Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christian Franz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Christian, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
The beauty of healthcare and medicine is that, intrinsically, the fields are both arenas of science and art. You have the slice of pragmatic clinical practices while you also have the fount of stories of humanity in all forms that no textbook or test tube can elucidate. These daily stories of both brokenness and fear and hope and joy that vary from patient to patient spur in you a fire to produce even more stories and projects in different forms that tend to retell the human condition in unconventional ways.
For me, podcasting about stories of patients and other healthcare workers has been my way of firing my creativity in a way that still ties to my profession. From filming to editing audio, creating graphics, drafting show notes, and constantly brainstorming how to disseminate my content to my audience in a way that transcends whether they are tied to the medical community or not, I find an abiding renewed sense of enthusiasm about the world around me. I feel like I am in a perpetual state of excitement to learn more about people’s stories and then find creative ways how to tell the rest of the world about them!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Sometimes, I feel like I am just dwelling in a multiverse of endeavors—which I love and am so proud of! I am a registered nurse by trade, podcast producer and host, published cardiovascular medicine research co-author, and content creator within the niches of lifestyle, food, and fashion.
Growing up on a small farm on the island of Luzon in the Philippine archipelago until I was five years old, then moving to and growing up in the bright lights and concrete jungle of New York City, my eyes have been opened to the disparities within health care and health promotion as a child. Pursuing the medical field within the domain of nursing, I have delved into different settings, such as cardiac surgery recovery, interventional cardiology, and public health. The majority of the patient demographic I serve are from underserved communities across New York boroughs, and it is truly a privilege to care for them, whether sitting down to talk or helping them recover after a major procedure.
This helped churned my pursuit of telling their stories and those who care for them through my podcast, “Friends of Franz.” Initially produced as a 2021 Instagram livestream series seeking to debunk widespread medical misinformation online through the help of expert guests, the platform has transformed into a podcast community where the themes have been sound education (as it originally was envisioned) and representation (the majority of the roster of expert guests being women and from minority groups). I am proud of the three seasons that have been released – with the third coming to its soon-closure this May 2024!
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?
Empathy. Purpose. Vision.
I firmly believe that empathy should be the guiding light and foundation of every healthcare worker. Trying to understand someone’s situation and placing yourself in their shoes—whether my patient or my colleague—helps me gain a holistic view of why one does the thing they do or why they react in a certain way. This has been monumental in my career as a nurse — understanding that it is a privilege to care for another in their most vulnerable day. This has also been pertinent in my pursuit of podcasting and content creation — understanding how to cater to my audience that can help uplift what may be their saddest day.
To me, knowing the “why” behind your pursuits is a huge framework for one’s success. Knowing the purpose of your pursuits and endeavors will help sustain you in the fire and challenges. Knowing that I wanted to educate the general public who may not have access to the clinical information that my exper guests freely provide and to help give a voice to underrepresented groups explains why the podcast is still running after three seasons — and with more to come!
I know where I want my career and pursuits to lead — beyond myself and extending to my communities. I view purpose and vision as conjoined twins. You need to know the why behind your starting point, but you also have to know the why you need to reach your endpoint. When you set for yourself an imagined fruition of your hard work, the how and the crossroads and winding roads in the process usually no longer matter.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Excellence over perfection. I have realized that when I strive towards perfection — which actually does not exist — I ultimately set myself for failure because I always try to run towards a standard that I, or anyone, could ever reach. However, when I work towards excellence, I compete only with myself, and I inspire myself to reach a standard that only I can set and define for myself. When it came to my projects and work, I once needed everything to perfect — from the color to the theme, design, and every millisecond of audio. I found myself constantly stressed to the point of burnout because I was trying to reach a state that I would never reach completely, no matter how hard I worked or how many edits I made. I have now chosen to pursue excellence instead because then, I set for myself a barometer that I could tangibly attain on my own terms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://friendsoffranzpod.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrsfranz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendsoffranzpod
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristianFranz
Image Credits
Jeong Park Photography
