Q & A with Linda Greer, MD, and Denise Reddy, MD, with Arizona Diagnostic Radiology
Describe your career path and what you attribute your success to.
Both Dr. Greer and Dr. Reddy decided to focus on women’s health, specifically breast imaging, during their medical training. Early in their careers, they recognized the importance of empowering women by promoting an awareness of the benefits of screening mammography. Their success has largely been related to their passion for detecting breast cancer early, when it’s easier to treat and when more women’s lives can be saved.
Why does prioritizing self-care make you a better business leader?
Self-care includes eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, and maintaining mental and emotional health. Prioritizing self-care allows for better balancing your life’s competing personal and professional demands. This sense of balance leads to increasing happiness, deeper relationships, and fulfillment on a personal level and professional success by reducing stress, preventing burnout, and improving energy and concentration.
What recommendations do you have for women to balance their personal and professional lives successfully?
Balancing your personal and professional obligations can be stressful and exhausting, but it is crucial to maintaining happiness and productivity. Here are a few strategies that can help you succeed in achieving balance. First, set short-term goals. Dividing commitments into small attainable tasks can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Second, create a detailed schedule prioritizing tasks based on importance. This allows you to fulfill the most pressing obligations while not getting caught up in the more trivial tasks. Next, learn to say no. There are many great opportunities but only say yes to those aligned with your goals or that you find fulfilling. Establishing boundaries in advance will allow you to better assess what commitments you will or will not accept. Lastly, view self-care as a personal responsibility, not an option. Self-care is not selfish. Devoting time to yourself will enhance both your personal life and the quality of your work.
What are examples of best self-care practices?
Most of us are skilled at caring for our loved ones, coworkers, and employees, but we are not very good at extending that same love and care to ourselves. We forget that we can be better friends, family members, and coworkers by nurturing ourselves.
When building your self-care routine, think about four areas – mind, body, emotional and spiritual.
- Self-carefor the mind involves learning and growing personally and professionally. This may involve personal reflection, coaching, counseling, or reading a book.
- Self-carefor the body ensures optimal physical health by eating nutritious food, exercising, and getting an adequate amount of sleep. This may involve working out, walking your dog, hiking, or playing pickleball. It may mean eating more meals at home or making an effort to go to bed 30 minutes earlier. This also extends to routine dental and medical care, including screening tests such as mammography.
- Emotional self-carerefers to loving and caring for yourself and others. This may involve surrounding yourself with positive people and giving and receiving kindness and support. This means connecting with friends and family and deepening relationships with those you care about.
- Self-carefor the spirit refers to focusing on what is meaningful to you in your life and work. It may involve practicing mindfulness, focusing on gratitude, spending time in nature, or meditating. It may mean unplugging from technology and social media to reflect.