Dr. Carla Pierson is an accomplished healthcare leader turned entrepreneur whose passion for quality patient care and operational excellence led her to co-found Smiley Aesthetics. Raised in Nashville, TN, Carla was an avid athlete and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Fueled by her drive for leadership and innovation, she subsequently pursued a Master of Science in Nursing Administration, a Master of Business Administration with a healthcare focus, and ultimately, a Doctorate in Nursing Practice.
Before launching Smiley Aesthetics with her identical twin sister, Mary Ford, Carla spent over a decade in nursing leadership and corporate healthcare, most notably at HCA. Her experience spanned critical care nursing, hospital operations, and healthcare business—expertise that now underpins Smiley Aesthetics’ strong foundation. Carla’s commitment to careful, sustainable growth helped the company reach an impressive milestone of one million dollars in revenue in under a year—an achievement she attributes to starting small, methodically identifying gaps, and building a robust, self-supporting model.
Under Carla’s strategic leadership and attention to quality, the company has flourished, creating a culture of excellence, safety, and genuine community in medical aesthetics. Today, she channels her passion for operational efficiency and patient care into helping others feel and look their best, proving that with resilience, adaptability, and integrity, success can follow even the most unexpected detours.
