It was amazing to be in the space with hundreds to over one thousand women physicians from around the globe at the AMWA/MWIA 100 conference. It more than warmed my heart.
I was home. In my over 20-year career in medicine this was the first time I felt at home. It was the place that I’d been looking for most of my career- a place to belong with like-minded women physicians ready to grow and support one another.
From the keynote Gloria Steinem to each speaker and panel discussion to the comments and questions from the audience, it affirmed and confirmed for me that medicine is a wonderful profession.
It is a profession that we can get excited about.
It is a profession where women can be alive and thrive. We can embrace all of our gifts and talents, especially the non-medical ones, to complete the experience and live meaningful fulfilling lives.
In that space women physicians shared the valleys that led to their peaks without shame or guilt or fear. Vulnerability is welcome and honored. It opens doors to new career and life choices. What starts as a dream can become your new reality.
In that space connections and genuine relationships are valued beyond the clinical arena. It is the source of inspiration, encouraging words, and sharing new ideas that can change lives.
Being in that space for 4 days I realized that there is more untapped potential that resides within me, waiting to bring more genius into the world. And it is not for some of us. It is available for all of us.
In this modern era of medicine we get to create what we desire. We can break the mold. Sure, it is going to take hard work. Yes, you’ll have to think outside the box. And absolutely we will trip and fall.
Know that there is guidance, support, and mentorship available on the journey. We don’t have to do it alone. We don’t have to know it all. We can and must use the resources available to support us as we grow into our next levels.
I realized that while it has taken me over 20 years to find my familiar place, there are so many physicians that live where I once was- successful yet struggling, feeling like a fraud, afraid to ask for what they truly desire. Smart, talented, gifted doctors met me after my panel discussion yearning for the strategies to make the shifts they need to create a life and career that speaks to their soul. These strategies are not taught in medical school or residency. And while mentors help to navigate the medical arena, you are figuring out life all by yourself. And let’s be honest it’s not working.
Success in life and your medical career comes when you make new decisions. It happens when you decide to invest in your personal growth. It happens when you decide that the time is now and not to wait another year or the year after that.
Declare this is your year and schedule a complimentary Discovery Session at Stephanie@NurturingMDs.com.
