In this episode, Dawn shares that facing 50 is quite hard. First trying to ignore it, then trying to embrace it, she is now somewhere in the middle. She tells her story of how being a wife, a mom of 3, an emergency doctor in a very competitive male world, she almost forgot about HER life and her health. She also tells about how cycling every day helps her concentration, mood and energy and gives her life back to her.
10 Facts About Dawn
(at the time of the project)
1. 47 years old
2. Dawn is from England, and she moved to Australia when she was 30 years old.
3. Dawn met her husband in Australia.
4. She is married and has 3 children. Dawn feels really happy that she’s been able to experience motherhood, as a lot of the female doctors are focused on the training and they don't have children.
5. She is a doctor, an emergency physician at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Her whole life Dawn wanted to be a doctor and to work in the emergency room.
6. Dawn come from the family that nobody went to university. So, going to university and becoming a doctor and then becoming a specialist was a massive achievement, because it was something that she never thought that she would be able to do.
7. About two and a half years ago, Dawn had a lump in her neck, and it turned out to be a cancer. It wasn't that bad, but it was a bit of a wakeup call. Dawn realised that she wasn't looking after herself and doing anything for herself anymore. Now she feels like she is taking her life back.
8. Getting older made Dawn want to focus more on her health. Now she is really fit and healthy. She cycles a lot every day and did an enduring cycling race. It's also really helped her concentration and her mood and her energy.
9. Biggest challenge at this age – “I think facing 50 is quite hard. Yeah. Because when I was younger, 50 was like old and I don't feel old... I've tried to ignore it. And I've tried to embrace it. I think probably now, I'm kind of somewhere in the middle”.
10. Positive change with age – “The biggest thing is I've started to look after myself more. And I think that's been sort of really important and probably stronger and fitter than I've ever been in my life... Also, I've got like a bit more time for me - the biggest positive change. And I seem to really enjoy simple things now.”
Watch Dawn's VIDEO interview HERE
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE:
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (auto-generated):
Hi, you are listening to My Body My Story podcast,
Like nobody sort of went to university or, or anything. So I think B sort of going to university and becoming a doctor and then becoming a specialist was a massive achievement because it was something that I never thought that I would be able to do. But I always really wanted to do.
This is the 45 or 45 chapter where we celebrate rule breakers and role models, the women who inspire us to live life our way and to show that sensuality, beauty, soul and true essence. Here we talk about what it's like to be 45 Plus, adjusting to the changes that come with time, and will listen to the stories of our participants. If you have an interesting story to share, we would love you to participate, you can email us on info@aleksandrawalker.com or visit our website, www. aleksandrawalker.com
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Okay. So I'm 47 I am married, and I've got three children. And I'm a doctor, I'm a emergency physician at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. I am really fit and healthy I'd sort of cycled every day. I just recently did an enduring cycling race. And I think getting getting older is kind of made me want to focus more on my health and yeah, and things like that. And also try and take back some time. off right here because I feel like I can. Like I've got I've got three children and my husband's bind, and I work full time. And I'm also involved in education programme of doctors at the at the hospital. So it's a lot of giving, giving. Yeah, sort of feel like you need time. And that, for me sort of exercising, getting up early and going and doing something. It's like a bit more of me time.
Did you start that recently?
Or yeah, about two and a half years ago, I had an lump in my neck, and it turned out to be a cancer. And it was, it wasn't as bad. It wasn't that bad. But it was a bit of a wakeup call. Because I realised that I wasn't doing anything for myself anymore. And I wasn't looking after myself… So it was sort of a bit. I feel like I was taking my life back.
And you feel like it's what the changes you made. They definitely made a difference for you.
I am so much more healthy. But it's also really helped my sort of concentration and my mood and my energy.
Have you always wanted to be a doctor?
Yeah, I am. I never wanted to be anything else. Really. I just my whole life. I wanted to be a doctor and I wanted to work in the emergency room.
So you could say that this is your passion. So you are passionate about that the most? Or is there any other sort of passion in your life?
I'm really passionate about my work in my family.
So everyone, everyone knows that with age we change but what positive changes have you experienced as you grow older?
I'm probably the biggest thing is I've started to look after myself more. And I think that's been sort of really important and probably stronger and fitter than I've ever been in my life. And I'm not studying anymore, like I had to I studied and then I did, I'm specialist training and then while I was doing training, I had three children and my husband's like blind, so I think having that probably I've got like a bit more time for me has probably been the biggest positive change. And just like I seem to really enjoy simple things now.
appreciating what appreciate really matters more yet. would have been hard to change going from being a doctor and you're taking care of others all the time to change your thinking, and start to actually look after yourself.
Yeah, it was really hard. And it wasn't until that, yeah, I had a bit of a health scare that I started to, to really put effort into it. I sort of realised I wasn't living my best life. And I sort of kind of forgotten who I was as well. Because you, you'd become like, somebody's mother, and, and the doctor and my wife, but I sort of kind of forgot who I was.
Everyone else gets the priority, but not you. So, yeah. So what is the biggest challenge you're experiencing at this current age?
I think facing 50 is quite hard. Yeah. Because they work when I was younger, 50 was like, old and I don't feel old.
Like your mentality doesn't change, just you look in the mirror like, oh, hang on. I thought it was 25. How you trying to convince yourself that it's okay. Like, do you have a strategy or anything or?
Not really, I've tried to ignore it. And I've tried to embrace it.
Which, which is working better?
I think probably now, I'm kind of somewhere in the middle.
Right? Right. I like that. Embrace, it doesn't work. Let's ignore it. See where that takes me.
So if you had to describe your greatest accomplishment, what comes to mind?
I guess I like I come from the family that I'm from. Like, nobody sort of went to university or, or anything. So I think being sort of going to university and becoming a doctor and then becoming a specialist was a massive achievement, because it was something that I never thought that I would be able to do. But I always really wanted to do. I do feel really lucky, because I've got like a really good career, and I've got a lovely family as well.
Wow, that's pretty big. I mean, if no one in your family, it's not like you followed your mom's or dad's footsteps, where they're doctors and you became a doctor. You know, that's quite that happens quite often.
My mom was my mom was a hairdresser. And my dad used to he would work on ships.
Yeah. Wow. But you said you knew from a young age that you want
to just always wanted to do it? Yeah. I couldn't even tell you why. I just, you just knew it. I just knew it.
Yeah, that's good that you were able to listen to your intuition, though. And, and follow that, you know, against your sort of, not family wishes or anything, but it wasn't sort of your family businesses such right, or family,
I think my family would have preferred it if I just don't work around the corner. really late at home. Yeah, I find it really because I had to, like I'm from England, and I had to move away to go to university. My mom especially found it really hard for me going away.
Of course, you're a bit of a rebel, but not in a in a in a sense that you partied you instead went to university and became a doctor.
So what advice would you give your 30 year old self? So right now, what would you give? What would you tell your 30 year old self?
When I was 30, it was just about the time that I sort of moved to Australia. And I didn't really I'm at sort of gone to university and got my degree. And then I sort of for a few years, travelled around and kind of lost focus for a little bit. And I think that I think, like I wasted a little bit of time, and I wish that I'd been sort of more focused at that age, and I wished I wish I'd taken care of myself a little bit better at that age as well.
But you think you needed that break? Or it was silly, you know, in your mind, sort of you really, it wasn't, it wasn't sort of helping you grow in any way, right? It was really just a waste of time.
I think I probably did need that break, because I was doing like I've been doing surgical jobs in the UK and the training was quite brutal. And there was quite a bit of bullying. So I think to sort of come away and travel in the hours and everything was so much better than when what I was doing in the UK, but I probably took the break was probably a little bit long.
Too long. Yeah, yeah. advice would you give younger women who will eventually undergo these changes? So when they come to similar age, what advice would you give them?
I'd definitely say, take better care of yourself earlier on. There seems to be a lot of focus now on sort of young girls getting sort of Botox in their 20s. And, and changing their appearance. And I'm not saying grow old gracefully, but I think there's probably other things in life that are more important.
Yeah. Look after your health rather than appearance more. So where do you think the idea of perfect body image comes from?
I guess I probably I'm changes at different times in your life. And when I was younger, it was definitely very much from like the media and films and Hollywood and things like that. But now sort of my perfect body image would be like, sort of more athletic and like healthy. And I think that's probably changed as I got older that because my priorities have changed.
You started to prioritise your health more so than the appearance, but then the appearance followed, you know, you became fitter and toned and you feel good, you look good.
I worry about my.. I've got two daughters, and I worry about about them. I don't want them to change themselves.
But it's such a good example, though. To them. I think that's important.
But what does it mean to you feeling good and looking good? What do you think comes first?
I think they're probably both intertwined. Because I think that if I sort of feel healthy, then I look sort of better on the outside, and it gives me more confidence. And I think if you feel confident and healthy, you look better.
it does. Does differently. You feel good? You tend to look good.
What makes you feel the most beautiful?
I don't really feel beautiful. Actually. I am. I don't really know what would make me feel beautiful.
I suppose that's something that might even change. As you when you're younger. It's one thing maybe a nice dress road. And then when you're older, maybe
I know when people you know when people really smile, I always say now looks really beautiful and nice smile with like the whole face and the eyes.
Yeah. Yeah, brighten up brightens up, like the face and everything. And it changed the energy. Right? So if if you have one, what's your favourite quote about being a woman?
I find this question really hard, because I've always had to sort of, like, I've always had to fight for things. And I've always had to sort of be quite competitive with males sort of wanting the same thing. So I sort of feel like, I've kind of lost a bit of my femaleness. So yeah, I do find that really hard. I feel lucky, as a female that I've been able to, like, have children. That was amazing.
You're having such a career, probably a lot of women who do get to be you know, specialists and doctors, they probably give up on the whole idea of a family in terms of children, whereas you were able to do both
a lot of the female doctors that I've worked with, it's focused on the training and they don't have children now, which is a shame on you feel really happy that I've been able to experience that.
Thank you, Don, thank you so much for sharing your story, and it's an amazing story. Thank you.
If you have an interesting story to share would love for you to participate. You can email us at info@aleksandrawalker.com or visit our website, www. aleksandrawalker.com
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