From Optometry To Authorship: Purpose, Patients, And Personal Courage

We explore how a 30‑year optometrist reconnected with purpose, found her voice through vulnerability, and turned a clinic into a culture powered by gratitude and action. The story spans a viral poem, practice reinvestment, children’s books, and the simple habits that keep leaders on fire.

• patients as purpose and the post‑COVID awakening
• staying in your lane vs stepping into courage
• vulnerability on LinkedIn and the unifying poem
• private messages, shared trauma and dropping masks
• reinvesting in the clinic with tech and design
• gratitude rituals that shape patient experience
• combating burnout by reconnecting to mission
• faith, morning clarity and trusting the process
• children’s books, the Chew Crew and legacy building
• organic podcasting and creating in public

Find more about Dr. Chu at https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiechuod/ or her podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chu-on-this/id1858742440. Her website is https://chuonwhatmatters.com/. 

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

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Transcript

Welcome And Katie’s Background

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Welcome everyone to iCare Leadership Live. I'm your host, Mike Lyons, and today's guest is Katie Chu. Dr. Katie Chu. She's an optometrist based in Southern California, and we're going to talk about showing up for yourself, aligning your voice with your purpose, and Katie's journey that's led her to write some books, uh, create a podcast, and more. Uh so with that, let's start the show. Dr. Chu, thanks so much for joining me here today. Oh, you're you are so welcome. You know, I like to always start these conversations with, and this this may be a long answer based on your your many interests, but what can you tell us what you do and why you do it in a nutshell?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

In a nutshell. Can this be a very large nutshell?

SPEAKER_02 0:59

A large nutshell, yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

A large nutshell. Um, well, professionally, it's a 30-year years worth of a nutshell. Um, I started, I started being a an optometrist out in the LA County area 30 years ago. I set up uh my own practice um at serving in an immigrant community right outside of downtown LA. And, you know, I I've gone through a lot of ups and downs in terms of my personal life. And at the end of the day, it's like what I just realized maybe about two and a half years ago, that what kept me, I'm gonna put in air quotes, alive and kicking were my patients. And I never really connected the dots until two and a half years ago. And so, you know, I know that probably later you might be asking, like, what's my journey like these last few months? And this is all part of the the story of just this realization of how much my patient base has given back to me. Yeah, so that's my nutshell.

Patients As Purpose And Post‑COVID Shift

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Okay, wow. Well, that was pretty concise. Um, we already we have a comment, someone, I don't know who it is, unfortunately, says hi from Austin, Texas. So whoever it is that said that, hello. Thank you for saying hi. We love uh people saying hi. Um and so yeah, so you've been you've you alluded to a journey here. You alluded to a journey that you've been on um here for these last few months. And gosh, I'd love to learn more. I know you've had a long career in optometry, but but you've taken some bold moves, shall we say?

SPEAKER_00 2:50

I have. I have. Um, what I can say is that I was living my life, both personally and professionally, in uh I I always stayed in my own lane, if you know what I mean. Um, I just, you know, I didn't worry if there were other cars passing by, speeding by. I didn't care if there were other cars that were a little bit more, you know, slower than mine. I just stayed in my own lane and did what I felt like was the most comfortable in terms of matching um my own personal, you know, um beliefs and things like that. And so that's how I also raised my daughters. And um the way I I treated my patients, I I I saw them like family. And so they were kind of like my coping mechanism, and I didn't realize that. And and so I I would show up for my patients, I would show up for my daughters, and I didn't really realize that I wasn't showing up for myself. And I think that's what happened was I, you know, I've been married twice, divorced twice. And I think both of those times, I didn't understand my own worth and I wasn't showing up for myself. And so I it that's how life went, you know, and but like I said, um after COVID, uh these last five years going on to six years, just a lot of changes at my practice, a lot of turnaround with staffing. And, you know, it's hard to separate work from personal life when it comes to changes like COVID. And that's when things really started to uh become meshed, if if I'm gonna use that word. And I think two and a half years ago, I really started buckling down in terms of like knowing what my purpose is in life. And that's what I alluded to earlier, was that I I realized it's it's been my patient base the entire time that they were they were feeding me and fueling me privately. And and now I'm I'm I'm willing to go outside of my lane. I that's so the last five months, it something has transformed. Um, and and like you, you know, we met on LinkedIn, and I'm gonna tell you this. I I wasn't going to you know say it publicly because it's more of a um a quiet achievement, I guess, because I was never on social media prior to this year. But um, as of yesterday, I hit over 5,000 followers.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Wow.

Vulnerability On LinkedIn And The Poem

SPEAKER_00 5:47

I know, I know, and and I only had a few hundred going into the beginning of August. And then I posted a very private poem that I wrote to my therapist around the time of my birthday, which was August 8th. And that poem changed everything. I mean, not just changed everything in terms of like followings or followers, but changed everything in terms of my identity. I I realized that by being vulnerable on a platform like LinkedIn, it it really took courage to show, you know, my my journey. And um, and I guess it has resonated with people. And so in the month of August, I think I went up to like about 2,000 followers. And then from that point till now, I've hit over 5,000. So I it's a quiet milestone, but that wasn't my goal ever. It's just that these are things that I'm realizing that um it's resonating with people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:58

Well, that's a powerful step to take. Congrats for for expanding your reach, but but maybe more than that, helping other people connect with themselves and you know, into something deeper, which I think that's probably what it sounds like that's what really happened.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Um, absolutely. I know that a lot of times uh when people comment, you know, on my post, you know, we we all see that, right? We all see those posts. But I am telling you that there are so many other people that privately message me, um, letting sharing uh with me their own personal stories. And that's the part where I just feel so blessed and and and so thankful and so grateful that my my my I call them random posts because I there is no rhythm, but even though some people might think there's a rhythm to my posting, but I I post completely based on my emotions that morning. Um, whatever comes into my head and and tugs at my heart, you'll see me post. And I don't follow any algorithm because I know that you know people say, oh, you shouldn't post more than one time a day, you should only do it maybe three times a day. And then they they say certain hours. Well, if you notice, I don't really follow any of that. And and I guess in a way, I'm I'm going back into my own lane, you know, I'm just doing my own thing, but I think it's those um private messages um that are really um making me feel like it's worth it. Everything that I'm I'm doing, it it's having a an impact.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

If you uh what were some of the themes that you heard from, you know, so you you put I saw the post, or at least I think I saw someone had reposted it. Uh our good friend Mandy Cancer, I think, had maybe reposted it. And I read, I read it, and and you were extremely vulnerable. And so I'm curious what what were kind of some of the themes that you were hearing from people that were reaching out to you? What were they saying in response to that?

Private Messages And Dropping The Masks

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Okay, so you're referring to that poem that published in. Yeah. Yeah. So for those who are listening right now and may not really know which poem we're talking about, um, it was during the week of my my birthday around August, and I posted a poem that I wrote to my therapist who was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. And at that time when I wrote the poem, uh, she had stopped therapy with me. So I was just in contact with her via text messages. And so my my way of thanking her was writing this poem. And I texted to her and she didn't respond. And a few days later, I found out that she had passed. And so I held on to that poem um for a few for a couple of years, and then I decided to to post it on LinkedIn. And so in that poem, I basically made statements about all the trials I have gone through in my life, and how each trial I came out as a survivor. But I ended that poem by saying that although I I know that I am a survivor, I'm very proud that I'm a survivor, but I also feel like I'm a conqueror. And that's how I ended the poem. And um, so privately, other people have reached out to me, um, you know, telling me how much courage that they saw in me, and and that that was helping them find a way to do the same. And uh what Mandy did, Mandy Canceller did, was she took my poem and she put her own story, her own uh words, what she survived through, and presented it. And so when I saw that, I I knew I had to reach out to her. And um, and so our our our my poem has really become a unifier uh for me and Mandy, but for all those people that have messaged me, um, you know, I I touched upon things that about, you know, divorce, and I also touched upon childhood abuse, um, I touched upon domest domestic uh violence, um, just a lot of different things and and depression, and and those were all the things that were in my poem. And like I said, the people who have reached out to me, they're like us. I mean, we're no different, you know, we we are um working professionals, and I think what really resonated with people is that, you know, I I am, how should I say it, I'm modeling for people that just because we are working professionals, that we don't have to keep these masks on all the time. And that if your true self comes out, that's a beautiful thing. And that that in itself becomes uh makes you into even a better leader uh in every you know facet of your life, whether it's prof uh professional or personal. And I think it's because when we're always trying to have these different masks on our faces, it it gets tiring. It gets tiring. And um, and I think right now I'm I'm living my best authentic life because I'm not tired anymore. I I feel for I feel free. And I yeah, and I think that's what's resonating with a lot of people.

Sponsor Message And Practice Upgrades

SPEAKER_02 13:19

This show is sponsored by Seasoned Advice HR Services, where I help eye care businesses to make more money and save more money by hiring better, retaining better, and reducing your HR risk. If you would like an HR assessment or ongoing HR support, please reach out to me at seasoned-advice.com. And and you you talked about um, you know, getting out of your lane a little bit. And so I kind of want to hear um you talk about what does that mean for you getting out of your lane and where's that lane headed, Amy?

Alignment, Clarity, And One True Voice

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Yeah, so I think that lane that I was referring to, staying in my own lane, that was my comfort zone. You know, I that's how I'm gonna define it. I didn't want to take risks, I felt comfortable with whatever I was doing because of fears, yeah, you know, and and fear of change, which is very common with human nature, right? That's why we form habits. And but when we start looking at these habits that we develop, a lot of times it comes from this anxiety or fear of of change, right? Because it's gonna make us feel uncomfortable. So this last two and a half years and more so 2025, I decided what the heck, I'm just gonna go for it. Um, and and so I started just doing the things that I wanted to do. So remember earlier I talked about um these thoughts or things that like pulled at my heart, my heart strings. That's what I'm talking about. So 2025, I made a commitment to myself that any thought that came into my head or or my heart felt like it was being tugged, there was no more reason for me to even think about it like as if maybe I shouldn't do it. I already knew I need to do it. And so, yeah, and so that's so when you asked me what what is chain uh getting out of this lane um leading to, I I I I I went ahead and and and wrote two children's books. Um yeah, and I found a wonderful publisher um through another author who had invited me to write a chapter in her book. Um, that was around January when I got that invitation. And her book, which I contributed to, uh, was launched in June. So in June to August is when I started really brainstorming with the publisher because I got a connection, right? And I I basically told the publisher that I wanted to write children's books, and that's where we're at right now. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

Well, you know, man has to chime in and say, This is great. So thank you, Mandy, for your comment. And and you know, I agree, and and I kind of wanted to delve deeper here because you're talking about you're talking about a mindset where if you feel pulled you know in a direction that your heart is calling you to do that, um, and you're saying yes, you know, you're saying yes to the universe, um, and you're saying yes to yourself. Um, you know, if someone's out there listening and they're thinking, man, I want to get some of that juice, you know, that Katie's got, yeah, you know, what does it take to connect with that that drive that that inspired you? I mean, do you have to go through some serious pain to get there? Or I don't know, what tips do you have for for those of us out there?

SPEAKER_00 17:27

So, I mean, I I feel like some of the words uh that I'm going to use sounds like people have already heard these words or have seen them in other people's posts. Um, but the reason why I'm using these words is because these are the things that I have implemented in my own life. And it's alignment, uh clarity, and finding purpose in your life. And so, you know, when when when you hear me say something like, you know, one true vision, one true voice, one true you, that is what I'm talking about. Because, you know, uh vision is having clarity. Okay. And so once you understand what your purpose is, right? It that gives you clarity in your life. And so I'm gonna tell you, my soul searching these last two and a half years, I realized that my purpose is serving, and serving are my patients. I serve my patients day in, day out, day in, day out. And you know, and and and I could be posting every day about all the blessings I have that I share with my patients every day. That can fill my my my posts every day, but I decided not to. I I decided to do something different.

Tech Hiccup And Putting Purpose Into Action

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Uh oh, Katie, we lost your we lost your feed here. So Dr. Chu here was on a roll, and we seem like we lost the connection. Um but but fear not. We're gonna try to get her back um so that we can continue on this discussion uh because I'm fascinated as a person who is super passionate about helping other people, you know, find, you know, find their drive at work. Um Katie's story, Dr. Chu's story is really powerful. So hoping to get her back here on. I do have a comment from Serena. Oh, here comes Dr. Chu.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Okay. Well, hi. Well, you know what? I I'm gonna give some background to the people who are viewing. I am going to let you know I am actually on my cell phone right now. We were having technical difficulties prior to being live. Uh, we could not get my um video to be or my camera working off of my laptop. So what happened was we just lost the feed because somebody was calling in on my phone.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

Oh no. No calls, please.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

No calls, please. So obviously, whoever was calling was not watching this live feed. So um, well, so what I was saying was, you know, the the getting the clear the clarity is um understanding what your purpose is. And so, and then when I talk about one true voice, that's the part where once you understand what your purpose is, then you gotta put it in action. Your voice is what is going to resonate, right? You got to put that voice out there, and so that's the part where it's action. And um and so the way I've been doing it now in terms of living out my purpose, you know, like I said, serving my patients, right? But how am I doing it even more so? I'm doing it more so in a very grand scale. I mean, I I I like I said, I've been practicing for 30 years. I could be easily um slowly retreating back and in and and and planning out my exit plan and all that. But I've been doubling down in terms of reinvesting into my practice. I remodeled my practice. It it's it's a beautiful boutique looking practice, and my patients love the environment. And and then this past year, I I bought new technology to put into my practice. And um, and I think Mandy Cancler might be watching. I I am gonna give her a shout out. So um I will be posting later on today. I was gonna just make it into a special announcement, but I did bring in uh Mandy Cancellers uh company into helping my practice um be stronger and better and and to be able to serve my community even more so. Um and so yeah, so I've I've hired her to be my consultant. And uh and she's actually, I think, flying in. Um she might be watching us on the airplane right now. So she's flying in from North Carolina over to LA. And uh she's gonna be spending um a few days here uh to help me with my practice. And then next week we're gonna go full force into uh more workshops. And um, but yeah, this is all for me to put into action. And um, and at the end of the day, what I realize is that once you have that alignment and that clarity and you're um voicing out or or making it into actionable um um experiences or or um you you you end up being so much more fulfilled. And that's where I I call it the one true you, because the one true you is when you realize that your authentic self is when you remove all those masks, you find out what your true purpose is, you put it in action, and you're gonna end up living your best life. And that's how I feel right now. It's like every day, um, I'm I I am living my best life.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

Yeah.

Gratitude As A Leadership Practice

SPEAKER_00 23:55

And um, I don't know if there's any secret to to what I'm doing, but that that's that's how I've been doing it. And and I'm hoping that you know, as my um voice becomes louder um on LinkedIn, yeah, um, and what I mean by louder is through my my posts, I'm I'm showing um all sides of me. I I don't want it to be where it's only industry related. And that's what I meant by earlier, where I could be posting every day about my my um my clinical outcomes, right? My patient outcomes and and all that. I could be doing that, but I decided that, you know, I I want people to understand that it's okay to share every aspect about you because we need to be able to be whole.

SPEAKER_02 24:52

You know, I think I think that we all become more compelling when we are more real and when we when we disclose you know our motives, when we disclose our challenges and we show humility, you know, that we're not perfect, that makes you more compelling. As a person, as a professional, as a provider, I think. Um I can imagine, I'm I'm curious. Have you had any of your patients that have seen any of your content and have and commented about it?

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Uh so I'm very low-key. I'm very low-key. So so there's nothing in my practice that is uh letting people know that you know I have my own podcast. I I I I you know that I've written books. I mean, I have books that are on display in my practice, but there's no arrow pointing to it that says, oh, this is, you know, they're just there. And if anyone happens to ask, oh, are these written by Dr. Chu? Then my staff goes, oh yes. Um, it, you know, and so um, but no, I I recently I did have a patient that brought up something uh about me going to Hawaii and that if I was already in Hawaii, and and um and I said, Oh, so how did you know? You know, and then so she she said she saw me on a TikTok video.

SPEAKER_02 26:22

That's awesome. Um, we have a comment from Serena Tyndall. Um, she's a certified ophthalmic assistant, says, Hi from Florida, great discussion. I've enjoyed listening to both of your podcasts recently. So having you together is a great combination. Thank you both for being your authentic and vulnerable selves. Thank you, Serena. And you know, that comment and kind of what you were saying is making me curious. So you talked about connecting with your true purpose and your true voice. And I wonder, as you have utilized your voice, as you have found your voice and expressed it through the podcast, books, um, LinkedIn posts, do you think that that has helped you? Has that created a virtuous cycle where the more you express your voice, the more you connect with yourself, the more you connect with others, has the using of your voice really been, I don't know, helped you along this journey that you're on?

Combating Burnout By Reconnecting To Mission

SPEAKER_00 27:26

A hundred percent. I I think that's why I was mentioning earlier the the ultimate goal is to connect to your one true self, meaning that once you understand that it's okay to be authentic, it's okay to let your guard down, let those masks come off, right? Once you realize that that it's okay and you give yourself permission, that's where the clarity starts coming in, right? Because if you still keep your professional mask because you feel like you have to, because you're in a corporate setting and you can't be a certain way because you know you might be judged, you know, uh a certain way, it's like then you're still not living your most authentic self, right? But once you start giving your permission, um that's where that inner growth uh just starts to flourish. And like for me, that's why like in one of my posts I put down that people, I mean, literally, I've had so many people go, Dr. Chu, or they'll say, Katie, you're on fire. I keep hearing that. You're on fire. And and um, yeah, I'm gonna say, I am on fire. I I am on fire, but it's it's because once you start this going, it's like you can't stop. You can't stop. And and um, and it's such a beautiful thing. It's such a beautiful thing. And then the main thing is during this whole process, I'm gonna have to bring this in. You can't you have to exercise gratitude, humility. You you because you can't, you can you can't not practice gratitude every day, every day I practice gratitude. And and in one of my posts, um you know, here's the thing, I'm a late bloomer. So a lot of these posts that you see now, they're things that have are I've already been, I'm gonna put it air quotes post in the previous years. Like I had name tags made for my staff, and my name tag is Doctor of Gratitude. And each of my staff, they wear name tags that say, because at the beginning of the year, I had told all of them, you guys have all been promoted. You guys are all directors, and then I passed them out, and one tag would say director of laughter, director of serenity, director of happiness, director of laughter, director, you know, and and um yeah, and so I I obviously I based it off of their personalities and then I I gifted it to them. And and so it's it's it's cool. I mean, when patients see my staff wearing these name tags, um, so yeah, uh all I'm saying is that they were already in place, and then months later, then I posted it, you know, and and um yeah, I've always been practicing gratitude. I, you know, my my patient base, every patient, I bow to them. I bow. I bow out of respect. Yeah, because you know, I'm I'm in an immigrant uh community. Most of my patients are coming from different countries in Asia, but everyone, I bow. I bow at the beginning, I bow at the end. I thank them so much for choosing me. I tell every patient they have choices, they know they have, I know they have choices, they know they have choices, but at the end of the day, they're sitting in front of me, and so I am so thankful and I tell them that.

SPEAKER_02 31:13

You know, I I love that you're going into the gratitude topic here because it is it is so important, and it's so important as a leader to practice gratitude, and it sounds like you really have taken that to heart.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

Oh, I love that. Yeah, and and and the beauty is that my staff um are also practicing gratitude, and I don't know, you know, it's kind of like the chicken or the egg, which came first. Like, I don't know if it's because I've been modeling it for them or that they were already doing it on their own. It it it doesn't matter. What does matter is that we are all in harmony, like so I I mean I'm you know, it sounds like um the fancy word people use nowadays is oh, I provide concierge service. Well, my practice, I could say that we offer concierge service too, but it's but it's from gratitude. So what my staff does, like during after pretesting, right, out of natural gratitude, right? We'll tell our patients, you know, we'll we'll show them where the bathroom is, okay, and then we'll tell them, would you like, or we will ask them, would you like a a cup of hot tea or water while you wait for Dr. Chu. You know, it's it's it's out of being thankful that they are there. And so just a gesture of offering something to to to to drink while they're waiting is a very simple um act, but it goes a long way. Patients are very, very grateful that we offer them.

SPEAKER_02 32:56

Um I'm wondering, as you have been on this journey of finding your your true self and your true purpose and your voice, which it you know is is exuding uh passion and excitement. Um have you noticed your leadership in the office changing, shifting, um in any in any manner? Or are you just now being more vocal and you're kind of taking it into the public now?

Faith, Morning Clarity, And Trusting The Process

SPEAKER_00 33:29

The latter. Because because because, like I said, uh uh for the last 30 years, when I say I'm staying in my own lane, I was already doing all this. I was already doing all this, but just very privately, right? And um, and then now I I I've realized that what I have been doing, um it it needs to be shared. It needs to be shared. And um and yeah, I I think that's part of my my purpose is um that as I'm serving my patients, I I need to model that for others, because it's it's very simple, you know. But I think sometimes when we when we're in healthcare and and practicing as long as I have, um we burn out. We burn out very easily. And how do we re um, how do we find a reset? Right. And sometimes people they they don't they they end up burning out and never resetting. So then when when later in their life and when people ask them about, oh, so what did what were you doing, you know, before you retired, and they'll kind of grumble and say, oh yeah, I was just an optometrist. What do you mean by just an optometrist? Right? What do you mean by just an optometrist? Because we are in one of the best professions that I can ever imagine, because we are every day changing somebody's life by helping them to see better and live better. I mean, we cannot take for granted that a pair of glasses, a pair of contacts, um, surgery to remove cataracts, uh LASIK, uh retina um, you know, retinal detachment uh surgeries, every single one of those things that we are doing in our in our industry, we are helping people live better lives. And I think people forget that. They forget that. So we're not just an eye doctor, no, we're more than that.

SPEAKER_02 35:42

Yeah, connecting with that purpose of your work is so important. Um, you know, I'm wondering for it for people that are listening that are that are saying, man, Dr. Chu is so fired up, she's on fire. Um, I'm sure you, even though you were kind of doing these things before, um, as you found your voice, you've probably learned some things along the way. And um, you know, is there any wisdom or advice that you would give to someone who is thinking, gosh, I kind of want to find my voice, or I kind of want to dabble with getting out there, or I'm not sure what my purpose is. You know, are there things that you've learned as you've really pushed yourself out of your lane that you would want to share with other folks who are kind of thinking about getting the same Dr. Chu energy that you're rocking right now?

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Um let's see. I I I I think for me, I'm gonna just speak for myself. I think part of me finding this clarity was to um become more faith-based. And so that that's where I would I would lean on my faith to to gain that strength, if that makes sense. Because sometimes we feel alone in in a lot of these hard decision making. And I know that I have spoken on my own podcast uh in in regards to my uh clearest moments are my God moments, and they're in the morning between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. And it is very clear that those are the times where anything that tugs at my heart, I run with it. I I go with it because I believe that that is a message that God is giving me. And uh, but you know, I don't always bring up my faith or religion. And so how I practice it is that when I have a business decision to make, um, I will always tell those people um that are asking me to make a decision, I'll be like, you know what? Can we wait until tomorrow? And I'll give you an answer. It's because I need that morning. I'm I'm having a I'm I'm having a meeting with God.

Children’s Books, The Chew Crew, And Legacy

SPEAKER_02 38:18

Yeah. Well, I heard that, you know, I and this applies to people whether you're a person of faith or not. I I heard someone put it in a very similar way, which is you have good ideas, which may sound technically good, and then you have God ideas. And what they meant by that was again, whether you're a person of faith or not, you have it a moment of inspiration and clarity. And it sounds like for you that's in the morning, and you know, for me, it's probably when I'm on a run or maybe I'm in the shower or something like that. But like you have clarity, and sounds like what you're saying is when you have that clarity, then and then that's a good idea, that's a god idea, and and even better than it's a good sounding idea, you know.

SPEAKER_00 39:06

Yeah, you know, I I'm I'm gonna reframe things here for for our followers, um, just so they understand my journey. Yeah, I wasn't using God's name until about two and a half years ago. So, how was I explaining things that were going well in my life? And at that time, I would be saying that it was the universe aligning itself. That's how I was always explaining things. When things were going well, I would be saying that the universe was aligning. Um, and you know, it's just that now I I'm I'm calling that energy, that positive energy as being God. But prior to that, I always believed that positive energy attracts positive energy. And I think one of the the it was a movie, oh my goodness, what is it called? It was talking about um about manifesting things. The secret. Yes, yes, the secret. That was life-changing for me. I watched it maybe three years ago, and that that was that was life-changing for me to watch The Secret. Yeah, because oh, sorry, not to cut you off. Um, go ahead, go ahead. Well, well, the the the the takeaway from the secret, what the takeaway for me was that, and and I and I have been implementing it, is you don't have to know how to get there. You just have to be able to trust the process because that's what the secret is about. That they they remember they had all these people that were like high achievers and people who were huge successes in life, but when they got interviewed, they all admitted that they didn't know the process. They they knew what they wanted, but you had to just believe in it and and and and and and how should I say work towards it, but you don't have to know what the next step is in order for you to even start the process. And and I I truly do believe that because if if I if every decision that I've had to make these last two and a half years, I had to know every single step before I even take the first step, I would have that would have paralyzed me. I would have not started anything. And um, so now I just let it all go. I tell myself, oh, this is what I want to do. And I don't even bother or worry about how I'm gonna get there. I just know it will happen.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

You know, that's the story of so many things that I've done. And and honestly, they don't always work out, but you end up in the place that you're that you're meant to be, and you end up in a place that's better than maybe what you thought at one time. Is is that yeah? Do you believe that that's true?

SPEAKER_00 42:06

Oh, a hundred percent. So so when I say that, you know, you just have to trust the process, the process will eventually lead you to what you want, but it may not be during the time that you're expecting it to be. And so during that period, as you're waiting for that outcome to come, you might come across um uh outcomes that are not favorable, but they're each of them you learn, you take away uh lessons, right? And then that and that and those lessons learned apply to the process that's gonna take you to the to the outcome that you want. And so yeah, I I you know, people always say that I I have such a positive um outlook, but it's it it's it's not easy. It's it's you have to practice, you have to practice being positive. Yeah, it's a lot of work. Um but I think as long as you know that nothing is ever done to you. Things in this universe, whatever you want to call it, it doesn't matter if it's the energy, the universe, God, anything, it's it's not done to you. It's done for you.

SPEAKER_01 43:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:24

So once you understand you replace done with for, then you see things so differently because yeah, that challenge was done for me. It I mean it was done for a purpose.

SPEAKER_02 43:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:35

And then you have to walk away positive.

Media, Music, And Organic Podcasting

SPEAKER_02 43:39

You know, one of the things that that has gotten me through some very challenging times over this past year is is affirmations and and just reminding myself that um there's something better coming. I in fact, I have a um, I still have it, a little reminder on my phone that pops up every week that says. Good things are happening in the background if you're patient. And I think having little reminders uh is super helpful. Um, and it sounds like for you, gratitude and and realizing that you know you have the power to make moves, to make moves in the direction of your goal. Um, you wrote a you wrote a book, Chewy's bold moves, I think. Yeah. Is that in the same vein of making making moves towards your goals?

SPEAKER_00 44:33

It is. Yeah, it is, it is. Chewy is me. You know, if you if you look at the little T-Rex, I mean, round face, big eyes, and I'm wearing contacts right now, but you know, my family, they know me with glasses on uh when I'm at home. And uh, but no, Chewy is me. And yeah, I I'm gonna tell you why I wrote children's books. I I decided to write children's books to get my message out to them, is I purposely picked the age group of age four to age six or eight years old. Okay, that's my age group age group. And it's because you're gonna end up having not only the children take away lessons from the story, but so will the adults, the ones that are reading the story to the kids.

SPEAKER_02 45:30

That's a bomb right there. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

Yeah, yeah. And and the the stories behind um, you know, so so that people understand why I'm releasing these books um as quick as I am, I'm there is a reason too. I don't take for granted that I am living and healthy right now, but I have no idea what's gonna happen the next day. And I am a cancer survivor. So I with that being said, that is why I am producing um a book every two to three months right now. That's my that's my that's that is my um my goal. And it's because I can't be letting time go by and and not have my project be completed. I want my project to be completed, and that is that I am going to have one book per character, which is going to be a total of six in the series, and because there's six dinos, and um, but they each will serve a purpose of the messaging. And because I am a survivor of child abuse, I cannot remember anything past four years of age. And that's another reason why I I I my my storybooks are for that age group, is because if I can shed some happiness into that household and teach kids to be bold and courageous and teach parents about kindness and love, um that's my purpose.

SPEAKER_02 47:14

That's amazing. Yeah, I'm gonna try to put up, I'm gonna try to put up a picture here of of that book. Uh there it is right there, Chewie's bold move on the video.

SPEAKER_01 47:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:26

If you're watching on video, you'll see, and I just dropped that into the video. It's huge right now. But man, Chewy is so cute. And yeah, there's the six dinos there.

SPEAKER_00 47:38

Yeah, yeah. And you know, and and here's the thing. Um, they're all they're called the Chew Crew. Um, and I I named them the Chew Crew without realizing that my staff, they have their own private text group, and they've been calling themselves the Chew Crew.

SPEAKER_02 47:56

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 47:57

So when I told them, yeah, it it just comes full circle. It comes full circle. And um, and I am so blessed that the I didn't again, I had no idea. So this publishing company that is helping me with the children's book, they are a media company, and so they also produce songs, and um this is how my world is so blessed. I I I have I am so thankful to uh Vince uh Warnock, he's my publisher, and he created songs to go with my books.

SPEAKER_02 48:35

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 48:37

Yeah, so each book has five songs, and they're they're on Spotify or you know, yeah, yeah, and and they're amazing, they're amazing, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:49

That's a whole new angle. I would not have thought, I would not have thought. So you're a um you're a media mogul, um, is what it sounds like.

Closing, Links, And Listener CTA

SPEAKER_00 48:59

So to kind of you're you're too kind.

SPEAKER_02 49:02

I'm trying to, I'm trying to um to um share the message of of Dr. Katie Chu here. Um so we've touched on so many awesome things, and we've talked about stepping forward, making that next move, and I you've talked about more books, more more children's books coming. Um you've got a podcast. What what other bold moves can we expect from Dr. Chu here in the near future? Or is it top secret?

SPEAKER_00 49:35

No, there okay, so so when you get to know me, I I mean even more so. Um there is no top secret in my life. I mean, um, but I am gonna say this. I have no idea. That's how my life has been. 2025, I was on fire, okay? But nothing was planned. It was all organic. Just things, things came up. Like, you know, the podcast, I'm gonna be very honest with you. I was sitting at a at a lunch meeting with one of my friends rep, and he had seen me on stage because I was doing a keynote speaking thing for for Luxotica, and uh, I was having lunch with him. And then he goes, Dr. Chu, you know, you should really have your own podcast. And I'm like, oh, whoa, do you want to do one with me? I mean, that's how we started. But at the end of the day, um, the way it it evolved was a lot of the people who it initially um suggested that I would do a should do a podcast, I invited them to be a co-host with me, right? Because I I knew I didn't want to do it alone. And um, but each of them for whatever reason, and and sometimes I think it's because they're they're working for a company and sometimes they're not too sure if it's okay. Um, would it be corporate approved for them to have this, you know, side uh thing happening? And so so I thought to myself, well, gee, how am I gonna make this work? Because I don't want to be solo. And um, and so that's where it organically started working out to where I gotta have my guests be in the same room with me. And and so that's where it is, where it's in person now.

SPEAKER_02 51:29

Yeah. Wonderful. Well, Dr. Chu, thank you so much. I personally feel energized. I usually cut these shows off around 30 minutes, but I I wanted to continue the conversation because I sensed that you were getting more excited as time went by. And I thought the information, I just I found everything that you've shared to be really inspiring. And uh I think for people to to make moves in their lives, listen to their inner voice, and just explore that is a message that needs to be it needs to be heard. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00 52:06

No, thank you. I I really do appreciate everything that happens in my life and for you to extend this invitation. Um, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 52:14

Wonderful. How is what's the best way for people to learn more about you and and your growing your growing um voice?

SPEAKER_00 52:25

Um so my main platform right now is LinkedIn. Uh so they can just look for under my name. Um it I think it's it's Katie W Chew. Um, there's other Katie Chews out there, so just make sure that you you do see me. Um and then um also my website, which is chew on what matters.com. Uh that that website has everything, you know. Yeah, it has the podcasts and the books and the songs.

SPEAKER_02 52:55

The songs. Check out the songs, everybody. I'm gonna go do that right now. I'm gonna put those links to your LinkedIn and Chew on What Matters onto the show notes for the show. But thank you so much for joining me, Dr.

SPEAKER_00 53:08

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 53:13

Well, that brings this episode of iCare Leadership Live to a conclusion. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content. I promise to bring you more guests and content to help make you a better iCare clinical leader. I also invite you to subscribe to my HR newsletter for iCare Leaders. You can find information about that at seasoned advice.com. Now go out there and lead with confidence.