What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?

I wake up at 6am and use the first hour of the day for myself – usually practicing a combination of yoga and meditation exercises in my living room. Sometimes it’s less than an hour, but I try to get sometime in before the day begins.

From 7-8am, I take my doggy, Myko, for his morning ‘duties’ and for a walk. Back in the house, I get ready for my day and then head down to the kitchen where I prep my husband’s breakfast, lunch and snacks for him to take to work while Myko is having breakfast. I prepare my breakfast as well and head down to the lower level of my house which is where my clinic, Art of Wellness, is located. (Not a bad commute to work!)

8-12pm is spent seeing patients, answering emails, ordering supplements and doing many, many administrative/marketing/management duties for the clinic (since it is operated by myself – I am the doctor and clinic manager and everything in between!)

12-3pm is spent having lunch, spending time with Myko (walking, grooming & playing fetch!), going to the gym for a 1hr workout and then back home for the afternoon.

3-6pm is my afternoon shift at Art of Wellness – and again is a combination of patient appointments, filling out patient files, reading x-rays and generally anything else in my never-ending inbox!

6pm I usually try to close for the day but sometimes I’ll see patients past 6pm if necessary.

6-7pm Chat with my husband, tidy up the house and just hang out.

7-9pm Cook dinner, eat and clean up together (while watching Restaurant Makeover!)

9-10:30pm Relax by watching some TV, talking to friends on the phone, playing with Myko or doing something around the house. I must admit – I usually end up going back downstairs to Art of Wellness to work on a few more things – writing articles, blogging etc.! The downside of working from home – you never quite leave work!

10:30pm Start getting ready for bed – I try to read a few pages in one of the three books I’ll be reading at any given time and call it a night by 11pm or so!

What was your first job out of school?

Although I’ve had many, many jobs while still in school, (everything from bartending/waitressing to tutoring high school math to being an Immunology research assistant!) my first job as a chiropractor was in a private practice, working in a satellite clinic within a corporate wellness centre. It was a wonderful experience to provide on-site care – there were always new patients coming into the centre and it was great to be able to help people feel better and do better within their workplace. I also worked with other health professionals, including a massage therapist, naturopath and physiotherapist and we were able to provide a multi-disciplinary approach. It was a great experience, but eventually it was time for me to start my own practice, which is when Art of Wellness was born.

What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well?

To do my job well, I think the three most important skills or qualities one requires would be:

i. Compassion. You must enjoy helping others and find fulfillment in caring for people in need. You should be able to empathize with people, meet them where they are and journey forward on their path towards optimal health. Compassion, in my opinion, is really what makes the difference.

ii. Determination. Being a self-employed can be challenging at times, especially when first starting out and growing a practice, but if you keep your drive and passion alive, success will be well on its way. There will be setbacks and failures, like everything in life, but the important thing is that you learn from them, brush yourself off and keep going!

ii. Personality! I’m in the people business first. I am interested in a person as a whole, not just their symptoms. As such, I think that having a great personality – your outgoingness, energy and ‘Joie de Vivre’ definitely shines through and is contagious! People are attracted to that and, as a result, you’ll find not only will patients enjoy spending time with you, they will tell everyone else how lovely you are!

What do you love most about your career?

What I love most about my career is the human element. I enjoy the interaction, laughter and joy that come with helping people with their health. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to touch peoples’ lives and inspire them to see themselves, their health and their life differently. I learn so much from my patients as well. Understanding their beliefs, thoughts and life overall enriches my life greatly. Undoubtedly, they are the best part of my job.

If a woman wanted to get into the business, what are you recommendations of how they should start?

I would absolutely recommend women to first, of course, get the proper education and training – both in the health sciences but also in business. I had no idea what was involved in running a practice and if I had taken a few business courses specific to practice management – I probably would have saved myself some bumps along the road! As well, I’d tell women that if their dream is to have their own practice and ‘play by their own rules’ so to speak, then formulate a plan, make sure it’s realistic, and do it! Life is too short!

Do you have any warnings?

Warnings – well of course there are many things to be cautious of when starting your own practice – most of them apply to starting any business – keep your costs low, have policies and procedures in place etc. But I think the most important thing for women (because we always tend to say ‘yes’ to everything!) is to set boundaries. Whether it is with patients, with staff or with yourself, know your limits and what feels right to you. You are not superwoman! (I have to keep reminding myself of this on a daily basis!) When you are doing things out of guilt or trying to accommodate the world, it doesn’t serve anyone in the end if you are not happy with it.

If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?

If I could do something different for a year, I think I would love to be a professional dancer. (Especially since I’m addicted to all the reality dance shows out there!) I think it is amazing to express so many emotions artistically through movement. Having performed dance previously and currently rehearsing for a production right now, I enjoy the thrill of being on stage and I would love to experience that every day! Alternatively, I would love to be a director for a luxury yoga/spa retreat – somewhere beautiful and serene. I think that would be such a great work environment and would be very fulfilling as well 🙂

Dr. Shamira Hudda

www.artofwellness.ca

Integrated Health. Inspired Life.