S2 E11: Normalizing Women “Having It All” with Chi Viet, DDS, PhD, MD

Women have long been made to choose between starting a family or pursuing a career. Dr. Chi Viet believes women can have both a fulfilling family life and a successful career. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Chi Viet. She’s a head and neck/microvascular surgeon and a cancer researcher at Loma Linda University. Her passion includes creating Pinterest-worthy home-cooked meals for her daughter and husband. I’m honored to say Chi is also a friend, and can personally attest to what a dynamo she is. Chi shares that other women in training and residency always ask her how the years spent studying affects their abilities to have a family, which puzzles her. In this episode, she dispels myths and shows how much one can achieve when they are passionate about their work. We also discuss her origin story, why it’s important to own the different parts of yourself, and why “having it all” empowers not only other females but also the generations to come.   Episode Highlights: Dr. Viet’s unique upbringing having two hard-working parents Childhood challenges she faced as an immigrant from Vietnam The pros and cons of growing up with extended family The struggles of being a sheltered introvert  The importance of looking back to the past in a positive light Values she learned from her career-focused mom and dad How some women lose a part of themselves during motherhood Why it’s not selfish to focus on a career while having a family Schooling and training involved in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery The percentage of women in training and practice in Head and Neck Surgery The advice she would give to women who want to pursue a career in her field   Connect with Dr. Viet: Instagram @dr.chi.viet Twitter @ChiTLViet LinkedIn @chitonglienviet   ---   Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please click here to leave a review for The 6%, with NancyMD. Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out!    Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode to inspire and empower!   Let's get social! Instagram @_nancymd Facebook @nancymdpdx Twitter @_nancymd LinkedIn @nancyyenshipleymd Website www.nancymd.com   Subscribe to The 6%, with NancyMD ++ Apple Podcasts ++ Spotify ++ Google Podcasts

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The 6% with NancyMD is dedicated to women thriving in traditionally male-dominated fields. As a female orthopaedic surgeon, I belong to the 6% that are women in this field - and thus the inspiration for the title. The birth of The 6% came about when I was at an airport and saw a female commercial airline captain. Though I didn't know her, I wanted to talk to her and ask her all about her life and path - and I wanted to hug her, knowing she likely experienced many of the same challenges that I had. I realized that across disciplines and careers, we have parallel experiences and struggles in following our passions. I hope that by sharing these stories, we will inspire the next generation of women surgeons, scientists, firefighters, engineers, CEOs. In The 6%, I talk to women about how they arrived at their careers, and the facets of their lives that brought them there. We talk about imposter syndrome, microagressions, barriers to entry, pay gap, mentoring, obstacles and failures - more importantly, how we get up from those failures. If you love stories grit, perseverence, resiliency, then The 6% is for you!