Meet Aaron Bolds

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aaron Bolds. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aaron below.

Aaron , thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

While pursuing the field of medicine, I’ve oftentimes been the only black man in many rooms. I’ve always used this to my advantage and viewed it as a responsibility to shine and pave the way for others behind me. Throughout this journey, I’ve trained at very prestigious institutions. My goal was always to be the hardest working person in the room. I knew that if I excelled, it would give other students that looked like me an opportunity to train at these institutions as well. During my 3rd year of medical school I decided to enroll in the MBA program, as part of the dual degree MD/MBA. I was the only MD/MBA student in the cohort, and I wanted other medical students to be aware of the opportunity to develop a business acumen. I understood that medicine is in fact a business, therefore, I wanted to develop an understanding of it. At the conclusion of the MBA program I spoke on a panel to other medical students and stressed the importance of business in medicine. Over the subsequent years, there have been several medical students to enroll and graduate from the MD/MBA dual degree. Being a leader and helping change the narrative is how I can help ensure that I will not be the only person of color in these rooms.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My specialty as a medical doctor is interventional spine and sports medicine. I help treat patients who have musculoskeletal injuries. I perform procedures to help with pain anywhere from head to toe. A large component of what I do involves treating patients who have cervical, thoracic and/or lumbar pain. Many of them have been involved in car accidents. We also sponsor many professional athletes, including UFC/MMA fighters, so I also help many elite athletes who have injuries. Some of these injuries involve and others involve more peripheral structures like shoulders, knees, hips, and foot/ankle.
I also focus on many components of lifestyle medicine. I take pride in practicing the same habits I encourage my patients to adopt. I am devoted to helping my patients understand the importance of nutrition, supplementation, and exercise. I encourage patients to practice these healthy habits for the rest of their lives, so they can have good quality of life, even after they are finishing treating at our facility.
I have a brand called DrBoldsmethod, which I use as a vehicle to help others create healthier lifestyles from a fitness and nutrition perspective. The purpose of this brand is to be able to help various demographics, from elite athletes to elderly folks. I focus on weight loss management in conjunction with helping clients reach their fitness goals. I leverage social media content to provide guidance for fitness and nutrition, as well as specific disease processes such as knee, back, shoulder pain, etc. My instagram handle is drboldsmethod

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?

My trust in God has been the biggest factor in my journey. Living by faith and not by sight, and praying daily kept me from being distracted by adversity and obstacles. As a medical doctor I believe acquiring my MBA (Master of Business Administration) was also one of the most impactful decisions in my academic journey. My business degree taught me many skills that allow me to optimize my potential as a medical doctor. Some of these skills are emotional and social intelligence, as well as the ability to work in a team. I also believe my collegiate sports (basketball) background laid the foundation for my work ethic. The same drive and ambition I had towards basketball translated to the way I prepared for my academic responsibilities. While playing basketball, I took pride in being the hardest working player on the court, despite my talent. I used this same strategy in academics, striving to be the hardest working student in the classroom and to lead others by example.
The best advice I can give to anyone pursuing anything is to have mentors and like-minded people around you. You are defined by the company and having people around you that can motivate you and hold you accountable is key. Always be inquisitive and ask questions, consider yourself a life-long learner. Also, never settle for hearing the word no, because there is ALWAYS a way to get it done. I also recommend writing down any goals that you have and action items that will allow you to reach those goals. I’ve found it helpful to be able to actually visualize my aspirations.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The most impactful book throughout my development has been “The Pact. Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream.” This story outlines the journey of three young men growing up in Newark, New Jersey. Their upbringing was full of adversity and temptation. They made a pact to each other to all grow up and become doctors, and they accomplished it. I subsequently had the pleasure of meeting them at a Gala I was invited to during my 1st year of medical school.
I read this book during my junior year of undergrad. I had two other classmates that I knew were just as serious about their education as I was so I recommended they both read it. We then decided to make a pact that we would all matriculate into our respective professional schools after undergrad, and we accomplished it. We also all ended up at Howard University and were roommates. One of them is now a Dentist, a Pharmacist, and I’m a Medical doctor. The value of this book was not only my ability to persevere through the all the challenges, but also my ability to encourage others to do so.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://barbourortho.com/
• Instagram: drboldsmethod
• Linkedin: Aaron Bolds M.D., MBA