Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexandra Santiago. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Alexandra with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I get my work ethic from my mother. My mother has always been a very hard worker. She was always a leader and top executive in her field. She taught me from an early age that I have the capability to achieve anything if I set my mind to it and put the work in. I am so thankful that my goals and dreams were never limited as a child. I was never told “that is not a career for women” or “that will be too much work”. Instead I was encouraged and told that I can do anything but my success is entirely up to me. I was drawn to medicine at an early age and knew it would be a lot of hard work to become a physician. However, having a goal in mind motivated me to work hard through school. Now, my family and future dreams for my business motivate me to continue to work toward my goals. Each day I take one step closer. I hope to be an example for my children like my mother was to me. I want them to believe that if you can dream it and put the work in, you can achieve it. I never want them to feel limited in what they can achieve in the future.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself and your business before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a family physician and owner of BrightHEALTH Family Medicine & Wellness. I offer concierge-style primary care at an affordable cost. We have all experienced a rushed doctors appointment that ends with a hasty prescription and no explanation of cause or prevention. At BrightHEALTH Family Medicine, we do it differently. We offer same or next-day appointments, no wait times, and you can even call or text me, the physician, directly. The average visit time is 60 minutes instead of 5 so you never leave feeling unheard or like your issues were not addressed. I have the time to work together with my patient’s to help them live their healthiest life.
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?
1. Resilience – Don’t give up on your dreams. There will be wins and loses along the way. Don’t stop because of one failure. I have a colleague who lost 2 businesses before he was finally successful. If he gave up after his first or even second loss, he never would be where he is today.
2. Positive mindset – This is something I have to continually work at but I have found negative thoughts are never productive. Instead, I recommend practicing gratitude, daily affirmations, and to learn how to identify and overcome limiting beliefs.
3. Adaptability – I believe this includes having an open mind and being willing to pivot, make changes, and evolve as appropriate. For me, this includes keeping up-to-date with new medical knowledge and learning how to implement this into my practice to benefit my patient’s. It also means adapting my business to meet the needs of my patient’s and the current climate.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
One of my biggest obstacles is lack of visibility. I am a small, boutique practice and few people know that I or even the model of healthcare I practice exists. I could help so many more people if the concept of direct primary care was better known and understood.
To overcome this, I have been working with a business and marketing coach for the past few months. She has helped me with my message and wording to get the word out and make the concept easier to understand. My husband and I have both been attending more community events. I also plan to start doing more social media to increase my reach and visibility.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brighthealthmed.com
- Instagram: @brighthealthdoc
- Facebook: /brighthealthmed
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrasantiagodo
