We recently connected with Dr. Manju Dawkins and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Manju, 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.
Imposter syndrome and self doubt are inevitable parts of medicine and business… but one thing that we are all really good at is learning things. And we are naturally curious. Entrepreneurship is by definition uncharted territory – there is no one formula that works for every business. All I can do is my best. And stay true to myself and the vision-and I have to believe that will be enough.
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?
I was familiar with needle pain as a physician, but when I brought my daughter in for her vaccinations, the look of fear and betrayal on her face hit hard. After that, I used prescription numbing creams and my training in dermatology to administer them properly, but even then, it was far from a perfect solution. For my children, patients, and fellow practitioners, untreated pain was accepted as part of the care process. I was struck by how widespread needle fear was in adults and children—and just how few options there were to address it. It’s an issue that impacts millions, yet the solutions were limited and inaccessible to most people.
Most kids hate needles. And now, about a quarter of adults have needle phobia. Naturally this is causing people to put off or even avoid needles altogether. But this, of course, has consequences. At Thimble, we want to make injections and blood draws a little more comfortable. We believe that by bringing more compassion and care in, people will feel empowered to get the healthcare they need. And this means we’ll all be healthier for it.
Thimble™ is pioneering the needle care market with innovative solutions and products designed to improve experiences with needle procedures (like shots, vaccinations, blood draws). We recently launched a first of its kind, convenient patch that provides relief after needle procedures now at thimblehealth.com. The Recover patch has tumeric and arnica to reduce soreness, bruising, and swelling at the injection site, without the potential side effects that oral pain medications can cause.
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?
1. Dream big – Let your creativity flow and write it all down. Draw it all out. This is the first step into making it a reality. Don’t let that negative voice that we sometimes mislabel the “voice of reason” tell you it is impossible. You can only do things one step at a time. And this is simply step 1.
2. Talk to people : the other fancy name for this is customer discovery:
What are they using for the problem now? What are the pain points? Why are current solutions not working? What do they wish existed?
You might find someone else is doing something similar already. Should you give up? Not necessarily. Because the truth is that no one will solve a single problem exactly the way you do- it may still be worth pursuing. Some subtle difference in execution is all it takes.
Another issue that comes up is the fear that someone will steal your idea. Early on, this limited me from speaking openly to people , but this is shooting yourself in the foot.
Two things that my cofounder reminds me of:1 This is really hard so if someone wants to copy your idea- let them have at it. 2. If they do steal your idea, they will never be able to build it out like YOU would. Your competitive advantage is lived experience: you all see first hand every day the pain points that patients and healthcare professionals encounter. If we want to REALLY solve the problems of healthcare, we need those with boots on the ground to come up with solutions.
3. Compassion. Compassion is the core of our business and yet, I’m still learning to have the same amount of compassion that I have for others, for myself. There is no room for perfectionism. All we can do is our best.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We are always looking for people to collaborate and partner with. We believe that a rising tide lifts all boats, and the more people on the journey to more compassionate healthcare, the better the outcome will be. If you’re a doctor, nurse, childlife specialist and want to carry Thimble in your office, please reach out. Let’s change the standard of care. If you’re a parent or an adult with needle fear, help us spread the word and follow us @thimble.health on instagram and Facebook. If you’re an influencer, or an individual with a passion to change the way healthcare feels, shoot us an email at [email protected]. We always have an open invitation to those willing to share their personal stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thimblehealth.com
- Instagram: @thimble.health
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thimble.health/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thimblehealth/
