What To Do When Life "Interrupts" Your Business With Dr. Ronak Mehta Founder of NerdBugs

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So go get your audiobook now. Www.entremd.com 7Figurebook. And let's rewrite the narrative for physicians starting today. Hi, docs. Welcome to the Entre MD Podcast, where it's all about helping amazing physicians just like you. Embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms.

I'm your host, Dr. Umna. Well, hello. Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of the entremd podcast. And you know, as always, I'm super pumped that I get to be in your ears. But today I have a really cool guest. Okay, now, Dr. Ronak Mehta. She is the founder of Nerdbugs. And, and it is a phenomenal company. They make, like, organs that are plush toys is the most amazing thing. We're going to talk about it a tad bit because today we're going to go into. We're going to go in a direction you're not used to, but you're going to love. So this is going to be so good. So just come for the ride. So, Dr. Ronick, thank you so much for coming on.

Thank you so much for having me. I am so, so, so excited to be here.

As am I. Now, if. If you haven't heard her speak before, she has been a guest on the Doctors Changing Medicine podcast. So you should go check that out. She's super cool. Her company is so, so, so cool. But I'm going to have you introduce yourself, right for the people who haven't heard of your company before and all of that. So tell us a little bit about you, and then we'll take it from there.

So I'm Dr. Ronick. I am a family physician in the Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin. And as my side hustle, also, it seems like my full time job as well. On top of being a physician, I own a company called Nerd Bugs, which I founded. And Nerd Bugs are these, like, super cute, fun anatomical organ plushies that are used to help educate and inspire kids and adults about the human body. And, you know, my goal is to also help create medical awareness and reduce medical and mental health stigma.

Oh, that's good. See, she said it's so much nicer than I did. Okay. And now I know this is your company, you founded it and all of that, but this is not a baby company. This company has done amazing things. So I want you to walk us through a few of the highlights that you've had and brag away. Okay. Like, I want to hear the highs of the highlights, so just go for it.

Okay. Well, yeah, so I don't want to be too redundant, because I know that we had talked about a lot of this, the Doctors Changing Medicine podcast, but I'm happy to sort of reiterate some of the really neat things that sort of happened once I did launch Nerd Bugs. So I launched in, I had the idea when I was still in medical school about the whole idea of Nerd Bugs. And I had written this children's book about the human body with the hopes of creating the little character organs from the book into plushies one day. And long story short, I sort of just sat on that idea because mostly lack of confidence for almost 10 years, up until 2018, when I decided to just kind of take the leap of faith and figured all the rest of it out throughout the process. And if it worked out, great, great. And if it didn't, at least I wouldn't be wondering what if. And so I took the plunge in 2018. Launched in the summer of 2018, and it has just been kind of like it just took off. You know, people really resonated with the products, and they used it for exactly what I had hoped that they would to parents and teachers and educators and doctors use the plushies to help educate their patients and their kids about the different kind of medical conditions that were going on in their bodies. And then on the flip side of things, people that were patients were using it as almost like a comforting memento to help them get through their dialysis or their chemotherapy treatments or their open heart surgery and that sort of thing. So it's just been really, really neat to see how it's kind of resonated with people. And then soon after we launched, I started to apply for a lot of these contests. And then Nerd Bugs just really got recognized by a lot of different outlets. So we've had, like, partnerships with Amazon, Chase Business banking. We were featured on Forbes and a whole variety of, like, local media outlets, which has just been kind of unreal since. I still think that we're kind of in there in our infancy. We're a little over three years into it, but it's just really taken off, which has been like the most amazing thing to be a part of.

That's amazing. And nobody. Well, not nobody, but I'm sure you weren't thinking Forbes and all of these things when you were starting. Right? Because you have all this, I don't have the confidence to start and all of that, but who knew? Who knew was hidden all of that.

Yeah.

So I'm glad you took the plunge and you decided to do that. And for everyone listening, it is episode 13 of the Doctors Changing Medicine podcast because we talked about it a few times, but, you know, that's really huge. Congratulations.

Thank you. Yeah. And I would say, you know, like, outside of those big highlights that you. You see, like, oh, the feature on Forbes and the feature in the news, I really see that, like, a lot of these highlights was just as simple as seeing an idea, like a concept come to life. Like, that was a highlight for me. You know, all the accolades are just really, really amazing. But see, seeing something that you had as a vision come into reality, that is just undescribable. And then seeing like the transformation that you make in your own self confidence, you know, you, you know, another highlight I probably would say is the ups and the downs that you go through in business. Even the downs, that's a highlight because that is a thing that grows your confidence, not the other way around. Like, you don't have the confidence and then, and then you go through it. You, like, you just go all in and go through the process in the meanwh. And then the other really neat highlight, I would also say, was the freedom to define my own success. Like, what does success mean to you?

Oh, I love that.

Yeah. So for me, success was like taking these chances and really, like, believing in myself. And then the downstream effects of, like, how that leads to flexibility in your life and creating your own vision and really executing that.

That is. That is so good. So. So now I have a question. Right? You talked about a highlight also Being the downs. And so is that. Has that always been, or is that something you learned on your journey as an entrepreneur that you're like, oh, wow, I should be celebrating these two or, you know what I mean? Like, at what point did that become something that you knew that I should celebrate the downs too?

I think that's, you know, that's part of a larger question. And, and at the time, the downs feel horrific. It's not like the Instagram worthy things that you see, like, you know, those quotes and whatnot. Those downs, like, really do, they really do suck. And you know, you're kind of in tears and you have to lean on your support system and it's terrible. But it's in those moments that you sort of have to take a step back and really realize that those downs are the, are. Oh my gosh, like the, that's where the pivot in the road is. And it's at those moments that you have the ability to choose how you're going to learn and grow and react and respond from it. So at that time, and even currently during these times, no, I wouldn't say the downs are part of my highlight reel. But now having so many downs, you just have this ability to navigate and learn from them and sort of like take a step back and reflect in that situation. And I think if you take advantage of the opportunity, you can make those downs into a highlight.

I love. Right. If you can take that opportunity. So you see, we're calling downs opportunities now. And I love that you say that. And it's really important for entrepreneurs to hear this because is not all a highlight reel, right? In the sense, you know, like Instagram, like you say, right? Picture of the person sipping the margarita on the beach. Right. Like, that's not, that's not the full picture of entrepreneurship. It has a lot of downs. But if you can learn to see that as opportunities, yes, it will hurt. Yes, you'll cry. And like you said, you lean on your support system, but you go through them. And the more of them you go through, the more you learn how to navigate them, where you're like, okay, this is an opportunity. It hurts like crazy, but what can we get out of it? What can I learn from this? How can I adapt? And all of that, where it becomes a muscle and yes, it's still bad, but you're not as bothered by it. You know what I mean? Like, I remember coming to that point in my business where I was like, wait a minute, I'm actually comfortable being uncomfortable.

Yes.

Like, who would have known this. You know what I mean? So I love that that came out. Look, you're already dropping gems where we're not even 10 minutes yet. This is. This is so good. Okay, so that's. Those are business highlights, right? And today I brought you on because we are talking about business, but in the context of a personal highlight. So let's talk about that personal highlight.

Yes. So one really exciting event that happened with me and my husband recently is that we learned that we're expecting our first child. So super jazzed.

Congratulations.

Oh, thank you. Yeah, we're really, really. We're really excited about this. You know, we faced some tragic, you know, like, infertility issues for a little. Little while. So it wasn't even. That was just something that we had to, like, navigate through. And now, you know, we're. We're at a place where we can sort of celebrate the, you know, the good news. But even that in itself, I would say that, like, having a kid for me was not something that was, like, second nature, you know, like, I want to have a kid. I'm going to be a great mom. You know, all of those things. I think that in itself was something that I felt like I really had to. That was a decision. Right? Like, it wasn't something that I was like, oh, my gosh, this is what I want. And I think I was really. I think I am very lucky that I have a very supportive partner, because when me and my husband met, I think he's always wanted to have kids. And I remember when I met him one time, we were talking, and he's, you know, he's very. He's very Caucasian. I'm very Indian. And. And early on in. In our relationship, I remember him mentioning, like, oh, we met. I was kind of curious at what, like, half Indian, half white kids would look like. Spoiler alert. They're super cute. So I know that he's. That was, like, something that he's definitely wanted for a long time. But I think because we're having kids later on in life, we've had the time to sort of, like, obs how much that can change and impact your life. And that wasn't as easy of a decision for me, at least, to know, yeah, I want to have kids. It was something that took a lot of time and reflection, and I think Covid forced that reflection on changing the narrative. For a long time, I sort of felt like once you have kids, your life is over. Your life is just the kids. You have no more dreams. You can't travel you can't do anything. I think through Covid, I sort of realized, no, like, that's not it. You know, you can sort of create these new adventures. Just like you change the narrative in your head when you're starting a business or starting a new moment in your life. Like, you can change, like, how you view this. And I sort of realized, like, no, this is like an adventure that I want to go on. And I think it could be beautiful and it doesn't have to be this like, bleak story of like, my life is going to end.

It's amazing how many of us think that. But yeah, I had all of those. I don't know that I ever thought I wouldn't have kids, but I did have this, you know, that my life would be over. Actually, funny enough, that's one of the reasons I would not drive a van, because I'm not a soccer mom. You know, like, then I have nothing. I'm just, you know, changing diapers and wiping snotty noses all day. It was, yeah, it's just drama. So if you're listening and you have drama around that, just welcome to the club. Okay, so now, so let's talk about what not impact per se, it's had on your business, but now that you're on this adventure, Right, how are you navigating entrepreneurship differently?

I think that once I found out that I was pregnant, I had this, you know, I was very methodical. Like, I, like I am with my business. Like, okay, so I'm going to get this done, this done. You know, I have this nine month timeline. These are all the things that I'm going to get done. And I'm like very much rise at 4 pre work until I go to clinic and then come home and then work and then until I go to bed and have some balance in between, as much as you can. And I'm like, this is what it's going to be like and I'm going to make it work. And that reality came to a screeching halt in early first trimester when I realized I could not overpower my hormones. I could not overpower the fatigue and all of the symptoms in my head. I don't know what I was thinking, but I was like, oh, yeah, as a physician, I know these things are going to happen. Yeah, of course I'm going to be tired and short of breath and I'm going to have nausea and morning sickness. But I don't know what I thought that I was like, yeah, that happens to women. But I'm the Exception. Like, I will be able to, like, overcome this fatigue. And it was just. It was almost like a debilitating fatigue. I could not believe that people go to work like this. Like, it was horrific. And I was sort of forced to slow down, like many, many people do when they go through pregnancy and embrace, like, embrace a lot of things. Like, embrace slowing down, embrace uncertainty in the. In the world of, like, entrepreneurship, you know, sort of really accepting the fact that, like, I don't have all the answers, and that's okay, and I'm not going to get it all done, and that's okay. Like, to go from a very, like, go, go, go, hustle mindset to, like, really reeling it back and taking a step back and practicing, like, this type of, like, radical acceptance. I'm going to do what I can and I'm going to try my best and what I can't get done. That's okay.

Okay, so I'm going to interrupt you all kinds of ways now because. Because this is really important. And if you're listening, you may not be pregnant, but maybe there's another reason why you need to slow down in your business. Right? It could be, you know, kids are going off to college and you decide you have all these things and you wanted to really spend that last year with them or whatever. Or it may just be you have some other illness going on or you have something medical going on. Like, there's so many reasons why people would need to slow down right now. I find that the most frustration comes from resisting the reality.

Yes, right.

Like, you have to slow down. But you're like, I don't understand why I have to slow down. It's not fair. I don't want to. I'm trying to do all the things and all of that. And I think a lot of frustration and pain and all of that really just comes from not accepting what is. And you're talking about radical acceptance. So have you always been this way? Like, in the beginning, where you're like, oh, yeah, I'm just going to radically accept this? Or did you go through a process? Like, you're like, okay, I haven't come to Jesus meeting with myself, and this is the way I've been trying to do it is not going to work. I'm going to radically accept, like, how did you make that transition? Walk us through it a little.

I think that it was a slow process, and I think it's because it's this perfect storm of events with, like, Covid, this forced reflection that I think all of us across the board, no matter where we live in the world, no matter what we do in the world, and no matter what our family dynamic is, like, have been sort of forced to, like, reflect on a few things in our life, our personal lives of, like, you know, what do we want? What do we want our family dynamic to look like? And then as far as, like, personal and professional goals, like, what do we want those things to look like? And I think that, again, like, I don't think a lot of people would describe Covid as one of their highlight reels, but this is one of those times where you can take this period of forced reflection and really turn it into, like, an opportunity of learning. And so, like, not only with this change in, you know, my personal life with, like, our growing family now, but I think that also it caused, like, a period of forced reflection in my professional life as far as work. As I sort of mentioned, I'm a clinician now. And around the same time, there's a lot of changes, like, many physicians know, with the hospital dynamics and clinic dynamics and what was expected and how we were compensated and all of these things. And I sort of found myself just realizing that I was changing as a person and not in the ways that I really liked. I used to describe myself as this obnoxiously optimistic person, and I slowly transformed into this kind of nauseatingly cynical person for some time just because of all the changes that were happening in our institutions. And I found myself just complaining a lot. And from that, I realized, you know, it doesn't have to be this way. Like, I don't have to. I think, because there was that conflict of, like, this is how I want to help people, and I can't because I'm forced to, like, play inside these rules and these boxes. I think it forced me to kind of step outside and really reflect. Well, I don't have to. I don't have to do that. Like, if I'm that unhappy, like, maybe I should change not only the narrative, but, like, where this path is leading.

So it sounds like you did a lot of reflection. Yeah, a lot of reflecting. Okay. And it does help put everything in perspective. Right. When you're able to pause and look at the whole picture, you know, so for everyone listening, if you find yourself where you're needing to slow down, practicing radical acceptance. It's key. It's, you know, like, it takes it from pain to, this is what it is, and we're going to make the best of it. And who knows? This might be the best thing that ever happened to us and all that kind of stuff. So I love that you said that. Now I know you because we've talked quite a bit and I've seen the things you've done. So I'm sure like for 20, 20, 2022, you had all these projections where business is going to go, milestones were going to hit and all, and now you're needing to slow down. Right? So how do you balance slowing down and getting results? Right? Like, so I've accepted this. I know I have to, I could, I cannot overpower these hormones. So it is what it is. Right, but how do you balance that with the results you plan to get, the goals you set and all of that?

I think one of the big things is to like, get out of my own head, you know, like, stop comparing like, where I'm like, supposed to be. There is no, like, definitive path that I'm supposed to be on. Like the path that I'm on is the path that I'm supposed to be on. No matter how like fast or slow I get there. And just realizing that that's probably true, that is true for everybody. And then, you know, a few other things I did was like, be honest and delegate. Like when once I started to tell.

Oh, oh, I'm sorry, please say that again for all the people in the front and the back. Say it again.

Yeah, delegate, delegate. And be honest. You know, I think what I sort of alluded to before, like we had trouble getting pregnant when we did decide that we wanted to start a family. And a lot of me being so hesitant to tell people that I was pregnant for a long time was the fact that I was nervous that it was not going to work out again. But letting people in and letting them know what's going on and delegating tasks and letting them know, like, hey, I'm not going to be performing at this hyperspeed anymore for a while. And just so they were aware and they can kind of help out. I think that's, that's really, that's really key. And then the other one is just like, give yourself some grace, you know, just be nice to yourself. You know, there's, there's not enough to be said about that. And I guess the last thing that I would would say is like a take home point that I recently heard on a podcast was realize that your life is, is a series of rough drafts and revisions. It just really resonated with me. There's no definitive path. Like, you iterate and you reiterate iterate, you know, that's your path, you know, so those would probably be like. That's probably what I would say.

That is so good. Okay. So now, I always had a really rough time delegating. Right. Is something that I've worked a lot on. I'm so much better at it, but it's still something that's not, at this point, second nature. Right. So what kind of things did you delegate? Because someone is thinking, no, nobody can do the things I need to do. Like, what kind of things did you get off your plate? Or what kind of things would someone get off their plate?

I guess I'll. I'll sort of start. Split it into my personal life and then my business life. So in my personal life, I really just involved my significant other. And I think, you know, just asking for help instead of just taking more and more and more on my plate, that's usually what I would do, is just like, oh, let me just take care of this to make his day easier. And, you know, that's. That's one of my, like, love languages, like, acts of service. So instead of playing that role, I sort of had to, like, check myself and just realize, like, I can't do. I can't function at that level, at least not right now. And he was so receptive to it. And, you know, I think communicating and delegating the fact that I can't do all these things, people will understand. Like, they know that you're going through a transition. It's not always going to be like that. So that. That was one big thing in my personal life, and then with my work life, I think just being honest with my team members and having them take care of the things that I was previously doing and expanding my team in preparation for the fact that, like, even though this is a transition season in my life, this transition is not going to end in a few months.

It's not nine months. Right. Because after the baby's born, you have the baby, right?

Yeah. Yeah. I think you have to take care of it. I don't think.

Yeah, I think so. That's what I think.

So, yeah. And just realizing, I know on your podcast you talk a lot about getting your systems in place, and you talked about it when you had mentioned how you and your clinic prepared for Covid. And this is navigating any of life's transitions is a lot about getting your systems in place in order to run well, not only do you have to delegate, but get all your systems and processes in place. And you know that. That you're on the Right. Track when your business at one point or in certain areas can function without you.

Yes, yes. And that's a real business. Yeah, I love it. And so you talked earlier about, you know, seeing these quote unquote bad times as opportunities, and it turns out this is an opportunity as well. Right. Because after you build these systems, after you get all these things off your plate, I mean, like, even if you were not having a baby, right, let's say it's a completely different scenario. Well, you end up with the systems, you get to keep them, you end up with the team, you get to keep the team, and you just end up with the business where you don't have to be in it as much. You're freer to do some maybe even higher level work. Right. Like, how do we modify what we have? How do we build stronger systems, how do we build new verticals in the business and all of that. So it's a huge, huge opportunity that you have. And that's great.

Yeah, I'm really excited about that because you're absolutely right. Because it also forces you to grow. Like, once you're forced into making these changes for whatever reason, for me, it was a life transition, but then they're implemented. They don't just disappear. It really does free up your time to focus on the areas that you want to focus on and to not only grow, but also push yourself on multiple levels.

I love it. All right, people, so you heard what she said. So the first thing is delegation. The second is give yourself grace, be nice to you. You know what I mean? Which is, you know, sometimes hard, but we're learning to do that better and better. And I love where whatever podcast you listen to and got, the thing of, you know, is life is just rough drafts. You know, where we're editing as we go. That is so beautiful. Because we, as physicians, we're used to a path, right?

Yes.

Like, you get into high school, you get really good grades, Right. Then you get into, you know, pre med and you take your mcat, you get this kind of score, and then get into med school and then get into residency and do this kind of job, and then you retire and you die. You know, even if you're running a code, which is a life and death situation, there's an algorithm. You know what I mean? Like, we're used to pathways.

Yes.

But when it comes to entrepreneurship, there is no path. Like, you're. You're making it up as you go for one of a better phrase. And so thinking of it in drafts and all of that and really realizing that the things that seem bad are actually good. The things that slow down times are actually pivot. They're good times. Being able to see that and just like, you know what? Let's just make a masterpiece. Let's write a bestseller. Why don't we do that with this life, right? And then if we go and we're like, oh, we didn't like that. We can edit it. We haven't published it yet. It doesn't get published till you die. Right? So you can keep editing. So that is beautiful. Now, somebody's probably listening. And they hear you. They hear us, Right? But they just have to be slower, Right? A child is struggling, and they have to make out. They just have to slow down. And they're in that emotional phase of resisting it. And for the last two months has been awful and all of that. I know we've given them a lot of tips, but what would you say to encourage that person?

I would say, as I sort of mentioned before, that each moment and each season in your life, whether you're going at hyperspeed or you're going at a snail's pace, can teach you something if you let it.

Ooh, I like that.

Yeah. And I think that if you take the time to sort of observe it and let it sink in, even if it doesn't feel wonderful, you can learn something from that moment. Learn something about yourself. Learn something about how you cope with things. Learn something about that fork in the road and the fact that you have a choice and the decision of how you react and respond to it and how you move forward from it. I think it could definitely teach you something.

I love it. That's beautiful. Okay. And people are going like, nerd bugs. Where do they find out about you? And nerd bugs, where do they go?

So, yeah, you could find me at www.nerdbugs.com and that's our website. And you could also find me on Instagram. Instagram. @instagram.com backslash thenerdbugs.

Love it. All right, people, go follow her on Instagram. Check out her website. Buy some of her stuff. She's amazing. And from me and the. On the entire entrepreneur community, we're saying, you know, thank you for coming to share this and congratulations on your pregnancy, and we wish you nothing but the best. A lot less fatigue, a lot less all of that.

Right.

Doesn't mean you have to run back to work, but you can put your feet up. And thank you so much for coming in and sharing this. This has been a treat.

Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm really excited that we were able to have this conversation.

Absolutely. And for everyone listening, take a screenshot of this episode, wherever you're listening to your app or whatever, and share it on social media. Okay. Because this is really good. Share your biggest aha moment and tag us hashtag On Trendy. And I will see you on the next episode of the On Trendy podcast. Hey, if you love listening to the.

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