Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time with Dianne Ansari-Winn, MD
Meet today's guest:
Dianne Ansari-Winn, MD, MPH
is an Anesthesiologist and an accomplished Physician Development Coach, speaker, workshop leader and is creator and host of The Doctor’s Life podcast. Dr. Ansari-Winn founded the Physician Vitality Institute to “help doctors heal the world” by changing the healthcare system so that all physicians live with health, energy, alignment, love, joy and fulfillment.
Website: www.dianneansari-winn.com
Have you ever thought about what can happen if you go to your doctor on a day when they are feeling super stressed, overwhelmed or maybe even in the middle of a personal crisis?
Doctors, and in fact all medical professionals, tend to be put on a pedestal by many of us and as a result are often viewed as 'holier than thou'. Yet the truth is, doctors are human and in need of just as much support – perhaps even more – than the average Jo(anne).
My guest today, Dr. Dianne Ansari-Winn, tuned into this when she was working as an Anesthesiologist with two kids and discovered she was definitely burning the candle at both ends. She had to search high and low to finally find someone who was able to help her and when all was said and done, she knew she had to change things.
About 5 years ago I was practicing as an Anesthesiologist and between the rigors of the work that I was doing and a combination of sleep deprivation – working at least one night a week and the occasional 24 hour shifts as well as trying to take care of my busy household – I found I hadn't really developed a way for taking care of myself and having it as part of my to do list.
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I found the toll that my work was taking on me in addition to trying to keep all my other plates spinning was just too much and I decided to leave medical practice at that point. That was huge for me.
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As I was going through the stresses of work and trying to reach out to folks for help, I found that there wasn't a lot of professionals or peer coaches to reach out to. I really saw a need for doctors to be able to reach out to someone who's trained in helping them like a coach (rather than a therapist) who understands where they are, where they've been and where they want to go…
Dianne became a much needed coach and the Physician Vitality Institute (.com) was born. She also created The Doctors Life Podcast (.com) where she interviews many professionals (almost all moms) every 2 weeks.
If you look at all of the hats that I wear, first and foremost I'm a mom. In some ways I gave up my profession because I knew I needed to find balance in my life. I think it's really important for us as moms to take a look at all the things we want to have in life and decide which of those things I can balance and integrate.
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I think sometimes we don't give ourselves permission to be first. We need to take care of ourselves first so that we have the capacity to be our best selves for our kids and for work.
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As doctors we learn sacrifice and struggle is the way to go and I would say that a lot of moms adopt that sensibility as well. We have to just throw that idea out and start over.
Since then Dianne has created programs to help doctors reconnect to their energy draws. She teaches them to become mindful of the things that rejuvenate and the things that deplete them.
Humans are designed to move rhythmically between spending and renewing energy… If you're working hard you need a break. We need to recognize these cycles and honor them. Because then you can get more done in less time and at a higher level of quality in a more sustainable way.
Listen to the podcast to learn Dianne's 5 paths to energy renewal that can help you increase your capacity to connect with others, to concentrate, to live a purposeful life as well as increase your physical energy and joy. She also dives more deeply into emotional fitness and shares tips for diffusing negative emotions and cultivating positivity in your life.
