Stepping into the spotlight can be a transformative experience, something my distinguished guest knows all too well, as they transitioned from the structure of on-camera interviews to the genuine conversations of podcasting. Join us for an intimate journey through their life in allergy and aesthetic medicine, where we navigate the intricacies of empowering patients to feel their best. As the founder of Shahnti Aesthetic Medicine, they recount the evolution of their practice, the gratifying moments of patient care, and their anticipation for expanding the services that enhance people's lives.
In the world of medical aesthetics, the line between enhancing beauty and maintaining authenticity can be razor-thin. Our guest opens up about the emotional challenges that come with the territory, including steering young clients through the turbulent waters of social media's beauty standards. They share personal battles against doubt and gender bias, offering inspiring tales of perseverance. It's a candid look at the resilience it takes to defy expectations and follow one’s passion, whether that's in medicine, dancing, or any art that ignites the soul.
But life isn't all about work; it's about the harmonious blend of professional ambition with the joys of family and community. Hear how my guest and their spouse dance the delicate ballet of managing both a thriving business and a bustling household, creating a partnership that flourishes in synchrony. We delve into their community engagement, from workout groups to children's activities, and discuss the importance of supporting and uplifting one another, celebrating our unique beauty, and cultivating an environment of self-acceptance. This episode promises an enriching exploration of the intersections between our professional pursuits and the personal connections that bring us together.
Stepping into the spotlight can be a transformative experience, something my distinguished guest knows all too well, as they transitioned from the structure of on-camera interviews to the genuine conversations of podcasting. Join us for an intimate journey through their life in allergy and aesthetic medicine, where we navigate the intricacies of empowering patients to feel their best. As the founder of Shahnti Aesthetic Medicine, they recount the evolution of their practice, the gratifying moments of patient care, and their anticipation for expanding the services that enhance people's lives.
In the world of medical aesthetics, the line between enhancing beauty and maintaining authenticity can be razor-thin. Our guest opens up about the emotional challenges that come with the territory, including steering young clients through the turbulent waters of social media's beauty standards. They share personal battles against doubt and gender bias, offering inspiring tales of perseverance. It's a candid look at the resilience it takes to defy expectations and follow one’s passion, whether that's in medicine, dancing, or any art that ignites the soul.
But life isn't all about work; it's about the harmonious blend of professional ambition with the joys of family and community. Hear how my guest and their spouse dance the delicate ballet of managing both a thriving business and a bustling household, creating a partnership that flourishes in synchrony. We delve into their community engagement, from workout groups to children's activities, and discuss the importance of supporting and uplifting one another, celebrating our unique beauty, and cultivating an environment of self-acceptance. This episode promises an enriching exploration of the intersections between our professional pursuits and the personal connections that bring us together.
I have never done a podcast.
Speaker 2:I've done news before, where they've interviewed me, but what was it about? What was it?
Speaker 1:Out-suit allergies, seasonal allergies, penicillin allergy it was all in the allergy world. But even there I had to be like don't look at that person, only look at that person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like only the one don't you take. Did it make you more?
Speaker 1:nervous, no, but it's like there's a camera there and your mind you're like you want to look at the camera, you want to look at the camera. So I'm going to try not to look at the camera.
Speaker 2:Good, because I'll be having a conversation with you, and that'll be weird if you're like where's the camera? Yeah, yeah, are you going to? Are you always going to say At allergy, at allergy, or are you going to bring that into your practice?
Speaker 1:No, I won't bring it into my practice. It's just it's too much of a headache, I think, to bring it together. But I think I really enjoy seeing kids, and I don't get to see them at Chantee, so which is good, which is good, right.
Speaker 1:So at allergy I get that side, and so I think one day is like a sweet spot. I get one full day there, I get all of it, I get to keep up to date with it and I get all the kids, and then then I do this for three days and it's. It's a nice balance.
Speaker 2:Now how do you pronounce your business? Chantee, chantee, yeah, chantee, yeah. I said it in the white way.
Speaker 1:Chantee. Everyone says Chantee, yeah. Actually most people call me Dr Chantee, which is funny, but I'm like. No, it was like Shah like, dr Shah Like. And then it was a play on words because Chantee means like peace, yeah, so it was kind of like a little, but you respond to both.
Speaker 2:I respond to both. I'm like Dr Chantee or like Shah, but we'll take it.
Speaker 1:Chantee is spelled incorrectly because I added the extra H from my last name. But but, but, shah, out here, it's a little awesome. I'll respond to anything. I don't, I don't mind. Hey, doc, just yesterday someone's like for three years I've been calling you Dr Chantee and I'm like yeah, I'm okay. She's like I never knew and I was like it's okay.
Speaker 2:You look, I always responded. It doesn't matter. Now what motivated you to start your? The aesthetic side or not side, but the aesthetic practice, the aesthetic practice.
Speaker 1:So within allergy, my interest was always like skin. So food, food allergies was my second interest. But eczema and that ties really together with food allergies a lot of times in kids. But we did, we do hives, we do contact dermatitis, so like and drug rash is like we do all these other skin things. And that was sort of where I did my research while I was a fellow and also I cross-trained. So I was at the Mayo Clinic and there they make the allergy fellows and the derm residents cross-train. So I had to spend time in the derm, on the derm floors and the derm residents had to spend time on the allergy floors. So I always loved skin but I just wasn't going to ever be able to say like you have skin cancer or I'm going to pull that off, it's more like you need to get that one looked at. But for everything else I knew skin and I was seeing a lot of rashes in the area, because up until recently we didn't even have derm in Percival and so people were like you see the rashes, why can't you just also do our Botox? And I was like no, I'm good.
Speaker 1:And then I slowly was getting older and I was like I need to start doing a little prevention. And as I was researching, I was like there was nothing in our area at the time so I would have had to go to Reston or Frederick to get what I wanted to do, which was just micro-needling at the time. But I was like, OK, maybe I do need to start something out here because there was a need. And all the PTA moms were like, couldn't you also just do our Botox? And I was like I know anatomy, I just need to train. So for two years I still did allergy and then I'd kind of trained on the side and then we slowly opened about five and a half years ago.
Speaker 2:In Round Hill In Round Hill and you've got a new building, when are you guys moving in? I don't know. To be announced.
Speaker 1:Yes, to be announced, I hope, in the spring, because we just have to do a little updating. That's not as hard, but it's just bringing things to code and checking off all the boxes and making sure. I just want to make sure it's done right once so we don't have to open and then do construction again. So it's sort of checking off boxes right now to make sure when we do build, we build everything that is needed to make it compliant for everyone.
Speaker 2:In terms of reward for us being in the cosmetic aesthetic business, do you feel like what's the most rewarding thing about it or what's the most negative thing? I would like to hear both.
Speaker 1:Okay, definitely. So we'll start with the good. So the rewarding part is generally the clientele that come to me are usually people who have been so busy for so long taking care of their families or just being really hard workers and they're finally coming to do something for themselves and I get to be part of that. I get to make some usually women, but we see a lot of men too but I make someone feel good about themselves and take care of themselves and they had been neglecting themselves. So it's kind of rewarding to be part of the experience. But also how they feel Like when they're like, oh my goodness, like I love it. I feel so confident and I think just giving that confidence back is the most rewarding part.
Speaker 1:The negative part there's so many negatives to it because what we do is there's risks with a lot of the procedures we do and so picking the right person, making sure there's bad things can happen, but trying to be as careful as you can. But even with that, there's nights I lose sleep, like I hope that person was okay, like I hope they didn't get a big bruise. So it's kind of like the I take it home with me sometimes, which that's a person that lets a me problem that I'm bringing it home. The other negative is, I feel like, because it's becoming so mainstream, it's a good thing this generation talks about like the way we were like who does your hair. They're like who does your lips.
Speaker 1:I like that they're not ashamed to take care of themselves, not ashamed to do prevention. But I do feel like a lot of the very young, like the tweens, are just kind of seeing it on Instagram and TikTok and buying all these products and their skin is getting overwhelmed. It's just too much for them. So I feel like we're kind of the pendulum is swinging too far in one direction. So when I have consults with them, I feel so bad, like breaking a 13 year old's heart, saying you don't need all of this, like maybe just this, you know? Yeah. So it's the younger people who I have a harder time with, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Do you like what I spent so much? I'm like give it to your mom.
Speaker 1:Give it to your grandma, like give it to somebody, don't throw it out, but you don't need it, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, yeah.
Speaker 1:So somebody does a good job marketing with all their influencers and TikTok ads and all that fun stuff, and that's part of what I do like at our consultations is sort of like this is what people think, that is a good product, but I kind of nerd it out. I take it to the science point and I'm like I don't care what the brand is, I kind of care what the ingredients are. Bring me what you're using and I'll tell you what's good and what maybe we should just use up on like chest and hands and you know, because it's hard to know it's you're inundated with. This is the best serum. This is going to make you look younger, and people spend so much on skincare every year and half of it is just not great product or it doesn't suit their skin. Yeah, so, but it's really easy to be influenced nowadays, so yeah, no what's the whole?
Speaker 2:it's a whole. What's that called?
Speaker 1:Not niche, but like industry, it is the influencer marketing Right, and then you have to like, spend all this time on influencing and educating, and it's a process, because it's almost like they only hear me say something once, but they hear the influencers like every day. Yeah, so it's like fighting when you fit in and everything. Yeah, exactly, it's like trying to row against a current.
Speaker 2:Sometimes you're like oh, and what made you want to be a doctor in the first place.
Speaker 1:So I always knew I liked science and I always knew I liked people.
Speaker 1:But I wasn't sure in high school like what I wanted to do in that world and I kind of thought, maybe physical therapy, maybe medicine, I just I was a biochem major, kind of figuring it out, where I was going to be a biochem major and figure it out.
Speaker 1:And then I and this is going to sound so bad, but I was talking to someone about it and I call him uncle, but he's not related to me, he's like a family friend and he was so well-meaning and he was so sweet and he was like look, you are young and you have all these hobbies. I was a big dancer, like I loved being social and dancing and stuff. And he's like don't go into medicine, it's not a good idea for you, you know, as a woman with family and all that. And that's the minute I was like I'm doing this, like now I have to do this, like I just have to prove that you can. You can do it all if you want to. You can't always do it all, but you can get the goals you want and not give up family you know.
Speaker 2:So A little chip on your shoulder there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was funny cause every time it was frustrating and I wanted to quit. I was like, no, I can't, I have to prove this, this point that like it's a terrible stereotype and it's gone. I feel like girls today can don't have to fight that battle as much, but it was. It was something in my generation that I was like oh, they still think that you know, you can't be a doctor and have a family. And I'm going to do it, I'm going to have both.
Speaker 2:So I love that. I love the stories of the chip on. Like the chip on the shoulder type stories or it's like somebody said something to you and it's really a personality cause. Your personality took it and you said oh watch me. Right. But then imagine how many other people, though, heard that and they said you're right. So they kind of took that dream and took that.
Speaker 1:And it got like quenched right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I'm not at all mad at him. I still adore this guy, but I think it's so funny that I had all these other reasons. Like I said, I like science, I like people. You know all of that, but it was that that took me to that level. And it's interesting, but I guess you just need that thing that motivates you yeah.
Speaker 2:No, I had it specifically about my studio. Somebody, a very well known, respected photographer, worked at a local camera store and when I told him, yeah, I'm going to open up a studio, at least where he was straight up like oh, that's the worst thing I've ever heard. You know and you're like, no, I'm gonna do it yeah and I just kind of listened and was like, oh, tell me more why do you think that way?
Speaker 1:You know what? Do you think that yeah?
Speaker 2:And then I just took that and was like, okay, let's find the studio space.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Now I have to do it and I can't fail.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:Right. So and that's good, you know, keeps you driven. I guess we all need some drive right A little bit, yeah. But it's funny though, because to open Shanti, I second guessed myself a lot. I was like, you know, the kids are young, you know I'm so into the allergy world. Can I really, like, start something else? It's a business. I don't have a business degree Like am I gonna be able to do this? So it's kind of funny how, different stages of life, different things happen you know, we did it in the end.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna say how did you do it then? How?
Speaker 1:did you? My thought was just go slow. You know, we rented one room, small space. I did a few hours. I started with like three services and I was the front, the back and the provider, like.
Speaker 2:I was everything you know and that way kind of overhead's low and if it fails, I don't.
Speaker 1:I haven't lost that much. And then it just grew, and it kind of grew way faster than I had wanted it to, because I was trying to balance the you know time with my family and not give up allergy. But it just keeps growing.
Speaker 2:So, and now we're figuring out, Maybe we're going to leave. Are you gonna hire other?
Speaker 1:I don't know about hire other injectors yet, but I will hire I think I'm looking to hire some nurses so I have an esthetician and then just nurses to kind of do other procedures. So we may start IVs, we may start some of the things I do, that it doesn't have to be me, like leg veins. There's nurses who are trained to do that, so we I may have them come do other procedures, but not, I think for now the injecting on the face is all gonna still be me.
Speaker 2:Well, especially because it's an art form for you.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I do love it. You can talk to me about that. Yes, I love it. I feel like the nerd in me and the artist can kind of come together, Cause it's sort of like ratios and math, but then also like the artistry of making you look like you not fake, not overfilled, you know. So it's sort of like it's so much fun.
Speaker 2:It's the Chauncey filter. It is right, and you can see me doing it.
Speaker 1:I'm like drawing on faces Like I love, and then I love as it's happening and I get to see it. Oh, that looks so good. You know like it's so satisfying. But I also think part of the way we started the business is that a physician will do all your treatments, and I think, at least for face, I need to keep it that way. So we'll see.
Speaker 2:Why is that important?
Speaker 1:I just feel like that's how I opened, like that was the motto when we opened. I mean, it's important for a lot of reasons, but I just want to stay true to that. Also, like I was talking about the negatives, a lot can go wrong and I feel like, well, you've seen them on Instagram.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, right.
Speaker 1:And so you need to be trained, and not necessarily in how to do the procedure, but in how to deal with the emergency or when things go wrong, like how to deal with the bad days, and that I feel like medicine has given me a really good background, and Bronoc, my husband, does a bunch of procedures too, but he's ER trained Like it's he and I kind of we won't freak out if something bad happens. We've been trained in how to handle when things go wrong and minimize complications. So there's amazing injectors at all levels. But I feel like this when I started I was like so many things can go wrong. I feel like you need to be very well trained, yeah, and sometimes just random thoughts.
Speaker 2:Sometimes, when you freak out, not that anything crazy, but when you freak out, it causes more of a problem.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely, yeah, the person's freaking out Absolutely, and so it's almost the time to be extra calm.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I mean I could at some point hire like a PA or a nurse practitioner, but I think it would have to be at that level where they've done a lot of medical training and have experience again to deal with, to be able to stay calm at that time.
Speaker 2:So yeah, In terms of being a mom, how do you feel? I know you've got like two brilliant children, smart kids. You guys are very much involved in the Round Hill community. You live and play and work all in the same area there. But how do you think they view you as both of you guys as business owners?
Speaker 1:So it's interesting. So I actually have three, three, yeah, I have. I'm older too, I have 16, 14. And then I have the little one who's nine. Okay, yeah, so but it's hard.
Speaker 2:I don't remember the 14, I remember the 16. My daughter's eight Right and then the nine, so I have one at harmony and eighth.
Speaker 1:No, that's okay, they all view it different. It's interesting because my daughter always had said as she got older, she's like I like the balance you have and I like that you're home a lot but you're also working Like people know you as your profession but you've been home a lot. And I was like that's it's a tricky thing to find that balance because sometimes you can't do that. I'm fortunate and I was able to do that. But then when we started the business, all of a sudden it's like having another child I have four children actually. Like Shakti is the fourth one. I mean, you totally get that.
Speaker 1:And I think they were like wow, she used to be a lot, like a lot more involved. I was, you know, more involved in PTA and volunteering and I still try to do that, but not to the extent I was doing it before. But they also kind of saw like this little sibling of theirs grow and so they have a little pride in it because they've all helped in one way or the other. Like they're in the beginning, they would come and do inventory with me. We would clean up in there together. You know stuff like that. So they do think it's kind of cool in that sense. But on other times they're like you know, especially when people just stop me and start talking about it. They're like kind of older. I was like here we go again, you know. But they have a little pride in it. They did notice it took me away from the family a little bit, especially that first year, but I feel like we're back to a kind of sweet spot again, especially now that they're getting older.
Speaker 1:Yes, they're getting older. They're busier, so I just try to be sure that I'm free when they're all free.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, yeah, that's a nice balancing act.
Speaker 1:But going back to what you said, I do think they saw how involved we were in the community, because we love our community, and I think they saw how much the community gave back to us when we opened, like the support we got, that people were so, so kind, like people would come in, they would write reviews, they would tell their friends, and I think they saw that. They saw that like we love our community, which is why we give to our community, but like that community came back and gave to us without us asking for it.
Speaker 2:Now how did you give to the community? Because that's a question that a lot of new business owners are trying to figure out, like how much or how what?
Speaker 1:different ways can they give. So what I try to do a lot is again before it was more volunteer hours and now it's usually more sponsoring. So we'll sponsor, like the color run or the fun run or, you know, the local softball team, the local soccer team. So we do a lot of that kind of sponsorship. We fundraise when the school fund raises we try to give like if they're doing a raffle or something. Pretty much like anyone who asks me for a silent raffle thing will will end up doing because there's there are all these good causes.
Speaker 1:But the kids and I, right around the time, covid was kind of slowing down and we were okay and we were like wow, we made it through COVID as like a brand new business. We had said, you know, we're going to try to be sure we're donating regularly and so we would try to pick charities, like within the month, like women's health, like in October we often will give to either a local charity or some charity doing breast cancer research. And Aria has always kind of gotten that because, if you remember with you sung when she did the ornaments, she still does those ornaments and they will pick something that that bothers them today, that they want to donate to like some cause that's helping with that, and so it's been kind of good to see them take that on as well. But yeah, the hours we still do and we try to like go to all the roundtale events, but I don't I'm not able to give as many hours now as I am able to donate, you know, either services or gifts or or monetary donations.
Speaker 2:I like how you took that us on that journey, though like at the very beginning. If you're in the beginning stages, you probably have more time than you have money.
Speaker 1:Yes, maybe exactly that's what it is in the beginning. You're volunteering, I would like go speak at things they wanted me to and stuff like that. But yeah, as you do. Well, I feel like I'm a big believer in karma. So once we were like in a good place again at the end of COVID, I was like we need to just regularly give back because something good happened that we made it through that and thrived actually through that. So we need to give back, continue on that trajectory. And it's cute because the family will even come up with ideas. Oh, you know, next month you should look into this. I heard about this charity and so it's kind of it's kind of nice that they're also thinking about it.
Speaker 2:We should have a family planning meeting every month.
Speaker 1:I wish it's always like random, like like someone's getting in or out of a car and we have a conversation. I wish we could still have a nice family planning meeting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. As you're looking into the future, where do you see your business, either adding services or growing into your?
Speaker 1:I know we talked about the expansion, but I think I would like it to be a wellness place. So I definitely my big thing is prejuvenation. So it's like prevention and rejuvenation and I think that prevention side like you know again, if we add IVs, other wellness type things potentially like nutritional counseling, things that are going to help you just be healthier overall, as well as you know all the aesthetic stuff but I would love to take it more in a wellness direction if I, if I have the time and space and staff to do that. So, because I think if we do more prevention we'll, we'll be happier, we'll be more confident and not need as much invasive procedure later on. So, or procedures, sorry, later on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I think that's smart and you'll have the space to kind of grow into yeah.
Speaker 1:You know like massages or something like that, something that kind of goes with more that wellness.
Speaker 2:You have a nice massage chair though.
Speaker 1:We do have nice massage chairs, yeah, and hopefully we'll have more there because there'll be more space there. So, and that's why nobody's mad at me if I'm running late, right, they're like.
Speaker 2:I'll just sit in this massage chair a little longer. Yeah, that's funny In terms of how involved is your husband. You said he does some, he does some, yeah, so he's very much the behind the scenes guy.
Speaker 1:He does a lot of the you know we have an accountant and all but he does a lot of the communication with them, kind of looking at the books tech. You know the laser needs maintenance or something. He's the first line. He's so involved behind the scenes but he does come in and do. He's very good with the machines like physics and all of that engineering and type of stuff. So Morpheus, he does Morpheus for people all the time.
Speaker 1:It's Morpheus, it's radio frequency micro-needling, so it can be done on face or body and there are needles that go into the skin and they release heat and they are like the needle cut and your body is like, oh, I have a cut and a burn, I need to go repair that. So it brings all this collagen and elastin and proteins to build up that area. But not it's not just one cut and burn, it's like thousands of cuts and burns because so many needles are going in at the same time in different depths and so there is a little bit of an art to it as well, and so both of us are trained on Morpheus. But he's like he does my Morpheus Like he is really good at the Morpheus and lasers, like all the laser veins, laser hair removal, brown spots, redness, like he's a whiz with the laser. So that's the stuff he enjoys doing. He does not want to inject and he does not want to do the consults. He's sort of like just tell me what they need and I will do the procedure, you know.
Speaker 2:Has it been hard working with your spouse.
Speaker 1:No, I expected us to fight way more. I was like this may break us, but it's been great. It's actually like having another kid. It's like something to talk about now that the older ones are a little bit older. It, I guess it's just something. We always have something to talk about because of it, which is nice.
Speaker 2:So it's like who's going to afford college for Shanti? Yeah, right, exactly. Getting older, we got to like think about these things, right, exactly.
Speaker 1:So but he's really good at like always researching. He's like I heard about this, did you hear about this? You know I looked into this and so, as much as he doesn't love coming in to do some of the stuff, he's on top of it, like he's keeping up to date on all of it, but the machines are his thing, Like he'll do that all day every day.
Speaker 1:Like he's fine with that. What are you doing outside of work? I work out. I try to work out more, but I've been working out with Emily Ledford I don't know if you know her and it's this great group of women. They hyped me up today because I still went to work out this morning and they're like they're going to be great.
Speaker 1:They were so great, but it's just, it's like having that community. So there's these amazing women I get to work out with. I'm there two days a week. Other than that, you know, I help where I can. Like my kids are in sports, I try to help out at their events, Like because I'm there anyway. So I'm always like yes, I'll volunteer to. You know, do X, Y or Z while I'm already here. Yeah, I'm at a lot of sporting events.
Speaker 2:I feel like Do you have like the official wagon? No, the chairs with the like.
Speaker 1:I don't even sit down. There's no chair. It's a joke. Sometimes I'll take like a like a waterproof picnic blanket with me places, because I'm like it's so rare that I'm going to sit this way. I'm only holding this little thing yeah.
Speaker 2:I never sit either.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm either yelling, screaming or I'm helping someone, so you're the crazy.
Speaker 2:I'm the crazy. I'm the crazy.
Speaker 1:Yes, and Roaneck is quiet. So when we're at games people think we're not getting along because we have to sit on opposite sides. Me and the other loud people are together and then he's with the quiet people on that. So what sports do your kids play? The little guy, Satya, plays everything right now. So he does soccer and baseball and basketball and swims. But the other two were really into soccer and now they just run and they love running. They've both found kind of this, this love of running. And the middle one has this new love, which is guitar. Like he just loves playing guitar and he plays electric guitar and he plays songs I grew up with. So I am enjoying this thoroughly.
Speaker 2:I'm like go ahead and let's practice this one again.
Speaker 1:Everyone's like oh God, the noise. And I could initially relish it like. Relish him like, sent him to the basement, but I'm keeping the door open all the time now because I'm like he's playing Nirvana.
Speaker 2:Like this is pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Does he get lessons? He does. He's at Shamrock doing lessons. He's just interviewed oh, did you? Yes, they're so nice. And then and his teacher is so great, and then Harmony, he's with the guitar class there. And then he was, as an eighth grader, able to do Woodgrove marching band, which is a really cool experience, and they had an electric guitar in the marching band, which I wasn't a thing when I went to school. So when he told me he wanted to do marching band, I'm like you're attached to an amp, you don't march. And he's like, no, there's a pit now and it's a bunch of people who don't march, but they had a cool electric guitar part for him. That's so fun, yeah, so he loves it. And so that's.
Speaker 1:They're busy. I'm at something for them all the time. I do volunteer once a week to teach. It's like a Sunday school. It's out in Winchester, but we do a lot of them virtually lately, because some of us are all over the place Trying to think what else that's it. Just try to make time for my friends, because I feel like, especially as the kids get older, I need to have my community so that I'm not a total mess, even though I'm going to be a total mess when Aria leaves, especially, but as the first one, I think it's going to be hard, but I just need to foster the friendships.
Speaker 2:Do you do the same thing you tell your patients, clients to do? Of taking time for yourself?
Speaker 1:So I'm trying so, since I've been so much better. I was at allergy two days a week and I stopped going on Wednesdays to allergy but I did not pick up. Shanti, that was a big discussion between me and Rona. She's like you can go down but do not pick up the other day, so I don't see patients anywhere on Wednesday. It's like the me day and it's been so good for me. I feel like my mental state is so much better because I just have a reset day where I can just go through the lists and the emails and things that pile up. But also it's a great day I can meet up with a friend or I kind of joke. It's like my mammogram day. It's the day I can do the things I need to do See the dentist, get all the checkups done, that we're getting neglected.
Speaker 1:Come on a podcast and then come on a podcast for sure and hang out with you. But sometimes I do sneak into Shanti, but then I'll only do something for me that day.
Speaker 1:I'm sort of like maybe I'll just hop on this machine for a minute. I love that. So you practice what you preach. Yes, I can't even tell myself I had to, because I was like this is, it's getting insane, you're right. Like I'm telling people, it's the same as me saying you have to wash your makeup off at night. Like I have to do what I say.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I update my head shots, so I do what I tell people to do.
Speaker 1:Perfect. That's so great, I know, and I think that's why people come to you right? That's why people will come back, because they're sort of like you're not just saying what needs to be said, you're genuine about it.
Speaker 2:I'll tease you here in the studio. I'm like okay, guys, we need a nice little boost of business this month. Let's do my head shot Put it up there. Totally, and then everybody will see them and they're like oh yeah, I need to get my head shot.
Speaker 1:Right and they look so good, so they're like I want to go. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:If you could give one, just to kind of wrap it up. If you gave one message to the world, what would it be?
Speaker 1:Ooh, that's a hard one. Just be kind, like we are so much more similar than we are different, and so just find those similarities and be kind to each other.
Speaker 2:How do you feel like we have to feel like we're similar in order to be kind, or do we not have to?
Speaker 1:I don't know if we have to, but I feel like people are driven to see what's different and if they just took a second and saw that they're so much more similar than different, they wouldn't see the black and white. It would all be sort of gray. If that makes a difference, and I think it's something that kids don't see. Kids see the similarities, they don't see the differences. And then something happens, whether it's their time with adults or what, and we grow up into adults who are sort of like you're Indian, you're this or you're a woman and it doesn't matter. But I feel like those boxes and circles happen somewhere in adulthood. So we just got to be more like kids, just go to the playground and play with everyone.
Speaker 2:Don't throw sand at anybody else. Yeah, Just be nice to everyone. So no, I love that. It's funny that you said that you just had any discussion earlier about that of this thing of assimilation where we all try to just be like each other. But it'd be wonderful if we could be ourselves, be different and still be loved and love others because we're different. But you're right, there's something that either happens in adulthood I don't know if it's biological thing for us to be afraid or see the differences versus not even paying attention to that but just be more of like it's a human. Yes, it's not a lion that's going to attack me.
Speaker 1:We're totally. We're essentially the same person with a few differences. But it's just, it's weird how that happens. And then for yourself especially, I see the women who come in and I feel like this pendulum is swinging. I think there was a good portion of time where we as women who should all really be banded together were so competitive and really we need to not knock each other down, we need to build each other up, and so I think there's that change in mentality too, because when you're a kid, all the girls get along, and then something happens and we need that to stop too.
Speaker 1:We're all in this together. If we're not going to boost each other up, who's going to do it? But it's hard. It's hard to be kind to others sometimes, but a lot of people have a really hard time being kind to themselves too, and I see that a lot People come in for a consult and they're like I hate this, I hate this, I hate this and I'm like you're stunning. We'll just do a little few tweaks so you feel good again, but you're still gorgeous. It just is one of these things that we're somehow I don't know what happens in our brains that we just start tearing everything down ourselves, others. It's just.
Speaker 2:You're right. I'll take pictures or be in a group with somebody and they're everyone's biggest shooter oh my gosh, you're so beautiful. Look at that. And then they see pictures of themselves, which they're stunning as well, and they're like oh my god, yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, take it away.
Speaker 2:Yeah, look at how big this looks. Look at my eyebrow, look at my nose or look at my. I'm like, yeah, they're all stunning.
Speaker 1:And I always say nobody sees this except you, right, you're the only one who sees that. I mean, sometimes I will see it because you're coming in to be like, hey, what can I do about this? But it's not, it does it? Sometimes being a little bit off is beautiful too, like you just want, you don't want. We don't all want to look the same.
Speaker 2:No, that'd be creepy.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they'll be robots. Yeah, we don't want to be robots?
Speaker 1:No, that would be awful.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for being on the show. No problem, thank you for having me. This was so fun. Thank you.