Episode 96: Creating Greater Impact and Breaking the Expert Paradox with Dr Karen Wilson
In Episode 96 of The Business Habitat podcast, Sam teams up with Dr Karen Wilson, Clinical Neuropsychologist and Director of West LA Neuropsychology. Amongst Dr Wilson’s many accolades, most recently are the Forbes next 1000 and the Amex 100 for 100 Founders for Change. Dr Wilson is the Founder of ChildNEXUS, a web application that provides information to parents who have children struggling with neurodevelopmental or social-emotional issues.
Dr Wilson moved into Neuropsychology in graduate school when she realised she didn’t like the sight of blood. She learned quickly that pivoting her interests and applying her knowledge and expertise to a broader range of activities was the best way for her to evolve and follow her passions. Frustrated by the linear nature of person to person consulting, Dr Wilson sought out more effective ways of disseminating information to the people who needed it, in this case, primarily teachers and parents.
In this conversation Sam and Dr Wilson explore the similarities that exist across expert businesses and note that irrespective of the discipline, whether it be medical, business or other professional fields, the obstacles to growth remain the same. Dr Wilson shares why it was important to her to reach more people and her views on overcoming the barriers to communication that exist across the board.
This podcast dovetails neatly into the discussion around moving towards a broader and more effective platform, and making the most of time and effort in the process. It is essential listening for any professional or business owner looking to have a greater impact in their field and build a business on their own terms.
Listen to an excerpt
What we cover in this episode
How can experts impact more people than by dealing 1:1
The concept of a central advisor and why it matters
The expert paradox and how it applies to any industry
The power of building an inter-disciplinary network
Why pivoting is essential to any business
Adjusting your content for your audience and meeting people where they are
Dr Wilson’s tops tips for experts
Quotes
“I was on rotation in a hospital and I saw my first child and I thought ‘this is where I want to be. I want to be able to make a difference when kids are really young and impact their lives’ and I pivoted in that direction…pivoting is my go-to thing that I do but I think that’s how we evolve and become better and become who, ultimately, we are destined to be“ - Karen
“I’ve always struggled to see the model of how we can bring all experts together, and I do also know that one of the major problems with it isn’t the systems, the model, or anything, it’s our egos“ - Sam
“I was sitting at one of these conferences and this person was providing all of this great information about reading and intervention and I thought ‘this is going to change the lives of so many kids’ and then I looked around and there were all other Neuropsychologists and Psychologists and I’m thinking ‘this is great information but we’re sharing it with each other. Why aren’t we sharing it with teachers? Why aren’t we sharing it with parents?’ It didn’t make any sense to me“ - Karen
“How do we, as experts, get together and disseminate all of this information to the people who actually need it in their everyday. Then they can go to the right experts“ - Sam
“It’s better to have an inter-disciplinary network than to just network with people who do the same thing you do, because that’s not where your referrals are going to come from, unless they’re booked with clients“ - Karen
“Pivoting is essential to any business. Being willing to pivot, and being ready to pivot is essential to any business, because if you stay the same you’re going to be obsolete pretty quickly.“ - Karen
Links mentioned
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