Docs Outside The Box - Ordinary Doctors Doing Extraordinary Things

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Physician, author, speaker, social media coach, wife, mother, and owner of her own publishing company. Many say it takes superpowers to juggle all of these talents – but my next guest, Dr. Nicole Swiner, will say she’s no superwoman! She truly is living outside the box. In order to drum up more attention for her practice, she started writing medical advice for her town’s  local newspaper. Dr. Swiner’s passions are in women and minority health, stress management, and self care. Years later, with a myriad of columns and articles, she noticed that she covered very similar themes and used this to create her first book: How to Avoid the Superwoman Complex: 12 Ways to Balance Mind, Body & Spirit. Her book focuses on the notion that trying to be “all things to all people” is a large reason why people aren’t truly happy and healthy. Dr. Swiner did her undergraduate studies at Duke University, and obtained her medical degree fro

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Dr. Ryan Gray took some time from his busy schedule to be my next guest. He’s a podcasting veteran and if you haven’t heard of Ryan Gray – you’re living under a rock!! He runs the Medical School Headquarters, which is a website that “takes relevant premed topics and creates a one-stop shop for you to quickly get the information you need.” As the host of multiple podcasts – all with a focus on helping premed students become stronger candidates for medical school – he has quickly gained thousands of followers and listeners. Oh yeah and add author his repertoire. His book The Premed Playbook – Guide to the Medical School Interview  is his compilation of over 50 interview questions and answers that premeds can use to crush their interviews!! He even provides one -on-one coaching for premeds. Dr. Gray did his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida, and graduated with his M.D. at New York Medical College. He went on

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!On this episode, I get to chat with Dr. Peter Kim. Dr. Kim did his undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, and then attained his medical degree (MD) from University of Maryland School of Medicine. Currently he is an anesthesiologist in Los Angeles, California. Peter’s session is a bit different than my previous interviews. Why? Well, the common theme shared by my other guests revolved around leveraging our credentials for media presence or achieving financial freedom. Although Dr. Kim loves the idea of financial freedom, his story is about disrupting the real estate industry with his company – Curbside Real Estate . The impetus to start the company came from his frustrations while purchasing a home and wondering why there wasn’t a better way for busy professionals like himself. Curbside Real Estate touts being able to streamline the process of purchasing a home for busy professionals by using a preferred network

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!My next guest is Dr. Renee Matthews – host of the wildly popular Ask Dr. Renee Show. She has turned her passion for talking about medicine to the masses into her lifestyle. After facing difficulty with getting into an OB/GYN residency, Dr. Renee pivoted onto her networking skills that garnered her opportunities like a XM radio show. She’s now a well-sought after media medical expert, blogger, and national speaker. Oh, don’t forget to add social media guru to her list of skills – she now coaches physicians on how to distinguish themselves through multiple social medial platforms. You can find her at: askdrrenee.info Follow The Ask Dr Renee Show: www.youtube.com/user/AskDrRenee Things you’ll learn in this interview: Her plans to transition from YouTube to network TV Why it’s so important for doctors to embrace social media Her best productivity lifehack How she answers #imnotjustadoc SUBSCRIBE: iTunes | GooglePlayMusic |

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Katie Brewer, a fee-only financial planner was a guest on  episode 4 and discussed basic financial educational tips for physicians. Based on the downloads, that was a favorite among you all! In this episode, Katie Brewer and I get to answer various financial questions from our listeners.Dr. O – VirginiaAre variable annuities a viable financial product and if not what’s a better product?Dr. L – MassachusettsI have close to 100k in federal student loans with interest rates between 3 to 4%; when is it better to invest vs pay off student loans?What’s the maximum amount I can invest in a 529 account for my kids?Dr. C – KansasWhy are so many people pushing index funds over individual stock?What are your thoughts on Robo advisors vs investing on your own?What about Peer to Peer lending? You can learn more about Katie Brewer and her fee-only financial planning firm at Your Richest Life.Here’s the article Katie mentioned in her answ

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show! "I had a degree from a prestigious college, had been accepted to my top residency program, had a bright future with a decent salary and job security waiting for me, and all I felt was angry and afraid. I didn't want what came with it, the practice of medicine." Dr. Michelle Mudge-Riley, Physicians in Transition - Interviews with 25 doctors who successful reinvented themselves A very sobering, yet powerful quote from my next guest Dr. Michelle Mudge-Riley. Michelle is open about her story of realizing that clinical medicine was not for her. After graduating from medical school, Dr. Mudge-Riley went through both uncertainty and stress, yet, she found her way and a strong community of physicians who thought and felt the same way she did. This experience led her to create Physicians Helping Physicians, her coaching business for doctors looking to transition to non-clinical careers.  For over 10 years, Dr.

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Dr. James Pinckney There’s more to Dr. James Pinckney than what you see in the VistaPrint commercials. He’s a major player in concierge medicine, starting his practice (Diamond Physicians) in 2012 in Dallas, Texas. He has opened two additional locations in the Dallas metro area and has expanded the practice’s scope of services, now known as Diamond Luxury Healthcare. Dr. James is a Fox News medical expert, actor, and even has a US patent on a surgical gown… Nice! Docs, if you don’t know, concierge medicine has become a popular alternative for patients and physicians. The usual model revolves around patients paying a month fee (or subscription) and, in exchange, they get exclusive access to their primary care doctor. Depending on the practice, this access can include: Same day appointments with no waiting time 24/7 direct access to a physician (no answering service in most instances) Telemedicine or email access If you’ve

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!I’m willing to bet that all of you have either purchased or heard the reasons why you should purchase life insurance and disability insurance. These two products are meant to protect your best wealth-building weapon – you and your income! Whether or not you fully understand these products (and many doctors don’t), the implications can be quite costly. Ranging from just a couple of Benjamins to stacks on stacks of Clevelands, how much you pay for your insurance plans will depend on how well you understand the products and your current financial situation.I invited Julie Fleischner, president of Set for Life Insurance, to step outside the box on this episode. She’s an independent broker who specializes in disability, life, and long term care insurance. With over 20 years of experience, she has seen plenty examples of physicians either being sold the wrong products or being over-insured.  Full disclosure –  I have used her ser

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!On this episode, I chat with Dr. Julien Pham – Chief Medical Officer and Founder of RubiconMD. Dr. Pham merged his experience as a nephrologist with his passion to innovate – and is truly living his life outside the box. With an eye for e-health he helped create RubiconMD, which is a technology platform that connects primary care providers to specialists with the aim of reducing unnecessary referrals and duplicate tests. Imagine the possibilities that could play out with this platform in third-world countries – where access to specialists can be rare!! Find out more about RubinconMD at www.rubiconmd.com In this episode you’ll learn: The steps he took to transition from his Harvard academic appointment as a nephrologist to being the founder of two start-up companies How important is it to be around like-minded physicians What he finds most rewarding – Chief Medical Officer of a start-up, nephrologist, or volunteer work in g

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!How many of you just want to stick your head in the sand when it comes to understanding personal finance and investing? I get it!  The majority of us had no exposure to finances in college and medical school which either makes us feel like we don’t know what we’re doing or makes us feel obligated to pay someone else to manage our hard-earned money!Well, what if I told you that understanding investing is a lot simpler than the concepts we all learn in medical school? Don’t take my word for it.  My next guest, Dr. Jim Dahle (a.k.a The White Coat Investor), reinforces that point on this podcast. Like many of you listening, he had a bad experience with a financial advisor and unknowingly bought financial products he would later regret. Sound familiar? Dr. Dahle didn’t get discouraged by that, he sought empowerment through self-education, acquiring enough knowledge to start his website, The White Coat Investor. This is not just

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Docs, I hope you’ve got your bus passes ready for this next episode! We’re taking a ride with the co-founders of Tour for Diversity in Medicine – Drs. Kameron Matthews and Alden Landry. As we all know, there’s a physician shortage in the United States and it’s only going to get worse. The physician shortage disproportionately affects those from minority communities, specifically African – Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics. National initiatives from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the US government exist to help decrease this shortage, but what about bottom-up grass roots efforts to tackle this problem? Well, that’s exactly what the Tour for Diversity is doing – putting physicians, medical students, and pre-med advisors on a bus and driving hundreds of miles to target students from under-represented backgrounds and teach the basics of the medical school admissions process. Follow and support this am

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Class is in session! That’s right.. we’re getting an education on personal finance and financial independence from Katie Brewer, CFP. She’s a fee-only certified financial planner and owner of the financial advising firm – Your Richest Life.  With a focus on both Gen X and Y’ers, you’ll find her advice in various media sources including Forbes, The New York Times, and podcasts like Stacking Benjamins and  His & Her Money.In this episode you’ll learn:What you should look for in a financial advisorUnderstand the different pay structures for financial advisorsTop three doctor financial mistakesHow to break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheckWhat does it mean to be financially independentGet the basics of investing – like what is a stock? A bond? What is passive vs active investing SUBSCRIBE:  iTunes |  GooglePlayMusic | StitcherThe post 004 – Financial Ed. for Docs 101 – with Katie Brewer, CFP appeared first on DOCS OU

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!We’ve all heard of Sanjay Gupta, Dr. Oz, Travis Stork…..now meet Dr. Drai – “America’s OB/GYN.” Dr. Draion Burch is a board certified OB/GYN and media personality. He’s fun, charismatic, off-the-cuff, and is arguably the leading media voice for women and transgender issues. After learning to be honest with himself about loving not just his patients, but also a great lifestyle  – Dr. Drai has created a medical career that most can only dream of! From CNN, NBC, to HuffPost Live – it’s not hard to find Dr. Drai’s sought after medical opinions in print and electronic media. In this episode, Dr. Drai drops knowledge on how physicians can position and brand themselves to get the lifestyle of their dreams!Follow him on his website: www.drdrai.comIn this episode you’ll learn:How being honest with yourself about career and lifestyle can lead you to successHow falling asleep on the highway after a grueling 36 hour shift was his break

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!In this episode, I get to interview Dr. Melanie Watkins. She is a board-certified psychiatrist practicing in California. Practicing as an independent contractor only scratches the surface of Dr. Watkins. She’s an author, social medial expert, podcaster, and motivational speaker. Check out her website: www.yourmentalhealthfirst.comIn this episode you’ll learn:One of the biggest contract traps physicians fall intoWhat physicians should be doing to maintain our mental healthHow she developed a knack for social mediaWhat’s it like to be a self-published authorWhy she’s not just a doc!SUBSCRIBE:  iTunes |  GooglePlayMusic | StitcherThe post 002 – Dr. Melanie Watkins on how she has found success and fulfillment living outside the box appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Dr. Nii DarkoI’m Dr. Nii Darko and welcome to the first ever episode of Docs Outside the Box podcast! I have finally launched and I’m not looking back! Are you a doctor who feels trapped by the notion that having a traditional clinical practice is the only end point to your career? Not sure you can have the bomb lifestyle and medical career of your dreams? Think again! Docs Outside the Box will feature guests and topics covering career advice, entrepreneurship, personal finance, technology, and more!My first guest is Dr. Carmen Brown, an obstetrician-gynecologist who practices all the way down under in New Zealand. She is a southwest Atlanta native who started her medical career in Athens, Georgia. After being fed up with all the typical frustrations doctors have, she and her husband literally closed up shop, packed their bags, and took a world tour. If you’ve ever been to New Zealand, you’ll know why they decided to call i