EP 274: Wake up and go after your dreams w/Dr. Lynette Charity

Lynette Charity, MD, (drcharityspeaks.com/) is a Board-Certified Anesthesiologist with over 35 years of experience “putting people to sleep.” She’s also a keynote speaker, humorist and author. In aspiring to become a doctor, she met many dream smashers; people who wanted to “Squish! Squash! STOMP!” on her dream.

As a young girl growing up in the segregated South, she was once told “No Medical School is gonna accept a Colored girl.” She persevered and now wants to “wake people UP” to go after THEIR dreams through sharing her story of overcoming obstacles of racial bias, gender bias and age bias. Now a sexagenarian, she has hit the Trifecta being African-American, female AND on Medicare.

Dr. Charity graduated with honors from Chatham College for Women in Pittsburgh, PA, and earned her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. She has practiced nationally, internationally and as a U.S. Army doctor, achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel.

She speaks to various groups in her capacity as a medical expert in the field of Anesthesiology. Her presentations, always sprinkled with humor, have included “Laughing Your Way Out of a Lawsuit” sharing her malpractice lawsuit drama and “I’ve Lost my Keys. Do I have Dementia?” a presentation on the effects of Anesthesia on elderly patients.

In 2014, representing District 9 of Toastmasters International, she competed in the semi-finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and won a third-place trophy for her speech.

Her other awards include: Cornerstone Award in Medicine and Volunteer of the Year both from Chatham College for Women, as well as Lady of the Year from the Bachelor Benedict’s Social Club. Dr. Charity was a Debutante and can still manage a curtsy with a smile.

In 2017, Dr. Charity traveled to Coimbra, Portugal as the Keynote speaker for the Coimbra Medical School In4Med Conference. Her message to the medical students was to “Stay Inspired Stay Healthy and Stay True to You.”