Episode 33. Amy Shah, MD — Creating a successful side gig

Welcome to another Doctor Money Matters episode. In this episode I talk with Dr. Amy Shah, an allergy specialist and good friend who turned her passion for nutrition and health into a few solid side gigs.

Before I introduce Amy, I would like to talk a bit about why so many doctors are looking for side gigs. It seems crazy that people would undergo 11-17 years of post high school training and then want to look for an additional job after they worked so hard to achieve the primary one.  It speaks to the dissatisfaction, disillusionment, and loss of autonomy that so many in medicine feel now. The wall st journal had an article this past weekend about physician burnout and I have addressed it on prior episodes. We didn’t get into medicine to have our expertise undermined or questioned by those with less training. We are also less likely to be allowed to use our creative sides in medicine than generations past, and so we must express that part of ourselves in otherways. Finally maybe this is the function of living in the day and age of the gig economy and also the easy and cheap technologies with which we can start businesses (though succeeding is another story). That leads me back to my guest Amy Shah, who is succeeding.

Amy is a relative pioneer in using social media to expand her reach and develop a personal brand. It has been great to watch her develop this non traditional endeavor over the last few years. She definitely has been an inspiration and source of encouragement as I started my podcast.

In this episode we talk about:

Amy Shah, MD

• How she developed an interest in nutrition at an early age
• Her mindset about developing her passion into a viable business rather than just a hobby.
• Some of the fears she faced while trying to develop her status as an authority on these topics
• Her advice for those who are starting this process
• Her goals for the future of her various endeavors

Amy, in addition to practicing as an allergist, does personal wellness consults, has developed products including supplements, and as she talks about in the show, customized earbuds called SoundMolds (in conjunction with one of her ENT partners), worked with Bobbi Brown in the cosmetics industry, and now working with Genexa, an organic medication company. She also is starting to do physician webinars and live person coaching for those interested in learning how she has done these various things.

You can follow Amy on Instagram at @dramyshah or at her website www.amymdwellness.com. She also created a popular facebook group for those interested in healthier south asian cooking called Desi Carb Fix that has over 5k members.

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