Three years ago this week, I returned from a life-altering voyage to Antarctica. The impact of this trip was so profound that it has taken me three years to wrap my head around.
Just before this trip, I had sold my business, stopped practicing medicine and found myself with a situation most 30-somethings can only dream of – a blank slate. I was also at the apex of the time-money conundrum – for a while I had time and money; I could do anything!
The voyage to Antarctica was the culmination of a year-long leadership and communication training program for women in STEMM fields. For 11 months, I had been learning virtually with a group of about 100 other women from all over the world with a background in STEMM. We had gotten to know each other a little throughout the program, but it wasn’t until we all came together in Ushuaia, Argentina that the magnitude of this group hit me.
These accomplished women were from all over the world – university professors, farmers, soil scientists, marine biologists, medical doctors, chemists. It was powerful. Experiencing the colors and wildlife of Antarctica was extraordinary, but the collaborative learning with this group was invaluable.
One of the most profound lessons occurred during one of our pre-voyage workshops in Ushuaia. We were tasked with an exercise to figure out our core values and as an overly-organized super planner, I was surprised to find that mine were flexibility, variety, and adventure.
Like a thick fog lifting, it suddenly became clear why I was so unhappy practicing medicine. How much I get bogged down in routine. How being on other people’s schedules all the time didn’t give me flexibility I needed to properly manage my mental health. How the stress of leaving the practice for a few days made vacations hardly worth it. How my values were not aligned with this career path, at least not as I had experienced it.
What a gift!
Since then, every big decision I have made has been with these values in mind. The convoluted path of the last three years has led me to pursue a career in writing – specifically medical and scientific writing. I’ve actually been working in this space for more than two years, but have had some hang-ups that have slowed my progress in actually building a business.
One of many hang-ups I’ve had is what to focus on with my blog. Overanalyzing conflicting advice from other professionals about the need to niche and only write about one topic had me stuck – until I realized that to be successful, first and foremost, this needs to align with my values. I want to share a variety of stories, and given that it’s my blog, I have the flexibility to write about whatever I want!
Undoubtedly, this will morph over time but for now I plan to use this space to share with you some of my veterinary knowledge about your precious pets, as well as my adventures traveling, and stories about mental health, especially in the psychedelic space. As much as anything, it is to keep me in a regular practice of writing about things I enjoy that are not necessarily work-related.
I am happy for any feedback or suggestions on topics you would like to hear more about, and am so excited to finally start sharing with a wider audience!
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