We recently connected with Dr. Harriet Baayeh and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. Harriet , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I have been told I was born with a lot of will power, but I truly believe my life experiences have taught me resiliency. I moved to the US at age 18 from Ghana, west Africa. I came by myself and didn’t know anyone here. I endured my fair share of harsh moments, including discrimination, not fitting in etc but I learned through that to sustain and nurture myself and to find the courage to keep going no matter the circumstances. I knew what I wanted to be from a very young age and I was believed in by my family so I learned to pave my own path and walk in my purpose at every stage of life. Almost 2 years ago, I decided to leave a long term relationship and as a result I lost everything. I found myself without a home, vehicle or money. I had $23 to my name and even in the midst of that I knew I had myself. I made arrangements to stay at a homeless shelter until I figured out what was next for me. Some would say I hit rock bottom, but for me, I knew my new chapter was just beginning. I can’t say things were easy, it was the most difficult experience but that sent me down this path of wanting to discover myself, to be my true self and live with love. It has been a beautiful unfolding and I wouldn’t change anything about it. I feel immense gratitude for those difficult moments because they helped me define clearly the kind of life I wanted.
They say words don’t teach, only life experiences do, well, my life has been my biggest teacher and I am excited for the beauty and adventure that lies ahead of me.
Today, I am the happiest I have ever been since moving to the US. The kind of joy that comes deep down from your soul. The kind that comes from knowing that you have everything you need within you and no matter what the physical senses perceive, you can close your eyes and tap into that joy. I know myself and I am very comfortable with the woman I am and continue to become. I wouldn’t be here if life hadn’t thrown some balls my way.
To me, leading with love despite everything I have endured is what true resiliency is.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I knew I wanted to be a physician since I was 6 years old. When I was 11, I told my parents I wanted to be a physician that healed people naturally like my ancestors did. Today, I am exactly that and continue to hone in on my calling. I am a licensed Naturopathic physician whose main goal is to find the root cause of people’s health symptoms and treat it as naturally as possible. It feels like such an honor to do what I do. Not only do I get to be a part of people’s healing journeys, I get to watch their lives be transformed physically, mentally and spiritually. I see patients in their most broken states and step by step, they get their lives back together and live their full potential. Patient’s main concerns may be diabetes, cancer, infertility, hypertension, autoimmune diseases etc but I find that at the root of that are limiting beliefs that have caused stagnation in the flow of energy in their systems. You help them unravel those beliefs and suddenly, they are able to adhere to that diet you recommended or exercise regimen etc We can’t heal the body without supporting the spirit and I realized that through my own health journey.
This desire to help people on a deeper level led me back to school for Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and it’s been a life changing experience. I am halfway through the program and I can say without a doubt it’s been the best decision I could have ever made. I am excited for what my practice will morph into as I continue to utilize these tools.
Later this year, I am visiting a detox center in California and can’t wait to share all about that on my social media. I am looking forward to incorporating that into my practice as well.
I am also working on some exciting projects that I can’t wait to share. The best is yet to come!!!!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I know this will sound cliche, but the best advice I can offer anyone is to get to know themselves and embrace fully who they are. It hit me along the way that there is no one like me on this planet and there never will be so the best gift I can give myself is to just be. Don’t worry about being weird or not fitting in, you will find your tribe. Besides, you were not put on this earth in this time-space-reality to calibrate to other people. Everyone else is trying to figure it out so go after those dreams, put yourself out there, do the things that bring you joy. I wish I knew this sooner but understanding this has freed me so much from unrealistic expectations. I will also say taking care of your health. Medical school was very stressful for me and while I did my best to juggle all of life’s demands, my health suffered tremendously. Looking back, I could have had a better experience if I took better care of my health instead of starring at a book 24/7 and wanting to get an ‘A” on every test. It’s all about balance, work hard, play hard. Take it easy, enjoy the journey towards becoming who you want to be and always make time for wellness. After all, good health is the truest wealth!
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I have been very lucky to encounter some amazing souls who have helped me on my life’s path and I am forever grateful for them. But my family stands out. My extended family too, from uncles to cousins to nieces / nephews and bro in-law etc. I feel very lucky to be blessed with such supportive parents who I can say did their very best for my siblings and I. Their love, support and encouragement has been priceless. My entire family is still back home in Ghana but it feels sometimes like I have them here with me. As the youngest child, I have had the opportunity to learn from everyone else and my individual relationships with them has taught me a lot about myself, unconditional love and conflict resolution, all of which has been important skills in helping me become a more balanced human being.
At my lowest, my family helped me through. They are some of my favorite humans and I am eternally lucky to have them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drharrietbaayeh.com/
- Instagram: @dr_harrietbaayeh
- Facebook: Dr Harriet Baayeh
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com
- Other: Tik Tok: @dr.harrietbaayeh
Image Credits
Freda Baayeh, Crystal Ijeoma, Patryk & Trinity Madrid, Alanah Filion
