Alia
“Learn to be your own cheerleader and never quit believing that you can do whatever you set your heart on.”
Alia is a doctor and athlete who lives life passionately, with eyes wide open. She is curious and extraverted; she embraces every opportunity - especially those that seem out of reach. She has faced rejection, and been told that her goals were “impossible” - but this didn’t scare Alia away, it only inspired her. She has learned to prioritise happiness in making difficult decisions about her future, and is now pursuing a career that combines both her love for sport with her love for medicine. Meet Alia. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
A: My name is Alia, I’m 36 and originally from Canada although currently living in the Central Coast, Australia (1 hr north of Sydney). I am currently working part time as a Doctor, and completing General Practice Training with the hope to eventually specialise in Sports Medicine. My other passion is American Football, or Gridiron as they call it here in Australia, and hoping to travel overseas this year to play professionally.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
A: If I had to describe myself, I would say I am driven, passionate, outgoing and most definitely an extrovert. Looking back at my life, I have been extremely fortunate to have discovered a number of areas that have challenged me either academically or athletically, and by no means has my life been boring. I am a risk taker at heart, and have ventured down the scenic path of life especially in medicine. Even after 10 years since I graduated medical school, I’m still trying to find a balance between medicine and my other passions. I am an athlete at my core, and sport plays a huge role in my life as it’s been something that has always fulfilled me from childhood onwards. I’d like to think I’m a strong leader and enjoy teaching those around me, as my true joy comes from connecting with people, especially in my line of work.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
A: I am willing to go after the impossible. During my undergraduate years at McGill in Montreal, with one bad semester academically in my first year, I was told by numerous people early on, that a career in Medicine was out of my reach. “What is your Plan B?” I was asked even though I would present this 10-step plan on how I was going to get into Medicine with maybe a Masters, or redo undergraduate courses or even study internationally. It was never a question of intelligence or could I do it, but more that I just didn’t have the transcript to be the most competitive applicant, and the probability of getting a Canadian medical school admission was less than 1%. Despite the odds, I applied to the University of Sydney the summer post graduation from McGill, and found myself moving across the world to purse a career in medicine, doing something I had been told would never happen.
During medical school, I found myself immediately driven towards Anatomy and Musculoskeletal health, probably from years of playing sport and a background in Kinesiology from McGill. Initially, I had planned to head down the Paediatrics lane but soon after my second year, I found myself drawn to the Operating Room (OR) and discovered a true love for Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery. Watching these incredible cases, and having my hands learn to do such advanced movements each procedure, not to mention the impact these operations had on patients - I was hooked. Again, the odds were stacked with only 6 spots in all of Canada to match into an Orthopaedic Residency, if I wished to train back home. In 2013, I matched to one of those spots and had struck the lottery once again.
While the orthopaedic surgery life wasn’t the right fit for me in the end after years of trying to make it work, it did lead me back to Australia, a place I’ve called home for most of my adult life. Within 2 months of returning to Sydney, I came across a new sport I hadn’t played before and instantly was obsessed. Football had given me a new thirst for life, and a sport that has challenged me both mentally and physically. I can still remember my first training session, where I met a couple of girls on my team that had played for Australia earlier that year and it was at that moment, that the seed had been planted. I, too wanted to represent my country and play internationally and knew football could offer that opportunity. Going after another seemingly impossible goal, I decided from that first training onwards, that I would do everything I could to play on the international stage. Somehow along the way, I’ve embarked on an even better journey of being able to play professionally later this year.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
A: By far, the hardest years of my life were during the time I was training in Orthopaedic Surgery at a residency program in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Having studied medicine in Australia, not only was the medical culture much different, but residency in Canada is gruelling from day one. The expectations, the mentality and especially the environment I had chosen to train in was a constant battle, and I lost myself in those years. Don’t get me wrong, I loved surgery and Ortho training forced me to push myself harder than anything else had at that stage in my life, but at the end of the day, I was not a workaholic who wanted to give up all aspects of my life for my job. It took me almost 4 years of struggle to finally realise what I wanted in life was not conducive with this life path of pursuing a surgical career. What I really wanted and discovered were non-negotiables for my happiness included having a work/life balance, staying engaged in sport, being able to go on travel adventures and even have the freedom to take time off from work for other passions. Walking away from what seemed like the ultimate career lottery of becoming an Orthopaedic surgeon was one of the hardest things I have done in my life.
At the time, it felt like the biggest life failure and that I just hadn’t measured up to the standard, leaving me with deep-rooted scars of feeling “unworthy”. Those feelings of rejection haunted me for several years later, and took months of psychotherapy to unravel those traumas that were now re-surfacing even in sport. Only now, several years later, I can look back and appreciate that entire experience made me stronger, more resilient and gave me priceless clinical experience as a physician that has directed me to even more amazing opportunities. I have discovered my true calling is in Sports Medicine where I get to combine both my passion in sport and medicine, while using all the skills and knowledge I picked up during those years.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
A: If I could go back in time, and meet my 12 year old self, I would tell her that life is going to be full of challenges and rejection, There will be lots of people that will judge you, dislike you for being who you are, even reject your personality and will write you off. There will be times where you will feel unlikeable, unworthy and feel like your best is just not good enough. My advice is to learn to ignore those haters, appreciate that you are not their “cup of tea” and focus on the relationships and people that do accept you for you are. You are worthy, and you are good enough. Your circle may be small but the people that will stand by you through thick and thin - they will have the biggest impact on your life. Even though you may find yourself chasing recognition and external validation from your teachers and from your coaches - learn to be your your own cheerleader and never quit believing that you can do whatever you set your heart on.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
A: Being a woman means never settling for what society thinks you should or can do. I don’t think I ever let my gender dictate what I wanted to do in life, I just found a way whether it was finding like-minded people in sport or looking for mentors in my field, if there is a will, there is a way. Sure, there will always be people that judge your life choices and it’s very easy to compare yourself to the conventional path but being a woman means you are limitless if you are ready to push the status quo.
That said, as a woman, I do think there is a natural time clock to prioritise having a family and for motherhood. I knew as early as 10 years of age, from babysitting to working at summer camps, that I loved taking care of children and I had a strong maternal instinct. It’s hard to balance that desire to follow your own passions and also be cognizant of the fact that our reproductive biology has an expiry date. Ultimately, I hope I’ve made the right decision to delay that part of my life but it’s something I’m sure women all over the world have to constantly battle in terms of their professional life and/or starting or raising a family.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
A: Without a doubt, the one woman who has always been an inspiration for me would be my mother. Her life story alone, has given me so much hope in the sense that despite so many challenges in her life, she overcame each of them with her faith, her resilience and love for her family. Growing up in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in a low income household, sharing minimal resources with her 6 siblings and with father passing away during her teenage years, somehow her family was able to survive on just her mother’s income selling her cooking to families in the community. Yet, despite her difficult childhood, she was able to transform her life throughout her adulthood with perseverance and resourcefulness.
In her 20s, my mum moved across continents to the UK to pursue a career in nursing, eventually supporting my father with her small income to be able to come over to England from Tanzania. Eventually, she would follow her sister and move to Canada after seeing a bulletin job posting for a nurse position in a remote town in rural Alberta where she would be completely isolated from her family and again, start from scratch in a new country with minimal support. Fast forward 40 years, and not only is my mother financially independent and supporting the entire household on her single income but also survived a roller coaster of a marriage. During that period, she also went back to University in her 40s and got her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and found her passion in Mental Health nursing where she continues to share her wisdom and compassion to her patients. She is by far, the most inspirational woman in my life.
If my mother was here with me at this very moment, I would tell her how much she has influenced me as a daughter to never stop chasing my dreams. By watching her overcome each of her struggles, I developed a sense of limitless ability and fearlessness to go after what I wanted in life. She had so many obstacles that could have crippled her self belief and left her settling for less, but she pushed through and built a life for her family that I am so proud to be a part of. She has been my role model from day one, and I am so blessed to have her in my corner.