We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anita Chandra. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anita below.
Hi Anita, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I followed a steady path from college, to medical school, to residency and fellowship in geriatric medicine followed by three years of working as an attending physician and assistant professor of medicine in my dream field. I had been drawn to caring for older adults particularly as I was inspired by my 96-year-old grandfather who spent his last years caring for “old people” who were at least 20 years his junior. He managed a senior activities center and took weekly trips to buy medications for low income seniors in Bangalore, India. As the daughter of two physicians, my career path made sense. It was my definition of success.
In November 2023, my father, a cardiologist, suddenly died of cardiac arrest after a regular day rounding on patients in the hospital and caring for people in the office. Two months after this, my aunt– who was much more like my sister– died of ovarian cancer, leaving behind three young children. These tremendous losses in my immediate circle of loved ones changed my definition of success for my own life. I love being a physician and particularly love the impact I’m able to make with dementia care and connecting with families of dementia patients. I realized I also love being creative and celebrating life. My career in medicine did not always allow me to flex my creative muscle, and the untimely deaths of my family members highlighted the importance of celebrating all of life’s moments.
I’m happy doing both things. I don’t believe that you need to choose one talent or career to do it to the best of your ability. I think it’s possible (and important) to allow yourself to do more than one thing that fills your cup.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Geriatric Medicine specialist– a physician who specializes in the care of older adults. My clinical focus is hospitalized patients with geriatric syndromes including falls, delirium, and dementia. I work closely with patients and families to optimize their functional and cognitive health and promote independence in old age.
I also own an event planning company providing highly curated, detail-focused guest experiences. While my career as a physician involves difficult conversations and regular discussions planning for the end of life, my career in event planning is focused on celebrating all of life’s moments. I do plan weddings, but my true passion is celebrating milestones in over-the-top style. I love a good theme and every detail matters. My goal is to encourage my clients and their guests to have experiences that leave lasting joyful memories.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think spending time getting to know other professionals in the industry on a personal level was the biggest help. This is different than networking– I took the time to sit down for a meal and conversation with others in the field–both new and seasoned–to just talk to them and get to know them as people. I made so many wonderful, meaningful connections and the people I have connected with have gone out of their way to help me showcase my work and connect with others.
I also invested time and money to show my work and broadcast my style. I planned my own events using my own money to work vendors who serve my ideal clientele and really went all out. Yes, it’s a risk when you’re just starting out and aren’t really bringing in revenue yet, but being able to have something concrete showing what I can do definitely helps with reputation within the market. It also helps with my own confidence knowing I can deliver on the services I’m advertising.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
Absolutely. Many people have asked me if I’m leaving medicine to pursue event planning full time and my answer is no! I love understanding the human body and changes that occur as we age. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of making connections with my patients and their families. Particularly in geriatrics, I find that my patients teach me so much as I’m caring for them. If I were to do anything differently, I think I would have started my second career in event planning earlier as I’m finding that having outlets for left brain and right brain simultaneously is exactly what I needed for my own work life balance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.halflightevents.com
- Instagram: @halflightevents
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/halflighteventspgh
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-s-chandra-2612002b/
Image Credits
Araujo Photography, Anna Laero Photography, Nandy Vijay Photography