Dr. Elke Zani-Ruttenstock, Pediatric Surgeon at Washington University and Director of the Pediatric Colorectal Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, opens this episode by sharing how life threw her a curveball when there was a time in her career when she couldn’t practice medicine and it really affected her sense of identity and self-image. What we talk about is so relatable to anyone who feels displaced from their work against their will. While the circumstances were due to being part of a two-surgeon power couple and trying to navigate international careers in medicine, Elke shares what many people feel when they are laid off or let go from a career they loved and have to make sense of it. I share my own sense of this identity struggle from when I left my high-powered consulting career (BCG) and being a Director of Strategy (Bayer) to become a stay-at-home mom for a period of time. Elke tells us how she shared in a yoga group about her struggle, and someone directed her to coaching. In pursuing coaching during that interval, she realized how it was a blessing in disguise because it helped her to see the importance of presence, authenticity, listening, and empowerment in the OR and in health care settings. Once she was able to return to being a pediatric surgeon and in charge of a clinic, she was able to infuse her lessons about centering humanness into medicine. Hence, I call her “The Humanist Surgeon”! We also discuss how A.I. is changing surgery and which use cases make sense at this stage in the tool’s development; her global perspective on healthcare and how differences show up in different countries; how important it is to be willing to show vulnerability even when you are an accomplished professional in a high-status role, like surgeon. Elke has practiced medicine in 4 countries (US, UK, Canada, and Austria) and speaks 4 languages. She is a mom to two daughters and lives with her husband in St. Louis, MO. Thank you to Dr. Elke Zani-Ruttenstock for honoring us with her presence and insights on the pod! LinkedInWashington University in St. Louis bio

Sonali Makanji, Communications & Relational Expert focused on Emotional Fitness, is a London-based ICF Accredited Coach (CPCC, ACC) who helps individuals discover how to be more authentic in their communications and their presence. Now running her own coaching practice "Coaching with Sonali", she brings 12+ years of experience across corporate and professional services, spanning consulting and in-house industry leadership roles. She has served as Head of Communications for a pan-European management consultancy in the City of London and as Director, Head of Brand for a private equity backed tech unicorn. In her first Moment of Impact (MOI), Sonali opens this episode by sharing an early lesson in primary school where she first became aware of the power of choosing perspective. She shares how seeing a peer draw a peacock using colors other than ones they naturally appear in opened her mind to thinking outside the box. In a second Moment of Impact (MOI), she shares how she encountered a practitioner when she traveled to the foot of the Himalayas to rejuvenate, and how he advised her to “do nothing” during her stay there. He had perceived that she drove herself hard, was accustomed to planning and executing at a high level, but it was taking its toll on her well-being. Sonali embraced this advice and journaled. She became aware of how “just being” can be so cathartic and therapeutic. These moments of insight she shares elucidate how she has developed her current work on emotional fitness. Sonali offers a suite of coaching services to help clients reconnect with themselves and deepen their connections with others. In our conversation, Sonali shares an example of a bride who was getting "decision fatigue". Through their work together, they discovered that what was actually happening was the bride was seeking perfection in the planning of the wedding in order to feel safe and in control. Sonali’s work often focuses on unpacking these layers to get to the essence of what is actually going on and helping the person unlock their own wisdom in response. Sonali would love you to engage with the art series on her website. In our pod convo, we discuss the “Onion People” image and what it strikes in each of us when we see it. Be sure to go to www.sonalimakanji.com to see what you think! We talk about essentialism, building self-awareness through community, the power of inter-generational friendships, and more! As with every episode of our podcast, we close on what brings Sonali hope! We are so honored that Sonali appeared on the podcast and shared so many insights about how to be more emotionally fit and thriving! Thank you, Sonali! Personal site: www.SonaliMakanji.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonalimakanji/

Gina S. Lovasi, PhD, MPH, Dana and Davis Dornsife Dean at Drexel University of the Dornsife School of Public Health, opens up the episode talking about her moment of impact. When reflecting back on her career, she is most proud of the times when she worked in partnership with others to answer big questions that none of them could have tackled on their own. A renowned epidemiologist and the youngest dean of a school of public health in the US, probably the youngest dean at the university level in the US period, Dr. Lovasi tells us how the work of public health affects our daily lives. She shares how epidemiologists focus on “exposures” and “outcomes” and carefully examine causation versus correlation. In order to create trust with the public, when facing policy decisions with spending ramifications, Dr. Lovasi focused at the neighborhood level and the implications for the reality on the ground.

To help us understand her work in practical terms, she shares an example of a research question examining what the impact on a neighborhood food desert would be if a grocery store were added. While it sounds so simple at face value, we learn that it is actually complex. Another example of evaluating if planting trees will produce the desired benefit of reduced asthma. Again, not what you think at first glance!

We go on to learn how she keeps the integrity of the inquiry, joins with partners from other disciplines, and constituents affected in the processes she designs to keep maximum trust in the process. We discuss AI and higher ed. She makes the point that if you are not paying for AI, why is it free to you? It is because YOU are training the model. We discuss how the responsible use of AI should balance in the water and energy consumption and we as a global society should decide is it worth it for jokes and memes OR should we conserve it for the best use cases where AI can solve intractable problems. Finally, she shares what it is like to be a dean when you are trained in science, but not necessarily in management, how she balances her professional life with her family life as a spouse, mom, and other important roles, and what gives her hope for the future.

From the Dean's Desk: https://drexel.edu/dornsife/news/deans-blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-s-lovasi-ab19a064/