Simone Steele, PA C, is a former Division I athlete turned Board Certified Physician Assistant, serial entrepreneur, national trainer, and dynamic speaker redefining what it means to build at the intersection of medicine, beauty, and business. With over a decade of experience in Dermatology and Surgery, she combines clinical precision with strategic vision to create ventures that are both profitable and purpose driven.
She is the founder of Queen Aesthetics Wellness and Beauty Clinic in Houston, a multi-service clinic specializing in injectables, laser, regenerative medicine, and preventative skin health, recognized through initiatives such as Beyoncé’s BeyGood Black Parade Route. She is also the creator of Simply Shady, a corrective mineral sunscreen designed to protect and even skin tone without white residue, selected for the Dartmouth Tuck Executive Education Program sponsored by SheaMoisture and Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize.
As a national trainer and educator, Simone equips medical professionals with the anatomical expertise and business acumen needed to elevate patient outcomes and scale sustainably. A mother and legacy driven leader, she builds with discipline, vision, and the belief that inclusive innovation is not optional, it is the future.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My typical day starts early with intention and structure. As a clinician, founder, national trainer, and mother, I move between patient care, strategic planning, brand development, and team leadership, so discipline and systems are essential. I prioritize revenue generating and high impact tasks first, batch meetings to protect creative time, and lean on delegation to keep operations flowing. Just as important, I schedule non negotiables for my personal health through fitness and wellness routines, and I fiercely protect time with my family and newborn daughter. Productivity for me is not about constant motion, it is about alignment, energy management, and building a life and legacy that thrive both at work and at home.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring ideas to life by pressure testing them through three lenses: problem, proof, and profitability. If it solves a real problem I have seen clinically or experienced personally, I validate it with data and market feedback, then build a lean execution plan around margins, scalability, and operational feasibility. I move quickly but strategically, starting with a minimum viable version, gathering real world feedback, and refining based on performance rather than emotion. Creativity starts the idea, but systems, discipline, and numbers bring it to life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
One trend that excites me is the shift toward integrated wellness where beauty, preventative medicine, and overall health are no longer treated as separate conversations. Consumers are becoming more educated and intentional, seeking solutions that support the body from the inside out rather than quick cosmetic fixes. I am especially energized by the growing demand for products and services that combine clinical credibility with daily lifestyle integration, whether that is regenerative treatments, mineral sun care, or nutrition and hormone support. The future belongs to brands and providers who understand that true beauty is a reflection of internal health, not just surface correction.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
One habit that keeps me productive is staying disciplined with my workouts and being intentional about my social life. Moving my body clears my mind, sharpens my focus, and keeps my energy steady throughout the day. And making time for the right people helps me reset, laugh, and stay grounded. When my health and relationships are strong, everything else flows better.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to trust her instincts sooner and stop waiting for permission. Keep your overhead low, protect your peace, and do not confuse movement with progress. Ask for mentorship because closed mouths do not get fed, and build relationships before you think you need them. Most importantly, do not shrink your vision to make other people comfortable. The things that make you different will be the very things that set you apart.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
I believe balance is overrated. I do not think life is meant to be perfectly even every day. Some seasons are heavy on business, some are heavy on motherhood, some are heavy on rest, and that is okay. I think chasing perfect balance is what actually makes people feel behind. I would rather be fully present where I am than pretend everything gets equal attention all the time. That usually sparks debate, but it has kept me sane.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I consistently invest in myself before I invest in anything else, and I recommend everyone do the same. Whether it is continuing education, mentorship, therapy, fitness, or simply protecting quiet thinking time, your capacity determines your ceiling. Businesses grow when leaders grow. When you sharpen your mind, protect your health, and expand your perspective, everything attached to you expands too.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I feel overwhelmed or unfocused, I pause and reduce the noise. I step away from the screen, move my body, take a walk, or get a quick workout in to reset my energy. Then I come back and identify the one task that actually matters most in that moment and complete it before touching anything else. Overwhelm usually comes from trying to carry everything at once, so I shrink the list, regain momentum, and build from there.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
One strategy that has truly helped me grow my business and advance in my career is asking for help before I feel “ready.”
For a long time, I thought being capable meant figuring everything out on my own. As a clinician, an athlete, and a high achiever, independence felt like strength. But entrepreneurship humbled me. I realized the rooms I wanted to enter required proximity, mentorship, and honest conversations about what I did not know. When I started reaching out to mentors, applying for competitive programs, and putting myself in ecosystems that challenged me, everything accelerated.
Being selected for programs like Dartmouth Tuck and Black Ambition did not happen because I was the most polished founder. It happened because I was willing to be visible, imperfect, and coachable. Vulnerability opened doors that pride never could.
Growth came when I stopped pretending I had all the answers and started building in community.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
One failure in my career was expanding too quickly before tightening my systems. I was excited about growth, adding services, investing in equipment, saying yes to opportunities, but I had not fully optimized operations behind the scenes. Revenue was coming in, but margins were thinner than they should have been, and I felt stretched.
I overcame it by slowing down and getting brutally honest with my numbers. I audited expenses, refined service offerings, focused on high margin treatments, and built clearer systems for retention and delegation. It was humbling because I had to admit that growth alone is not success. Sustainable growth is.
The biggest lesson I took away is that expansion should follow infrastructure, not ego. Scaling is not about doing more. It is about doing the right things well, repeatedly, with discipline.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Create a premium membership model around something you already do well and stop selling one off transactions.
Most service based businesses are sitting on recurring revenue but are still operating like every client interaction is a first date. Package your expertise into a structured monthly experience that combines convenience, education, and small exclusive perks. It does not have to be complicated. It just needs to solve a consistent problem and feel valuable.
Recurring revenue stabilizes cash flow, increases lifetime client value, and builds community. People do not just want services. They want belonging, results, and a reason to stay.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
One software most people would not expect me to say is Zapier.
Automation is strategy. I use Zapier to connect platforms that normally do not talk to each other so leads do not slip through the cracks. When someone books, downloads, purchases, or fills out a form, it can trigger emails, tag them in my CRM, notify my team, or move them into the right workflow automatically.
It saves hours each week and protects revenue because follow up happens without relying on memory or manual effort. Growth is not just about marketing harder. It is about building systems that work even when you are not watching.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
The best 100 dollars I recently spent was on a new pair of basketball shoes. Basketball was my first love and what earned me a full ride to study biochemistry, so lacing up a fresh pair feels nostalgic and grounding all at once. Even now, getting on the court reminds me of the discipline, resilience, and competitive fire that shaped how I show up in business and in life. It is funny how something as simple as sneakers can reconnect you to the version of yourself that believed anything was possible.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
One book that has had a lasting impact on me is The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. It completely reframed how I view influence. The Law of the Lid especially stayed with me. It reinforces that leadership ability determines the level of effectiveness of your business, which means personal growth is not optional if you want your company to grow. As a founder and team leader, it challenged me to develop people intentionally, communicate vision clearly, and understand that culture starts at the top. I revisit it often because leadership is not a title. It is capacity, and capacity can always be expanded.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently enjoyed Cross and Paradise because I love a storyline that keeps you thinking. Both series deliver layered characters, tension, and plot twists that make you lean in instead of casually watching. I appreciate storytelling that slowly reveals truth, challenges perception, and blends drama with psychological depth. A good twist reminds me that not everything is what it seems, and I enjoy narratives that reward attention and patience.
Key learnings:
- Sustainable growth requires infrastructure first. Expansion should follow systems, margins, and retention strategy, not ego.
- Vulnerability accelerates opportunity. Asking for mentorship, applying for competitive programs, and being coachable opens doors faster than trying to do everything alone.
- Inclusive innovation is not a niche. Building products and services that serve diverse communities is both ethical and commercially smart.
- Discipline creates freedom. Structured habits, fitness, and intentional time management allow creativity and leadership to thrive without burnout.
- Build with margin and mission. Profitability and purpose are not opposites. The strongest businesses are values led and financially disciplined.