I started training to become a GP around five years ago and qualified just before the pandemic in February 2020. I was a few months into doing locum work when Covid-19 struck and I lost one of my jobs overnight. They said they didn’t need as many doctors any more because they were just doing phone calls now.
At the time I worked in a surgery and I ended up staying there for over a year because they had someone go on maternity leave. I knew very quickly that it wasn't the kind of work I wanted to do. It was very full-on pressure working as a salaried doctor. It’s not the first time that I’d worked in a high-pressure environment.
Prior to GP training, I had worked as an obstetrics and gynaecology doctor for over four years. I got really burnt out, and after about 18 months of some much needed time out to re-evaluate my career, I decided to go into GP training. It was in that timeframe that I had a bit of an epiphany.
I saw that patients and colleagues were having a lot of money problems. So, I started my own personal business called the Female Money Doctor, which is all about providing advice, and how financial difficulties can impact our health and wellness.
I knew that I wanted to pursue that, so I finished my GP training and trained to become a money coach. Then I heard about Livi. I thought this looks great because I had tried to get into an online GP role before lockdown, but they didn't have any jobs. So Livi was awesome when they came along.
What I realised is, I could work for Livi and run my business side by side. It compliments it because it means I can use both my creative side and work as a GP. It’s also made me a better doctor because I've got work-life balance now.
I love working from home, honestly. It really suits my personality. Some people find it lonely, but I talk to probably around 16 patients every single morning. So, I feel like I'm always talking to somebody. And then I've got the afternoon to work on coaching clients. It’s amazing!
I start the day at 6am with an hour on self-care and then I do my regular weekday morning shift with Livi from 7am-11am. I requested this schedule and Livi was able to accommodate me.
After my shift, I've got a couple of hours for more self-care activities like exercise. Then I get on with my business in the afternoon. That might be going out to networking groups, sitting down and writing some social media or planning whatever project I've got on at the time. Then I usually stop by five or six o'clock and have my evening to myself. It just works really well for me.
The thing I love is that I don't have to work weekends unless I choose to. I do a little bit of out-of-hours weekend work if needed. But usually, it means I get to spend the entire weekend with my husband. Livi’s helped me do this. It’s given me that work-life balance. I've now got time for self-care and I've got family time as well.
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