Meet Vanessa Gallien | Family Medicine Physician & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Gallien and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Since I was a child, I have been hyper-focused on medicine. I made the choice to pursue medicine as a young child and I didn’t really think of anything else. During the pandemic, I realized that I had a lot more free time on my hands than ever before, which led me to explore many of my interests. A few months after I joined my current medical practice, I devoted time to formulating and making skincare products. I loved how it felt to come home and take my mind off of medicine. I was extremely terrified of taking on something else, but forced myself out of my comfort zone and made the decision to start not only one, but three businesses.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m currently a family medicine physician and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. If you’d told me this would be my job 10 years ago, I’d probably laugh it off and keep moving. I work in a group practice with other physicians, but also teach students and residents 2-3 times a week. My practice and teaching style closely mirror each other, making the experience quite seamless. Above all, I understand that I am a person before a physician and that’s what I lead with. When I walk into a patient room, I meet them where they are, which allows us to build the doctor-patient relationship together. Also, when I teach, I make sure that I show the learners that we are colleagues and give them as much autonomy as they need to complete the objectives but also allow them to build strong interpersonal skills.

The choice to pursue medicine happened at a young age, so I’ve spent the last 20 years doing as much as I could to achieve my goal. Believe it or not, the path to becoming a doctor was not that bad. Yes, there are challenges along the way, but the process was quite easy compared to other areas of my life.

Looking back on the journey that I took to get here, I’ve learned a few lessons that I keep at the forefront of my thoughts. 1) I’m a person first, before anything else. 2) No day is what it was the day before, each being an opportunity to grow and learn. 3) What you did to get here is what you do to stay here. No need to overhaul your processes if they work for you.

As I’ve gotten a few years of practice under my belt, I see the role that health and wellness plays in everyone’s life. Often times, neither is present or ignored completely. With this in mind, I’ve built my brands with wellness at the core. I strive to help others obtain optimal health and wellness, but in ways that work for them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had friend’s coming over for a weekend, there are a few places that I’d love to show them to give them a glimpse of the city. Brunch is a weekend staple, so I’d start with A’Bouzy and make our way to the River Oaks district for shopping, gelato and live music at Toulouse. A body scrub and massage at Gangnam Spa is the perfect way to wind down before a night on the town. I live in Midtown, where there is no shortage of bars/restaurants to keep you entertained.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My partner in life, Afam Nweke. Owning a business is nothing new to him; he has coached, motivated, and guided me through every step of the process.

Website: www.drvanessagallien.com

Instagram: @drvanessagallien

Facebook: Facebook.com/drvanessagallien

Other: Businesses: @coffeebeandreaming @gallienneapothecary @365daysofwellnessllc

Image Credits
Will email photo that will be used.