Freedom and Flexibility are CLOSER than you think! The key to making a career change that finally sets you free

Are you wishing you could have the freedom and flexibility that comes from having your own online business… but also don’t think of yourself as “ a business person”

If you’ve dreamed about the world of online entrepreneurship- but feel scared to take that leap into the unknown- this episode will resonate deeply.

You’ll hear the story of Melissa Avila, a women’s health nurse practitioner who used her medical background to start a super niche online business

You will learn:

1. The surprising ways your medical training can be leveraged to create new opportunities and income streams.
2. The 2 most important skills you need to carve out a niche for yourself in the online space
3. Who is NOT actually suited for entrepreneurship

If freedom and flexibility are some of your highest values- listen now to see how you can start taking control of your career.

If you want to create a viable exit strategy and find work you enjoy that doesn't burn you out. You can grab this free training, go to coachchelsmd.com/pivot so that I can help you plan your pivot.

Life After Medicine explores doctors' journey of finding purpose beyond their medical careers, addressing physician burnout, career changes, opportunities in non-clinical jobs for physicians and remote jobs within the healthcare system without being burned out, using medical training.

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Life After Medicine explores doctors' journey of finding purpose beyond their medical careers, addressing physician burnout, career changes, opportunities in non-clinical jobs for physicians and remote jobs within the healthcare system without being burned out, using medical training.

Transcript

0:00

And the reason more people don't do it is because more people don't think that they can, it's easier than it seems. The hardest part is the fear part of it Welcome to Life After Medicine, the podcast helping millennial health professionals leave the system, find their purpose, and turn it into their paycheck. I'm your host, Chelsea Turgeon. In 2019, I quit my OBGYN residency. I had this gut feeling there was something more for me than 15 minute patient visits under fluorescent lights. Now, I'm a six figure entrepreneur, podcaster, and career coach. I get to do work I love. On my own terms, all while traveling the world. My mission is to help you follow your pull towards something more so you can find work you enjoy that doesn't burn you out. Don't worry. It's not a pipe dream. I'm here to show you exactly how it's done. If you've dreamed about the world of online entrepreneurship and fantasized about having more freedom and flexibility. But at the same time, you feel scared to take that leap into the unknown, or maybe you don't think of yourself as a business person. You are going to love this episode. I interviewed Melissa Avila, one of my real life. In-person friends here in Mexico city, she is a woman's health nurse practitioner. Who used her medical background to start a super niche online business. You'll learn the surprising ways that your medical training can be leveraged to create new opportunities and income streams. The two most important skills. You need to carve out a niche for yourself in the online space and who is not actually suited for entrepreneurship. I am so excited for you to listen in and get inspired by Melissa as a story. So let's get to the show. Can you give us like a quick clinical background of what you did in the medical field and what that was like, I'm a women's health nurse practitioner and a certified nurse midwife, in my work, I was working in, health departments in their free clinics. As a nurse practitioner doing, Gyne and general sexual health. And when was the moment that you realized you wanted to leave the system? What did that look like for you? I absolutely got into this because I wanted to make a difference. I really wanted to be able to like feel I was making a difference every single day. But it felt like maybe 20 percent of my day was doing that. And like 70 percent was charting to cover my ass for insurance and like trainings that we could build. That 20 percent where you are like providing care in a way that you believe in and like really helping someone? Do you have? Like an example of that? The thing that had me get into, uh, clinical work was just the belief that people that don't have the money to pay for health care deserve the same quality of care, the same, like, space where they're given autonomy and options. As like rich women in private practice clinics, that's why I chose the health department and free clinics. I wanted to be somewhere where. Like, when they stepped into this space, they were treated with the same sort of, like, dignity and options so I was able to do that sometimes, but it also felt like it felt really frustrating because I was also part of the problem because, you know, the kind of care you can provide someone if money weren't an issue. And yet you're sending on places that are completely unreasonable and for referrals that, you know, they're not going to be able to go to because of their work. So it really felt like I was being a part of a harmful system more than I was actually helping. And that was really exhausting. Yeah. It just sounds like sort of a low level, like every day there's that 80%, 80 percent that's kind of building up. What was it that made you actually decide to leave? I didn't mean to leave. I like accidentally left and was like, Now I can't go back. I had left my last job at my health department and was my partner and I at the time were moving. And the idea was to like, move. And then I would look for, another job once we got there, and we moved and then I exploded my life in like, the best of ways. So I left like my relationship, my job, my house, everything was going to wander. I went to Southeast Asia, which I thought was going to be like for a couple of months until I figured things out, straightened out like my head and heart. And it was like, I'll come back to like recreate a new life in the U S doing like working as a practitioner. And then. COVID happened, and I fell in love with a lovely Scotsman. making a very long story much shorter, So I ended up in lockdown in a beautiful little village in Scotland, just outside of Edinburgh. I had the time and the space and the resource to just sit and sort of process everything. And then I didn't mean to start my own business. At first, it was just, how could I, without even having my own business, make enough money to, like, what's the smallest amount of money I could make to get by and maybe go back to Southeast Asia or live off a really low income? I stumbled upon it by first, just thinking, well, I could teach English online. It's like a way to make some, some cash I never thought I could have a business. It was, oh, I can just teaching English online. There's third party platforms that do that. But then, like, my personality, like, I over researched everything. And so I was like, oh, which kind of English teachers makes the most money? And like, I have a graduate degree, so that's going to work for something. And I was reading about niching down, and so I was like, well, I could niche down to like a medical thing. And that's how I started my original business, which was teaching medical English, And then I think the moment that I realized Like, this is actually a thing, was probably when I got my second client purely just based on a referral without me even trying, it was just the first person I worked with instantly sent someone to me and she was willing to pay me more than this first one was and everyone was happy about it. And I was like, oh, this is, this could be a thing. Yeah. So it sounds like the moment you felt like you could. earn enough money to support yourself, you didn't want to go back to the system. So take us through then through the practical steps that you were taking to set up your business. So you're like teaching English online. Are you doing it through a certain platform? I think that I just realized that I needed to teach myself something. I get to teach myself a skill. And to me, that's just like putting in the reps and doing enough of something that you can figure out how to teach it. And so there was a third party platform called Cambly, which pays absolute garbage. Yeah. Like I've done it. Yeah. I basically described it as a self imposed, uh, internship where I'm not getting paid very well, but I'm making myself learn, learn something. So I basically on a third party website, I just put that I taught medical English and I put my background and then the students on there just find you. I wanted to put in enough hours that I could find patterns in the problems to develop a curriculum. And so I just. Didn't get paid much, but was learning a lot from it and documenting what I was learning and just was like, okay, these seem to be the common issues for people, um, who don't speak English as a first language who are trying to learn English, when they're speaking in a clinical setting. So I found there was a lot of things with like phrasal verbs, pull a med, to pull a chart, to check up on something, to check in, like a lot of that idioms and of course, like all the jargon that we use. And so I was able to figure out the ones that seem to be the biggest issues for them and then create a curriculum based on that. And then launched my website after maybe three months of practicing that and then got, um, one independent client and then created a head, like an Instagram that was creating free content and it sort of went from there. At that point, like, how much are you making? Oh, like nothing. It started off making like a few hundred dollars a month. But it started feeling like financially sustainable I launched the website January, 2021, eight months after that, I was like, okay, this can pay the bills. So how did that transition into what you're doing now? I actually still think that medical English is a great niche to get into. But for me, I sort of accidentally fell into like a sub category within that. And it happened through referrals. Clients found me that were actually interested in getting into top U. S. grad schools. So I worked with a few, Korean nurses who came to me for medical English, but when we really talked about what they wanted to work on, it was, they wanted help with their medical English to apply to nurse practitioner, master's, public health, PhD programs related to health sciences. And so I got to use the other skill that I didn't realize I had, which was helping people tell their story and essay editing. And I didn't even know it was a skill set I had until someone started asking me to do it. And I was like, Oh, I know how to do this. And, and I found that that was probably, that was the thing that I felt the most passionate about that I still absolutely love that never feels like work. And that's why I fell into it because people were willing to pay more upfront for something that had like a measured result at the end. And so then it just kind of snowballed in the best of ways from there. Yeah. And so are you like, like an admissions coach for people who want to get into top practitioner schools? So usually what I say, like cocktail party vibes is that I do admissions mentoring, for Ivy league graduate schools related to the health sciences. And that's what pays all the bills for you. That's what pays all the bills right now. What do you feel like are some of the, the key pieces that made you successful? Being able to stay motivated, but pivot again. Medical English was cool, but when all the signs were showing me that There was an easier path and way for me to make money being flexible enough and adaptable enough to be like, here's where I'm sort of like, feeling things shifted. I'm going to go along with it doing that. So being adaptable in that sense and open minded and, this is going to sound like a really cheesy thing to say, but like truly caring about your clients, like if you really care about them and their outcomes and how they are, and you show up for them, nothing replaces like actually being like. Emotionally invested in, in their outcomes and, and you change your business and base your decisions based on your client's needs because of it. Did you have any times where you felt like this is actually not going to work? I'm going to have to go back into clinical practice. Yes. And the skill that I developed that no one can take from me now is my belief that I can just come up with something and make money. So I had a point last year, last summer, where just because of the admission cycle, things dipped off sooner than I thought they would, and they hadn't picked up for the next cycle. And I was like, oh, shit. Um, I really thought I would have more money coming in and I had that panic, like maybe I need to take sort of like remote clinical work or whatever. Um, let me just try something and I knew that my clients were all really happy with me and trusted my advice and we, and I stayed in touch with them, which is so important to just genuinely care. And so you genuinely stay in touch, not because you want something from them, but because, like, you want to know how they're doing. And so I'd stayed in touch with a lot of my clients, was still hearing their pain points and they had worked really hard to get into these great schools. And now like still wanted guidance. And so just off the cuff, I launched a graduate school mentoring program for the off season and didn't even work that hard to launch it. And just like clicked the like launch button, like instantly made money. And I was like, so humbled, like within like 12 hours, it covered all the money I needed to feel like good about things again. It taught me and it reminded me that it's just takes the creativity and work and that's, that's it. And the reason more people don't do it is because more people don't think that they can, it's easier than it seems. The hardest part is the fear part of it. Yeah. Are there people that you feel like this is just not really the right path for, it's not suited for them You have to be comfortable with the unknown. I feel like a lot of my friends that got into healthcare, were really good at predicting things were like pattern, pattern, pattern prediction, whether it's like clinical work or research and we find safety in like, there is a system for everything. And a lot of having your own business. Is creating a system that no one's created before and not knowing what will happen. Like you hit the launch button and you're like, I can, I'm going to learn from this either way, but I have no idea what I'm going to learn from it. I have no idea how this is going to go. And the skill of being comfortable with the unknown, is that learnable or is that like an inherent personality trait? I think it's gotten better from jumping, feeling yourself fall on landing. Then you're like, Oh, actually I know this feeling and it worked out. So what advice would you give to someone who is working clinically, wants to get out, but feels trapped? So what I tell my clients is when you have, you're having a horrible day at work, what is that one patient interaction or moment that you have at work that makes you go, actually, I love my job for that. Even if it goes away, like, what's that spark for you. And then like, let's see. And so I think it's important for us to just dig down and figure out what's the actual source of that. Because for me, like my thing that I love so much about clinical work was when there's a patient that feels like medical stuff is here and they're here and nothing is reachable for them and they don't understand it, uh, being able to tailor the way I talk about things and adapt the way that I approach explaining something to them, where they feel like this medical thing they have going on is now theirs. Thanks. And they can feel empowered about it and they understand it. And they're like, Oh, that's mine. And I can decide this. And then they take sort of ownership of their own health and they feel like a sense of agency. I just love that. It was my favorite thing always. And I have realized that that's also what I love about the work I do now. And so when I talk to my clients and help them figure out what they want to do, I oftentimes bring them back to like, what's that feeling? And why do you get it? And then How, like, how can you bring that to something else? What are you most grateful for with your life after meds? Oh man, instantly felt like I was gonna cry it's, Like nine a. m. right now on a Friday. Um, I just rolled out of bed and was able to text you to be like, Hey, can we alter our plans a little bit? Cause I didn't get much, much sleep. And like, I was out on a Thursday dancing with my girlfriends, came home super happy. Like when to sleep woke up and I get to meet with a friend to do this cool podcast thing. you walked to my house in seven minutes. We're in Mexico city and I have a call and something I need to do later today. But if something that I was really moved to do came up, I could just change my plans and do it. Like, there's nothing from stopping me from doing that. And like, that's the addicting thing in this, the freedom. I don't have like the Sunday scaries anymore. The feeling of dread was such a familiar feeling to me. When I was doing clinical work, I am so great. That's such an unfamiliar feeling to me. Now. I so rarely feel dread and like, I'm thinking about how I used to wake up and be like, oh, my God, I can get through this. And now I just, I just realized what was the last time I felt dread. It's not a familiar. I'm not, Dredd and I aren't like, close anymore, So there you have it. My loves freedom and flexibility are closer than you think they're accessible to all of you. And really it comes down to believing in your resourcefulness, in your ability to create value and put it into the world in exchange for money. Like Melissa said, the skill that she developed that no one can take from her is her belief that she can just come up with something and make money from it. And that belief is so powerful. And is the thing that will set you. Free. if you're feeling burnt out and disillusioned and want help planning out your next steps, I have a free training called plan. Your pivot. This training teaches you how to create a viable exit strategy and find work. You enjoy that. Doesn't burn you out. You can grab this training totally for free. I go to coach Chels, md.com/pivot. So that I can help you plan your pivot