Latest / DPC Life: Direct Primary Care Podcast / From Hospital Rounds to Garden Clubs: How Dr. Nadia Sirdar Built the DPC Practice Nobody Said She Could — Part 2

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From Hospital Rounds to Garden Clubs: How Dr. Nadia Sirdar Built the DPC Practice Nobody Said She Could — Part 2 · DPC Life: Direct Primary Care Podcast

0:00
I know everything's wrong. Where do I start?
0:03
The algorithms are serving up nonsense and folks that are
0:07
talking from without degrees, without evidence, some of them
0:11
are grifters, women who are suffering.
0:13
They'll be happy to buy your supplements.
0:15
They'll be happy to just do whatever you ask them to because
0:18
they're desperate. My Garden Club sent me and I'm
0:20
the first one. So if this goes well, I'm
0:23
telling my Garden Club. How come?
0:24
Like, I get answers from you so fast.
0:26
I was like direct time of care. Welcome to DPC Life, the podcast
0:32
where independent doctors share real stories, bold ideas, and
0:36
the freedom of doing medicine on your own terms.
0:40
I'm your host, Doctor Anne Gonzalez, and together we'll
0:43
explore the winds, the struggles, and everything in
0:47
between. Let's dive in.
0:50
Hi, and welcome back to DPC Life, the podcast where we talk
0:53
about all things DPC and beyond. Last week, Doctor Nadia Serdar
0:58
told us how a hospitalist, someone everyone said couldn't
1:02
do this, built a thriving DPC practice in Bethesda.
1:06
And today we get into the part that actually built it, because
1:11
you can be an exceptional physician and still have an
1:15
empty panel if nobody knows that you exist.
1:19
Doctor Serdar figured that out early, and what she did about it
1:24
is worth paying attention to. We're talking about the farmers
1:28
market, garden clubs, book clubs, mahjong clubs and how 1
1:34
core. Talk about menopause care
1:36
eventually landed her at the Maryland General Assembly
1:39
helping to pass legislation. She also gets into position
1:43
visibility as a professional obligation.
1:46
Nowadays, patients are getting health information from people
1:49
who have no business giving it. Showing up as a trusted,
1:55
evidence based voice is not optional anymore.
1:59
It is part of the job. This is Part 2.
2:02
If you missed last week, go back and listen 1st and then let's
2:07
get into it. I wanted to ask you also about
2:11
the menopause care that you're doing.
2:14
And I've seen you doing a lot of talks and.
2:18
I think a. Lot of our listeners are
2:21
interested in doing things like that.
2:23
So how did you go about getting those talks lined up?
2:28
Sure. Sure.
2:29
So my big sort of folks has been in incorporating or
2:33
standardizing the primary. My big push is to try to create
2:38
a system or where menopause care and perimenopause care is the
2:43
standard of care. And so first to acknowledge that
2:46
most people are still in the employed model.
2:49
So the insurance based model requires 15 minutes Max with
2:53
your primary care doctor. So what can I do to empower the
2:56
patient and the doctor to create a conversation and give them the
3:00
tools to be able to cover their needs for primary care with
3:04
relating as it relates to hormones?
3:06
So a lot of my talks have been, here's what you need to ask your
3:10
primary care doctor in your 15 minute visit or less.
3:13
The other talks have been with other physicians to say, listen,
3:17
you can do this and this is where you start and this is
3:20
where you have your resources and this is how I did it.
3:24
And so that has been really gratifying because I'm hearing
3:27
from both sides where they're like, Oh my God, thank you so
3:29
much. Like I did, it worked because a
3:31
lot of patients will ask me like I did the, I was on the panel
3:34
for that M2 screening that the movie and the question I got
3:39
that was so I felt like it was profound in the sense that I was
3:43
like, this is what everyone's thinking is where do I start,
3:47
right? Because they're like, I know
3:49
everything's wrong. Where do I start?
3:53
And so that was actually really helpful for me to sort of figure
3:56
out how to do those talks. And so you asked me how do they
3:58
go about giving the talk? So I essentially have been
4:01
really kind of methodical about reaching out to all of the
4:06
allied health professionals that are in my, in the menopause
4:10
world. So pelvic PT, nutrition,
4:13
psychology, psychiatry, endocrine, like obesity
4:18
medicine, like anybody who is kind of even perfectly
4:21
interested in that space. And then I go to them and say,
4:24
this is what I would like to do. And I know this is part of your
4:27
patient population. How can we collaborate and
4:30
create something that's useful to both your patients and my
4:32
patients? And so that's actually been
4:34
really helpful. So I'm going to be giving a
4:36
webinar with the health coach she's at, it's called Shape of
4:40
Strength and she's amazing and has a wonderful like following
4:43
locally. She's a trainer, but she also
4:45
helps to like coach people and her cohort is women in midlife.
4:50
So it's like a perfect combination.
4:52
And we're going to talk about metabolism as it relates to GLP
4:55
ones and HRT. And so that webinar is next
4:58
week, but I think that's going to help me decide how helpful it
5:03
is. And I want to get feedback from
5:05
the people who attend. Like what's that?
5:06
Did that give you hands on type of next steps?
5:09
Can we do better? And so every time I do one of
5:11
those talks, I always try to get information from both the Co
5:14
presenters, but also the people in the audience.
5:17
And then the other thing that's been really cool has been just
5:21
from like a funnel perspective. You don't think about it, but
5:24
everyone who's joining me right now has been like, oh, I saw you
5:27
3 times before and I'm like, you did where?
5:30
And they're like, oh, I saw you at the farmers market when?
5:32
October. Oh and then I saw you at the M2
5:35
thing to a month ago. Oh and then I saw you at so and
5:38
so's house when you did that fireside.
5:41
So I'm like, you saw me three times.
5:42
You never said hi like what you are.
5:45
But they're watching and they're learning and they're like,
5:48
they're just kind of like internalizing.
5:50
And then they come to a place where they're like, I want to be
5:52
part of this. And so that actually has been so
5:55
helpful to a temper my expectations for how fast things
5:58
go because they don't go fast, slow and steady, right?
6:03
So when you're starting, that's a big one to not get impatient.
6:06
And the second thing has been the trust factor.
6:09
So putting information out there, educating and empowering
6:13
in and of itself has value. And so whether those patients
6:16
join your practice or not, it's so important because you're
6:19
creating a space in your local community where people are going
6:23
to ask for better medicine. And physicians are going to be
6:25
able to give better medicine, right?
6:27
Regardless of what system they're, they can be in the DPC
6:30
world, which is like my happy world, but you could also be in
6:32
the employed insured model and still do well in that model if
6:37
you have the tools. Right, right.
6:39
And there is so much benefit beyond just like that person who
6:43
does see you, they will take that information and if they
6:47
know somebody else who needs your kind of services, they can
6:51
share that. So it's a whole kind of spider
6:53
web, the. Spider web like some of my
6:55
patients are so cute. They're like by the way my
6:58
Garden Club sent me and I'm the first one so if this goes well
7:01
I'm telling my Garden Club I. Love it.
7:05
It's like, I hope it goes well. That's a good idea, garden
7:09
clubs. Book clubs, The book clubs,
7:12
there's a mahjong group. Those are big.
7:14
Oh yeah, the mahjong group. Mahjong groups.
7:16
I haven't learned it yet. I'm desperate to learn, but I
7:18
can't figure out when I'm going to have the time.
7:20
I one day I will. I asked one of the older doctors
7:23
and she's like, you have three small kids like you, just you
7:25
give yourself 10 years, like, OK.
7:29
It's okay, it's not going anywhere that.
7:31
It's not going anywhere, but it's funny, right?
7:33
Like there's so many little tiny spaces that you oh, bar 3 like
7:38
in my community, it's really, really popular.
7:40
And one of the owners, same stories.
7:43
She saw me with her mother at the M2 screening, didn't say hi,
7:47
just like was happy to be there, saw me in a networking group for
7:50
women business owners locally and didn't get to say hi because
7:54
the room was huge and didn't make it across the room.
7:56
And then the third, I can't remember, but after signing up
7:59
as my patient, she's like, and by the way, all my clients are
8:03
in your like sphere. Could you come and do a talk?
8:06
Can we do a collaboration? What would that look like?
8:09
And so that's kind of cool too, because it's like even the
8:12
patients themselves are saying, wait, I think there's a space
8:14
for you in my world, right? And they're inviting me kind of
8:18
like de Novo, which is awesome because it feels very organic
8:22
and like not like gimmicky and markety.
8:25
It's like very like real. Well, it's really, I think one
8:30
of the reasons you have 50 patients already is because you
8:34
are putting forth the effort and putting yourself out there
8:39
constantly. All the time.
8:41
It's exhausting, but it's so gratifying.
8:43
Like I'm going to tell you I go at breakneck speed and I have to
8:46
just hit the pause button sometimes.
8:48
I'm not good at hitting the pause button.
8:50
It's the people who love me like my husband, my mom, my sister
8:54
will be like, OK Nadia, like you've done 6 things in a row,
8:57
can you take a day off? And I'm like, no, I can't do it.
9:01
But I don't have 50 yet. Six days in a row is a lot.
9:08
Of it really is, I just, I did slow down the last month or two
9:13
where I've been a little bit more methodical.
9:15
Like I was going to every single event at the Chamber of
9:18
Commerce. And then I found that the
9:21
Chamber was like not on purpose, but kind of giving me a little
9:24
bit of pushback where they just like there are a lot of like, I
9:28
don't know if this is going to be politically correct.
9:30
I don't know how I'm going to say this.
9:33
There's a lot of traditional businessman in the Chamber of
9:38
Commerce world and they're not super excited about menopause or
9:41
perimenopause. It's not that they're not
9:42
excited about it, but they're kind of like, look at me cross
9:44
eyed, like why do I have to talk about it?
9:48
And so I'm like, well, your wife is going through this and your
9:51
your employees and your employees.
9:53
So I'm trying like slowly but surely to make some headway
9:55
there. But the the point is, I made
9:58
some really wonderful connections there.
9:59
I have like this amazing, this singer that's been in the
10:03
community for like 30 years and her clients have been with her
10:07
like it's like family, right? So when she sends me people,
10:10
it's like an automatic connection.
10:12
And then there's a another trainer who has a large gym and
10:15
she's doing a really cool like nonprofit type thing in the
10:17
community to get everyone to move.
10:19
So I said, let me contribute to your event.
10:22
It's a nonprofit and I can do something with you just to
10:26
support you because you're in the chamber with me.
10:28
And then hopefully down the road that'll like come full circle.
10:31
So in that sense, it's been helpful.
10:33
But then there's sometimes when I'm like I'm hitting a wall 3-4
10:36
times and I'm like, I'm going to stop asking for now.
10:37
I'm just going to go somewhere else.
10:39
I'll be back. I mean, I'm still part of the,
10:41
I'm still, I'm in that little microcosm, that health and
10:44
Wellness type sphere that is helpful.
10:47
But you know, you can only do so many meetings and not get
10:50
outcomes. And then you have to just like
10:52
be honest with yourself and be like, my time is worth quite a
10:55
bit at this time. And I think I need to refocus my
10:58
energies. So it's not that it's
11:00
discouraging necessarily, but it's just like, OK, some of this
11:04
stuff is going to work and some of it's not, and that's OK.
11:08
Yeah, yeah. So Speaking of you, you
11:11
mentioned the funnels and the ROI.
11:14
What have you found has been most beneficial to bring you
11:18
patients? So for me personally, I think
11:22
the farmers market has been the best fit for me.
11:26
So I just thought kind of out of the blue, I've always loved
11:30
farmers markets. I grew up going to them.
11:33
My grandmother was obsessed with like fresh fruits and veggies.
11:36
And she would like, I had to spend so many hours at the
11:38
counter, like chopping them, just like I'm not a cook, but I
11:42
had to chop so many. And so there was always like,
11:45
the farmers market was like a normal part of our life, right?
11:47
And so growing up, that was normal.
11:50
And I thought about it. I'm like, Oh my gosh, who are
11:52
the neighbors that used to go to the farmers market?
11:54
And I'm like, OK, it was all the grandmas.
11:56
It was all the aunties and I was like, then it was all those
11:58
healthy people, you know, like just granola types that we just
12:02
like put them in that category. I remember all the like moms
12:05
that did yoga would go like, I just remember what I thought
12:08
when I was 12. And then I thought, OK, I wonder
12:10
if there's a local farmers market here?
12:12
So I looked it up, but that's a farmers market.
12:16
The owner is named Mitch. I cold called him and he's like
12:22
in his 80s and he's just the best.
12:24
He's a senior Olympian. He's so happy, He's so bright.
12:28
He looks like he's 60. He gave me like a 45 minute
12:32
spiel on how his mom taught him and his brothers all to cook
12:35
from the beginning so they never ate out and how he is like The
12:38
Walking living example of like eating well your whole life.
12:41
OK, so 35 minutes, 45 minutes later.
12:43
And then at the end of that conversation, I was like, so how
12:45
do I sign up? And he's like, oh, I don't do
12:47
any of that. And I'll put you in touch with
12:50
my operations person. I'm like, OK, great.
12:52
So I connect with the operations lady.
12:54
And so once a month they invite you to come.
12:57
And what he told me was Nadia, none of the sponsors that sign
13:01
up, they want their logo on the website.
13:03
They want their information on the whatever media like
13:06
newsletter they do. He said none of them actually
13:09
come. And I said why?
13:10
And he's like, it's a lot of work.
13:12
And I'm like, really? And he's like, yeah, I mean,
13:14
this is like, great for them to get their name out, but they're
13:17
like established businesses that they don't really feel like the
13:19
need to send somebody physically.
13:21
And I was like, well, that's interesting because I really
13:24
want to go. And he said, well, you're
13:25
welcome to come. We encourage you.
13:27
So it started off as like one of those little tables that you
13:32
carry, the folding table that's six feet.
13:35
And then I went on Amazon and ordered like a thing that has my
13:38
name and AQR code. And then I was like, what else
13:41
can I do? Like I always think like what
13:43
can Ioffer? So I got like chopsticks with my
13:45
name on it and like little squeezy balls that are like
13:48
stress balls. But really I didn't have that
13:50
much to offer and I was nervous and the first time, second time,
13:54
third time was is a little bit nerve wracking.
13:55
But at the same time, the more you do it, the more you get used
13:59
to it. And I think the reason it was
14:02
such an important funnel for me was they everybody who came to
14:06
speak to me came to speak to me about something extremely
14:10
important to them, right? So those conversations were not
14:13
like light and fluffy. They were very deep and intense.
14:16
Like this happened to me or this happened to my mom.
14:20
And I wish I'd had Someone Like You or I wish I had the option
14:22
to do AB or C. And so it's not only helpful
14:26
because I can give them like this is not medical advice that
14:29
I'm giving. It's literally like, how do you
14:31
navigate the system and how can direct primary care serve you
14:34
better? And those conversations I think
14:38
make a really big difference. It's very, it's a lot of your
14:42
energy and it's a lot of your mental energy, emotional energy,
14:45
'cause you're there sincerely connecting with other people.
14:48
And I the analogy I give is it's like you went to a wedding or a
14:52
reunion combined. So when I come home after 7
14:55
hours of that, I am done. Like I am crawling into bed.
14:59
Well, 'cause you get there by like 7, you have to be set up by
15:02
8, opens by 9, it opens at nine, people are already lined up and
15:06
the rush comes at 9:00. And then there's like waves and
15:09
waves of people. And then you start packing up at
15:12
1:00. So maybe six hours.
15:14
But by the time I'm coming home, I'm like going in the bed with
15:18
the blankets over my head. Like it's like bright outside.
15:22
So tired. Yeah, yeah, your battery was
15:26
drained. My battery.
15:27
Is drained and like I do Sunday school, I like volunteer at
15:30
Sunday school and so I'm signed up for that and sometimes I have
15:33
to like go and set up there and then do the farmer's market or
15:36
back and forth and I told one of the moms what I was doing and
15:38
she's like you're crazy I'll do your I'll do your shift on
15:41
Sunday school. I'm like, oh, I can stop there
15:43
and set up the coffee and then I'll go to the farmer's market
15:46
and then I'll do this and I'll come back.
15:47
So it got to be a little bit too much.
15:49
So meaning the funnel comes from there.
15:52
I literally get maybe in the beginning it was at least 5 or 6
15:56
discovery calls and I was closing probably 30%.
16:02
And then in the last month when I look at the data, I'm probably
16:05
getting a little bit less discovery calls, maybe because
16:07
I've saturated that group, I don't know.
16:10
But then I'm getting two or three, but I'm closing almost
16:13
all of them. So every single time I go, it's
16:17
not exactly this Sunday is a farmer's market and this Sunday
16:21
People sign up. It's like over and over, right?
16:25
And now what's really cool is, and I didn't expect this part,
16:29
my patients come. So my patients who may or may
16:32
not be regulars at the farmer's market come to see me and say hi
16:36
like I'm some sort of local celebrity.
16:37
And they're like, this is my doctor.
16:40
You are. That's great.
16:43
And they're like, can we take a picture together?
16:44
Can we find out socials? Can we tag you?
16:46
And I'm like, yes, please, yes. Please put it on social media.
16:49
I'm a little sheepish because I'm like, it's you're my patient
16:52
and you want to protect your privacy.
16:53
And they're like, no, it's OK. And their.
16:58
Dogs and their kids and like my trainer always comes because
17:03
she's like literally like my family.
17:05
Like she was like crying when I gave my speech at my ribbon
17:07
cutting and my husband was like, did you see Vicki?
17:10
Like did you look at her and she was crying?
17:12
She's your real person, like you're real.
17:14
And so she always comes with her dogs and her partner.
17:18
So this last Sunday she brought her other favorite person that
17:22
she trains. And then that individual is very
17:25
well established in this community, has her own family
17:27
owned business and just like organically connected.
17:31
I was like, by the way, you've like solved so many problems for
17:34
me 'cause every time she asks Vicki, like, should I ask my
17:37
doctor about this? Then Vicki will ask me and then
17:39
I'll tell Vicki and then Vicki will tell her and she has her
17:41
own concierge Dr. And I'm like, this is crazy.
17:46
But she's like, I just want to know like, how come like I get
17:49
answers from you so fast. I was like direct time of care
17:53
direct. Exactly.
17:56
Yeah. But all to say that the funnel
17:58
is really, I think the most high yield for me has been the
18:02
farmers market. I would say the second highest
18:05
yield has been the smaller fireside chats, like when I
18:09
reach out to individuals in our community who've been happy to
18:12
host. I've only done a few of those,
18:14
but those are very high yield. And then I would say the third
18:18
was like the larger speaking events most likely.
18:21
I think those have been the largest.
18:24
Just for anyone who didn't listen to the previous episode,
18:26
the fireside chats are the perimenopause and menopause
18:29
talks. That you're doing exactly.
18:31
That's exactly right yeah. And so when I do the question
18:34
answers with them, 'cause I'll often do like a 10 to 15 minute
18:36
spiel I used to do slides now I don't even do slides.
18:40
I just like chat and then like when you're coming from academic
18:43
medicine, you kind of feel like here are my slides, like click,
18:48
here's my data, here are my resources.
18:50
Nobody cares about that. They're like, you're the doctor,
18:52
you tell us. And so it's more casual.
18:55
And the first time I did it with another physician, she's a
18:59
medicine dermatology, like double board certified, has a
19:02
lot of patients in the community, has her own practice,
19:05
was an amazing like for me, like telling me you can do this, you
19:08
can do this. So it's almost like I felt like
19:10
she was kind of like my safety net, like my safety blanket,
19:12
like right next to me. And she would answer questions,
19:15
but then she'd be like, yeah, what do you think?
19:17
The second time I did it by myself, it was completely fine.
19:20
I was nervous, but it was great. And then interestingly, I'm a
19:24
little bit like hesitant to ask too much because I don't want to
19:28
tire people out. But it's interesting because
19:30
people will come up to me later and be like, hey, by the way, I
19:32
heard you did it at So and So's house.
19:34
Can I do 1? And I'm like, oh, sure.
19:36
That would be so nice. Yeah.
19:39
So I mean, that's really, really nice.
19:41
We have a a delegate who's running for office again.
19:45
And she's a local delegate. She's amazing.
19:47
She came to my ribbon cutting. She's a mom in our community, so
19:50
like our walking buddy. And she was the one who was
19:53
like, OK, so I want to do something, but I'm supposed to
19:56
be running for something. So like, can I wait till after
19:58
my lunch? Yeah, that'd be great.
20:02
I don't want to double dip. Well.
20:04
That's amazing. It's really cool.
20:06
Great. It's really cool.
20:07
I like it. Yeah, after we talked last time
20:11
and you had told me about your fireside chats, I was like, oh,
20:13
we should do that. Did you do it?
20:15
Did it work? Yes, it was at our office and it
20:18
was so funny because it was cold and our office is an old house
20:23
and said the living room is the waiting room.
20:25
It's OK, Totally. So there's a fireplace.
20:28
I love that fireplace. OK, Christmas tree was up, my
20:32
partner was sitting on the chair with like a blanket over her.
20:35
I love that that's. What we actually, we have ATV
20:40
that's on the Mantel and it wasn't on, but one of the people
20:43
who attended was like, oh, you should have grabbed one of those
20:45
YouTube videos. That's.
20:46
Got the fire the little like how did they go for you?
20:52
How was it? Great.
20:53
Yeah, it was great. Yeah.
20:55
And do you feel like you might be on like the regular now
20:58
because it's like went so well? Yes, we want to.
21:02
It's just a matter of like putting it on the calendar.
21:04
I know, I know scheduling time. Yeah, just do.
21:08
Just doing it. One thing I'll tell you that I
21:11
learned is how to recycle the efforts.
21:14
So like for example, I gave like a paid, I was asked to do a paid
21:19
speaking engagement for one of these large psychology groups
21:22
because they see women in perimenopause and menopause.
21:25
So I gave that talk and it was more clinical.
21:28
And then I'm part of, I practice at Sibley Hospital.
21:32
It's one of the Hopkins community hospitals.
21:34
That's where I'm on staff. And they asked me to please come
21:37
and do the keynote speech or talks.
21:41
Keynote speaker for the Foundation for the Young
21:43
Professionals. And it's interesting because I
21:46
was like, wow, that's a really big talk to give.
21:48
Like how am I going to have the energy and time to dedicate a
21:51
lot of what I used for my talk previously that I put like so
21:55
many man hours into? I can actually like not like
21:58
exactly use all of it, but maybe like 50%.
22:01
It's a base, it's a base, it's a, it's relevant.
22:04
And so you think that everything is going to take so many hours,
22:07
but in fact, when you start to do this, you start to realize
22:11
there's so much overlap that you can kind of like use similar
22:14
material, but also use the same sort of strategies of how to
22:17
explain things. For the foundation luncheon, I'm
22:22
going to give them a special like take home little like
22:25
handout that has like a kind of like a report card on their
22:28
personal health, their health profile and kind of what's your
22:31
strategic like plan? And so I was thinking that would
22:34
be really nice to do for these firesides.
22:37
I didn't do that for the firesides.
22:39
So it's kind of like you learn from each event, like what's
22:42
helpful, what's not helpful? Like one thing I learned the
22:45
first fireside, I let everyone talk and there was one
22:48
individual who kind of took over a little bit.
22:51
And she's, I live in the DC area.
22:53
Everyone hears a lawyer, everyone's very well spoken and
22:55
they're a little aggressive sometimes.
22:57
So this lady was like really had good questions, but she really
23:00
took over. And so the poor people that were
23:02
next to her were like right out of time, couldn't ask questions.
23:05
So the way I changed that with very small nuance, but I asked
23:08
everyone to put their question on a note card and fold it in
23:10
half and put it in a big glass bowl.
23:13
And I said after after I do my little spiel, I'm going to pull
23:16
out of these bowls so that everyone has a chance, right?
23:20
The small thing. Fantastic idea.
23:23
It was my mom's idea. I can't take credit.
23:25
I was like, this one mom took over and nobody else could talk
23:28
and she was like, OK, I know how to fix that.
23:32
Totally. Mom's No.
23:33
Mom's. No, she's awesome.
23:35
I told you she did internal medicine for 35 years.
23:38
That's right. Yes, she's yes.
23:40
She's awesome. I asked her.
23:41
I was like, can you be my backup?
23:43
Sometimes she's like, I'll think about it.
23:46
She's like semi retired, but she's still kind of supported.
23:49
On vacation. She's been asked her.
23:51
She's like, well, I'm going to go on vacation with you.
23:53
I'm like, oh. Oh yeah, there's that.
23:58
But no, it's been, no, it's been really nice.
24:01
So I would, I would highly encourage, even if it feels like
24:04
a lot, just to start small. And then as you start to do that
24:07
one tiny thing, you'll see that it overlaps.
24:09
You can do the second and third thing.
24:12
Even if you just commit to like doing one thing a month, I would
24:15
say that's like reasonable. Yeah, yeah, recycling is good
24:19
once yeah, small baby steps is good too.
24:22
I. Think definitely.
24:24
Putting yourself out there it you just can't say it enough
24:28
that it's not going to happen no matter how much you talk about
24:31
yourself. Yeah, nobody knows you still.
24:34
No, they know you. Nobody knows and how can How can
24:38
you help? Them if they don't know you.
24:40
Exactly. That was really the biggest, I
24:43
think that was the biggest sort of lesson I understood in the
24:46
beginning was you are here to help, you are here to serve.
24:51
And yet if your community doesn't even know you exist, how
24:55
can you serve them right? There's no, there's just some,
25:01
it's not magic. And, and the other part that's
25:04
been really helpful for me to understand and kind of feel like
25:07
responsible for is I think with the breakdown of public health
25:11
and with the attack on our institutions, you know, without
25:16
getting political, like the current state of affairs is
25:19
abysmal. Who is everyone supposed to
25:21
trust, right? And then you go on the social
25:25
media angle and the algorithms are serving up nonsense and
25:30
folks that are talking from without degrees, without
25:33
evidence, some of them are grifters.
25:35
Some of them are taking advantage of like a population,
25:38
right? Women who are suffering, they'll
25:40
be happy to buy your supplements.
25:41
They'll be happy to just do whatever you ask them to because
25:44
they're desperate. So in that sense, it feels
25:47
almost like a professional and ethical responsibility to put
25:52
yourself out there as a voice of evidence and reason and keeping
25:59
your community safe, right? That part is also been my
26:04
mission. And I have to be careful because
26:06
some people get annoyed. They're like, well, are you
26:08
criticizing other people? Are you?
26:10
That's their income source, Like whatever.
26:11
But I'm like, you know, you have to practice with the evidence,
26:17
you have to use science and data and that's and everyone deserves
26:21
that, right? And you can't please everyone.
26:25
And honestly, if you have people who are saying stuff like
26:28
against you, like, you've made it.
26:31
That's hilarious. If you have trolls, you know you
26:33
win. Yeah.
26:34
Yeah, you're winning. You're making a stand.
26:37
You obviously are beating yourself at this.
26:39
So it's it's fine. I will, I will say one thing and
26:44
that I think was an unintended consequence of this.
26:47
Putting yourself out there is your opportunities for impact
26:50
become multiply 10 X 10X. So I used to listen to Doctor
26:55
Una's podcast, like she always says like you can 10X your
26:57
visibility and blah, blah, blah. And it's amazing.
27:00
Like you listen to that and you're like, I'm going to do it.
27:02
And then you're like, wait, but how, how do I do it?
27:05
So interestingly enough, so I was invited to the also medical
27:08
society the same week I was invited to be on the board for
27:13
the Marilyn Montgomery Society or Maryland Medical Society,
27:17
Sorry. And they want me to Co chair the
27:19
women in medicine. And with the with the e-mail
27:23
saying like, we know you've only been part of this for a year,
27:25
but we've noticed like XYZ in terms of your advocacy and being
27:29
present. And then I went and served as
27:32
doctor of the day in Annapolis. And I didn't even know what that
27:35
meant. Like, I was like, what's doctor
27:37
of the day? Like, that's kind of like cute
27:39
and weird and like, fun. Let's go and see.
27:42
And I went to Annapolis and they said, oh, a physician has been
27:45
serving in the first aid room here since, like, I don't know,
27:48
18 something. And the Maryland General
27:50
Assembly is the oldest in the country, like pre, I think even
27:55
pre when the United States was formed.
27:57
And there's like a letter from George Washington when he
27:59
resigned his post. There's just so much history
28:02
there, right? And then you walk in and they
28:05
announce you at the end of their session.
28:08
And everyone stood up, All the legislators stood up and they
28:13
clapped for me. And I was like, this is crazy.
28:16
Like this is nuts because I'm like, who am I?
28:20
But they were like saying thank you.
28:22
And I just, it was a such an emotional moment because I
28:24
thought it would be amazing if other physicians knew that this
28:29
can happen. Like you can show up, that you
28:32
can serve, that people listen to you, they want to hear what you
28:35
have to say and that your impact matters.
28:39
It's just going to help your company.
28:42
So we just passed legislation that will have insurance cover.
28:46
I think the goal is to have insurance cover, menopause care.
28:50
And I got to be a part of that. And that was amazing.
28:52
Fantastic. Yeah, so.
28:54
I think that you may have heard me say this.
28:56
DPC is life expanding, yes, and all of those things are because
29:04
you went into DPC. Correct.
29:06
Yeah. It just opened this new book.
29:08
And then there's so many chapters, right?
29:11
There's the social media part, which I was scared of.
29:14
There's the going into the community and being naked.
29:17
That's scary, scary, very scary. There's the point of like
29:22
showing up for honestly, like I always vote and I've always like
29:25
been interested in national politics, but I didn't realize
29:29
like there's so much important civic engagement that happens at
29:32
the local level that affects our daily lives.
29:35
And I and when I got there, they were like, where are your kids?
29:38
And I'm like, I don't know, I forgot to bring them.
29:40
I'll bring them next year because they do a whole thing
29:44
for the families. They're like when we have doctor
29:46
the day, we have a special place for our family to sit in, like
29:50
the gallery to watch the proceedings.
29:53
And then they went through and tore like all the beautiful,
29:56
like I took a picture next to like Harriet Tubman and like her
29:59
beautiful, like figure and Frederick Douglass.
30:02
And so I felt like a little sheepish.
30:05
I was like, sorry he. Didn't know.
30:09
I didn't know and I was too excited for myself.
30:11
I forgot to think about that. But I have really enjoyed
30:18
talking with you. Again, I'm glad.
30:19
To hear about all the things that you're doing and all the
30:23
successes and thank. You.
30:24
Continue to grow. Thank you.
30:26
Take a break here and there. I will try.
30:29
I will try. I wanted to say to you, I have
30:32
been following your CRM and the work you're doing and I am so
30:37
excited about what you're doing. I think it's so needed.
30:40
I didn't know what the word CRM meant until I went to the TPC
30:45
Summit. And I felt so sheepish because I
30:46
would tell my neighbors I'm like, yeah, I have a Sierra
30:48
island and they're like, OK, And then and I'm like, oh, I was
30:52
trying to be impressed. They're like, everyone has
30:56
those. I'm like, oh, OK, because I just
30:58
learned. But that's what I'm saying.
31:00
We don't know. We don't know about it.
31:03
So you have, I mean, the fact that you're putting so much
31:06
energy and time and expertise out there for our fellow
31:08
physicians, truly, truly, it's so needed and it's so important.
31:13
And I pointed people your way just to understand, like
31:17
educate, and then understand like how it can be helpful to
31:20
them, because I think you can't do this without a system.
31:22
No, I appreciate that. Thank you.
31:24
Yeah, sometimes it feels like swimming upstream.
31:26
You have no idea. No, you're doing great.
31:29
You're doing great. I mean, there's a couple people
31:31
out there who are doing what you're doing, but I always give
31:33
them your name first because I think like it's really important
31:35
to know that by the way, the physician who has created this
31:39
is actually working in off as seeing patients.
31:42
She's actually building a funnel herself.
31:44
She's actually seeing. And it's not that it's less
31:46
worthy if you're not seeing patients, but it's just that
31:48
like there's a sense of like, you've got my perspective.
31:53
You're living it like actively like if I'm seeing a patient and
31:58
in the other patient calls and I miss it, how do I make sure that
32:01
connection happens? I don't lose them, right?
32:05
So I think that serum is so important.
32:07
Of course, micro practice. Oh my gosh, it's everything.
32:11
So anyway, I'm really proud of learning about CRM.
32:15
I'm excited for you to like keep growing in that perspective,
32:17
from that perspective, like it's very important work.
32:21
I appreciate it. Yes, you have your mission of
32:24
educating other doctors about menopause and my mission has
32:28
been to help especially women as they like you trying to get
32:34
started trying to get out right of fee for service and because
32:39
it's hard you. Know it's really hard.
32:41
We've both done. It.
32:42
We've both done it. It's totally worth it.
32:45
I think the hard part is we don't acknowledge like the fact
32:49
that we all have a second obligation.
32:52
Like most of us have partners and children and that is a whole
32:57
other job that is a full time job.
32:59
So we're always working at times 2, right?
33:03
So it could feel really overwhelming to say like, how am
33:05
I going to do this without letting my family take a back
33:08
burner or somehow not fulfill my obligation as a mother or as a
33:12
partner? But you can do it.
33:14
You just need like the system so.
33:16
You need the systems, and the systems are help and I think
33:19
there's a whole DIY culture. And DPC, yeah, I love that.
33:25
Yes. But but to scale, to scale and
33:30
to be sustainable, I should say to be sustainable, you need like
33:33
something with technology. And actually, and I actually
33:37
talked about CRM Swiss, I had a Washington Post reporter like
33:41
reach out and ask me how do you how I'm doing an article about
33:46
how we use technology to keep older people in their homes.
33:49
And I'd like to know how you do that.
33:51
And I was like, actually the CRM is a big part of it because my
33:54
patients have a hard time, some of the older ones with mobility
33:58
and they really do need the communication to be on point and
34:01
it has to be high quality. They can't have somebody who
34:04
they can't connect with. So she was, she was like so
34:10
surprised and she didn't know what a Sierra was.
34:12
So I was like, yay, it's somebody.
34:17
People who don't know. She's like my neighbor.
34:18
She's like, I didn't know I live right next to you here in Chevy
34:20
Chase. And then at the end of the
34:21
conversation, she's like, are you taking any patients?
34:23
Can I come? Yes.
34:27
But I'm just telling you, it's like a slow and steady learning
34:30
process. And I have to say, my Instagram
34:33
is probably where I'm mostly present.
34:35
I'm doing as much as I can on there at Doctor Nadia Sardar and
34:39
then Facebook Doctor Nadia Sardar's there plus or minus,
34:44
and then my practice manager's pushing me to do YouTube more,
34:48
but I'm like, I don't know the algorithm.
34:50
I don't know how it works. I'm just gonna have to figure it
34:52
out. He just put it out there.
34:56
Yeah, we'll see what happens. That out later, yeah.
34:58
Exactly. I just think it's important to
35:00
like, remember like a lot of the material that you use for one
35:03
platform can be like used again and there's different audiences
35:07
for different platforms. Exactly.
35:11
And the systems that you have can put it all out there, all
35:15
out. There.
35:15
I know, I know. It's so cool.
35:17
I love chatting with you. Are you gonna be at the summit
35:20
in July? Yes, are.
35:22
You yes, OK, I haven't bought my ticket yet.
35:24
I'm on the I'm right on the cusp.
35:25
But if you're going to be there and then there's like two or
35:28
three other Tammy saying she'll be there.
35:31
Yes, yes. So she's amazing and she was
35:33
like a wonderful, like mentor slash lovely friend.
35:36
And then we have another friend, Maria.
35:38
We're trying to convince her. She launched at the same time as
35:40
me. She does Lionheart DPC for kids
35:43
in Maine. And so she launched and she
35:47
talked. I think she might talk to you.
35:49
Maybe I'll tell her to talk to you.
35:51
I will ask her to reach out to you.
35:52
But she's lovely and and she's launched a wonderful practice
35:56
and she's saying she's having a hard time deciding whether she
35:58
wants to leave or not. But I'm like, please just go for
36:00
two days. Yes.
36:03
I learn a lot it's. Incredible.
36:06
It's the learning, it's the camaraderie, that support
36:10
system. It's fantastic.
36:11
It's so great. Now I just go to see my friends.
36:15
I know that's what I'm gonna come for.
36:17
I mean, like literally, like the sessions are really helpful, but
36:20
I learned even more in the conversations between, right?
36:24
So that's actually been really fun.
36:26
Well, thanks. Again, time, I appreciate it.
36:29
I really. Appreciate it.
36:30
And so you were saying your Instagram doctor, Nadia Serdar.
36:34
Doctor Nadia Serdar, So DRNADIASIRDAR at Doctor Nadia
36:39
Serdar. And then same for Facebook and I
36:43
guess I'm on YouTube also. And my practice name is Bethesda
36:47
Modern Primary Care. But I did get lucky and have
36:50
this really easy website bethesdadoctor.com.
36:53
That's amazing. I love that.
36:55
I know when I was at the farmers market, they're like, how did
36:58
you get them? Just tried.
37:01
No one else, No one else asked for it before you.
37:04
That's great. You got.
37:05
It you got it so yeah, we'll. Put all of your information in
37:10
the show notes and then I look forward to seeing you this
37:13
summer. Thank.
37:13
You. I can't wait to see you there.
37:15
I'll give you a big hug. You too.
37:17
Yes. All right.
37:18
Thank you so much. Thank.
37:19
You. Thank you again to Doctor Nadia
37:22
Serdar for sharing with us her real experiences, how she shows
37:26
up for her patients and for her community, and also for sharing
37:30
with us how she did it. So if you're thinking about the
37:35
farmers market idea or fireside chat model and wondering if it
37:40
could work for you in your town, it can.
37:43
Nadia shared that consistency and presence really works.
37:48
Show up where your patients are already and let the trust build
37:53
before you go. I have a quick ask.
37:56
I want to know if the podcast is actually useful for you, my DPC
38:02
Life listeners. There's a link to a short form
38:06
in the show notes. It's very short, only takes 2
38:10
minutes. Asking you what are you stuck on
38:13
in your DPC practice? What in the podcast has helped
38:17
you most and what do you want to hear more about?
38:21
Everyone who fills it out will get a free brandable DPC
38:25
presentation on Canva slides that you can use for a community
38:30
talk, employer group, the book clubs, the fireside chats, all
38:36
of it. You can change the wording to
38:39
fit your practice, but the basics of DPC are already in the
38:43
talk. You can change the colors.
38:45
You can change your logo so it is ready to go.
38:49
Everyone who helps me out by filling out the quick survey
38:52
about the podcast will get that slide deck.
38:54
Again, the link is in the show notes and if you want to be
38:58
notified when the DPC Life Community opens box for that
39:02
too. If this episode was helpful, tag
39:05
us or Nadia with your biggest take away and I'll.
39:09
See you next week. For the next episode, thank.
39:13
You for listening to. DPC Life If today's conversation
39:17
inspired you, hit follow. Leave a review and share it with
39:21
a friend who's ready for change. Remember.
39:25
Wherever. You are in the journey.
39:27
Your DPC family has your back until.
39:31
Next time. Keep building a practice and a
39:34
life that truly fits you.