Today we’d like to introduce you to MD Wendy Goodwin.
Wendy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2014 and 2015, I went through a “mid-life awakening”. Having finished 15 years of education and training, I found myself gradually trapped in a career path on the faculty of a medical school that seemed like a dead-end. A non-compete clause kept me hanging on to my job despite a very negative work environment, being on call 50 percent of the nights and having very little time to care for myself. Depression and anxiety took its toll.
My health failed in 2014 – my third pneumonia in 5 winters, 2 cancer scares, sinus surgery then almost needing a peripheral iv for 6 weeks for antibiotics to treat the drug resistant bacteria in my sinuses, a blown lumbar disc with pinched nerve and severe back pain. At the beginning of 2015, my marriage failed. I took a spontaneous vacation and spent a week of solitude and meditation in a Buddhist monastery with the forest monks in Thailand. Later that year I realized my son was as tall as I was and would not be in the nest much longer. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I decided to make the brave decision of quitting my job though I had no idea what I could do for a living in Dallas since the non-compete clause forbade me from practicing either of the two specialties of medicine in which I was board certified.
I had to think outside of the box and re-invent myself (fast!). I started a consultation practice as a physician expert witness in the legal system, explaining the impact of personal injuries on children and their caregivers. Meanwhile I revived my passion for fitness, got my yoga instructor certification then rented an office space in Telos Fitness Center. I began taking courses and attending conferences to educate myself in new areas of medicine and how to run a Med Spa. I did training with a large company that does bio-identical hormone replacement, nutraceuticals and “anti-aging” medicine. I also radically changed my diet in 2017 and began training seriously again, lifting weights and doing yoga 6 days/week. I decided to get in the best shape of my life and met that goal, winning 1st and 2nd place in my first bodybuilding bikini competition this summer just days after my 45th birthday. I was also scouted by a model /talent agent this summer and have now signed with that agency for work on tv, radio and print as a fitness model and a physician.
At this point, I’ve had the design of my clinic completed for months but am in the stage of lease review / revisions with an attorney and am looking for a business loan from banks for construction costs of remodeling a clinic space inside of Telos Fitness Center, equipment and employee salaries. I am also writing a book that we anticipate being published in January 2018. Meanwhile, I will be doing much groundwork to get the website done, marketing campaigns going and everything involved in opening a new medical clinic.
The name of my clinic is “Personal Best”. Our vision is to inspire others and to help them to look, feel and perform their very best. We will be offering bio-identical hormone replacement with a wholistic approach to nutrition/supplements, platelet rich plasma injections for joints, sexual enhancement and facial rejuvenation and various other minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. I will also be offering fitness lifestyle classes and some “boutique fitness medicine” services such as spine consultation for spine-safe yoga.
Has it been a smooth road?
The hardest part of my journey so far was finding the courage to make that first leap of faith to quit my old job. I pride myself in being tenacious, so I tried every way I could to make that old job situation better. It really took hitting rock bottom, that jolt, to wake me up and call me into action. Sometimes in life, hitting bottom is a blessing because there’s no way to go but up and because you can push off from the bottom to go up.
Another challenge has been balancing paying my bills via expert witness work and moving forward with preparation to open a clinic in a new area of medicine. One takes time from the other but one affords me the opportunity to explore the other.
Getting financial backing has not been as easy as I had hoped. Since I am not opening a clinic in my board-certified areas of medicine, I was turned down for a loan by my long-term personal bank that courted me and my medical school classmates before graduating med school. I am about to present my business plan to smaller local banks and possibly other investors.
Fortunately, I am at a point in my life where I can recognize that setbacks are usually challenges that are meant to teach us valuable lessons and to stretch us beyond what we thought was possible. One of my mantras that gets me through hard times is “Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor” and I believe in this 100%.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At Personal Best, helping each patient to look, feel and perform their very best at any age is my vision. I want to give patients hope that their best days are ahead of them and that it’s never too late to be in the best shape of their life. I am living proof and it’s very important for me to be a physician who “walks the walk”. This sets me apart from the vast majority of physicians who fail to follow their own advice or have the personal experience in sports training and nutrition to guide people to their peak.
I will be offering comprehensive hormonal evaluations that will take into consideration diet, environmental toxins and exercise. I will be offering bio-identical hormone replacement via subcutaneous pellet procedures as well as appropriate nutraceuticals according to lab results.
I will be evaluating and treating patients for sexual issues such as erectile dysfunction and decreased libido, with an emphasis on treating couples so that both partners can perform their best.
I will be offering minimally invasive cosmetic medical procedures such as Botox, fillers, PDO facelifts, spot fat reduction and ablation of overactive sweat glands to both men and women. I truly feel that men have been overlooked in this area and would like to help men get over the stigma of getting treatments that help them look their best.
I will be offering various injections / procedures with Platelet Rich Plasma (“PRP”) which harnesses our own blood’s healing elements to help with everything from chronic joint pain, erectile dysfunction to firming the skin.
Lastly, I will be offering educational courses online and in small groups for fitness and nutrition.
Meanwhile, I want to become a physician face for fitness/wellness in the United States. Right now, we have no physician in the spotlight stepping up as that role model. We have Deepak Chopra, Sanjay Gupta, Dr. Oz and Andrew Weil who have done great things but none are leading by example with fitness. I feel it’s time we have a woman physician who can inspire the women of our country.
My goal is to inspire and be inspired! The success and happiness of my patients is what lights my fire!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Dallas has plenty of successful clientele with disposable income who want to look, feel and perform better. This is a natural human desire. What sets Dallas apart is the population’s high standard for physical beauty and fitness as well as the percentage of successful business people here. Dallas may not be as “granola” as Austin, but I believe there are many people here who embrace a more wholistic approach to medicine as well as mind-body-spirit balance.
Contact Info:
- Address: 13701 Dallas Parkway
Telos Fitness Center
Dallas, Texas 7520 - Website: PersonalBestMedSpa.com
- Phone: (214) 307-2985
- Email: WendyGoodwinMD@gmail.com
- Instagram: PersonalBestMD
- Facebook: fb.me/WendyGoodwinMD
Image Credit:
Sergio Garcia
Dan Galic
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