Renaissance Woman

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ENAISSANCE WOMAN

Dawn Mougel and her husband have her boys, who are 18, 24 and 27 years old.

Dawn Mougel trades homes for health

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Be your own kind of beautiful” is emblazoned on the wall at Dawn Mougel’s Airpark-based practice, A New Dawn Wellness Center.

The mantra is one that Mougel has adhered to since she opened the center in a salon suite in August 2018. She moved into the Airpark on June 5.

“I think it sums up everything,” she says. “People come in because they feel like they’re looking older. They don’t like the way they look. They have hormone imbalances. They have sexual health issues.”

After seeing the way her grandmother was treated in a hospital, Mougel is caring for her patients the right way — wholistically. Too many people, she says, seek a quick and easy treatment for a health or beauty issue. She believes in looking beyond the problem and treating the whole person so it does not reoccur.

“A wholistic approach is important to me — the outside, the inside, their appearance,” she says. “I want them to feel good and to feel happy.”

Mougel is the defi nition of a renaissance woman. She worked in real estate for more than 10 years and, even though she was successful, she was not fulfi lled. She was inspired by her grandmother to turn her focus toward medicine.

“She was always in and out of the hospital,” she says. “Although there are great doctors and nurses in hospitals, there were a few situations when she didn’t get the care that I would have given to her.

“I just felt like I could be better and do better.”

Mougel is a strong believer that nurses and others in the medical fi eld should care about their patients “and cry with their families.”

“I wanted more for patients in general,” she adds.

The team at A New Dawn Wellness Center includes, from left, Rachel Metz, LE, CLT, aesthetician and certifi ed laser technician; Dawn Mougel, FNP-C, board-certifi ed family nurse practitioner and owner/founder of A New Dawn Wellness Center; and Alexa Worth, LE, CLT, medical assistant, aesthetician and certifi ed laser technician.

With three boys younger than 6 in tow — literally — Mougel headed to GateWay Community College for her associate’s in nursing, which was partnered with the Banner Fellowship Program.

From there, she studied nursing at Grand Canyon University.

“I wanted to show my kids that it’s never too late to do what you want,” she says.

Mougel’s grandmother watched her graduate from GateWay.

During her nursing career, she worked in a variety of departments and ended in trauma/ICU.

At Banner, Mougel created a team nursing approach to support the patient and the employees.

“Nurses are super overworked and overwhelmed,” she says. “That ended up something they did facilitywide. After that, I

Dawn Mougel subscribes to the mantra “Be your own kind of beautiful,” which is emblazoned on the wall near her lobby. left that hospital and went on to trauma ICU, where I was a preceptor, or trainer. My goal was to train new nurses and other people in that same area.”

Once again, she wanted to further her education, this time earning a master’s degree, which was part of the family nurse practitioner program, online through South University. She’s now a board-certified family nurse practitioner.

She did so because she yearned to have her own practice. She wanted to treat patients the way she would want to be treated.

“I did not want red tape or politics,” Mougel says. “It’s me just being genuine. I want to build relationships with patients and help them with every aspect of life. I wanted to spend time with them. You can’t always do that in a hospital setting. I like to spend the time I think they all deserve.”

Wellness and beauty

Mougel started a modest practice, the aptly named A New Dawn Wellness Center, that shared her vision. She rented a oneroom salon suite and off ered a handful of treatments and services. Mougel’s plan was to “grow when I could aff ord to.”

As her patient base increased, she expanded her space until she purchased a

building in the Scottsdale Airpark in October 2020 “through blood, sweat and tears.” It opened June 5.

The staff of the 3,200-square-foot, nine-treatment room A New Dawn Wellness Center believes that health, beauty and confi dence are connected. Combining years of education with innovative techniques and integrative care, she is committed to helping patients and clients improve their health, confi dence and overall well-being.

At a New Dawn Wellness Center, Mougel works with balancing hormones, testosterone issues and sexual health. Diet and lifestyle modifi cations have proven successful with patients who want to lose weight or lower their cholesterol.

Mougel also focuses on rejuvenation. She off ers facial fi llers, gel-like substances that are injected under the skin in areas like lips, cheeks and temples. They are made from compounds like hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite or Poly-L-lactic acid. A New Dawn Wellness Center only uses hyaluronic acid-based fi llers.

“We restore that youthful appearance,” she says. “I don’t like the overfi lled, overdone look. That’s just not me as a practitioner who injects. I like for people to look refreshed like they’ve had a good night’s sleep. That is defi nitely my trademark. That is where I hang my hat.”

Facial fi llers are gel-like substances that are injected under the skin in areas like lips, cheeks, temples and more. Fillers can be made up of diff erent compounds, like hyaluronic acid (HA) or calcium hydroxylapatite. A New Dawn Wellness Center uses HA-based fi llers.

Hyaluronic acid, when injected, creates plumpness and hydration. Facial fillers are popular because results are immediate and can last up

Dawn Mougel’s friends, family and associates attend the grand opening of A New Dawn Wellness Center on

June 5. (Photos by Colin Latham)

A treatment that focuses on rejuvenation is facical fi llers, gel-like substances that are injected under the skin in areas like lips.

to two years. Mougel consults with patients before their treatment to evaluate the specifi c areas of concern.

Mougel’s husband, Dylan, told her she was going to miss the adrenaline-fueled trauma department. She acknowledges it sounds “crazy,” but it was satisfying. “He’s the reason I keep doing what I do, support every crazy decision I have.

“However, this gives me the same satisfaction,” she adds. “Nobody is sick or dying, but they come in and they still have a need that has to be fi lled. There’s a void they’re looking to fi ll. They don’t feel pretty in their skin.

“I look at the whole picture and fi gure out what needs to be done, whether it’s aesthetic or a lifestyle change, and address all of that. Whether they’re broken or upset or sad, to know I can help them when they’re vulnerable is satisfying. When they look in the mirror and tear up, it’s all worth it. I will never retire.” 

A New Dawn Wellness Center Dawn Mougel, FNP-C

14220 N. Northsight Boulevard, Suite 150, Scottsdale 480-473-1111 anewdawnwellness.com