We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Hochman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

I grew up having a Dad who worked as a pediatrician in the town I was raised. From the time I can remember, I’ve always admired my dad; I watched him diligently care for his patients, and somehow still find the time to “show up” for his family. It was impossible not to admire my dad for his positive, lasting impact on others. So needless to say, my father was without a doubt my greatest influence in choosing the path to become a pediatrician. He never told me that he wanted me to become a doctor—but deep down I wanted to grow up to be just like him. And then fast forward to when I eventually completed my pediatric training, it was an easy decision to work as a pediatrician alongside my dad. This August we will have worked together for 12 years, and he still inspires me to be a better doctor. We’ve been a great team–we share a joint mission to provide quality care and create meaningful relationships with our patients. I try to appreciate every day that we work together, and I truly love what I do.

Jessica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am constantly thinking about ways to improve the health care we offer our patients. During the pandemic, it becomes clear that many patients were looking to social media and podcasts in search of quality medical information, but they were not sure what information was trustworthy. So, I created a social media identity as “Ask Dr Jessica” to share my thoughts on various pediatric topics as a podcast and on social media platforms. With every podcast and social media post, my intention is to offer helpful content so that parents are better informed and, hopefully as a result, spend less time worrying (so they can instead spend more energy enjoying their life as parents!). I am most proud of the feedback I have received from patients–there is truly no better feeling to me than to learn I have helped somebody. Practicing pediatrics is my first passion, but the “Ask Dr Jessica” content is satisfying in that I can potentially reach and help more people. Last year for example, the “Ask Dr Jessica” podcast was downloaded in 80 countries! I look forward to continuing to grow and learn!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe what has helped build my reputation within my market, is that there is trust in what I am doing—people can feel that my intention is to truly help others. I think that many businesses lead with the mission to make a large financial profit, but for me personally, what feels best is to lead with a mindset to be of service to others.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I believe that energy in general can be infectious. If I show up to work or on social media, complaining and with negative vibes, there is potential for that energy to spread. Sometimes it can be difficult to stay positive, especially at work when we are dealing with a sick child— but I always try to be a source of positivity and optimism.

I also believe, conversely, leading with positive energy can be contagious. For example, if I show up to my work place with a good, positive attitude —demonstrating respect, kindness, integrity and thoughtfulness—the odds greatly increase that I will receive the same energy in return. This is something I’ve really learned from working with my Dad—lead by example, be the person you’d want to have as your role model.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.askdrjessicamd.com (social media), www.oakparkpediatrics.com (workplace)
• Instagram: AskDrJessica
• Facebook: Ask Dr Jessica
• Twitter: askdrjessica1
• Youtube: Ask Dr Jessica
• Other: TickTock: @askdrjessica

Image Credits
The pictures are either of myself, with me and my family (three kids and husband) or with me and my Dad.