Annie Arnett - On Mindfulness, and How She Shows Up and Leads

This week, Crystal Howell and Annie Arnett cover her personal MedTech story and how her journey made her mindful of her personal brand, how she shows up as a leader. Sharing some of her most cherished pieces of advice throughout her career from her own mentors. Annie provides an honest conversation about self-reflection, staying true to values, and remembering that your personal brand is your own.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• https://thenounproject.com/

This podcast is a personally-funded passion project created by Crystal Howell, produced by PodStream, and hosted by ZenCast.fm

TRANSCRIPT OF SHOW:

MTM001 Annie Arnett - SHOWNOTES

Crystal: [00:00:02] Hello everybody. This is Crystal Howell host of the MedTech mentor podcast. The podcast is designed to provide mentorship and advice to personal connections, with stories with our guests. In our first edition, we had an opportunity to sit down with Hologic's very own Annie Arnett talking about her own personal story and how she's mindful of how you show up and lead day to day. I'm really excited today to be here with Annie Arnett. She's the general manager and vice president of Hologic ANZ. And she’s had a prestigious career within med tech, you know, starting out within her field of technical sales within microbiology and moving into marketing with the likes of Kimberly Clarke and eventually Stryker where she had an impressive decade with them, promoted from product manager to marketing manager and eventually marketing director of their surgical division in the United States before taking this role here at Hologic as again, the general manager and vice president. Thank you so much, Annie. I'm so excited to have you here today.

Annie: [00:01:01] Oh, Crystal. Thanks for having me. It's great to be here and you know, I'd love to help you sharing my story of how I've got to where I am at. It's a great opportunity so thank you.

Crystal: [00:01:10] Oh, you're so welcome! So that, that background, there's a lot in that, but it's really funny. I'd love to hear your story of, you know, med tech is it's not very transparent. What does your family think that you'd get up to all day in this role?

Annie: [00:01:25] Yeah, it's um, it's funny you ask that cause uh, mum is a, she, she was a nurse, retired now, but, uh, an operating room nurse, and then a community nurse. And she's been a school nurse and a few other things, but always through her career, she's, she's been a nurse. And, and so I'm working in a complimentary industry in the med tech industry. You know, we have some great conversations. Um, but I just started out in this role and mum had to go and get her mammogram. And so she rocks up. She lives in, in Lismore. Uh, so she walks up to get her mammogram and it's a Hologic mammography machine. And so mom can't help herself. And this is where I was like, Oh mom, you did what? So she's talking to the radiographer and she's like, Oh my daughter, my daughter works for this company. She actually leads it in Australia. And I was like, Oh mom, no, you didn't. But then she had a really great conversation. She said it made it, made the mammogram go, go by really, really quickly.

Crystal: [00:02:22] Thats the funny thing is when you ask, you know, what does your daughter think you do? And what do your kids think? Are your parents? Um, you know, I asked Lucas once, you know, what do you think I do? And he's like, Oh, you talk to people a lot and you send them to jobs. Like I was like, yeah, Yeah. Yeah, that's it that's pretty much it.

Annie: [00:02:39] Um, Georgie has come to the office a couple of times in a couple of different companies that I've, I've worked for. And in, in one of the companies, we actually had an operating room, a display operating room. And so I think she thought for a long time in the first couple of years of her life, that I was a doctor or a healthcare professionally in some way, I had to sort of change your mind and say, no, no, I'm more on the business commercial side of, of that. So we sell the products that the doctors use and surgeons use every day. So I think she kind of understands it now. Uh, she loves coming into the office, but, um, I still don't know if she's worked out exactly what the commercial side of med tech industry is, is all about.

Crystal: [00:03:20] Well, I think that's fair for a lot of people out there and, you know, med tech is, you know, in comparison to a lot of other industries, relatively new. And so when you're talking to other, you know, when you go on holiday or what is it that you do, you actually realized, wow, there is a representative behind every single thing that's used on that patient in the hospital. So, you know, I don't, I don't think she's alone in that, like yeah.

Annie: [00:03:44] Yeah. It's, it's an interesting environment because products are used there. They're part of the essential delivery of healthcare around the world. And so those, the companies that represent those products are the product experts. They've put a lot of time into designing and engineering a great solution to solve human issues. Um, and so it's a great industry to be in, when you think about that, because you're changing people's lives, you're taking away a medical problem for them. You're allowing them to, to walk live, have a normal life, um, in the best way they can. So that's, you know, one of the things I love about this, this industry and working in this industry is it's all about taking care of yourself and, and fixing medical issues that you may have. So go out there and get screened. Preventative medicine is the, you know, is the way to go. So, um, you know, I'm proud of mom to, for doing that and getting that done. For me, it's a very inspiring industry to be part of. It's just an interesting place where those conversations happen and where that product support happens.

Crystal: [00:04:42] Yeah, absolutely. I really relate to that as well. You know, if you have a passion for business, but you also want that deeper purpose, it's a beautiful place to spend your time and dedicate and serve. So I can really relate to that as well.

Annie: [00:04:55] Yeah. Look, it's a strong, it's a strong purpose and one of the things after doing my science degree, um, you know, getting into the commercial side of it, I was attracted to the commercial side cause I, I liked the business, a complimented from a science perspective for me, the lab was the theory of it was exciting, but the lab day to day, wasn't what my personality was suited to. I wanted to be speaking to everybody. And so that's where I got into the commercial side. And as my journey changed and developed over time, it was interesting to see how different companies interact in the healthcare setting in different ways.

Crystal: [00:05:31] Yeah, I could, I could see that woo showing up in you in the lab going I've I've got something else I've got to be doing here. I'm referring everybody to those Gallup strengths, which, um, for Annie actually, um, you know, high achiever, woo activator, communication and responsibility. So how do you put that out there in present day? In this context, you know, as the leader of Hologic here in Australia, New Zealand and live that purpose.

Annie: [00:05:58] Yeah, look, the strengths is something I've been involved with for a long, long time. Um, a couple of the organizations I've worked for have used it. And to me, it helps you describe who you are, but also what you love to do. And having a strengths based approach to me helps you interact with your colleagues, but also helps to know how you're going to show up every day. Um, so I use that and it's, um, I have it on my door. I have it stuck on my door, what my strengths are so people can see, um, because they know how I'm going to approach things. That's what come that comes naturally to me. So it's how I'm going to approach every situation is from that platform of, of strength. So when you think about woo, yeah, I, I will come in, I will have a lot of energy. People will probably hear me and know me, uh, when I walk into a room, that's just something I naturally do. I want to make that connection with everybody.

Crystal: [00:06:44] Yeah. Well, and I think that's why, you know, you are, you're extremely approachable, you're relatable. And I think that's really empowering, um, to people that are working with you as well. Um, they have that connection with you. At least that's, that's something I've always felt in, in our time working together. So, so tell me a little bit about how that purpose is showing up right now in Hologic and sort of what your drive is right now today.

Annie: [00:07:09] Yeah, sure. Look, um, for me, as I mentioned, working in the med tech industry is something I chose to do to me, it's really important. My, why is I turn up every day and the decisions I make, the team I work with help people. Every day. That to me is inspiring. That's why I do what I do every day. The patient is centric to the services that we deliver to our providers to be able to provide that care. So for me, it's remembering that every day when you wake up every morning, it's easy for me to bounce out of bed. Cause I'm like, Whoa, how many people are we going to help today? Um, and that's a really, really strong purpose, but when I translate that to my day to day job and what I do every day, um, as the general manager here to me, it's about people. Um, that's where my woo comes in and does help me and the communication strength, um, because I do want to achieve things, but for me, I've got a great team around me and it's really about what people can achieve and people doing their best. Now that's in a commercial environment. So doing our best is, is a commercial orientation, but we want to have the best products out there to be able to help our patients. And that's what drives me every day, so that's how I show up.

Crystal: [00:08:20] Absolutely. That's amazing. And you know, part of this is talking to myself and our listeners about how you've come to that. That's, you know, thats perspective as well. You know how you can sit now in this role and know that that's what you're channeling, that's what you're waking up everyday and going out in the world. And I don't imagine that, you know, that was instantaneous. Like that would have been an evolution as you move through your career. And part of med tech mentor is really about passing along those learns and inspiring those other professionals around us that are going through similar journeys. So, um, on that topic of, I've asked you to, you know, come today with sharing and learn and sharing something that's really imprinted on you and your career. You know, sometimes it's a moment in time, thats just, it's really stuck with you. And so I was wondering if you could walk us through that.

Annie: [00:09:09] Yeah, yeah. Look, uh, no problems that I had to, I had to sort of think about this a little bit because I have changed roles through my. Career. And I've also had the opportunity to work overseas, um, and be in headquarters for a big multinational organization. And I think looking back on. Some of the lessons that I've learned in doing that is take the opportunity when you do make a change in your career, whether it's changing a job or changing a location, it's an opportunity to really think about how you're going to show up every day, not throw up. .

Crystal: [00:09:45] Although you said that could happen sometimes and be kind to yourself if it does!

Annie: [00:09:51] But just being thoughtful about how you approach it. Um, and that opportunity when there is a change in your career is that you can, you can think about the approach. You can actually say, how do I want to show up? How do I want to be? You still have to be yourself. You still rely on your strengths. That's the core of who you are and you need that authenticity. But to be thoughtful about that, what type of leader do you want to be? What type of feeling do you want to leave people with after you've left the room or had a conversation with them? So there's opportunities in your career where you can actually look back and say, Hey, that's, that's a moment now where I can be thoughtful about my approach. And, and that's something that I look back now. Did I do it early on in my career? No, I was striving to achieve, I was ambitious. I want to do the next thing. Um, but when I think about probably my last three roles, it's been very thoughtful in my approach as to how I wanted to work with my team, how I wanted to show up what's the culture I wanted to develop in my team. And being who I am and really thinking about what do I accept and what's not acceptable in the environment I work in? So that's probably been the biggest learning for me when I look back at, hindsight's great right?

Crystal: [00:10:59] Well, I was just thinking, you know, how can we kind of give our listeners insights, how you reverse engineer that? You know, at what point did you realize, I have this opportunity and now I'm going to really be mindful as I move into this next role? Which role was that for you? Um, was it when you relocated the United States, um, with Stryker or was it in the context of maybe when you moved into more of a people management role? You know, how did that first, like insight come to you where it says, I have this moment to pause and reflect and really sit down with how I'm going to turn up tomorrow when I go into that room?

Annie: [00:11:33] Yeah. I think for me it was the change when I changed geographies. Um, and I think it came about probably by just me thinking this is a whole different culture. This is a whole different work group I'm going to show up, nobody knows who I am. Um, they may know me through other people or through something that I've done, um, or interacted with them, but they didn't know me as a person. That's been a person on the other end of an email or a, or a phone call. So for me, that opportunity to how I, how was I going to show up when I, um, walked in there in a brand new country, brand new little block, and I was scared. Right. I was taking a big step up as well. I was going from a regional position up into a head office position and, you know, so that, you know, I was kind of scared. So that gave me time to really think about, um, how I wanted to approach it. And, and it wasn't easy. Um, you know, there's challenges that come up through your career. And I look back on that and I was, I was probably really scared, but. I went through a process, probably unbeknownst to me that that made me allow to have time to think about who I wanted to be. Um, and then when I was, I had made the decision to come back to Australia and I was, um, making that transition that was another opportunity as well, to really go out there and say, okay, how am I going to challenge myself? How am I going to approach this role? Um, when this opportunity came up for this role, you know, what type of leader do I want to be? Again, I was stepping up into a different role. I'm a different level, um, if you want to talk about it in that way, I was stepping out of a marketing career into a general management position. What needed to change? What got me? There's not going to get me to the next or what got me here is not going to get me there if you want to, um, have that statement, so.

Crystal: [00:13:19] Yeah, cause you're now responsible for the entire business, not just marketing in this case. Yeah.

Annie: [00:13:24] Yeah. And I was probably, I had the opportunity then to, to be thoughtful again, but this time probably in a more purposeful way.

Crystal: [00:13:29] Yeah. So when you were, I guess it really helped that you knew your strengths, so you could kind of build and work from that. But how did you really get down into your values so that you knew this is how I want it to show up and this is the feeling that I wanted to leave. Like, did you go through any exercises? There was just more of the mindful conversation within yourself.

Annie: [00:13:49] Yeah, look, it's, it's interesting. Cause I have a notebook at home, I've always had a notebook. If I, if I wake up in the middle of the night with a thought, I do write it down. It's it's a way to help me get it off my mind and know that I won't forget about it. Um, but I, I did think about what type of leader I wanted to be. Um, how did I want to show up? And I wrote notes around that. Um, and so my first ever town hall I did here at Hologic, I I'd put a lot of thought into what, you know, what type of leader I wanted to be building on my, on my, uh, Gallup strengths. So, um, that was something I did a process I did go through and then it's not something that's top of mind every day. Um, so if you think you wake up, the purpose is there, but then how are you going to show her every day? How are you going to bring that to a meeting or to a decision you're making? And I do actually keep notes. I write them once a quarter. I have a note that I put in my diary and I, um, and I take time each quarter to say, okay, what are the things I'm going to focus on? Not from just a work perspective and what are my work priorities, but also what are the things I want to continually keep top of mind? And there are two posted notes that sit on my desk. They're there. They make my desk look messy, fine, but they're there. And I, and I have them there and I, that reminds me every day.

Crystal: [00:15:02] It's just that little, that little check you know, this is what I said, is it there? You know, I've, I bumped into someone the other day that said they've even changed their passwords to use words that are values based for them. So when they type it into their computer, they're always reminding myself, okay. I, you know, one of my, uh, values is going to be integrity. So that's within their password or they put it up on their, um, there's this, there's a website called the noun project. We can actually put that word in and it will spit out a picture for you. And so they put the picture at their desk and that picture instantaneously just reminds them of, of what they said they want to be how they want to show up, so um

Annie: [00:15:39] I might steal that one, i might steal that idea, that's a great one with the password. I'm always thinking what's my next password going to be? Woo! That's too easy. It's too fast, too breakable.

Crystal: [00:15:50] Yeah exactly! Well, add some numbers and some hashtags and you'll be fine.

Annie: [00:15:54] Oh, that's a good, that's a good thought though. Um, but yeah, look, the post it notes work for me. Um, and I think finding a way that works for you, if it's your password, if it's a prompt that comes up on your phone, um, you know, some people listen to podcasts on the way to work. It's, you know, it's what works for you and you and your personality and your, you know, You'll lifestyle. So,

Crystal: [00:16:11] Yeah. Well, I think the thing of it is, is that, um, I read a quote last night, which I shared with you this morning, that seven out of 10 suffer from this imposter syndrome, self doubt. Um, I'm not telling you men or women, just 70% straight across the board. And that for me is so relatable. You know, is that, you know, that there's, you know, the, the major population out there kind of, you know, second guessing and questioning, but also driving through it, you know? And so it's like, we're all dealing with these feelings and how do we help ourselves turn up and show up in the way that we want to, without getting mired down in those negative comments. And I think these, these little notes, these little memos to ourselves or pictures, they just give us that nudge to just be like, Stop that negative talk. Keep moving.

Annie: [00:16:58] Yeah, look, there's self doubt. I think doubt, I mean, I experienced it. I experienced it, you know? Not probably not, I don't know if I could say every day, but, um, you know, thinking back now, but you do have moments where you think you, you know, you have, you have doubts in what you're doing and how you're approaching something. Especially if there's a challenging situation coming up, you, you do have have doubts and that inner voice is really strong. And it's almost, if you think, if you think you can, if you will. Yeah. Um, so if you think you can't, you probably won't, you know, that. That's saying that old saying that that comes up. Um, but it's, it's really important when you think about that doubt. Where's that doubt coming from and try to give yourself room or space to think through what's driving that doubt and what can you do to overcome it? Because the opposite to that is the confidence. So you can think about, look, if the doubt is going to be there, the doubts good. It's going to make you better. It's like, um, before a race. Um, I was a gymnast before you'd go out there and do your routine. It's that butterflies in the stomach. And am I going to go, all right, well, I've trained for this and, you know, it's that confidence then that can kick in and help you do it. Um, and you know, it's, it's taking the time to realize that, um, one of the other probably learnings for me is how do you carve out time to think? I do know I need processing time to think through things. So how do you. How do you give yourself that time? How do you carve that time out? Um, from a work perspective or a personal perspective, how do you carve that time out to, to give yourself thought and time to, to think through those things, and that can help you sometimes balance that doubt with that confidence piece?

Crystal: [00:18:33] Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think a lot of times with life being so busy, family, kids, you know, sitting down and journaling feels really frivolous. Sometimes at least I feel like that, you know, all this extra stuff that's competing for my attention on top of work and everything else. So sitting down and journaling has been something that I didn't get into a habit again, up until like the last two years. And I honestly attribute the journaling and sort of the dreaming to giving me different ideas and inspiring me in different ways. And so it's not frivolous. It's really important to sit with our thoughts.

Annie: [00:19:07] It is really important and um, Corey, my husband will probably hate me for saying this because sometimes I don't journal, I actually just blur to him and I'm sure he knows way is so much more about the med tech industry that he really wants to to know. Um, but it does help me to. Talk through it. Um, and as I talk through it, I'm thinking through my thoughts. And I think he's learned over the years to sometimes not talk back and to just listen as I, as I try to jumble through it and go, you know, and I'll ask him questions. But, um, sometimes my journaling is literally talking through it and that communication, you know, and the way I try to order my thoughts, I do bounce completely objective. I can, you know, I can bounce it off somebody and, you know, and that's important having that network around you that if journaling is not your thing, can you talk through it with someone in confidence that you, you can have that, um, that relationship with, I found that really helpful as well. So Cory's a person for that with me, but there's also other people that over my career, I've had the ability to use as markers and my board of directors in a, in a way. Um, and they've changed over time, but I, I will always have in my organization, probably three or four people that I can go to and I know I can go to and say, "Hey, didn't feel great about this. Or how do you think I should approach that?" Um, and they're people I trust, um, almost like bare your soul too.

Crystal: [00:20:31] Yeah.

Annie: [00:20:31] Um, and there's, but there's also people outside as well outside of work that, um, you have, you know, your friends, um, and or people that are in your circle that you may have worked with previously and you just trust their advice and yeah, that's been something for me that I've, I've heavily relied on. Thank you to all those people out there, you know who you are.

Crystal: [00:20:49] Oh, that's awesome. Well, and you know, having, having that community, I think is imperative. You know, you've your board of directors, your community, your mentors, your role models, which is, um, you know, that that's the origin story of this conversation is that I think not everyone always has that community set up or may not recognize exactly how much it can help them support and propel them into those scary things that they're about to do, but end up in amazing results on the other side. So I wanted to ask you a little bit about how your mentors and your role models have come through for you and maybe some of the best trinkets of advice that they've given you, which, you know, you've worked into, you know, your process and how you go about things.

Annie: [00:21:35] Yeah, look, it's, it's interesting. And as I've said, uh, just before, you know, they've changed over time as you know, different organizations, um, different people, especially from inside an organization perspective that I connect with, um, outside the ones. Those people tend to be sustaining.

Crystal: [00:21:51] Yeah

Annie: [00:21:52] cause they're your friends and your, and the connections you've made over the years outside of, uh, outside of work. Um, but I remember a piece of advice way back early when I was a sales rep at, um, at Amrad and somewhat, I think it was a sales manager actually said to me, "Never forget that the company owes you, nothing, they pay you a salary, they owe you nothing." And I was kind of like, what does that mean? I remember thinking, no, no, no, I work really hard for them. Like they owe me and it's like, well, they owe me my salary. Um, but really what else does the organization owe you? And it was kind of like for me, now, when I think back on that comment, that entitlement piece, um, you know, and I can get out of an organization and a role, what I put, what I put into it, and it's professionally how I'm developing it. Um, but yeah, an organization is an organization. It's a, it's a business they're running, running a business and you make business decisions. Um, they're not personal decisions. And I think back about that nows, you know, pieces of advice like that through your career, be authentic. Show up who you are, don't change who you are. Um, you can be thoughtful about your approach and how you want to show up, but that doesn't mean you change who you are. So just, you know, little pieces of advice that people have provided over the years of, you know, some of it might be you take it, some of it, you know, you really think about it. And I think about that comment way back then. I don't know if it was about entitlement, but, but, you know, I think through that and just, um, you know, wonder how it did actually change the way I approach things when you think about that advice I've received over the years.

Crystal: [00:23:25] Yeah. Well, I think especially within this industry, because there, there is that transference of people across multiple companies as you go, and I think that a lot of professionals that I've spoken to over the years, really talk about their own brand and their own reputation and how whilst working for an organization, you know, they're putting everything, they can out there for that, but as well, they're tapped into that purpose and they're also tapped into what makes them themselves and how they want to go about it and so that's, I guess that example in that piece of advice speaks to me in that way as well, is that you only have yourself at the end of the day. That's, that's it, you know, if, if businesses change or if they join and merge or divest, you know, your, what you have is sort of how you turned up and what you've done, and it doesn't matter, no one can ever change that. So if you really sit well within your values and that's how you perform, how, how would you ever be disappointed in that? But if you change yourself, To match the, the line or the, you know, the goal, the company motto or whatever, you know, and I think that's where it's so nice now, and speaking to, um, businesses and yours as well in particular, and just about that compatibility in that fit and really trying to find individuals that can bring their whole selves to work so it is a real, authentic and genuine fit, it's not forced. It's not that you have to have one self for this place and then another self for that place, like everyone is so different, there's nobody in the world that's going to look at things the way you do. And we want that different perspective. All of it, you know, don't leave any part of it out. Cause that's, what's special. That's what makes you, you, so that, that piece of advice is kind of, that's what it felt like to me when you said that.

Annie: [00:25:09] Yeah. Look being, being open and being curious, um, about different people's approaches, being open and being curious doesn't mean that you have to take it on board or go in the direction that that person said, but be open to it cause you never know. And that's something I think that takes time to learn. I think I'm still working on that. How do you make sure you're asking the right questions? The more questions you ask, the better anything is going to be, but in a business situation, you've got to make a decision at some point. So how open can you be? How, how far do you go with, with questioning? But, but taking that time, being one of my things as being that collaborative leader um, ensuring that you get that input because it makes it better and that input, to me a diverse one is going to make it better. Um, what diverse looks like, I think is something that you need to, you know, think about because that doesn't mean you have to go to every broad spectrum and get the full, um, the full picture, because you know, you've got to make a decision in a timeframe, but just getting different input of thought just a quick corridor conversations. 'Hey, what do you think about this? What do you this about that?" And I've had people that will come back two days later and say, "Hey, what about that?" And you're like," yeah, that's great. Fantastic. Let's, you know, let's bring that in and, and move on." So it is, look, it is interesting to make sure that you ask questions and be curious. It's a hard one though. It's hard. Cause sometimes you just want to make a decision and move on the achiever in me.

Crystal: [00:26:32] Yeah. But no, it's, it's a great piece of advice to those listening out there is just, you know, curiosity, I think is if you employ that, um, you're always learning and you're always open to new and different thoughts. So being collaborative and being able to communicate that with your peers and your colleagues, it will drive connection. And if you drive connection and you actually have that, you know, authentic moment between one another, you have more trust with one another and therefore you're a lot more open to those, those dialogues. So, yeah,

Annie: [00:27:05] And I think it takes time to get the, develop those relationships. And you've got to give it the time, but you have to, you have to have to be purposeful, uh, you know, about it. And, um, you know, one of the things I'm continually trying to work on is I do put everything into the roles that I do and if I think back about that, did I put too much in, um, maybe the, the downtime, um, you know, side of it or not, you know, having a hobby that I'd love to get to, but I never get to, I'd love to learn the play, the saxophone, I've been saying that for 15 years. Um, but you know, so, you know, work is work is what I love to do that it's a lot of it, a big part of my identity. Um, but I don't want it to be all of my identity. Um, and so, you know, that's an important thing for me at my stage in my career is to make sure I've, I'm thinking about that balance and, you know, work is, to me, I'm trying to make it work is work. It's something that I'm still working on and that they're, you know, there is an Annie that's outside of work as well and that's, that's, I'm continually working on that. It's probably been something for me for probably the last five years that I wanted to make sure I can focus on that balance. Cause it's so easy for me with my personality. I love to achieve, I love what I do. Yeah. I could just throw everything at it and everything else was so far. Yeah. So that's important for me cause I'll just keep going and keep going and keep going.

Crystal: [00:28:20] Well, and that gets us onto the topic of boundaries, you know? Um, I don't know if you've had a chance to read Renee Brown's, um, work, but she's got a nickname boundaries Brown and um, I love that because you got to set the boundary to do the things that make you, you, and if you don't set that time, well, then they, the, you that's the really special you is, is not getting that nurture is not getting that moment to themselves, and then consequently other things will suffer. And I think that that's, that's a really common problem with a lot of people that it's a constant, you know, work working at it, you know, and, and even Renee Boundaries Brown, she says herself that that is something that she works at all the time. So do you have any methods that you've employed maybe to kind of give yourself some of those boundaries?

Annie: [00:29:09] Look I think it's going to be a constant journey. Um, just cause I know myself, I love what I do and the achiever in me just wants to keep going. And I've got a list that I want to check off for the day. And um, so I think that's always going to be a struggle for who I am. I love what I do, um, I was talking to a friend of mine, one of my mentors and he said to me, what would you do if you weren't working? Like, have you ever thought about that question? I was like, I don't know. And he goes, you'd seriously have to change your personality. Know if he can do nothing, do nothing. And that's, you know, I'd be searching to find, you know, find something to do, um, something.

Crystal: [00:29:44] You would be serving in another way. I like, you wouldn't be doing nothing, but I could see if you'd be serving in another way.

Annie: [00:29:51] Yeah. And that's, you know, it's interesting to think about, um, because that is, that is a, is something, do you. Say, what do I want to get? You know, where is my boundary to where I switch off from what I do as a person every day at work, in my work time to what I want to be doing. I'm a mom, I'm a daughter, I'm a wife. Um, you know, coaching, coaching a team, is that something that I want to commit to, you know, that type of thing. Like you just have to think through that and say, what do you want to commit to? Cause the last thing you want to do is commit to something and then not be able to fulfill it. I couldn't, I couldn't do that. And my responsibility kicks in and I, you know, I want to be able to do that, but you have to carve out the time because if you don't carve out the time, you'll, it'll be filled with work. There's always another work thing to do. There's always another task to do. So you have to be, um, you have to really want to set aside that time and be purposeful about it.

Crystal: [00:30:42] All of these things that we're discussing are just, um, you know, people, people, people, all humans, we all are going through similar things and thinking similar things. And it's just interesting how it kind of turns up for others and, and how they work through it and how they get around it. So, yeah, I really appreciate you sharing those thoughts and insights and, um, I, I want to thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you having this conversation with me and our listeners. It's the first med tech mentor podcast. I just, I can't believe it. We've talked about this moment a few times over the last year, and I'm just so grateful to be able to do this with you today.

Annie: [00:31:21] Not a problem. And congratulations, Crystal, I'm really, really proud of you. It's a fantastic thing that I know you've wanted to do, and, um, I'm just honored and humbled to be the, to be the first person. So thank you very much. And congratulations.

Crystal: [00:31:32] Aw, thank you so much, Annie. Well, look, that's going to conclude our show today. I just want to say to everybody out there listening, if you appreciated this conversation and you liked what you heard, um, I want to let you know that Annie is actually also offered a one hour mentoring session to those listeners who like, and share this podcast. And I think that's an invaluable opportunity to sit down with an amazing leader like Annie and just get some insights and really, you know, start to build up some of those learns and you know, by extension you'll have us all here is that community.

All right, everybody, that's our show. If you enjoyed this and found it informative, please like, and share on social media with hashtag MedTech mentor podcast. For one of our lucky listeners who've shared, they will be selected for the one hour mentoring session with our guest. For more information, please look at our website www.medtechmentor.com.au. Thank you all and see you next time.