Meet Gretchell, Visual Storyteller

Announcer (00:00):
You're listening to The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast with Monique Ramsey.

Monique Ramsey (00:05):
Welcome everyone to The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast. I'm your hostess, Monique Ramsey. And today I have our video content specialist here at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center, and her name is Gretchell. And you may not see her in front of the camera very often. So today we have lured her out from behind the camera to put her in front of the camera so you can meet her and we can talk a little bit about her unique role. Welcome, Gretchell.

Gretchell (00:33):
Hi. Hello. Thanks for having me.

Monique Ramsey (00:36):
Thank you for coming. Well, it's really a fun role that you have, and you started, I think, doing photos in our photo room and taking before and after photos, and we saw how much potential you have to do so much more, and it help us kind of really get our video content, which so many patients love to watch better. Nobody really had the time and we didn't have a role dedicated to the videos. And so you and your creative brain and your collaborative brain, because you work with the surgeons and come up with different ideas. And so you guys really all together, you and the surgeons have kind of come up with, okay, what do we want to give patients a peek at behind the scenes? And so you've helped bring that to life. And now our YouTube channel's totally taken off. So we'll put a link in the show notes if you guys haven't checked out the YouTube channel. It's amazing. We have a ton of different playlists and of course the podcast videos are always there too. But tell us a little bit about a day in the life. What does that look like for you as a videographer and digital content specialist?

Gretchell (01:52):
So every day is different and that's what makes it fun. There will be days where I'll be filming surgeries, patient stories or some fun stuff in the office. And then there will be days where I am brainstorming with the marketing team or at home editing most of the time. So every day is different and I really do enjoy it.

Monique Ramsey (02:14):
Well, tell me what kind of drew you to videography for storytelling?

Gretchell (02:20):
I loved videography before I even was doing photography. I don't know, it was something about creating something like a story and then showing it and people enjoying it. That was why I really got into it when I was younger and doing it for fun. And then photography came in and then funny enough, videography came back into my life, which is what I love even more.

Monique Ramsey (02:48):
Yeah, com?es full circle. So from when were you creating those kind of videos for your friends? How old were you

Gretchell (02:55):
In early college years, so transitioning from high school to college, we would, how around that time, there's a lot of people leaving or a lot of birthdays or we just would do cute little videos. And it's funny, the editing back in the day was not very

Monique Ramsey (03:12):
Not very easy, right?

Gretchell (03:13):
Detailed? So I would have to get very creative with certain things like using photos to make them look like they're dancing. Now you have AI that could do that for you, but back in the day I would have to figure out some kind of movement or something to make it a silly photo look like it's dancing. Just like little things like that.

Monique Ramsey (03:33):
How neat.

Gretchell (03:33):
But it was fun. I always enjoyed it and I loved the creative process of it. And then just watching people enjoy it.

Monique Ramsey (03:42):
I feel like it's like somebody who's a chef or a really good cook and you make a dish and then you spend all this time creating and then you get to see somebody enjoy the dish that you've created and you hope they enjoy it or else you take it personally. Yeah, exactly. But because it's your baby, right? You're putting it out there for the world. And I think to that point, your love for videography shows through because our videos that you make are always so genuine, very emotional, and you kind of capture those authentic moments in the office and with the patients and with the team, it just feels really good. And I guess that maybe comes, do you think that comes from your passion for the craft?

Gretchell (04:28):
I love capturing those genuine moments more so than anything. Honestly, our team is so good at just doing everything naturally. We don't have to force them to act a certain way because they're just genuinely having fun and enjoying it. And our office is such a nice, fun environment. So when it looks like everyone's having fun, they actually are having a lot of fun. And I enjoy going into the office and seeing everyone because I do have fun with them and filming with them, they don't always love to see me because then they're like,

Monique Ramsey (05:02):
Oh, here she comes.

Gretchell (05:04):
Could have warned us and I should warn them. But sometimes I just show up and I'm like, this is part of the candid. I just got to show up. And then they're so great about being like, yeah, let's do it.

Monique Ramsey (05:18):
It's just fun.

Gretchell (05:19):
It's coming off so genuine that it's really all them, which is, I'm so grateful. They're so easy to work with.

Monique Ramsey (05:28):
We do have a really fun team, and for anybody who in the audience is listening, and if you've been to the surgery center, our team is really fun and they're very warm and genuine. And so I think your video, Gretchell, to that point, you're not needing to really force them to do anything.

Gretchell (05:45):
To do too much.

Monique Ramsey (05:46):
Because they're just them. And I have to say, you're so good at hopping on a trend, but not some of the really annoying trends. And I know, so of course my age is coming through, so with some of the trends, I'm like, really? You've got nurses doing what or doctors doing what? But I think you have a really great way of how do we showcase our brand and our team and our surgeons in a way that's authentic but also fun and kind of gives that behind the scenes or sneak peek at who the people are that you're going to see. Because you come into an office and you might feel a little nervous, and when you see our fun little group of people, you, you'll be, I think, pretty relaxed. So tell me a little bit about what your favorite kind of content to shoot is. Because you are doing patient stories behind the scenes. You do different things in the operating room, which somebody who has a queasy tummy, they wouldn't be able to do it. But you're so good at being in the or you do surgeon spotlights. What are kind of the most fun things for you to do?

Gretchell (06:59):
They used to be the surgeries, and those were very, very interesting to watch, but it's not everyone's cup of tea, right? But lately it's been patient stories just because it's really nice to see how people have transformed emotionally after their surgery. I mean, yes, you could get a beautiful result, but the way they feel afterwards, it's amazing. You can see it on camera. They're happy, they're excited, they wish they'd done it sooner.

Monique Ramsey (07:33):
Yeah, I think having a before and after photo tells you a lot, but it doesn't show the emotional impact to their life. And being able to kind of delve into that. Not everybody feels comfortable on camera, and that's, it's its own little thing in it. And patients are so gracious to allow us to help them tell their story. How do you help people feel comfortable on camera, especially when they're not used to being filmed?

Gretchell (08:04):
Well, what's funny is I'm actually not very comfortable on camera. So I know how that feels. And when I have to film and there's somebody there who makes me feel comfortable, then I know that I'm in good hands. So I just try to talk to them and just getting to know them a little bit, see what their sense of humor is, trying to make them laugh and just, I don't know, have a nice little conversation. And then once they start to feel more comfortable, they'll feel more comfortable with you and the camera. I know it is a lot, and I feel the same way when I'm in front of the camera. I just tense up and when I can laugh a little or just let loose, it helps.

Monique Ramsey (08:45):
So tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to aesthetics and La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center. What did that pathway look like?

Gretchell (08:55):
I was working at a hospital as unit secretary in one of the ERs, and I was doing photography on the side, so it connects because we had somebody working at La Jolla Cosmetic who referred me to become a medical photographer at L-J-C-S-C. And so that's how I got the job. So that led me into the aesthetics industry, which I found fascinating because it's just so different and you get to be part of the transformation process. I mean, obviously the doctors do a lot of the transformations, but you get to see a lot of it, and it's just very inspiring industry.

Monique Ramsey (09:37):
I think that's a really good point of being able to see the patient journey from beginning to end. If you're in the er, you see the patient only at the most critical moment, and then you never know how does it come out the end?

Gretchell (09:50):
Exactly.

Monique Ramsey (09:51):
You don't have any closure almost to, I hope that lady who is over in a little bay over there, I hope she came out. Whereas at the surgery center, first of all, everybody's doing something for themselves. It's sort of like you're wanting to make a change, a positive change for yourself. And I think when you're in the photo room taking pictures or doing imaging, let's say, of them before the surgery, and then after the surgery, and being able to see that impact on them, like you say it, it's really inspiring. So you have your own photo business right on the side in your spare time?

Gretchell (10:35):
I do. Exactly. And it all started because actually I started with travel photography, and then the people I used to work with at the hospital were like, oh, can you take my family photos? And that's how that all transpired. But then

Monique Ramsey (10:49):
They rope you in, right?

Gretchell (10:51):
Yeah, they did. And which was great. I loved it. And then so what led me to this specific position as a videographer was Dr. Swistunn. And it's funny, a lot of people say Dr. Swistun changed their life after surgery, but he actually changed my life because he took a chance on me. Well, him and Dr. Salazar were very big advocates for this position because it was so new and different at the time, but also something that they saw we needed to go into.

Monique Ramsey (11:22):
That's neat that you say he changed your life because he had a vision. Right?

Gretchell (11:28):
Exactly. He had a vision. It's funny, he used to come into the photo room and we used to talk shop about cameras all the time. And then I guess you could see between the two of us how excited we were about the technology and storytelling and everything. And Dr. Swistun, I still consider him my mentor because he teaches me a lot of things that I wouldn't see and see. And now after the fact, I can't stop seeing it.

Monique Ramsey (11:57):
Oh, interesting.

Gretchell (11:58):
Yeah, he's really,

Monique Ramsey (11:59):
Do you have an example of that?

Gretchell (12:00):
He's very artsy.

Monique Ramsey (12:03):
Well, yeah, and he had his,

Gretchell (12:05):
He's so artistic. Yeah,

Monique Ramsey (12:06):
He has an art degree from University of Chicago. So it's like, besides being a surgeon and an amazing plastic surgeon, he also has this background in photography and art. And so yeah, he sees things that most of us don't know to look for.

Gretchell (12:22):
Yeah, exactly. And he'll come into the office with his camera, he'll be so excited. I got this new lens. Look at this. And he'd just be so excited about it. But yeah, I dunno if I've ever told him that, but I was like, I appreciate him so much.

Monique Ramsey (12:38):
Yeah, it's fun. It was really cute. He wanted us to do a reality show. Reality show. I mean, he was really, we're like, okay, baby steps. Baby steps.

Gretchell (12:49):
Yeah, exactly.

Monique Ramsey (12:49):
I think we're capturing the essence of what he was after. He really wanted people to know what's it day to day and behind the scenes in a plastic surgery office and in an operating room. And I think in terms of the goal of really what he was after, he's been able to coach you through that vision. Same with Dr. Salazar and all the surgeons love having time to be able to talk about the things that they're passionate about, about the procedures they're passionate about and that they specialize in. And getting to just have that story told in a video format, because some people don't want to read. We want to watch something and we want to be entertained. And I think you're able to tell these stories in an entertaining way. Let's get to know you though. So tell me a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up?

Gretchell (13:48):
I was born and raised in Guam, and then when I was around 12, I want to say 12 years old, I moved to the States. And that was scary because my vision of the mainland is what we call it, is that, did you guys watch Hillary Duff? Like Lizzie McGuire?

Monique Ramsey (14:13):
I didn't. No,

Gretchell (14:14):
You didn't. There's parts where the girls are so mean in high school or middle school or whatever. And that's how I envisioned going to school in the mainland. And so I was like, oh, I don't know if I want to go there. But we initially moved to North Carolina and my first day of school, oh my God, the nicest people, they were so friendly, nothing like what I was expecting at all. And it was, I don't know. I will always remember those guys.

Monique Ramsey (14:44):
Oh, that's so nice. I think we all want to feel safe in wherever we are. So whether you're going into a plastic surgery office, you're going into a high school for the first time, just that you're not alone. And that really connects. And I think to have one thing in your head and then to have a totally different reality, that's a really pleasant surprise. That's nice. Maybe that helps you be so good at what you do capturing patients too, because it's like if you're a plastic surgery patient, you're going into the unknown, you have no idea, and you're a little bit intimidated and scared and you don't know what it's going to be like, and are these people going to judge me? All those things run through your head and you've been there.

Gretchell (15:30):
Exactly. I was just going to say that too. I think that kind of taught me to kind of always in a situation, maybe even be the person that could be the comforting one. You never know what anyone's feeling or

Monique Ramsey (15:48):
You want people to feel comfortable because you've been in that situation. And I think that's a beautiful thing to be able to help people feel more comfortable because you're so busy and you're a mom and she's got the cutest little girl you've ever seen. You guys, it's ridiculous. She probably just looks at you and teenager melt. Is she five now?

Gretchell (16:12):
She's four.

Monique Ramsey (16:14):
Four, okay. Going on 12.

Gretchell (16:16):
Yeah, like what they always say. And it's so true. These toddler, teenager stages are hard. I can't even imagine what regular teenage life is going to be like. But it's fun. I'm having fun. I have fun arguing with myself. Because that's what it is.

Monique Ramsey (16:34):
Oh, is it? It's like mini me.

Gretchell (16:38):
Oh yeah.

Monique Ramsey (16:40):
Oh, that's funny. So, okay, in your spare time, you're very crafty and you have your own photography business. And we'll put in the show notes, we'll put links to your photography Instagram so people can see, because I don't know how you get it all done, quite frankly. So tell me a little bit about what you like to do when you're not working.

Gretchell (17:04):
Lately. I've been doing a lot of arts and crafts, and I don't know if that's a new thing because I have a little girl and she loves arts and crafts, but I love making things. Now. I'll make, I'm excited for any party because I think of the next little favor I'm going to make. We're going camping this weekend.

Monique Ramsey (17:26):
Oh, where are you going to go?

Gretchell (17:26):
Oh, it's just his place in Temecula. We're doing like a , you know the Parent Trap? Do you remember that? The scene where there is the,

Monique Ramsey (17:35):
There's one. There's one before Lindsay Lohan too, by the way.

Gretchell (17:39):
Oh, yes. Oh, I've seen that one. Yes, yes, yes. I know about that one. Yeah. Yeah, we're doing a camp theme, basically. And then we made shirts, the parent traps and little, just to make it feel like more like a camp vibe.

Monique Ramsey (17:52):
Oh my gosh.

Gretchell (17:53):
Out there. So for the kids, it's going to be 13.

Monique Ramsey (17:55):
Oh, it'll be fun.

Gretchell (17:57):
Kids fun. So it'll be fun. But that's what I've been working on. Just a lot of crafts and a lot of projects.

Monique Ramsey (18:04):
But she bought a embroidery machine.

Gretchell (18:05):
We buy a lot of things that we're trying.

Monique Ramsey (18:11):
The cricket, she's making posters. She was talking about her poster art

Gretchell (18:16):
Paint banners. Yes, banner banners, our paint banners. They're little look

Monique Ramsey (18:20):
At paint banners I had too. I'm like, oh, I was a cheerleader back in the eighties, and we made paint banners too.

Gretchell (18:27):
Paint banners. It's so funny. It's just so popular right now. And you know what? It's actually very therapeutic to paint these things out though.

Monique Ramsey (18:36):
I bet. I bet.

Gretchell (18:37):
But it's funny because before I had Harper, I probably wouldn't have even thought about it, but now that I have a daughter, it's like, there's more reasons to make this stuff.

Monique Ramsey (18:48):
Yeah, that's true. That's true.

Gretchell (18:50):
Even though they don't, they get tossed? They just throw them. They don't really care. So maybe I'm just trying to heal my own childhood

Monique Ramsey (18:58):
It doesn't matter why. It's more about the process I think of creating, but they do remember it. So I had some really fun parties for my kids, and one of them was an Indiana Jones. It was Indiana Julia is what it was.

Gretchell (19:18):
Oh my God. Wait, that is adorable.

Monique Ramsey (19:20):
Indiana, Julia. Oh my gosh. And I ran into the file folder. Of course, everything was nothing digital, and I had gotten the paper and I got some special, almost like a brown tea. You would do a tea stain, you crinkle it up and you make it old paper and a scroll. And I had this whole alphabet of in code. So for the invitation, they had to decode the invitation to be able to even come to the party.

Gretchell (19:51):
That's elaborate and awesome.

Monique Ramsey (19:53):
It was amazing.

Gretchell (19:56):
I love that actually.

Monique Ramsey (19:56):
We had another one where it was Knight and Ladies. So they learned jousting and they learned they had the queen's makeup station and they had Merlin's station.

Gretchell (20:13):
How cute.

Monique Ramsey (20:14):
And one little kid was so cute, he came as the dragon. I was like, oh my gosh. So here's all these five-year-olds, and they all show up and there's all the little boys are being kings and princes and all the little girls are in princess dresses. And in comes a dragon, I'm like, it a dragon.

Gretchell (20:30):
That's perfect though.

Monique Ramsey (20:32):
But I look back at that stuff and it was so fun for me. It wasn't but now my kids, they remember it. They're like, oh, remember that invitation you made? I'm like, did I? I have to go look and see.

Gretchell (20:42):
That's what I say. I'm like, I really hope these kids remember everything we're doing for them.

Monique Ramsey (20:47):
They will, especially when they're involved. If Harper loves doing arts and crafts, you love doing that. She's going to remember all that. So don't give up the ship or just do it for yourself.

Gretchell (21:00):
Just yeah, at this point I feel like I'm just doing it for myself. No,

Monique Ramsey (21:03):
Yeah. It's okay. That's a good reason. So Gretchell, tell me what advice you would give to somebody who's coming to La Jolla Cosmetic for the first time.

Gretchell (21:13):
So working behind the scenes, I get to see how much heart goes into all the consultations and the surgery. And it's amazing. Our doctors, they genuinely care. I posted a photo of me and Dr. Swistun recently, and I didn't know, one of my friends went to him for an explant, and she was telling me like, oh my God, he's such an amazing surgeon. And I was like, yeah. I tell everyone that's like, they're not just nice to patients, which is great that they are, but anyone they meet, they're just genuine and they care. And that's how I know that they'll be in good hands. So my advice would be trust the process. We're here to help you feel confident and comfortable about your decision, and remember that you're not just changing how you look, but you're also investing on how you feel. And that's amazing.

Monique Ramsey (22:12):
Yeah, I think plastic surgery, for some people, they might think it's superficial thing, and it really, in some ways it is. We want to look better or we want to change something about ourselves to feel more confident. That's totally normal. But the investment, it's not just a monetary investment, but really it is an investment in how you feel every day, how you carry yourself in your confidence, and then really knowing your point about this team around you that's going to care for you. And these doctors are really good people. They're not just great surgeons. They're really good people and they're ethical people. And you know this, so yesterday you had your five year anniversary, or two days ago maybe at the surgery center. And so seeing for five years how that's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of patients that you've seen come through the doors and see how this changes their life. So how does that make you feel?

Gretchell (23:17):
It's very inspiring. I just truly love seeing the confidence after it's something I strive for. And when I see people get to that part of their life, it's like I look at their nose, so I'm so jealous of you. I love that for them, basically. It's exciting. And they are so much more that they're going to do and get to do just because of this new found confidence. Yeah.

Monique Ramsey (23:45):
Yeah. Before we wrap it up, listeners of our podcast, I wanted to let you know that if you come into the office and you show that you're one of our subscribers, we're going to give you 25 off of any product or of 50 or more. So we love our Alastin products, their skincare, it's medical grade. It's so good, so good. And it's all based on science. They have all the papers to back up how these things work and how they change your skin. And so if you, Gretchell, we're going to use that little 25 off of 50 or more, what product would you choose and why?

Gretchell (24:28):
I am loving the restorative skin complex. I think it's a new Trihex technology too.

Monique Ramsey (24:36):
It has Trihex plus. I only know this because I looked it up yesterday.

Gretchell (24:41):
Yes, it's amazing. I used the previous one and it was great, but for some reason, this new formula, it changed everything. My skin just feels so good texture, and I am very sensitive to a lot of new products, and I was hesitant. But since I was with Lauren at the education lunch, and she showed it and I felt it on my hand, the difference between the two, I was like, whoa, this is crazy. And so I was like, let me just try it. And oh, I'm so glad I did.

Monique Ramsey (25:11):
Oh, good. Yeah, that's a good one. And I think that's like if you only picked one, if you're a listener out there, if you're a guy and you don't have more bandwidth for skincare than one product, that would be the one product really, because it does so much. It's so good. I would bathe in it if I could. But I can't.

Gretchell (25:32):
Oh my goodness. I know. I want to recommend it to everybody now. I'm like, you guys, I'm using this. It's like my skin is so, and they see it too, so I don't even have to bring it up. They see my skin and they're like, oh my goodness, what are you using? Your skin looks amazing.

Monique Ramsey (25:46):
Okay, so Alastin, restorative skin complex with Trihex plus technology. I really want to put it on sale soon. So we'll see. Maybe we'll do some sort of holiday sale because I want people to try it. It's so good. And so sometimes the thing you need to get yourself to try something is a sale. So I'm thinking I'm plotting about that. Well, thank you Gretchell, for coming on and sharing your behind the scenes. It's showing everybody your wonderful self and being able to share what you do and what inspires you, and just the secrets behind the scenes of the media team. And so thank you for coming on, and it was fun to chit-chat.

Gretchell (26:37):
Yeah, this was a lot more fun than I expected because I get so nervous.

Monique Ramsey (26:42):
Nobody wants to come on my podcast, but it's like, I really want to have the team. I know you guys are so busy all the time, but I really love having you come on, and patients love to get to know you guys too, so as people. So

Gretchell (26:57):
Yeah, happy to be here. Thank you.

Monique Ramsey (26:59):
Thank you. And have fun at camping this weekend. I think we're going to need photos because I want to see all the things you're doing.

Gretchell (27:07):
I know, yeah. It's our first real camping, so I will definitely let you know how this goes.

Monique Ramsey (27:13):
Yeah, and it'll either be you'll do it again, or it'll be the last time.

Gretchell (27:17):
Yeah, exactly. Right, exactly.

Monique Ramsey (27:18):
My mom had that happen. I was a baby, but she went camping exactly one time. She's like, I'm not doing that again. Not that was in the late sixties. I think it was a little more rugged back then. There was not so many fun creature comforts that you could bring. Oh, yeah.

Gretchell (27:34):
There's so many things now.

Monique Ramsey (27:36):
Oh, I bet. I'm sure. It's like a whole industry of camping slash glamping.

Gretchell (27:42):
You need storage. You need a storage unit for it.

Monique Ramsey (27:45):
Oh, really? Oh God. You guys are going to have a great time. So if you're listening, we'll put in the show notes, Gretchell's her photography business, just because she's very talented. And if you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, you'll see how beautiful she is in her beautiful hair and her beautiful self. So it's nice to have her come out from behind the camera so everybody can lead her. So thanks, Gretchell, and we'll see everybody on the next one. Bye.

Announcer (28:18):
Take a screenshot of this podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment, or mention the promo code PODCAST to receive $25 off any service or product of $50 or more at La Jolla Cosmetic. La Jolla Cosmetic is located just off the I-5 San Diego Freeway in the Ximed building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus. To learn more, go to ljcsc.com or follow the team on Instagram @ljcsc. The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast is a production of The Axis, theaxis.io.