EPS2 Embracing Leadership and Finding Self-Acceptance with Dr Elizabeth Chege

Today Dr Omo is so excited to share this platform with a close friend who has joined her on a journey to promote and spread the message of diversity and female leadership. Dr. Elizabeth is a family practitioner passionate about functional medicine and alternative approaches to improving people's health. Things are slightly different in this episode as Omo is in the interviewee seat rather than being the interviewer, and Dr Elizabeth will be asking the questions. KEY TAKEAWAYS Omo's early years in Nigeria instilled in her the belief that she could achieve anything she set her mind. When given the golden opportunity to come to the UK, she was determined not to misuse it. Omo worked tirelessly at school to achieve top grades, despite facing hurdles such as attending a convent school where few people shared her ethnicity or cultural background. As a result, Omo struggled to feel a sense of belonging and often felt lost. When asking her career advisor at school about going into dentistry, Omo was told, “I don't think people like you do dentistry”. She knew girls in the school who were applying for medicine and hadn't done any science in their A levels, so how come they are given the opportunity to do medicine, but people like her aren’t? Maybe she hadn't even seen any black woman as a dentist. For Omo, her journey in transformational coaching began with her passion for optimising patients' oral health. She couldn't understand why there was often resistance to change, even when patients expressed a desire to improve their oral health. This sparked her interest in understanding what motivates people, specifically in the context of organisational behaviour psychology. Omo finds that many of our female leaders feel they have to become more masculine in the traits they display to be able to fall into that leadership position. If you display a masculine tendency in your leadership style, you are criticised as a woman. But if you decide to display the compassionate, warm, kind side, which lends itself to healthcare professionals, then you are then seen as a weak leader. A healthy mental state stems from knowing yourself, understanding your boundaries, identifying your non-negotiables, and finding happiness and acceptance within that framework. It is also important to have a support system of friends who genuinely know and accept you for who you are. BEST MOMENTS ‘With traditional Nigerian parents, you can't go all the way to the UK to come out and do interior designing.’ ‘That kind of put a fire in my belly. I don’t know what you mean by people like me. I'm going to go for it’ ‘I wanted to be able to learn how what I was doing at different seasons of my life allowed me to create the results and how can I replicate that in my team.’ ‘I do think organisations need to do much better in creating an environment where they can thrive, where they are valued, respected, and we feel like a sense of belonging.’ ‘You employ' people not just for the skillset. You employ them for their heart and attitude, and you can't train that.’ ‘I want individuals from minority groups to know they're not alone in what they go through.' ABOUT THE GUEST As a healthcare practitioner, Dr Elizabeth specialises in family medicine and has recently begun working in functional medicine. Functional medicine involves understanding how the body's various organ systems function when in a healthy state and working towards restoring them to their optimal state of health. This approach takes a holistic view of disease treatment. Creatively Dr Elizabeth is interested in people's stories and does a lot of writing essays, poetry and just finds people's life stories interesting. PODCAST DESCRIPTION Power in Diversity Podcast is a space where professional women from diverse backgrounds, eager to grow as leaders, come to be inspired and gain wisdom from other leaders. As my guests share their journey, I hope that it will give you; an aspiring or established female leader; meaning to your journey, illuminating your path and equipping you with a greater understanding of how to carve and navigate your success pathway with greater ease. Power in Diversity Podcast is also designed to equip not only individuals but, crucially, organisations who must learn to create diverse and inclusive organisations practically and not merely as a tick box exercise; especially now in this ever-changing world, everyone’s diverse insight is vital to solving world issues. I hope that this podcast allows organisations to appreciate the real barriers female and ethnic minority groups face in stepping into leadership, barriers sadly I and many others have faced, and many continue to face. I’m proud to be British and proud of my African Heritage, my tribe, part of the Benin Empire. I feel blessed to be a woman. This is a non-judgmental space, but a space to learn and to become aware of the gifts and Power in Diversity. ABOUT THE HOST Dr Omo Akoje Okonkwo is a practising Cosmetic Dental Surgeon working in Private Clinics in Surrey. Her passion for empowering her patients and team led her to Transformational coaching to bring about significant change in others. Her many skill sets and ability to motivate people quickly opened leadership roles for her, including Director of Health care Projects and Clinical Lead and Senior Tutor at the prestigious King College Dental Hospital. Along her journey, she faced numerous setbacks despite her passion, academic background and experience. Notwithstanding, her passion for excellence and growth led her to embark on an MBA at the Renowned Warwick Business School. Her desire to empower women steered her to conduct qualitative research exploring Gender, Leadership, and Identity. Her findings revealed what she had always sensed, the leadership labyrinth for female and ethnic minority leaders that exists. It is now Dr Omo’s mission to educate and equip individuals, organisations, and countries on the necessity, mindset, and steps to create inclusion at all levels of society. CONTACT METHOD IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.omo_uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-omo-okonkwo-65b8a542/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omo.okonkwo