We were lucky to catch up with Dr Lynn Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr Lynn, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Taking a risk is something we all do every day simply by getting out of bed and facing the world, but some of us take a more significant risk in hopes of finding our purpose and the meaning of life. Living in a small town in Maine, my parents taught me to follow the status quo and not take risks. Why risk failure when conformity insured comfort? But comfort can be dull and not conducive to growth. If you never venture out and take a risk, the world around you becomes very small and isolated, and you begin to think only in terms of black and white.
So, one day, I packed up my belongings and headed west to Los Angeles. I had never driven on a freeway, knew no one in LA, and was alone with my sixteen-year-old daughter. Scary and risky but also exciting and adventuresome.
The risk was worth it. Although there were obstacles and challenges, I grew tremendously as a person and discovered a world of diversity and creativity. Had I not taken the risk, I would have been comfortable, bored, and stunted. I calculated my risk, which is part of my nature; always have a plan B! I had a job waiting for me, some money in the bank, no debt, and a great sense of survival.
Don’t be afraid to take a calculated risk. Things may not turn out as you expect, but it is better to try and fail than to never try, which is the biggest regret and failure of all!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

When I moved to LA, I found an outlet for my passion. Holistic health, body, mind, and soul were what I believed to be the right path for optimal health. I finished my Ph.D. in Holistic Health and began my practice, teaching, writing, and lecturing as an adjunct professor. I have always felt that I was the luckiest person in the world. I get to help people stay healthy and fit, and I love what I do. I began practicing, teaching, and writing about karma yoga along the way. Karma is something I have taught for over forty years. Combining Karma Yoga with my Holistic and therapeutic background, I was able to give my clients and students a holistic approach to the body, mind, and soul. I found my karma and began to work it; it has made all the difference in my life. Follow your passion, and everything else will fall into place. A life lived without passion and purpose is a dull, stunted existence. So, live life holistically in good health. To find your karma, check out my Book How to Master Your Karma so You Master Your Life: http://www.doctorlynn.com.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Training and knowledge provide you with the basic foundation for any endeavor, but to be successful and effective, you must have a deep interest and passion for what you are doing. Caring and understanding are essential, but trust is the most helpful characteristic of a holistic practitioner. Often, the real problems lie hidden deep within a person. When a person feels you are competent and also trustworthy, they open up and share on a deeper level, and that is when a practitioner can give the best direction and advice.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When you grow up in a small fishing village, you trust everybody. Times could be challenging, so we, as a tribe, depended on each other. No one locked their doors or took the keys out of their cars. The rule of thumb was that if you needed a car, you took the one available and left a note for the owner. More often than not, the car’s owner was an uncle or cousin. So, what I had to learn as I ventured out into the world was that I could only trust some people. Moving from rural Maine to LA, I learned who to trust and who not to trust. In Maine, you trusted someone until the person betrayed you. In LA, you only trust after you can be sure the person will not betray you. LA helped me to learn how to become street-smart, and I can now quickly tell who is honest and who is not. I got taken a few times, but I am a quick learner. Karma teaches us to pay attention to the world around us. Be honest, but be aware that human nature can be brutal and callous. So, although I had to unlearn trusting everyone, I also learned to hold onto my honesty and use it to master my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.doctorlynn.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/doctorlaa/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DrLynnAnderson
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/lynn-anderson
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/drlynnanderson
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ2o8upD2IU
• Other: http://doctorlynnanderson.blogspot.com/