n the Spring of 2022, I found myself behind the wheel of my minivan with crippling chest pain in the parking lot of my job. I was incredibly anxious and burnt out. I could barely muster the strength to get out of my car to see my panel of patients. You see, I had been experiencing anxiety that seemed to have worsened over 2 years leading up to this moment. As a women’s health physician, I started questioning whether or not the path I was on and the career I had created was really what I wanted anymore.
And I was ashamed that I couldn’t just pick myself up, dust myself off, and get out of the car.
With the support of a colleague, I took a medical leave from practicing medicine for 4 weeks and did the hard work of just being. I wrapped myself in compassion despite feeling lots of shame. And I started sharing my story with other women just like me. I double-downed on my purpose: the empowerment of women in midlife. And made a declaration: to live a BOUNDLESS life.
Why Boundless?
Because it means to live a life that is vast, immense, and without bounds. And when you sit with the realization that we have just this 1 incredible life to live, making it boundless is a non-brainer.
What happened next was incredible.
- I allowed myself to be vulnerable and admit that I wasn’t happy.
- I recognized the manner in which I was practicing medicine was no longer serving me. What worked for me in my 20s and 30s just didn’t work for me in my 40s.
- I gave myself permission to pivot.
Fast forward 2 years and I have a very different life.
- I coach high-achieving professional Black women how to overcome burnout and build a thriving business so that they can quit their 9-to-5 jobs.
- I see patients as a contractor on my terms.
- I get to schlep my little ones to volleyball and basketball and feel so much more present in my family life.
- I get to schlep my little ones to volleyball and basketball and feel so much more present in my family life.
COMING SOON
Boundless Midlife Health
A telemedicine platform serving women in the midlife and menopausal transition, will be making its debut late Fall.
I am creating the boundless life of my dreams, and I want the same for you!
Here are the 3 Decisions I made to Reshape My Life:
1. I allowed myself to be vulnerable:
We have so many messages telling us we need to be grateful. As a medical student, I remember hearing older male physicians criticize the women physicians who chose to take time off after having children. They would literally say things like “what a waste of a spot in medical school!” Horrible, I know. But I always had this in the back of my head when I considered walking away. Was I selfish for wanting more or wanting to pivot? I allowed myself to feel the shame associated with this thought.
2. I gave myself permission to pivot:
I remember the night I wrote my official resignation letter from my 9-to-5. There were many tears. I felt like I was closing a significant chapter of my life, one that had been my identity for the past 19 years. But you know what’s incredible about the book of life? There are still many chapters to be written. I embraced the idea that my best days were ahead.
3. I took the next best step:
When you are a high-achieving Black professional woman, you have a very prescribed pathway to success. You go to the best schools, go to the best training program, do all of the leadership academies and check the boxes faithfully. When you take the leap and pivot, there is no playbook. Or so I thought. Because when you take the leap and step out on faith, the net appears. The next best step for me was to better understand my strengths. I took a strengths finder assessment, and it was clear that I connect best through speaking. So I invested in my speaking career. Was I unsure of what becoming a professional speaker would mean? Of course I was. But in doing the best next step, I have been able to speak on stages nationally and connect with an incredible community of women just like me.
You have the opportunity to transform your life but giving yourself permission to do so. I am rooting for you!
