"My world tumbled upside down. I was managing taking care of three children from home, helping them navigate the realities of our new world while trying to keep my staff employed and safe. I sadly said goodbye to many team members as they made the difficult choice to stay home. We had to figure out how to deliver health care in this new world, where PPE was not widely available, and so many questions lingered about the virus.

I had to put the needs of patients, staff, and my children before my own. That’s what we all do as mothers and as physicians. I underestimated how long the sacrifices would last. I watched my schedule increase from three days of patient care to five, along with running the business and managing employees, recording podcasts, and holding educational events. We run a health care business to educate, advocate for, and empower our patients. Yet, in the midst of all this, here I was at the helm, the unhealthiest I had ever been. I had abdominal pain, insomnia, anxiety. I had walked away from working out and was not careful about the food I was choosing to put into my body."

Somi Javaid is an obstetrician-gynecologist and founder and CEO, HERmd.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "How I lost sight of my own health care while creating a women’s health care company." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/02/how-i-lost-sight-of-my-own-health-care-while-creating-a-womens-health-care-company.html)