I couldn’t let this year pass without one hell of an update. So here it is!
I graduated from naturopathic medical school. After three and a half years in Toronto, it was finally time to say goodbye. My experience at school was fraught with a lot of mixed emotions. While I’m grateful for the piece of paper that allowed me to sit for licensing exams as a naturopathic doctor, it came with many discomforts. Discomfort during the Pandemic. Discomfort fighting overt racism at the highest ranks at the school. Discomfort in Toronto as a city during the Pandemic. Discomfort in the quality of education I received. Discomfort in global politics. Discomfort with a profession severely limited in its scope of practice (depending on where you live) during a Pandemic. Discomfort with my own voice as a future care provider. What voice? Things I’m taking with me from Toronto include my partner, my friends, and my degree. Peace out TO.
I moved to Victoria, British Columbia as a Permanent Resident of Canada. I embarked on a 5-day car drive across the country with my Auntie. We stopped at every park we could find along the way. The Badlands. Yellowstone. Big Horn National Recreation Area. It was glorious! I think my favorite memory comes from Lovell, Wyoming. We were so desperate for a little rest and relaxation after a long and grueling day of travel and were met with a smokey, bingo hall bar that let us open-carry some plastic glasses filled with box wine back to our hotel room. They ended up being completely unpalatable, of course, but we were only down about $7 total with a tip. Ok, maybe you had to be there…
I got licensed as a naturopathic doctor in Washington state. I passed all of my North American licensing boards and immediately signed up for a license in one of the best states for naturopathic doctors! Since I’m just a short boat ride away, I plan to build a mostly virtual practice there and can go in on a monthly or bimonthly basis for exams and procedures as needed. I am still waiting for BC licensure, as I have to retake one exam for everything to be official here too. I have two amazing jobs lined up when that license comes through, and I couldn’t be more excited about the incredible clinics I’ll be working with!
I was awarded a scholarship for a 2-year fellowship in Integrative Medicine. The Biden and Harris Administration launched a National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September of 2022, and in conjunction with the Miraglow Foundation and the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM), I was awarded a scholarship to complete the fellowship and participate in a capstone that will contribute to the proposed national strategy. I am completely humbled and grateful for the opportunity to participate in such an incredible program and be surrounded by so many amazing humans. This is in no small part due to the incredible non-profit I work for, the Consciousness and Healing Initiative. It is a professional, working fellowship that I will complete while working full-time. It takes about 8-10 hours per week.
I have 2 papers submitted for publication in early 2023. Let me be clear, the support and love I receive from my incredible Executive Director, Dr. Shamini Jain, at the Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI) led to the scholarship and to these paper submissions. What started out an unpaid volunteer position nearly 3.5 years ago has blossomed into a full-blown, incredible partnership. I am excited to announce CHI has secured funding for a 2-year, randomized control trial (RCT), to begin in early 2023, and I will be acting as a co-research director for the design, enrollment, and completion of the study! The two papers to be published early next year are parts of the feasibility study associated with the upcoming RCT. I am thrilled to learn and grow in this capacity!
If you are wondering how in the hell I’m going to do it all, so am I. But holy moly am I excited to figure it all out! The pause from the BC license has come as a gift to focus on the fellowship, research, and Washington practice. I’ll be front-loading all of the work to get these rolling in the new year and will be able to focus on my BC practice by the second and third quarters. I have no doubt that I will have to start finding ways to say no, but that’s a bridge to cross when I get there.
After so many years of struggling to stay afloat, to sit with myself, to figure out where I fit in… I feel like I’m realizing I fit in everywhere. It’s just up to me to figure out where I want to fit.
I’ll be sharing more of my clinical voice in the posts to come… Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2023!
Honorable Mention Events/The Cruddy parts:
Packing and leaving TO was incredibly difficult, and I couldn’t have done it without my favorite neighbors of all time, the best roommate and her family, and Mike. 32 Morewood was a special place with so many special memories. Even though naturopathic medical school tried to ruin it.
Unmeasurable stress studying for licensing exams and board exams over the summer. The sheer disappointment in failing one board examination. So many mouth sores from said stress that prevents me from being able to eat for 5 days at a time.
My wallet was stolen a month after moving to Victoria, which prevented me from obtaining any legal documentation in British Columbia this year and the wild chase after the person who did it. I still don’t have my PR replacement card, my health BC card, or a BC driver’s license because of this.
I didn’t run a 4-hour marathon. That really flipping sucked when I broke my foot training for it and was on schedule to hit this goal. I ran my last road marathon and didn’t hit a goal I set. Setting goals and not hitting them really sucks.
Not working when I planned to start working really paid a toll on my mental health. I found a new therapist I see weekly and work hard to stay balanced, healthy, and a good partner. There are so many days I couldn’t cook, clean, or even walk the dog… Somehow I have a partner who gets it all done and graciously gives me the space to sit with the suck.
