We recently connected with Kristie Nguyen and have shared our conversation below.

Kristie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

About 6 years ago, I was burnout and exhausted with the monotony of my daily routine of work, family and church. Not that I didn’t love it all but there was no me in this routine. My time was set aside for my patients and family. I’ve lost that spark I had to enjoy life. At the same time, I had a nurse that was working for me who had to pick up an extra shift each week to help her daughters out. Now this nurse was already working 5 days a week and my heart ache to know her sacrifice. I had a few friends from optometry school reach out over the year telling me about this new opportunity but of course I didn’t pay too much attention until 1 of them posted about earning a brand new Lexus. So I asked around and realized that they were earning a nice 4-5 digit paycheck each month. I turned around and told my nurse about it but then I thought why shouldn’t I give it a try too. If they can do it why can’t I. I prayed about it and God answered. It wasn’t what I had expected (I mean skincare is nothing related to eyecare) but I embraced it full on anyways. Completely outside of my comfort zone I started posting on social media and growing my personal brand from scratch. Fast forward due to my online presence, I’m a brand ambassador for multiple brands within the eyecare industry and I also help mentor others on how to grow their personal brand. Truly taking a leap of faith into the unknown had paid back tenfold with glowing skin, monthly paychecks for 6 years and counting, collaborative opportunities, self confidence and the opportunity to help others do the same.

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

I’m an optometrist based out of Orlando. I’ve been practicing for 18 years. I’ve been married to my husband since post graduate school where we met. We have 2 daughters and 2 dogs. I’ve worked as an independent contracting optometrist my entire career which means I am my own boss and help local colleagues with days they need help with at their office. This allows for more time flexibility to start my family and to be with my family. I’m an introvert. So when I decided over 6 years ago to join a direct sales company because I was burned out I had to reprogram my mind to share about myself to people I didn’t know on social media. I recall hesitating for days each time I had to post something. It was very stressful to be so vulnerable. But I understood that if nothing changes then nothing changes. Through my skincare business I’ve learned how to personally brand myself and my network grew. I’ve appeared on multiple podcasts and interviews to share my journey and tips on personal branding over the years. I’m also a brand ambassador for a few different eyewear brands and eyecare related products/services such as digital marketing and lead generation for eyecare professionals, virtual frame try on, Optical Metaverse, female optometric group, and 2 eye related magazines. I enjoy educating on eye health and eyecare related topics and sharing my personal journey with self care and confidence. I love empowering others to dream bigger dreams regardless of your age or background.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is solving the problem my patient comes in with. Often times patients come in for a second opinion because they were unsatisfied with their previous experience or their issue was never resolved. I ask lots of questions and I try to figure out the best solution to my patient’s problem(s). I also love educating my patients on how to keep their eyes healthy. By involving my patient in their understanding of their eye health, it encourages better patient compliance and cooperation in taking care of their eyes. It’s a very rewarding profession to be able to help people with their vision on a daily basis. Each patient is unique with their visual demands so each person deserves to be heard why they can’t see well or clear. It’s like being a detective and piecing together the clues to solve the puzzle.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is removing my limited beliefs and past experiences that held me back from reaching my full potential. Growing up as an immigrant, English was not my primary language. I had a hard time adjusting to school with the language barrier and I was bullied by my classmates for looking different. I grew up thinking I wasn’t pretty because of my asian features: flatter nose bridge, slanted small eyes and shorter height. I always felt I had to work twice at hard at everything I do because I wasn’t as talented as my American friends. Needless to say by the 4th grade after getting my first pair glasses, I started to excel in school because I finally comprehended the English language. However I still felt inferior. I continued to feel this way well into adulthood. It wasn’t until I started my journey with a skincare company did I realize that I was the only person setting the ceiling to my own success. Once I realized that I was holding myself back I had to teach myself to unbind the chains that were holding me down.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drkristie.business.site/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.kristienguyen
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kristie.h.nguyen
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drkristienguyen
• Other: www.tiktok.com/dr.kristienguyen