Watch time: 1.2 min Read time: 1 min
When I discovered the field of Obesity Medicine in 2014, I found my place. It checked all of the boxes for me – allowing me to connect deeply with my patients (something I loved about being an OB/GYN) while allowing me to work upstream – addressing root causes instead of downstream results. Unable to change course in my role at the time and unwilling to squash my passion, I decided to hang a shingle and start my own Obesity Medicine practice. I knew absolutely nothing about business but immersed myself in the subject – reading every book I could get my hands on and constantly listening to podcasts. Four years later, I have a staff of 13 people, a second location in a nearby city, and we serve thousands of patients every year. In addition to earning credibility and accolades in the field of medicine, I’ve embraced the concept of entrepreneurship (a word I didn’t even know 4 years ago) and have created a way to scale our clinical model into the employer space to help even more people. Absolutely none of it would have been possible without the brave, tenacious women that paved the way in the field of business – local women from Kansas City! I had never heard of American Business Women’s Day before I entered the business space – even as someone that got her undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies – in Kansas – so I’m using this moment to spread awareness. It’s always good to give thanks to the people that came before us!