Episode 60: The Leadership Manifesto

For The Record Podcast with Shelby Miller, DNP, FNP-C

We end Season 3 talking about hustle, passion, courage, and leadership with industry icon, IG influencer, and successful entrepreneur, Shelby Miller, DNP, FNP-C. In The Leadership Manifesto, the RUMA Aesthetics & RUMA Academy Founder, CEO & Medical Director gives us an intimate look at everything from the childhood experiences that shaped her and the lessons she’s learned in business and in life as her career has taken off in a meteoric fashion since opening her own practice in 2018. If you have even one conversation with Shelby, it’s immediately apparent that she has a passion for learning, for growing others, and for providing the best care possible for her Patients. That passion is equally matched by her work ethic- she’s not shy about doing the hard things. Whether it’s long hours, doing her own construction, putting in the time to learn and work on herself, or balancing multiple business and a family, she somehow makes it all look effortless. Despite how it may appear on the Gram, she’s quick to tell you, it’s not without its challenges and sacrifices!

Lucky for us, her original desire to be a CRNA didn’t fulfill her need to care for and be involved with patients, and it lacked the fast pace she’s accustomed to. She worked for a few medical spas early on and a facial plastic surgeon, a role she credits with helping her to really master anatomy, but came to realize her internal mission, vision and values didn’t jive with the culture of these locations. And with that realization, RUMA was born in a single room, a few hundred square feet, located inside a beauty bar. It didn’t take long for her to outgrow that space move into her second RUMA location which was 10X the size! It was here she expanded her team and really solidified the identify of RUMA Aesthetics. Shelby shares that RUMA is typically a premium option compared to the local market, but she and her team have created an environment that provides a high-end experience, superior results, and a patient-centered approach that includes modern technology like ultrasound. She attracts patients who fit the RUMA DNA: high-end, high expectations, and high-value. Fast forward 2 short years, and she grew out of that location, and has now moved into what she calls “The Mothership,” a 10,000 square foot Taj Mahal that has not only grown her RUMA Aesthetics business but has opened an entirely new opportunity to expand RUMA Academy and continue her mission to teach and train others.

When she’s not running RUMA Aesthetics or RUMA Academy, she and her COO/CFO husband and RUMA Air pilot, Jordan, are jet setting around the US to private trainings (don’t worry..their plane has a parachute!). It may seem excessive to some and genius to others, but their investment in a plane has given her an opportunity to carve out time for her marriage, a great tax benefit, and a timesaving, efficient way to travel without demanding so many nights away from her 2 little girls! Throughout this episode, she shares countless tips for how to spend your time wisely, invest in help along the way, and to know how to stack your schedule and be okay with saying no. That’s been an evolution as she’s grown into her leadership role, something she takes very seriously. She talks about the lid effect- if the leader hits the lid and stops growing, the organization and team are stifled as well. Because of this, she’s been a student of leadership for several years, devouring books, working on herself, and leaning into the role with courage and connection. As she says in the episode, more is required of leaders- they must see things first, have more courage, take more risks, own more responsibility, but when done right, great leaders receive more. There’s no doubt she’s manifesting an empire and receiving the fruits of her hard-earned labor.

We also venture into her role as a Provider and the insane skills she’s acquired over the years. What’s her best advice for doing the same?

• ️Always ask why. Just because it was taught in a training or is a popular opinion, peel the layers back and ask why it’s done that way. When you do this, then your skills can begin to evolve.
• ️Take the risk, pay for the training, commit to learning. She went to an ultrasound course, realized she was in over her head, and then buckled down and learned as much as she could, and went back and tried again.
• ️It’s okay to do things differently. Find what appeals to you, then go train with the people who are producing those results. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to artistry.
• There is no part-time if you want to achieve greatness. The industry is a grind, and becoming a great injector requires discipline and commitment.

To see what Shelby’s accomplished as a business owner in only a handful of years is nearly impossible to imagine. It’s a testament to her leadership and her passion to stay true to what she believes and why she started RUMA, and to bring her team along on that journey. She sees patients 4 days a week, runs a staff of 30, conducts frequent trainings at RUMA Academy and travels around the US to train. And in all that, she says it doesn’t feel like work at all. She still finds joy in the day-to-day and has the excitement to continue growing and evolving herself and her businesses.

If you are just starting out as a new business owner or you’re struggling to hold on to your culture and core vision as your business grows, this podcast is for you! It’s an action-packed sit down showcasing the hard lessons and gratifying rewards from someone who is doing it all (and making it look effortless on Instagram!)