Breaking Barriers as a Black Woman Balancing Medicine, Mentorship & Motherhood

Empowered Presence™

Apr 9 2024 • 45 mins

In this episode of the Empowered Presence™ podcast, host Melanie L. Denny chats with Dr. Adaira Landry, a Harvard emergency medicine professor and author. Dr. Landry shares her personal journey from a young UC Berkeley student to a mentor and advocate, emphasizing the value of mentorship and representation.

She discusses her book "Micro Skills: Small Actions, Big Impact," offering advice on how to be a polished communicator, navigate conflict, build subject matter expertise, and learn your workplace culture.

GUEST BIO:

Adaira Landry, MD MEd is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and a Physician at Brigham Women’s Hospital. Her academic interest focuses on mentorship of early career professionals. She has been awarded for her dedication to mentorship and education.

Dr. Landry speaks nationally on mentor-mentee relationships and strategies for career development. She is a healthcare contributor for Forbes. She has published in Academic outlets such as Nature, Science, New England Journal of Medicine and for the general public audience in Vogue, Teen Vogue, Harvard Business Review and Fast Company.

She is currently co-authoring a book for early-career professionals to navigate the workplace, MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact with Harper Collins. She is also a wife and a mother to 3 children. She hopes to raise her 3 children to understand and value the importance of supporting others in need.

LINKS:

TIMESTAMPS:

Personal Journey and Early Achievements (00:02:14) Dr. Landry shares her early academic successes, challenges, and the influence of her upbringing on her journey.

Challenges and Discoveries in College (00:04:12) Dr. Landry discusses her transition to college, the challenges she faced, and the lack of mentorship in her early career.

Realization of Self-Responsibility and Mentorship (00:06:21) Dr. Landry reflects on the importance of self-responsibility and her first impactful mentorship experience.

Importance of Representation in Mentorship (00:09:08) The significance of finding a mentor with similar struggles and the impact of representation in mentorship relationships.

Building a Diverse Support Network (00:11:27) Dr. Landry emphasizes the value of diverse perspectives in building a personal board of directors and support network.

Navigating Workplace Challenges (00:13:49) Dr. Landry shares her experiences as a woman of color in a predominantly white workplace and the need for understanding and support.

Strategies for Networking and Advocacy (00:19:05) The use of social media and proactive networking strategies for self-advocacy and building a strong professional network.

Journey to Writing a Book (00:21:42) Dr. Landry discusses her writing journey, from early academic challenges to the decision to write her upcoming book.

The struggle with writing (00:22:23) Dr. Landry discusses her initial struggle with writing and how she overcame it.

Writing impactful articles (00:23:23) The discussion revolves around Dr. Landry's journey into writing impactful articles and the positive reception she received.

Growth as a writer (00:25:16) Dr. Landry reflects on how writing has improved her analytical thinking and her focus on the reader's experience.

The book "Micro Skills: Small Actions, Big Impact" (00:27:40) Dr. Landry introduces the book and its target audience, emphasizing its relevance for professionals at different career stages.

Balancing motherhood and career (00:28:47) Dr. Landry shares her experience and insights on balancing motherhood, medicine, and mentorship.

Making informed decisions (00:34:26) Dr. Landry advises the audience to pause and ask questions before accepting opportunities, emphasizing the importance of informed decision-making.

Importance of networking (00:39:16) Dr. Landry stresses the significance of nurturing and giving back to one's network for professional success.

Chapters in the book (00:41:01) Dr. Landry discusses the book's chapters, including self-care, task management, and the importance of understanding supervisors' expectations.

Understanding Supervisor Priorities (00:42:09) Importance of understanding supervisor priorities for success in the workplace.

Navigating the Workplace (00:43:09) Discussion on the interconnectedness of individual, team, and work dynamics in the workplace.

Book Launch Event (00:43:59) Details about the upcoming book launch event at the New York Public Library with special guest speaker.