Terry Dubrow – Becoming the World’s Most Famous Plastic Surgeon | E175

World-renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Terry Dubrow (star of Botched) sits down with Randall Kaplan for a raw, inspiring conversation on rising from poverty in Los Angeles to medical excellence at UCLA and Yale, the mentors who changed his life, and what it really takes to build a top practice in Newport Beach. We cover career pivots, boldness vs. fear, medical training, research & publishing, and wild rock-n-roll stories with his brother Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot—plus practical, step-by-step success frameworks you can use today. If you’re chasing excellence in medicine, entrepreneurship, or any high-stakes field, this episode is your blueprint.

What You’ll Learn
• Humble beginnings & grit: Growing up with a single mom in LA, learning self-reliance, and the mindset that formed his drive to “figure it out and get it together.”
• Choosing a path (and changing it): Why dentistry felt empty, how volunteering in the UCLA ER “lit” him up, and the decision to take pre-med coursework at Yale while earning a master’s.
• Mentorship that transforms careers: The life-altering lecture by Dr. Mal Lesavoy, how Terry chased him down the hallway, joined his lab, and authored 23 surgical papers—learning that publishing is currency in academic medicine.
• The power of boldness: Specific, repeatable tactics for approaching mentors (be authentic, add value, do the homework) and why “clever and bold” beats “smart” alone.
• Quiet Riot, Ozzy, & loyalty: Unfiltered stories about Kevin DuBrow, Randy Rhoads, Ozzy Osbourne, sold-out Forum concerts—plus hard lessons on loyalty and the realities of entertainment.
• From residency to practice: The old-school general surgery track, complex reconstructive flap cases, and the leap from LA to Newport Beach practice (and what unexpectedly made it work).

Timestamps (Key Moments / Chapters)
00:00 Intro — Why Dr. Terry Dubrow’s story matters for anyone pursuing excellence
02:10 Childhood in LA: poverty, the stray cat, and early identity & grit
06:30 Step-family turbulence, sharing a room with Kevin, and drive to “escape”
10:05 The whiskey incident at 12 & lifelong alcohol aversion (and a tequila detour)
12:40 From “pre-dent” to “this isn’t for me”: volunteering at USC Dental vs. UCLA ER
16:35 Yale pivot: pre-med sprint + master’s; MCAT mastery & teaching Kaplan
20:20 The ER “smell” & “relaxed brilliance” of residents—falling in love with medicine
23:00 The moment with Dr. Mal Lesavoy: the lecture, the hallway chase, the lab
26:45 Publishing as career currency: scalp defect flaps & trauma research wins
30:10 Quiet Riot vs. Ozzy: Randy Rhoads, loyalty, and the Forum backstage night
36:00 How to actually earn mentorship: authenticity, research, and adding value
40:25 The Newport Beach leap: leaving celebrity practices and building a brand
44:10 Action steps: Be clever, be bold, and publish (or ship) meaningful work now

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Guest Bio — Dr. Terry Dubrow
Dr. Terry Dubrow is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, star of the hit TV show Botched, and a nationally recognized expert in complex reconstruction and cosmetic surgery. He trained at UCLA and completed advanced academic work at Yale, where he honed a research mindset that led to dozens of publications early in his career. Today, he practices in Newport Beach, CA, while educating millions on surgical safety, outcomes, and ethics


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