There are many of you that have seen my posts on social media about Licensed To Live®: The Conference. Many people have been asking questions. What is it like? Who is it for? Who will be there? Is it live?
If you are a professional struggling to make sense of the recent uncertainties within our nation, frustrated with pay cuts, extended shifts, or lacking the willpower to take on more responsibilities, join us for Licensed to Live®: The Conference virtually on Saturday, July 25th, 2020. If you are seeking enlightenment in these dark times, join us for conversations of hope, inspiration, and motivation to ignite your career into the passion you desire. Listen to a full panel of talented, award-winning, and prestigious speakers full of the advice, knowledge, and insight you need to push through these difficult times. The Licensed to Live® The Conference is a LIVE virtual kick start for anyone in need of a reboot or refresh at any stage in their career. Sign up now at licensedtolive.com
First off, people have been asking why I decided to host a conference. I won’t lie; this is something that I never thought I would do a few short years ago. At best, I would continue to travel across the country speaking at conference after conference spreading my message one stage at a time. I really love to speak in front of live audiences and didn’t think that my future would bring me to have a conference of my very own in which other people can share their voices.
In the beginning, I was a bunch of nerves thinking about the idea. Who am I to do something like this. I have never done this before; I’m scared. What if nobody comes? I had a variety of emotions surrounding this decision and I was dragging my feet initially. This was me stepping into unchartered waters. I have never done this before; I had to push myself to move forward. I pulled my team together and said this is what we will do… we are going to host a conference. Some members were live with me in the office, others were in zoom. I wasn’t sure what their response would be, but it surprised me. They were excited about the opportunity! They were ready to make this become a reality. Sentiments of ‘what took you so long?’ started to echo within the zoom room. Someone even replied, ‘when can we do a pediatric conference?’ I had to slow them down on that one, but their enthusiasm was infectious.
That led me to determine that a one day conference would be perfect. However, what would be the approach? What would people learn? Which one of my super friends would be available? We worked feverishly on the program thinking of bigger and better ideas every day. This lead me to think of the theme and title of the conference, Licensed To Live: the Conference. We have been in various stages of lockdown with the pandemic for months and a live in person event would not be possible. However a virtual stage could be opened. I want the attendees of this program to be inspired, to be encouraged, to strengthen their voices, to learn common pitfalls of being a physician that often get taken advantage of. And of course, I want them to be Licensed To Live®!
From there, I begin thinking about who would be joining me on stage. I thought that especially during a time when people are getting pay cuts, losing jobs, or forced to work in unsafe working conditions, we should begin with wellness and purpose. This is why I brought Dr. Samm Pryce a naturopathic physician who specializes in wellness and hosts her own event, The Vital Experience. She is a best-selling author and speaks internationally on the importance of taking care of you. I knew she would be the perfect person to kick things off!
While ensuring yourself to be physically fit for the challenge of making a change in your life, taking a look at your purpose in life is important too. This is why we brought in Dr. Brad Bellard for The Conference. He is an Elite coach and author for purpose clarity. Often we start off on an adventure thinking we know what we wanted. Somewhere along the way we get off that path and get lost. Once we get lost, we need a little help finding our destination. This is where we realign purpose with your career. When there is a mismatch, along comes frustration… Dr. Brad will help us focus and clarify our purpose.
Once we are thinking and feeling our best, we can start to reclaim some of what was lost. Over time, physicians have been placed in the just shut up and keep doctoring category. Once upon a time doctors were looked to for their thoughts, opinions, and leadership. Now quite often we are left to churn away and produce lots of RVUs without even asking for our opinion. When we see something wrong and speak up, we may lose our jobs, take pay cuts or be put on blast in the public light. The next block of the conference is set up to strengthen your voice.
This is the part where I have brought in 3 national experts in their field and they will share their expertise in their fields. First up we have Dr. Cyntrell Crawford, a psychiatrist with an addiction medicine interests, an author and a podcast host. She discusses sharing her voice through her latest film Us vs The Plant, a docu-film about medical marijuana. As a filmmaker, we learn about sharing our voices on the big screen.
Next up we have Dr. Nii Darko, a board certified trauma surgeon and podcast host of Docs Outside The Box. His top 100 Apple podcast has been sharing his voice for years. He shows us how to stand up speak up and speak out while using our voices as doctors. He will be on stage discussing ways in which podcasting has changed his life and his career.
Then coming on stage will be chief #SoMeDocs Dr. Dana Corriel. She is an internist, a creative, and a social media expert. She uses her time on stage to encourage us to be a louder voice collectively through the use of social media. Personally, 4 years ago, I didn’t even have a social media account. I could not understand it and thought there was no use for it other than posting funny pics or keeping everyone up to date on your grocery store run…Social media also led to my Licensed To Live® moment which is another reason I had an aversion to it. Dr. Corriel will guide us through her story and we learn more about social media and how it can be used for good. Tell your story or the story of the many you represent.
I make a return to the stage at this point to help show you how books can boldly strengthen your voice and your message. I will guide you through the writing process and show you how to publish your first book. Besides becoming an author, I will show you how your own book can put you on an upward trajectory which leads to so many more opportunities. We will finish up this block with the official Licensed To Live®: Daily Affirmations to Rebuild Your Life book launch! Join me live as I launch my 4th solo book project. I am super excited about this. In fact, my early registrants already received their book as a bonus!
Did someone say lunch??? Well I figure since we are at a virtual conference, I couldn’t provide a virtual lunch so we just keep rolling all through the day….
Bring on the afternoon sessions where we feature a briefing on better management of finances with Dr. Jenn MD a surgeon, author, and personal finances expert. She tells her tale of the importance of keeping your finances in order through a real life challenge she experienced.
Next we will have Dr. Stephanie Freeman, another best-selling author and intensivist. She will tell us how to live our best clinical lives on our own terms by living la vida locums. She tells of her personal journey to understanding how locums tenens can be a wonderful lifestyle choice where you remain in complete control.
Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason comes to the stage as a former surgeon and tells of her journey starting multiple companies and a non-profit. Additionally, she walks us through some of the common pitfalls with standard physician contracts. If you are not careful, the stipulations that come in contracts will keep you handcuffed to a position you no longer want.
I come back to the stage and share my story on how I became Licensed To Live®. Through my personal story and the tips I give within the presentation you will also learn the process in which you can also be Licensed To Live®.
We wrap up the day with a panel discussion of a couple of the nation’s experts in diversity and inclusion. Doctor Bonzo Reddick and Nurse Talonda Rogers give us their take on diversity, inclusion, and health equity. They talk about how their passion for this subject matter led to an entirely different business venture.
If you made it to this point, you must be thinking, that sure is a lot of stuff for one day. One of the most difficult decisions was how to limit the amount of speakers and prevent this from becoming a 24 hour marathon. I know that after this daylong event, you will leave inspired, refreshed, energized and empowered. Get your ticket now at licensedtolive.com. (use coupon code FLASH for a $100 discount)
