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May 16, 2024

Ep172 Dr. Suzannah Bozzone - Can Workplaces Solve Our Health Crisis?

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Get Unstuck & On Target

In this thought-provoking episode of Get Unstuck & On Target, host Mike O'Neill and guest Dr. Suzannah Bozzone explore the fascinating intersection of leadership, purpose, and lifestyle medicine.

As a leadership coach and former HR exec, Mike brings a unique perspective to the conversation. He and Dr. Bozzone dive deep into the power of the workplace to influence health outcomes. Dr. Bozzone shares startling statistics on how our lifestyle choices drive chronic disease, while Mike reflects on the limitations of traditional employee wellness programs. 

But the real magic happens when the discussion turns to purpose. Dr. Bozzone explains how connecting to your "why" can make healthy behaviors feel rewarding rather than restrictive. She vulnerably shares how she got unstuck from an unfulfilling medical career by aligning with her true calling. 

Mike draws thought-provoking parallels between the challenges of improving health and advancing leadership. He offers insights from his coaching experience on how to embrace struggle and stay accountable to your goals.

Throughout the episode, Mike and Dr. Bozzone challenge listeners with paradigm-shifting ideas like:

- Mental and physical health are deeply interconnected and must be addressed together

- Small steps, aligned with your purpose and readiness, are the key to sustainable change

- Workplaces have the potential to solve our health crisis by empowering people to be their best selves

- Understanding your evolving purpose is crucial for getting unstuck in health and career

Whether you're a leader looking to uplift your team or an individual ready to transform your health, this conversation will leave you inspired to connect to your purpose and ask: "Why wouldn't I do this?"

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:08:05
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
easy is not going to get you what you want. You have to face struggle, you have to lean into it, and you have to recognize one step at a time.

 

00:00:08:07 - 00:00:12:08
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
You will get to, to, to the place you want to go, and it is worth the pain.

 

00:00:14:22 - 00:00:24:18
Mike O'Neill
welcome to Get Unstuck and On Target, the weekly podcast that offers senior leaders insights and strategies to not only lead with competence and vision,

 

00:00:24:22 - 00:00:27:18
Mike O'Neill
but also to achieve groundbreaking results.

 

00:00:28:04 - 00:00:38:04
Mike O'Neill
I'm your host, Mick O'Neill. I coach top level executives on the power of ethical leadership to forge teams to be as united as they are effective

 

00:00:39:03 - 00:00:40:05
Mike O'Neill
in each episode.

 

00:00:40:10 - 00:00:50:12
Mike O'Neill
Join me for insightful conversations with leaders just like you, providing practical advice to help you get unstuck and propel you and your company forward.

 

00:00:51:10 - 00:00:52:11
Mike O'Neill
Let's get started.

 

00:00:57:05 - 00:01:03:13
Mike O'Neill
Joining me is Doctor Susanna Busoni. Doctor Busoni is a board certified family and lifestyle

 

00:01:03:13 - 00:01:33:07
Mike O'Neill
medicine physician and the founder of True Health Journey. She stresses that regardless of the desired outcome, evidence shows that health is primarily dictated by lifestyle choices. She's a true partner to her patients, meeting them wherever they are in offering individualized, evidence based tools that center around nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress management, and toxin avoidance.

 

00:01:33:09 - 00:01:50:19
Mike O'Neill
Doctor Barzani has brought this transformational work into many workplaces across the United States, and it was in that role that I was introduced to Doctor Barzani, and I just had to approach her right after she spoke and said, would you come on the podcast? You said, yes. Welcome, doctor.

 

00:01:50:21 - 00:01:55:01
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
All right. Well, thank you so much. I'm so honored to be here. This is so fun.

 

00:01:55:03 - 00:01:55:18
Mike O'Neill
You know your

 

00:01:55:18 - 00:02:07:15
Mike O'Neill
title, family and lifestyle medicine physician. That is a mouthful. So for those who are not, tell me what that really means. Family and lifestyle medicine. Physician, please.

 

00:02:07:17 - 00:02:28:07
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yes, absolutely. So I'm a board certified family physician, which most people are familiar with, and most people might not be familiar with livestock medicine. And it's one of the most rapidly growing fields of medicine. It's really the evidence based use of lifestyle. That is what is the evidence, say on how we can use our lifestyle to prevent, treat and even reverse chronic diseases.

 

00:02:28:07 - 00:03:07:19
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And of course, that's why that's so important in this day and age is because chronic diseases are driving 90% of health care dollars. That's, you know, our health care dollars, $4.5 trillion annually. And it's predominantly driven by chronic conditions. And so when when we have really clear evidence that these chronic conditions are founded in what we do with our feet, our forks and our fingers, you know, according to, to a to an article published in 1993 and in journal American Medical Association's, that's really what it shows is that while we know that primary cause of death is chronic disease, it's heart disease, number one, cancer, number two, you know, diabetes, chronic lung disease, all of

 

00:03:07:19 - 00:03:39:01
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
these things, we know that the reason we're getting these conditions is geared towards the way we live. And it's those things what are we eating, how we move and how and sleep and how we can stress less, love more, connect more, and recognize that we approach this with evidence, but also not with blame, but rather with power, you know, and that's really where the workplace has so much potential, because we can be a community, we can create a community that nudges healthy decisions, that rewards them, that reinforces them.

 

00:03:39:06 - 00:03:57:07
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Knowing that our built environment has so much to do with the choices that we make. It's not just us, it's it we're fighting against the machine that's saying all I have to eat is processed food or I. It's not safe to walk in my neighborhood, or I don't have the opportunity to move at my lunch break or things like that.

 

00:03:57:07 - 00:04:24:04
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
We have this great opportunity in the workplace to cultivate an environment that can nudge people toward healthy decisions and address what is truly driving our health care cost and the drivers the same things that drive mental health concerns and physical health concerns. So so that's kind of in a nutshell, lifestyle medicine, and how it can be employed not just with individual patients, but I think even more effectively in communities and workplaces.

 

00:04:24:06 - 00:04:50:23
Mike O'Neill
You know, what drew me particular to you was not only because you're a great speaker, but you kind of punctuated the importance of employers and how they can have such a positive influence. as you know, I spent many years in HR leadership roles, and one of the things that you're tasked with is to try to design benefit plans that meet the needs that the employees and their families.

 

00:04:51:00 - 00:05:15:19
Mike O'Neill
And it felt very paternalistic, but at the same time, if the employees and their families don't take charge of their own health, no matter how good the benefit might be, it's not making a difference. And you used the term evidence based several times already. What does that mean to you? I think I know what that means, but evidence base means what?

 

00:05:15:21 - 00:05:32:17
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah. That it's it's throughout you know, we have layers of evidence. So we've got observational evidence and that's something and that's often where, where, our research starts, you know, who lives the longest. Why do they live long? How do they live? What do they eat? You know, that would be the equivalent of kind of the blue zones.

 

00:05:32:17 - 00:05:53:23
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
You know, we have the longest hot spot. You know, that the highest hot spots of longevity, people living to more than a hundred years old. But that's observation, right? So how does that apply to me? So then we look at kind of other layers of evidence. We do trials. We look at at cohorts and look, you know, over time, if they say that they eat these things or do these things, what happens?

 

00:05:53:23 - 00:06:13:05
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And then we do randomized controlled trials. If I do an intervention and compared to a group, I'm not doing an intervention, then what happens? And then I look at meta analysis and I look at, you know, if I look at all of those interventions and bucket them together, what what does the overwhelming, evidence suggest based on what we do.

 

00:06:13:06 - 00:06:33:12
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
So, so we look at these layers of evidence and we look at them clinically. And we've been doing that for a long time in medicine. But it's really important to to figure out how do adapt the information that we give about lifestyle because it doesn't come in a pill. And in fact, you know, of course we know there's placebos that come in a pill that still that still make change.

 

00:06:33:12 - 00:07:05:17
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And so, so trying to figure out and wade through the evidence of lifestyle and how it can either create an environment that feeds disease or fights it, becomes a little bit nuanced and how we can apply that, that information that we have into other communities that we build, whether it be working with, the city of Chattanooga or whether it be working with an employer in creating the built environment, based on the best evidence that we've seen on many layers of those different kind of trials.

 

00:07:05:19 - 00:07:13:23
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
that to say, yeah, there's a really good amount of evidence that this should work to address what's driving the problem that we see and hope that makes sense.

 

00:07:14:00 - 00:07:39:07
Mike O'Neill
Well, I think it makes sense because I'm about to ask you a question that may be unfair, but when I read it all, lifestyle nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress management and toxin avoidance, if you had to pick one of those five that that is mentioned, it has the most profound effect on our well-being. And be it physical or mental, what might it be?

 

00:07:39:09 - 00:07:55:06
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
This is a good question, you know, because it's never just one thing. And I think that's what we really learned. You know, I'd say, and one thing that I think is not mentioned there is that we have all of those components, but I think the really one of the most important things is that they're on a foundation of purpose.

 

00:07:55:08 - 00:08:13:08
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And sometimes we miss that point. Why do we do what we do? And and that when I see patients, for example, I'll, I'll see them and I'll say, why are you here? And they'll say, well, you know, my blood pressure or whatever. They were told based on whatever diagnosis they've been given, I say, no, why are you here?

 

00:08:13:08 - 00:08:32:06
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Why do you get up in the morning? What gives you passion? What gives you purpose? And that is really what I think is the most important thing. And then what I do with them is to kind of redirect the focus almost away from health as the primary endpoint, knowing that, you know, on your last day on this planet, you're not going to say, cut.

 

00:08:32:06 - 00:08:49:01
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
I just wish my blood pressure had been less than 120 or 80, you know, no one's going to care. What you're going to say is, I wish I had spent more time doing what I am on this planet to do, living the life that I'm supposed to live with, the people that I love and and and doing the things that meet, that are meaningful.

 

00:08:49:03 - 00:09:21:16
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And if I can put that in the forefront and know that I need my health to do it, and know that my health is predominantly based on our best evidence driven 80% or more by the life that we lead, and that that what I do with you is based on what you're ready to do. And so, so, so while all of those things are important, and I would say if we looked at the standard American way of life where we have the most opportunity to grow and fight disease, where we are the most distant from what we are currently doing, it's probably through nutrition.

 

00:09:21:18 - 00:09:48:14
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
But again, the, the, the biggest, most important thing for everyone. No, because it depends on what you're ready to do. If you're really like I am. So when to start an exercise plan and I'm saying you got to eat kale, then I'm wasting my time and yours. And so it's really about readiness and it's about laying that foundation in to know that if I'm listening to you, if you feel heard, if your employees feel heard, then then that's really where that growth can happen.

 

00:09:48:14 - 00:10:07:14
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And then it becomes a layered approach. And then the step that I do that I heard, okay, I have a partner in this exercise plan because that's what I'm ready to do. Then I start thinking, oh, now I am ready. I'm ready to work on my here. I'm sleeping better. And then and then now I'm ready to work on my nutrition and it layers on each other.

 

00:10:07:14 - 00:10:42:22
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
If, if I'm if I'm listening to you and I think it's really driven by the behaviors that we do in the day, recognizing if they are leading us closer to our purpose or if they're giving us getting us further away. And, and and that's kind of it involves this curiosity. It involves connecting to purpose. And then it involves recognizing that while I might have seen donuts as a reward in my three year old brain, I recognize that it's not getting me closer to my find a self to do what I'm here to do, and therefore it's not a reward.

 

00:10:42:24 - 00:10:59:22
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And so if I'm connected to purpose, then the behaviors that I choose become easier and more sustainable, because I see that as I build behaviors that give me more energy and more vitality, that I'm more able to do what matters most. And then it's a it's a positive feedback loop.

 

00:10:59:24 - 00:11:22:02
Mike O'Neill
You know, in my coaching work, what I find is it's oftentimes it's the behavior or sometimes the behaviors that we don't even know that we're even evidencing, they can have the most profound impact. Let me say back to you, see, if I understood this correctly, and that is I know that you take a kind of a holistic approach and you ask a very fundamental question, why are you here?

 

00:11:22:08 - 00:11:50:03
Mike O'Neill
Not what was the presenting problem, why are you here? And you said something really caught my attention and that is what will change. Behavior is what they choose to change. And though you might think that the most important thing might be something different if they chose something that moves them in that direction, it starts a process. It's. And you use the word layer on top.

 

00:11:50:05 - 00:12:20:14
Mike O'Neill
but you get a start somewhere and let the patient understand it. we have been talking primarily around physical health, and I'd love to just kind of let's address mental health and how it factors into your work. can you speak to that mental health versus physical health? They're not separate. They're intertwined. What are your observations there?

 

00:12:20:16 - 00:12:41:14
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah, absolutely. Well, so as you know, you know, we talked a lot and we always talk about know your numbers and chronic disease and that chronic disease is affects one in every six Americans. And but did you know that mental health concerns are more common than heart disease than cancer. They affect 1 in 5 Americans. And this is really where, you know, some of our biggest crises reside.

 

00:12:41:14 - 00:13:03:12
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
So this is where I start. And I really encourage employers to include mental health as a big piece of this. And then the recognition that we're not cut our head from our body. And in fact, we know that if we have a chronic disease, we're more likely to have a mental health concern if we have a mental health concern or even if we endorse lonely ness, we're more likely to have a chronic condition, you know?

 

00:13:03:12 - 00:13:25:08
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
So because they are so tied, one, you know, they are integrally tied and in if we especially want to recognize that our goal is managing through lifestyle, we have to look at why we do what we do. And that that really starts here. It starts with with purpose. It starts with motivation. It starts with mental health. It starts with sleep and and those things.

 

00:13:25:09 - 00:13:59:11
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And and if we don't look at that piece, then we're doing a disservice because these are hand in hand. And we know that a lot of the same drivers of chronic conditions, like inflammation will also drive mental health concerns like anxiety and depression. So, so the sooner that we can put this together and apply in a holistic approach, and, and really have patients feel connected and supported both with their mental and physical health, you know, the other one will follow whichever one their readiness door is.

 

00:13:59:14 - 00:14:19:10
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
So, so yes, absolutely pivotal to address them both and certainly to to have that recognition, if we're in the workplace to look at, well, how are we managing stress, right. Because it's not like you start as a physician. I'm going to say, oh, you're smoking. Well, you know, if I just went quit smoking, am I going to do anything right?

 

00:14:19:10 - 00:14:38:20
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Because there's not one person that's smoking that thinks, this is on my journey to my best self, right? They're doing it because they're stressed and they don't have any other means to cope with that. Or they're lonely or they're addicted and they and they haven't really been then been, they're not supported in the tools necessary to combat that addiction.

 

00:14:38:20 - 00:14:45:17
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And, and so, so it, it really is important to see that holistically and to manage it as such.

 

00:14:45:19 - 00:15:18:00
Mike O'Neill
You know, we're having this conversation in the context of employers. Many of our listeners are in key leadership roles within their organizations, and as such they are participating in decisions. What advice do you have for leaders of organizations to help demystify mental health and put it on a more, even easier with physical health? What is it we need to do to address that?

 

00:15:18:02 - 00:15:38:02
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah. Well, I mean, I think there's there's a lot of ways to look at that. You know, we have to stigmatize it. And I think that most people have would then that I see companies are have made big leaps in that recently. I don't know if you would agree with that, but but where people are more free to talk about that and to recommend not so terrified.

 

00:15:38:04 - 00:16:10:05
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
You know, I've worked with a number of law firms and, you know, coming from a medical background, you know, especially people that are very high up, you know, I'm sure that people that you work with in C-suite, etc.. it's scary because you think, oh my gosh, well, I have a license at stake. What if I what if, you know, someone knows I'm going to a therapist or, you know, I think that there's a lot of that that still kind of, is there in present and really does a disservice, particularly for, for those people that wait often too long.

 

00:16:10:05 - 00:16:32:14
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And then we get really kind of, very severe before we actually ask for help. And I, and I think that that is less of a problem than it used to be. Still somewhat of a problem. So number one, destigmatizing it and recognizing that there is support there, there's mental health support, etc. but also it's important that they have the opportunity to be heard.

 

00:16:32:16 - 00:17:01:09
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And so, so how how do you you know, I work with a lot of the HR teams and kind of partner along with to say, you know, and they'll say, okay, well, we want you to come in and do this. And then and it might be a talk on the blood pressure or heart disease or something. And I try it, you know, and while that's fantastic and I always kind of correlate well, how does this relate to our mental health and our motivation as much as possible and in the end, empowering.

 

00:17:01:11 - 00:17:26:19
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
the, the participants to recognize what they can employ in their life when, when we talk about what to do or what to look at when we create a wellness plan, I think it's really important to ask your employees and and listen, you know, if, if, if we see that their primary, diagnosis is diabetes, but then we ask them, what do they want more of?

 

00:17:26:19 - 00:17:46:07
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And they say stress management. Well, we need to address stress management, right. Because if we're not addressing stress or the stress that's there and in their coping skills, then what are we going to do? We're more likely to emotionally eat right. We're more likely to be we're less likely to do healthy behaviors. And those behaviors are what's causing 93% of type two diabetes.

 

00:17:46:09 - 00:18:08:07
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
It's beat forks and fingers 93%. Right. And so so that's and you think of the expense of diabetes. And so we can't just see this diabetes. And so I often try to shift the presentation rather than say why don't we not call this a talk on diabetes, but rather, you know, depending on what they say, they, call it something that applies to everyone based on their readiness.

 

00:18:08:09 - 00:18:28:12
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
You know, stress management anxiety is probably one of the top mental health anxiety and stress are the probably top, webinars or educational things that I get asked for more than anything. But but in that, if I approach it as that and then recognize, you know what the food that we eat, if we're eating food that's going to crash us down, we're more likely to have anxiety.

 

00:18:28:12 - 00:18:52:14
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
We're not going to be as resilient, we're going to crash. We're going to feel more overwhelmed. we're not sleeping. We're more likely that 2 to 1, we don't have our cognitive capacity about us, but we tend to be more anxious. Right? We tend to binge drink more coffee. And yeah, we're being less productive, you know, and so looking at that and, and if we can do it through the lens of them feeling heard, it works better.

 

00:18:52:14 - 00:19:06:02
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And you get, I think, a better endpoint and you can still get some of that information that might address your top diagnoses in an evidence based way, but through a door that is approachable and often better received.

 

00:19:06:04 - 00:19:32:11
Mike O'Neill
And that's excellent guidance. And that is the numbers like, say, we've got a diabetes problem. But if you ask the employees, what do you really want to learn more about? They may suggest something that could be the root cause, lifestyle, induced diabetes. You know, I introduced this segment as the purpose driven workplace, but we really haven't talked about that notion of purpose driven.

 

00:19:32:13 - 00:19:41:17
Mike O'Neill
when you use that term and you work with employers, how do you want them to at least embrace this idea?

 

00:19:41:19 - 00:20:04:01
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think it's really important to know that. Number one, if you look at purpose, we know that people that know why they get up in the morning, they have better light, they have more vitality, they are more happy, they're more resilient and they have less chronic disease. So connecting to that and and creating a culture in your workspace that connects to patient, not to patients.

 

00:20:04:01 - 00:20:35:08
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
I say, you know, I say that, but to employees, that feel heard and that feel that they have the capacity to live to their fullest self and feel connected to their passions. And, and I think that sometimes we, we tend, you know, for the sake of productivity to remove all joy and to remove all of these things that that make life worth living, and to know that if we have if we have employees that are happy and and connected and healthier, we're going to have better employees.

 

00:20:35:08 - 00:20:58:09
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
They're going to bring creativity, they're going to bring motivation, they're going to bring positivity to the workplace, and it's going to make it so that we want to be there, because we know that one of the most important things, really, for for health and vitality at the workplace is having a friend there to feel connected. You know, we have like the number one cause of stress in the workplace is is feeling a workload imbalance.

 

00:20:58:11 - 00:21:25:23
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Number two is interpersonal skills. And we know that we tend to be more resilient and more able to do our jobs well and more productively. if we look at those needs and we make the workplace fun and not miserable, so, so there driving and connecting to people's passions and interests where they feel that they can be their authentic true self, and they don't feel like this is taking time away from their true passions, but rather you can begin to intermingle them.

 

00:21:25:23 - 00:21:31:04
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
You're going to see a better and healthier and more vibrant, vital workplace in the long run.

 

00:21:31:06 - 00:21:53:20
Mike O'Neill
You know, you've introduced several things that marry very nicely with, engagement surveys. Gallup has shown time and time again, what are the things that are most critical. And you've mentioned three of those right off the bat. Do they feel that they are doing something that uses their talents and abilities? You mentioned, do they have a friend at work, a colleague?

 

00:21:53:22 - 00:22:01:04
Mike O'Neill
Do they feel a sense of, connection? And the last one is, do they feel they've been heard?

 

00:22:01:06 - 00:22:01:19
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah.

 

00:22:01:21 - 00:22:23:01
Mike O'Neill
If you can marry those, then you're you're listening. You're responding. You know, you have had a a fascinating, career thus far. And you share as you reflect back on maybe a situation where either you or maybe even a patient got stuck. And what did it take to get unstuck?

 

00:22:23:03 - 00:22:58:19
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah. Well, yeah, I think it might be. Well, I can think of a lot of patients. I might take this, to my own experience, because it was one where I was really stuck in my workplace. Right. You know, being a physician, being trained to to work in this clinical setting, and then recognizing that my role and what I wanted my role to be was to empower patients to know the root drivers of what's ailing them and to empower them to redirect their health, destiny, and what I felt that I was doing in the workplace, seeing 20 patients a day.

 

00:22:58:21 - 00:23:18:21
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
but seeing them for 7 to 12 minutes and not having time or the capacity or the support to really address the root drivers, so they'd come in with acid reflux. And of course, it's an easy slam dunk thing to do to just give them a medicine for acid reflux and not talk about what they're eating when they're eating it, what their stress is like, are they sleeping?

 

00:23:18:21 - 00:23:38:01
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
How can we regulate their gut to recognize that? You know what, there's a reason your body's trying to tell you this. Don't just cover up the symptoms. Let's address the root drivers. And so I felt then I was working in this workplace and it was going against what I would want as a patient and also what I wanted to deliver in my health practice.

 

00:23:38:03 - 00:23:58:03
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And, and it's and it's reinforced because the sicker the patient, the more the reimbursement. And so and until we kind of addressed that, I felt disingenuous. I couldn't be my authentic self. And so and, and what I was doing was spending 45 minutes with each patient. They would wait because they were coming for that reason. But I wasn't getting lunch.

 

00:23:58:07 - 00:24:17:09
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
I was doing myself then. All right. I didn't get it, I did. I couldn't go to the bathroom. I wasn't coming home to see my kids. And then when I did come home, I'd have to write on my charts because I, I was trying to to fix this problem, and it was just doing me and and it was losing my love for what the reason I went into it in the first place.

 

00:24:17:09 - 00:24:36:24
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And so, so to get unstuck, I really had to really, number one, recognize that I had to change this. I had to I had to do something very scary and get out of the medical system and say, I need to do something that that is authentic to myself. And as a result, you know, it worked out and I've never been happier.

 

00:24:36:24 - 00:25:01:14
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Now, you know, I went up whole year without a paycheck, right? So that was not easy. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I wouldn't trade, you know, having benefits and, and, and, and the regularity of a paycheck and those good things that come with, with a situation that was driving me into bad health. I was so stressed, I was miserable, I was I was not the person I wanted to be.

 

00:25:01:14 - 00:25:23:15
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
I was not the parent or the doctor I wanted to be. And so it really took getting unstuck was to take a job, to do something that was following my purpose and to really align what that was, and to know that it's not easy, but but being easy is not going to get you what you want. You have to face struggle, you have to lean into it, and you have to recognize one step at a time.

 

00:25:23:17 - 00:25:45:14
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
You will get to, to, to the place you want to go, and it is worth the pain. And that it absolutely, is worth. When you're connected to purpose, you know what your true reward is and and don't expect it to be without struggle. But but I think it it just takes creating a support around that towards the person that you're striving to become and not losing sight of that.

 

00:25:45:16 - 00:25:53:18
Mike O'Neill
Now you just used a phrase, it was that I didn't recognize. Was it a different what was it Spanish? It was. It was Italian.

 

00:25:53:19 - 00:26:21:16
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And it's okay. It's been it's worth the pain. Basically, it's worth the struggle because in the long run, what, what you are going towards is, is again, it's it's not towards getting the blood pressure under a certain number. It's not towards just having an MD behind your knee. It's it's towards putting all of your past struggles and past experiences, good or bad, to recognize that they will strengthen you towards the person that you're striving to become, to do what you're on this planet to do.

 

00:26:21:22 - 00:26:43:08
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And and it's not going to be easy, but it absolutely is worth the struggle to get there. Because in the end, when it's all said and done, then, then it becomes rather than, why I can't do this, it's why wouldn't I do this? Whether that's about exercising, you know, of course, there's plenty of reasons why I don't have the time or the energy.

 

00:26:43:08 - 00:26:59:18
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
There's a lot of other stuff I want to do well, but how could I not do that when I know how important it is for my vitality, for my energy, for my sleep and to do the things that I have to do on this planet, you know, or whatever it is that it is that you're looking to do, whether it's your food or your sleep or your whatever.

 

00:26:59:18 - 00:27:18:00
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
It's it's not why I can't. It's why wouldn't I? And you know that because you're so connected to what the endpoint is of that behavior you choose. And then it becomes something that that's not work, but rather fun. And and it's natural and it's and it's creating behaviors towards that bigger red.

 

00:27:18:02 - 00:27:31:06
Mike O'Neill
Yeah. As you reflect on this conversation we've had thus far. And you said, gosh, there's a few things I definitely want the viewers and listeners to have as their takeaways. What might they be?

 

00:27:31:08 - 00:27:46:15
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Well, you know, I think it's just I think it's really connect to what your purpose is that every person out there does it and does it regularly because it's not the same as it was five years ago or ten years ago, or certainly. I mean, from a personal perspective, it's not the same as it was when I was in medical school.

 

00:27:46:15 - 00:28:08:04
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
I just was trying to get to the next, you know, I want to be a doctor, okay. You know, but but and I think a lot of people in the workplace, we, we get there and then sometimes we become a little stagnant. And that's where some of these habits that become default habits kind of arise. So connecting to purpose wherever you are and then asking yourself where there is opportunity, not where there's obstacles.

 

00:28:08:04 - 00:28:27:21
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
So looking at the habits, not with criticism but with curiosity. And I say this kind of, you know, and, and I would with a patient with one on one but recognize that we're doing it for, for ourselves, then we're more likely to do it for our workplaces. So if you're in a workplace, you want your other workplace, you got it.

 

00:28:27:24 - 00:28:53:16
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
They got to give someone what you got, you know, and then it becomes contagious. And then you can create communities. And that is what a workplace is. You can create communities where the healthy option is the easy, natural and better yet, fun and engaging option. And then imagine what we could do to redirect our health crisis in this country if workplaces were on board with that, the the change that we could make is unstoppable, right?

 

00:28:53:16 - 00:29:11:20
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
People have to spend a third of their life at work. Well, what if they wanted to spend a third of their life at work? And I like that work. And what if they were becoming healthier and more vibrant and more connected in that time, and then look at what we can do to these bridges, to these unfortunate health stats.

 

00:29:11:22 - 00:29:31:16
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And, and it's just there's so much opportunity and I hope that what they take home from this is that there's opportunity, wherever you are, to be your best self. And that makes other people want to be theirs. And if that's what they can take home, we can change that. The the health crisis that we are in.

 

00:29:31:18 - 00:30:03:16
Mike O'Neill
You know, most podcasts listeners do just that. They listen, people may or may not realize we're recording this both audio and video, and I get a chance to watch your eyes light up as you're talking about that. This has been, a lot of fun. But before we wrap up with our final thoughts, I've got a question for our listeners, and that is, are people following you because they have to or because they want to, or are they obligated or inspired?

 

00:30:03:18 - 00:30:31:12
Mike O'Neill
I'm a leadership coach, and I work with executives who have a successful track record but are now feeling stuck in their careers or how to move their company forward. They're frustrated because they're finding that with each level of success, the bar gets set even higher. And but what worked in the past is no longer working. I work with these leaders to uncover those hidden blindspots, challenge those limiting beliefs, and foster a strong sense of accountability.

 

00:30:31:17 - 00:30:52:24
Mike O'Neill
So if feeling stuck sounds like you or someone you know, let's talk head over to bench-builders.com to schedule a call doctor only. I loved this conversation. I was looking forward to having that. You really have opened up my eyes to a number of things that I haven't thought about. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

 

00:30:53:01 - 00:30:58:24
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Thank you! This has been so fun. I really appreciate your time and what you're doing. I think it's good that.

 

00:30:59:01 - 00:31:03:15
Mike O'Neill
You know, if folks want to reach out to, what's the best way for them to connect with you?

 

00:31:03:17 - 00:31:25:23
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah, so. So if they want, we help. My website is my true health journey.com and then go under services and it's employee wellness under there. So that's the best way as a patient if you're here in in the Chattanooga area then, then my you can see me through there. I also work for love Telehealth, which I cover seven states and love life telehealth.

 

00:31:25:23 - 00:31:47:02
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
And there's a bunch of live streams and providers there, and it's the most amazing team of physicians, that I get to work with through telehealth. and so that and I also have a YouTube channel, Doctor Susan B BRCA, ZB, and I do a lot of, just quick things there, that, that give about five minute videos and tips on how to employ like some medicine in your life.

 

00:31:47:04 - 00:32:05:21
Mike O'Neill
I'm going to do something I don't normally do, but your name is Susanna Bhasin. Let me spell that for our listeners. Susie a n n h Barzani is b o z z o n e. And so I imagine people might, would reach out to you on LinkedIn as well.

 

00:32:05:21 - 00:32:11:18
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Yeah, LinkedIn and I'm on Instagram and Facebook, though I'm not incredibly great at those.

 

00:32:11:20 - 00:32:33:15
Mike O'Neill
Well, I'm not either. LinkedIn is probably my preferred. And you mentioned Chattanooga for those who are listening, kind of go, Where is Chattanooga? It's in the state of Tennessee, in the United States, and we have listeners from all over the world. So with telehealth, they could tap into, you your enthusiasm. again, thank you for spending some time with us today.

 

00:32:33:17 - 00:32:38:04
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone
Absolutely. Thank you so much. I so appreciate it. I hope you'll stay in touch.

 

00:32:38:06 - 00:32:47:20
Mike O'Neill
I want to thank our subscribers for joining us, and I hope you have picked up on some quick wins from Doctor Barzani. They'll help you get unstuck and on target.

 

00:32:48:24 - 00:32:52:24
Mike O'Neill
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Get Unstuck and on Target.

 

00:32:53:01 - 00:33:13:14
Mike O'Neill
I hope you gain insights to help you lead with competence and drive your organization forward. Remember it, Bench builders. We're committed to your success, your leadership excellence, and your strategic growth. If you've enjoyed our conversation today, please leave a review rate and subscribe to keep up with our latest episode.

 

00:33:13:23 - 00:33:17:23
Mike O'Neill
This show really grows when listeners like you share it with others.

 

00:33:17:22 - 00:33:21:10
Mike O'Neill
Who do you know? Who needs to hear what we talked about today?

 

00:33:21:19 - 00:33:28:24
Mike O'Neill
Until next time, I encourage you to stay. Focus on the target and continue to break new ground on your leadership path.

Suzannah Bozzone, MD Profile Photo

Suzannah Bozzone, MD

Physician Speaker and Employee Wellness program development

Dr. Bozzone is a board-certified Family and Lifestyle Medicine Physician who pours her "infectious enthusiasm" into her work with individuals, groups, workplaces, and communities to inspire and empower healthy and purpose-driven living.
She has incorporated patient education throughout her career as a doctor, empowering inner-city women during her residency at University of Colorado (Denver, CO), where she was also Chief Resident and recognized for her scholarship and lasting contributions to the program. She is a certified yoga instructor and served as the Medical Director of Wellness for Sonoma Valley Hospital where she developed evidence-based employee and community programs in Sonoma, CA. She continues to see patients clinically through her private practice in Chattanooga, TN and Nationally with Love.Life Telehealth.
Her passion is to empower workplaces to cultivate cultures of vitality and community around mental and physical health. She loves to inspire (with curiosity, humor, and compassion, but not criticism) purpose-driven living in workplaces, and incorporate applicable and evidence-based tips to redirect our chronic disease crisis and support mental-health in the process. She has brought her transformational work into many workplaces across the United States, including TNAA (A comprehensive wellness program she helped to create which was in the top 5 recognized regionally for the 2022 Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation and designated a bronze recipient for 2023!). She has been deemed “a simply superb" and dynamic presenter for companies… Read More