It has been an incredible two year stretch for Kayla Brennan, owner of After Glow Aesthetics. 

A self proclaimed small town girl with a big city dream, Brennan was a nurse during the height of the Covid-19 global pandemic and was worn down and looking for a change. 

"Working in health care at bedside during a pandemic, took everything out of me. I wanted to do something different and help people from a different way, and that's when the idea for After Glow Aesthetics was born," Brennan told The Putnam County Post. 

In 2022, After Glow Aesthetics started with one room and Brennan left her full time job in 2023 and putting everything into her business. Since then, the business has expanded into a third room, a mobile unit and the addition of two machines to offer more services to clients. 

The dedication paid off last week, as she won the Rookie Business of the Year, something she said was "seriously amazing."

"When I first opened, I had several naysayers that said this town wouldn't support me, that this business was a joke, and that I was just catering to a bunch of "drunk people" and making people look fake and overfilled; when, infact, I've done the exact opposite," Brennan said. 

Brennan said the best feeling she gets is when she sees someone leave her injection chair or hydration chair with more pep in their step than when they came in. 

"When people realize that even though life is busy, you don't have to feel like crap doing it, it is a total game changer. I've helped the tired mom who hasn't slept in three nights get a little extra energy boost with B12 because she's not getting it in her diet. People have come to me with long Covid symptoms, who haven't felt like doing anything for weeks and feel so much better when they leave one of my IV chairs. I hear all the time how I have helped people feel so much better with the vitamin injections and IV cocktails I offer. On the aesthetic side of things, I can physically see the improvement at their two week follow up with "wrinkle relaxers," she said. 

As for her favorite thing to do, Brennan said that is easy -- lips and lip fillers. 

"There is an art to it. I take my time and build them up. I'm not an injector that will tell you yes, yes yes and out taking all of your hard earned money. Clients are walking around with my business on their face, and I want it to look as natural as possible. If you want the over done, fake look, that's amazing, do what makes you happy, I'm just not the injector for you. And I think that's what sets me apart from everyone else -- I have people driving from Carmel and Evansville just for me to inject them because I do things differently than the big town med spas, which in turn generates more local income for other small businesses because they go grab food from Marvin's, Almost Home or Lost Hollow to name a few," Brennan said. 

After expanding her business last year, Brennan said 2024 will feature more expansion. 

"We're changing the layout of the office and moving some things around. I'll be hiring an aesthetician and another nurse during the first half of this year," Brennan said. 

And, while the business is expanding, Brennan maintains one thing will always remain -- a caring business for the people of Putnam County. 

"The friendships that I've made has been fun. I've seen babies that come in with their mom achieve their milestones as they grow. I know what's happening in their families, the good times and bad. I've gotten to know each and every one of my clients personally and I make it a point to ask for updates every time I see them. You're not just another appointment to me. I am fully invested in my client's lives. I genuinely want people to feel their absolute best. When you feel good, you look good, and when you look and feel good, you do good. I'm just trying to put good back in the world," Brennan said. 

For more information on After Glow Aesthetics, visit them on the web at www.afterglowaestheticsllc.com.