Show Transcript

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Kevin Lowe: How does a kid living in America as an undocumented immigrant,

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Kevin Lowe: facing adversity at every turn, become a serial entrepreneur,

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Kevin Lowe: a pioneering ophthalmologist, and a space economy specialist?

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Kevin Lowe: Dr. Shez, he describes his own story as a testament to the power of curiosity,

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Kevin Lowe: humility, and an unwavering spirit. it.

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Kevin Lowe: This, my friend, is an interview with Dr.

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Kevin Lowe: Shez, an interview that's going to have you entertained, but more so,

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Kevin Lowe: have you leaving feeling a little bit better than when you came.

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Kevin Lowe: This is episode 342. I look forward to seeing you inside.

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Yo, are you ready to flip the script on life? Because those bad days,

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they're just doors to better days.

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And that's exactly what we do here at Grit, Grace, & Inspiration.

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Your host, Kevin Lowe. He's been flipping the script on his own life,

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turning over 20 years of being completely blind into straight up inspiration,

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motivation, and encouragement just for you.

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So kick back, relax, and let me introduce you to your host, Kevin Lowe.

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Kevin Lowe: Welcome back to another episode here on Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

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Kevin Lowe: Today, I'm in the studio with none other than Dr. Shehz.

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Kevin Lowe: Dr. Shehz, welcome to the podcast.

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Dr. Shehz: Thanks for having me, Kevin. It's going to be fun. Super excited.

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Kevin Lowe: Absolutely, man. Well, I'm excited to get to dive into your whole story.

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Kevin Lowe: And I feel like there's always, I feel like in anybody's journey,

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Kevin Lowe: there's always like a pivotal moment that happens.

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Kevin Lowe: Maybe it's at the beginning, maybe it's somewhere along the way that something

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Kevin Lowe: happens that ends up leading us on the direction that we take and ultimately where we are today.

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Kevin Lowe: And and I guess I would love to ask you is when you look back at this journey

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Kevin Lowe: you've been on, where do you feel like things really started that really got

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Kevin Lowe: you on the course that, you know, would end up having all the dominoes fall to lead where we are?

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Dr. Shehz: Gosh, that is a very good question, because I guess it depends on which dominoes you're talking about.

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Dr. Shehz: You know, I sort of think about my life from, you know, two different, I guess, perspectives.

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Dr. Shehz: One is there's this journey that I took to become an eye doctor,

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Dr. Shehz: which I don't, you know, it's not something that was like I consciously like chose.

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Dr. Shehz: And I know that sounds silly because it's like, what do you mean,

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Dr. Shehz: dude? You went to school for like 13 years, right?

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Dr. Shehz: I had to make those decisions to get to where I am.

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Dr. Shehz: But you know how like you learn a language and or speak like your native language

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Dr. Shehz: and you just like wake up one day and you start speaking it.

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Dr. Shehz: You don't really remember like learning it, right? Because it's like part of me.

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Dr. Shehz: That's how becoming a doctor was for me. I was always sort of just like told.

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Dr. Shehz: That that's what I'm going to do. You know, those were my, those were the expectations

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Dr. Shehz: my parents had and my extended family had.

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Dr. Shehz: And so there was no other like question in my mind.

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Dr. Shehz: It was, you know, even though I did all of these other things along the way,

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Dr. Shehz: like start a business and, you know, some other things, it was always,

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Dr. Shehz: always, I'm going to be a physician.

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Dr. Shehz: And so when you go through life in that way, I don't think you really like appreciate

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Dr. Shehz: the true power and gratitude of the thing that you were able to do, right?

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Dr. Shehz: Like I'm a physician and I always just never really like truly understood what

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Dr. Shehz: that meant because I felt like I never had the agency to like choose that path

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Dr. Shehz: my way, right? Out of my own belief.

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Dr. Shehz: Because, you know, even though, I mean, you would think like I'm an eye surgeon,

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Dr. Shehz: I do all of these beautiful surgeries to help people see, you would think that

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Dr. Shehz: I would be very like fulfilled and happy on the inside, but I wasn't.

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Dr. Shehz: I felt very empty on the inside, right?

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Dr. Shehz: Even though externally on paper, I looked really good. I looked super accomplished.

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Dr. Shehz: And that's when phase two of my

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Dr. Shehz: life started. When I really started to dig deep into why was I not happy?

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Dr. Shehz: You know, what was the reason for my not feeling fulfilled, even though everything

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Dr. Shehz: seemed to be going really well.

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Dr. Shehz: So when I dug deep there, I realized that I didn't know what my purpose was,

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Dr. Shehz: right? I didn't know what my purpose was.

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Dr. Shehz: I was just kind of going along life to doing what I thought I was supposed to

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Dr. Shehz: do, doing the things that I was told I should do, but I didn't know what I wanted

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Dr. Shehz: to do or what I was doing, right?

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Dr. Shehz: What is my purpose and what really gets me super excited?

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Dr. Shehz: Ophthalmology, eye surgery is one angle of that, is one dimension of that.

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Dr. Shehz: But I'm sure when you read my bio, you're like, man, this guy is like all over the place.

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Dr. Shehz: You know, I have a lot of different aspects to my personality.

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Dr. Shehz: I like to do a lot of different things.

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Dr. Shehz: And I would say just recently over the last two, three years,

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Dr. Shehz: when I've just really been on this journey of self-awareness and introspection,

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Dr. Shehz: I've realized that my purpose,

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Dr. Shehz: is not only to help people see the beauty of our world through physical means, through what I do.

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Dr. Shehz: Also to help others see that we all belong. We are all in this thing that we

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Dr. Shehz: call life, this game together, right?

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Dr. Shehz: There is this overlying theme of oneness that I have discovered for myself that

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Dr. Shehz: really combats the loneliness that I've felt my whole life.

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Dr. Shehz: And I want others to see that as well.

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Dr. Shehz: Because I think once we realize that we all belong and that we're all one,

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Dr. Shehz: we're humanity first, right?

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Dr. Shehz: We're not these different races and these different ways in which we like split

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Dr. Shehz: humanity apart. We're all one.

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Dr. Shehz: So I hope that answers your question, but it's kind of in two phases.

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Dr. Shehz: You know, I got to be in an eye surgeon and then I realized, wait, hold on.

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Dr. Shehz: My purpose extends beyond that. Even though what I do, I love what I do,

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Dr. Shehz: right? I mean, it's a privilege to do what I do.

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Dr. Shehz: But that's really the impact that I want to have in this world.

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Kevin Lowe: Yeah. You know what? You know what I love about that so much is I do feel like

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Kevin Lowe: so many people can relate to that,

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Kevin Lowe: is that life is so many times just this idea of going through the motions on

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Kevin Lowe: that path that you think what you're supposed to be doing.

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Kevin Lowe: And it's just ingrained in you that you're going to go to college,

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Kevin Lowe: you're going to do whatever career and you never actually stopped to really think about things.

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Kevin Lowe: And, and so to hear you here in the height of your career, realizing,

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Kevin Lowe: wow, maybe there's more to me than just this.

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Dr. Shehz: Absolutely. Absolutely. That was, that was, that was a huge part of it.

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Dr. Shehz: And some of it has to do with, you know, another thing I realized is like,

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Dr. Shehz: some of it has to do with just the nature of medical training in this country, right?

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Dr. Shehz: Probably in the world, you know, because I had some, you know,

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Dr. Shehz: burnout is such a catchphrase, it's such a buzzword, but some of it was definitely

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Dr. Shehz: burnout just because of the system in which we operate, right?

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Dr. Shehz: The ridiculous, you know, insurance game that we have to play as doctors.

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Dr. Shehz: You know, it gets really, really just...

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Dr. Shehz: It's cumbersome, you know, part of it is like, I just want to be a doctor.

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Dr. Shehz: Can I just be a doctor? No, you also got to do some of the other logistical

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Dr. Shehz: and admin stuff. So that was part of it.

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Dr. Shehz: But something happens in each of our lives that, you know, I call it sort of

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Dr. Shehz: like you hit your bottom, right?

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Dr. Shehz: When you hit your bottom is when

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Dr. Shehz: you really start looking at a mirror and looking at what you truly want.

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Dr. Shehz: And I think we all go through that at some point in life.

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Dr. Shehz: I just honestly was lucky to go through that early in life.

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Dr. Shehz: You know, I would, I would explain this to my friends and family and they're

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Dr. Shehz: like, man, you're having a quarter life crisis. What's wrong with you?

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Dr. Shehz: I guess I am, but I would rather have a quarter life crisis than a midlife crisis.

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Dr. Shehz: I want to figure it out early. You know what I mean?

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Kevin Lowe: So that is, that is too funny.

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Dr. Shehz: Not to say that I've figured anything out, but man, in this phase of my life,

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Dr. Shehz: I'm 33 years old. I'm going to be 34 in like two weeks.

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Dr. Shehz: I can't believe it. I have so much more clarity now than I've ever had before.

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Dr. Shehz: And clarity is a wonderful thing, man.

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Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. Well, well,

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Kevin Lowe: give me an idea of, cause I'm curious at this point to understand more about

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Kevin Lowe: who, who you are in terms of your background, where you came from,

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Kevin Lowe: because I read that you lived,

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Kevin Lowe: basically you came to America with your family from India.

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Dr. Shehz: Yep, yep.

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Kevin Lowe: Talk to me about that whole journey in your story.

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Dr. Shehz: Yeah, so we came from India when I was seven years old. My dad,

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Dr. Shehz: life was very, very tough in India.

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Dr. Shehz: And so he decided to pick up in his early 20s and move his entire family across the world.

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Dr. Shehz: Can you imagine coming to a brand new country?

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Dr. Shehz: Got a seven-year-old kid, had a younger sister. She was six months old.

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Dr. Shehz: And you're just trying to figure out, you know,

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Dr. Shehz: if there's something better out there for you. So, you know,

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Dr. Shehz: kind of the very typical sort of immigrant dream, if you will,

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Dr. Shehz: right, that we that we hear about.

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Dr. Shehz: And it's such a common story among so many people. And when you got here,

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Dr. Shehz: we came on a tourist visa.

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Dr. Shehz: And 20 something years later, we're still touring, man.

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Dr. Shehz: America's so big, there's so much to see. No, I mean, so we came on a tourist

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Dr. Shehz: visa and there's a particular process you're supposed to go through to legally

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Dr. Shehz: immigrate into the country.

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Dr. Shehz: And my dad just didn't know about that, right? He didn't even graduate from

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Dr. Shehz: high school, really didn't have any formal education and training in any way, neither of my parents.

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Dr. Shehz: And so he came here and he was working like three different jobs, just trying to survive.

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Dr. Shehz: And before we knew it, our visas had expired and our whole family became undocumented.

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Dr. Shehz: And so those initial years of my life were spent in that way.

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Dr. Shehz: I didn't get my green card until I was 22 years old.

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Dr. Shehz: So from 7 to 22, I was one of those illegal aliens.

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Dr. Shehz: So from 7 to 22, no green card, got my green card at 22, got my citizenship at 25.

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Dr. Shehz: And then my world just completely changed, right? I mean, I was able to go to medical school.

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Dr. Shehz: I was able to intern at NASA. I did some of the initial research on vision issues

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Dr. Shehz: that astronauts have in space.

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Dr. Shehz: And then, you know, I was about to go to residency. I mean, my entire life completely changed.

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Dr. Shehz: And that is what happens when you become a citizen of one of the greatest nations on earth, right?

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Dr. Shehz: So, I mean, I call it my blue superpower.

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Dr. Shehz: My passport is like my superpower. I can pretty much do anything I want,

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Dr. Shehz: you know, anything that you set your mind to.

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Dr. Shehz: I really, really believe that. So that's kind of how that whole immigration journey went.

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Dr. Shehz: And those initial years from seven to 22 without a green card,

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Dr. Shehz: I mean, some of the hardest, hardest years of my life.

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Dr. Shehz: You are limited in a lot of ways without any documentation.

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Dr. Shehz: Can't drive, can't do anything, can't travel.

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Dr. Shehz: All of our discussions as a family would be like, man, like, you know, what do we do?

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Dr. Shehz: Do we do we save money and invest back home?

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Dr. Shehz: Do we save here? I mean, all of those like conversations and just living in

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Dr. Shehz: fear, like that's what I remember right from those early years.

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Dr. Shehz: And it got even worse because my dad was picked up by immigration,

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Dr. Shehz: by ICE, as part of like this kind of raid, if you will.

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Dr. Shehz: And so my dad was placed in deportation proceedings.

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Dr. Shehz: And I mean, I could tell you, I swear I could tell you how to legally immigrate

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Dr. Shehz: to this country, like to the T now.

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Dr. Shehz: Because when I was trying to figure out how to prevent my family from getting

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Dr. Shehz: kicked out of the country, I was calling those shots. I was talking to the lawyers.

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Dr. Shehz: I was learning about this system and how to navigate it so that our family can be together.

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Dr. Shehz: There was just a lot of chaos in that early part of my life.

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Dr. Shehz: And I think in that chaos is probably where I started to feel like I just don't belong.

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Dr. Shehz: You know, when I mentioned earlier about loneliness, like I just always felt like I never belonged.

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Dr. Shehz: Right. As an immigrant, it's really hard to fit in. I couldn't really speak

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Dr. Shehz: the right type of English. My accent was very thick.

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Dr. Shehz: This whole immigration thing. And so I just started creating this narrative

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Dr. Shehz: in my head that like, I'm not supposed to be here. I don't really belong.

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Dr. Shehz: My mother had some mental illness around that same time as well that started

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Dr. Shehz: showing up bipolar and schizophrenia.

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Dr. Shehz: And so I have a very soft spot in my heart for people with mental illness.

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Dr. Shehz: And so like at home, I felt like I didn't belong because of all the chaos in

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Dr. Shehz: this country. I felt like I didn't belong because of the immigration story.

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Dr. Shehz: So the only place I felt like I belonged was school. I was really good at taking

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Dr. Shehz: tests and just knock him out of the park.

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Dr. Shehz: So that became sort of my identity, right?

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Dr. Shehz: I was the guy that was really good at school. And so I just like hung on to that.

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Dr. Shehz: I think that's probably part of the reason why it was always medicine and it

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Dr. Shehz: was always something in academia, right? Because I was good at that.

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Kevin Lowe: Wow. Wow.

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Kevin Lowe: Very, very, very powerful story just of your childhood years.

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Kevin Lowe: I mean, and I appreciate you sharing this story with me for just gaining that perspective.

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Kevin Lowe: I think that in context of where you are, what you've done, I think it speaks very highly of you.

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Kevin Lowe: Because it's very easy, I think, when kind of you could say we're dealt a bad hand.

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Kevin Lowe: It's very easy. The easy thing is to fall victim to that.

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Dr. Shehz: Yes.

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Kevin Lowe: Instead, you found school was your escape. And so you dug into that and you rose above.

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Dr. Shehz: Yes, absolutely. I didn't know what else to do.

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Dr. Shehz: I didn't know what else to do. And I played victim. I played that victim card

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Dr. Shehz: for a while, man, for a long time, right?

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Dr. Shehz: And it's like, it's two sides of a coin, right? Like on one side,

00:14:47.215 --> 00:14:50.095

Dr. Shehz: it's okay to acknowledge that

00:14:50.095 --> 00:14:53.615

Dr. Shehz: you were a victim of your circumstances and you were dealt a bad card.

00:14:53.795 --> 00:14:58.155

Dr. Shehz: I think there is some processing that needs to happen around that, right?

00:14:58.935 --> 00:15:02.355

Dr. Shehz: Because it's a tough thing to go through. And I'm not the only one.

00:15:02.455 --> 00:15:07.095

Dr. Shehz: There's so many people out there. But at some point, you have to take that now

00:15:07.095 --> 00:15:09.395

Dr. Shehz: and be like, okay, now what am I going to do with this, right?

00:15:09.515 --> 00:15:11.715

Dr. Shehz: Where are the gifts in this struggle?

00:15:12.255 --> 00:15:17.875

Dr. Shehz: Yes, there are the things that, you know, are not gifts. They're the things

00:15:17.875 --> 00:15:20.075

Dr. Shehz: that were really, really hard emotionally.

00:15:20.535 --> 00:15:24.695

Dr. Shehz: But every struggle has a gift. What was mine, right?

00:15:24.855 --> 00:15:28.295

Dr. Shehz: And I really had to like think deep about that. And, you know,

00:15:28.375 --> 00:15:33.975

Dr. Shehz: part of your podcast title alludes to this, this like grit and this resilience.

00:15:34.695 --> 00:15:38.915

Dr. Shehz: That's my gift. That's what came from my struggles. Right. And I think that's

00:15:38.915 --> 00:15:42.595

Dr. Shehz: common. That comes from, you know, anything that really pushes you,

00:15:43.152 --> 00:15:49.252

Dr. Shehz: and then you persevere, that is a resilience building exercise, right?

00:15:49.592 --> 00:15:56.532

Dr. Shehz: And so I always say this, there's really nothing that kind of phases me at this point of my life.

00:15:56.672 --> 00:16:01.972

Dr. Shehz: I mean, I haven't experienced the death of a close family member, knock on wood.

00:16:02.252 --> 00:16:04.712

Dr. Shehz: That's like the only thing that I'm like, man, I don't know,

00:16:04.872 --> 00:16:07.772

Dr. Shehz: like you meet some people, you know, they've lost their parents in an early

00:16:07.772 --> 00:16:10.672

Dr. Shehz: age and things like that. I'm like, I don't know what I would do like that.

00:16:10.952 --> 00:16:13.312

Dr. Shehz: I don't how to get through something like that.

00:16:13.732 --> 00:16:17.732

Dr. Shehz: You know, that seems really, really, really difficult from an emotional standpoint.

00:16:17.872 --> 00:16:21.012

Dr. Shehz: But when it comes to like financial difficulties or whatever,

00:16:21.152 --> 00:16:22.592

Dr. Shehz: I mean, I've lived that life.

00:16:22.732 --> 00:16:27.332

Dr. Shehz: You know, we had pretty much nothing when we first came to the States. Right.

00:16:27.792 --> 00:16:31.892

Dr. Shehz: And, you know, and now thankfully my day job allows me to do well.

00:16:32.012 --> 00:16:33.072

Dr. Shehz: I have resources. Right.

00:16:33.492 --> 00:16:37.552

Dr. Shehz: And so there's really nothing that I'm like, I won't be able to handle.

00:16:37.732 --> 00:16:40.252

Dr. Shehz: If you have a U.S. passport, right?

00:16:40.472 --> 00:16:44.192

Dr. Shehz: And you have some resilience, you can pretty much handle anything that comes

00:16:44.192 --> 00:16:46.432

Dr. Shehz: your way. And I really have that mentality now.

00:16:46.712 --> 00:16:51.632

Dr. Shehz: So, and then, you know, I want to share this perspective that I think you specifically

00:16:51.632 --> 00:16:53.252

Dr. Shehz: would really appreciate.

00:16:53.692 --> 00:16:59.752

Dr. Shehz: When I was feeling so alone growing up and I felt like I didn't belong,

00:16:59.992 --> 00:17:04.852

Dr. Shehz: I would go outside and I don't know, for some reason, I was always drawn to

00:17:04.852 --> 00:17:07.172

Dr. Shehz: the stars, right, to space.

00:17:07.452 --> 00:17:11.812

Dr. Shehz: And I would just go out and I would look at the stars, you know,

00:17:12.012 --> 00:17:17.112

Dr. Shehz: houses of chaos, conflict, you know, worried about getting kicked out of the country.

00:17:17.212 --> 00:17:20.592

Dr. Shehz: I'm just like, I just got to leave. So I would go outside, look at the stars.

00:17:20.812 --> 00:17:27.572

Dr. Shehz: I'd look at this like dark sky and I just would have this like calmness that came about me.

00:17:27.732 --> 00:17:31.012

Dr. Shehz: And when I thought deeper into that, I realized that, you know,

00:17:31.012 --> 00:17:36.692

Dr. Shehz: I am one of seven or eight billion people on this planet, right?

00:17:36.972 --> 00:17:38.892

Dr. Shehz: And we all have our struggles, right?

00:17:39.263 --> 00:17:45.063

Dr. Shehz: And we are all on planet Earth. And we are one of many planets in our solar system.

00:17:45.203 --> 00:17:48.843

Dr. Shehz: And we're one of millions of solar systems in our galaxy.

00:17:49.303 --> 00:17:52.203

Dr. Shehz: And there are billions of galaxies in this universe.

00:17:52.563 --> 00:17:56.803

Dr. Shehz: So when you zoom out like that, I was just like, what am I even like?

00:17:57.063 --> 00:17:58.883

Dr. Shehz: What am I even crying about?

00:17:59.243 --> 00:18:03.423

Dr. Shehz: You know, my life, yes, I've gone through some struggles, but man,

00:18:03.543 --> 00:18:08.143

Dr. Shehz: I'm just like a little bump in the road compared to the grand scheme of things. Right.

00:18:08.423 --> 00:18:14.083

Dr. Shehz: So that perspective would always serve to ground me, you know,

00:18:14.323 --> 00:18:19.543

Dr. Shehz: and help me cope and manage the different things that I was going through.

00:18:19.763 --> 00:18:23.403

Dr. Shehz: And then last two, three years, when I mentioned earlier in the podcast about

00:18:23.403 --> 00:18:29.243

Dr. Shehz: this clarity that I've found, I went to that same perspective again.

00:18:29.783 --> 00:18:33.163

Dr. Shehz: This time I thought about it from an astronaut's viewpoint.

00:18:33.943 --> 00:18:40.623

Dr. Shehz: When an astronaut goes to space, they see Earth from that vantage point, right?

00:18:40.983 --> 00:18:47.963

Dr. Shehz: And the only thing keeping all of us alive is this razor-thin blue atmosphere.

00:18:48.743 --> 00:18:55.763

Dr. Shehz: If that was gone, we could all be dead. And from space, you don't see the borders

00:18:55.763 --> 00:18:59.103

Dr. Shehz: that we have artificially created on maps on Earth.

00:18:59.863 --> 00:19:04.123

Dr. Shehz: You know you just see humanity so

00:19:04.123 --> 00:19:07.503

Dr. Shehz: that's what i was alluding to earlier when i said that like perspective

00:19:07.503 --> 00:19:10.823

Dr. Shehz: of oneness and interconnectedness it's called

00:19:10.823 --> 00:19:14.803

Dr. Shehz: the overview effect and astronauts describe this any astronaut you listen to

00:19:14.803 --> 00:19:18.543

Dr. Shehz: i'm a nerd when it comes to nasa and space so i listen to astronaut interviews

00:19:18.543 --> 00:19:23.023

Dr. Shehz: on youtube most people probably don't do that but when they describe the overview

00:19:23.023 --> 00:19:28.163

Dr. Shehz: effect it is like this profound shift of oneness and belonging and so i thought

00:19:28.163 --> 00:19:30.103

Dr. Shehz: about it. I was like, wait, wait, hold on.

00:19:30.643 --> 00:19:34.343

Dr. Shehz: If we all belong, then how can we ever feel alone?

00:19:35.870 --> 00:19:41.030

Dr. Shehz: Right. So it was just this like this, this perspective shift that I really want

00:19:41.030 --> 00:19:46.690

Dr. Shehz: people to tap into because you don't have to go to space to be able to appreciate that, you know.

00:19:47.250 --> 00:19:49.790

Dr. Shehz: So anyway, I just want to mention that.

00:19:50.330 --> 00:19:55.910

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Wow. I think I'm probably not the only one wondering, why didn't you go

00:19:55.910 --> 00:20:05.310

Kevin Lowe: into psychology? because your perspective on seeing life isn't common. It's very deep.

00:20:05.510 --> 00:20:09.990

Kevin Lowe: It's very powerful. And I think that's an amazing aspect of who you are.

00:20:10.370 --> 00:20:14.930

Dr. Shehz: Thanks, man. I appreciate that. You know, there's a reason I didn't go to psychiatry.

00:20:15.230 --> 00:20:22.590

Dr. Shehz: It's because I had an ego and an ambition that was rooted in trying to prove

00:20:22.590 --> 00:20:27.430

Dr. Shehz: my worth because I never felt like I belonged. I never felt I didn't have a lot of self-worth.

00:20:27.690 --> 00:20:31.910

Dr. Shehz: I was, you know, abused in a lot of different ways when I was growing up and

00:20:31.910 --> 00:20:35.150

Dr. Shehz: emotional, psychological, sexual abuse.

00:20:35.490 --> 00:20:37.690

Dr. Shehz: I mean, I've gone through those things. Right.

00:20:38.050 --> 00:20:40.770

Dr. Shehz: And it's kind of a vulnerable thing to talk about, to be honest,

00:20:40.850 --> 00:20:44.110

Dr. Shehz: but I know I'm not the only one. It's very common.

00:20:44.350 --> 00:20:48.910

Dr. Shehz: And it was very common in India back in those days. And I think it still really is.

00:20:49.070 --> 00:20:56.610

Dr. Shehz: But when you go through that, you just have this like feeling of unworthiness.

00:20:56.790 --> 00:21:02.010

Dr. Shehz: It's very hard to put into words, but you just feel crappy about yourself.

00:21:02.350 --> 00:21:08.530

Dr. Shehz: So in my mind, because the only thing that made me feel good about myself was

00:21:08.530 --> 00:21:12.610

Dr. Shehz: my ability to achieve things in school and grades,

00:21:12.890 --> 00:21:19.390

Dr. Shehz: I always had it in my head that I'm just going to achieve to the highest levels possible.

00:21:19.610 --> 00:21:22.210

Dr. Shehz: And then I'll finally feel like I'm good enough.

00:21:22.650 --> 00:21:28.730

Dr. Shehz: So when it came time to apply to medical school, I'm a doctor of osteopathic

00:21:28.730 --> 00:21:30.890

Dr. Shehz: medicine. I'm a DO, right? I'm not an MD.

00:21:31.230 --> 00:21:36.930

Dr. Shehz: And back then, the reason I applied to DO schools was because my ex-wife now,

00:21:37.070 --> 00:21:40.190

Dr. Shehz: but my wife at the time, she was applying to pharmacy school.

00:21:40.370 --> 00:21:42.470

Dr. Shehz: And so we wanted to be on the same campus.

00:21:42.670 --> 00:21:46.610

Dr. Shehz: And so there was a DO school and there was a pharmacy school in the same campus in Fort Worth, Texas.

00:21:46.850 --> 00:21:50.510

Dr. Shehz: So that's where I applied. That's where I got in. I never really understood

00:21:50.510 --> 00:21:56.390

Dr. Shehz: that as a DO, it becomes very competitive and challenging to match into like

00:21:56.390 --> 00:21:58.690

Dr. Shehz: competitive specialties like neurosurgery.

00:22:00.070 --> 00:22:01.850

Dr. Shehz: Ophthalmology, radiology, dermatology.

00:22:02.030 --> 00:22:05.250

Dr. Shehz: Those are all extremely competitive specialties. and there are some more.

00:22:05.490 --> 00:22:10.890

Dr. Shehz: And as a DO, you're more sort of pushed towards going into primary care medicine

00:22:10.890 --> 00:22:14.070

Dr. Shehz: because it's a very holistic way of looking at the human body.

00:22:14.210 --> 00:22:16.310

Dr. Shehz: And so it just fit primary care medicine.

00:22:16.550 --> 00:22:19.330

Dr. Shehz: Well, somewhere along the way, the narrative shifted to where,

00:22:19.410 --> 00:22:22.410

Dr. Shehz: oh, DOs are inferior, MDs are superior and all this stuff.

00:22:22.590 --> 00:22:26.950

Dr. Shehz: And for a guy who puts his entire worst,

00:22:27.615 --> 00:22:33.695

Dr. Shehz: right? Self-worth into achieving. I'm like, wait, hold on. What did I do to myself? I became a D.O.

00:22:34.255 --> 00:22:38.615

Dr. Shehz: You know? So you're telling me I'm not good enough? I already feel like I'm

00:22:38.615 --> 00:22:40.995

Dr. Shehz: not good enough. You're telling me I'm not good enough even more?

00:22:41.135 --> 00:22:43.615

Dr. Shehz: So wait, what are you saying I can't do?

00:22:43.895 --> 00:22:45.935

Dr. Shehz: Oh, I can't do a competitive specialty?

00:22:46.455 --> 00:22:50.075

Dr. Shehz: Hold my chai. Watch me, right? Watch me.

00:22:50.595 --> 00:22:56.935

Dr. Shehz: Watch me do something competitive. Watch how I do it because I need to do it. I got to feel worthy.

00:22:57.595 --> 00:23:02.475

Dr. Shehz: It sounds ridiculous in a way, but these are the conversations I'm having with myself.

00:23:02.695 --> 00:23:06.135

Dr. Shehz: So I chose ophthalmology for a lot of reasons.

00:23:06.155 --> 00:23:10.615

Dr. Shehz: This wasn't the only reason, you know, I mean, it's a good mixture of medicine

00:23:10.615 --> 00:23:14.055

Dr. Shehz: or clinic and surgery, right? It's very intellectual.

00:23:14.435 --> 00:23:19.235

Dr. Shehz: I mean, I can do cataract surgery in 15, 20 minutes and people see better right away.

00:23:19.575 --> 00:23:24.255

Dr. Shehz: The instant gratification as a doctor high tech field, all of those reasons,

00:23:24.455 --> 00:23:26.655

Dr. Shehz: great work-life balance, all of those reasons were there.

00:23:26.975 --> 00:23:29.775

Dr. Shehz: And then I also thought about psychiatry. I also thought about some of these

00:23:29.775 --> 00:23:34.475

Dr. Shehz: other things I'm interested in, but I was like, no, if I can be the first DO to match,

00:23:35.069 --> 00:23:40.309

Dr. Shehz: into ophthalmology, into this very, very competitive program in Oklahoma,

00:23:40.809 --> 00:23:41.569

Dr. Shehz: University of Oklahoma.

00:23:41.829 --> 00:23:43.709

Dr. Shehz: It's called the Dean McGee Eye Institute. It was like a top,

00:23:43.729 --> 00:23:47.309

Dr. Shehz: top three or top five program at the time. I was like, that's attractive.

00:23:47.529 --> 00:23:51.429

Dr. Shehz: That's what I want to do. So, so that became my goal. Right.

00:23:52.069 --> 00:23:56.169

Dr. Shehz: And I mean, it goes deeper, dude, like this whole like NASA thing.

00:23:56.389 --> 00:24:00.909

Dr. Shehz: I didn't want to just study the vision issues that astronauts had in space.

00:24:01.069 --> 00:24:03.549

Dr. Shehz: I wanted to be an astronaut, right?

00:24:03.729 --> 00:24:06.989

Dr. Shehz: Because then I'm going to be worthy. Because who are astronauts?

00:24:07.889 --> 00:24:11.449

Dr. Shehz: They are the exceptional specimens of humanity, right?

00:24:11.829 --> 00:24:16.909

Dr. Shehz: So I said, I want to be an astronaut. And so I actually like did all the stuff. I interned at NASA.

00:24:17.189 --> 00:24:21.189

Dr. Shehz: So I was like, I'm going to be the first DO to match ophthalmology into this program.

00:24:21.489 --> 00:24:26.129

Dr. Shehz: And then I'm going to be the first DO ophthalmologist as an astronaut.

00:24:26.349 --> 00:24:29.469

Dr. Shehz: I mean, it was like neurotic, right? It was neurotic type of.

00:24:31.109 --> 00:24:33.989

Dr. Shehz: On my podcast, I call it pathological ambush.

00:24:36.709 --> 00:24:44.669

Dr. Shehz: So I went down that road, you know, hit a wall, burnt out for all the reasons I talked about earlier.

00:24:44.849 --> 00:24:51.289

Dr. Shehz: And then I realized, oh my God, this is like the most beautiful field that I

00:24:51.289 --> 00:24:56.009

Dr. Shehz: could have picked. Not only because of what I do in it. I love cataract surgery.

00:24:56.209 --> 00:25:00.089

Dr. Shehz: I love surgery in general. I just get into like this like flow state and you're

00:25:00.089 --> 00:25:03.809

Dr. Shehz: just, it's amazing. And they let me playing my playlists in the OR.

00:25:04.689 --> 00:25:10.569

Dr. Shehz: So I'm jamming to like Bollywood music, you know, doing cataract surgery.

00:25:10.689 --> 00:25:11.849

Dr. Shehz: And it's like, it's super fun.

00:25:12.209 --> 00:25:18.189

Dr. Shehz: But beyond that, right, there's this inherent metaphor of being able to see.

00:25:18.429 --> 00:25:23.189

Dr. Shehz: I was blind to my own truth, my own purpose, my entire life, right?

00:25:23.629 --> 00:25:27.529

Dr. Shehz: And how ironic that now I help people see the beauty of this world.

00:25:27.789 --> 00:25:30.869

Dr. Shehz: But while I was learning to do that, I couldn't see my own truth,

00:25:30.989 --> 00:25:33.809

Dr. Shehz: you know? And so there's this entire.

00:25:34.835 --> 00:25:42.895

Dr. Shehz: Like, language and metaphors in my day job that I can apply to this bigger and

00:25:42.895 --> 00:25:45.535

Dr. Shehz: broader work that I want to do in the world, right?

00:25:45.735 --> 00:25:49.415

Dr. Shehz: So I could not have picked a better field, honestly.

00:25:49.695 --> 00:25:53.015

Dr. Shehz: Everything happens for a reason. I really believe that, especially as I'm learning

00:25:53.015 --> 00:25:55.975

Dr. Shehz: more about my faith. I'm really, really starting to, like, believe that.

00:25:56.215 --> 00:25:59.155

Dr. Shehz: And there's no question in my mind all this happened for for

00:25:59.155 --> 00:26:04.875

Dr. Shehz: a reason right so that's kind of my yeah that's why ophthalmology and eye surgery

00:26:04.875 --> 00:26:09.435

Dr. Shehz: but you're right i mean in terms of like psychiatry psychology dude i i mean

00:26:09.435 --> 00:26:14.615

Dr. Shehz: i love i love that stuff right i love that stuff i'm reading about different

00:26:14.615 --> 00:26:17.035

Dr. Shehz: philosophers and things like that so yeah.

00:26:17.035 --> 00:26:23.315

Kevin Lowe: No i mean i think absolutely fascinating and would you mind expanding i'm kind

00:26:23.315 --> 00:26:28.795

Kevin Lowe: of curious to understand a little bit more about the whole space and NASA aspect

00:26:28.795 --> 00:26:34.115

Kevin Lowe: as far as how has that impacted like what you're doing in work today?

00:26:34.635 --> 00:26:41.335

Dr. Shehz: Yeah. Yeah. So, so initially when I got into that work, it was specifically

00:26:41.335 --> 00:26:45.335

Dr. Shehz: within the context of the vision issues that astronauts have in space.

00:26:45.515 --> 00:26:47.635

Dr. Shehz: You know, I was very fascinated about that.

00:26:47.895 --> 00:26:53.655

Dr. Shehz: I also knew that it would sort of help me set myself apart from the crowd, right?

00:26:53.755 --> 00:26:57.195

Dr. Shehz: In terms of, you know, when you're trying to match into a very competitive specialty,

00:26:57.715 --> 00:27:02.835

Dr. Shehz: and in a program that's never taken a DO before, you have to be a little different.

00:27:03.115 --> 00:27:06.915

Dr. Shehz: And so this was sort of my way to help me stand apart.

00:27:07.135 --> 00:27:10.515

Dr. Shehz: And also it's just like super cool stuff, man. When I interned at NASA for two

00:27:10.515 --> 00:27:12.895

Dr. Shehz: months, I got to live with an astronaut.

00:27:13.115 --> 00:27:15.755

Dr. Shehz: I got to live with Chris Cassidy.

00:27:16.375 --> 00:27:22.315

Dr. Shehz: He at the time was chief of the astronaut office. So he's like the head honcho, the big boss.

00:27:22.635 --> 00:27:25.855

Dr. Shehz: And he was a Navy SEAL before that. And that wasn't good enough.

00:27:25.855 --> 00:27:28.515

Dr. Shehz: So he's like, I want to be an astronaut, you know?

00:27:30.015 --> 00:27:35.615

Dr. Shehz: And for a guy who's like wanting to be good enough, you can imagine my excitement,

00:27:35.815 --> 00:27:39.555

Dr. Shehz: my fascination, right? When I got to live with him, spend time with him.

00:27:39.795 --> 00:27:45.215

Dr. Shehz: I would tour the neutral buoyancy lab, which is where all the astronauts do spacewalk practicing.

00:27:45.555 --> 00:27:48.335

Dr. Shehz: It's like this giant pool, indoor pool.

00:27:48.715 --> 00:27:51.815

Dr. Shehz: And then I would come home and tell him about it.

00:27:51.955 --> 00:27:54.435

Dr. Shehz: I was like, hey, I saw the facility where you train. He's like,

00:27:54.515 --> 00:27:58.375

Dr. Shehz: oh, yeah. And then he told me like all the little juicy details that nobody else knows, you know.

00:27:58.775 --> 00:28:03.575

Dr. Shehz: So it was super, super exciting. So that was like 2017. And then,

00:28:03.615 --> 00:28:04.955

Dr. Shehz: you know, I managed into ophthalmology.

00:28:05.935 --> 00:28:09.715

Dr. Shehz: And for three years, just kind of really drilled down on that because you don't

00:28:09.715 --> 00:28:12.855

Dr. Shehz: really have time to do anything else as a resident.

00:28:13.770 --> 00:28:19.650

Dr. Shehz: And then in 2022, I got an MBA in the space economy, right?

00:28:20.030 --> 00:28:20.390

Kevin Lowe: Okay.

00:28:21.470 --> 00:28:27.110

Dr. Shehz: So again, I finished my training and I was not really feeling fulfilled.

00:28:27.670 --> 00:28:32.990

Dr. Shehz: You know, I was like, well, I'm done. Now what? Is this it? There's got to be something else.

00:28:33.230 --> 00:28:38.070

Dr. Shehz: And so I opened up that space chapter again in my life. And I don't know how this happened.

00:28:38.070 --> 00:28:42.250

Dr. Shehz: I was literally just on the couch, like just surfing the web.

00:28:42.250 --> 00:28:49.450

Dr. Shehz: And this ad popped up for this, you know, first of its kind space MBA program.

00:28:49.450 --> 00:28:54.950

Dr. Shehz: So you learn about this like evolving field of commercial space. Right.

00:28:55.310 --> 00:28:59.070

Dr. Shehz: And I was like, oh my gosh. And again, it was the first cohort.

00:28:59.210 --> 00:29:02.490

Dr. Shehz: I was like, oh my gosh, I got, I got to do this. I'm going to be the first in

00:29:02.490 --> 00:29:04.970

Dr. Shehz: this, in this class to learn about this exciting stuff.

00:29:05.230 --> 00:29:09.110

Dr. Shehz: So I got that. I did that for a whole year, I was surrounded by like,

00:29:09.250 --> 00:29:14.190

Dr. Shehz: you know, Space Force generals and, you know, senior, senior executives of various

00:29:14.190 --> 00:29:16.150

Dr. Shehz: consulting companies and startups.

00:29:16.390 --> 00:29:23.590

Dr. Shehz: I mean, just in here, I was an eye doctor, you know, like everybody was like,

00:29:23.890 --> 00:29:29.050

Dr. Shehz: you know, you go around giving your little intro and everyone had like a little cool, super cool intro.

00:29:29.050 --> 00:29:32.050

Dr. Shehz: And I was like, I'm an eye doctor. I interned at NASA.

00:29:32.430 --> 00:29:36.830

Dr. Shehz: Hi. You know, it just, again, felt kind of, kind of out of place.

00:29:37.010 --> 00:29:42.370

Dr. Shehz: But, but no, that was one of the most exciting, I guess, degrees,

00:29:42.810 --> 00:29:45.230

Dr. Shehz: you know, from a formal education standpoint that I've ever gotten,

00:29:45.470 --> 00:29:46.710

Dr. Shehz: just learning about all this stuff.

00:29:47.310 --> 00:29:53.970

Dr. Shehz: So now that I have much more clarity in terms of what I want to do,

00:29:53.970 --> 00:30:00.350

Dr. Shehz: I'm giving a TEDx talk in October in South Africa on this overview effect,

00:30:00.350 --> 00:30:02.010

Dr. Shehz: this metaphor that I described.

00:30:03.430 --> 00:30:06.310

Dr. Shehz: And so what i want to do is

00:30:06.310 --> 00:30:09.210

Dr. Shehz: i want to one leverage my

00:30:09.210 --> 00:30:12.770

Dr. Shehz: nasa experience to help people

00:30:12.770 --> 00:30:19.410

Dr. Shehz: understand how we can all belong and have more love and compassion for each

00:30:19.410 --> 00:30:26.170

Dr. Shehz: other if we just understand this overview effect this perspective of oneness

00:30:26.170 --> 00:30:31.370

Dr. Shehz: that space provides right so from a spiritual philosophical standpoint,

00:30:31.470 --> 00:30:36.970

Dr. Shehz: I want to bring that into the common person's awareness. That's my first goal.

00:30:37.230 --> 00:30:43.570

Dr. Shehz: The other thing, even though I got the space economy MBA to appear different

00:30:43.570 --> 00:30:47.650

Dr. Shehz: so I can have my, you know, so I can feel worth it.

00:30:48.429 --> 00:30:52.309

Dr. Shehz: What I realized is that I didn't need the MBA to feel that.

00:30:52.809 --> 00:30:57.169

Dr. Shehz: Right. But I got it. And I learned so much, man.

00:30:57.449 --> 00:31:01.789

Dr. Shehz: And it is like, I mean, it is going to be world changing.

00:31:02.249 --> 00:31:05.949

Dr. Shehz: Right. In the next 15, 20 years, you're going to start hearing about,

00:31:06.109 --> 00:31:09.349

Dr. Shehz: wow, people are manufacturing resources in space.

00:31:09.649 --> 00:31:15.049

Dr. Shehz: Wow. We just landed on an asteroid and we're starting to mine resources to bring back to Earth.

00:31:15.589 --> 00:31:19.189

Dr. Shehz: Right. So there are all of these like it's going to hit every industry,

00:31:19.389 --> 00:31:23.469

Dr. Shehz: every job sector because it's a completely, literally a new world.

00:31:23.609 --> 00:31:26.529

Dr. Shehz: And I call it the great equalizer.

00:31:26.749 --> 00:31:28.849

Dr. Shehz: Space can really be the great equalizer.

00:31:29.189 --> 00:31:33.149

Dr. Shehz: Right. People that are marginalized today and feel like they don't have a lot

00:31:33.149 --> 00:31:38.129

Dr. Shehz: of resources because this world is run by billionaires and corporations.

00:31:38.129 --> 00:31:46.909

Dr. Shehz: That world can be run by the people if we open our eyes to actually what's happening in space.

00:31:47.249 --> 00:31:51.949

Dr. Shehz: Most people don't realize it, but when Elon Musk cracked the code on reusable

00:31:51.949 --> 00:31:56.309

Dr. Shehz: rockets, accessing space became so much cheaper, right?

00:31:56.549 --> 00:32:02.389

Dr. Shehz: We can launch rockets, send things to space, and those rockets land vertically back on Earth.

00:32:02.529 --> 00:32:06.729

Dr. Shehz: That is mind-blowing, right? Because before that, Imagine like you got into

00:32:06.729 --> 00:32:13.309

Dr. Shehz: 737, 747 Boeing, you went from here to China, and then you threw away the jet every time you went.

00:32:13.549 --> 00:32:16.249

Dr. Shehz: That's what we were doing before. Rockets would burn down.

00:32:17.149 --> 00:32:22.269

Dr. Shehz: Now, we don't have that problem. So accessing space has gotten much cheaper,

00:32:22.409 --> 00:32:26.589

Dr. Shehz: which means now that entire world is opening up to the common people.

00:32:27.166 --> 00:32:31.406

Dr. Shehz: So the other thing I want to do with my experience in NASA and space is bring

00:32:31.406 --> 00:32:35.086

Dr. Shehz: awareness to this entire field that nobody really knows about.

00:32:35.266 --> 00:32:39.186

Dr. Shehz: And I just want people to get involved in any capacity possible,

00:32:39.186 --> 00:32:45.266

Dr. Shehz: because the likelihood of it affecting their day to day life and their job,

00:32:45.526 --> 00:32:49.126

Dr. Shehz: their livelihood is super high, especially the young generation,

00:32:49.306 --> 00:32:54.846

Dr. Shehz: because this is a futuristic 15, 20 years down the road type of thing. Right. So fascinating.

00:32:54.846 --> 00:33:03.386

Kevin Lowe: Now, do you find, does space hold anywhere, places for advancements in like

00:33:03.386 --> 00:33:05.466

Kevin Lowe: medicine that we're doing here on Earth?

00:33:05.846 --> 00:33:09.986

Dr. Shehz: Absolutely. Yep. So the International Space Station, the ISS,

00:33:10.446 --> 00:33:14.966

Dr. Shehz: it's essentially a orbiting laboratory. Okay.

00:33:15.426 --> 00:33:21.006

Dr. Shehz: And when astronauts go to space, they spend six months or 12 months on a space station.

00:33:21.246 --> 00:33:25.486

Dr. Shehz: They're not just twiddling their thumbs. They're doing a bunch of science on

00:33:25.486 --> 00:33:29.546

Dr. Shehz: space that affects every sector, including medicine and health care.

00:33:29.686 --> 00:33:35.146

Dr. Shehz: So, like, for example, you know, there's research being done on Alzheimer's, right?

00:33:35.406 --> 00:33:41.746

Dr. Shehz: There are certain configurations of proteins that you just cannot make on Earth

00:33:41.746 --> 00:33:44.326

Dr. Shehz: because you have gravity on Earth.

00:33:44.326 --> 00:33:49.466

Dr. Shehz: But when you take gravity away, now that opens up billions of more combinations

00:33:49.466 --> 00:33:55.286

Dr. Shehz: for how you can create certain proteins that can be targeted to cure some of

00:33:55.286 --> 00:33:58.246

Dr. Shehz: these illnesses that we have on Earth, right?

00:33:58.446 --> 00:34:03.486

Dr. Shehz: So that's just one small example of how when you change that big variable of

00:34:03.486 --> 00:34:05.446

Dr. Shehz: gravity, we don't think about it, right?

00:34:05.586 --> 00:34:08.666

Dr. Shehz: Walking on Earth, it's like, you know, we're held to the ground.

00:34:08.806 --> 00:34:13.506

Dr. Shehz: Like, we don't really think about it. But that is the one variable we all have

00:34:13.506 --> 00:34:17.726

Dr. Shehz: in common. And then you take that away in space and all of a sudden creativity

00:34:17.726 --> 00:34:20.226

Dr. Shehz: goes skyrockets, right?

00:34:20.346 --> 00:34:26.546

Dr. Shehz: Because there's so many more things you can do. And that's true in medicine, in engineering, right?

00:34:26.806 --> 00:34:30.706

Dr. Shehz: In industrial things, manufacturing, it's true in all sectors.

00:34:31.266 --> 00:34:36.546

Kevin Lowe: So, yeah, that is absolutely fascinating for yourself.

00:34:36.586 --> 00:34:42.146

Kevin Lowe: I'm curious, what are you looking forward in your own life, personal life, right?

00:34:42.740 --> 00:34:48.800

Kevin Lowe: Whether things you still want to accomplish, things you still want to feel more

00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:50.820

Kevin Lowe: fulfilled in, just out of curiosity.

00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:55.640

Dr. Shehz: Yeah, man, that's a great question. You know, this whole pathological ambition

00:34:55.640 --> 00:35:02.320

Dr. Shehz: and trying to achieve to prove my worth, you know, it's not like I've solved the problem, right?

00:35:02.400 --> 00:35:06.240

Dr. Shehz: I mean, I still have it, you know, it's the reason, it's part of the reason

00:35:06.240 --> 00:35:09.600

Dr. Shehz: why I want to do speaking opportunities and things like that, right?

00:35:09.600 --> 00:35:17.240

Dr. Shehz: But now that I know, right, I have awareness that I'm wired to be seen,

00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:22.320

Dr. Shehz: to feel seen, because I never felt seen in my early childhood.

00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:27.220

Dr. Shehz: Everything that, you know, we bring to our adult lives, it comes from my childhood.

00:35:27.740 --> 00:35:28.840

Dr. Shehz: Right? It comes from our childhood.

00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:31.660

Dr. Shehz: I mean, that's the programming that you bring to your adult life.

00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:37.420

Dr. Shehz: And your job as an adult is to learn that programming and then rewire it so

00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:41.440

Dr. Shehz: that it is healthier. I really think that's the job of an adult, you know.

00:35:41.800 --> 00:35:47.140

Dr. Shehz: So now that I know that that's sort of my blind spot, quote unquote,

00:35:47.220 --> 00:35:51.820

Dr. Shehz: if you will, I'm very careful that, you know, when I choose opportunities that

00:35:51.820 --> 00:35:54.300

Dr. Shehz: I want to participate in, that I'm doing it for the right reasons.

00:35:54.640 --> 00:36:00.880

Dr. Shehz: Right. I'm doing it for me in terms of me wanting to make a broader impact on

00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:04.560

Dr. Shehz: the world and not just to say that I did it.

00:36:05.020 --> 00:36:08.980

Dr. Shehz: Right. So that's that's one thing. So I'm very careful, like,

00:36:09.140 --> 00:36:13.960

Dr. Shehz: you know, what I allow to come into my life now.

00:36:14.180 --> 00:36:17.520

Dr. Shehz: The second thing is relationships. Right.

00:36:17.700 --> 00:36:22.700

Dr. Shehz: I have I mean, I neglected my relationships growing up, you know,

00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:26.260

Dr. Shehz: because I was just focused on one thing was my career and achievements.

00:36:27.050 --> 00:36:32.350

Dr. Shehz: And so, you know, it took me 12 plus years, 13 years to become an eye surgeon.

00:36:32.730 --> 00:36:37.370

Dr. Shehz: And that's a very long time. And I had very little contact.

00:36:38.010 --> 00:36:41.490

Dr. Shehz: Meaningful contact with my parents during that time, you know,

00:36:41.710 --> 00:36:48.070

Dr. Shehz: to the point where like when I came home, I didn't even recognize who my parents

00:36:48.070 --> 00:36:50.790

Dr. Shehz: were anymore after after like 12 years.

00:36:50.790 --> 00:36:55.730

Dr. Shehz: You know, I just felt very disconnected with these people that I claim to love

00:36:55.730 --> 00:36:57.430

Dr. Shehz: more than anything in the world.

00:36:57.690 --> 00:37:01.690

Dr. Shehz: And so my actions are not following my words. What's going on?

00:37:01.810 --> 00:37:02.910

Dr. Shehz: Right. Something's got to change.

00:37:03.090 --> 00:37:08.950

Dr. Shehz: So in this phase of my life and going forward, I'm really prioritizing those things.

00:37:09.130 --> 00:37:12.570

Dr. Shehz: Right. So I'm prioritizing the impact I want to have in this world.

00:37:12.850 --> 00:37:16.670

Dr. Shehz: You know, speaking opportunities, whatever it might be. I'm prioritizing my relationships.

00:37:17.290 --> 00:37:21.770

Dr. Shehz: Just the other day last week, it was, I went on a walk with my mom.

00:37:21.970 --> 00:37:25.370

Dr. Shehz: I can't remember the last time I did that, you know, it was like a Sunday afternoon

00:37:25.370 --> 00:37:29.350

Dr. Shehz: and we just went on a walk together in the neighborhood and I'm holding her hand.

00:37:29.630 --> 00:37:33.830

Dr. Shehz: She's holding my hand. And I can't tell you, man, like my whole life,

00:37:33.830 --> 00:37:37.750

Dr. Shehz: I've been searching for fulfillment and peace and purpose.

00:37:38.070 --> 00:37:41.890

Dr. Shehz: I'm telling you, I felt it in those 20 minutes when I was holding her hand and

00:37:41.890 --> 00:37:43.530

Dr. Shehz: she was holding mine. Right.

00:37:43.930 --> 00:37:49.110

Dr. Shehz: So it comes down to that. It comes down to just those relationships that,

00:37:49.350 --> 00:37:51.850

Dr. Shehz: you know, if you're a high achiever, high performer out there,

00:37:51.950 --> 00:37:52.730

Dr. Shehz: you know what I'm talking about.

00:37:53.050 --> 00:37:59.450

Dr. Shehz: You get so locked in to your own drive, whether it's career or whatever else

00:37:59.450 --> 00:38:03.210

Dr. Shehz: that you neglect all of those other things. And so that's kind of what I'm looking

00:38:03.210 --> 00:38:05.330

Dr. Shehz: forward to more in my life.

00:38:05.410 --> 00:38:09.270

Dr. Shehz: I want to take just more trips and with my family, my parents,

00:38:09.350 --> 00:38:13.290

Dr. Shehz: and just reconnect after all of those years, you know,

00:38:13.410 --> 00:38:18.190

Dr. Shehz: and there's also a lot of like I do just over the last three months,

00:38:18.270 --> 00:38:21.090

Dr. Shehz: I've started to do some counseling and therapy with my parents.

00:38:21.882 --> 00:38:25.462

Dr. Shehz: Because, you know, there was there was some resentment that I was harboring

00:38:25.462 --> 00:38:28.982

Dr. Shehz: for my childhood, even though it had nothing to do.

00:38:29.062 --> 00:38:34.242

Dr. Shehz: Like my dad had no he was you know, he was trying to do the best with cars he was dealt.

00:38:34.702 --> 00:38:36.822

Dr. Shehz: But in my mind, I was looking at it

00:38:36.822 --> 00:38:40.602

Dr. Shehz: from my standpoint. But I grew up undocumented. Like, why did it happen?

00:38:40.702 --> 00:38:43.662

Dr. Shehz: That wasn't my fault. Dad, like I was counting on you.

00:38:44.102 --> 00:38:48.802

Dr. Shehz: And and I've realized that I have not been blaming effectively.

00:38:48.802 --> 00:38:51.062

Dr. Shehz: You know, I'm a big Tony Robbins fan.

00:38:51.522 --> 00:38:54.262

Dr. Shehz: Tony Robbins always says, like, if you're going to blame someone,

00:38:54.502 --> 00:38:56.002

Dr. Shehz: blame effectively, right?

00:38:56.102 --> 00:38:59.982

Dr. Shehz: If you're going to blame them for the bad things, quote unquote,

00:39:00.682 --> 00:39:02.062

Dr. Shehz: then blame them for the good, too.

00:39:02.222 --> 00:39:06.562

Dr. Shehz: I would not have become an eye surgeon if my dad didn't bring me to the U.S.

00:39:06.722 --> 00:39:09.982

Dr. Shehz: My story would not have been possible in any other country on Earth.

00:39:10.222 --> 00:39:14.322

Dr. Shehz: I believe that with all of my heart, because there's just there are certain

00:39:14.322 --> 00:39:16.202

Dr. Shehz: resources and opportunities that the U.S.

00:39:16.342 --> 00:39:18.522

Dr. Shehz: Provides. Yes, we have our issues. we have faults.

00:39:18.882 --> 00:39:22.502

Dr. Shehz: So, you know, you got to blame people effectively, you're going to blame someone.

00:39:22.702 --> 00:39:27.562

Dr. Shehz: And so there's a lot of like processing of that, that needed to happen and forgiveness

00:39:27.562 --> 00:39:29.682

Dr. Shehz: and kind of moving past those things.

00:39:30.022 --> 00:39:35.882

Dr. Shehz: So that's what I'm looking at in this phase of my life is really just improving those relationships.

00:39:36.242 --> 00:39:39.382

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. I love that so much. And, uh,

00:39:40.103 --> 00:39:45.343

Kevin Lowe: I appreciate you being vulnerable and willing to share everything that you've

00:39:45.343 --> 00:39:47.123

Kevin Lowe: done throughout our entire conversation today.

00:39:47.383 --> 00:39:53.863

Kevin Lowe: I feel like this has been a really heartfelt, meaningful conversation that I

00:39:53.863 --> 00:39:55.943

Kevin Lowe: think a lot of people can relate to.

00:39:56.243 --> 00:40:00.423

Kevin Lowe: And I appreciate you being open and honest and willing to share it.

00:40:00.583 --> 00:40:04.223

Dr. Shehz: Thanks a lot, man. I appreciate you too. I shared quite a lot.

00:40:04.443 --> 00:40:06.803

Dr. Shehz: And it also speaks to the host, right? Right.

00:40:07.143 --> 00:40:13.783

Dr. Shehz: You asking the right questions and just giving your guests the space to be vulnerable.

00:40:14.063 --> 00:40:17.683

Dr. Shehz: You know, I just want to say, like, I think that's, first of all, a gift and an art.

00:40:17.903 --> 00:40:22.443

Dr. Shehz: And it's not something we do enough. Right. Like we kind of tend to judge people

00:40:22.443 --> 00:40:28.923

Dr. Shehz: as human beings and judgment and vulnerability are not they don't go hand in hand.

00:40:29.183 --> 00:40:32.623

Dr. Shehz: Right. You have to be in curiosity mode and not judgment mode.

00:40:32.623 --> 00:40:36.383

Dr. Shehz: If you're going to expect somebody to kind of be vulnerable.

00:40:36.383 --> 00:40:39.583

Dr. Shehz: You got to create that space. And I think you do a really good job of that.

00:40:39.703 --> 00:40:42.983

Dr. Shehz: So thanks for asking those questions, man. It was a good conversation.

00:40:43.363 --> 00:40:46.863

Kevin Lowe: Oh, man. Well, I appreciate that. That means a lot to me.

00:40:47.503 --> 00:40:51.883

Kevin Lowe: Dr. Shez, for somebody who they want to stay plugged into your world,

00:40:51.963 --> 00:40:55.023

Kevin Lowe: they want to check out the podcast, where can we send them?

00:40:55.383 --> 00:41:02.923

Dr. Shehz: Yeah, visionarydoc.com, visionarydoc.com. I'm in the process of revamping the website.

00:41:03.203 --> 00:41:07.843

Dr. Shehz: So forgive me if it loads a little slow, but all my social media handles are

00:41:07.843 --> 00:41:10.223

Dr. Shehz: that as well. Instagram would be visionary.doc.

00:41:10.723 --> 00:41:15.543

Kevin Lowe: Okay. Well, I will be sure that all of that is in the show notes for anybody interested.

00:41:16.223 --> 00:41:21.623

Kevin Lowe: Man, I guess I always like to end with one kind of powerful last question.

00:41:21.903 --> 00:41:26.163

Kevin Lowe: And that is for you on this journey you've been on.

00:41:26.723 --> 00:41:32.383

Kevin Lowe: If you could go back to that seven-year-old self, You moved to a new country.

00:41:32.823 --> 00:41:37.103

Kevin Lowe: Everything's difficult. What piece of advice would you want to say to that kid?

00:41:37.543 --> 00:41:41.203

Dr. Shehz: Everything's going to work out just as it's supposed to. Keep your head down

00:41:41.203 --> 00:41:42.443

Dr. Shehz: and keep moving forward.

00:41:42.703 --> 00:41:45.943

Kevin Lowe: I love it. Simple, powerful, amazing.

00:41:46.343 --> 00:41:50.863

Kevin Lowe: Dude, it has been a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much.

00:41:51.223 --> 00:41:54.843

Dr. Shehz: Thanks a lot, man. This was great. I really enjoyed it. Appreciate your time.

00:41:55.343 --> 00:42:01.363

Kevin Lowe: Absolutely. And for you listening today, my hope is always is that you've had

00:42:01.363 --> 00:42:04.903

Kevin Lowe: something today that you can apply to your own life.

00:42:05.063 --> 00:42:09.303

Kevin Lowe: Something that's reminded you of your own situation, something that you can

00:42:09.303 --> 00:42:14.983

Kevin Lowe: take from this podcast, put it into action and make a positive difference in your life.

00:42:15.223 --> 00:42:18.963

Kevin Lowe: This is another amazing interview here on the podcast.

00:42:19.343 --> 00:42:24.203

Kevin Lowe: My name is Kevin Lowe. This is Grit, Grace, & Inspiration. I hope you have an amazing time.

00:42:24.080 --> 00:42:43.687