We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abhay Dandekar. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abhay below.
Abhay, looking forward to hearing more about you today! Setting up a conversation podcast while also being a pediatric physician is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what that was like for you – what motivated you and what was foundational?
I chose to pursue medicine and specifically Pediatrics, because it is among the only fields where you are caring for a vulnerable individual and communicating mostly with their parents. While doctoring can be very gratifying, especially when you are charged with “doing” something purposeful to help someone or even teach those who are learning and training, I realized over time that there is also deep, great power in listening and sharing conversations. These discussions with parents, family, and other healthcare team members have been so valued because they help cultivate relationships and help instill trust – a commodity that is so critical today’s information and A.I. filled age. Being a life-long learner AND integrating this with being a leader can be challenging at times, but is a recipe for humble growth over the span of a career. Harnessing one’s knowledge and skill to diagnose a problem or help heal a patient’s illness is superbly satisfying. Forming long-term relationships that span the range of human emotion is what brings enduring joy and meaning.
So what happened next? Can you take a minute to introduce how you translated your creative listening into a podcast?
Knowing that instilling trust and cultivating conversation form the core of my duties as a pediatrician, I wanted to bring elements of this to members of my community through a podcast show called “TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I’m DOING”, where I share conversations with interesting and talented individuals from every walk of life. So far, with over 300 guests, the focus has centered on people linked to the global Indian and South Asian communities as well as some special episodes related back to the 2024 elections. The podcast has showcased a range of CEO’s to changemakers, artists to activists, and policy makers to politicians. I tend to focus on cross-sections and intersections that often are not explored, with a goal of amplifying each guest and highlighting their ongoing work. My conversation style tends to be exploratory, personal, and engaging with a spirit of learning and listening, as if it was a family member or someone visiting my practice.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I am 100% authentic and transparent with my work as a physician and also as a podcaster. It truly has helped cultivate trust and has significantly helped me to learn lessons and rapidly synthesize them into daily practice. This authenticity has also led to a healthy integration of personal and professional harmony, which is an accelerator of longevity in any arena.
Any advice for those who are at the starting line with this, especially when it comes to teamwork and leadership?
There are two advice pieces I would share:
1)Be specific with your engagement as it pertains to each individual. Deep listening requires no distraction and superb focus, so that you can lead, learn, and listen with intent.
2)Be situationally versatile. There are times when you need to cheerlead at the front of the room and other times when you need to be nearly invisible and direct your attention to others. There are times when you need to be the first to demonstrate courage and competency with a new task or innovation and other times when prioritizing your service to others means being the last to leave the room and “turn off the lights.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://abhaydandekar.transistor.fm
- Instagram: @drabhaydandekar
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhaydandekar/
- Twitter: @abhaydandekar
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChOdSAsCtN0quqOZ0mDUV0w
