Meet Dr. Michelle Bengtson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Michelle Bengtson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Michelle, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience was literally a life or death necessity for me. I was born premature, weighing only two pounds back in the day when babies that small weren’t considered viable. Then three days after my third birthday, I came down with a severe illness with a fever of 107. Doctors were first concerned that I would die if they didn’t get the fever under control, and that if I did live, I would be mentally incapacitated. My parents did everything the doctors told them to do from ice baths to alcohol rubs. Nothing worked. Doctors finally told my parents to give me aspirin (before we knew the dangers of aspirin in children) and I went into anaphylactic shock. I was rushed by EMS to the hospital, my stomach was pumped, but the trace amounts of aspirin created havoc in my little body. Doctors warned my parents that I would likely not live through the night, and if I did, to expect that I would cognitively be severely incapacitated. I did make it through the night, but the aspirin caused my legs and feet to become so deformed that doctors then warned my parents I would never walk again. My mother asserted her resilient spirit and declared, “Not my daughter!” I required leg braces, more surgeries than I can count, ongoing physical therapy. I did learn to walk again, but the aspirin and the physical deformity of my right foot (think of the Asian women who’s feet are bound to keep them small…that look like an upside down V), caused a two inch leg length difference, so I walk with a noticeable limp, and my feet are two different sizes (a normal women’s 6, and a toddler’s size 12), which makes finding shoes extremely difficult, and has never allowed me to wear the pretty high heals that most women wear. The resilience that my early childhood required was good preparation for resilience in school to become a doctor, as well as the resilience required through cancer journeys for both my husband (a three time cancer survivor) and me.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My favorite roll has been wife to my husband, Scott, and mother to our two boys who are now grown and living their best life. For the past 30+ years, I’ve been a neuropsychologist in private practice, helping patients identify areas of brain inefficiency, and helping them overcome any areas of weakness so that they can be the best version of themselves possible.

Many people began reaching out to me for advice and guidance, but lived too far away to come to my office. I’ve always had a love of writing. So about 10 years ago, I realized that if I paired my love of the brain with my love of communicating through the written word, I could help more people. Ten years and 7 books later, I’m reaching people around the world that I never dreamed possible. Many patients expressed that I was able to put confusing clinical information in a way that they could understand it, and that I offered them hope despite them having seen many doctors before me who left them with more questions than answers. So about 6 years ago, I began hosting the podcast, Your Hope Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson.

My newest book released last year, “Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise that Your Past is Not Wasted.”

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The first would be persistence. I’ve never been a quitter, and I’m a firm believer that failure happens not when we fall down, but when we refuse to get up and try again. There have been many times in my life when I wanted to quit, but my desire to change and grow and improve was stronger than the temptation to give up.

The skill has has been most impactful has been continually refining my ability to communicate effectively whether through the spoken or written word, which even carries through in my handwriting. I believe that if something is worth communicating, it needs to be done in a way that others can understand (and if you’re going to write something, it needs to be legible to your audience! No doctor chicken scratch here! LOL).

The third, but possibly the most essential quality that I have found essential is my faith in God. I know myself…I am too flawed to depend on myself for anything. But I believe in a God who wants to partner with us to love, and to encourage, and to equip others.

My best advice when starting on your journey is to “know your why.” The temptation to give up part way will always happen, but if you are secure in the “why” you are doing something, that will continue to motivate you during the hard times, and encourage you to celebrate when you are met with success.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

In a way, I’ve been faced with that question. I lost my father when I was a child to a massive heart attack when he was only 42. I lost my mother to an early death due to cancer. I almost lost my husband three different times to cancer. And I’ve walked through a cancer journey.

Each of these situations has taught me the stark reality that none of us knows how many days we have on this earth. We could live to 100 years of age, or we could pass in the night tonight. I want my life to count for something. Not in wealth or earthly possessions, but in terms of making a positive impact on people, and leaving a valuable legacy to my children for how to walk humbly, with integrity, and be persistent and steadfast in their faith especially when life tries to pull you down. Whether in private practice, or coaching, or through my speaking engagements, blog posts, articles, books, or podcast episodes, I want people to know I care and that they aren’t alone in their journey even when they feel lonely.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

N/A
I have all rights to the photos.

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move