Milestones and reminders

August 2025 marked FOUR years of living and thriving in beautiful Aotearoa.

Our children have grown exponentially and we feel so blessed that not only have they been able to have a childhood that we could have only dreamed of when we were their age, but that Randy and I also have been able to have a parenthood that we know we couldn't have experienced if we'd stayed in the US.

• So much is taken for granted by people of whiteness.

  • Not having to consciously and consistently deprogram in your kids the self hate they are exposed to daily as people of color in a toxic environment of white supremacy

  • Not having to police what your children wear or how their hair is styled so that they are not targeted by police or racist Karens or racist teachers

  • Not having to stress about the effects of school shooter drills and not having to worry about your children never coming home from school because of a mass shooting.

  • Not having to police how your children play so they aren't at increased risk of being shot and killed by racist people or police

  • Not having to worry not just about my eldest's safety on the road as he starts to learn how to drive but fear that he may be killed by police

  • Not having to worry about the emotional and mental toll that being a person of color takes for myself and our children

  I could go on

  
  

Last week I went to Fiji for a medical conference of NZ Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

We all had to produce a lecture according to the theme provided. We were blessed with presentations by some Fijian OBGYNs and also got to tour one of the hospitals.

Every time I go on CME (Continuing medical education) trips, I think about how my jobs in the US never afforded me enough money or paid time to actually participate in meaningful conferences or courses so I was actually not improving my skills or knowledge outside of the set learning that we had to do annually to maintain our board certification. Whenever I compare my experiences as an employed physician in the States to the opportunities I have now, working in a public health system, I feel resentful and cheated.

At the beginning of September, I flew to Wellington for a lovely workshop about Trans and Gender diverse inclusive obstetric and perinatal care

Another CME trip. It was helpful in keeping me up to date on best practices when caring for this marginalized and vulnerable yet very resilient community. Making sure that everyone feels safe in the healthcare setting is very important.

My educational page is doing well and I am reaching many more people on TikTok than I do on instagram

People are engaging, asking questions, and recommending my evidenced based takes in the comments of posts that are are peddling misinformation. This has been heartening to watch.

Increasing health literacy is a passion of mine. There is so much false information out there. I believe that those of us who have expertise need to be the loudest voice on the internet, drowning out the willfully ignorant who have no qualms about expressing their inaccurate views as fact, while leading those with a poor understanding about science and health down unsafe path. Many of my public and private patients follow me and I love hearing when they tell me what they've learned or how they used the information I provided to educate others in their community to have conversations that are often seen as taboo.

Instagram and Facebook: @empoweredhealthsoltion

TikTok: @empoweredhealthsolutions

Even from far away, I am triggered by the sheer evil of white supremacy on display in the United States and I am reminded daily why I left and how prescient my discernment was and still is.

Go where you are valued, reader. No one should have to beg to have their inherent humanity recognized. Protect your heart and stay away from those who would quickly jettison the marginalized from their cause for political expediency.

Seek the company of those with the moral clarity to always prioritize the needs, comfort and safety of the vulnerable over the appeasement of the powerful and those who weaponize the myth of white supremacy.