We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Lauren Hughes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Lauren, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I think my confidence started in my childhood. I was never raised to think I couldn’t do something because I’m a woman. My Dad always told me that if you sound confident and act confident, then others will believe you and eventually you believe yourself. This mentality helped with all the hurdles in my life and gave me a “why not me?” attitude. It helped me when I applied to college, applied to medical school, residency, and then when I started my direct primary care practice. Having this attitude helped when I would answer questions in my training. Sometimes I was right, which gave me a confidence boost. Sometimes I was wrong, and that gave me and my teacher an opportunity to learn where I needed to grow. I stopped caring about being wrong and instead I focused more on figuring out my errors and how to strengthen my weaknesses.
I think as women, we often don’t push ourselves or take risks unless we’re 100% sure we will get a position or we know we have every qualification imaginable, because what if we fail? What if someone realizes we don’t have the exact right ideas or degrees? What if we don’t know how to do something? And instead of keeping the “what if I fail?” thoughts at the front of my mind (they were there, don’t get me wrong), but I mainly focused on “why not me?” This thought, and knowing that if I failed, at least I tried, kept me pushing forward.
A huge part of imposter syndrome in medicine is learning to trust yourself, your exam, and your decision. I learned early in my medical training to never pretend you know something you don’t, and ask for help when you need it. I have never been too proud to say I don’t know or to ask for help, and I think that’s part of what makes me a good physician. If I lay in bed and start thinking about a case, then I know I need more help, and that hasn’t steered me wrong.
Essentially, all this lead me to realize that failing is a part of growth. Failing doesn’t mean you failed, it means you discovered a weakness or knowledge gap that you now have the opportunity to improve yourself. And asking for help, seeking out different opinions from others more educated than you, doesn’t mean you failed. It means you were aware of your own limitations and you sought out others to guide you. This is strength.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I own Bloom Pediatrics, a direct primary care pediatric office. We have two primary care pediatricians and a pediatrician + headache medicine physician in our office providing care to the kids in Kansas City. We are a direct primary care clinic, which means we do not bill insurance for our services. Instead, we work directly for our patients and provide them access to us. They can text or call us anytime with any questions about their kids, we offer same/next day sick visits, our well visits are 1-1.5 hours long, there’s no wait time, no additional staff, and basically it’s just awesome!
Dr. VanGundy and myself are the two primary care pediatricians and we take care of kids from birth through college. Dr. Dilts is our pediatric headache medicine physician and acupuncturist. She provides headache medicine care for children through college and acupuncture for all ages! You do not have to be a patient at Bloom to see Dr. Dilts.
We also have a mental health therapist for adults, Kate Acton, that provides counseling for all, with training in perinatal mental health. This means she has specific training around all the things that affect moms. Again, you do not have to be a patient at Bloom to see her!
The thing I am currently most excited about is the newsletter I just launched! I am no longer taking new patients, so this newsletter allows those I cannot see to get some access to me! It’s called From Diapers to Drama with Dr. Hughes and is a weekly newsletter that covers all topics for parenting for all ages! Readers can try it for free for a week at this link https://drhughes.mykajabi.com/offers/XTndWDiW
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think one of the main qualities needed is to be yourself. Being yourself will allow you to find your people and allow you to succeed authentically. Not having to keep up a persona is amazing and you will build your confidence by succeeding as you and not the idea someone else has of you.
Second is not to be afraid to ask for help. Call the county and ask what documents are needed. Email someone at the state level to ask what forms you have to fill out. Do not be afraid to reach out to others who have been in your field longer and get their advice and opinion.
Last is to discover your niche. It is much better to figure out where your specific passion and expertise cross rather than being vague and general. It allows you to perfect your service!
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Boundaries! I struggle so much with boundaries. Not with my patients (they’re amazing and so respectful), but with my own rules about when I work. I struggle with stopping at my work and I am trying to be more mindful about putting work away and focusing on myself and my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: bloomdpc.com
- Instagram: /bloomdpc
- Facebook: /bloomdpc
