Fearless Living: The Five Fundamentals with Healthcare Entrepreneur Dr. Joanne Wu
“Be grateful - The gift of gratitude is the root of happy health.” Today’s woman dreamer, Dr. Joanne Wu, is on a mission to make a difference in health and wellness. She is the President of WithHealth medical group. and are a Rehab Medicine doctor. In this inspiring interview, she shares her exciting work in the wellness space, and her five tips to women for fearless living. Enjoy her story!
1) Tell us your story. You have led an exciting career, and are currently President of WithHealth medical group. and are a Rehab Medicine doctor. Your passion is wellness, and you do a lot of work with employee health. Tell us more about how you found your interest in this space.
My love of the art and science of medicine started with my passion for continued learning and caring for others. I chose to major in Biomedical Engineering because I liked the way it teaches you creative, logical, and efficient ways to approach and solve problems. I later integrated wholehearted and holistic medicine as I got started with medical training, realizing there were gaps in the traditional healthcare model. From yoga therapy, food as medicine, and acupuncture, I wanted to find ways to focus on functional and sustainable health. To me, the concept of wellbeing is undervalued in preventative care so I nourished programs that helped encourage that with entrepreneurship and philanthropy. This culminated in various roles I served over the years as a clinician, a researcher, an educator, and a leader. My most recent position with WithHealth has been a gift, and a challenge, but I welcome it with open arms. I very much enjoy helping people feel better - with personalized and tailored healing in mind.
2) You are quite the multi-faceted woman in the health & wellness space. As a fitness, wellness, and yoga expert, what are your top 5 tips that every woman can bring into their daily routine for a healthy lifestyle?
My Five Fundamentals to Fearless Living:
1.) Be kind - To everyone AND yourself
2.) Be honest - Stay in your truth, and aim for your True North
3.) Be diligent - With your exercise routine, clean eating, and with your sleep
4.) Be grateful - The gift of gratitude is the root of happy health
5.) Be creative - Allowing yourself to think outside of the box pushes you to new heights and sets new boundaries.
3) What was the biggest challenge you faced in your healthcare career, and how did you overcome it?
Biggest challenge I have faced in healthcare is trying to embrace the importance of lifelong learning, but also be at peace with the concept of enough. There is always this desire to do better, be better - and we should, as medicine is always evolving and each patient encounter teaches you something. However, there is equal importance to letting go and admit in honest limitations, while retaining a sense of pride in the work done. It is a delicate balance.
4) What are some of the key trends you see happening in the future for women's health?
I think that women are truly embracing who we are - different - and it's a good thing. We cannot focus on equal rights only, and not also be proud of our diversity. It is wonderful to no longer hear shaming and blaming on topics such as fertility, menopause, mental health, and sexual health. No more taboo. And, it is great to see more research on gender effects on various chronic diseases. Lastly, I love hearing women supporting women.
5) As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My next big dream is to help the next generation of women leaders find their next big dream. That will truly be a gift.
Thank you Joanne for sharing your inspiring story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
BIO: Dr. Joanne Wu lives life with a passion to make a difference in healthcare as an integrative and functional physician leader and entrepreneur. Outside of medicine, she serves as a wellness advisor to many community programs, a holistic health coach, an experienced yoga and fitness teacher. Her current role as President of With Health Medical Group encourages her to utilize her diverse skill set and background to focus on providing innovative precision care with digital twin technology in a value-based approach to help co-create a sustainable model for employee health and wellness.