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Fulfillment with Nancy Echefu · Lean Out Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Lean Out Podcast.
0:03
SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Dr.
0:04
SPEAKER_00: Dawn Baker.
0:05
SPEAKER_00: Are you looking for a new approach to finding authentic and sustainable work-life balance?
0:10
SPEAKER_00: You've come to the right place for inspiration, information, and a community of like-minded professionals.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Let's get to the show.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: Hello, hello.
0:24
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being here.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: Amazingly, it is now full-on fall and it's Q4 for 2026.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: All of our leaves on our trees are falling out, and it's been accelerated by all the leftover storms from the hurricanes and things that have been going on.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: How have you been spending your October so far?
0:46
SPEAKER_00: If you've been listening to the most recent episodes or you're subscribed to my newsletter, you might remember that I recently faced an abrupt change in my work-life balance.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: What happened was I couldn't do my regular per diem job anymore.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: The episode where I talk about this is called something like The Day I Showed Up for Work and There Was No Work.
1:05
SPEAKER_00: And I'll link it in the show notes in case you missed it.
1:09
SPEAKER_00: But interestingly, I had been approached to do a locums assignment at an entirely different hospital in Las Vegas, which is the city where I've been working for these last few years.
1:19
SPEAKER_00: It's the biggest city closest to us in southern Utah.
1:23
SPEAKER_00: This was back earlier in the summer when they asked me to do the job on top of my per diem work that I was doing at the time.
1:30
SPEAKER_00: And I was really on the kick of trying to pare down and do less, having found myself a little bit more committed than I like to in 2026.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: So I said no.
1:40
SPEAKER_00: Well, the week that I found out about the abrupt changes at my per diem job that left me without any shifts, another recruiter called me out of the blue asking me again about this job in Vegas that I had turned down.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: The terms had changed a little bit.
1:56
SPEAKER_00: They wanted a slightly bigger time commitment, but weighing the pluses and minuses, I went ahead and applied.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: And now I've just completed my first week with this new group.
2:06
SPEAKER_00: So that's what I've been doing in October so far.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: Overall, it's been a good experience at the new place, and I'm glad they called when they did.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: So I was able to make a really smooth transition, not taking a huge chunk of time off.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: Not that that's bad.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: On the contrary, I often recommend it to people, but I didn't really feel like I needed a big break because I had a good balance going.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: So when you have that, you don't necessarily feel like you need a vacation.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: So as of now, it looks like I'm not retiring.
2:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm continuing to work very part-time and just see where upcoming opportunities take me.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: My guest on the show today is Dr.
2:44
SPEAKER_00: Nancy Achefu.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: Nancy is a hair transplant physician and a hair loss coach based in Peachtree City, Georgia.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: Since opening Havila Hair Restoration in 2023, she has helped patients regain their confidence through personalized and innovative hair restoration treatments.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: Nancy is the 2024 regional winner of Best of Georgia and is the only female hair transplant physician in South Georgia recognized by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.
3:13
SPEAKER_00: We discuss Nancy's journey to becoming a hair restoration physician, why she has a passion for this area of medicine, and how she manages to run her clinic while still practicing as an emergency medicine doctor.
3:25
SPEAKER_00: You also just may learn something about hair loss, which is super common in both men and women.
3:30
SPEAKER_00: So stay tuned for a fun conversation and some interesting insights from Nancy.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: Nancy Hafu, welcome to the Lean Out Podcast.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: How are you?
3:42
SPEAKER_01: I'm good, and you dog.
3:44
SPEAKER_01: How are you?
3:45
SPEAKER_00: I'm doing great.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: It is a windy day here in Utah.
3:49
SPEAKER_00: And tell me where you're located again.
3:52
SPEAKER_00: I'm in Vitra City, Georgia.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
3:55
SPEAKER_00: So, Nancy, for the audience, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
4:00
SPEAKER_00: Introduce yourself.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: Tell us what your work-life balance is like and how it's different from other people in your profession.
4:07
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:08
SPEAKER_01: So my name is Nancy Achefo.
4:10
SPEAKER_01: I'm a hair transplant physician.
4:12
SPEAKER_01: Or we can call it a hair restorative physician.
4:15
SPEAKER_01: So what do I do?
4:16
SPEAKER_01: So I do hair transplants and everything here instead.
4:20
SPEAKER_01: I run a hair restoration clinic located in Piston, Georgia.
4:27
SPEAKER_01: So why is my different from every other person?
4:30
SPEAKER_01: I don't think there's really anything different from every other female physician that's trying to create something different.
4:37
SPEAKER_01: So what happened was that practiced emergency medicine for a long time.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: And emergency medicine is almost like you're running on that adrenaline all the time.
4:50
SPEAKER_01: And also in emergency medicine, as a female physician, you also want to look good practicing.
4:56
SPEAKER_01: No?
4:57
SPEAKER_01: So I changed my hair styles frequently, and that caused me hair loss.
5:04
SPEAKER_01: Like I had hair loss when we're talking about I couldn't look at myself in the mirror.
5:10
SPEAKER_01: So I sought for help.
5:12
SPEAKER_01: So one thing I realized is that you go to this clinic, they can only offer you medical treatment.
5:20
SPEAKER_01: You go to a hair transport clinic, they can only offer you surgical treatment, which is hair transplant.
5:26
SPEAKER_01: So that was the missing thing.
5:28
SPEAKER_01: And by the time we go see this physician, they prescribe the medication for hair loss, next time we fall up with like eight to six months.
5:38
SPEAKER_01: So that was the gap, that was the problem.
5:40
SPEAKER_01: So that was why Hamila hair restorations was created to breach that gap.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: So we offer medical treatment, surgical treatment, hair aesthetics, skin tattoos on the scalp, whatever you need.
5:57
SPEAKER_01: I always say one stop shop when it comes to hair restoration.
6:01
SPEAKER_01: So why everyone be doing hair loss, seeking for solutions, awful spray virtual consultations, seven days long.
6:09
SPEAKER_01: We're very accessible.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: That is awesome.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: And it's probably an area that a lot of people didn't know that a physician could get into.
6:18
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I don't think it's on everyone's radar.
6:21
SPEAKER_00: It was definitely something I knew about because randomly I happened to have a friend back in the 90s, so I was not even in medicine at the time, who was the wife of my husband's law school classmate.
6:35
SPEAKER_00: And this woman was a hair restoration physician, and she had transitioned to it out of general surgery.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: So tell me what are the different pathways or training journeys to get into hair restoration?
6:50
SPEAKER_01: There are fellowships you can do.
6:53
SPEAKER_01: You have to get into International Society of Hair Restorative Surgeons.
6:58
SPEAKER_01: Is a society if you want to know more, you just go online and look for it, I-S-H-R-S stuff, or they have fellowships, they have a lot of trainings, they have a conferences, annual conferences, you have CMEs.
7:14
SPEAKER_01: So there's so many resources.
7:18
SPEAKER_01: But to get into the field of hair restoration is very difficult because there's a lot of safeguarding, there's a lot of nobody wants to tell you no, because it's it's been male-dominated for a long time.
7:33
SPEAKER_01: So for female physicians getting into the field, it was a long and hard journey, but I was determined to basically get into it because I wanted to help a lot of people.
7:45
SPEAKER_00: So tell me, how long did you practice as an EM physician?
7:48
SPEAKER_00: And then how long did it take you to establish your practice?
7:54
SPEAKER_01: I still practice emergency medicine, so it's not like uh I'm out of it.
7:59
SPEAKER_01: So that's why my pathway is different.
8:02
SPEAKER_01: Okay, but my clinic, we have hours of opening, open Mondays to Fridays, and we also do virtual consultations, like I said, seven days a week.
8:11
SPEAKER_01: So I had to took me like um three to four years to go into the clinic has been open for that long, too.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: He mentioned that it can be very difficult, that there's a lot of gatekeeping, that it's very male-dominated.
8:29
SPEAKER_00: What was your experience and how did you overcome those barriers?
8:34
SPEAKER_01: So what I did first of all was I got into ISH hours, I read them on the mail.
8:40
SPEAKER_01: I wanted to know the steps of what to do.
8:42
SPEAKER_01: So I became a member first.
8:44
SPEAKER_01: So you have to be because they don't send you emails, they don't uh you can ask questions, but you have limited resources unless you become an associate member before you become a full member.
8:59
SPEAKER_01: So there are steps you have to take.
9:01
SPEAKER_01: So I had I reached out to them, like I said, they and they showed me the steps of what to do.
9:06
SPEAKER_01: I had to go for trainings, I had to go for conference, and you also have to have a mentor or a coach that's gonna basically guide you through the steps because that's what you inquire before you become a full member of the ISH.
9:25
SPEAKER_01: There's also a board certification for hair restoration, too.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: So was it a difficult thing for you to find a person that would mentor you or it's it almost sounds kind of like a residency, if you will.
9:41
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a little bit difficult, but a lot of people want to get into the fellowship bought in and out of the United States.
9:51
SPEAKER_01: So you're struggling with a lot of physicians trying to get into the fellowship.
9:57
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
9:59
SPEAKER_00: You are doing EM work and you're doing this business.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: That sounds pretty busy.
10:05
SPEAKER_00: How do you find time for yourself?
10:08
SPEAKER_01: I stay busy.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: I always say something.
10:10
SPEAKER_01: There's really for me.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: It's not me to say you work line vacants.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: I always say I I found my reading flow.
10:19
SPEAKER_01: So like what works for me?
10:22
SPEAKER_01: What works for my family, what works for my kids.
10:25
SPEAKER_01: I'm still a mom, I'm still a wife.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: See, I still have my siblings, I still have other family members I need to, you know, catch up on and friends.
10:35
SPEAKER_01: So I have I have a time scare.
10:38
SPEAKER_01: I have an assistant, and whatever is not in my schedule weekly, I don't do it.
10:44
SPEAKER_01: I'm used to saying no all the time.
10:46
SPEAKER_01: I can do it.
10:47
SPEAKER_01: No, no is my favorite.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: Oh awesome.
10:51
unknown: Yeah.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: Tell me a little bit more about this boutique practice.
10:55
SPEAKER_00: I love the idea that you're not just doing surgery, you're not just prescribing medications, you're also doing aesthetics, you're doing everything.
11:02
SPEAKER_00: It's a holistic clinic, and that sounds like a really great service for people that need this.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: But tell us what kind of people it is that come to a clinic.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, are you getting predominantly male patients, female?
11:17
SPEAKER_00: You know, what's the ratio?
11:18
SPEAKER_00: What are their pathologies and things like that?
11:23
SPEAKER_01: So my client is 60-40, 60% females or 40% male.
11:29
SPEAKER_01: What did I say then?
11:30
SPEAKER_01: My male clients, when they come to my clinic, what they want, they want only one thing, which is hair transplant.
11:35
SPEAKER_01: And their life cell, bring it up to the clinic.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: This is what we want.
11:39
SPEAKER_01: So they kind of know what they want for my male clients.
11:43
SPEAKER_01: But for the female clients, they really don't know because hair loss in in females is a little bit complicated.
11:51
SPEAKER_01: So we have to kind of sit down and talk about everything.
11:54
SPEAKER_01: They might not need a hair transplant, they might need something else.
12:00
SPEAKER_01: So that was why it's very important.
12:03
SPEAKER_01: Saying hair loss, hair loss is just a blanket statement.
12:06
SPEAKER_01: You have to find out what type of hair loss are you getting.
12:09
SPEAKER_01: We have to go through your history.
12:11
SPEAKER_01: Some people have been dealing with hair loss for 15 years, they've tried all kinds of treatment.
12:17
SPEAKER_01: So I have a lot of chronic cases that come to me.
12:22
SPEAKER_01: Because, like I said, it's a one-stop clinic.
12:25
SPEAKER_01: We have to figure out what's going on.
12:27
SPEAKER_01: So we have a kind of a rounded approach when it comes to parents.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: And would you say that most of your clients are local, or is there a mix of people that also travel to you?
12:38
SPEAKER_01: I have clients that drive two, three hours away, that their lactations refer them to me.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: So I go for a lot of conferences, you know, hair loss conferences.
12:47
SPEAKER_01: So I meet a lot of people.
12:49
SPEAKER_01: So sometimes they just tell me, hey, my lactation or my barber sent me to you.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, so I get a drug reverse.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I have a little bit of personal experience with hair issues because I had some stressful periods in my life when I was in residency, which already at baseline is stressful.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: I ended up developing a cancer and had to go through I it wasn't chemo, so that everyone knows is associated with hair loss, but had to go through a surgery and a stressful period.
13:21
SPEAKER_00: And then in order to become a mother, I needed to do in vitro fertilization.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: And I did years of that.
13:28
SPEAKER_00: And I remember going to my hairdresser one time uh when I was in the middle of IBF, and she like she kind of held my hair in her hand, and there was just like no hair, and I could see that.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: And and I started crying.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
13:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I'm sure you have people like that and people with all sorts of different pathologies.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: And it's really interesting to think about the fact that women, um, there's so many factors, and so it's more complicated.
13:58
SPEAKER_01: They don't tell people that before you talk about hair loss, let's talk about hair thinning.
14:04
SPEAKER_01: So it starts from hair thinning, like you just discard.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: So that's how we tend to see the hair thinning is what it starts from.
14:11
SPEAKER_01: So we need to figure out what is going on.
14:13
SPEAKER_01: And double two is that each month a client comes back, they're dealing with a different form of hair loss.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: So their stress level lies behind.
14:24
SPEAKER_01: The next month they come walk back into your clinic.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: The next three months, maybe they are no longer adherent to taking their medications.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: Maybe their iron level is slow.
14:33
SPEAKER_01: So we have to always think about that every month to walk into the clinic.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: So that's the approach we take.
14:40
SPEAKER_01: We don't just give you medication and send you and tell you, come back in six months and see us now.
14:46
SPEAKER_01: We like to sit there frequently.
14:49
SPEAKER_00: I bet that this in some ways is very fulfilling, that emergency medicine is not.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: Talk about what you get from each one of these fields that you're doing.
15:01
SPEAKER_01: Well I like emergency medicine is that you don't know who is walking through the door, don't know what you get.
15:07
SPEAKER_01: So the thrill, like you know, you are actually saving a lot.
15:12
SPEAKER_01: Like once you intubate a patient, you'd be like, Thank God I saved this life.
15:17
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, so it's a different kind of feelings, and you have to think on your feet when you're in emergency department.
15:25
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, you have to always you don't have that time to okay, let me take my time and sit on this patient, you don't have that time.
15:33
SPEAKER_01: But a wildway clinic, it's almost like you're just being human, you're just relating to your patient because you've been through that journey.
15:44
SPEAKER_01: You I've had hair loss, I understand the issue, the problem, what you need to do.
15:50
SPEAKER_01: So I'm not just talking to you as a physician, I'm also talking to you like, hey, I've been through this.
15:56
SPEAKER_01: So it is a different kind of feeling that you're sitting there spending an hour talking to a patient.
16:02
SPEAKER_01: And I don't try, I try not to call them patients in my kidnapping, I call them clients.
16:06
SPEAKER_01: So I spend an hour, each consultation is an hour to talk to a client.
16:12
SPEAKER_01: And we're going through all your medications, I tell them, bring your bottles, bring everything that you take.
16:18
SPEAKER_01: We go through each medication.
16:21
SPEAKER_01: We go through each side effects, we go through each, whatever it is we go through.
16:26
SPEAKER_01: Weight loss, are you on medical, your weight loss journey?
16:30
SPEAKER_01: I did just start a GLP1 medication, whatever it is, we go through.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: So that is a different kind of feeling.
16:37
SPEAKER_01: It's almost like whatever you had read so much about, you're giving it out, you're giving it to someone else.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: It's almost like, thank you, Doc, where have you been all my life?
16:48
SPEAKER_01: That's what I tend to hear, or that's what I tend to hear most of the time.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: It's like, you've been all my life.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: Like, no.
16:54
SPEAKER_00: So that's very fulfilling.
16:57
SPEAKER_00: I bet you have seen an uptick in the GLP1 associated hair problems, since this is a medication that a lot of people are being prescribed now.
17:08
SPEAKER_01: Yes, but I the only thing what I say is that I don't think it's a medication, because there's some medication that can also give you health, you know, but I think it's more of a shift in your hair cycle.
17:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: The way you aggressively lose weights, that's why I see a lot of people talk about increasing your intake of protein to help you hair.
17:27
SPEAKER_01: But I don't think it's actually the medication.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: We're just talking about the shift in your hair cycle and how aggressive you lose weight.
17:34
SPEAKER_01: So I emphasize more on that and not on the medication because the medication is truly a lifesaver.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: People are losing weight, people are gaining themselves.
17:43
SPEAKER_01: People are actually, you know, doing what they've never used to do before.
17:47
SPEAKER_01: So that is actually a lifesaving medication.
17:49
SPEAKER_01: So I don't really focus more on the medication.
17:52
SPEAKER_01: I teach on how to safely, you know, take the medication and adjust in case of whatever you told to see, maybe in case of hair loss.
18:01
SPEAKER_01: We don't call it hair loss, like call it more hair shitting.
18:04
SPEAKER_01: Because your hair is falling.
18:05
SPEAKER_01: That's what's going on.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
18:09
SPEAKER_00: So you mentioned that you're a mom, you have other roles besides your physician roles.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:16
SPEAKER_00: Do you find that being an entrepreneur in that role modeling has been helpful in your family?
18:23
SPEAKER_00: What are your what do your kids think about this, you know, doing this whole other business?
18:28
SPEAKER_01: You know, the only thing my kids just say the mommy are cool.
18:31
SPEAKER_01: That's all they say.
18:32
SPEAKER_01: Oh, you're cool.
18:33
SPEAKER_01: You know, that's good.
18:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, let's say you're cool and you're the best, but I try not to focus so much on what my kids say because kids will want to stay home all the time.
18:44
SPEAKER_01: But I tell them, if you want pizza, I gotta work, you know.
18:47
SPEAKER_01: If you want chicken wings, I gotta work, you know.
18:49
SPEAKER_01: Mommy to go somewhere and get the money right.
18:53
SPEAKER_01: So, but you know, I think it has helped me more to stay home.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: The kids, I can admit my time.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: If they have graduations and they have doctor's appointments, I can be there in prison.
19:04
SPEAKER_01: That's what that's the only difference I say.
19:06
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, I'm more present, I'm more tired, I'm more sleepy.
19:11
SPEAKER_01: I'm not like, give me one hour, let me slide to sleep more.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: I need to you know, you get so tired after you do a sheet and emergency apartment.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: But when I come back from work, I still spend time to cook or eat with them or you know, talk to them and do other things.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
19:27
SPEAKER_00: So how many emergency shifts would you say you typically do in a month?
19:32
SPEAKER_01: I mean um maybe like fine or six, but you know, reverse league, now it depends.
19:43
SPEAKER_01: Every month is different.
19:45
SPEAKER_01: And the thing is that once you start a business, you're still you don't have funds, or you're self-funded, you're still able to pay the same amount of shit.
19:54
SPEAKER_01: So I don't want people to think maybe like I'm just doing any six shit, how does she do it?
19:58
SPEAKER_01: No, once you start in business, you still want to maintain, you know, everything.
20:03
SPEAKER_01: You still need to work, you still need money, you still need everything.
20:06
SPEAKER_01: You still need to pay the stats.
20:08
SPEAKER_01: So I was still maintaining the number of sheets that were working previously.
20:12
SPEAKER_01: Now I'm just kind of taking it easy on myself because I'm mostly here in the clinic.
20:19
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it was a uh a transition, is what I'm hearing.
20:23
SPEAKER_00: Just gradual.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: Gradual.
20:25
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you're not gonna be able to just start your business right from scratch and then like cut down to quarter time or whatever.
20:32
SPEAKER_00: What about when starting that business?
20:36
SPEAKER_00: That that financial uncertainty.
20:39
SPEAKER_00: What are your tips for navigating that?
20:42
SPEAKER_00: Because it keeps a lot of people from making a move like this, I feel like.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: That's true.
20:48
SPEAKER_01: That's what you're saying.
20:49
SPEAKER_01: It's true.
20:49
SPEAKER_01: Is that one that can advise anyone that's starting a business?
20:54
SPEAKER_01: You have to separate your finances personal from business for family.
21:03
SPEAKER_01: You cannot mix business with family finances on your personal finances because your family has to also survive.
21:12
SPEAKER_01: Why not business is trying to survive too, basically?
21:16
SPEAKER_01: That's what I'll say.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: So you have to keep it separately.
21:19
SPEAKER_01: You have to also every month or every week, you have to go through your finances, you know, how much you have, keep your overhead cost low if you can, have a lot of virtual assistance if you can.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: Start with that, it'll help a lot, and also with your family, figure out what you need to survive monthly when it comes to your family finances.
21:43
SPEAKER_01: Okay, you say, okay, how much are my bills monthly?
21:46
SPEAKER_01: How much market does my family need to survive?
21:49
SPEAKER_01: That's what you need to work for.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: So, what was that conversation like with your spouse when you needed to figure that out during this the launch?
22:02
SPEAKER_01: It was a struggle initially, but you know, we're having discussion every day, like every day.
22:07
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, hey, I can't do this anymore.
22:09
SPEAKER_01: I can't keep up with two jobs at the same pace anymore.
22:12
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, something has to be.
22:15
SPEAKER_01: You cannot have a tired wife and tired mom, an angry wife, an angry mom.
22:20
SPEAKER_01: Because he's gonna say that you're angry, because if you have to keep up with both jobs at the same pace, you're gonna be angry and tired.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: So I'm like, hey, I can't do this.
22:30
SPEAKER_01: So that's why I said every month is different.
22:33
SPEAKER_01: If we have any project at hand, I don't run two projects at the same time, let's say family project and office project or business, but I don't do it at the same time.
22:43
SPEAKER_01: Because I have to make sure that both of them are trying.
22:48
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so give me an example of like a family project that would make you put a business project on the back burner.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean to you?
22:55
SPEAKER_01: If there's kitchen renovation, if there's a business.
22:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:59
SPEAKER_01: You know, if something happens that like my car, my car broke down, I had to buy a new car.
23:08
SPEAKER_01: See, these are the things that enlightened, you have to expect things in life.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: That's what happens.
23:13
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, we have to plan for unforeseen circumstances, basically.
23:18
SPEAKER_01: That's what I'm trying to say.
23:19
SPEAKER_01: So anything at home, any major renovation.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: Just to Yeah, that makes sense.
23:27
SPEAKER_00: What's your favorite part of this mix?
23:29
SPEAKER_00: Because I think a lot of people, and people have said this to me before, where they say, like, your life sounds kind of chaotic to me because you're moving around, you travel for work, blah, blah, blah, like you have three different houses.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: What about you?
23:40
SPEAKER_00: What do you like about this chaos?
23:43
SPEAKER_01: I like it because these journeys have made me have traveled a lot.
23:49
SPEAKER_01: I've been to China, I've been to Jamaica, I've been to a lot of places, just training, learning, conferences, and I go to this place with my spouse.
24:01
SPEAKER_01: So we're on a mini vacation plus training, you know.
24:05
SPEAKER_01: So it's made me step out of my comfort zone.
24:09
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, like I cannot sit down and think I'm like, you're really badass.
24:13
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, I compare myself to my yesterday.
24:16
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, Nancy of yesterday, I'll be like, no, I'm not gonna do that.
24:20
SPEAKER_01: Um I'd rather stay right here.
24:22
SPEAKER_01: Like, no, I was making a lot of money doing emergency medicine.
24:26
SPEAKER_01: I was traveling in local, I've been doing locum since a ride from residency.
24:31
SPEAKER_01: But now going into this opening my own practice, it was different because I have to stay in one place.
24:37
SPEAKER_01: But the good thing is that I already learned discipline from emergency medicine.
24:43
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
24:44
SPEAKER_01: So that wasn't that difficult for me.
24:47
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
24:48
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I mean, that's that's the way I can put.
24:51
SPEAKER_00: It's interesting that you pointed out that you traveled as a locum.
24:56
SPEAKER_00: And I will also from experience say that that that kind of travel is very different.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it isn't, I don't even usually bring my spouse because it's incredible.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: It's like you're there to work and you're working a lot, right?
25:08
SPEAKER_00: And so then when you're not there, you're tired, you're when you're not at work, you're like in the hotel room sleeping or eating and sleeping.
25:15
SPEAKER_00: And uh when you are going on a trip that is related to a conference, it's more energizing in a different way.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: You're you're learning, and then you can bring your spouse with you, you can have some like personal time.
25:30
SPEAKER_00: And so uh you have an experience with traveling, and yet this kind of travel that you now get to do is is different and new.
25:38
SPEAKER_01: And the good thing, some of the conferences too, they have also spouse meetups, like you know, the spouses are also introduced.
25:46
SPEAKER_01: So it's a win-win best way.
25:48
SPEAKER_01: Okay, he's a wing-wing situation of form that he's at.
25:50
SPEAKER_01: Yo Hampton.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: That's nice.
25:52
SPEAKER_00: It sounds like a really good community.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: It's not like a dry, you know, conference.
25:58
SPEAKER_00: Very good, very good.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Do you have any other advice for people who are listening who want to do something that is out of the box?
26:08
SPEAKER_00: Maybe they have a personal experience too.
26:11
SPEAKER_00: Like I actually had a coaching client who had personal experiences with something totally unrelated to their field.
26:18
SPEAKER_00: They have their field of medicine, and then they uh had experienced food allergies in their immediate family, and they wanted to get into building a community around helping people with that.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: And it's it reminds me of your story.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: You experienced hair loss yourself, and you really wanted to find a way to help people.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: So, what is your advice for people who are interested in breaking out like that?
26:47
SPEAKER_01: There are a couple of advices.
26:49
SPEAKER_01: I know a lot of people are a couple of advices, anyway.
26:52
SPEAKER_01: Um, you have to be afraid, no matter what.
26:55
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna be accountable, you're going to everything you think will happen to you might probably happen.
27:05
SPEAKER_01: But now, your superpower is your knowledge, you have to understand what is your why.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: Why are you doing this?
27:14
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna have down times.
27:17
SPEAKER_01: You have to understand that it's not going to be easy.
27:21
SPEAKER_01: You need motivation before you start, but after you start, you don't need motivation, you need discipline.
27:29
SPEAKER_01: So, in those downtimes, in those moments when you want to give up, just keep doing it, just be disciplined, like you know, it doesn't matter what every other person says.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: If you believe it's going to happen, it will definitely happen, no matter what.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: It's something you have to is a mindset, is a mindset shape.
27:52
SPEAKER_01: So you have to work on your mindset because your spouse will even tell you not to do it.
27:57
SPEAKER_01: Why do you want to give up all this?
27:59
SPEAKER_01: My boss said, Why do you want to give up all this?
28:02
SPEAKER_01: You know, but there's a difference between fulfillment and achievement.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: So you might have achieved a lot, but you're not fulfilled.
28:13
SPEAKER_01: Now, fulfillment comes from helping people, helping, I mean, giving giving being human, giving something out.
28:22
SPEAKER_01: That's what fulfillment comes.
28:23
SPEAKER_01: So follow that thing that's been that's been nagging at you.
28:28
SPEAKER_01: And remember that it will surely happen for you if you're consistent and dedicated.
28:34
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't I love that advice so much?
28:38
SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna just throw in one of my favorite quotes: discipline equals freedom.
28:42
SPEAKER_00: And so remember that as well.
28:44
SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, yes Nancy, this has been a very wonderful conversation.
28:49
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for coming on the show.
28:51
SPEAKER_00: And can you tell listeners where to find you if they want to learn more about you or contact you?
28:58
SPEAKER_01: So, Dr.
28:59
SPEAKER_01: Hafel.
29:00
SPEAKER_01: Instagram is Haviliner Restoration, Facebook is Haviline Hair Restoration, TikTok is Dr.
29:07
SPEAKER_01: H Haiful.
29:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, but in your we're just only one Google away, basically.
29:12
SPEAKER_01: Just put in Havilah Restoration, you put Dr.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: H Have, you will find me.
29:16
SPEAKER_01: I have a YouTube channel, I have on Instagram, I'm on Facebook, I'm on TikTok, I'm on X.
29:22
SPEAKER_01: You will definitely see me yapping somewhere.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: So Yeah, and actually your content's very educational as well, from what I've seen.
29:30
SPEAKER_01: And in Peachtree City, Georgia, we offer free virtual consultation.
29:36
SPEAKER_01: And when I when we say free, it's really free.
29:39
SPEAKER_01: So if you're busy on the weekends, we can offer you free virtual consultation on the weekends.
29:45
SPEAKER_01: There's always someone to talk to.
29:47
SPEAKER_00: Thank you again for coming on the show today.
29:50
SPEAKER_01: We're fancy.
29:52
SPEAKER_00: I learned a lot from talking to Nancy, and I hope you did too.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: Here are my takeaways from our conversation.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: Number one, balance is in the eye of the beholder.
30:03
SPEAKER_00: This isn't a new insight, but more of a reminder for me.
30:07
SPEAKER_00: I've talked about this on my blog and in my book Lean Out, but balance looks different for everyone.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: I still like to use the term balance, and some people have their own ways of describing it, but basically it's all the same thing.
30:18
SPEAKER_00: It's what works for you.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: It's always changing as well.
30:22
SPEAKER_00: So what works now might not work in the future.
30:26
SPEAKER_00: Nancy is a busy physician, but she feels balanced.
30:29
SPEAKER_00: She has found her flow, as she says, because of her different roles and workplace environments.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: Number two, be careful to not take on a big business project at the same time as an ongoing personal project.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: This is great advice from Nancy and one that I've occasionally had trouble instituting.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: If there's something big going on at home, let the stuff at work slide, and vice versa.
30:55
SPEAKER_00: Don't expand or hire a new person or take on a promotion.
31:00
SPEAKER_00: Examples of personal projects that come to mind that we didn't even really talk about are illness, which is obviously something you can't really plan for, but the same concept applies.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: Or on the opposite side, maybe it's trying to complete a big goal, like running a marathon.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's incurring a large expense or a home renovation, which was the example that Nancy used.
31:25
SPEAKER_00: Your work-related projects might be something like opening a practice, expanding a practice, hiring someone new, or a renovation of your office.
31:34
SPEAKER_00: Try to separate these in the timeline, not only for financial reasons, but so that you stay sane and don't get overwhelmed.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: Number three, there's a difference between achievement and fulfillment.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: Nancy says we're all used to achievement given where we are in life, but fulfillment is something beyond achievement.
31:55
SPEAKER_00: It's the contribution you're making in a human way, the service that you're putting into the world.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: I've met many physicians through coaching that have experienced a lot of achievement, but they don't necessarily feel fulfilled.
32:09
SPEAKER_00: If what you're currently doing is checking the achievement box, but you don't feel fulfillment, then what could you do to change that?
32:16
SPEAKER_00: There are many, many possibilities, and I'd love to help you find them.
32:20
SPEAKER_00: Remember that you can always inquire about my coaching services by going to practicebalance.com/slash coaching.
32:27
SPEAKER_00: My parting question for you today, then, is what part or parts of your life are helping you to feel fulfilled right now?
32:36
SPEAKER_00: Share them with us by sending fan mail through your podcast listening app, leaving a comment on the blog post associated with this episode at practicebalance.com, or commenting on the Instagram post for this episode.
32:49
SPEAKER_00: I'm Practice Balance.
32:52
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to the Lean Out Podcast.
32:55
SPEAKER_00: If you find these conversations inspiring and useful, please forward them to a friend and also leave a review on iTunes or Spotify so that other people can find them.
33:07
SPEAKER_00: If you want to get in touch with me, you can find me at my website, practicebalance.com, where you can subscribe to my newsletter and get updates regularly about new podcast episodes, blog posts, you can also support my work by buying my book email at Professional Women's Guide to finding authentic work-life balance for yourself, a friend, family member, or coworker.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: Have a great day and we'll see you next time.