Lara Francisco is a PA who got tired of badly made lab coats. So she started Medelita.

That's the short version. The long version is this episode, and it's a good one if you've ever wondered whether being a PA is the only thing you're allowed to be.

We talk about building a company from scratch while practicing clinically - the hard parts, the parts that worked, and how she decided the idea was worth chasing in the first place. She goes deep on design and fabric selection too, which sounds niche until you've worn a coat that doesn't fit through a twelve-hour shift.

The bigger point I want you to hear: your clinical license doesn't cap what you can build. PAs start companies, write, teach, consult, and invent things. Clinical practice can be the foundation instead of the whole house.

What we cover:

• Going from practicing PA to founding a company
• What was wrong with medical apparel and how she fixed it
• Design and fabric decisions that actually matter on shift
• Running a business alongside clinical work
• Entrepreneurship as a path for PAs
• What she'd tell a PA sitting on an idea

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free Resume Download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

For episode 28, we have a very special interview with Laura Francisco, fellow PA and creator of Medalita.

Welcome to the Pre PA Club Podcast.

If you want to learn how to become a physician assistant, you're in the right place.

I'm your host, Savannah Perry.

Let's get to it.

Hey, guys, I am Savannah and I am the host of the Pre PA Club podcast.

Thank you so, so much for joining me and for listening in.

And I am so excited about today's episode and I have a big announcement for you guys.

So before we get into our interview, I wanted to let you know that within the next couple of weeks, I have a book coming out about interviews.

So I'm really excited about this.

It's called the Physician Assistant School Interview Guide.

Real creative.

I know, but it's going to help answer a lot of your questions and help you feel more prepared for the interview.

Up until now, there has only been one other book available for interviews, and it's the same book that I used almost 10 years ago.

Things have changed so much in the last 10 years that the strategies that I used won't work for you today, or at least not as well.

So.

So I put a lot of the advice, the questions, all kinds of stuff into this book and I'll put a link in the notes or the description of the episode so you can go check that out and I'll give you an update once it's available on Amazon and on my website.

So I'm really excited about that.

CASPA opens in almost a month, a little over a month, so that's pretty crazy.

If you are applying this cycle, I'd love to hear from you and hear how you're doing.

And if you are working on your personal statement, make sure you check out my PA resource I edit for them.

We're starting to get a lot of essays because it is that time.

It's crunch time, so you've got to be on it if you want to get your essays or your applications in early.

So you can use the Code Prepa Club at checkout to get a discount.

And they have a really great free workshop.

So make sure you take the time to do that now for today's episode.

And if you are listening to this in real time, you are in luck because in addition to the podcast episode, we get to do a giveaway.

So the giveaway is going to be hosted on Instagram.

If you've never heard of Medalita, it is a pa, a company that was started by a pa, Laura Francisco, who we're about to hear from.

And they make high quality medical wear.

So what started with scratch scrubs now includes lab coats, scrub jackets, under scrub, all kinds of stuff.

Stethoscopes, just really high quality, nice looking stuff that's very durable and it's going to last a long time.

I first found out about Medalita at my job because it was what my supervising physician wore.

So once I started wearing it, that's basically all I wear.

And I am one of their ambassadors now.

So that means sometimes I'll do blog posts for them and things like that.

So I'll link to those as well in the descriptions if you want to see some of the articles I've done.

But this was a really great interview for a couple reasons.

A lot of people ask me, if they go to PA school, can they still pursue other things they're interested in and other passions?

And there are a lot of PAs out there who are also entrepreneurs in different areas.

PAs are go getters.

I mean, if you meet someone who's a pa, they tend to be somebody who makes things happen.

So if you're on Instagram, you may have heard back a while.

In a different episode, I did an interview with Jesse from episode number 23 and he has a skincare line and he really helps kind of run his practice if you're on Instagram.

Andrea from Life as a pa she has all kinds of side hustles.

She's making T shirts and has websites that help spread the knowledge about different medical professions with med takeovers.

Erin from the Treatment she has her own practice doing cosmetic dermatology out in California, which is so cool.

So there are things you can do and ways that you can step up your game as a pa.

But let's hear from Laura.

And then I think you guys are just really going to enjoy this.

It was such a cool, such a cool interview.

I learned so much.

Get to it.

I'm just so impressed by everything you've done with Medalita and I'm really excited to hear your story and happy that Ariel kind of connected us.

So I'm really excited about that.

But it's funny, when I started working, so I've been a PA for three years now and so when I started working, I was at a Durham office and I remember they gave me my little scrub allowance and I went to the local scrub and got all my stuff and I walked in and I'm fairly short.

I'm like 5:1.

So my supervising physician, I had my white coat on and she was just like, that's not Gonna work.

She was like, you.

Mm.

Mm.

She's like, I get mine from this place called Medalita, and you need to order one.

Like, you can't wear that.

So she's the one that kind of introduced me to it.

And then I figured out that it was started by pa, which I thought was the coolest thing ever.

And so, yeah.

So thank you for everything that you've done, and it's an honor to have you on the podcast.

And.

Yeah, I kind of just want to hear how all this got started.

Yeah.

Your story kind of reminds me of, I think, my story and similar to so many people's story.

You know, you go.

You get so excited, you know, you finally got into school, and you get to have a.

A white coat.

And, you know, we were told to get our, you know, go buy our short white coat.

They weren't provided, at least back in our day, a long time ago.

I'm looking for my first white coat for PA school.

And it was in New York.

It was in Queens.

And I went, you know, I did some research, and I went to the biggest store I could find locally, and everything was just packed to the brim, like, to the point where you couldn't even push anything over on a round rack in order to see the next item.

And nothing was organized by brand or by style or by quality, for sure.

And I, you know, I went from a extreme excitement to just absolute frustration and just angst over the fact that I couldn't find something in there that was flattering and comfortable and of.

Really.

I wasn't looking for impeccable quality.

I wasn't looking for a suit.

I was just looking for something of decent quality.

And I left there just feeling totally dejected.

And my friends tell me that that was my first real anger moment in which I started to talk about maybe doing something.

So that was when you were in PA school?

Yeah.

And then, of course, through PA school, I was just wearing, you know, the traditional unisex scrubs.

Someone from my undergrad had given me some free, you know, Parkland Hospital scrubs.

I thought those are pretty cool because they had the Parkland stamp all over them.

Someone gave me that back in the day.

Used to be, like, one green leg and one blue leg.

The top was reversed where the other side was blue.

Other side.

That was really cool.

Meanwhile, you know, it just never fit quite right.

And I guess I repeatedly complained about, you know, just the comfort and the fact that your pants are held up by this really flimsy Drawstring.

And the material kind of flows a lot like, you know, pajamas to you.

And, you know, the top, I couldn't really get the size right.

Extra small is okay, but I think, same as you, I couldn't get it to lay right over my hips.

And then the small, the V neck was way too low, and I'd lift up my arm and patients could see my bra strap and pants, the same thing.

No matter what size I was in, the crotch was hanging somewhere near my knee.

It's just really uncomfortable.

And to think about working in something, you know, 10, 12, 14 hours a day in commuting, also in that same garment that you feel uncomfortable and somewhat lacking in confidence.

It was just a slow development of consistency, of really never seeing any other option and just being flabbergasted by the fact that so many women are working in medicine.

And we, you know, the unspoken rule that we want to be differentiated from our colleagues, and we want to be quickly viewed as a clinician and a very competent clinician.

And granted, I was working at the time and inner city Queens, I mean, it's not a fashion mecca, you know, I'm just there to work.

But still, you know, you just, for goodness, like, you just want to be comfortable.

And then I feel like that was that one thing.

Like, I never felt like I looked professional when all my clothes were just too big and baggy.

And it really.

It felt like I was wearing pajamas, which sometimes felt nice if I was lazy, but other times, I mean, I already.

I kind of look young.

And so when I'm swimming in my clothes, it just makes me look younger.

Doesn't.

Doesn't help.

So then I thought I was going to have the polar opposite of that experience.

So then I switched coast.

I came out to California to be closer to family, and I got a job at perhaps the most.

I went from total inner city to everybody's a VIP emergency room, everybody's donated, and everybody knows this chief of staff, and everybody's too good for the hallway kind of a place.

And I thought immediately I would be issued these scrubs in lab coat that would be different and be of quality.

Surely they are distributing something to differentiate us and to be in line with our community and the expectations of our community.

Nope.

I think I got worse scrubs in California than I did at this hospital than I did in New York.

And the poor group manager, she kept trying, she tried so hard, and scrub after scrub, lab coat after lab coat, she finally ended up with, like a funnel leg pant.

It was awful.

That's kind of in style now, but at the time it was terrible and just the boxiest, ugliest, most uncomfortable top.

And my lab coat material was so abrasive that I would literally get red elbows after my shift.

We used to.

We used to write, you know, back in the day.

True, right?

And you know, you're just writing, writing, writing really fast all day long.

And I would just have raw elbows after, after a shift from my beautiful abrasive lab coat.

And I finally, finally decided, you know, maybe I should do something about this.

That's so cool.

So you.

How long did you practice or how long had you been practicing at that point when you kind of said, all right, I'm done, or not done practicing, but I'm done wearing terrible scrubs.

Yeah, I was about.

Let's see.

Oh, I misspoke on my PA when I was looking for a coat first.

And I worked in Queens in a very PA friendly.

And that's when I got serious about starting Medalita.

And here we are about 10 years later.

So.

Yeah, no, it's amazing.

I'm sure you've seen a lot of changes just in how business is done too, with Internet and social media and all this crazy stuff.

Huge learning curve for us.

It's different to have started a business at the beginning of all that while Google is changing its rules every single day.

And there weren't the platforms for social media as there are now.

They were just coming into play.

And we made some really big mistakes in the beginning.

We put all our money into journals, and I can't believe it even saying it now, but we invested thousands and thousands of dollars monthly into these big, beautiful ads in all the most prestigious journals.

And that didn't work too well.

It's a lot to ask someone first to actually read the journal and then notice that page and then take action on that page and go to the website and then convert.

It just wasn't giving us the results we needed to support our business.

Yeah, we recognize that maybe not soon enough, but enough to make some pivots and to really start dabbling in having an online presence.

Cool.

What.

When you first proposed this idea, I mean, how did you go about that?

What were your.

The reactions from your friends, family, colleagues?

I know when I first started my website, my husband was kind of like, which mine is not to the scale yours is, and completely different.

But he was just kind of like, well, if you want to go for it, like, I don't really know how to help you, but that's fine.

Go for it.

Yeah, it definitely takes a lot of support.

It's funny, every week, every month of my whole life, I've always been an inventor.

Like, a mental inventor.

I never took action.

My dad was always entertained by these ideas that I came up with, but he never really pushed me to do something about any of them.

And I remember we were.

My family was all together.

We went to Santa Barbara and were celebrating my dad's birthday, and I told him about this idea, and I happened to have driven up there after a shift, so I was still in my scrubs.

I was really just demonstrating, you know, the neck's hanging too low, and I can see my bra strap and my pants are so uncomfortable.

And a kid today, you know, caught the loop of my drawstring with his damn toe, and my hands start coming off, you know, like, you know, and he's like, whoa.

He can really see and visualize how truly terrible this is.

And I did, at that point, start talking about professionalism and how, you know, it's your outer display of aptitude.

And I had all these words that I was so passionate about, and he.

He was like, you should do something about that.

It was the first time, maybe just so shocking, that he finally said, you should do something about that.

And I did.

I thought that was very cool.

They were taking, like, what we consider sweaty workout gear and just transforming that industry.

I was fascinated by that, as fascinated by the prices and the willingness of people to pay a higher amount for improved seaming, improved fabrics, improved fit, improved comfort.

You know, they just wanted it.

And I thought, why not apply those same technical principles to fabric for people working in medicine?

Because I. I.

You know, I was.

This is before kids and everything.

I was super tiny.

I was like, maybe 110 pounds.

And you still, you put some or light over me and you want me to do facial, you know, sutures on some kid with some brow lacerations screaming bloody murder and some papoose.

I'm in a sweet wet, you know, and it's.

You can't always control the temperature where you are.

And it's really hard work.

And I thought, why not find or invent a fabric that prevents odors from trapping in the garment and also just keeps you cool.

I thought that would be great for the scrubs.

And I thought, yeah, I did a lot of research on the history of lab coats and the color and, you know, the baffling nature of wearing a white coat in the emergency room and, you know, thought, why not find some sort of repellency or stain resistant material that could really allow you to keep your coat white.

You know, a symbolism of prestige, prestige and accomplishment.

There has to be something out there.

It's a very, very difficult time to come up with a concept like that because the economy is very good.

And you call any of these patent holders for these specialized fibers and they literally hang up on you.

They just are not interested.

They probably get hundreds of calls a day.

Also say, I'm a startup.

I have this idea and I had one that took me seriously.

One, she wouldn't meet me at my, you know, in my town or anything, but we decided to meet halfway and she opened her suitcase and introduced me to different options and taught me a little bit about knits versus wovens and asked me what I liked and what weight I thought was correct, and gave me a couple contacts and then drove up to her appointment that afternoon at Patagonia.

And I thought, this is it.

I'm going to make this work.

That is so awesome.

So it sounds like the first step was just a lot of research and just figuring out kind of logistics and what you wanted it to be.

What I know you talked about kind of advertising, made some mistakes.

What other just challenges and what, what difficulties did you come across?

This process baffles my mind.

Yeah, we were just wrought with difficulties.

Nobody that I was really getting help from had a peril experience.

And I tell people, I used to think working in the ER was so hard.

Like, oh my gosh, like waiting on radiology, waiting on this specialist, waiting on a consult, you know, waiting on a bed, you know, waiting on labs, like waiting for a clean room, anything.

You know, I was just, I thought that was so stressful until I entered the world of apparel and how you have so many Obstacles to overcome.

And you might order something, but that might not be how it arrives.

And you might have approved a certain color, but that might not be what you get.

And you might have been have agreed and have a contract for a certain timeline.

And you need your fabric to arrive by this date.

Otherwise the sewing factories booked for your specific order.

But if the fabric doesn't arrive or the trim doesn't arrive, you're screwed.

Like it's just endless number of things.

Like if one simple tag or one zipper, one thread color doesn't arrive, you know, on time, it can totally sabotage like your whole setup for that particular order.

And I didn't realize how many components there were that I would have to manage in order to get it right.

And granted, I didn't know a lot about textiles.

You know, the first fabric that we ordered was the lab coats was 100% cotton and it was a little bit too thick and heavy and the color wasn't quite right, you know, the little yellowish gray, you know.

But thank goodness, you know, a lot of people believed in what we were doing and saw the need for what we were doing and stuck with us.

And some people still swear by their 100% cotton coats, but we definitely have a better fabric now.

Okay, cool.

That's.

Yeah, for at least for our modern fit line, we do okay.

Because I have, I've tried some of the newer.

I think you have the elements.

That's a new fabric that I developed in the last about three years.

It takes a really, really, really long time to get a fabric right.

A lot of companies, most companies, I would say, they buy available fabrics, they go to a fabric show and there's thousands and millions of fabrics available and they choose off the shelf.

But we've never ever done that.

We have specific requirements for drape.

We have very specific requirements for the weight, what's called the GSM of the fabric.

And the thing that we're most stringent about is our durability because a lot of our garments are industrial laundered.

And we tell a mill, I need this white fabric to, to withstand 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 minutes each wash every average five to seven days.

And they tell us we're absolutely out of our mind.

So durability is a huge focus of our brand and our reputation and our one year guarantee.

And to learn all about the test, the third party testing process and what these fibers, an eventual Yarn and eventual fabric must be willing to withstand in order to be appropriate and professional for our work environment.

It's remarkable.

It's great fun when it does work out, but it's a bear of a process to get to that point.

Yeah.

It's almost like a different kind of science.

Medicine is one type of science, and you're now in a very different science, but still the same.

Yeah.

All our fabrics, they undergo about 30 to 50 different tests every time we complete, either when we're in development with a new fabric or when we're completing a new order of fabric.

And they have to meet all those requirements exactly in order to pass.

The only other industry that does anything similar to that is the tactile industry, which is, you know, for government uniforms.

Interesting.

Well, and it's kind of our uniform.

I mean, I can speak to the durability because I still have the same white coat that I started with three years ago, and I did get a new one.

I have two now, but I switch them off.

But I do.

Yeah.

I mean, I wash it every week, and it looks great, and it's.

And I work in dermatology, so I get all kinds of stuff on me, and it just kind of rolls off and good to go.

If I get something on me, I wipe it off, and there's.

I mean, it's great.

I definitely appreciate all the work that I didn't know had gone into making my coat the way it is.

Yeah, that's very, very interesting.

We probably don't talk about that sight of it enough, but that is the most difficult side, sort of behind the scenes of what we're doing and why we're so dedicated.

It's way easier, you know, to make a garment that is seasonal that, you know is gonna last.

You know, I don't know, five, ten wears, and then you're bored with it.

Or done with it.

But this is.

This is different.

You know, it should last a very long time and be something that washes really well.

Do you ever miss practicing as a PA or are you just.

I do.

Yeah.

I do so much.

Really?

Yeah, I really loved it.

I really.

I was mainly PTR and was just really good at listening to the patient to get my diagnosis.

My.

My greatest mentor, Larry Herman, who has been AAPA president, and he's very, very well known in our profession, he taught me so much, and I just thrived in that environment, and it was very stressful.

But, of course, I do miss it.

You know, it's been kind of a long time.

I've had three kids and, you know, we've developed the business and medicine's changed quite a bit.

But I, I keep my license up to date and.

Okay, maybe if things, I don't know, settle down or something, I could go back part time.

Right now I'm just, you know, enjoying the kids when they're young.

And I'm still here about 40 hours a week.

Okay, cool.

What.

How has your team grown?

I mean, did it start with just you?

And where are you at?

Kind of now.

Start with just me.

Oh, no.

My fiance thought it would be a good idea maybe to go with me to have a male presence, you know, and that particular culture might be of value and it definitely was.

He has a background in carpet manufacturing, which is very, very similar to textile manufacturing, and they were impressed with that.

It was a good.

It made for a really good relationship.

Early on.

They saw how serious we were and how knowledgeable we were or pretended to be.

And then it started with just us.

We.

And then we had a part time accountant coming in maybe once a week.

And now I think we have about, maybe about 24, 25 employees and just a really strong team.

We've grown out of three different spaces, which is exciting.

And eventually we decided to bring everything together in house.

So all of our embroidery is in house.

I could go down right now and talk to them about a logo or talk to them about like a special color selection.

It's so valuable to have that.

And then all of our shipping, outbound, shipping, returns, exchanges is all also in house, which is also extremely valuable to see what are people ordering, what's coming back in, what's getting exchanged, Are they going up or down in size?

Did they send anything back for warranty?

To have those discussions in person and to see these things right away, it just makes for a stronger team and a stronger company.

That's so cool.

Yeah.

If I ever make it out to California, I want to come visit you guys.

I know Ariel said we could do that.

Come, come in.

We'll take you for a tour.

We'll go to lunch.

We would really like that.

That would be awesome.

Do you.

What about the design part?

Is that something you do or how does that happen?

I my.

The new line of scrubs.

I will tell you, everyone talks about how flattering they are and I'm 24 weeks pregnant and they still look flattering.

I don't know how long that's gonna last, but that's exciting.

Yes.

Congratulations.

Fake.

Yeah.

So the designing, I did all of the designing until we hired someone in house maybe about two years ago because we were really ramping up.

We do a lot of custom orders too.

I don't think people realize, like we just outfitted the most expensive hospital in world history with I think 40 different custom designs for Middle East Hospital, which was very culturally sensitive and a very interesting fashion forward project in Dubai.

And we just needed more manpower.

So again, we have a team in house that works on the designs and works on the patterns.

And I still influence that aspect of the business a lot.

I enjoy that aspect of the business a lot and they rely on me heavily.

And my friend, my PA friends that I call all the time if I'm not sure of something in regard to functionality and ergonomics, you know, we don't just put it on and ask them how it feels.

I mean, we, we go up and down the stairs, we go outside, we sit down, we get on the floor, we bend over like a mock stretcher.

Like we reach for this and that and we use all our tools.

And yeah, they just need my help with that.

You know, how to wear the stethoscope in various ways and what they would put over here and how they would use this piece and how would their badge.

What are the different types of badges people are using nowadays and where would they place them, all these different things.

And so that, that's how I still influence styling as well as definitely functionality.

Cool.

That's really interesting.

And I've seen the y' all are featured on the Good Doctor, which is so cool, I think.

I mean, that is just the coolest thing to me.

Every time I watch, I'm like, oh, look like I have a coat too.

You know, we're on a lot of shows, like maybe we don't taught that enough, but it's.

Our garments photograph really well and we're close to la, so I think it's a little bit easier to order.

Especially our lab coats and have a really good fit.

They tend to wear them extra tight, but that's fine, you know, on a TV show, you know, and their stylists are really funny.

They always do things last minute and they call us at like 4:45, like on a Tuesday and tell us they need everything by 8 o' clock in the morning, like, you know, 50 garments, you know, you know, the next morning.

And we've just gotten used to it.

It's fun.

We Love seeing our stuff on television, but, yeah, that's the.

That's the current show that we're featured on.

Yeah.

That is so cool.

What is.

If you can pick one, what is your favorite product.

Today?

Wow.

I have to pick just one?

Sure.

I tell you, I got my husband the ionic jacket.

He's a resident, so he's at the hospital all the time.

I got him the jacket for Valentine's Day, and he loves it.

Like, he doesn't take it off, and he says all of his resident friends are so jealous.

And, like, where.

Like, where'd you get that jacket?

It has your name on it, dude.

Like, why can't I have one?

So, yeah, that's a good one.

The men's jackets just flying out like women's, too.

But the guys just.

For some reason, maybe women have more choices in jackets similar to that, but the men are just, like, addicted to that, especially in the black.

Okay.

I really love Vera.

The Vera lab coat.

I think it's extremely flattering.

Almost all women.

It's a really unique envelope collar.

No one's ever done that before.

Another company in our space definitely copied it soon after, which was frustrating, but that was our unique design.

Because a garment is washed so much in medicine, at least weekly, sometimes hopefully bi weekly.

You know, the lapel and color can kind of.

Unless it's.

It doesn't have to be pressed, but it.

You know, you just.

It looks better sometimes when it's pressed or pressed occasionally.

And the Vera, you just don't have to worry about it.

It's not popping up.

It's not on top or below your stethoscope.

Like, it's just perfect all the time, and it's just very flattering.

It kind of falls into the traditional nature, but a little bit out of the box, too.

A lot of women we find in medicine don't want to go too far out of the box.

They want to fit in with their male colleagues, and they don't want to look overly feminine.

So Vera still fits into that category.

It's just very flattering.

It's.

It's very innovative and very slimming.

I. I love it.

I also really like Miranda.

I like the skirted back on Miranda.

I think it's very beautiful and feminine without being, like, overly feminine.

So it's very professional to me.

I wear the Elodie just because, again, I'm petite, and it's perfect.

I mean, it hits me right where it needs to so that I still look professional.

And my coat isn't at my knees,.

Which Is I, I watched your video about that and I was just gonna let you know, obviously, Elodie is made for you.

We do have another coat coming out soon that will also work for you, similar to Elodie.

And you could also wear Vera beautifully too.

You just have to get the sleeves hemmed.

Get it hemmed.

Okay, maybe to try that one.

Try that one next.

But yeah.

All right.

We've covered a lot.

I guess my last question would just be.

I get approached sometimes since I kind of do website stuff on the side about can I be a PA and still do something else?

Like, I have these other interests.

How does that fit together?

And I feel like you've done a great job of just kind of pursuing being a PA but then finding this other great passion too.

What would your advice be to those people?

I do get a lot of calls.

I'm happy to talk to anyone that has an idea.

I did just talk to amazing PA last week who had an idea, you know, related to underwear.

And I, I gave her as much information as I could.

So work, life balance, that's, that's a tricky thing, especially when you start to have children.

I think as long as you're not necessarily making anything, we're making something from scratch.

And the amount of time and resources and money that goes into something like that is scary.

I'll just be totally honest.

You know, we have to put money down on, on yarn to make yarn a year before we have any chance of seeing a profit from that investment.

That's risky.

It's hard.

Like, it's been a rough go.

Like, you know, we've learned so much.

But in your case, if you have a social media platform or like Brian Wallace's platform where he's, you know, writing questions and helping people prepare for their boards, I would just, I think that might be a little bit better so that you can, you can at least work still part time.

You know, I didn't fully know what I was getting into when I had this idea.

I didn't realize every ounce of energy of my being would be required at all times.

And keep in mind, I do a lot of, I'm at work now, but I also, as soon as five o' clock hits, everyone's going home.

But that's when all my contacts in Asia want to talk to me.

So they want to talk to me between like 5 and midnight.

So it's, it's just like this never ending process.

Basically.

I think anybody can do anything they set their mind to do.

We're obviously a very Esteemed, intelligent, you know, profession, and we're capable.

If you made it this far, you're a pa. Like, you can do anything, you know, it's just a matter of how much you want to give of yourself too, and how much you want to sacrifice.

You know, I wish I had more time with my kids when they were little.

You know, I wish I couldn't pick them up from school.

I wish I could just be the mom that I always imagined being.

I wish that I could be working three days a week, three tens, three twelves, whatever, so that I could have that downtime, you know, it was really, really healthy.

So I don't know, I don't necessarily love the way I answer that question, but I have to be honest and say that this is truly, truly difficult to make something from scratch.

So to.

To have an idea that you can promote or to have like a platform, you know, like, there's a lot of things that you can do where you don't necessarily have to make it or manufacture it.

And I think that is ideal, you know, for.

For someone that's a PA and for proper work, life balance, you know, I'm all in at this point.

I'll keep going, keep making great stuff.

I'm totally committed to that with just not.

Not that.

Definitely far from easy, you know.

Yeah.

Well, I can say as a pa, I definitely just appreciate what you're doing for not just the medical community, but for PAs.

And I think it shows people that, like you said, if you're a pa, you can do anything.

We're really hard workers and we have ideas and a lot of us are like you, like a go getter, and we're gonna make things happen.

Definitely.

Like all of us, you know, we just figure things out.

You know, you might not know the answer, you might not know the diagnosis, but I guarantee you're gonna figure it out.

You will not have graduated from PA school if you don't have that mindset.

Same thing in an entrepreneurial fashion.

You're gonna figure it out.

You're gonna find resources, you're gonna make it work, you're going to raise money, whatever you have to do.

And eventually whatever you set your mind to will.

Will be, I think, as a pie, much more likely to be successful than the average statistic, which is abysmally low for success in a company, you know, so.

I agree.

Well, thank you so much for sharing your insights.

Yeah, I enjoy talking to you.

And so that was a really fun interview for me just because I loved hearing about how a very completely different business works and how it got started and all of the challenges.

And I don't know if fashion or scrubs or anything like that is something you're interested in, but I think it's cool to hear that you can be a PA and explore ventures like that.

So if you are listening, make sure to go to Instagram today and we are giving away a men's scrub jacket and a women's lab coat.

So we're giving away Laura's two favorite products and I'm so excited.

So make sure you go to Instagram today and if you miss out, we'll probably do some more giveaways in the future, but that's the big one for now.

And then, yeah, check out Medalita.

See what they have to offer.

If you're looking for new scrubs or a scrub jacket, you you can use the code PA Platform1 in all caps to get 25% off of your order.

And if you go to one of the blog post links in my description, I believe you get an extra discount on your very first order.

So just something to keep in mind if you're looking for something new to try out some new scrubs or something.

And if you have any questions, as always, feel free to let me know.

And I hope you have a good week.

See you next time.