WEBVTT 00:00:13.969 --> 00:00:16.949 Welcome to Our Voices, Our Future, the podcast 00:00:16.949 --> 00:00:19.410 where we amplify the voices driving change and 00:00:19.410 --> 00:00:22.050 equity within medicine and beyond. Brought to 00:00:22.050 --> 00:00:24.250 you by the Gender Equity Task Force, a committee 00:00:24.250 --> 00:00:26.449 of the American Medical Women's Association. 00:00:26.969 --> 00:00:29.210 We're here to challenge norms, break barriers 00:00:29.210 --> 00:00:31.969 and ignite conversations that matter. I'm Rhea 00:00:31.969 --> 00:00:34.149 Manohar and in each episode, we'll bring you 00:00:34.149 --> 00:00:36.829 candid discussions with leaders, change makers 00:00:36.829 --> 00:00:39.649 and advocates working to create a more inclusive 00:00:39.649 --> 00:00:42.810 and just world. no more silence, no more waiting. 00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:45.890 You're listening to our voices, our future. Let's 00:00:45.890 --> 00:00:49.770 get into it. Today, we are welcoming Dr. Beth 00:00:49.770 --> 00:00:54.270 Siva, where so? He was an obstetrician, gynecologist, 00:00:54.469 --> 00:00:57.210 educator, and women's health advocate whose work 00:00:57.210 --> 00:00:59.750 sits on the intersection of clinical expertise, 00:00:59.990 --> 00:01:03.310 public health, and community empowerment. As 00:01:03.310 --> 00:01:06.290 the founder of Dr. Sheba's Fibroids and Fertility 00:01:06.290 --> 00:01:09.349 Coaching, she specializes in guiding women through 00:01:09.349 --> 00:01:12.290 the complexities of fibroid care and fertility 00:01:12.290 --> 00:01:15.590 planning. She earned an MD from Meru Medical 00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:18.590 College, and PhD from Harvard University, and 00:01:18.590 --> 00:01:20.810 completed residence at Georgetown University 00:01:20.810 --> 00:01:23.650 MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Rather than 00:01:23.650 --> 00:01:25.810 take a traditional path in medicine, she chooses 00:01:25.810 --> 00:01:28.969 to practice medicine as a locum tennis travel 00:01:28.969 --> 00:01:31.849 doctor, where she's licensed to practice medicine 00:01:31.849 --> 00:01:34.349 in several states around the country. Beyond 00:01:34.349 --> 00:01:38.430 the clinic, Dr. Wurso is a dynamic communicator 00:01:38.430 --> 00:01:41.549 known for her clear, compassionate teaching style 00:01:41.549 --> 00:01:44.430 and her growing online expertise on TikTok and 00:01:44.430 --> 00:01:47.430 Instagram, where she provides accessible reproductive 00:01:47.430 --> 00:01:51.629 health education to a global audience through 00:01:51.629 --> 00:01:55.500 her digital education platform. coaching programs, 00:01:55.540 --> 00:01:58.540 and speaking engagements, Dr. Wareso has helped 00:01:58.540 --> 00:02:01.939 thousands of women understand their diagnosis, 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:04.680 feel seen in their health journeys, and access 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:07.540 care pathways that honor both their medical needs 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:10.500 and lived experiences. She is deeply committed 00:02:10.500 --> 00:02:13.419 to advancing health equity, uplifting women's 00:02:13.419 --> 00:02:16.219 voices, and redefining what culturally competent 00:02:16.219 --> 00:02:19.319 fibroid care looks like. So thank you so much 00:02:19.319 --> 00:02:22.560 for being here. Of course, I'm so glad to be 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:25.439 joining you here. Thanks for inviting me. So 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:28.460 to start, can you share what first sparked your 00:02:28.460 --> 00:02:31.180 passion for patient advocacy and women's health 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:34.919 education? Was there a defining moment or experience 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:38.569 that led you down this path? I would say that 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:42.430 for me, it was almost like a culmination of experiences. 00:02:43.909 --> 00:02:47.090 After being in medical school, being in a residency, 00:02:47.409 --> 00:02:50.770 you start to hear some stories overlap. You're 00:02:50.770 --> 00:02:52.650 kind of hearing the same story over and over 00:02:52.650 --> 00:02:57.210 again. And in my case, hearing women coming with... 00:02:56.969 --> 00:03:01.050 symptoms of fibroids, but being told that their 00:03:01.050 --> 00:03:04.770 symptoms were, air quote, normal, right? That 00:03:04.770 --> 00:03:08.009 the pains that they were having were minimized 00:03:08.009 --> 00:03:10.889 and that they weren't feeling like they were 00:03:10.889 --> 00:03:14.210 being heard. And one of the things that we know 00:03:14.210 --> 00:03:16.949 is that in medicine, of course, we do everything 00:03:16.949 --> 00:03:19.569 to treat that one patient in front of us, but 00:03:19.569 --> 00:03:22.069 on the larger point, there are so many more women 00:03:22.069 --> 00:03:24.710 who experience those same things. And that's 00:03:24.710 --> 00:03:27.340 what really got me motivated into. creating this 00:03:27.340 --> 00:03:29.560 global platform and being able to reach even 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:33.439 more women who have that same story. Well, that's 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:36.479 awesome. Yeah, it kind of makes sense that it's 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:38.900 kind of a combination as you were going through 00:03:38.900 --> 00:03:44.159 your different educational practices. So. What 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:46.819 we're curious about is so many women experience 00:03:46.819 --> 00:03:50.300 fibroids or fertility challenges, yet these topics 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:53.099 are often overlooked or misunderstood, kind of 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:55.759 like what you were saying. So from your perspective, 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:58.259 what are the biggest gaps in patient education 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:00.699 or awareness when it comes to these conditions? 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:04.500 Yeah, you know, when we talk about fibroids, 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:08.319 Here in the United States, over 70 to 80 percent 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:11.460 of women have fibroids. So they're incredibly, 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:14.500 incredibly common. However, we find that nobody 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:17.660 is really talking about it. Oftentimes when it 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:21.040 comes to women's health issues in general, their 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:23.279 issues tend to be silenced and kind of put on 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:26.300 the back burner. So a big part of what I do is 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:28.899 one, spread awareness about what fibroids are 00:04:28.899 --> 00:04:32.079 so that people can be able to one, identify if 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:35.120 they have those symptoms and now be empowered 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.720 to move forward with getting assistance, right? 00:04:38.189 --> 00:04:41.449 Next, we talk about prioritizing these issues. 00:04:41.970 --> 00:04:44.430 So these are things that shouldn't be waiting 00:04:44.430 --> 00:04:46.689 until tomorrow, waiting until next year, next 00:04:46.689 --> 00:04:49.370 month. But yes, you don't have to wait until 00:04:49.370 --> 00:04:52.370 things get to be so bad that then you seek care 00:04:52.370 --> 00:04:55.589 in the hospital. And also knowing that your level 00:04:55.589 --> 00:04:58.089 of urgency should be honored because you know 00:04:58.089 --> 00:05:00.389 how your body feels, how it feels when it's well, 00:05:00.509 --> 00:05:02.889 how it feels when it's unwell. So being able 00:05:02.889 --> 00:05:05.750 to not lose your voice when you are in the hospital 00:05:05.750 --> 00:05:11.120 setting. That's awesome. Kind of like what we've 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:14.439 talked about, you have used social media as kind 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:17.800 of intersection for this global platform. Could 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:20.930 you talk to us a little bit about that? Absolutely. 00:05:21.470 --> 00:05:24.149 So social media is becoming, I think, one of 00:05:24.149 --> 00:05:26.750 the biggest, biggest ways that people are connecting 00:05:26.750 --> 00:05:30.110 all over the world. And I think it's an amazing 00:05:30.110 --> 00:05:32.850 tool that especially as healthcare providers, 00:05:32.949 --> 00:05:35.670 we can leverage it to be able to meet people 00:05:35.670 --> 00:05:38.689 where they are, right? A lot of times when people 00:05:38.689 --> 00:05:41.029 have issues, their first stop is actually not 00:05:41.029 --> 00:05:43.790 their doctor's office, right? It might be Google, 00:05:44.149 --> 00:05:46.689 or it might be a friend, or it might be TikTok, 00:05:47.230 --> 00:05:50.000 right? There are so many other places that people 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:53.600 go to before they come to care. So by being a 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:56.220 provider on this digital space, you're able to 00:05:56.220 --> 00:05:59.740 now meet people where they are, right? And especially 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:02.459 from you having your expertise, you're able to 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:05.319 provide quality information in a way that people 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:08.199 can access it quickly and a way that people can 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:11.740 access it on an international standpoint as well. 00:06:13.069 --> 00:06:16.930 That's awesome. You've talked a lot about access 00:06:16.930 --> 00:06:20.310 and equity playing such a large role in women's 00:06:20.310 --> 00:06:24.050 health outcomes. What systemic or cultural barriers 00:06:24.050 --> 00:06:28.110 have you seen most often affecting women's care 00:06:28.110 --> 00:06:31.230 in seeking for fibroids or fertility issues? 00:06:31.529 --> 00:06:34.970 And then how can we address them? Oh, that's 00:06:34.970 --> 00:06:38.189 a really good question. So there are so many 00:06:38.189 --> 00:06:43.100 different levels. to addressing that question. 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.139 so many. But I think the biggest thing that we 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:50.120 think about is one, cultural norms and stigma, 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:53.500 right? When it comes to women's health issues, 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:56.439 it tends to be a bit more hush hush, right? Not 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:58.680 a lot of people are talking about women's health 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.399 issues. And of course, that includes fibroids 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:04.480 and that includes fertility. Because not only 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.339 are these issues that no one talks about, but 00:07:07.339 --> 00:07:09.620 there is a degree of shame that comes along with 00:07:09.620 --> 00:07:13.699 it, too. Stigma is big when you talk about infertility 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:16.980 and not being able to have a body, a womb that 00:07:16.980 --> 00:07:19.180 is accomplishing the one thing that for some 00:07:19.180 --> 00:07:22.339 people feel is their purpose and their mission 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:25.899 in life to use this womb to be able to procreate. 00:07:26.180 --> 00:07:28.860 So when one finds that they're having issues, 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:31.620 whether it be from their womb or just from couple 00:07:31.620 --> 00:07:34.199 infertility issues in general, it tends to be 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:35.779 something that a lot of people don't want to 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:38.439 talk about because they feel like their womanhood, 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:42.540 for example, is attached to this ability to procreate. 00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:46.980 So by going online, by going in front of people 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:49.959 and saying, hey, you are not alone in this journey. 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:53.720 You're not alone. There are solutions, right? 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:56.420 And there are evidence -based solutions that 00:07:56.420 --> 00:08:00.079 can help you to overcome this issue. And please, 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:03.699 please, please come see us. come see your doctor 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:06.420 in the hospital. We're here to support you. There's 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:09.720 so many resources available. It can be so empowering 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:11.939 for people who otherwise have been going through 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:14.819 this journey alone or going through this journey 00:08:14.819 --> 00:08:17.759 in the dark. So I think that's a very big part 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:20.699 of helping people to get better access is by 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:22.860 letting them know they're not alone. There are 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:25.600 resources and there is community here to support 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:29.459 you in that effort. For sure. You had talked 00:08:29.459 --> 00:08:33.259 a lot about how this kind of clinician journey 00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:37.059 that you've taken is a culmination or summation 00:08:37.059 --> 00:08:39.440 of your experiences throughout your educational 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:44.759 journey. So what would you like to see in an 00:08:44.759 --> 00:08:48.360 education perspective or from an educational 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:53.779 platform related to this? that one thing that 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:57.399 we do really well in medical training is, of 00:08:57.399 --> 00:08:59.860 course, learning the medical knowledge. We learn 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:02.740 the science. We learn the pathophysiology. We 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:05.919 learn the pharmacology. We learn all the technical 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:09.039 things to help with treating and curing disease. 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:12.340 But we don't spend nearly enough time talking 00:09:12.340 --> 00:09:15.679 about all of the other things within the healthcare 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:19.620 ecosystem that make this actually be possible. 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:22.320 And that's where I think my background with public 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.240 health kind of came in to play when I was deciding, 00:09:25.340 --> 00:09:27.759 what do I want my career in medicine to look 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:31.019 like? We know that even here in the United States, 00:09:31.100 --> 00:09:33.600 as well as abroad, there are so many healthcare 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:37.169 deserts everywhere. right? There's so many places 00:09:37.169 --> 00:09:40.570 where the ratio of people to doctors to nurses 00:09:40.570 --> 00:09:43.450 is just something that is overwhelming and the 00:09:43.450 --> 00:09:46.730 system in itself is not effective. So how do 00:09:46.730 --> 00:09:50.289 we go about fixing this? How do we get more providers 00:09:50.289 --> 00:09:53.610 into these areas? How do we also empower other 00:09:53.610 --> 00:09:55.929 people who may not be doctors to be able to have 00:09:55.929 --> 00:09:58.710 this information to help communities where doctors 00:09:58.710 --> 00:10:01.210 may not be available for one reason or another? 00:10:01.509 --> 00:10:04.250 And I think that was a big part about me creating 00:10:04.490 --> 00:10:07.929 a big part with me deciding how I want my career 00:10:07.929 --> 00:10:11.690 to look like as a locum provider. So doing locum 00:10:11.690 --> 00:10:14.129 tenants and practicing travel medicine, I'm able 00:10:14.129 --> 00:10:16.450 to go to many different communities where there 00:10:16.450 --> 00:10:18.950 are not doctors or there are doctor shortages 00:10:18.950 --> 00:10:22.269 for one reason or another, and be able to provide 00:10:22.269 --> 00:10:24.909 quality care to women in those areas that need 00:10:24.909 --> 00:10:27.289 assistance. And I think that that's something 00:10:27.289 --> 00:10:31.110 that has been super empowering for me on my journey 00:10:31.110 --> 00:10:33.509 and I look forward to doing more of in the future 00:10:33.509 --> 00:10:37.059 as well. That's awesome. So for some of us who 00:10:37.059 --> 00:10:40.820 may be less familiar with the locum tenants model, 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:43.740 can you kind of provide a little bit of explanation? 00:10:44.549 --> 00:10:48.210 Absolutely. So, locum tenants, also known as 00:10:48.210 --> 00:10:51.090 travel doctors, locum tenants is essentially 00:10:51.090 --> 00:10:53.610 a type of work where you are going to be the 00:10:53.610 --> 00:10:57.149 surrogate provider for people either when they're 00:10:57.149 --> 00:11:00.570 out on medical leave, maternity leave, paternity 00:11:00.570 --> 00:11:03.190 leave, or maybe there are certain hospitals or 00:11:03.190 --> 00:11:05.309 certain health care systems that have difficulty 00:11:05.309 --> 00:11:08.669 with recruiting providers there long term. So, 00:11:08.669 --> 00:11:11.470 you go to the areas that need doctors the most, 00:11:11.490 --> 00:11:14.740 the areas where there are doctor shortages. and 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:18.360 you provide care at those hospitals. Locum Tenants 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:20.320 is something that's been around for a long time. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:22.419 I think a lot of times people hear it more so 00:11:22.419 --> 00:11:26.740 associated with nursing, but here we also have 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:29.860 it in the setting of, you know, physicians, PAs, 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:32.759 nurse practitioners, really any type of healthcare 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:36.360 worker. could choose to practice within this 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:39.580 model. It's a model that I think lends to people 00:11:39.580 --> 00:11:42.860 who are looking for things like flexibility with 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:46.580 their practice schedule, who are interested in 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:48.980 practicing in different locations. Although some 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:52.139 people do do locum tenants locally as well, we 00:11:52.139 --> 00:11:55.679 call it local locums. So like especially if you're 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:57.820 in an area that's kind of in a hub where there's 00:11:57.820 --> 00:12:00.320 a lot of needs. So the people may, you know, 00:12:00.419 --> 00:12:02.379 work at different hospitals in their area but 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:04.220 still come home to their own beds at night, if 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:06.980 they kind of designed their career that way. 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:10.179 But I think it's something that is an excellent, 00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:12.700 excellent tool with getting access to care in 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:16.179 places that need it the most. And it has, I mean, 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:18.100 medicine in general has a tremendous reward, 00:12:18.179 --> 00:12:21.039 but certainly doing travel medicine is very, 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:24.759 very rewarding. Well, thank you for kind of sharing 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.200 and explaining some of that to some of our listeners 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:30.919 who may be less familiar with that model. So 00:12:30.919 --> 00:12:33.840 you've emphasized education as a form of empowerment. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:36.720 What are some of the most effective ways clinicians 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:40.019 and public health advocates can better educate 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:42.980 women about reproductive health, especially in 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:45.879 these communities where stigma or misinformation 00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:51.519 still persist? Absolutely. I think that in our 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:53.759 healthcare settings, in our hospitals, in our 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:58.620 clinics, there's a lot of hurdles that come to 00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:01.519 the distribution of medicine in general, right? 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:05.059 A lot of times, many physicians, especially in 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:07.799 primary care, are in models where we're seeing 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:11.299 30 patients in a day, right? 30 patients in eight 00:13:11.299 --> 00:13:13.259 hours, not including your lunch break if you 00:13:13.259 --> 00:13:17.860 take one. And naturally, if you have patient 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:21.000 visits that are 10, 15 minutes long, you have 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:23.879 a time challenge on your hand, right? Some of 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:26.480 that stuff we can work through, some of it is 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.440 the systems that we're in. But I think that that's 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:33.779 where being able to provide quality care in a 00:13:33.779 --> 00:13:35.620 platform where you're able to meet people where 00:13:35.620 --> 00:13:38.120 they're at, such as social media can be so impactful, 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:43.559 right? Social media is... Let me put it in perspective 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:46.460 of time. When you're in the hospital, you might 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:49.419 have 10 minutes, 15 minutes to spend with one 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:52.740 patient. Whereas on social media, if you made 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:55.980 a five -minute post, that five -minute post could 00:13:55.980 --> 00:13:58.779 reach maybe a couple hundred to maybe a couple 00:13:58.779 --> 00:14:02.659 thousand people. So I think that it's... excellent, 00:14:02.659 --> 00:14:04.820 excellent tool with us being able to leverage 00:14:04.820 --> 00:14:07.360 our expertise and get it out to our communities 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:11.279 and also get it in a way that they're able to 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:14.919 receive it. Now, I really appreciate that kind 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:19.000 of quantification of how social media can be 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:23.710 impactful and it kind of. Trace this into the 00:14:23.710 --> 00:14:27.210 next part of our segment. You have been such 00:14:27.210 --> 00:14:30.210 a strong advocate and voice for patient advocacy. 00:14:30.750 --> 00:14:33.870 How can healthcare providers empower their patients 00:14:33.870 --> 00:14:37.350 to take a more active role in understanding their 00:14:37.350 --> 00:14:40.470 reproductive health and treatment options? Yeah, 00:14:40.590 --> 00:14:43.929 that's a good question. I have found that in 00:14:43.929 --> 00:14:47.019 my experience, people coming to see me in the 00:14:47.019 --> 00:14:50.120 hospital, they're coming in because they want 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:52.899 to learn, right? They want to learn, they feel 00:14:52.899 --> 00:14:55.960 something is wrong and they're looking for a 00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:59.179 solution. And I think that one, having a level 00:14:59.179 --> 00:15:02.539 of compassion as we're practicing medicine and 00:15:02.750 --> 00:15:05.450 recognizing that people are already making a 00:15:05.450 --> 00:15:07.909 lot of sacrifices to even get to the hospital 00:15:07.909 --> 00:15:11.350 for that clinic visit. I trained in Washington, 00:15:11.350 --> 00:15:15.009 DC, and we would have patients that sometimes 00:15:15.009 --> 00:15:17.330 might have to take two buses over the course 00:15:17.330 --> 00:15:20.090 of three hours to get to that one appointment 00:15:20.090 --> 00:15:23.970 to see us for that 15 -minute visit, right? So 00:15:23.970 --> 00:15:27.809 when we're working with people, understanding 00:15:27.809 --> 00:15:29.990 and especially coming from a place of compassion 00:15:29.990 --> 00:15:34.110 is so big. I think the next thing is making sure 00:15:34.110 --> 00:15:36.350 that people are getting information in a way 00:15:36.350 --> 00:15:39.090 that makes sense to them, right? We always talk 00:15:39.090 --> 00:15:41.809 about things like medical jargon and being able 00:15:41.809 --> 00:15:45.889 to speak in common English. That is very, very 00:15:45.889 --> 00:15:49.110 important because when we're talking to people, 00:15:49.230 --> 00:15:51.730 we want to make sure that what we have expressed 00:15:51.730 --> 00:15:54.850 is something that they're able to retain. Being 00:15:54.850 --> 00:15:56.850 able to give it to people in a way that they 00:15:56.850 --> 00:16:00.889 understand is so important for that. Then I always 00:16:00.889 --> 00:16:04.500 like to leave any appointment with. making sure 00:16:04.500 --> 00:16:06.639 that the door is open. I want people to know 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:08.700 that they can still reach out to me even when 00:16:08.700 --> 00:16:10.700 they walk out of this room and all the questions 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:12.840 come flooding in as they're on their way back 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:15.080 home. I want them to know that they can still 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:18.000 reach out to me again after the visit as well 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:20.500 to help with closing those loops of communications. 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:22.799 Because we do it in the clinic, we do it outside 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:25.299 of the clinic too. And I also, and I'm going 00:16:25.299 --> 00:16:27.980 to probably be a bit of a, what do you say? What's 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:31.629 the word like? I'm looking for the expression 00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:33.850 where it's like you keep on saying the same thing 00:16:33.850 --> 00:16:36.129 over and over and over again. What's that expression? 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:40.190 Oh, gosh. Like the broken something. The broken, 00:16:40.190 --> 00:16:42.830 the squeaky wheel gets the most squeaky. Right. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:48.460 But I will probably be that way when I keep talking 00:16:48.460 --> 00:16:51.159 about social media. But I'm like, you guys, your 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:53.539 voice is so powerful. I would like love, love, 00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:57.080 love, love, love to encourage health care providers 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:01.159 to post online, share that information online. 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:04.039 It goes on. It keeps circulating. Even when you're 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:06.180 asleep, somebody in another country is learning 00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:09.079 from what you said. Right. And that is something 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:13.599 that I think is super, super powerful. I always 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:15.900 also encourage people to do health coaching. 00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:20.079 So I got interested in fibroid coaching because 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:23.259 I knew that when we're in the hospital, seeing 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:27.720 someone for 10, 15 minutes is not the same level 00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:30.640 of impact as being able to see them in 10, 15 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:34.259 hours, right? So that's what. I'm doing as a 00:17:34.259 --> 00:17:36.740 fibroid coach is I'm able to take that conversation 00:17:36.740 --> 00:17:39.240 that's 10, 15 minutes and expand it over the 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:42.539 course of 10, 15 hours so that now we're able 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:45.440 to really, really hone in on that learning process, 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:47.839 right? When we were in medical school, we didn't 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:50.240 read the book one time and get out of there. 00:17:50.299 --> 00:17:52.799 You had to read it once, read it twice, maybe 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:55.440 watch a couple of videos to really get that knowledge 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:58.380 to be ingrained into you. And that's the same 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:01.000 way that it works with fibroid coaching or health 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.890 coaching in general is when you're able to come 00:18:03.890 --> 00:18:06.750 back around, have these follow -up visits, follow 00:18:06.750 --> 00:18:10.509 -up conversations, small group discussions. It's 00:18:10.509 --> 00:18:13.289 almost like small group tutorial sessions, but 00:18:13.289 --> 00:18:15.750 people are now learning about their body. With 00:18:15.750 --> 00:18:18.630 this knowledge, that is how they get the empowerment. 00:18:18.750 --> 00:18:20.650 It's hard to be empowered over something you 00:18:20.650 --> 00:18:23.450 don't understand. So really being able to get 00:18:23.450 --> 00:18:26.210 that solid foundation and understanding helps 00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:28.869 you to better advocate for yourself in the healthcare 00:18:28.869 --> 00:18:31.940 setting as well. So let's actually talk about 00:18:31.940 --> 00:18:35.420 those conversations a little bit. What conversations 00:18:35.420 --> 00:18:38.019 do you think we need to normalize in medicine 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:41.339 to support women through these reproductive health 00:18:41.339 --> 00:18:44.460 experiences that may not be just physical? They're 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:50.329 also emotional. Oh, yeah, absolutely. So. It 00:18:50.329 --> 00:18:52.930 can be hard after a while as a healthcare provider 00:18:52.930 --> 00:18:55.809 to remember this side of things, but I remember 00:18:55.809 --> 00:18:59.349 I had an attending in my training who told me, 00:18:59.609 --> 00:19:03.430 for you, this surgery is something that you do 00:19:03.430 --> 00:19:06.029 every day. You're doing it multiple times a day. 00:19:06.349 --> 00:19:08.430 But for that patient, this is the first time 00:19:08.430 --> 00:19:11.170 that they ever had this surgery being done to 00:19:11.170 --> 00:19:14.849 them. So making sure that you hold on to that. 00:19:15.069 --> 00:19:17.650 as you're practicing medicine and retain that 00:19:17.650 --> 00:19:20.390 level of compassion is so important. It's so 00:19:20.390 --> 00:19:23.630 important because for people, it's not just removing 00:19:23.630 --> 00:19:26.950 a fibroid, but this is their future fertility. 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:30.450 This is them being able to go to work when they're 00:19:30.450 --> 00:19:32.849 on their period without having to, you know. 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:36.019 pack extra clothes, pop pain medicine, like, 00:19:36.019 --> 00:19:38.599 you know, tic -tacs, right? This is them being 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:41.839 able to get back a sense of normalcy. And for 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:44.819 them, it means everything. So making sure that 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:48.180 when you're engaging, you don't lose track of 00:19:48.180 --> 00:19:50.559 that as you're practicing medicine because it's 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:54.099 so important. Well, thank you so much for sharing 00:19:54.099 --> 00:19:57.579 that. To end this off, what advice would you 00:19:57.579 --> 00:20:00.440 share with both patients navigating these challenges 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:04.019 and healthcare professionals striving to support 00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:09.019 them more effectively? My advice would be don't 00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:12.859 be afraid to think outside of the box. Medicine 00:20:12.859 --> 00:20:15.180 has been around for a long time, but we have 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:18.539 so many more strides to make in medicine as well. 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:21.940 So when you are, you know, as a provider thinking, 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:25.299 how do I reach out to my patients in a way that 00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:28.380 is more effective for them? It's OK to create 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:30.799 something new. I didn't see fibroid coaching 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.500 anywhere before I decided to do it. I've heard 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:36.079 of health coaching. I heard of life coaching. 00:20:36.299 --> 00:20:39.500 I knew about fibroid care in general from a medical 00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:43.039 practitioner standpoint, but putting Fibroid 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:46.200 -focused coaching is something I never saw done. 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:50.299 So I went out and I created it, right? Knowledge 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:54.779 of a medical practitioner with the coaching experience 00:20:54.779 --> 00:20:58.160 as a lifetime educator, and you can create something 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:00.559 new and it can be beautiful and it can be effective. 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:05.740 So go out and do it. I know I said this was our 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:09.920 last question, but as a student and as a trainee, 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:14.339 as many of our listeners are, what is your advice 00:21:14.339 --> 00:21:18.619 for them as they are navigating in ever -changing 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:21.559 medical world and maybe they're interested in 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:25.720 these non -traditional paths? I say go for it. 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:30.450 Go for it. you know historically in the traditional 00:21:30.450 --> 00:21:33.829 path everyone often time will say kind of take 00:21:33.829 --> 00:21:36.250 take the road that's already charted in front 00:21:36.250 --> 00:21:38.930 of you but one thing about the future is nobody 00:21:38.930 --> 00:21:42.410 knows what the future will look like right and 00:21:42.410 --> 00:21:45.690 you especially as the next generation of providers 00:21:45.690 --> 00:21:50.009 you guys are the ones creating what the next 00:21:50.009 --> 00:21:53.529 next generation of health care will look like 00:21:53.529 --> 00:21:57.170 so If you can dream it, you can do it. And it's 00:21:57.170 --> 00:22:00.809 OK as well to build things with other people 00:22:00.809 --> 00:22:04.309 too. For me, I have friends in all different 00:22:04.309 --> 00:22:08.130 fields that are outside of medicine, people in 00:22:08.130 --> 00:22:11.569 tech, people in IT. And when you are able to 00:22:11.569 --> 00:22:13.730 build networks of people who maybe they trained 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:16.130 in something different, when you guys put your 00:22:16.130 --> 00:22:18.410 brains together to collaborate, literally the 00:22:18.410 --> 00:22:21.740 sky is the limit. The sky is the limit. Well, 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:25.079 thank you so much for sharing your advice and 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:28.920 your journey and experiences with us today. That's 00:22:28.920 --> 00:22:31.480 a wrap on this episode of Our Voices, Our Future. 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:35.019 We hope today's conversation inspired you, challenged 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.779 you, and reminded you of the power of raising 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:40.599 your voice. The fight for equity doesn't stop 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:43.880 here. Join us in the movement. So subscribe wherever 00:22:43.880 --> 00:22:46.359 you get your podcasts. And if you loved this 00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:48.720 episode, share it with someone who needs to hear 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:52.279 it until next time. Stay bold, stay vocal and 00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:55.180 keep the conversation going. This is our voices, 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:56.019 our future.