1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,360 Hi everyone, this is the sixth episode of the Rejected Prevent podcast. 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,160 I cannot believe we made it to the sixth episode. 3 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:14,200 I appreciate you all listening in and hearing what my guests and I have to say about rejection. 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,200 Talking about rejection does not usually make up for the most. 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:22,520 It wasn't a conversation, but in this podcast we unraveled this taboo topic and reveal how 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,600 rejection could actually be redirection and may even lead you to personal and professional 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:27,600 growth. 8 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,280 Yesterday, Saachi is a perfect example of this. 9 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,320 She applied to several medical schools in Canada in 2021 and did not get in, but the 10 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,480 next year though, Saachi applied to Oxford and of course she got accepted, which we 11 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:40,720 will talk about later in more detail. 12 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,960 Honestly, Saachi is probably one of the most accomplished girls I have ever met. 13 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,040 Just check out her LinkedIn page and her Instagram page. 14 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,280 You'll know exactly what I'm talking about. 15 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:53,960 She has been an entrepreneur and a self-starter since high school and there are many things 16 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,240 she accomplished, but the thing that stands out to me the most and the one we'll talk 17 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,440 about today is Invite Health, which is a newsletter created by Saachi. 18 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,840 It is filled with resources, job opportunities and how-to career stories for healthcare 19 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,440 and science students. 20 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,960 And the beautiful thing is that the creation of the newsletter, which helped so many people, 21 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:16,800 read by over a thousand, was driven by Saachi's personal struggles to figure out what she 22 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,920 wanted to do after not getting accepted into medical school and after realizing that medicine 23 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:22,480 was not her path. 24 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,960 So without further ado, let me introduce to you Saachi Chan. 25 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:29,000 I hope I said your name correctly. 26 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,880 Thank you for coming onto this podcast. 27 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,640 I'm very grateful for the opportunity to interview you. 28 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:35,880 Oh, thank you so much. 29 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:37,640 I am so glad to be here. 30 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:39,240 Thank you so much for inviting me. 31 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:40,240 Yeah. 32 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:45,880 So why don't we start with you telling a little bit about yourself before we dive into more 33 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:46,880 questions? 34 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:47,880 Sure. 35 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:48,880 Hi everyone. 36 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,120 My name is Saachi Chan. 37 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:52,880 As mentioned earlier, my pronouns are she and her. 38 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:58,040 I'm initially from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, so I'm a Canadian student. 39 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:03,480 And right now I'm doing my masters in translational health sciences at the University of Oxford. 40 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:09,120 I started last October, so it's been a year now, and I'm about to go into my second and 41 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,080 final year of my master's program. 42 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:16,040 Prior to this, I did my undergrad in health sciences at McMaster University, and I logged 43 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:21,320 my time there even if half of it was kind of cut short or online by the pandemic. 44 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:23,080 That was a little bit about my undergrad background. 45 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:27,480 I've been doing a lot of health sciences work, and that's probably my strongest background 46 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:28,480 right now. 47 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,120 But I also love being a very creative person. 48 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:32,720 I am a freelance photographer. 49 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,520 I've been doing that since I was in high school, and I think it's honestly been one 50 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,760 of the biggest things that's given me a lot of confidence. 51 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:41,680 And I'm also a very entrepreneurial person. 52 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:45,080 As you mentioned, I started Invite Health, which is a newsletter that I've been running 53 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:46,320 for two years now. 54 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,960 But on top of that, my photography is also an entrepreneurial passion, and I started 55 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,640 with two other organizations when I was in high school and university. 56 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:58,200 So I love being a very entrepreneurial person because I think it's a way to take initiative 57 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,160 on the problems that you care about and to actually create the change you want to see. 58 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,360 Yeah, that's a little bit about me, but we'll dive into it, I'm sure a little bit more later 59 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:07,360 on. 60 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:08,680 Yes, yes, we will. 61 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:10,920 And first, we will backtrack a little bit. 62 00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:16,680 At first, you were set on medicine, and why do you think you wanted to pursue medicine 63 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:17,920 in the first place? 64 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:21,240 Because it motivated you to apply, because it's a process, right? 65 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:22,960 It is, yeah. 66 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:24,800 What schools did you apply to? 67 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,920 How was that experience for you and what were your motivations? 68 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,320 Sure, so there's a lot in that question. 69 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,720 I'll try to go chronologically. 70 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,520 So when I was in high school, I always had an interest in science and business, and I 71 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:38,440 actually couldn't decide what I wanted to do. 72 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:43,040 So that's why in my grade 11 and grade 12 year, I took courses in science and business. 73 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,880 Like I would have a physics, chemistry, biology, but I would also have accounting, marketing, 74 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:53,640 and only by taking those courses, I realized I was good at both of them, but I enjoyed 75 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:54,640 the sciences more. 76 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:59,560 I mean, I did apply to undergrad programs that were both science and business, but I 77 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,360 ended up getting expected to McMaster's health sciences program, which at the time was a 78 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,480 big deal and felt like a big deal because I was the only one from my high school who 79 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,760 got accepted at the time. 80 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:14,880 And even from like upper years to not many people that I knew above me in terms of years, 81 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,920 got accepted into that program, and it's just kind of those little jokes, right? 82 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,400 Those little things like, oh, Sachi, you've got accepted to McMaster health sciences. 83 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:26,000 You're going to call you Dr. Chan now, and you're on your way to becoming a doctor, 84 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:27,000 right? 85 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,160 Even though it's not a pre-med program, like being a McMaster health sciences did not 86 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:33,160 guarantee you go to medical school, but that's just kind of what its reputation was, and 87 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:35,160 it still is a little bit. 88 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,800 So I think from there, I was kind of socializing to think I was going to go to medicine. 89 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:43,200 And I mean, I knew that I liked healthcare because everyone experiences health, illness, 90 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,000 and disability at some point in their lives. 91 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,520 And if it's not us right now, it's going to be someone we know and we love. 92 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,560 And I care a lot about making an impact on people's lives. 93 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,640 So I thought healthcare and medicine would be the way that I do that. 94 00:04:55,640 --> 00:05:00,400 And I think a lot of the skill sets that I had would compliment me if I went into medicine 95 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:05,360 because it's not just about enjoying science and enjoying the clinical side of healthcare, 96 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:07,600 but it's also the social side of it too. 97 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:12,600 Looking more holistically at people's health and also having good bedside manner because 98 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,800 being a physician is not just about, do you know what you're studying? 99 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,480 Do you know diseases and do you know anatomy? 100 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:23,880 But also, can you trust your patients, build trusting relationships with them? 101 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,320 And I think from a lot of my team experiences, like working with other people, like I do 102 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:28,320 enjoy that. 103 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,400 I do enjoy getting to build relationships with people and getting to talk to them and 104 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:32,880 being their support system. 105 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:37,720 So when I was an undergrad, after second year, I wrote the MCAP because that's kind of typical 106 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:39,000 for people in undergrad. 107 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,480 And then by the time third year comes around, you're starting to apply for med schools because 108 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,720 you need to do at least three years of a bachelor's in order to apply to med schools, at least 109 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:47,720 in Canada. 110 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:53,920 I applied to McMaster University, Queens University and the University of Toronto and I got rejected 111 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:54,920 from all of them. 112 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,720 But to be fair, I had pretty good grades and then I did the MCAT. 113 00:05:57,720 --> 00:05:59,440 I did not do that well on the MCAT. 114 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,880 I got a 502, which is like just above the bare minimum to be eligible for U of T because 115 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,760 U of T you need to have like a 500, which if you're applying to med school, you know what 116 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:09,760 this means. 117 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:11,680 So I didn't have a very good score. 118 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:13,800 So I didn't know if my chances were going to be that great anyways. 119 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:15,480 And then yeah, I didn't do that great. 120 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:16,800 I did pretty well in CASPER though. 121 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,920 So like I had a CASPER and I had good grades and I thought I had like well rounded background, 122 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,880 but I also was not someone who had like a lot of research experience or a lot of clinical 123 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:25,880 experience. 124 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:27,400 But I don't know. 125 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:28,960 We never know why I got rejected. 126 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:30,120 It's competitive anyways. 127 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:31,120 Yeah. 128 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:32,120 Yeah. 129 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,800 So I only applied to McMaster, Queens and the University of Toronto. 130 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,200 But yeah, that was a little bit about where I applied. 131 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:39,200 Right. 132 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:40,200 Right. 133 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:44,240 So I've encountered this and I've encountered this that once people hear that, oh yeah, 134 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:49,320 we decided to not apply to medical school anymore after not getting accepted one time. 135 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,480 They think the only reason you don't want to is because you're just fear being not accepted 136 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:54,480 again. 137 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,080 But I think there's that reflection period that comes. 138 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:01,280 Maybe you kind of start to think is medicine even for me? 139 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:05,840 And you had that similar reflection period as well where you realized that there's possible 140 00:07:05,840 --> 00:07:08,520 reasons why maybe it's good that you didn't get accepted. 141 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:10,560 And that leads to my next question. 142 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:12,680 How did you realize that medicine is not for you? 143 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:14,640 And how did it feel realizing that? 144 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:19,760 Because that must have been like a big hit since you was thinking of medicine for a while. 145 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:20,760 Yeah. 146 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:21,760 It's a good question. 147 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,960 And I think there's a lot of things that actually ties into this. 148 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,600 So first off, during the summer when I was applying for the MCAT, I mean, MCAT's not an 149 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:30,360 enjoyable experience for anybody. 150 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:35,600 But some people I found could motivate themselves to study through the MCAT because they know 151 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:37,200 it was going to be worth it in the end. 152 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:41,480 They knew it was like a short-term pain, long-term gain. 153 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,200 I did not really feel that way when I was studying for the MCAT. 154 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:46,360 I did not like the MCAT. 155 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:49,600 I did not like what the MCAT stood for. 156 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:51,400 And I was not enjoying it. 157 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,400 And I couldn't really motivate myself to say it's going to be worth it. 158 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:55,400 It's going to be worth it. 159 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,320 I just, I didn't feel that way at all when I was studying for the MCAT. 160 00:07:58,320 --> 00:07:59,960 I'm like, mm-hmm. 161 00:07:59,960 --> 00:08:01,920 But I experienced some cost-balancing. 162 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,960 I was like, okay, I've been like studying for this for like a month. 163 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:06,560 I've already bought this textbook. 164 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,200 I've already booked a test date. 165 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:10,600 Might as well just go through with it because I don't like quitting either because it's 166 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,000 like, what's the point of quitting now? 167 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,120 Like you've already studied this for this for like a month or two and like half your summer 168 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:16,120 is gone. 169 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:17,320 You're not going to just quit and stop it. 170 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,080 So I went through with it and I mean, I'm glad I did. 171 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:23,600 But that was the first step that I realized that medicine wasn't for me. 172 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:25,880 And the second step was actually when I got my rejections. 173 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,440 I wasn't that upset. 174 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,360 I didn't feel like I had a dream crushed. 175 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:34,320 I did not feel like, oh, life is over or that there was nothing else for me to do. 176 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,200 I was just like, okay, I got rejected. 177 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,520 I was kind of expecting that considering how bad my MCAT was. 178 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,720 And it still sucks to get rejected, but it was more that I felt bad that I wasted other 179 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,720 people's time and that I wasted my own time applying to this and then didn't even work 180 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:48,720 out. 181 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,760 Like I felt bad that my referees wrote me reference letters and that I spent my summer 182 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,040 writing MCAT when I could have been doing something else. 183 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:56,040 It's a normal feeling. 184 00:08:56,040 --> 00:09:00,480 I've went through this whole thing and my MCAT was, and I said this in my first episode 185 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,000 was lower than yours. 186 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:03,160 Let's just say that. 187 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:08,800 The critical analytical reading section is notoriously difficult and I've studied for 188 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:10,440 a year for this test. 189 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,440 First, I did it at 2021 and I studied first whole summer. 190 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:14,800 I'm like, okay, I didn't do good. 191 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:16,440 Let me do a whole year. 192 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:17,680 No. 193 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:19,600 So I understand all the feelings. 194 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:20,600 It's so normal. 195 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,600 And then there are students out there studying for it and also experiencing this. 196 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:28,640 Just want to say that you're not alone and MCAT is a hard test and it doesn't define your 197 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:29,640 intelligence. 198 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:35,000 When I get it, they want to weed out potential applicants who might not do well on tests 199 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:36,000 in medical school. 200 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,960 I heard that's why they do the MCAT, but it does not define how good of a doctor you 201 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:40,960 could have been. 202 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,080 So this is just one thing I want to emphasize. 203 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,640 But all those things kind of just like realizing that medicine does not the path for you, at 204 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,640 least for now, I really resonate with that. 205 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:54,160 So thank you for sharing that because it makes me feel better, especially considering how 206 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:55,640 accomplished you are. 207 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:56,640 Thank you. 208 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,760 Can I add something to that though, because I think it's something that's so really 209 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:00,760 go ahead. 210 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:01,760 Out of my experience. 211 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:05,160 So when I got rejected from med schools, it was the start of 2022. 212 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,480 So that was like my second semester of third year. 213 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:13,720 And around that time, I was also applying to the summer program called Shad, which is a 214 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:17,600 summer admission program for high school students across Canada. 215 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,520 And I was applying to be a program assistant there. 216 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,400 And I ended up working there summer of 2022. 217 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,000 And working at Shad was honestly life changing for me. 218 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,440 Also while I love the job because I get to spend a month with high school students, some 219 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:34,760 of the brightest high school students in Canada, helping them succeed in their education and 220 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:38,560 their careers and just being there at such an important time of their life was so important 221 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:39,560 to me. 222 00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:42,960 But it was also the team that I worked with that really changed things for me. 223 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:44,880 I worked with them in July 2022. 224 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,320 And the thing about our team is that it was very diverse. 225 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:49,040 I was one of the younger people on the team. 226 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,000 I had teammates who were almost like 20 years older than me. 227 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,280 And there was only one team member who was in medicine, like he was an ER doctor, but 228 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:58,360 everyone else was not in medicine. 229 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:02,080 But they were so passionate about what they were doing, whether they were teachers, whether 230 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:06,360 they were engineers, whether they were in the arts, whether they were in politics. 231 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:11,440 It was just so exciting to be around because we had some overlaps in our interests, of 232 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:13,680 course, and that's why we all worked really well together. 233 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:17,560 But getting outside of that medicine bubble and getting outside of that health science 234 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:21,960 bubble was transformative for me because it's like, these people, they're not just passionate, 235 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,080 but they're also making an impact wherever they are, whether it's in the classrooms that 236 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,000 they're teaching, whether it's in the conversations you're having with them. 237 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,040 There's so many ways they're making an impact. 238 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:31,320 And I would verbalize with them. 239 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,120 I would have a lot of conversations with them about, you know, I don't know if I want to 240 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:35,320 go into medicine again. 241 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:39,480 And especially because a lot of my teammates were older than me, they also really emphasize 242 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:44,960 that careers are not meant to be linear and that they had a lot of twists and turns to 243 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:45,960 throughout their career. 244 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:48,920 So it's like, Sachi, even if you make the decision now to not go into medicine, it doesn't 245 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,200 mean you don't have to do it ever again. 246 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,560 And they talked about their personal experiences, their lived experiences. 247 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:58,680 And that was just a really good reminder for me to say, I'm only in like my third year 248 00:11:58,680 --> 00:11:59,680 of undergrad. 249 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:00,680 This is only like one year. 250 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:02,440 I can always do this later if I want to. 251 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:03,440 And like my life is not over. 252 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:05,880 I don't have to make all these big decisions now. 253 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:11,520 And that you should follow what you're passionate about too, because I think in undergrad, you've 254 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,800 kind of feel like if you want to make a very impactful career, the best way to do that 255 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:16,200 is by going to become a doctor. 256 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,480 But you can make an impact wherever you are with whatever you're doing. 257 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,160 And especially teaching, teaching was something I really loved doing that summer and being 258 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:24,160 a mentor. 259 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,320 And I was like, this is what I really care about. 260 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:32,800 And so I will really be grateful for Shad for giving me that insight into all of my teammates. 261 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:35,760 That was definitely a life-changing experience for me. 262 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:40,280 And it's nice that it came right after your, let's say, rejections were not getting accepted. 263 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:46,240 It really did help you understand what your priorities are and where to kind of guide 264 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:48,680 yourself in the future. 265 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:53,680 When did the realization came to you that you do not want to apply to medicine again? 266 00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:54,680 Was it during Shad? 267 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:55,680 Was it right before? 268 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:56,800 Was it right after? 269 00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:58,600 When did you come to that? 270 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:00,880 Probably at different points. 271 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:05,240 After I got rejected, I was just thinking, okay, what am I going to do now? 272 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,360 I knew that I did not want to study for the MCAT again that summer. 273 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:09,680 I did want to write it a second time. 274 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:12,040 So I ruled that out first. 275 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:17,040 And in the summer of 2022, I also was doing most of my research on different grad programs 276 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,400 because I met some students who are upper years who did grad school. 277 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:25,240 And I knew I enjoyed being in school, so I knew I would rather go to grad school than 278 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,280 enter the workforce straight out of graduation because you have to start thinking about these 279 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:30,080 things when you're in fourth year. 280 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:34,240 And yeah, I mean, before I went into Shad, I was thinking, do I want to apply again? 281 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,000 Is this something I want to do? 282 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,400 I couldn't commit to a decision is what I'll say. 283 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,360 If I was going to apply or not, I was still kind of going back and forth. 284 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,840 But then after Shad, I was very certain and also very confident that, nope, I'm not going 285 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:46,480 to go apply to med school again in fourth year. 286 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,000 I'm going to go all into applying to grad schools. 287 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:54,400 That is probably the journey is like deciding not to write the MCAT again and then kind 288 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,920 of going back and forth with it over the summer while I was doing research on different grad 289 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,200 schools and seeing what other options were and then going to Shad. 290 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:07,280 Yeah, I just want to emphasize it's hard to say when to go further into medicine and persevere 291 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:10,360 or kind of admit to yourself, you're not really feeling it. 292 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:14,360 If you're not really committed to medicine that, okay, this is not something for me. 293 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:19,800 So if any of you listeners out there kind of going back and forth, it's normal first 294 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,280 of all to go back and forth and having those self doubts. 295 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:24,720 It's okay not to know right away what you want to do. 296 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:29,360 But ultimately, and maybe this sounds super cheesy, but it's an advice that helped me 297 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:33,840 a lot and I'm really learning to follow that is follow your heart. 298 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:34,840 Follow your heart. 299 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:35,840 What's your passion? 300 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:36,840 What are your interests? 301 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:41,240 Like where are you gravitating towards without really forcefully pushing yourself? 302 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,080 Because people who go into medicine ideally are people who are really passionate about 303 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:48,760 who are really motivated because I've seen people who have been so down by not getting 304 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:54,120 accepted once, twice, thrice and something inside them just tells them, I still want 305 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:56,600 to be a doctor and I'll go for it every time. 306 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:58,280 But it takes time to realize it. 307 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,760 But if you feel yourself that you're not fully committed to medicine, it's okay to try something 308 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,400 else and it takes courage to admit that to yourself sometimes. 309 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,080 But eventually you can reach it, but it's okay if it takes time. 310 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:10,080 That's what I'm trying to say. 311 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,400 I guess we can switch gears a little bit. 312 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:17,680 You've realized that medicine isn't for you and you start applying to several master's 313 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:25,080 programs and the one you chose and were accepted in is Oxford University, which is so cool. 314 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,160 And you study translational health sciences. 315 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:29,360 That was the masters you pursued. 316 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,800 Can you tell a little bit about the program and what made you choose a specific program? 317 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:34,800 Yeah, sure. 318 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:40,040 I guess I'll start with like the last question actually, like why I chose to study the specific 319 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:41,040 program. 320 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:46,000 So, like I mentioned in the last question, I knew that I enjoyed being in school and 321 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:50,200 I liked being in that intellectually stimulating environment and maybe also I wasn't ready for 322 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:51,200 the workforce. 323 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,120 I wasn't ready to be an adult. 324 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:58,600 And I actually specifically knew that I wanted to study translational health sciences or 325 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:04,440 translational research after graduating because I liked that it takes a very interdisciplinary 326 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:09,400 approach to solving health care problems and interdisciplinary meaning like you need to 327 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:11,960 have expertise in multiple disciplines rather than just one. 328 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:16,680 I went to like info sessions and I read about doing like maybe public health or global health, 329 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:21,400 but I didn't feel like I wanted to be in that field specifically or I felt like maybe it 330 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,240 was a bit too narrow for me. 331 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,160 It's good for other people, but it was just like for me, I'm more of a generalist. 332 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:27,440 I want to look more holistically. 333 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:33,520 And I wasn't like super enthusiastic about public health or global health in like undergrad. 334 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,880 I was more like I want to be excited about all of it. 335 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,520 Like I love both of these fields, but I don't want to have to like choose one exactly per 336 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:40,520 say. 337 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,920 And I didn't know if I wanted to follow a career in that way. 338 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:46,160 And I wanted to study translational health sciences because I found that in undergrad, 339 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,120 we spent a lot of time talking about health care problems. 340 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:55,320 So we talk about challenges with technology, talking about how marginalized groups faced 341 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:56,600 worse health care outcomes. 342 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,400 And I was like, okay, these are good problems to know. 343 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:01,080 That's what the research is telling us. 344 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:02,080 But what's next? 345 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:03,080 Who's addressing it? 346 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:04,520 Who is solving the problem now? 347 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:08,320 Maybe because undergrad was a bit too short in our courses, we're only like three to four 348 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,240 months and maybe just the nature of undergrad teaching too. 349 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,480 I just didn't feel like we spent enough time talking about solutions and talking to people 350 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,440 who were actually trying to address this, like working on the ground to address this. 351 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,560 So I knew that translational health sciences where it talks about how to translate research 352 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:28,920 into practice and how to actually implement innovations, how to implement research that 353 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,160 can actually help and benefit people. 354 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:35,160 You're not just a specialist in one field, but you need to know a little bit about everything 355 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,280 so you can kind of get the bigger picture. 356 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:39,880 I can see how passionate you are about this. 357 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:45,280 And I'm so happy that you pursued a program that you are feeling so positively about. 358 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:50,480 And we need people like you, like you said, you're a generalist who see things holistically 359 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:53,080 because it's such a skill that not everyone has. 360 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:58,600 We need people who can translate knowledge and research from academia to real life, to 361 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:04,240 policy, to actually implementing it because there's such a gap sometimes between academia 362 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:09,720 and then it stays in their circle and doesn't get to the organization, the nonprofits who 363 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:11,200 are doing the work. 364 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:15,320 So thank you for pursuing a degree like this and to other people who are pursuing similar 365 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:21,000 degrees because it's very, very useful to say, to say the least, it's very useful. 366 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,560 And what are your future plans with completing your degree? 367 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:29,240 Now that you're pursuing this and you know, you moved to Oxford, studied all this and 368 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:33,840 looking back now, are you happy with the decision you made not to pursue medicine? 369 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,200 Even somehow knowing what if you got in second time you applied? 370 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,840 I am so grateful to be here. 371 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:43,600 I think Oxford has been a life changing experience for the better. 372 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:47,840 It's been both the most rewarding and challenging year of my life because I was moving to a 373 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:51,480 new country, starting grad school, being away from friends and family, navigating a lot 374 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:56,960 of guilt and a lot of newfound independence is quite challenging. 375 00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:01,520 But because I'm here now and I made it to the other side or I'm still in it, but I've 376 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:03,280 become more resilient because of it. 377 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:04,920 I'm really grateful for that experience. 378 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:11,280 And also there's very few places as international as Oxford, like having so many people from 379 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:15,400 different countries around the world in one place, especially in the master's community. 380 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:17,840 First off, there's a lot of diversity in age. 381 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:23,440 I'm usually the younger person in my class and there's people who are like 10, 20, 30, 382 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,240 40 years older than me and they're pursuing education, which is so inspiring because it 383 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:32,040 really goes to show that anyone can be a student and getting the international perspective, 384 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,760 especially for someone like me who's very curious and loves traveling and wanted to 385 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,160 spend my 20s living abroad. 386 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:43,400 It's been so valuable for me to just learn these different points of views of the world, 387 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,280 especially in my class, like with translational health sciences, like learn about different 388 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:50,360 initiatives that are happening in different countries, what kind of innovations they're 389 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:52,560 bringing to the classroom, essentially. 390 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:58,040 But yeah, so then tying that then to what I also really enjoy about is that everyone's 391 00:19:58,040 --> 00:19:59,320 doing very different things. 392 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,680 It's very different from undergrad where everyone wants to kind of do the same thing because 393 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:06,400 everyone here already has a career kind of, especially in the master's level. 394 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,800 So very interesting to learn about what people are doing and get ideas for what I want to 395 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:15,200 do with my own career, which is still something I'm trying to figure out. 396 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,320 But I don't really have a linear career path that I'm thinking in mind. 397 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:20,040 I want to do multiple things with my career. 398 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:24,360 I feel like I believe more in the motto of make your own career instead of follow a career. 399 00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:26,280 So I want to do my entrepreneurial stuff. 400 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:27,520 I want to be creative. 401 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:28,520 I want to travel. 402 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,960 Like, I don't know what I'm going to do immediately after I graduate. 403 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,040 I'm probably going to go for a job that's going to give me some more financial stability 404 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:38,760 and allow me to still be living abroad or living in a different country because I don't 405 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:40,720 think I'm ready to come back to Canada yet either. 406 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:41,720 I get it. 407 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:47,600 But I think long term though, I do want to be running my own enterprise and having that 408 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:53,800 be my main job but also be my main source of income because I just realized from me 409 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:58,960 in my personality too, I think I work best and I enjoy work the most when I get to be 410 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:00,160 the one in charge. 411 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,600 I realized that lesson the most when I was doing my photography business because it was 412 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,680 like, my photography was so fun. 413 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:07,240 I got to go to a lot of events. 414 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:08,480 I was getting paid to go to them. 415 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,040 I got to choose who I work with and I was getting paid for it. 416 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:12,480 Like, this sounds like the dream. 417 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:13,920 How do I do this long term? 418 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:14,920 Right. 419 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:16,600 Yeah, but in different fields. 420 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:18,920 So I'm just going along the way. 421 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:20,920 We'll see what happens. 422 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:22,800 First of all, you're a true leader. 423 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:26,200 You're the one who's going to set the standard in your workplace, whatever that's going to 424 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,160 be and people will follow you. 425 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,360 And as one of my mentors told me, go with the flow. 426 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:35,520 You know, approximately that you want to be in startups, you like putting the research 427 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:40,640 into practice and I feel like everything will align for you and you will find your place. 428 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,920 I have no doubt about it and go with the flow and don't stress at all. 429 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,400 That's what I tell you and I tell this to myself. 430 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,840 Yeah, everything will be good. 431 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:54,120 And similar to what you said, there are many careers in healthcare where you can help people 432 00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:55,840 and take up a leadership position. 433 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:57,960 It doesn't have to be a doctor. 434 00:21:57,960 --> 00:21:59,560 I mean, it can be. 435 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:00,560 It's good. 436 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:01,560 You can pursue it. 437 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:03,840 Like go for it if you decide that it's for you. 438 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,200 But just like you said, just go outside of your bubble. 439 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:07,360 See what else is out there. 440 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:08,640 And that doesn't just go to pre-meds. 441 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:13,680 I think that goes to just all people, especially who are in their 20s, just kind of explore. 442 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:15,840 Don't rush to commit to one career. 443 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:20,960 Just because all those stepping stones you make, they can change the trajectory of your 444 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,480 life in such ways you can't imagine. 445 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:28,040 And then I guess your journey of starting with preparing applications for medical schools, 446 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:32,320 writing the MCAT, and then applying to grad schools and now studying in Oxford. 447 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,640 You're a busy girl. 448 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:38,960 Studying these things, I imagine can feel very overwhelming at times. 449 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,120 How do you maintain your mental wellness, your mental health in the midst of all these 450 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:46,000 tasks or commitments that you have? 451 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,320 It's a good question. 452 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,200 I'm still figuring that out. 453 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:50,200 Yeah. 454 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:51,200 As we are all. 455 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:52,200 Yeah. 456 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:53,200 I'll be honest. 457 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:55,800 I do really enjoy being a busy person. 458 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,360 Like I like having a lot to do. 459 00:22:57,360 --> 00:23:02,440 I'd rather be someone that has a lot on my plate rather than not a lot. 460 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:08,400 Even that's just someone who I am, call that being an overachiever, being a perfectionist, 461 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:09,400 whatever you want to say. 462 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:10,400 I get it. 463 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:11,400 Yeah. 464 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:12,400 I will recognize too. 465 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:16,840 I think it does come from a deep rooted insecurity I have about feeling like I'm not doing enough 466 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:21,960 and that I have to be a good role model, especially being the oldest sibling too. 467 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:26,080 There's just that innate personality trait of like, okay, you're a role model. 468 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:27,360 You are doing things first. 469 00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:28,800 You want to do them well. 470 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:33,520 So yeah, like I do do a lot and I do recognize that it does probably come from an insecurity 471 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:34,520 I have as well. 472 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,080 But I think I also built a lot of confidence through doing a lot of different things. 473 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,760 So it's a balancing act for sure. 474 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:44,800 And I will be honest too, in that I probably burnt out every semester of undergrad by the 475 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:45,800 end. 476 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:46,800 I was so tired. 477 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,200 I don't think it physically took a toll on me in a way that I can remember. 478 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,560 I was fortunate that like my health was good enough for that, but I just remember feeling 479 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,560 like so exhausted, like so ready to be done, waiting for the next break. 480 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:00,680 And I think I burnt out like this summer too, like at Oxford. 481 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:05,320 So I am not the best person to advise on like how not to burn out, but I try to only commit 482 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,720 to things that I really enjoy and that I think add value to my life. 483 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,520 And I think that's where a lot of people, they're not enjoying their classes and they're 484 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,000 not doing their time or they feel extra stress because they're signed up for things that they 485 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:16,000 don't want to be doing. 486 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,440 They're doing it because they think it's going to help them in the long run. 487 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,560 But I feel like I just always did things that I really enjoyed. 488 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:23,640 Like I took courses because I wanted to take them. 489 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,760 I did only the extracurriculars that I really enjoyed doing. 490 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:30,560 Honestly, your mental health is just a lot better when you're doing things that you 491 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,480 care about and things that you enjoy. 492 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:34,560 And you're in control of that too, because it is your life. 493 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:35,560 It is your time. 494 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,560 You have to recognize that you are going to be busy because I work hard. 495 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:42,440 Like whenever I do something, I want to be doing well and I want to put my best effort 496 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:43,440 into it. 497 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,960 And if you're always going to be busy, which I feel like I am and I don't mind that, I 498 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:48,360 want to be doing things that I'm enjoying. 499 00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:49,760 No, I love that. 500 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:55,240 When I do things that you enjoy and be intentional with your time, that's very important for 501 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:56,480 mental health. 502 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,080 Maybe question some self-care here and there. 503 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,000 I resonate with what you said a lot. 504 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,480 It's very hard for me to kind of stop what I'm doing and kind of tell myself, okay, just 505 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,040 kind of stop, go rest now, watch a movie. 506 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:09,280 It's very difficult for me. 507 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,400 So sometimes I have to be really forceful with myself to rest. 508 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:17,360 And then at first it feels weird, but then eventually it's just like my productivity increases. 509 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:21,680 I think more big picture sometimes, no matter how, I mean, maybe that's just my opinion, 510 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,120 no matter how busy you are, just even if it's like five minutes per day, just kind of lie 511 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:26,120 down. 512 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:29,960 It sounds funny, but like lie down on the bed and just kind of like close your eyes and 513 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:31,560 don't think about anything. 514 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:37,400 Just five minutes or it can be a nap or meditation, whatever your preferable choice of relaxation 515 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,480 is just to kind of reset yourself. 516 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:45,240 Because if you don't reset, like you mentioned, you might burn out and burnout doesn't always 517 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:49,640 contribute well to the work that you do. 518 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:54,240 But ultimately, yeah, it's having that balance because you're such an ambitious person and 519 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,920 there's projects you're working on and they're successful. 520 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,400 And of course you want to contribute more to them, so having that time for yourself. 521 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:01,400 No, 100%. 522 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:06,120 Like you don't do work well either when you are tired and when you are burnt out. 523 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:09,800 And that's something I've learned after she talking to like friends and family. 524 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,440 Like I need to be reminded, like it is so important for you to rest because you're not 525 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:14,120 going to do good work anyways when you're tired. 526 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:18,280 A task that usually will take you 10 minutes when you're well and healthy might take you 527 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,000 two hours when you're not feeling well. 528 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:21,560 So there's no point anyways. 529 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:23,560 But easier said than done. 530 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:24,560 Of course. 531 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:25,560 Of course. 532 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:27,360 I get crap from my family all the time. 533 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:30,040 Okay, just go out and just like enjoy your time. 534 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,560 I guess it's hard for me to learn my lesson. 535 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:33,560 Exactly. 536 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:37,320 I don't know how many times I'm going to have to like burn out for me to actually like make 537 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:38,840 a transformational change. 538 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:41,320 Is this you're such a leader and such an ambitious person? 539 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,760 It's extra hard and you're an overachiever and there's like a whole book written for 540 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,280 overachievers called the gap in the game. 541 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:51,280 And it's how overachievers usually a lot of them have this mindset of, okay, what else 542 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,960 do I have to achieve because they have this ideal self in mind. 543 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,400 But the ideal self is meant to be ideal self because you never truly achieve it because 544 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:58,600 it always grows. 545 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:03,280 And then instead switching to that gain mindset where you compare your current self to your 546 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,440 past self and just kind of seeing what you've accomplished. 547 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,320 Give yourself credit along the way to help yourself build that self esteem and realize 548 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:14,200 how cool of a person you are just for achieving what you already achieved in spite of what 549 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:15,680 other goals you put for yourself. 550 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:20,320 So yeah, and I've been so impressed just by looking at your page. 551 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:25,560 You're very entrepreneurial like you mentioned and you should be so, so proud of yourself. 552 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:30,120 Honestly, you're an inspiration truly just kind of remind yourself and give credit to 553 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:32,000 yourself along the way. 554 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,960 That's very, that's very kind and that's something I'm definitely going to take with 555 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:35,960 me this week. 556 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:41,720 It's easily my own worth critic so your words mean a lot to me when you say that. 557 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,920 Everyone wants to be acknowledged once in a while and you deserve to be acknowledged 558 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:46,520 and for all the work that you do. 559 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:47,520 So thanks. 560 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:48,520 Thank you. 561 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:49,520 I appreciate that. 562 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,520 Okay, let's move on. 563 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:58,520 So your journey of not getting sent to medical school in a way led you to start a newsletter, 564 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,880 one of your many initiatives and the newsletter is called invite health. 565 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:07,240 So please explain it in more detail what invite health is, what it's about, how you were 566 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:08,640 led to start it. 567 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:13,240 Yeah, so invite health is a newsletter that I started two years ago when I was in the 568 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,520 start of my fourth year, my fourth and final year of undergrad. 569 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:20,440 It's a newsletter where I interview students and early career professionals and ask them 570 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,440 basically how they built their career in the life and health sciences. 571 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:27,640 I also do try to share resources and job opportunities, especially paid job opportunities 572 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,360 because those are very hard to find in healthcare. 573 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:33,040 And the point of invite health is honestly very multifold. 574 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:37,480 It's to show you about different career pathways in healthcare, but also not just showing you 575 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,400 what they are, but like how to get there. 576 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,480 Because I know that you can do anything you want with a lifestyle or health side degree, 577 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:43,600 but how do you get there? 578 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:45,480 What kind of program should you do? 579 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:50,880 And I think it's also exists to be the opposite of gatekeeping culture where everyone tries 580 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:55,200 to keep things themselves, opportunities to themselves and not really sharing those with 581 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:56,200 others. 582 00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:00,720 And I think that's why I said it's a place where we're being very transparent about how 583 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:04,520 people build their careers and what type of opportunities they did and how did they get 584 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:08,720 it, whether they got it through applications or networking or just your luck. 585 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,320 Yeah, so that's a little bit about invite health. 586 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:12,560 How did I start it though? 587 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:14,640 It's honestly a very interesting journey. 588 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:18,920 As I mentioned earlier in 2022 winter, that's when I got rejected from med school. 589 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:22,280 And actually one of the things right after that when I got rejected was thinking, why 590 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:26,840 don't you call up call up as an like cooperative education where students get to a few placements 591 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,040 at different companies and work there. 592 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:32,440 They get paid as like interns get paid as students. 593 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:33,440 They're learning on the job. 594 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:34,440 They're getting valuable work experience. 595 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,880 And I was like, why doesn't McMaster Health Science have a co-op program? 596 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:38,880 It seems like such a good idea. 597 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:40,840 Students would get paid students would get experience. 598 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:45,400 You're connecting these incredible companies with super talented, super keen, super ambitious 599 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:46,400 students. 600 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:47,400 It seems like a win-win situation. 601 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:52,000 So actually after I got rejected from med school, I gathered two of my friends and we 602 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,360 wrote an email to our Dean asking if we could have a co-op program. 603 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:59,960 And it was a good meeting, but ultimately what our takeaway from that meeting was is 604 00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:03,680 like a co-op program is something that's on the health side agenda, but it's not something 605 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:05,160 that's going to be immediately actioned. 606 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,160 So I was like, okay, there's that. 607 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:10,160 And then that was kind of like rejection number one. 608 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:14,080 And the second time was that I thought, okay, I really want to address this issue though 609 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:18,200 of like, they need to show us different career pathways and I want to promote different opportunities 610 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:19,200 and healthcare. 611 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:23,360 So I thought I was going to make change from like inside the health side program by running 612 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:26,680 to be the BHSS, which stands for Bachelor of Health Sciences Society. 613 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,560 It's kind of like our student government for McMaster Health Science. 614 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:33,920 I ran to be the academic coordinator because it's an election based position. 615 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:35,600 You have to be voted into it. 616 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:40,880 And I campaigned and I thought that was going to be the place where I get to use that platform 617 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:45,160 with the entire health side population and implement different ideas like different career 618 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,440 nights, showcasing different opportunities. 619 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:49,560 See all the changes that I wanted to see. 620 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:51,040 And then I lost that election. 621 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:52,040 I came second place. 622 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:56,120 So I was like, okay, that's not going to work for me either. 623 00:30:56,120 --> 00:31:00,000 So then that summer, when I was also applying to grad schools, I knew I had this idea, this 624 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:05,320 itching idea of like, I want to create a platform where I share opportunities and that would 625 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:06,680 ultimately be in right health. 626 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:11,360 I decided to create a newsletter because there was a few different reasons I like newsletters. 627 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,160 I think I followed a few of them. 628 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:17,160 They were becoming more popular as like a creator tool, not just something that businesses 629 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:19,840 would do like sign up for mailing lists and stuff. 630 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:24,560 And I like that no matter if you have social media or not, you can access a newsletter because 631 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:25,560 it's just your email. 632 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,720 So I got the idea for invite health to be a newsletter. 633 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:34,200 The idea was that I was going to share opportunities I found online, like research groups, internships, 634 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:39,040 especially paid opportunities because I hate unpaid internships and especially in healthcare 635 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:40,640 happens way too often. 636 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:45,680 And I just think it's so ironic considering how much dialogue there is around trying to 637 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:50,560 make healthcare and medicine more equitable, yet unpaid internships seem to be the standard 638 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,360 and they just perpetuate inequity even further. 639 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:57,640 Anyways, yeah, so invite health was going to be a place where I wanted to share opportunities. 640 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,640 But then a week after I launched invite health, I went on LinkedIn and I saw someone make a 641 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:04,880 post about an internship they just completed, like a research internship. 642 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:09,360 And I was like, wait, and I had a huge light bulb in my head go off thinking, I want to 643 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:10,360 interview this person. 644 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:12,520 I want to ask them like, what did you do during your research internship? 645 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:13,520 How did you get the position? 646 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:14,520 Were you paid? 647 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:18,560 And I reached out to them, asked them about it, and they wrote up an interview for me. 648 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:21,400 And I was like, because the reason I reached out to them was because I had this platform, 649 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,640 like, wait, I have this newsletter, would you want to like talk about your experience 650 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:25,640 for it? 651 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:26,640 And they agreed to it. 652 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:29,000 And I published my first invite health interview. 653 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,920 And after that, I was like, this is what I'm going to be doing for invite health from now 654 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:32,920 on. 655 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,360 I'm going to be sharing opportunities and I'm going to be interviewing students because 656 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:37,080 that's such an effective way to learn. 657 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:40,360 You want to learn from people who are like one or two years older than you who are doing 658 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:44,040 things that you want to do so that you can learn from them because they have been in 659 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:45,040 your shoes recently. 660 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:49,760 And yeah, again, it goes back to like breaking down that gatekeeping culture. 661 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:51,400 So yeah, invite health. 662 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:55,520 Since I've launched, I've now published 51 interviews because I've just published one 663 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:56,520 today. 664 00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:59,360 I've been running for two years and yeah, it's been read by over a thousand people, which 665 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:00,360 is crazy. 666 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:05,760 I'm like a thousand people, a thousand people in a room is a lot of people that just stumbled 667 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:07,320 upon this newsletter. 668 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:09,040 That is what invite health is about. 669 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:10,560 And that's kind of my journey to starting it. 670 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:15,880 And I'm still running it now, just hoping to share more stories and encourage more people 671 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:20,960 to learn about different career pathways in healthcare and to be transparent about how 672 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:22,200 they got there too. 673 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,080 Because we all win when we're all successful. 674 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:29,280 And I just want to reiterate how, again, like, I don't know, maybe I sound like a cheesy 675 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:37,040 grandmother, but how beautiful it is that it stemmed from kind of your uncertainty about 676 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:38,040 what you want to pursue. 677 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,640 But you knew you didn't want to do medicine eventually. 678 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:43,120 And then you figured out what to do. 679 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:48,000 But also in the process, you started this newsletter and you use this opportunity of 680 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:52,840 rejection, which a lot of people associate with negativity to create something new and 681 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:57,640 help people because listen, I've read your newsletter and read many articles and they're 682 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:02,440 very helpful because right now, even though I already completed my bachelors, but I'm 683 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:06,040 not really sure if I want to pursue my bachelors as neuroscience and I'm not really sure if 684 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:09,040 I want to pursue something in neuroscience specifically. 685 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:14,120 So reading your newsletter, it was really helpful for me to figure out what my next steps could 686 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:15,120 be. 687 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:21,840 What are some tips to cold email professors to do research in labs that you have not been 688 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:23,920 in before and you don't know the professors. 689 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:25,560 There are so many good tips. 690 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:31,680 So I'm not even a tidbit surprised that there are so many people subscribed to it. 691 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:34,440 So thank you for launching it. 692 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:40,040 I recognize that one of the reasons that I think invite health husband so impactful is 693 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:44,360 because not everyone in their life has a privilege of having connections or family or friends 694 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:45,360 who are in healthcare. 695 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:49,400 So there's a lot of extra barriers and a lot of extra work that someone needs to do if 696 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,360 they want to learn how to break into healthcare or go into the healthcare field. 697 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:58,520 And it can feel trickier and it can feel isolating and invite health just tries to be that platform 698 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:00,960 that anybody can access because of course it's on the internet. 699 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:01,960 It's for free. 700 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,720 So if you subscribe to it at any time, it'll always be available because not everyone has 701 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:07,000 that privilege of having opportunities. 702 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:10,400 So at least with invite health, I hope it could help people get at least a start to 703 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:14,200 finding mentors to finding connections to finding their first job and telling them how 704 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:15,200 to get there. 705 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:19,280 Yeah, it's a beautiful thing that you're doing and please continue doing it. 706 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:25,320 And we are soon coming to an end of this episode and we've talked about a lot. 707 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,480 We've covered so much. 708 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:35,120 Any last thoughts, main takeaways you have for our listeners before we wrap up and also 709 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:38,880 mention please where can the listeners connect with you if they want to learn more about 710 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:42,440 your journey, your masters or whatever it is else that you're doing. 711 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:43,440 Yes. 712 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,680 I think the first goes back to that gatekeeping and competitive culture. 713 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:51,080 I understand why people do it because there's a scarcity mindset. 714 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:53,600 There's not enough opportunities to go around. 715 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:58,280 Objectively, it's very difficult to get into like graduate schools and to get a job nowadays. 716 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:02,120 So I understand where people come from when they want to be competitive. 717 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:07,720 But realistically, especially in healthcare, healthcare is a very collaborative field. 718 00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:09,520 You have to learn how to work together. 719 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:13,440 You have to learn to embrace other people's ways of thinking and you have to learn that 720 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:15,560 you're not going to solve all these problems by yourself. 721 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:19,160 So I think it's best to learn that earlier rather than later. 722 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:21,960 Getting an opportunity is difficult, but there's enough for everybody. 723 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,320 And like I said, I believe in making opportunities to like if you can't find an opportunity, 724 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:26,880 you can create one for yourself. 725 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:29,800 So we should all be working together, not against each other. 726 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:35,120 I think the second thing I'll talk about is that it's really important to have things 727 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:37,680 that you're doing outside of your academics. 728 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:42,640 I didn't get to talk about it as much, but being a photographer has been the best thing 729 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:46,200 that I've done outside of school because it's given me a lot of confidence. 730 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:47,520 It's allowed me to meet so many people. 731 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:51,960 It's allowed me to make extra aside income too and have a creative hobby and teach me 732 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:53,960 skills that also helped me in school. 733 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:55,600 Like I'm the better communicator because of it. 734 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:58,040 I'm better conversationalist because of photography. 735 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:02,160 And I also have different perspectives on the world because I've met people through photography 736 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:03,160 as well. 737 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:06,000 Like I got to learn about different cultures by going to cultural events. 738 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:09,920 I got to go to conferences that I probably wouldn't have been able to go to unless I 739 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:11,400 was a photographer. 740 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:14,440 I'm not saying that like everyone needs to go and become a photographer, but I'm just 741 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:18,360 saying that it's really important to have things outside of school that you're doing 742 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:22,760 so that you can also be reminded that school is not the only thing in your life. 743 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:28,520 And I recognize it also is a privilege too because I didn't need photography to be financially 744 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:30,800 like sustainable when I was an undergrad. 745 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:34,800 And I recognize that not everyone has that luxury of time to pursue different hobbies, 746 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:40,400 but try to find something that will work for you, whatever situation you're in and whatever 747 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:41,400 background you're in. 748 00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:47,920 I think the third thing and maybe the most important thing is to be around supportive 749 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:52,480 communities and have a supportive community, whether that is or is not your immediate family, 750 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:57,120 whether that's your friends, whether that's people you meet in class, but especially for 751 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:03,080 people like us who are prone to being strong self critics. 752 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:06,800 You need to be around people who remind you that you are doing enough and that you are 753 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:12,040 doing a lot and that will remind you to rest and will make you feel good on days that you 754 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:13,760 don't feel great about yourself. 755 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:17,120 Because also if they're your friends, especially in your family and you trust they have good 756 00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:19,120 judgment, you should listen to them. 757 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:20,120 You know they're smart. 758 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:21,120 Yeah. 759 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:24,000 You know they're telling you good advice, but you're not doing this alone. 760 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:27,000 And I'm also someone who like struggles, asks for help. 761 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,160 But when I have friends and family who can tell me, Hey, I recognize you're going through 762 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:34,600 something or I recognize you're not at your best right now. 763 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:38,000 You need that because sometimes we're not always the best judges of our own character 764 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:40,040 and our own health and our own habits. 765 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:42,080 So make sure you're around supportive communities. 766 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:46,240 Like I have been a very entrepreneurial person as I iterated throughout this podcast, but 767 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:49,520 it's also because every time I've launched something or started something new is because 768 00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:53,040 my friends were there to support me and say like this is a great idea or they would share 769 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:54,040 it with other people. 770 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:58,080 Like everyone has a fear of rejection and everyone has a fear of like, I don't know 771 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:02,080 if I want to start this because what are people going to think and what if it fails. 772 00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:06,200 Like no one has actually like come up to me and told me like my content is cringe or like 773 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,880 what I do for in my health, whatever I post on LinkedIn is cringe. 774 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,480 They tell me the exact opposite. 775 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:12,480 Like they enjoy seeing it and it's helped them. 776 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:16,400 Like it's easier to do things and it's easier to go after what you want when you have a 777 00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:17,560 supportive community. 778 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:22,360 So I think that's the final piece of advice that I will give for people. 779 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:23,360 Yeah. 780 00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:25,080 I'll I'll agree with that. 781 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:31,880 And yeah, please rely on your family to give you more objective evaluation of your character, 782 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:33,880 especially when you're feeling down. 783 00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:37,800 You shouldn't you shouldn't listen to yourself because the thoughts that run through your 784 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:40,880 head are not are not reliable. 785 00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:46,480 So yeah, have your family or like you said, if not immediate family of friends. 786 00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:51,760 And I really do hope that whoever you are listening to this, you do have people who 787 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:52,840 will support you. 788 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:57,840 I remember when I was starting this podcast, I remember it felt like a light bulb too, 789 00:39:57,840 --> 00:40:01,480 but it felt so silly as well because I even have the title in my head right away, the 790 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:03,000 rejected pre-med. 791 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:07,280 And I'm like, wow, that sounds so so weird at first. 792 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:10,840 And then I talked to my family about this and then they're like, no, go for it. 793 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:15,120 So they're very pivotal people who told me and they encouraged me to start this podcast. 794 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:18,960 And otherwise, I think if they said that it's a bad idea, probably wouldn't have done it. 795 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:22,880 So that's why it's very important to surround yourself with people who do support you. 796 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:23,880 Yeah. 797 00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:25,120 Oh, sorry, I forgot to answer the question. 798 00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:26,720 How can people connect with me? 799 00:40:26,720 --> 00:40:28,560 I am very active on LinkedIn. 800 00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:31,280 Just sat you can you can search me up or you can search up invite health. 801 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,200 And apparently if you put invite health into Google, the second search result will put my 802 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:36,200 name beside it. 803 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:37,200 So nice. 804 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:39,600 So I just started to invite health, Sachi, and it'll show up too. 805 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,480 I try to be active on social media. 806 00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:47,480 I have invite health Instagram page, but I also have a Sachi and Oxford Instagram page 807 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,520 where I try to show my life here and also share more resources. 808 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:53,520 I am not as active on there as I am on LinkedIn. 809 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:56,280 So LinkedIn is probably the best way to reach me. 810 00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:57,600 But I also have a photography page. 811 00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,440 So if you want to see some of my photography, you can check that out. 812 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:04,160 It's called Photo by Sachi, Photo by Sachi with two eyes though at the end. 813 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:05,680 I'll send all these links to you too. 814 00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:09,240 So yeah, yeah, I was going to say I was I'm just going to put it in show notes, all the 815 00:41:09,240 --> 00:41:12,120 links to invite health, your social media, the photography page. 816 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:14,880 I'll just I'll put it in show notes so people can access it. 817 00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:19,000 But yeah, thank you so much Sachi for appearing on this podcast. 818 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:24,000 It was a pleasure interviewing you and thanks to you, our listener as well for tuning in. 819 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:30,040 I'm very excited to be releasing this episode because it just shows how much rejection is 820 00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:32,240 simply a redirection. 821 00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:37,400 And at the end of the day, it all depends on our perception and the steps we take after 822 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:39,200 our so-called failure. 823 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:43,600 And I would love to hear from all of you listening in what you liked about this episode and 824 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:46,520 what topics you want me to cover in the future episodes. 825 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:52,200 So please DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn to share your insights and thank you again, Sachi. 826 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:54,200 Thank you so much. 827 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:59,480 Yeah, this was Valeria Rusnick, the host of the Rejective Pre-Met podcast. 828 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:01,240 And I thank you for listening.