burnout turned into a concierge Botox and lip filler business
BROCKTON — The horrors of working as a nurse during COVID reshaped one Brockton woman's vision causing her to start her own business, Hadara Aesthetics.
Julissa Sostre, 36, was like many nurses around the world. They went into nursing with the intention of healing and helping patients, not knowing COVID was around the corner.
Working at Brockton hospital when the world shut down was an eye-opener for Sostre. She remembers that first Tuesday when everything basically stopped. Every non-essential place was closed, and we went into total lockdown.
"I remember going in and talking to my boss and telling her I was scared. She grabbed my hand and told me, 'We're all scared'," Sostre said.
Hospital horrors
The uncertainty surrounding COVID and how long it would last scared everyone in the hospital, even if they didn't admit it, Sostre said.
The nurse went into every shift with a stomach ache.
This stemmed from the anxiety of possibly catching COVID and bringing it home to her family while being understaffed and overworked at the hospital.
"At one point, I thought I'd made the biggest mistake of my life. I hated every second of It," Sostre said.
She loved working with her patients, but the cutthroat environment and mental exhaustion quickly caught up with the nurse. She thought there had to be something other than 14-hour days and almost no sleep when she got home.
"I would be laying down thinking about my patients and just having so much anxiety thinking about if I forgot something or the fact I had to tell a patient her husband could not be by her side during open heart surgery due to COVID restrictions. It broke my heart to tell families no one could come into their room," Sostre said.
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A mental shift in the nurse's life
And then the words of a high school teacher Raul Garcia floated through her mind. Garcia would always tell the students that if in 10 years you look at your life and you're not where you want to be, only you can change it.
This idea is what jumpstarted Sostre to look at a different career path, leading her to aesthetic nursing.
"I did so much research from following people on social media, looking up requirements and schooling. I did research for a long time before I started," Sostre said.
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Once Sostre completed the necessary schooling, she launched her brand to the next level.
Now she offers Botox, derma fillers, IV vitamins, shots, lip injections and cheek andJaw fillers.
"What I love the most about this work is how happy clients are with their instant results. Working in a hospital, I have no idea what happens to them once my patients leave," Sostre said.
She primarily takes clients at Lumi Lather, a luxury spa at 59 Pleasant St., Suite C, Randolph.
The nurse also provides concierge services, meaning she will come to you and provide services in the comfort of your home.
Sostre's goals are not aligned with owning a brick-and-mortar business but to travel at the beat of her drum and continue to make people feel more confident and beautiful. Being a travel aesthetic nurse gives her the leisure to make her own schedule and essentially do what she wants.
This new business has given the entrepreneur a new lust for life, and she's enjoying every minute of it.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton nurse Julissa Sostre offers Botox, cosmetic procedures
