By Dr. Monica (Dr. mOe) Anderson, Dentist, GIST Advocate, Motivational Speaker & Author

dr moe tedtalk CR image

TEDxOshkosh image courtesy Phil Weston

Dr. mOe and her vision board

When I was first diagnosed with GIST, I became very despondent and anxious. That is all I thought about or talked about. It took a year or two but eventually, I realized I was spending too much time on “what if’s” and not enough on “what now?” I sat down and made a vision board of things I wanted to accomplish that year. I’ve continued that practice every year around December.

In 2021, I put a red dot with the TEDx logo on it on my board. I’ve been a keynote speaker for a long time but a TED or TEDx talk is next level. I wrote a talk called “What Dentistry Teaches Us About How To Curb Racism” that discusses the moment in dental school when I abruptly came to the intersectionality of my race and my chosen profession. I found mentors to help me navigate the process of applying to speak on this global stage. Fast forward a year later, in November 2022, I was honored to give that talk in OshKosh, WI. In it, I call “racism” a contagious social cancer and mention that I am a cancer patient.

I won’t say that I don’t get sad sometimes about my health especially when the side effects escalate. However, I’ve found the best way to curb a blue mood is by doing something positive for yourself or others.

So, what’s on your vision board?

#thrivingtogether