246: Focus on where you want to grow - with Dr. Susan Lovelle

Meet Dr. Susan Lovelle

Dr. Susan Lovelle, The Thrive Architect, helps smart, busy women who are just surviving on caffeine and willpower design their own unique blueprint to the energy, power, and balance they want in their lives. Dr. Susan is the creator of Premiere Wellness, a comprehensive holistic health company based in Raleigh, NC, serving clients globally with customized wellness solutions for weight, energy, hormones, and more to help them heal from the inside out, leading to lasting, powerful change.

What's the best thing that I could do or any of our listeners could do right now to optimize their health and begin to thrive?

I come across so many people who literally are just surviving right now whether it's caffeine, wine, willpower, whatever it is, medications that they're on, they're just really kind of surviving. And what tends to happen is that you get stuck in that mindset, you feel that there's nothing that you can do other than just survive. And the most important thing is to realize that you can be proactive instead of just reactive. So by being proactive, you actually make steps to help yourself get better by knowing what's going on in your body. So that's literally the very best thing that you can do to start knowing your body knowing what it needs and then giving it to it.

How do I know what's right for me?

That is the number two thing that comes to me is that if go on Dr. Google and you know the Dr. Webb and everything and you either get way too much information and you think that you've got a million different things and you try and do a million different things. Or even if it is the right information, it may not be the right thing for you. So for instance, how many times do you hear about somebody going on some, whatever the newest diet fad is, and they lose, you know, 20-30 pounds, just like that. And then you try it and not only don't you lose weight, you actually gain weight. And what that's all about is that it's just not the right thing for you.

What is the process to really figuring out what is the right thing?

It sounds very simplistic, but the best thing to do is to listen to your body. Know the messages that your body is trying to give you. So for instance, if you were driving into the desert and your check engine light comes on. Would you just slap a little piece of tape over the check engine light? Driving? No, you wouldn't. Exactly. So we're doing the same thing what our body's telling us these little messages like when we have aches when we have bloating or abdominal discomfort when we have pain. These are the messages. These are the check engine lights that our body is giving us to tell us whoa, something's not right. Take a look and fix it.

What's the difference between traditional medicine approach and functional medicine and really, why is this important?

I actually grew up in the traditional health field and I was a plastic surgeon for over 22 years. I went to Columbia University in New York City, what you learn there is how to diagnose someone, and then what treatment to give them. So for instance, if they were diabetic, you're going to get this particular diabetic medicine. If you have high blood pressure, you're going to get this medicine with this treatment. And it really was about treating the symptoms, not for finding the actual root cause, like what is causing this person to have high blood pressure. And there are many different reasons why someone could. It could be a mineral deficiency, it could be stress, it could be food sensitivities, lots of different things. So rather than just treating the symptom and making the symptom go away, you dig a little deeper and you find out why that person is suffering with that particular condition. And you fix that and then it's kind of like instead of if you had a tree, when you want the tree to look pretty and healthy. Would you paint the leaves with green paint? Or would you heal the roots?

Could you share with our listeners one of your favorite networking experiences that you've had?

I probably would be your most perfect person to listen to the podcast all the time. Because I used to be that very same way I used to hate going out and network I would feel like I have to meet as many people as I can meet and I have to throw my card to as many people as I possibly can. And that's not networking. So I eventually learn from people like you and podcasts like you that instead it’s more about making a relationship. And so with all that being said, I met Dr. Deb Matthews, she's an integrative physician, who happens to be in Charlotte, North Carolina, met her at a seminar for integrative physicians. And we started talking and became friends. And that has led to me having speaking engagements, TV interviews, got a spot on a nine-part docu series. And it was really just because we made that connection as opposed to me saying, oh, you know, I've got to go and hand out my card. It was more about making that connection.

How do you stay in front of our best nurture the community and the relationships that you've created?

It's changed a bit, as you can imagine over the last few months. Previously, I did both in person and online. So I would have workshops and seminars and things like that. So even some retreats, which are wonderful, but we're not doing those right now. So now everything is online, and I do our weekly webinars on a particular health topic. And then I do Facebook lives again once a week and those who are a little, of course, a little shorter, a little bit more informal and really just kind of ask the doc sort of things. And then the third thing is I do podcasts like this one.

What advice would you offer that business professional who's looking to grow their network?

Because we're all online in, at least for the most part where we are here in North Carolina, I have found that I'm getting actually bombarded by people who want to make those connections. And what I found is that I really have to be selective. Because at this point, we just don't have the bandwidth to be everything to everyone. And I really have to pick and choose which way I want to go. And so what I do is I really focus on where I want to grow my practice, how I want that to grow. And then right now, if someone is a good fit for that, then we'll connect and kind of go through that. But if they're not, if it's just noise, I'll put it out that if it's just noise at this point, I have to kind of say no, because I can't do everything.

Between digital networking and tradition networking, which one do you find more value in?

As I mentioned, it's obviously digital, but previously the in person was more productive and when it’s done properly. So when it's more like when I met Dr. Matthew when it’s more of a connection and friendship that we develop as opposed to, you know, here's my card, give me your card, and you know, whatever and throw them in the back.

If you could get back to your 20-year-old self, what would you tell yourself to do more of less of or differently with regards to your professional career?

The biggest thing was that I would have built my infrastructure differently. So back when I started my plastic surgery practice I got talked into by all the reps and that I had to have the newest stuff and it had to be brand new and it had to be the top line and everything and I had to have all of this staff and I put everything together all at once for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Which I then paid off over the next few years. So if looking at that, I would say don't do it that way, do it the way that I do it now and I just add things as I need them. So if I need a new staff person, I'll get that staff person, if I need a particular piece of equipment or product in my line, that I do the due diligence, and I'll add them as opposed to trying to do everything all at once.

We've all heard of the six degrees of separation. Who would be the one person that you'd love to connect with? Do you think you could do it within the 6th degree?

I'm going to cheat and make it two people. And it would be the Obamas at this point. And I would start with the Princeton connection, because both my daughters and Michelle Obama went there.

Any final word or advice for our listeners with regards to growing and supporting your network?

So the lesson that I learned over the years was to enjoy it. And as I mentioned before, really focus on developing the relations sips not just making a contact. And once you do that, then it's fun. You enjoy going to the networking event you enjoy speaking with people and just connecting one on one and then you never know what's going to come out of that.

How to connect with Dr. Lovelle:

Website: https://www.premierewellness.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/premierewellnessdrsusan