From Ballet to Scalpel to CEO: Reinvention, Resilience & Hiring Unconventionally

Executives Unplugged

Ready to ditch the resume buzzwords and hire for true potential? Struggling with your own career pivot or leading teams through change? Join Keith Cowing on Executives Unplugged with Dr. Susan Lovelle, a former professional ballet dancer turned plastic surgeon, now founder & CEO of Balanced Performance, and her long-time colleague Tonya Sook, a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
Discover Dr. Lovelle's unconventional approach to hiring – prioritizing inner skills over years of experience – and how it built a thriving practice. Hear her incredible story of multiple reinventions, driven by passion and necessity, and learn how to navigate your own transformations. Tonya shares the ground-level view of building a culture of trust and excellence. Learn practical strategies for assessing talent beyond the resume, fostering team alignment, managing your energy to avoid burnout, and applying the "Listen, Let Go, Live" method for peak performance.
Guests

Dr. Susan Lovelle: Former professional ballet dancer (17 years), plastic surgeon, and now Founder/CEO of Balanced Performance, helping executives optimize their health and leadership. Learn more at Balanced Performance.

Tonya Sook APRN-C: Certified Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in medical aesthetics, hormone therapy, dermatology, and functional medicine, dedicated to holistic patient well-being.

View on your favorite platform

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Stgj-ZwL45w

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6n4zRnSVJf1ZfRITtG1VK8?si=lO_8BZWoTXWL5WeT-ZhvQw

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-ballet-to-scalpel-to-ceo-reinvention-resilience/id1769131263?i=1000705573303

[00:00:00] Intro / From Dance to Medicine

[00:00:19] Welcome & Guest Introductions

[00:01:24] Hiring Philosophy: Skills Over Experience

[00:02:47] The Group Interview & Testing for Inner Workings

[00:04:10] Why Experience Can Be Overrated

[00:04:41] Tonya Sook: Cultivating Culture & Trust

[00:05:08] Enabling Teams to Be Themselves

[00:06:09] Learning Leadership Through Delegation

[00:07:36] Reinvention 1: Ballet to Medical School

[00:09:39] Reinvention 2: Surgery to Lifestyle Coaching (The Wake-Up Call)

[00:11:25] Finding Your Energy & Root Causes

[00:12:55] The L3 Method: Listen, Let Go, Live

[00:14:14] Tonya Sook: The Art of Nurse Practitioner Leadership (Gentle Firmness)

[00:16:33] Learning You Can't Help Everyone

[00:17:35] Discipline: The Common Thread from Ballet to Business

[00:19:45] Performance: How You Show Up Matters

[00:21:57] What's Next? Scaling Impact Through Corporate Wellness

[00:22:49] Lessons Learned from Working Together

[00:24:07] Why Dr. Susan Isn't a "Typical" Surgeon

[00:26:20] Key Takeaways & Conclusion

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Hiring Philosophy: Skills Over Experience (00:01:24)

3. Enabling Teams to Be Themselves (00:05:08)

4. Learning Leadership Through Delegation (00:06:09)

5. Reinvention 1: Ballet to Medical School (00:07:36)

6. Reinvention 2: Surgery to Lifestyle Coaching (The Wake-Up Call) (00:09:39)

7. Tonya Sook: The Art of Nurse Practitioner Leadership (Gentle Firmness) (00:14:14)

8. Discipline: The Common Thread from Ballet to Business (00:17:35)

9. Lessons Learned from Working Together (00:22:49)

10. Key Takeaways (00:26:20)