Scripting Your Dream Career with Dr. Adam Martin
Dr. Adam Martin joins Tim Ulbrich on the show to discuss his most recent book Gen-Z Pharmacist: Dominate Pharmacy School & Script Your Dream Career.
Dr. Martin is the founder of The Fit Pharmacist, host of The Fit Pharmacist Healthcare Podcast and a two-time author.
About Today’s Guest
Dr. Adam Martin works with people to write their script for success using proper nutrition, stress management, and the power of a positive attitude. He earned his doctorate of pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, and with over 7 years of experience working full-time in the community pharmacy setting, he’s passionate about empowering other pharmacists and pharmacy students to put the health back into healthcare through leading by example in their professional practice to not only live their best lives, but to inspire others along the way to do the same. He pairs his PharmD with his expertise as a certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant to guide self-care back into healthcare.
Dr. Martin is the founder of The Fit Pharmacist, LLC. As a National Speakers Association (NSA) Professional Speaker, Adam’s core passion is traveling to pharmacy schools across the world to speak to pharmacy students, sharing practical plans of action that will empower them to maximize their careers and create a competitive edge in the profession to maximize their success and degree of impact.
He has made his life’s work showing people how to take control of their overall wellness, sharing SimpleSolutions through his writing for numerous pharmacy publications including PharmacyTimes magazine, and is the author of the best-selling book Rx: You: The Pharmacist’s Survival Guide for Managing Stress & Fitting in Fitness as well as the forthcoming book Gen-Z Pharmacist: Dominate Pharmacy School & Script Your Dream Career.
He is the host of The Fit Pharmacist Healthcare Podcast, sharing successes and practical strategies from the most successful minds in the profession of pharmacy with a new episode released every week. You can subscribe and learn more here: https://thefitpharmacist.com/podcast
With a passion for learning and serving his patients, he’s an inaugural member of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association’s Leadership Excellence and Advocacy Development (LEAD) program, and strives to serval the global community of pharmacy as a medical missionary, having served in Honduras and Panama as a pharmacist in the field. In 2019, he was named the “Most Influential Pharmacist” by SingleCare’s Best of the Best Pharmacy Awards.
You can connect with him on Instagram
Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn: @FitPharmFam
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thefitpharmacist
Summary
In this episode, Dr. Adam Martin digs into his reason for writing his most recent book the Gen-Z Pharmacist: Dominate Pharmacy School & Script Your Dream Career and key points in it.
Adam explains that the number one problem he heard other pharmacists say was that they were never taught how to be a pharmacist. Although they were extensively trained in medicine and other essential knowledge that lays the PharmD groundwork, they didn’t know how to enter the workforce, interact with their colleagues, develop their career, or attend conferences. Essentially, pharmacists entering the workforce already felt behind.
Adam identified this problem and knew that something needed to be done. He’s very passionate about giving back to pharmacy programs and wanted to make a lasting impact on students. He decided to focus on what isn’t taught in a PharmD program but needs to be known. Over a four year period, Adam wrote his second book, Gen-Z Pharmacist: Dominate Pharmacy School & Script Your Dream Career.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is about your prescription to dominate pharmacy school. Topics like clarifying your why, molding your mindset and networking are discussed. Part two delves into how to script your career. This section consists of 22 expert interviews with some of the best pharmacists in their niche. In this section, pharmacy students ask seasoned pharmacists what they would have done differently in the pharmacy school and their career to get to where they are today but faster.
Mentioned on the Show
- Refinance Your Student Loans
- The Fit Pharmacist Healthcare Podcast
- Gen-Z Pharmacist: Dominate Pharmacy School & Script Your Dream Career by Dr. Adam Martin
- Follow The Fit Pharmacist on Instagram
- Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don’t by Michael J. Losier
- YFP 091: How to Become a Fit Pharmacist w/ Dr. Adam Martin
- Rx You! The Pharmacist’s Survival Guide to Managing Stress & Fitting In Fitness by Dr. Adam Martin
- Seven Figure Pharmacist by Dr. Tim Ulbrich and Dr. Tim Church
- Seth Godin
- YFP 116: Transforming Your Life and Career Through Networking w/ David Burkus
- The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
- Ohio Pharmacist Association Annual Conference, April 3-5, 2020
- Follow The Fit Pharmacist on Facebook
Episode Transcript
Tim Ulbrich: Hey, what’s up, everybody? Welcome to this week’s episode of the Your Financial Pharmacist podcast. I’m excited to welcome Dr. Adam Martin back on the show to talk about his most recent book, “Gen Z Pharmacist: Dominate pharmacy school and script your dream career.” Dr. Martin was previously on the show back on Episode 091 with Tim Church as a part of our side hustle series where he talked about how to become a fit pharmacist. Now, for those who don’t already know Adam, honestly, I’m not really sure how that’s the case as he’s everywhere having a positive impact, now internationally as well on so many so early in his career. His mindset, positivity and energy for helping inspire others to be the best version of themselves is second to none. I’ve been blessed to get to know Adam over the past couple years, and he’s inspired me and I’m confident will do the same for those listening today. Adam, welcome back to the show.
Adam Martin: Dr. Tim, it is a pleasure to be back, my man.
Tim Ulbrich: So glad to have you. It’s great to have you back in front of the YFP community, and it’s an exciting time for you with the recent book launch we’ll talk more about on the show as well as getting back from an international speaking gig. Tell us more.
Adam Martin: Yeah, man, so that was a blast. I actually just got back from speaking in Ireland at two pharmacy schools. So I was invited to speak on a mental health symposium in the city of Cork, Ireland. So flew into Dublin and then drove to Cork. And in Ireland, there’s three schools of pharmacy. So a little background: The healthcare system in Ireland is roughly three years behind that of the rest of the world. So just to paint a scenario for you, if someone has a mental health crisis, let’s say they have suicidal thoughts and they go to their provider, at that point, there is a 6-8 week waiting period for them to get any kind of treatment.
Tim Ulbrich: Gees.
Adam Martin: That paired with the fact that there’s a lot of stigma and no one’s talking about mental health is what’s prompted the creation of this symposium. So I was invited to speak. It was the first time ever in the country. All three schools of pharmacy were there. There were about 250 pharmacy students from the country. I spoke along with psychiatrists and pharmacists doing groundbreaking research to advance mental health. And it was the first time that there was a gathering to talk about mental health resources available and how to break down that stigma and lead to a positive impact. And the other thing that was fun — and I didn’t know this until shortly before the talk — is Irish people tend to be somewhat reserved. So they’re not used to my speaking style, and if you ever heard me speak, it is not a talk. It is an experience.
Tim Ulbrich: You bring it. You bring it.
Adam Martin: Yes. So I get everyone engaged, I get literally people up dancing in the talk. So they — the words that they used was “bloody brilliant.”
Tim Ulbrich: Bloody brilliant.
Adam Martin: It was a blast, man. And then I went the next day to speak at Trinity College at Dublin all about self-care, specifically for combating burnout that we’re facing in our profession because we hear about that all the time here in the States, but this is something that’s global. So it was an honor to be a voice representing pharmacy from the United States to talk about that in Ireland and bring what I’ve been working on here over there.
Tim Ulbrich: What an awesome experience. I mean, we talk about opportunity meeting the interest, the passion you have, the impact that you want to have. But just to be able to have that experience in Ireland, I followed you on Instagram throughout that journey. It looked like you were having a blast while you were there. So not only that, but you’ve got a second book out as well. I mean, how does that feel? We’ll reflect more on the details of the book and some of the concepts in there, but man, as you’re on the back end, the journey of writing a book is intense. I’ve joked with many, I’ve done it one, I’m not sure I’m going to do it again.
Adam Martin: Yeah.
Tim Ulbrich: But you’ve done it twice now. I mean, how does it feel to be on the back end of it?
Adam Martin: Oh man, so this actually is a funny — it leads me to a podcast that I did with a really world-renowned author. His name is Michael Lozier. And if you ever heard of the law of attraction, there’s a book called “Law of Attraction.” And it is a phenomenal read about mindset. But when I was interviewing him, I said, “Oh, I love your book. I’ve read it like five times, listened to it.” And he’s like, “Oh, that’s funny. I wrote it 100 times.” And at the time, I laughed. But after writing my second book, I was like, that is so true. So yeah, man, it’s a lot of revision and that’s really what people need to know is if you’re thinking about writing a book, really doing anything, the first draft is going to be trash. So you have to get started and dive into that process. And it’s fun. You learn, you get insight as you go. But that won’t happen until you get started. So that’s my learning experience and turned into piece of advice for anyone considering going down that path.
Tim Ulbrich: I think that’s great advice, and I think for many that have the aspirations of writing a book, they see a finished product and they think, oh my gosh, it’s so overwhelming, I’m never going to get there. But as you and I both know, to your point, the first draft often you look back at and you’re like, what was I thinking? You know, in terms of what I had here. But just the small compound effect, you write a few hundred words a day, you keep at it, and you get a draft on paper, you make revisions, you get feedback from others, and you start to refine your message and see what’s resonating.
Adam Martin: Absolutely.
Tim Ulbrich: So let’s talk about the book in detail. Again, the title is “Gen Z Pharmacist: Dominate pharmacy school and script your career.” Our listeners can learn more and get a copy at FitPharmacist.com/book. Now, three things that I love about this book as I had a chance to get a sneak preview from Adam: No. 1 — and I’ve shared this with you already — I think it’s really written in a way that is easy to understand, it’s digestable, and it’s written by someone who really has been through this journey. You know, you’ve walked the walk. And I think you’re doing a great job of teaching it. And I think it’s written in a way that it’s action-oriented is really the second piece that I love is that you can’t blow through this book. I think you’ve done a really nice job of you’re talking about some big things in the text in terms of mindset, you talk about leadership and time management, all these different concepts, and you really do a great job of forcing the reader to stop, reflect, and actually have space in the book where they can do some activities to think about that. I thought that was awesome. And then the second part of the book, which you called “Script Your Career: Experts speak,” you’ve got I think 20-something I think different experts that you have examples and stories from that I think really just showcases not only the journey you’ve had but also others. And so the thought that went behind this, you know, I think often when I see people that publish multiple books, you think, man, what are they pumping out? How quick are they doing it? What’s the quality? The intentionality here was awesome, and I think you did a really wonderful job. And I’m excited to talk more about this. So let’s start with why. What was the need? I mean, you’ve got your first book that was out, I see a copy in the book here as we’re recording.
Adam Martin: Yeah, there it is.
Tim Ulbrich: What’s the need for a second book? What was the mission and the vision?
Adam Martin: Absolutely. So first off, thank you for the kind words, Tim. I really appreciate that. It means a lot coming from you. I have tremendous respect for you and all the work that you’ve done and the impact you’re making for pharmacy. And I think that’s why you and I resonate so well and why we’re joining forces, sneak preview, for something coming up later in the spring. But to answer your question, so I’ve worked first as a nutrition consultant, and I’ve been doing that since 2013. And my niche is pharmacy students and pharmacists. And you know, we talk about problems, struggles, things like that. And the No. 1 problem that I kept hearing was very similar to what we all faced when we graduated. And that is I was never taught how to be a pharmacist. Yes, I was taught all the knowledge and all of the medication information and all those essentials that laid the groundwork for what our PharmD is for. But when it comes time to actually entering the workforce, interacting with your colleagues and then also developing your career in an increasingly competitive industry, how do you leverage social media? And then there’s all this talk about personal branding. Oh yeah, and then there’s conferences. And then there’s all that stuff that you’re not taught about in a structured way. And you get out in the workforce and then you feel behind. And something that’s something that people were struggling with a lot. So I thought, man, something needs to be done about this. So you asked why a second book, but the fun fact is I actually started working on this book before my first book came out. So this book was a four-year process because I do work full-time in the community and run a business. So time was interesting. But as far as the reason why, that comes to innovation. And that’s a core belief and a core concept at University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, where I graduated, that being innovation, leadership, and excellence. So whenever I graduated, if you guys know my story, I was quite on the struggle bus to even get into pharmacy school.
Tim Ulbrich: Last seat, right? Last seat.
Adam Martin: Yeah. Last seat. Last one to get in, and no one in my class knew it. But I ended up being president of my class and all that other stuff. But because of that, and I worked so hard to get in, I was tremendously grateful for the opportunity and I had just such an amazing learning experience with phenomenal faculty and just great networking. So when I graduated, I started to think, man, I really need to give back. Like I need to get involved. So I started guest lecturing and helping some of my professors here and there. But working full-time, I would only be able to get in like when my schedules aligned, like once a semester. So that wasn’t really making a huge impact. Then I thought well, they asked for contributions financially, which is great, but I’m not a gazillionaire yet. But you know, after reading “Seven Figure Pharmacist,” it’s going to happen. Shameless plug. But you know, I don’t have enough money to make a huge impact with like a building or whatnot. So I thought, you know, how can I put this concept of innovation into practice? So I thought, what am I good at? What do I enjoy? What do people resonate with? And it’s writing and speaking. So I thought about what they don’t teach you in pharmacy school but what everyone needs in order to be a successful pharmacist. So I reached out to the dean and I said, “Hey, I thought about this idea of writing a book to complement pharmacy school. But before I do it, I just want to make sure that this doesn’t exist so I’m not spinning my wheels.” And she said, “No, it doesn’t exist.” So I was like, awesome. Well, what I want to do is I want to write a book helping students on this process so that when they graduate, they have the groundwork to hit the ground running. And what I want to do is reach out to 22 of the best pharmacists in their niche that are really crushing it. So like nuclear pharmacy, administration, dean of pharmacy school, how to get a residency if you want to get a PhD after pharmacy, all of those types of things. And what I want to do is I want to interview them and say right now, you are the best at what you do. And you’ve been doing this for years. If you knew you were going to end where you are now on your first day of pharmacy school, what would you do differently to get there faster? What organizations would you have joined? What publications, what meetings, all of those types of things. And that was my original idea. And she said, “That’s a great idea, but what if instead of you doing the interviews, you have pharmacy students do them so it’s not only a book for pharmacy students but written by pharmacy students.”
Tim Ulbrich: Love it.
Adam Martin: And it sounded great until I realized how to implement that. So you’ve got a dude that’s full-time community — and if you guys work in community, you know how rigid that structure is. I mean, we’ve got to submit our vacation requests like a year and a half advance. So you’ve got that. I’m running a business, diving into my speaking career, OK, and then you’ve got 22 super busy people that are crushing it and then you try to get pharmacy students who are in pharmacy school in leadership positions. So try to align those schedules 22 different times.
Tim Ulbrich: Sure.
Adam Martin: And that turned into four years.
Tim Ulbrich: So Adam, what I hear there is a lot of persistence as well as certainly some good mentorship and folks that gave you insight into the book. But I think that last part, you know, interviewing 20-something folks that are crushing it in their respective careers, honestly, that alone could probably be a separate book, could be a separate resource, could be a separate podcast — not that you have free time. But really getting insights into folks, you know, that’s something that I often wonder is I love the concept of sitting down with somebody and just asking them about you know, what’s made you successful? What’s your routines, your habits? And there’s obviously a lot of networking to be had there but also to learn. And that was really a big takeaway for me as I read this book was man, I wish I would have had this in pharmacy school. I wish I would have had this available to me. I just think it’s an incredible, incredible resource. And I see so many connections between this and the financial piece.
Adam Martin: Oh yeah.
Tim Ulbrich: And again, sneak preview, excited we’re going to be collaborating on some things, more things going forward. But in the book — and we’ll talk here in a minute — you talk about clarifying your why and mindset and time management and developing an outside passion and leadership and mentorship and thinking about the long game. And the thread, so much of that for me depends on is your financial situation in a position that you can clearly focus on all of those things? Because what I hear from so many people is, yes, yes, yes, but hey, I’m in $200,000 of debt and I can’t see what’s beyond this $200,000 of debt. And so I think there’s so many connections here to having a sound financial base and having a good financial plan so that you can be able to focus on these things. And so to that point, Chapter 1, which I loved, you started with this concept of clarify your why, which is something we talk about on this show as it relates to one’s financial situation. But tell me more about what you mean in terms of this concept of clarifying your why.
Adam Martin: Absolutely. So with the book, there’s two parts. The second part we talked about are the interviews that we did. So what that is it’s looking Part 1, the concepts we explore and how people in the industry have put those into practice and are thriving because of it. So it’s kind of like, here’s the script and literally Part 1 is “Your Rx to Dominate Pharmacy School.” But then Part 2 is here’s people that did this, and here’s the result. So absolutely. And that comes down to two parts. So we want to impact patients. We want to have a way to help people enrich their lives. We can’t do that until we can do that for ourselves. So that’s why in the first part, there is self-mastery and then relationship building. So the reason that the first chapter is clarify your why is because in order to thrive in your business, in your personal endeavors, whatever that looks like for you, you will face adversity, you will face setbacks.
Tim Ulbrich: Yes.
Adam Martin: Guaranteed.
Tim Ulbrich: Yep.
Adam Martin: And if you only have a short-term goal like “I want to make a ton of money,” or “I want a name for myself” or whatever that is, you will fail every time. But if you have a why that is bigger than yourself, if you have a purpose that extends farther beyond you, you will be able to realign with that and stick through that and do what it takes to overcome those hurdles.
Tim Ulbrich: Yes.
Adam Martin: For example, if you’re listening to this and you have kids, alright? When you’re sick, when you are exhausted, when you’ve got projects on the line, but your kid needs help, you do it anyway because it’s something bigger than yourself.
Tim Ulbrich: Yep, absolutely.
Adam Martin: It’s the same concept. So that’s why having a why that is clear, aligned with your goals and is bigger than you, making it about other people instead of just yourself, that’s the secret to staying at the long game because it is a process. And the thing you people have to realize is it’s not — and this is something that’s rampant in our profession being everyone Type A. I mean, I’m so Type A, my name starts with A. So I get it, y’all. Real talk. But you have to realize that it’s not going to be getting it right the first time. You can’t focus on being perfect. And we’re wired to think that way because literally as pharmacists, depending on your role, if you’re dispensing, one mistake could kill someone. That’s reality. So we take that thought process, and it translates into other areas of our life. So you have to shift your focus away from perfection and on progress because it’s a process not a one-and-done, and you have to realize that the value is on progress not perfection.
Tim Ulbrich: Absolutely. And if I could even add onto that, you know, Seth Godin, one of my favorite authors, would argue that you want to run from perfection. You want to fail often but quickly. And obviously, there’s places where you don’t want to fail and when you think about medication safety and other things. But you know, in terms of developing yourself as an individual, a road of perfection and a road of no challenges is one of the greatest fears I have for my children.
Adam Martin: Yep.
Tim Ulbrich: I don’t want them to have that, you know. They need to have adversity. They need to learn through that because as I reflect back even on a young career, like those moments, being in those, however painful they can be and however significant they seem in the moment, that’s really where the sweetness is happening. And to this concept of why, you know, again, to the listeners, the action-oriented nature of this book, I’m on page 6 here. Here I am, maybe I pick up your book and I feel like I’m just going to fly through this thing. And I’ve got to sit down and reflect on my why. And I can tell you that I recently did this activity to over 100 students in a personal finance course here at Ohio State, and I had them reflect on their why using some of the life planning questions we’ve talked about before on the podcast. And I will tell you through those responses, rarely have people thought about this question. And this is somewhat uncomfortable to think about. I think that’s good, that’s the purpose of the activity, you stop, you reflect. But again, I think it speaks to the nature of this book, you’re not just talking about this concept, you know, here I am on page 6 and I’ve already got to dig in and do some work, which is awesome.
Adam Martin: I love it, man. But yeah, to your point about the action-oriented nature of the book. And I’m an NSA professional speaker. And I tell people this at almost all my talks. I’m not a motivational speaker. I’m not here to pump you up. If you want to get pumped up, go to the gym. I’m here to literally make an impact and get you thinking to change your life and move the needle in the direction so that we can create momentum right now because when I leave, there’s two choices. I leave and a couple days later, you’re right back in your old habits.
Tim Ulbrich: Yeah. Right.
Adam Martin: Or in the moment while I’m with you, we create an action plan so that you can just do simple steps to get the momentum moving. And that’s the key because I’m really good at bringing the energy and getting people in peak states of motivation. But unless you do something with that, nothing’s going to happen. So I took that same concept with the book. I talk about the concepts in simple terms to lay it down. But at the end of every chapter, there is a place to put that into practice specific to you, the reader, because all of us are different. We’re all at different places in our life. I’ve had pharmacists that have been graduated over 15 years saying, this book is starting to change my career. So while it’s catered to pharmacy students, it depends where you are in your career. And this really can impact anyone in the profession.
Tim Ulbrich: Well, and to that point, Adam, I mean, I’ve been out of school for 12 years. And I tried to hang onto my title of “new practitioner” as long as I could, but I don’t think I can use it anymore. But I think there’s something to learn here for everyone. I mean, to me, the mindset is you are always learning. So while I talk about your why all the time or I talk about mindset or time management, like, I don’t have all the answers. I mean, I always have something to learn in these areas. And I think this is another great resource that yes, it’s really geared toward pharmacy students, but I think many can learn beyond that. Now, Chapter 2, Mold Your Mindset. And I want to spend a few minutes talking about this because one of the things I love about you, Adam, is I feel like mindset, mindset, mindset. You know, I had a chance to meet with you in person on a couple occasions, and I strategically brought my son with me one time because I wanted him to see firsthand, you know, he might not be able to articulate it as 7 or 8 years, but being around people like you that have positivity, have mindset, you know, it’s a choice that you make despite circumstances that are around you, you know? It reminds me, I’m coaching first and second graders in basketball right now. And we’re learning a lesson on joy v. happiness.
Adam Martin: Ah.
Tim Ulbrich: And so this mindset thing, I want for a moment, give us some practical tips or strategies because I think you do this so well. And you talk about in the book as well that you’ve used or you’ve seen others successfully implement that helps to mold the mindset. You know, I think we all agree that having this mindset is incredibly important, but what are some things that folks can think about that either worked for you or that have worked for others?
Adam Martin: Absolutely. So it really comes down to what your focus is. So Bruce Lee once said, “As you think, so shall you become.” And it’s really a simple concept, but when you try to apply that to the organized chaos of pharmacy, it doesn’t seem so simple because you’ve got a lot of things. You’ve got doctor calls, you’ve got texts, you’ve got patient questions, you’ve got errors, you’ve got issues, all of that stuff. But you’ve got to put a smile on that face. How are you going to do that when you feel stressed and stretched too thin to even like have time to drink water or eat lunch during a break you don’t get or stand on your feet for 13 hours? How are you going to do that? How are you going to smile? How are you going to make it real? So it really comes down to the focus of how you’re going to conduct yourself at work or in your job and then also outside of work because if you’re having a stressful moment and you need to deal with that, that’s not really practical in the moment at a pharmacy because your patients are your priority.
Tim Ulbrich: Yep.
Adam Martin: But if you don’t put in that work of self-growth and development outside, that’s really where it comes from. So to answer your question, what’s a simple tip? It’s really what you focus on. So in pharmacy, in life, there are two realities. There are things that you can control and there are things that you cannot control. And what we tend to do as Type A pharmacists is we like to just blur that line, like, oh, we’ll figure it out. We’ll make this work. So we’re wired as humans to focus on the negative, that’s what we’re wired to because that’s what kept us alive back in the primal age. And you guys probably listening to this, you probably see this happen. You have a win, something’s checked off the list, and it’s just gone. And now you’re focused on what’s the next problem I need to fix.
Tim Ulbrich: Yep.
Adam Martin: And we get our focus set on problems we can’t fix. And if you just look on Facebook at a lot of the large pharmacy pages, that’s all you see is bickering and complaining about things you can’t necessarily control. And while they’re true and I’m not saying there’s no problems, there’s always room for improvement. And yes, there are some issues that we’re facing in our profession. If you focus on that long enough, that’s exactly what you’re going to get. That’s the mindset you’re going to have. That’s the emotion you’re going to create. And that is the action you’re going to interact with others as. So I’m not saying ignore problems, I’m not saying that if you go out in your garden and you see weeds, you close your eyes and say, “No weeds, no weeds, no weeds!” If you open your eyes, the weeds are still there. You’ve got to get down on your knees and yank those suckers out. But what I am saying is focus on the fact that you have the power to pull those weeds out.
Tim Ulbrich: Yeah.
Adam Martin: Focus on what you can control and focus on those wins. Look at where you can make an impact, both in your own life and in the life of your colleagues, partner and your patients.
Tim Ulbrich: And I think this is another great example, Adam, and you go on I think in Chapter 3 or 4 talking about self-care and again, bringing back the financial piece, being in a position of having a good mindset, being able to mold your mindset, you have to have other behaviors, other strategies in place to give yourself the opportunity to be there. You know, I think about the value of something like a morning routine for a community pharmacist who gets up, alarm clock goes off, you start checking your email, the day is crazy, you run into a 12-hour shift, and you walk into chaos and in the moment, maybe a floater left you a bunch of baggage from the night before, the phone starts ringing.
Adam Martin: No.
Tim Ulbrich: That day from the very beginning was set up to not necessarily be successful in terms of mindset. So what I like about — and for me, it’s been things like morning routines that include journaling and meditation and prayer and gratitude reflections. And you give some great examples here in the book as well. But I think this is a great area for folks to think about what works for them but starting your day with intentionality, No. 1, and really leaning on others and seeing what others are doing and seeing what ultimately will work for your plan as well. And you know, many have heard this said over and over again, find those that are doing things successful that you want to role model your behaviors after. Find out what they’re doing. And hint, many of those people are very willing to share what their successes are and to talk about it. And so I think really finding people that you look at and say, wow, they’ve really got a different attitude about the day, they’ve got a different mindset. Well, why is that? You know? Ask them some questions, learn about their behaviors and habits. And I think you do a really nice job in Chapter 2 talking about some ways that folks can do that.
Adam Martin: Thank you. But yeah, to your point, that’s absolutely spot-on. You’ve got to have those morning rituals. And it’s super important. But looking at — because what you said happens at the time of getting into work and there’s all these problems. And that’s a slippery slope with the mindset of looking at problems saying, oh, it’s going to be one of those days or, oh, this always happens to me. If you say things like that and believe things like that and say like, oh, I don’t have hours, I don’t have the time, blah, blah, blah, that’s what you’re going to look for. That’s what this concept plays out to be. But instead, if you ask the question of how is this happening for me and if you just change that just a little change in your mindset but specifically the questions you ask will determine the quality of your life. So I just want to harp that point because it’s huge at breaking that slippery slope of negativity.
Tim Ulbrich: Yeah, absolutely. I love that. And I’m going to jump ahead here a little bit in the book. My goal here is not that we would cover the book in its entirety.
Adam Martin: Oh yeah.
Tim Ulbrich: I want folks to pick it up and read it and take action themselves. But in Chapter 9, you talk about Nurture Your Networking. And as soon as I saw you make a connection between network and net worth, I said, “I’ve got to” — I mean, it’s a financial show. Got to ask him about them. It’s something we’ve talked about before, the power of networking. We had David Burkus on the show to talk about his book, “Friend of a Friend.” So talk to me about networking, the importance, the value and ultimately, you know, why a pharmacy student should be really strategically thinking about this and how they may feel like hey, I’m in a vulnerable position, I don’t really have much to contribute or share, you know, some practical strategies for how they can implement this.
Adam Martin: Excellent question. So the profession of pharmacy hinges on one concept: It’s all about relationships. And that is so true. And that applies to all areas of life, whatever profession, whatever niche you’re in. It’s all about relationships. And how many of you have heard pharmacy’s a small world? So that’s the truth. And you can either ignore it or ask how can I be resourceful with this fact, coming back to that question that you ask yourself. So a lot of times, to your question of how can people get started if they’re a pharmacy student or if they have this thinking of, oh, I haven’t started yet. And they get in that trap of comparison like, oh, well I don’t have a podcast or I don’t have a book or I don’t have Your Financial Pharmacist success, like who am I to say this and that? Don’t fall into that imposter syndrome.
Tim Ulbrich: Absolutely.
Adam Martin: Every single person would be so grateful to learn from your experience. And in another chapter, I talk about the three levels of mentorship. And that is the concept that a lot of us think of as, oh, just get someone that has more degrees than the thermometer and learn everything that they know. And that’s mentorship. That’s one of three parts. The other part is having someone on your level that is looking to make progress. But the other part that so many people miss is the best way to learn is to teach. And while you might think that you’re not “there yet,” or you haven’t “made it,” whatever that means, you have people in your influence, in your school, in your company, that would love to learn your points that you’ve gone through, that are starting where you started a year or two ago. So the third part of mentorship is teaching someone who is starting where you started. While you might not think you have value, everyone has a story, everyone has experiences, and everybody wants a mentor. So by teaching that, it creates what I call the win-win-win framework. You can stock that so that you win, they win, and the people you serve win because both of you are rising together.
Tim Ulbrich: Love that. Great advice. So again, we’ve just hit on a couple high points here. I would encourage our listeners, check out a copy of the book, FitPharmacist.com/book. And as Adam mentioned, Part 1 is Your Prescription to Dominate Pharmacy School, ranging topics from why to mindset, self-care, time management, networking, mentorship, just so much wisdom here. And again, a resource I certainly wish I would have had in pharmacy school. And then Part 2, Script Your Career, experts speak, over 20 different experts sharing their career journey, stories and what’s allowed them to be successful in their own regards. And I think, Adam, before I wrap up with a couple questions here, I want to come full circle. You know, you alluded to this concept of making it, whatever that means. And I think bringing this all the way back to the beginning, this is why I loved that you started Chapter 1 with the why because all of this really goes back to this concept of what is the goal? You know, I think so many pharmacy students have this image of success in their mind or residents, they’re chasing something. But they haven’t stopped to think about what are they chasing? Why are they chasing? And do they really want to be chasing that?
Adam Martin: Absolutely.
Tim Ulbrich: And you know, this is where you see people I think often that may be 5, 7, 10 years out and maybe they finally got to whatever they had aspired to be, but they look up and say, “I’m burned out, I’m miserable. This isn’t what I thought I would be.” And I think it goes back to all the way to the beginning, taking time to stop and reflect and say, “Why? Why? What was the purpose to begin with?” And then you start to mold the plan around the why. So we often have people that approach us and say, “You know, I’ve got a really cool idea. I’d like to write a book. But my gosh, I have no idea where to start.” You mentioned four years. We might have scared them based on that statement. But talk to us about process. Like what was this like for you in terms of the daily, the weekly, the monthly rhythms to ultimately have something that you’re holding in hand and you’re distributing it? What was the process that you were able to implement to write the book?
Adam Martin: Yeah, so that comes to what we started this podcast talking about is you don’t want to be perfect the first time. You want to leverage your struggle to create your strength. And that’s really how my whole personal brand began, and that’s a whole other podcast that I think we did, actually. But the thing is is for me, one of my weaknesses is I get great ideas. And if I don’t write them down right away, they’re gone. And I don’t know if you ever resonate with this, but you’ll have a great idea and then like you get distracted and then you think, oh, what was that awesome idea? And you like think and think and think and it never comes back. So I learned quickly to avoid that pain of what was that golden nugget to writing things down. So I would just get ideas, whether it was driving to work or at home or whatever. Most of my ideas come from walking or in the shower. Real talk.
Tim Ulbrich: Yep. I’m with you there.
Adam Martin: So I would just write those down. And that’s literally how I started. I got these ideas and as I kept writing them down, I started to see the structure. I started to see how those aligned in a bigger picture. I would have — so I’m very active on Instagram @thefitpharmacist is the best place to reach me — but I would have people ask me questions through DM or commenting on my posts about struggles, about things they’ve been dealing with. And I kept seeing repeat questions. I was like, wow, there’s a need here. This needs to be addressed. So collectively, just taking notes and engaging with people and just being of service to others, that’s where this content, that’s where this concept came from. So a lot of people think, oh, you’ve got to sit down and crank it out and write 12 hours a day. No, guys. Like this book started from getting an idea and writing it down.
Tim Ulbrich: Yep.
Adam Martin: Getting an idea and writing it down. Doing it over and over again and just looking at how can this be of value? And that’s how you start. It’s always a draft when you start. So why not start with one word?
Tim Ulbrich: Yeah, and this reminds me of one of my favorite books, “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy, you know, which relates to finances but any goal, any project you’re working on, is small steps eventually over time result in big things. And I think that’s so true with writing, you know, you’ll see often people will do writing challenges, a few hundred words here or there. But it’s really true. It’s the habit, it’s the practice, and you surprise yourself. You look back and say, “Wow. I didn’t realize I could do this.” Then you start to shape it, you form it, it becomes a chapter. You beat it up, you get to Version 2, Version 3, and so on. But so much less intimidating than starting out and saying OK, I’m going to write a book from scratch. And I always encourage people, if there’s a topic you’re really passionate about, you know, start writing it down and posting things on LinkedIn and doing some other things. Then after 10 or 15 or 20 of those, you’ve got the beginnings of what could be a chapter or a section of a book or certainly could be a podcast or some other medium. Something I also want to point out to our listeners that are thinking about OK, so yes, Adam, you’ve written a book, but you’ve also built a brand. And sometimes I hate that word because I think it’s like we envision Adam as just like scheming in his house how to brand and market things. But the point I want to make here is that as I followed your journey for several years, you started in one place, which is a place I’m passionate about. You provided a value and service to others based on a pain point and a problem that needed to be solved and was one that you were passionate about. You didn’t start by thinking about how you were going to scheme a brand. You started by providing value, providing value, providing value, consistently, regularly, and from that, you’ve learned from the community what they’ve like, what they’ve resonated, what they’re passionate about, where you can provide a service. And so as you’re working then on a book, something like that, you’ve got a group that’s been following you and following your work because you have served them. And I think in my opinion, great businesses are formed off of serving individuals. And I’ve truly believed when you do that well, often the business will follow closely behind.
Adam Martin: 100%. And that comes back to your question about what’s the value of networking, and it’s what you just said. It’s all about relationships. So again, I like providing value in everything I say whether it’s a podcast or talking, so challenge to you, the listener. If you’re thinking about writing a book, if you’re thinking about doing any sort of endeavor whether starting or diving deeper, ask yourself two questions: What are you passionate about? And how can this help other people? Just like someone who thought, I’m passionate about investing and creating financial freedom, I see that there’s a problem with students coming out of pharmacy school at an average of $120,000 in debt, there is a need. I can help them based on my passion. Who am I describing, Tim?
Tim Ulbrich: Sounds familiar. Vaguely.
Adam Martin: Yeah, you. Exactly. And because of that, because you focused on that, you have built a brand that is so strong because it’s not based on scheming or how can I get a quick buck? It’s on how can I create relationships with people that have a need that I can solve based on my passion. And that concept, that’s your avenue. Mine’s the same with mindset and health. And I realize that our niches, you know, cross ways in a lot of different paths. And in speaking with you through the years, that’s what’s been so exciting with what’s coming up in the future because yes, self-care, self-development is great health and fitness-wise and creating that freedom, but then there’s also the financial piece. That’s the piece that together, creates the whole picture of the pharmacy student, of the pharmacist, to really be the best version of themselves so that they can dispense their full potential to those that they work with and serve.
Tim Ulbrich: And speaking of those paths crossing over, you and I have been scheming for a long time to figure out, man, how can we work together on a speaking engagement, something we both love doing, we’re passionate about inspiring others. And we’re excited to announce it’s finally going to happen this spring. Saturday, April 30, the Ohio Pharmacists Association annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, really excited. Great meeting that OPA puts on each and every year. They get a great draw of students and new practitioners and pharmacists and we’re excited to bring this topic. So for those that are attending the Ohio Pharmacists Association meeting or maybe perhaps we can inspire them to do that after hearing this, what can those attending expect to hear from our session? What can they take away?
Adam Martin: Absolutely. So real, practical tips on how to manage stress, fit in fitness and create financial freedom for your life. Those things are crushing our profession. They are stopping people from living their dream and leading to burnout, which is a huge epidemic. And by the way, not just here in the States, but I saw it in Ireland too. And that’s why there was a whole conference on self-care because there’s a need, because there’s advice out there. And I’m sure a lot of you resonate with this. It doesn’t seem practical, it’s not specific to our profession and/or taught by people that are actually in the trenches, facing these problems themselves. That’s why I’m really excited for this because I speak the truth, like I’ll talk and I’ll be like, “Hey, I just dealt with this issue yesterday working my 13-hour shift.” Tim, you got out of school with — like your transformation financially is tremendous and you write about that in “Seven Figure Pharmacist.” And that’s the real talk is we face these things ourselves. And we’re able to speak about them with such conviction and passion because we’ve overcome them and we want to help you do it too.
Tim Ulbrich: It’s going to be a lot of fun. Saturday, April 4. I said the 3rd. It’s actually Saturday, April 4. We’re on for 8:15 a.m. And I can tell you, I don’t think the coffee’s going to be needed when Dr. Adam Martin is in the room. So we’re going to bring a lot of energy. We’d love to see you there. You can register for the OPA annual meeting, learn more about the scheduled events, including this session, by visiting OhioPharmacists.org. So Adam, in addition to picking up a copy of the book, FitPharmacist.com/book, best way for our listeners to reach out to you and learn more about the work that you’re doing over the Fit Pharmacist?
Adam Martin: So the ‘gram is jam. So hit up Instagram, @thefitpharmacist, also on the Facebook page where I create many memes because laughter is the best medicine. So you can get all of your funny memes and gifs and everything else in between on The Fit Pharmacist. That’s Facebook, @FitPharmFam.
Tim Ulbrich: Awesome. Always a pleasure, always inspired by the work that you’re doing. Excited for more collaborations in the future and to see what lies ahead and certainly greatly appreciate you taking the time to do this interview and to share your work with the YFP community.
Adam Martin: Hey, Tim, it’s an honor to be on here. Thank you so much for having me. I believe 100% in what you’re doing. And that’s why I’m super excited for this collab.
Tim Ulbrich: Absolutely. And to the YFP community, as always, we appreciate you joining us. And if you like what you heard on this week’s episode of the Your Financial Pharmacist podcast, please leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your shows each and every week. Again, thank you for joining us, and have a great rest of your week.
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