00:00:05:09 – 00:00:45:10
Mara Shorr
Welcome to Shorr Solutions: The Podcast. I’m your host, Mara Shorr. I am a partner in the medical practice management company. Yes, Shorr Solutions. Who is the other partner, you may ask. Easy answer. That would be my father. Our founding partner, Jay Shorr. Together, we now have an amazing team and clients across the country. Listen as I chat, converse, strategize and commiserate with brilliant guests, colleagues, friends, clients, and influencers. It’s time to listen, learn, and be inspired. Welcome to Shorr Solutions: The Podcast.
00:00:45:12 – 00:02:10:19
Mara Shorr
So with this episode of Shorr Solutions: The Podcast, I want to introduce Dr. Brittny Howell, Dr. Brittny, as she is known to her fans, to her patients, to anyone that knows her, really has such an amazing heart, amazing soul, and has really made an incredible pivot in her career. But I want to talk a little bit more. Dr. Brittny is a board certified vascular surgeon as well as a coach.
She’s coaching physicians . She’s coaching women and really helping them become their best selves in their health. I not only am a strong follower of Dr. Brittny on Social, I encourage you to do so. If you don’t do so already. But we first met Dr. Brittny probably about a year and a half, two years ago when she was a client of Shorr Solutions.
And we got to know Dr. Brittny as well as her husband incredibly well. And when it came to wanting to discuss today’s topic, which you will learn more and we will continue to get into, I reached out to Dr. Brittny and she said yes, within I think about 2 minutes, if it even took her that long to respond.
And so I’m excited today. Dr. Brittny, thank you so much and welcome to Shorr Solutions: The Podcast.
00:02:10:21 – 00:02:14:22
Brittny Howell
Of course, Martha, Thank you. Thank you for having me. I’m excited to chat with you.
00:02:14:24 – 00:02:36:07
Mara Shorr
Absolutely. Absolutely. I want to start off with discussing and really just letting you introduce yourself. Right. So before we get into the topics we’re going to dive into today, I want to just hear a little bit more. So our audience knows who you are, what you do, and a little bit more about your background coming straight from you.
00:02:36:09 – 00:03:19:06
Brittny Howell
Absolutely. So as you said, I’m a board certified vascular surgeon and I’ve learned to sort of start my introduction with that because it’s always been a really big part of my identity. But as you also said, I’m a wife, I’m a mom of three. I am a proud New Englander. I’m a coach where I help women transform their bodies by better understanding their bodies.
But I’m also a physician, and coach for women who are just embarking on a new transition or pivot in their careers and those who want to build their own brands.
00:03:19:08 – 00:03:30:04
Mara Shorr
I love that. I love that. And I think there’s there’s a strong need for that, especially now. Do you focus specifically more with female physicians versus male physicians?
00:03:30:06 – 00:03:57:16
Brittny Howell
I do. And it’s so funny I get that question both sort of when I’m wearing my health coach hat and when I’m wearing my business coach hat. And it’s not to say that I will not help a man. And it’s absolutely not to say that I’m Ant-Man in I Love Men. But when I think about who my ideal client truly is, she is a woman who in so many ways I relate to. So yes, I focus on women.
00:03:57:18 – 00:04:05:20
Mara Shorr
Talk to me here a little bit more about that. When you say she’s she’s a woman you relate to. So let’s start by talking a little bit about that.
00:04:05:22 – 00:05:16:17
Brittny Howell
Sure. So she’s a woman who’s really smart and really capable. Not that I’m patting myself on the back or anything, but she’s also very bold. She knows what she wants. She’s no nonsense, but she’s also very much a nurturer. So she’s someone who is very busy doing all of the things and taking care of all of the people and over time, signs herself last on the list. So that she’s not very good at prioritizing her own needs. And oftentimes that affects her health negatively. And because that woman is usually in her forties, she really identifies that as weight gain and what we call in medicine central obesity even more specifically. And when it’s a physician, because that woman also tends to be my physician clients and she is someone who is not quite feeling fulfilled at work any longer and really longs to change that, but is not quite sure how.
00:05:16:19 – 00:07:31:15
Mara Shorr
This I see this so often. I see this in physicians, I see this even in my entrepreneur colleagues and my entrepreneur friends. So I fit so beautifully into the demographic that you are talking about, although I am not a physician, but I think I check all those other boxes. Right? I understand. I think that happens. It happens with women and one of the you know, I see so many different conversations going on today and we are recording this episode on June 5th.
And the reason that I say that is that with a podcast, it doesn’t necessarily come out the same night and today’s. I would even say in today’s climate, things are changing on a daily basis. And so I’ve taken to saying this is the date of the recording when we talk about some specific topics. But what I wanted to dive into is that not only are you all of these things being brilliant and bold and a mother and a wife and a brilliant doctor and a surgeon and a coach, but you are also black.
And I was looking at the conversations that are being had so often right now. One of the conversations and things that you are discussing a lot that make me want to have this conversation with you was the lack of representation. Yes. And we’re I have so many questions about that. But let’s get into let’s get into the conversations long before this became all that was on social media for the past several weeks, for years, you have been very open and honest and in a really empathetic way.
To talk a little bit about that and what’s new to you, let’s start with the conversations you’ve been having for years.
00:07:31:17 – 00:09:25:08
Brittny Howell
Sure. So it’s a big topic, right? It’s a big topic with which carries so much responsibility with it. So I’ll say, even when you asked me to introduce myself because of the current climate where I would normally not initially identify myself as a black woman, I thought, should I say I’m a black woman? Because of course this is a podcast and that’s not necessarily apparent.
And that even makes me think that I heard people say to me, Oh, I’m surprised you’re black once we maybe have an email exchanged or a phone exchange, and then they either see my photo or meet me in person. So I’ll just say to sort of start that, yes, I am a proud black woman and married to a black man.
And so we’re raising three beautiful black children. And even in my upbringing, being raised also by two black people, they always instilled me with the belief that I can do and be whatever I want. And I think a big part of that belief is one that’s very faith based. But even now, as I have pivoted so much in the last two years in completely unexpected ways and explaining those pivots to my parents that is often part of the conversation that while the road map may not be exactly laid out, that I have zero doubt that I will arrive exactly where I’m meant to be.
And I want that exact feeling and confidence and security and joy for my children.
00:09:25:10 – 00:10:05:04
Mara Shorr
I love watching you not only as a coach, but also as a mother. And the stories of Ella, your daughter are personally my favorite, but those of the boys are great. But stories of Ella are personally my favorite, and I watch as you have, whether it’s conversations with Ella or you have posts about Ella and about her and her potential as anywhere. Because right now she is a little girl.
00:10:05:07 – 00:10:06:10
Brittny Howell
Yes
00:10:06:12 – 00:10:45:22
Mara Shorr
But you are raising a woman. Yes. And saying that Ella can do anything. And Ella, will I see the photos on social that how Ella will play doctor? And she puts one and she takes temperatures and heartbeats and what do you see as far as what do you what do you think Ella is seeing in the world right now? What do you think the kids are seeing right now as far as representation is concerned? And let’s talk about that for a moment.
00:10:46:03 – 00:13:09:01
Brittny Howell
Sure. Yes. It’s I was having this, especially last night as we ventured out for a pizza dinner on the patio for the first time in a year, but certainly the first time out to dinner in three and a half months. And as our waiter approached us masked and as other patrons came to the patio masked to greet the host who was also masked, I looked at my daughter, who is now 3 and she didn’t skip a beat.
And that really took me aback, honestly, that there’s a three year old little girl. There are many three year old children. There are many children who are now in this world. And it’s just normal to them to greet strangers and not be able to interpret their expressions because the majority of their face is covered with a mask. And whereas, we as adults are using the term new normal so often right now for a child that is normal. So that is really, first of all, very striking to me. And but then when I think about ideas of race, we always speak very openly about it with them. I think it’s important for families in general to do, but, especially for black families, for that conversation to start at home.
My children’s overall experience is one that’s mostly white. They’re in a town where the vast majority of people are white, and even more specifically, I would say less than 2% of the people are black. And so their experience is the one where they are by far was often the only black person in the room. And again, that’s normal for them.
But they also understand the historic perspective of that being used against black Americans. And I think it’s really important for them to understand that. And so while we shield them and we protect them as much as we can, we keep those conversations open because we wanted to start here at home.
00:13:09:03 – 00:14:02:19
Mara Shorr
You know, that truly that truly makes so much sense. And when we look at representation based on your your medical journey, your journey as a surgeon, right. So let’s let’s step back into that. And how do you think representation was different for you and what do you think both during your journey through med school and your human school journey leading up to you becoming a surgeon?
And then how do you think that differs or is reflected in the medical community today, especially as we’re talking about? There is an industry that is incredibly image focused. So what do you see as far as representation, both in your journey then and what you’re seeing now? Yes.
00:14:02:21 – 00:16:16:06
Brittny Howell
So in my journey, when I think about sort of where I started when I was a child, I wanted to become a doctor. And that was really the first profession that I thought of, I think as early as being five years old. And I too understood that I was going to be often be the only black person, the only black girl in the room.
And that was very normal. And that was the case throughout my education and training. And it’s gotten better, though, I will say. And so I do want to acknowledge that, that it’s certainly gotten better. So with that said, there are always inherent biases. And so one of my closest friends is also a black woman vascular surgeon. And she and I actually did train together.
And when I think about the inherent biases, although she and I look nothing alike, again, we are both black women vascular surgeons, we would often get confused by the attending surgeons and we would joke about it and make light of it. But again, I think it’s just an example of how there is, at the very least, inherent bias.
I won’t be so bold as to call it racism, but I think at the very least there is inherent bias. And then and now working with women where especially, again, not that men don’t care about their outward appearances, but especially when it comes to women and the ideas of aesthetics and cosmetics, people of color are definitely underrepresented or underrepresented in the stock images that we see in the majority of these beautiful websites.
We’re underrepresented, and the people who are performing the procedures and we’re underrepresented in the messaging. And so I think it’s really important to first again, just acknowledge that that’s the case without judging it and then be able to take meaningful actions to improve it.
00:16:16:08 – 00:18:42:05
Mara Shorr
That is you. So hit the nail on the head there as well. I think in all of that. And one of the things that we even speak with clients and have been for years is and I’m going to break down because you had so many pearls in that, and so I’m going to break them down in no particular order.
But when we look at the underrepresented and the lack of representation from the patients perspective, so if we start by looking at it from the patient’s perspective, is that when we work with our clients and assist them with their marketing efforts, we look and number one, we don’t really love stock images anyway, but there is a need and there’s a place and all of that good stuff like that.
But we look and say, if you look at your website, if you look at your advertising, if you look at your social media and all you see are 25 year old white women, then you have an issue with the lack of representation. And this is something that we discuss all the time, is that this is this is just we see this again and again and again.
And so we dive deeper into that and we say, is this your actual patient base? And sometimes they will say, no, this doesn’t actively reflect our patient base. And we say, okay, then if this is the case, let’s remedy this right now. You know, we need to we need to work on at least the marketing side right now.
But then we look at on the other side, when there are… when there is a lack of diversity in the patients that are being treated, we can look whether it’s on the aesthetics side or another, perhaps elective space. So for the sake of this conversation, I’m not talking about patients coming into the E.R., for example. Right.
I’m talking about the elective space. We look at why. And yes, we see a lack of representation on the patient side. And I think we see a lack of representation as far as who is actually performing those procedures. But you hit the nail on the head there. Why why do you think that is? What is your assumption? If we start on the lack of representation from, let’s say, the provider side, let’s start with that.
00:18:42:07 – 00:21:14:08
Brittny Howell
Yeah. Again, that’s I think it’s such a big question right? I, I know even just speaking about myself, so in my journey to get here, I went to school at NYU and then I stayed on and did my residency there. And I initially wanted to be a plastic surgeon. There certainly was not a plastic surgeon who looked like me.
They were amazing, brilliant, open people. But there was not a black plastic surgeon at all. And there certainly, again, wasn’t a black woman plastic surgeon. And for me there was a disparity that I couldn’t quite bridge in that field, that I knew that I wouldn’t be quite comfortable in that space for so many reasons. And it’s interesting because when I’m with my patients, I’m not overtly aware of my blackness.
And that might sound even funny to say, but it’s it’s doesn’t come into play most of the time. And I can only think of really maybe a handful of times where it has and only one time, as I’ve been actually in practice, the majority of those times actually came when I was in training. But I think we have to make people of color and again, very specifically black people feel welcome in the space.
We have to make them feel welcome in the medical community. We have to invite them in. And when it comes to educating, it needs to really seem attainable. And we can’t really have that conversation. I think, without further examining the social economics that are involved and the outlandish skyrocketing costs of education that really holds many people back, but particularly people of color who are so often going to be in a socioeconomic situation that really makes them second guess something like a student loan.
That’s horrifying to so many people. So I think it’s really a conversation of education and of policy and the way that our government really supports that. So it’s a really huge frustration as I really stop, and think about it
00:21:14:08 – 00:22:48:04
Mara Shorr
It’s a big conversation. And I have this glorious blended family of, you know. I joke that some people like they start and end life with the same siblings. I’m like, Oh, that’s no fun. You know, I have I just acquired siblings as I’ve gotten older, but my one of my older sisters I was speaking with Tashanda last night and about so many of the topics in in today’s world, but also about me having this conversation with you.
And she was asking so many questions and really saying, you know, have you thought about this? Have you thought about that. And it’s funny because one of the things that she said to me, she goes, Ma, this is a really big topic for you to cover in an hour. And I said, I know that, but it’s a topic that we at least want to dive into.
And so yes, so it was it was certainly a it’s an important topic and I think, can we can we solve the entire system as we break it down into all of the bullets and sub bullets and sub bullets and of course in one podcast. No, but it’s a very deep conversation and it’s a very deep meaning detail.
And there are so many, so many components that when you are absolutely correct that it as we break it down more and more and more systematically, we look at the very specific, very understandable reasons that this is an issue.
00:22:48:06 – 00:23:47:12
Brittny Howell
Yes, absolutely. And again, with that said, I want to acknowledge that it’s certainly getting better now entering medical school. The majority of students are women and that’s a massive change and that’s a good thing. I think it’s an important thing for our nation and for our world. And representation as far as diversity and race is improving. And there are some universities that are really making a concerted effort and I think that’s really important.
And once they have increased their diversity on campus, they’re actually mobilizing those people that they have on campus to help them further increase it. And it’s so it’s really smart. And we just need more of a system behind it. I think that we can really effect more change, but there’s definitely been improvements for sure.
00:23:47:14 – 00:24:13:17
Mara Shorr
Do you have specific universities in mind? As far as I joke about when you catch people doing things right? Yeah, I it and I always I always like to catch people doing things right. And because I think that showing and leading by those examples yes this is the good and we want to see more of that. Do you have examples of some universities you’ve quote unquote caught doing things, right?
00:24:13:19 – 00:26:07:13
Brittny Howell
Yeah, I do, actually. So one is My Alma Mater, New York University is doing a great job. And they’ve for the time that I’ve been aware of them as a School of Medicine, they really have been. And I think it’s only appropriate being right in the heart of New York City that they are sensitive to that. And so they have continued to make concerted efforts.
And I think it’s especially really notable that it’s tuition free at this point for anyone who enters into medical school, which goes without saying there are many reasons for this. But now it’s one of the top medical schools, one of the very top medical schools in the United States. And it’s a special place difficult to get into. But with that said, there is tuition forgiveness so that anyone who enters into medical school pays not a single dollar for tuition.
Of course, you have to live in New York City. So that’s a huge load. That’s a massive load off for anyone. But again, particularly when we’re thinking about people of color who they’re also actively recruiting. And another one that I will shout out is Yale University. They’re also making really concerted efforts to involve associations of black students. So they look for them in college.
Once they get to college, they try to bring them in to their medical school. But if they’ve missed them in medical school, they reach out to other medical schools and try to bring them in to their residencies. And so they’ve been especially really good at using the people of color that they have on campus and sort of sending them out into the world to recruit. So those are two definitely that I know of.
00:26:07:15 – 00:29:52:22
Mara Shorr
And for any of our listeners that that aren’t aware, I see so often and Jay and I, so Jay Shorr, my father and business partner in Shorr Solutions, Jay and I call it the the rich doctor syndrome is that so often people think, you know, people that are not doctors themselves often will think, oh, doctors make so much money and they’re just they’re rich.
And so we call it the rich doctor syndrome, because that is a very common public perception, especially. Oh, they are a surgeon. There are plastic surgeon there. Right. But we know based on the clients we have in the clients we work with, that student loans and debt is most commonly for our clients in well into that I shouldn’t say well, but it is in the six figure range.
As far as the money that they owe back. And so it then becomes several thousand dollars every month that needs to be paid back for student loans. So just as as you and I are talking and as you’re we’re talking about the incredible expenses, and that is something that, like you said, not everybody can afford. And that’s often that’s often medical school.
That’s not necessarily undergrad. It doesn’t, like you pointed out to go to NYU, you have to live in New York. And so and although New York is glorious, New York has a price tag associated with it. So, yes, there are you know, there are transitions. There are there there are trade offs, I should say is probably a better way to phrase it.
And so things that people are often not aware of and, there’s this incredible debt that comes with with medical school. And like I said, I always love to catch people doing right and catch people, you know, look at what those what’s an examples of institutions are and is Yale attainable for everybody to go to Yale med? No.
Do we have clients that we work with that went to Ivy League medical schools? Yes. But is not everybody? No, it’s not. And we’re aware of that, too. But I think using as examples, using the institutions as examples. And what advice would you give as somebody who has been through what you have been through in your medical career to a person that says either that that 18 year old that says, you know, because I’m assuming we don’t have five year olds listening, right?
So even though five year old Dr. Britny knew. Right. I’m assuming we don’t have five year olds listening. So if you have either that that student that is about to enter undergrad or somebody that has just graduated their undergrad in there or somebody that isn’t in their undergrad and looking towards medical school and they say, Look, I know with everything in me, I want a career in medicine.
And for some people that might be I want to be a surgeon, I want to be Doctor Britny someday I say I want to be a PA because we’ve people that say for a number of reasons, this is what I want. Yes. What advice from somebody who been there, done that, doing it now, do you give to that person of color that is looking to break into the system right now?
00:29:52:24 – 00:31:51:11
Brittny Howell
So the first piece of advice is one that certainly wasn’t given to me and that it’s really probably taken decades to truly understand the value of, but that would be to get a mentor. Throughout most of my education, the word mentor is really misused. You’re often assigned a mentor and that person has a regimented amount of times in which he or she checks in with you and they send you on your merry way.
But a mentor is really someone that you get to choose, that you look at that person and you get to examine his or her values, examine where he or she has been and look at where he or she is and where they’re going and want to see yourself in those places that either reflected in his or her past or your aspirational for his or her current or future situation.
And that can really be a model for you, a mentor. But then there’s a connection. And that’s where I think those sort of more institutionalized programs really fail, that you can’t assign connection and so with that said, that’s just one of the beauties of the vastness of the Internet. I think that you can honestly search women surgeon or black women surgeon, or you can search for these various things, especially on a platform like Instagram, and be able to take a peek into someone’s life both professionally and personally, and identify for yourself.
If that’s someone who you could find a valuable relationship and then start. That relationship, I think is an incredibly valuable piece that I truly didn’t have until I was well into fellowship.
00:31:51:13 – 00:33:18:07
Mara Shorr
We, I always say, because I love, I love to mentor as proud as I am to have been a mentor to incredible young women. I also understand that not all of them have had the same life experiences that I’ve had and I haven’t had the life experiences that they’ve had and that it was just as important for some of those that I was working with to not just have a mentor who looked like me, but to also have a mentor that looked like them.
So I think that that’s just as important. And so I think seek out. But for you to like, just like you said, seek out that mentor and I love how you you say you know, for somebody that is what you want to be and somebody that it represents. And I think that’s easier and represents who you want to be as a person represents where you want to be in your world.
And with social media. I think that that is easier than ever before to make some of those connections and to get a view all those social media in itself. So share not every facet. It shows the best In everybody’s world, but I think it shows a lot about a lot about people.
00:33:18:09 – 00:33:21:00
Brittny Howell
Yes. Yes.
00:33:21:02 – 00:34:32:04
Mara Shorr
And so I think mentorship is is incredibly important. And I love I love that you brought that up. And if one of the things that you brought up, because I took a lot of notes as we were talking and having this conversation, because there were some really great points you’re making, I’m going I don’t want to interrupt her because she said she’s through so many thoughts here.
Is that coming back to with your conversation about lack of representation in several areas, but one of them being in in messaging, right, when we’re talking about in the media, I believe it was in marketing messaging and in the messaging from really from the doctor to the patient. Where are you seeing the biggest holes in the messaging?
Because we talked about I mean, we talked about stock imagery, which is just one tiny, tiny little component, right. Where we know we’re not going to solve the world today. But what sort of messaging are you seeing that’s missing and how can our listeners, how can the providers work to change that effective today?
00:34:32:06 – 00:37:38:17
Brittny Howell
Yeah. So I think one is again, in thinking about particularly aesthetic procedures, it’s sort of that beauty ideal. It is, for lack of a better phrase, and that that beauty ideal is of course not attainable for everyone. And henceforth there are procedures and things that we can do to augment, but that it’s just not natural for so many too.
And so for a black woman, for example, to be marketed about, look, injections when that’s very rarely what she actually needs for her or even further, you know, things like quote unquote the butt lift, which is, again, very rarely what she often actually needs. And I have again, essentially because I did want to be a plastic surgeon at first in medical school.
A lot of my friends are plastic surgeons in New York City and they get to have these conversations, particularly in communities of people of color. And when they talk to them about things like in abdominoplasty and whether they are going to have a breast augmentation versus a breast lift, etc., it’s considering where the silhouette of their breasts are against the silhouette of their abdomen.
And again, these are conversations that are going to be different in in so many communities of color, especially, again, when we are careful enough to consider the socioeconomics. And I can think in particular, one of my plastic surgery colleagues who happens to be a man who has I’m sure there’s been a conversation, he said many times, but he was relaying one to me or he had to break it to a patient that if she has that breast reduction, then her belly will be larger than her breasts and especially in silhouette.
How that’s not truly what she wants. And then really to sort of step back from that, that’s really where they need to start, is probably not in that sort of setting, not with the plastic surgeon, not with the medical staff to really sort of evaluate on a deeper level what’s actually going on with their bodies. So for so many reasons, I think so starting with the with what that beauty ideal is.
But then really with being able to truly consider cultural norms and what lifestyles really look like and then how to modify those lifestyles and how that’s going to look different for every person, but particularly when we’re being more sensitive about race and culture, it’s going to look very different.
00:37:38:19 – 00:39:09:08
Mara Shorr
I couldn’t agree more, I couldn’t agree more. And knowing how to have those conversations and is incredibly key because we are. And I think that when we look as a body image is a sensitive topic and in every community. But when we look at the different ideals that are put out, like you said, it’s it’s a difficult conversation to have.
How would you recommend our clients are not or I should say our clients how would you recommend our listeners write our podcast listeners begin to learn how to best have those conversations. There is this perception that in our industry people will do anything for the dollar and we want to break that down. We work with some amazing practices that we know that is not true and you have amazing colleagues just like we’re talking about, and you say, Look, I know firsthand that is not true.
You are an example of somebody that says that is not true. How can we help doctors have those conversations, which is already a difficult conversation to have. Season one, you’re talking about somebody body image, and now you’re talking about there is a there is a racial component in there as well.
00:39:09:10 – 00:40:45:07
Brittny Howell
So yeah, so it’s really right. How how can you be more cultural sensitive? And that’s again, a layered conversation. And I think it really first starts with your interactions and who who is in your world, who are you talking to, Whose words are you reading, whose podcasts are you listening to? You know, what is really filling the airwaves in your car, in your home?
What social media accounts are you scrolling through? And if those are lacking diversity, then of course, the messaging that you’re hearing is going to be very limited and not help you reach more people. And so I really think it’s a great time to examine what your world actually looks like. And if your world, your personal world, of course, who do you interact with, who you love, but also who do you count as a mentor or a trusted source of information?
And if there’s no diversity there, then you can easily start taking small steps to change that. But you have to really understand what the messaging you’re getting yourself before you can improve your own messaging.
00:40:45:09 – 00:41:29:08
Mara Shorr
Who would you recommend and can you give our listeners your social media information? Because, first and foremost, I want everybody to be following you starting this very second because you set out great content, inspirational content, educational content, and it’s so can you give starting with your social media handles, if you could give it just a couple more accounts that you say, you know what, these are people that I think our listeners really should follow because they are also putting out amazing content and these are voices that need to be heard.
00:41:29:10 – 00:43:27:14
Brittny Howell
Sure, of course. So yes. So my website I’ll start with is doctorbrittny.com, where you have to spell doctor and I’m sure in the show notes you’ll see that my name is spelled differently than most Britney’s. It’s just B-R-I-T-T-N-Y and on Instagram and, Facebook. I’m Dr. Brittny MD for medical doctor. And when I think about others, of course I have to always say Oprah, the queen, who never shies away from discussing topics of race and culture and gender.
But yet she still has found a way to be the voice of everyone. So and she has a podcast, so it’s not always her voice. That’s always a good one. Another person who tends to mine is Tim Storey with an E, so it’s Storey is essentially a high performance coach really for celebrities that he’s mostly I should say, but he’s a black man and again, never shies away from really being inclusive and taking on hard topics.
And one more person who immediately comes to mind is Allyson Bird and her name is her first name is a l l y, So n and then a last name Bird. And she’s just a dynamo. She’s a very dynamic speaker. She is very bold and really stands in her power and really takes these topics head on. So those are three really proud and powerful voices to listen to.
00:43:27:16 – 00:44:12:18
Mara Shorr
I love that. I love that are there in the spirit of we always say collaboration is so much better than competition and you have so lovingly referenced several of your colleagues. And so without giving away the names of the colleagues you’ve referenced, but separately, are there any surgeons or doctors that you are connected with, colleagues of yours, friends of yours that you say, you know what, these are maybe one or two more voices I want to amplify as well.
And they’re doing great things and I think they should be followed on social as well. They may not be Oprah yet. They are other voices, maybe one or one or two other voices. You want to amplify as well.
00:44:12:20 – 00:46:23:02
Brittny Howell
Yeah. Thank you. So I have to say, sadly, in a way, the voices that I would most love to amplify are completely off of social media and that’s, you know, of their own choosing. But they are really wonderful people who are in big cities across our country and doing really good work and are one I can think is a very blond, beautiful white woman.
One is an Indian man and one is a black woman. They’re my closest friends from residency and they don’t really talk business on social media or they’re just completely so. And I think I just want to acknowledge them. But when I think about those who really are who are building a presence on social media, I can think in particular, there is one wonderful dermatologist.
Her name is Hope Mitchell, and she’s got a great Instagram account where she really takes on sort of all of these topics. She also really educates people about dermatology. And she also is very open about the challenges that she’s faced to sort of get to where she is. And she’s always open to mentoring. So she’s a great one.
And then similarly, I would say a woman who’s her handle is theplantbasedmd and she is primary care Doc and she is entering the coaching space. And she similarly, she’s taking on some really tough topics, especially right now, but she’s really working on her online presence and really also educating in ways for us to be our best selves.
And her focus is, of course, being plant based, but she’s really especially right now taking on those really difficult topics.
00:46:23:04 – 00:47:02:02
Mara Shorr
I love that. I love that so much. And as our time comes to an end, because I know that aside from all the things we talked about, you also have home schooling to wrap up with the kids and all of those great things. And I know that I promised an hour and I don’t want to continue taking your time.
And thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and using your voice for change because there is so much power to it and I am so grateful to have been able to have this conversation with you today.
00:47:02:04 – 00:47:09:06
Brittny Howell
Thank you, my friend. I appreciate it. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share.
00:47:09:08 – 00:48:35:11
Mara Shorr
Yes. Yes. And I hope that to all of our listeners you found as much in this conversation as as we did, and you enjoyed this conversation as much as we did. And I strongly encourage I know I said it before, go follow Doctor Brittny on Social. I promise you will not be disappointed @Dr. Brittny, MD. Again, there is no E in Brittny, but I promise you will not be disappointed. But thank you so much for another episode of Shorr Solutions: The Podcast. So that wraps up today’s episode of Shorr Solutions: The Podcast. We hope that you’ve gotten as much out of this episode as we have, and if you have, I’d like for you to like it, rate us and share this episode with your friends, colleagues and the rest of your team.
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