152. Rapid-Fire Q&A with Dr. Erin Hurley: Life & Lessons

You're really easy to give feedback to, even when the feedback is maybe something that I could have done better. And I was like, that is the best compliment I've ever received. Because if people can't give you feedback, how can you learn?

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This is part two of our get to know you episodes, and this is my opportunity to interview Dr. Erin Hurley, one of my favorite people. And I'm gonna. Before I start the questions, I want to say it's. I'm, like, so looking forward to hearing her answers, even though I think I know some of them. And it'll be interesting for you all to notice our differences and how we come from different backgrounds and we have different likes, and yet we make this beautiful team. And I would like to invite you also to think of how are. Who are the important people in your life that you could team up and collaborate and do better, because the sum of the two of you is not two. It's an exponential number. So I just want to say that with a lot of love for one of my beautiful friends, Erin.

And I'm just going to interject because I got to interview you on the last episode 151, and I was like, wait, that's my answer. So you might hear some duplicates in here. So we may be a little more similar than you thought on some very interesting questions.

So that, too, I always say, like, how we complement each other so well, which I think makes this podcast even better. So here we go. Erin, we're going to start with the rapid fire questions as well. Coffee or tea?

I like both, but coffee is my fave. And you like Puerto Rican. I love Puerto Rican, and I love Costa Rican coffee. Those are my two favorites.

Yes, yes, yes. I love the positive influence there for you. Early bird or night owl?

I am more of an early bird now. I was a night owl for most of my life and then realized that by going to bed earlier and getting up earlier, things just seem to have a better outcome.

Yes. Good lesson right there. Mountains or ocean?

Ocean. I love them both, but the ocean is my. The energy at the ocean just rejuvenates me. And I live about an hour from the Oregon coast and the energy there. I've hosted women's retreats there in the Oregon coast. You've been there before? Just magical energy.

Oh, yes. I have, like, Beautiful pictures that pop in my head of you in the ocean. So. Yes, yes, yes.

Yeah. Although the water on your feet is really, really col cold.

So different than the Puerto Rican water.

Absolutely.

Not that it's called Puerto Rican water, but that's what I want to call it. Water and sand in any beach is wonderful. Favorite dessert.

Homemade boysenberry pie. So it used to be my mom taught me how to make it, so she made the world's best boysenberry pies. If you came home from college or medical school or came home to visit, she would make a ton of them in the summer, and then we would. She'd defrost them, she'd put them in the deep freeze, and then she'd bake one when you came home. So I try to do the same for. For my son when he comes home, make him a berry pie.

My mouth is watering. I was thinking, oh, pay attention so that you can make sure that you have her favorite dessert when she comes to visit. But it might have to be the other way around. You. When I go visit you.

Awesome.

Okay. Pet peeve.

I have the exact same pet peeve as you is when people eat their food loudly. I remember being in office where somebody would crunch their carrots and they were literally not in my office, but a room, a room across the hall and in an opposite office. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm gonna go crazy. So, yeah, just ask my. My poor husband and my kids not. I don't do well when food is crunched loudly.

Yes. I don't struggle with it all the time, but when it's present, it's like, oh, my goodness, I can be here.

I think there's a psychiatric term for it. I. That I learned from my coach who taught me about that. And I was like, oh, there's actually a name for this, but I can't remember.

Oh, my goodness. Yes, yes, yes. Okay. Hidden talent.

Oh. I was able to ride a motorcycle in Africa to this remote village in a long skirt down to my ankles because I was in Malawi, Africa, and women had to wear long dresses or skirts. And the only way to this village to give vaccines and vitamins was on a motorcycle. So.

Oh, wow. I hadn't thought would have not pictured you doing that. So. Thank you. I love this little details that we don't know about each other. And talking about that. What is a fun fact about you that most people don't know?

Well, just like you, I am also a black belt, so I'm a second degree black belt. In Taekwondo. And. Yeah. So I haven't done it in a while, but it was a great, great experience.

Yeah. Like my. One of my teachers said, once a black belt, always a black belt, so we can always own it. Okay, next this a little deeper. What's a belief you had 10 years ago that you no longer agree with?

My husband will appreciate this one. That I'm not always right, and it doesn't always have to be my way. And as a physician, that some of us can get stuck in that mindset. So, yeah, I don't always have to be right.

Wow, That's a really good one. Oh. I have to say that I'm better at that as well. And I say out loud if I'm in a conversation, especially if it's someone close to me. I said, pay attention. I'm not gonna repeat this, but you were right.

Yeah. We have a joke in. In our. In our relationship, in my marriage. And we've been married 25 years. And you know when my husband gets to say that? Can you say that again? You were in when. And I have to say I was wrong. And he's like, wait, can you say that again?

I am going to record you. Say it again. Oh, that's funny. That's good. Let me ask you another question. What's a sliding door moment? One tiny decision that completely changed your life.

I've mentioned this many times on the podcast, and that was when I said yes to hiring my first coach. There is a huge night and day difference between how I showed up, and that's why I can not always be the right one. It that coaching really changed so much in my life, and I'm really grateful for that because I don't. I don't show up the same way. As much as I think I was an okay person before that, I know that I'm much better, much more respectful, much more connected to people in my life than I was before.

Yes, I love that. We're very grateful for coaching and how it has helped us grow and become better people. What's a compliment you've never forgotten and why did it matter?

Well, this goes back to being a black belt in karate. And in karate, they teach you to thank your, you know, your karate master who's giving you correction. You say thank you and so that it's not awkward, so that they're able to give you correction in the future. And so one of my coaching clients said, you're really easy to give feedback to, even when the feedback is maybe something that I could have done. Better. And I was like, that is the best compliment I've ever received. Because if people can't give you feedback, how can you learn?

Hmm. Wow, that's really good. I like that analogy. And. And yes, you are. What's a childhood memory that shaped you?

Who?

That. I'm sorry, that shaped who you are today?

Well, I hung out a lot with my older brother, so we were the middle children, and he was the only boy in our family. And I still remember him saying, I think I was in the fourth grade. And he said, I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up. And we had a dog, some cats, some horses. We lived out in the country. I was like, oh, I love animals. That sounds like a great idea. And so fast forward. I continued to have my interest in medicine, and as a freshman in college, I pivoted from animal medicine to people medicine. But that shaped me wanting to go into medicine, and it's stuck with me ever since.

So grateful that happened. Yes, yes, yes. Let me ask you something else. What's something you did? Scared? And it ended up changing everything.

I don't know if it changed everything, but I used to be very introverted and didn't like to public speak and didn't like to share my. My voice. So I went through a pivotal time where I became more comfortable sharing my story and talking. And I think one of the biggest times was back in 2018, and I was asked to speak on Brendon Burchard's stage. And so Joanne and I have been part of Brendan Burchard's world for a while, and it was in front of maybe a thousand people. And I'd done. By then, I'd done more public speaking, but it was in front of more people than I had ever spoken in front of before in front of, you know, on Brendan's stage, somebody that I respect very much. And I was. So I worked for months and months on a seven minute speech and. And it really allowed me to be able to step on other stages, share my story, to speak at fundraisers and things that really increase my ability to do public speaking and a different level than I had before.

And I am grateful for the part of you that tapped into that extroversion and the importance of connections, because I don't know that we would be doing this if you had not been that right and that good connector. And I joke that whenever we're somewhere and we're walking around in a group and then we look around and it's like, where's Erin? And she's like, behind talking to someone that she might have known before or not. And we're like, okay, we need to go get Erin. And she's making connections for herself and for us and bringing people in. So I'm very grateful that that's a quality that you have. I know I've benefited from it.

Yeah. I did not start out an extrovert, and I know my older sister who was into media, she wanted to be an actress, and we spent a lot of time together doing fundraising for breast cancer things. And because she always wanted to be in front of the camera, it role modeled that for me. And I got more used to it. And so I'm very grateful for her too, because she helped shape that. And then I realized that if I can't share my story, if I can't share the things that I've struggled with and that could help somebody, why would I want to keep that to myself? And it was just a very, like a big ego shift too.

Right.

Like, I can talk about things that were hard and nobody, you know, maybe some people will judge, but I'm going to survive even sharing those. And it was such an eye opening experience that it really liberated me from saying, I really can talk about things with other people and not have to worry about that shame or judgment and. And it'll all be okay.

It's a beautiful lesson right there. What is one part of your culture or upbringing that makes you proud?

Just like you had shared about your family traveling to the Dominican Republic and being very generous with sharing gifts and things to people who may not have been able to afford them those things themselves? My mom really role modeled that. I remember we had foster children growing up. She made it a point to contribute. I remember there was. We helped support some Mexican orphans, and then they would come up and visit. She was very generous. If we had staff, they had some apartments that they owned, and the apartment manager, she was just very generous with getting gifts or supporting people that maybe were down on their luck or struggling or didn't have the same support or resources. And so that really shaped me and has helped me look for opportunities where I can support individuals who, you know, don't have the same safety net or support system that I do.

Hmm. That's beautiful. I love it. And I love this question. What do you hope people feel when they're in your presence?

I really want people to feel seen and understood, regardless of if we come from similar backgrounds or not. But I want them to feel like a whole person that's worthy of being seen and understood.

Hmm. And I've been on the other side of that many times with you. So you, you do do a good job with that. So that's great. It's. It's good to have this intentions because we show up better when we have this awareness. And how cool. I love that we've done this get to know you questions, and I hope that you all have a little bit of a different, more detailed and even more personal sense of us as your speakers here and would love to share. What else would you like to know? Are there questions that we didn't ask each other that you would like for us to talk about? I think that there's a part two to this episode where we could go funnier, lighter, or deeper, more personal because again, when we share, we open space for other people to share. When we're vulnerable, we make it more available to all of us. So it's good. This is a fun exercise to do with your close friends, your partners, your kids. So might be a good maybe something to do during this holiday season that's coming. And with that, please stay tuned. Our next episode is coming right up.

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