Unlonely with Dr. Jody Carrington - This Isn't Grey's Anatomy: Dr. Shazma Mithani

Episode Date: July 11, 2024

Dr. Shazma Mithani is an ER doctor in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She works in both a paediatric ER as well as an inner city ER there. Her passion is improving the health literacy of the general population to keep them informed with credible health information, and ideally keep them out of the ER. She believes in a strong public healthcare system that is accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.In this episode Dr. Jody and Dr. Shazma chat all about public health care, accessibility to resources and what it is like working paediatric emergency when you have your own kids at home.Find Shazma on Instagram@drshazmamithani Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the beginning of every episode, there will always be time for an acknowledgement. You know, the more we do this, people ask, why do you have to do the acknowledgement in every episode? I got to tell you, I've never been more grateful for being able to raise my babies on a land where so much sacrifice was made. And I think what's really critical in this process is that the ask is just that we don't forget. So the importance of saying these words at the beginning of every episode will always be of utmost importance to me and this team. So everything that we created here today for you happened on Treaty 7 land, which is now known as the center part of the province of Alberta. It is home of the Blackfoot Confederacy, which is made known as the center part of the province of Alberta.

It is home of the Blackfoot Confederacy, which is made up of the Siksika, the Kainai, the Pekinie, the Tatina First Nation, the Stony Nakota First Nation, and the Métis Nation Region 3. Our job, our job as humans is to simply acknowledge each other. That's how we do better, be better, and stay connected to the good. Oh, my fellow humans. Welcome back. Welcome into the Everyone Comes From Somewhere podcast. I have to tell you, you know, wherever you are today, I want you, we're going to start this episode like this. I want you to drop your shoulders.

Wiggle your toes. I was thinking a lot before we started this episode about what it takes to navigate this world with social media, the noise, the constant inundation of what we should be doing for ourselves, our bodies, the people we love. How do we care for ourselves? And we've never had this much access to data. The question is, what should we be listening to, right? What is that data look like? And I got to tell you, I've been following this human for some time, and I was just so excited when she agreed to be able to spend some time with us here today, because she spends a lot of time in her very educated life helping people understand the medical system and health education. And she does a lot of that for one of the few people who I think have used her significant education to help other people understand and have access to information

that seemingly is really difficult to kind of land some days. So who you're going to meet today is Dr. Shazma Mithani. She is an ER doctor in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. And I started watching her content and I thought like, oh my God, this woman is amazing. And then I was like, wait, just a second. She lives up the road? She works in both a pediatric ER as well as an inner city ER. Her passion is improving the health literacy of the general population to keep them informed with credible health information and ideally keep them out of the ER.

She believes, I mean, her number one you'll hear today, like, stay off the scooters. Okay? Scooters are bad. If you learn anything from today, it's the scooters that will kill you. But she believes in a strong public healthcare system that is accessible to everyone. And regardless of their ability to pay, being able to look after each other becomes something that she is so passionate about. So Dr. Mathani, thank you so much for joining us today. It is just great to be here, Jodi.

Listen, I have waited for this interview for a very long time. And what I want to just start with, as we start with everybody, is you have one of the most remarkable stories. And I want to know, right, the difference between empathy and judgment, as we know in this health care space, is often understanding where somebody comes from, their story. So tell me, where do you come from? Yeah, I mean, I come from two amazing parents who are first generation Canadians. They moved here. My dad is from Uganda. My mom is from Pakistan. And they came here like, you know, with the same dream, I think that many people who are coming to Canada have is to like make a better life for themselves and for their kids. And so I got to see that growing up with them.

So they were both quite educated from where they came, but none of those skills, unfortunately, were transferable when they came to Canada. So my dad trained as an accountant. My mom was trained as a dietician. And when they came here, they, they wanted to just do like my sister and I were born here. Um, they wanted to make sure that we had every opportunity that they couldn't have. Uh, so they worked minimum wage jobs. Um, my dad worked at a seven 11 and my mom worked at a, at a Harvey's restaurant. And we lived with my grandparents in a small apartment. Um, so there were four adults and

two kids in that apartment. My sister and I slept on the floor of my parents' room and my grandparents had a bedroom and my parents had a bedroom and we were on the floor for, for as long as I can remember. Um, was this in Edmonton Chasmine? It was, it was in Edmonton. And it's because that's what we could, that's what they could give us. And so, um, it meant that the, the life that I was brought up with is very different than the life that I'm going to be able to provide for, for my kids. Uh, we didn't really have extra money for extracurriculars or activities. Um, and my parents certainly very much emphasize the importance of education, um education so that we, my sister and I could, could succeed in, in this new country that they had come to. Wow. When you think about just one generation,

right. Of, you know, watching, you know, so, so show that, slow that down for me a little bit. So you come here, you grow up in this very tight space, because I often talk about the thing we've lost the most these days is proximity to each other, you know, where you can really assess how another is doing most effectively without words. When I'm looking at your face, when I'm looking at your body language, at your tone. And I mean, we have a lot of opportunity to do that when you're sleeping on the floor of your parents' bedroom that we really miss a lot with our kids these days. And so how, you know, help me understand how that transition has been for you. I mean, in just the past couple of decades, what prompted you to go to medical school? How did that happen? What was that like being somebody that looks like you, a person of color in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada? Friends, if you don't know about Edmonton, Alberta, like I mean, I grew up in Alberta. We are there is a lot of racial undertones, biases that run so deep in this very privileged space. Tell me about that. I mean, it wasn't perfect or ideal. And I'll come back to that. But I mean, you know, Jodi,

use the word privilege. I think it's really important for like, even even as I had, you know, intersections of my life that were that certainly had impacts on me that made things a little bit harder. I also want to recognize that like, there are a lot of privileges in how I grew up too. I mean, I had two parents and grandparents who loved me so much and did everything that they could to make sure that I was getting everything that I, that I needed, that my sister needed too. You know, valuing education, which is not always the case for people, making sacrifices as parents to make sure that we got what we needed. And being in a loving household

with two parental figures, right? Like there's an immense amount of privilege in that that I think sometimes goes unrecognized. I mean, it doesn't necessarily come down to financial resources, right? In fact, it rarely does. So I thank you for pointing that out because I think that's really critical, right?

We often sort of navigate the success of our communities, our families these days on how much money you got. And it's very little predicted. It predicts very little in terms of relationship and connection. Yeah. And then, I mean, to answer it, to come back to your question and answer it, the value of education, the emphasis on education was that was kind of ingrained in me from grade

school onward. And it meant that I, you know, worked hard at school, that I was able to identify what I enjoyed and science and biological science in particular just felt like super exciting and interesting to me. But as, you know, a self-proclaimed extrovert, I also really like interacting with people and being around people. And so medicine really felt like a great way to combine those two loves together, you know, the love of biology and biological sciences, but also the love and the joy of being around people and interacting with people and that give and take in interactions and in relationships. It felt like the right thing for me. I love it. Okay. So where did you go to medical school? How hard was that to get in? Like, I'm so fascinated in this place of like, even, you know, my today, when I

watch all of, you know, kids these days, right. Trying to navigate, what do I do my undergrad? How do you get in? And what was it like to be in grad school? And I, I think about just how fucking hard that was for so, you know, on the other side of it now, but like, where did you go to med school? I went to med school at Western in London, Ontario. You know, I tried to get in a few times and thankfully I did after the second time of getting in. It was, I think, important for me to be away from home and grow up as a human in my early 20s and have that independence. But, you know, as we talked about, my parents certainly could not afford my med school tuition.

So a lot of it was on, like, there were some bursaries that I got. There was a lot of student loan debt that I accumulated during that time to be able to have that opportunity to go to medical school and come out on the other side of it. And your sister as well, does she follow the same path or what does she do? My sister is a registered nurse. So she, um, she trained in Edmonton here. No. Ah, uh-huh. Do you get to work together? No, we don't. So she has never, it's funny. She's never done a merge. I don't know if that's intentional or not, but she is, she has never, never done a merge. So no, we have not had the opportunity to work together. I'm not sure how that would go. It'd be interesting for sure. That would be amazing. I love it. Now. Okay. So what then bringing you back to Edmonton,

why did you want to come back? Was it family? Did you, what was the plan there? So I matched back to Edmonton for emergency medicine for my, for my five-year residency. Um, and it was, it was, yeah, I, the program is outstanding. My husband's family was here at the time. My parents and my sister are here. And it felt like a great fit to have, to be able to come back and to, to do my training around family. You know, my husband and I got married right after med school. And so to have the support of family, knowing that we wanted to have kids at some point, And it felt like a good fit to come back. Amazing. Okay. And then why the ER of all the options, you know, why the most dysregulated place in all of medicine would you choose to spend? And now, I mean, let's think about the pediatric ER. Like I think about the children's hospital. I think about, you know, days where I would walk in through those doors going like, holy shit, before being a mom and then after being a mom, which absolutely changed my perspective on services. Tell me about the ER and what that's like, because generally we only get there when we don't want to be there. Yeah, I mean, I always kind of say anyone coming to the ER, it's one of the worst days of their life.

So, yeah, you know, I sometimes still ask myself that question, especially on a hard day, but for me, it was when I was going through clerkship and rotating through everything, I seemed to like really like everything. I, you know, I did surgery. I love surgery. I did obstetrics. I loved obstetrics. I did internal medicine. I loved internal medicine. And the nice thing about Emerge is that it's a mix of everything. You get to see all different aspects of medicine. You get to have, um, some procedures in your practice as well. Uh, the shift work doesn't wear on me too much. Thankfully. Um, you know, it's getting a little harder as I get older and, and now it is,

you know, having kids in a family as well. But I think one of the points that really stood out to me, that's so important to note is like pediatric emerge before having kids and after having kids. The way it wears on my heart now after having my own kids and really having a deeper sense of empathy for the families that are coming in, it's profound. It's quite different. I mean, before you kind of, you know, like there is that in being a healthcare provider, you give a lot of yourself in that empathy, but it's so different on the other side. I mean, when I see a child who's really sick, who's the same age as one of my kids, it lands on me in a very different way. And the recovery from that is significantly longer and harder.

Interesting. And do you think, you know, when you look around at fellow physicians, I often think about this in the world of first responders, and I would really say ER docs, nurses, administrative support services in the ER are first responders. And it's this idea that we have very little infrastructure then to where do we put that, right? And this is so true, right? When I can identify more with a patient, when I see, you know, you have the same jammies as my baby or whatever the deal is, right? We will integrate that in a more sense, like in a more terror sense than we would if we can't identify in any way, which is just a typical human response, right? And so when you're in that position a lot, right,

what has been the most helpful to be able to navigate that? You know, you've noticed it. You can identify it. Do you do anything different with it? Do you think since the beginning of your career? I think I recognize that it's that it's a thing. Right. And give myself a bit of grace in that and understand that it is going to be harder when I see a patient that's very similar to my child. And show that to the parents. I think a lot of times in medicine, I think that's shifting. But certainly in medicine, we're taught to have that wall, right? To have that wall and not be vulnerable and kind of be sterile and just kind of keep things clinical. I don't believe that that

is the best way to practice medicine. And I think that being, having been on the other side and also being, you know, the physician in the room, being able to connect with a family, with parents, with kids in a vulnerable way is, I think, really meaningful for both sides. And I think recognizing that and being able to, you know, give myself some grace and helping the parents like feel that empathy a bit more. It goes a long way. Yeah, I bet. Hey, everyone. We all know how draining cold and flu season can be. Waiting rooms, missed appointments, and that worry about whether a fever is something serious. But there is a better way.

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I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but for me, when I am with a patient, when I am giving them empathy, when I'm trying to connect, it feels like I'm giving a lot of myself to that interaction and emptying my cup. And I don't think I realized how much of an impact that would have on me until the pandemic happened. And that baseline fill of that cup, if we're going to use that analogy, just kept getting lower and lower. And I didn't have time to recover in between. And I also think that like, as I have evolved as a physician and, you know, have had kids, my life has changed. I, you know, I continue to try to grow as a human and, you know, have to be more understanding of people's situations of privilege and the impact of that equity versus equality, like all those things that are so important in medicine. I think that as I grow and understand that more, I, um, give a lot more to those interactions because I feel it more. And then

coming home after that and having to get right back into, um, into life with, uh, it's, it's hard. And, um, there are, there have been times that have been really hard. A lot of those have been during the pandemic. A lot of them kind of have been afterwards as well, where I've like walked out of work feeling like a complete shell of a human because it feels like I have nothing left to give. And I can't say that I knew that that was going to happen, that I expected it. I don't think any of us really did in this line of work. And it's hard to explain to anyone who doesn't have a similar job. And it feels kind of isolating at times. Well, and that's what I was going to ask you, you know,

what is the loneliness like in this world? You know, because I think there's a lot of expectation, you know, you step into a room, you do an assessment, you know, you we need you or, you know, I think about being on both sides, as you said, you know, because the point is, we're going to need that. I will need a mental health professional in my life. You will need a physician. I will need a physician. You will do the things that we all do. And I think that when you're on the other side of being the provider, there's a lot of assumptions about, you know, just what that means, that you have everything, that you have it together because that's the expectation. What is the loneliness like in serving people again and again and again on their worst days? I think there's loneliness in it, but I think more so there's camaraderie in it. I work at an inner city hospital. I see how you turned that real quick. I see how you were like, okay, yeah, that's cool. But there's a lot.

And again, I'll get there, right? Like tell me about that piece that I think a lot of us aren't allowed to talk about, which is really that, that isolation piece. Right. Because I think the answer will come up the other side, but it's like, I think we got to address that part of it, right. That it isn't, this isn't Grey's Anatomy, bitches. And we, you know, like such a good time training. No, it wasn't. And then now when people, because what I want to tie it to really is, is the need of your patients becoming greater or has it always been this way? Have you seen a shift in the asks of your abilities, the asks of your time, the asks

of your emotional reservoir? Have you seen a shift in your career or not really? Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I think patients are sicker. You know, equity deserving populations are even worse off on the spectrum, especially being an inner city hospital. I think that with the system failing around us, physicians always seem to be the group that get asked to do more and carry more on our shoulders to continue to put duct tape on a failing system. And it's, yeah, the asks are more, absolutely. The asks are more and the patients are sicker. And when I think about that setting up, even from a business perspective, right? If we don't care for the care

providers, the issue is often our patients are getting sicker, so we need more infrastructure, you know, we need more treatment plans, and we need to figure out how to do that. I think, you know, what I really want, you know, as we listen to this today is really the importance of as we build our communities, who are our healthcare providers? And how do we make sure that we recognize the gift it is to be able to treat other people? Of course, the privilege, the honor, all of those things, but also the toll. And being able to acknowledge that this system is shifting, even in this very privileged province of ours, this country of ours, right?

To be able to keep it a place where we can build some of the best humans, where we can repair some of the best humans, where we can repair some of the best humans. This shift in understanding that it is lonely and isolating and exhausting sometimes. It's not that we don't have the capacity to be amazing. It's that our ability really is going to require us to come back in community. And it sounds to me that you found that in some of those places. So yes, it is awful in so many ways. It is becoming heavy, maybe heavier than you even anticipated. And tell me about then what that's like,

why you choose where you choose to work, the camaraderie that you find in some of the most dysregulated places in medicine? The place that I work feels like one big family because we as a group of physicians and nurses and unit clerks and respiratory therapists and service workers, all of us choose to work at the site that we work at, knowing that we will be serving equity deserving populations disproportionately. So, and by choosing to be in that space, we all have an understanding of, um, knowing that we are going to come together as a team to, to get our patients what they need in that moment and to try to set them on the right foot forward as they walk out the door. Because it can be really draining continuing to serve patients who don't have the supports that they need and that they deserve.

And that can be really, really challenging. But having my family around me to work together to come up with innovative solutions or, you know, the social worker staying late because he or she wants to make sure that this person gets to a shelter bed or to make sure that, you know, a patient gets what they need. Like those are not things that we have to do, but we choose to do those things because we are all on the same team trying to rally around our patients in the best way that we can and that we can support them. And I think this is true. You know, people say all the time, you know, it feels overwhelming in the world these days. It feels like burnout is such a massive overhanging issue.

And I often talk about how, you know, you can't burn out from something you didn't once love. It is, it's not possible. So the idea isn't actually to create more capacity. It's to create a way back to the thing that spark. And so much of it is we're wired to do this stuff. I mean, we're wired to bury our own babies. We're wired to do hard things in this lifetime. We just weren't meant to do it alone. And what I think is so critical in your work

is being so conscious of that, right? Creating a space. And listen, we're not going to always love our colleagues. I mean, I wanted to throw a punch, probably 50% of the people I've worked with in my life. And you know who you are, just joking. But it's this idea of, you know, when people are hard to hate close up. And so when we can kind of be in this place where it's like, I can lean on you, your expertise, your, whatever you bring your humor to this team, then we have the ability to sort of get through it a little bit more. And I think that is such an underrated issue. And I think secondly, your work has just astounded me because you're bringing that to a social platform. You're bringing the knowledge of that team, that service that you provide, and sometimes in these very isolated places, very marginalized places where people don't have

access to high quality health care. And you're like, OK, I'm going to invest in my own space, my own. I mean, nobody's paying me to do this shit to create a online. And like your work is phenomenal. I listen to you all the time and you're like, what do you do about a fever? What do you do about like stay away from the scooters, particularly when you're drinking? OK, when the oil is weighing and you're drinking, don't get on a scooter. That's my favorite. I mean, I've said that 85 times, but I just think like it's stuff like that that is like, okay, Dr. Mathani said, don't get on a scooter. Get off the scooter, Jed. Don't do it. What, tell

me why you started this. Tell me why you it and and what it's doing for you and I mean that like is it feeding your soul is it like making you want to throw punch humanity like what how what is it what is happening all of the above yeah I I I love making content like this um do you really I I do the the way that it started for me was, you know, in this post pandemic era where emergency departments are so busy because more and more people don't have access to a family doctor. People are coming into the emergency department with nowhere else to go. And it has shown me, you know, whether it's a parent of a child or an adult coming in on their own to see me, that the health literacy of the population just continues to decline. And like knowledge is power.

We know that. Right. And so for me, I want to get that information out to people. And ideally for, you know, simple things you can probably manage at home or a worry that I can quell, keep you out of the emergency department so that you don't have to wait there. You don't have to be frustrated to have to wait for like six hours and have to see me only to say it's okay, you can go home. But also to keep that space there for people who really need it because healthcare is such a precious resource. And if we don't treat it with respect, it will slip away from us.

And the thought of that feels terrifying to me because I have seen firsthand what it's like when people don't have access to the health care that they need. And so I want to be able to give people that knowledge, to empower them with that knowledge, be able to manage things at home if they can, but also learn a thing or two in the process. And the neat thing about this space is it's using all of that knowledge that I trained 12 years to gain, but using it in such a different

way that just feels so fun and creative to me in a way that I can't do in the emergency department. And what gets the most hits? Like what are people people looking for? Like, I, cause I'm astounded at when I watched some of your reels and like, then the comments and then how this opens you up to like, you know, the conversation of other people's opinions. I mean, again, I can only imagine for sure as a physician, how many times you've heard, yes, but I Googled it. And right. Like, like, isn't this like, can you even some days I can't think that we're living in this space, right? Like how everybody has such access to all kinds of information, but you know, your focus is really to be, I want to provide

really sound medical advice that is, you know, of course not contextual, but here's what I know to be true about my training and, you know, how do we provide that platform? And I guess my question is really around, you know, what's the hardest parts about that? In addition to sort of like, I can see how much you love it. I'm so grateful it's there. What are the hardest parts about it? Yeah. I mean, the hardest parts are seeing how, kind of like you said, I mean, information is so accessible, accurate information, that's a bit of a different story, right? And there is, you know, in the last five years, the amount of health misinformation that has just proliferated in the social media space is really scary. And a part of the reason that I'm there is to be a credible source of information to debunk the misinformation. And so oftentimes I will put out a reel where I'll put out a reel where I am debunking something, know some supplement or some you know like green juice or something and people get mad about that like I I do the evidence reviews Jodi like this is I'm trained to like look at scientific literature that is part of my training and

people feel really personally attacked sometimes I think by their By their AG greens. What? What? What? You don't know. I mean, that was the one that I was like, whoa, look at the people are excited. Yeah. And it's like, you know what? I just don't want you to waste your money on these things. There's so much preying on vulnerabilities to try to get money from people because health is a scary thing and it really makes people vulnerable. Most things that you need to be a healthy human, they don't cost a lot of money. And I just want to save people money in the end, right? And really just kind of push down that misinformation and that entire growing industry of just preying on those health vulnerabilities of people. And that sometimes makes people upset.

Right. Because they think they've done their work and maybe they have, you know, looked at things specifically. And I think that's, you know, the fallback often is then, okay, so this is just one opinion, right? If that's not how you feel about it, that's okay. This is, you know, based on our story, this is where we're at. What do you think, you know, when you sort of watch their responses, what has been the most helpful? You know, what are you getting in terms of feedback? Are people recognizing you? What is this like to become a social media sensation?

Honestly, the coolest part about this or the most rewarding part about this is when people send me a dm being like oh your video on this helped me with my kid and i don't get that level of feedback in the emergency department right because it's a solitary interaction and then i typically don't see them again and so being able to have that feedback in this space of like understanding that the information that i put out there did actually have an impact on somebody has been really neat and quite different than what my experience has been in the healthcare space up until now because of the field that I'm in. Okay, got it. And now I have a question. College of Physicians and Surgeons. I don't know about your college. Mine doesn't have any standards around, you know,

what we can provide, all the information, like all those kinds of things, right? Has that been a concern, right? For you, has there been any sort of like pushback, feedback? I've certainly had my own fair share because there is no standard of practice in this space because the people who came before us didn't ever have their patients didn't have this much access to it and they didn't have this much access to their patients and so what's that been like to sort of navigate from an ethical perspective or a um the question of our regulatory body yeah i mean it's and it's that's something that the colleges are really like starting to try to catch up to, right? Because this space has exploded so quickly.

My approach to that is, you know, nothing I put out there is medical advice. It is all informational and educational. And it's a tricky space to navigate for me. I mean, it's a bit different, like in the United States, there are lots of creators there who are physicians that can put out guides and stuff where they can get paid for that. For guess technically I could do that, but for me, being in the Canadian healthcare system and where it's so important to have accessible healthcare that you don't have to

pay for, that piece wouldn't feel right to me, right? To be able to, like, for people to have to pay for my content as an example of, you know, the challenge of navigating this space. But yeah, it's a fine line to walk, right? Oh, you know, and I ask that only because I think that, you know, so many times this is true about your work is that you don't have to do this. You want to do this. And the intention also, I think, when you take an oath or when we, you know, sort of care for other people is that also having access to information that other people more privileged in privileged positions, you know, have, this is almost a responsibility, I think, to be able to provide and some insight into some of the experiences or, um, the, the things we believe

to be true in certain instances and share that with the world. And what people can do with that, I think, you know, the thing that I've learned the most in this space is like, as long as there is always that, the clarity, the disclaimer around this is just for, this is my opinion about these things based on this research. And I can always fall back on all of these things to be true. How you consume that information is really up to you. And I, I'm so grateful for you because I think it scares so many people in this place of like, oh, fuck, we don't want to fuck it up. We don't want to get it wrong. What if they start saying, you know, you can't, which is probably going to have to happen because we need to sort of get hemmed

back in when they were saying to me, Jodiodi you're swearing too much as a psychologist you really have to be careful I was like holy fuck but like I I also get it but we we need to understand you know what does that look like and I think it's a it's such a new space but I just love your bravery in this space of being able to be like no this is really critical to have these conversations publicly. Yeah. Do you see the benefit of that? I absolutely do. And the thing that's really challenging, I mean, we, we as regulated health professionals have a college that we're accountable to and are accountable to the public. The frustrating thing about that is that the people putting misinformation out there have no accountability and no one that they are, that, that, that no college or

regulating body that they are accountable to. And, um, you know, the people who have the, like who actually have health education and have degrees and like no scientific research, it's, it's, it's frustrating at times when, um, and I do believe there has to be a level of regulation, obviously. However, when there is a mismatch in that, it allows misinformation to perpetuate even further because we can, like we have to continue to be professionals with, with the level of accountability. Oh, a hundred percent. And I'm grateful for it every day. I mean, I, I am always grateful for the regulatory body in terms of, you know, let's make sure we maintain a standard of practice. And when we navigate outside of those bounds, always, and many of us will, even without the best intentions or with the best intentions, the idea is I love that no longer exists. And I think it really is going to take, and I often think about

this, you know, bold women like you who can be able to say, okay, but if I play within the lines all the time and continue to do this work and it, you know, it's not working the same way. The people who need it the most don't have access to it. And so let's put it on a platform. You will invest your own time and money and energy to be able to say, here's a safe place to land, take it or leave it. And I, I love that. And it feeds your soul, which is my favorite part of this whole thing. Yeah. And if we, if people like you and I don't push those boundaries, we're going to be left behind in the dust as everybody else who's trying to, you know, sell their latest product or talk about how you shouldn't put sunscreen on or whatever, like that, that is going to harm the population.

And, and we're going to be left behind. And so I, you know, kind of like you alluded to, like, I am happy to push those boundaries and start coloring outside the lines a little bit to be able to continue to like, have progress for us as professions so that we can continue to be out there and be those sources of information for people. And you are just, you are so needed and valued. I can see that in the community that you're creating. And I, what, what would you say, you know, is, is probably the thing that you're, you're advising the most these days. What, what are people asking for the most about? What are the biggest things that, you know, people that you feel people are not sort

of getting the right information or that you have to keep correcting people on maybe? Yeah, supplements are huge. So I often get a lot, like when I put out, you know, a story being like, what do you want to hear about? Give me some topic suggestions. So, so many people ask me about like, well, should I take this supplement or, you know, what about this? Or what about this? That is huge because there's so much information that people are bombarded with about like, this is going to be good for your hair growth. This is going to be good for sleep. This is going to be good for whatever, your can I help them? And it is, oh my goodness,

so stressful being a parent, even as someone who is like educated in pediatric emergency medicine, I find it terrifying being a parent. And so I can't even imagine what it's like for, for parents who don't have that additional health knowledge. Yes. I mean, I say this all the time. I wrote a bestselling parenting book called Kids These Days. And if you watch me with my own personal children, you wouldn't buy the book. Because so much of the time, what we need is somewhere safe to land, even when we're feeling overwhelmed. So you can have the best access to things. You could be educated. It doesn't mean that in the moment you're going to remember what to do. And I think, you know, what I love the most about, again, another thing I love about your work is really that it does provide that really accessible place for like to land when you're like, what do I do about this? What do I think

about this? And tell me what's next for you. What's the vision for this, you know, accessibility? Is there a book in the mix? Like, is there a speaking tour coming up like tell me those things so lots of ideas and with the with the bottom line of just trying to reach as many people as possible um one of my good friends and colleagues and I are talking about starting a podcast with like very similar um kind of things in terms of what her and I are already doing which is getting information out there to the general public and yes I, I mean, I would love to be able to have more speaking opportunities. And as I continue to build my brand and build that awareness, that's the ideal goal for sure. Oh my gosh. Okay, great. And a book?

Yeah. I mean, I have a chapter list already. It's just finding time to sit down and write is very challenging, Jodi. Turns out. I know. I know. Oh, my gosh. I got to tell you, it has just been such a joy. I mean, we got to meet in person once. You are, I can tell you this, everybody, she is as amazing as she appears to be here.

And I really do think you're just getting started. Like, I cannot wait to watch how you push the limits in this space and really for the betterment of humanity because it is such a time where it's really time. So where can we find you? So all of my handles on social media are at Dr. Shazmamithani, so DR for doctor. And I'm on Instagram. I'm on TikTok. I'm on Facebook. So please find me there. My website is drshaznamathani.com.

And you can link to all my social handles there too. So please come follow me, learn a thing or two. And yes, Jodi, as you said, please do not get on an e-scooter. That is, that is my parting remark. Stay off the e-scooters. That is my new mantra for the summer. And my children will also follow suit. So listen, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I know how precious your time is. So thank you for joining this community.

I hope that they all jump on board with you too. And I can't wait till we're back in person again soon. Thank you so much. The Everyone Comes From Somewhere podcast is produced by the incredibly talented and handsome team at Snack Labs. Mr. Brian Seaver, Mr. Taylor McGilvery, and the infamous Jeremy Saunders. The soundtracks that you hear at the beginning of every episode were created by Donovan Morgan. Our executive producer is Marty Piller. Our PR big shooters are Des Veneau and Barry Cohen. Our agent, my manager, Jeff Lowness from the Talent Bureau.

And emotional support, of course, is provided by, relatively speaking, our children. For the record, I am a registered clinical psychologist in Alberta, Canada. The content created and produced in this show is not intended as specific therapeutic advice. The intention of this podcast is to provide information, resources, education, and maybe even a little bit of hope.