AN INTERVIEW WITH Dr. Vanessa Barrow, DPM, Owner, Sole Aesthetic

You had to deal with the pandemic crisis in a big way, before most of us, didn't you? In early March of 2020, I tested positive for Covid. This was before masks, before social distancing, before knowing as much as we do now. Everything came to a screeching halt. It was devastating more so because my practice had just celebrated its two-year anniversary. Unfortunately, I had to let my amazing staff go and focus on keeping my business thriving from bed, behind closed quarantined doors while recuperating from the virus.

How did you find hope in those early days? During my downtime, I felt that my story could educate and inspire others. I went public with my diagnosis and reached out to the media so that others would be more aware of the experience from symptoms to testing to recovery.

Dr. Vanessa Barrow

How did you adjust and overcome? How did you reset? Returning to my practice with no supporting staff in the midst of a pandemic forced me to reassess how to manage my business while keeping it safe for all of my patients. I never imagined having to face this type of obstacle, but I am thankful for the learning experiences it has created — which in turn have only made me a stronger, better and more resilient entrepreneur. Inspiration and motivation can come from the most unexpected of places and can change your perspective about how you run your business and who you are as a business owner.

What has the whole experience taught you about yourself? I have ultimately realized that, even presented with the unprecedented trials of 2020, there is no place I would rather be. It only reignited the entrepreneurial fire within me to keep fighting, push through and rise above. And for this I am beyond grateful.