A woman that “arguably has it all”, Dr. Walden was announced as one of the 24 best beauty surgeons by Harper’s Bazaar just two months ago was recently recognized by Austin MD as a powerhouse in not just her field but, as an Austin girl and proud mother of two. Before Dr. Walden was running a successful practice in her hometown of Austin, she moved to New York City to train with the best surgeons and establish a successful practice in the city. She is also one of the few women to have been on the directors of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), which she currently serves on. Dr. Walden’s accomplishments do not end there, she is also a published author, award winning surgeon, and her role she is most proud of mother of twin boys.
While many have the idea of surgeons as cold or intimidating, Dr. Walden proves to be the opposite of that. She is in fact a welcoming and warm, putting patients, people and co-workers at ease. While her office is always busy, and her calendar and waiting list full Dr. Walden doesn’t come across as rushed. Dr. Walden has remained a grounded person who empathizes with her patients, and their desire to improve themselves. A common question is how did Dr. Walden get to where she is today? The answer is apparent; lots of hard work, intelligence, drive to be the best, and talent.
Dr. Walden was born in raised in Austin, as one of five children of a dentist and a surgical nurse. The importance of education and achievements were instilled onto her. Dr. Walden says as a mother of two she doesn’t know how her mother did it with five, she also says her mother has been her role model in raising her children. It is clear she has great respect for mother’s, calling stay at home mothers the most challenging job a woman can do.
Dr. Walden attended the University of Texas at Austin for her bachelors degree, and proved herself in the UT medical school by graduating as Salutatorian of her class. Dr. Walden chose Plastic Surgery because of its artistry and creative components, she also found the immediacy of the results and her desire to help female patients with a desire to look their best the most appealing in the surgical field. The plastic surgery program at UT Galveston provided the training the combined with her hard work launched her into a prestigious post-residency fellowship program at Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital, Dr. Walden was one of the two fellows accept that year. Finding love for the city of Manhattan Dr. Walden stayed for eight years, opening her own practice with her mentor Sherrell Aston. The reason, or reasons, to come back to Austin is what Dr. Walden called her game changer, the arrival of her boys.
Marriage and children were not on the top of Dr. Walden’s list until her late thirties, when the desire for motherhood became a strong presence, she chose in-vitro fertilization. Rex and Houston are Dr. Walden’s twin boys, and her two great reasons for her move back to the Lone Star State. Dr. Walden wanted her boys to grow up surrounded by family, just like the way she was raised.
With the move back to Austin Dr. Walden had to start over and begin a new practice, with the help of her mother, nannies, and family she was able to reestablish her business. In just three years the growth of her practice has exceeded her expectations. Dr. Walden takes great pride in the practice she has built here, she says Westlake Medical center is every surgeons dream, she does the vast majority of her surgeries in her own office.
Dr. Walden describes herself as a doer, her first thoughts of the day are for her children, for them to have the best life possible. She defines achievement oriented, taking on challenges and never letting anything stand in her way, Dr. Walden hopes to pass her inner drive on to her sons as well.
Dr. Walden’s hope is that her career inspires other women to pursue careers in the medical field as well. She wants women to know that having both a career and family is demanding, “it’s a marathon not a sprint”. Dr. Walden says prioritizing and having a support system is crucial, she says you must be prepared for the difficult decisions in life. Dr. Walden sees herself as extremely fortunate to have a support system of family and her sons right here in her hometown of Austin.
