THE IDEA BEHIND
iAM Center
The idea of IAM Center was a dream of Michelle Brown and Amaris Murphy’s for years. Though they never knew when or how they would do it, they both felt a strong pull to go against the grain and provide something different in the medical industry that would fulfill an unmet need they saw in so many women.
Today, as the owners of IAM Center for Integrative Aesthetic Medicine, a medical aesthetic and wellness clinic, Michelle and Amaris are able to use their background as nurse practitioners to help women heal from the inside out. They provide natural anti-aging solutions such as hormone optimization that will work with your body to heal and rejuvenate. This includes hormone optimization, peptide therapy, menopause treatment, nutraceuticals, sexual health, gut health, and a balanced thyroid. They also continue to offer a wide variety of aesthetic services including wrinkle smoothing neurotoxins, Sculptra, fillers, collagen induction services, and much more.
A women-owned and veteran-owned company, the two have been in the women’s health and aesthetics industry for a combined 23 years. Amaris has a background in plastic surgery, medical aesthetics, and women’s health. She is also a Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist and a national trainer for Allergan and Galderma. Michelle’s background spans business, plastic surgery, women’s health and the field of medical aesthetics.
A TREND OF
Forgotten Women
In the work Michelle and Amaris did in medical aesthetics, they noticed a pattern. Many women were coming to them, struggling and desperately looking for answers. They were regularly hearing complaints of fatigue, exhaustion, and low sex drive and their clients needed answers for their symptoms of perimenopause, menopause, hormone, and thyroid problems.
Their focus was on helping women look better, but there wasn’t any time left to help them feel better. And because their symptoms didn’t lead to a big source of revenue, there wasn’t much out there available to help them.
Michelle and Amaris realized their patients needed more than they could offer them. Despite the fact that they had worked in OB-GYN clinics and had been nurses for a very long time, their hands were tied. At the time, the focus of the clinic they worked at was only on anti-aging injectables and medical aesthetics. Though they strongly believed in the efficacy of these products and services, they wanted to offer more. The only way they could combine medical aesthetics, while also meeting the needs of women struggling with perimenopause and menopause, was by opening up their own medical wellness practice.
So that’s what they decided to do.
“We couldn’t stop talking about it and dreaming about how to make it a reality. We were passionate about carving out a path for all these forgotten women,” Michelle said.
“It was a merging of two worlds—a little on the medical side, and a little on the naturopathic side,” Amaris added.
Offering a balanced approach was important to them—one that didn’t overdo the pharmaceutical side on the medical end, or the supplement side on the naturopathic end.
After some very serendipitous events that happened in their lives, Michelle and Amaris realized it was time to take the leap, and they opened their doors and started seeing their first patients in November 2022. They say it was one of the best decisions they ever made.
Now, as the owners of IAM Center, they no longer have to focus on only one component of women’s health, but they’re able to focus on each patient as a whole person. They’re helping them feel beautiful and energized from the inside out. And it’s not about what brings in more money.
“To us, it’s about relationships and taking care of people, and giving women their lives back,” Michelle says.
Also, because the two are continually wanting to improve and offer more to their clients, they’re committed to ongoing education in their field. They both have advanced training in Allergan and Galderma anti-aging dermal fillers, and they’re members of AmSpa and the American Academy for Anti-Aging.
Michelle has two boys and Amaris has three. In their spare time, they both enjoy spending time in the outdoors of the Great Northwest with their families. That often means gravel riding, hiking, trail running, skiing, and boating.
MEET OUR
iAM TEAM
Jill Gile
About Jill
As iAM Center’s Operations Manager, Jill Gile is usually the one you’re talking to when you call. Before joining us at iAM Center, Jill worked in the medical field for over 16 years, and was responsible for the startup, implementation, organization, and operation of a successful preschool. We like to call her the “Jill of All Trades” because she does so much behind-the-scenes work at iAM Center.
As the Backbone of iAM Center, Jill Helps With:
- Interacting with patients and clients
- Scheduling appointments
- Invoicing
- Ordering supplies
- Reviewing and analyzing business procedures and policies to improve operations
- Developing and implementing systems that ensure work environments are adequate, up-to-standard, and safe
- Assisting our out-of-state patients with getting necessary lab work done wherever they are located
More About Jill
With her background in preschool and the medical field, Jill didn’t always plan to be an Operations Manager. But as a friend of Amaris for over six years, she wanted to help support the dream that Michelle and Amaris both shared for opening up a medical aesthetics and wellness clinic. She also loves details and spreadsheets, patient interaction, and everything that’s involved in her job.
Having been a wellness patient of iAM Center herself, Jill had the same discouragement with her health that many women who come to us have. She understands what that feels like, and she’s excited to be a part of helping women who want solutions for gut health, hormone optimization, and a more balanced thyroid.
“I love what I do at iAm Center. The office has a positive atmosphere, everyone collaborates together, and we are all like-minded in our approach to serving patients,” she says. “ Angie, Michelle, and Amaris are each highly respected in their field, are passionate about the work they do, and I’m excited and grateful that I get to be a part of it.”
Her goal is to continue to grow and learn in this role, in any way she can.
In her spare time, you’ll usually find her involved in school or sports activities with her two sons. They are her main focus in life, and she loves to hang out with them.
Aria
About Aria
Aria’s passion for healthy and graceful aging started with her first degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science and health promotion. Aria returned to school to pursue her degree in nursing with a focus on women’s health, which holds a very special place in her heart.
Aria has a passion for continuing education and takes pride in ensuring her patients have a positive and safe experience. Aria is currently pursuing her Family Nurse Practitioner through Gonzaga University and is set to graduate in 2024.
Aria comes to us with several years of advanced aesthetic practice. Her goal as an Aesthetic Nurse Specialist @iam.center is to make the inevitable process of aging smooth and graceful. Aria brings a passion for patient education and thrives in customizing treatments to patient’s individual anatomy and goals.
Aria believes aesthetic medicine, just like aging, is a journey she feels honored to be by your side during.
Aria & iAM
“Aria’s passion for healthy and graceful aging started with her first degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science and health promotion. Aria returned to school to pursue her degree in nursing with a focus on women’s health, which holds a very special place in her heart.
Aria has a passion for continuing education and takes pride in ensuring her patients have a positive and safe experience. Aria is currently pursuing her Family Nurse Practitioner through Gonzaga University and is set to graduate in 2024.
Aria comes to us with several years of advanced aesthetic practice. Her goal as an Aesthetic Nurse Specialist @iam.center is to make the inevitable process of aging smooth and graceful. Aria brings a passion for patient education and thrives in customizing treatments to patient’s individual anatomy and goals.
More About Aria
Aria believes aesthetic medicine, just like aging, is a journey she feels honored to be by your side during.” In her spare time, Aria enjoys exercising, cooking and baking, hunting for chanterelle mushrooms, and exploring the beautiful outdoors of the Pacific Northwest.
The IAM Center combines the world of anti-aging science with treating and healing the whole person through medical aesthetic treatments.
Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm