International speaker and mental health expert Dr. Shahana Alibhai (pictured above) delivered the keynote at the Women in Health Care event hosted by the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice.
By Mari-Len De Guzman
Local health-care and community workers gathered for an empowering keynote session led by mental health speaker and physician Dr. Shahana Alibhai, where she provided insights on key pillars of a healthy mindset, especially for women in health care.
In her talk, Alibhai noted that fear of failure is often a result of people comparing their internal struggles to others’ external successes.
“We all understand the fear of failure, the fear of not being good enough, the fear of rejection,” Alibhai said. “It’s that fear that leads us to take behaviours that oftentimes don’t serve us.”
The “antidote” for fear, she says is self-compassion, urging a room-full of female health-care workers to “think better and connect deeply.”
“Connection rather than comparison is at the root of self-compassion,” Alibhai said.
As a long-time mental health advocate and TEDx speaker, Alibhai has delivered keynote presentations around the world, helping provide clarity in addressing mental health challenges. She is the medical director for Abbotsford at Foundry BC, one of British Columbia’s largest youth health centres.
In her presentation, Alibhai noted that for women navigating the high-pressure environment of health care, fostering belonging, respect and trust isn’t just a “soft skill” but a vital component of professional longevity and personal well-being.
She also challenged attendees to examine how they think and feel about the events in their lives. Rather than viewing challenges as purely external obstacles, she encouraged the audience to “think better” by developing the ability to identify and process emotions rather than suppress them.
Alibhai’s keynote session, Women in Health Care: From Surviving to Thriving, was hosted by the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice. It’s one of several events hosted by the Abbotsford Division throughout the year to help support primary care providers and health-care workers across the city through education and social engagement events. (Photo credit: Dessmin Sidhu)