Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Eric Miller.
Dr. Miller, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I get asked the question, “what do you do?”, my reply is “I’m a medical hustler”. But this wasn’t always how my life/career was. My desire to help others heal and live in wellness started at the age of four when I decided I was going to be a doctor. I followed that path unwaveringly until I finished medical school in 2005, followed by my residency in Internal Medicine. It wasn’t long into my career that I noticed two striking realities: 1. that our traditional western medical system was not at all structured to actually promote and sustain wellness but instead an unnecessarily complicated and intricate bandaid-dispensing system allowing to people cope, rather than heal. And two, that the career of a practicing physician did not align with my desire for freedom, adventure and exploration.
Over the last six years, following my realizations, I began a quest to both create the life I wished to live while also aligning with alternative areas of wellness that place the individual in a position of accountability and empowerment while also utilizing true treatment modalities that result in actual healing.
The way I discovered my current path was by realizing that rather than trying to batter-down the door of a single primary care practice in order to bring about change, I could instead look to find numerous areas of innovation in medicine and bring my expertise to those. So just like one would diversify their investing portfolio, I began to diversify my impact.
I now work 100% remote, partnering with companies devoted to practices such as Rugiet, providing cutting-edge erectile dysfunction remedies to a telehealth ADHD platform. I also serve as medical director/clinical collaborator for various practices, including hospices, hormone replacement and IV hydration businesses, while also running my own online health and wellness business through which I introduce people to the highest quality nutrition and wellness products. I am most excited about my most recent partnership as Medical Director with an innovative new healing center in Austin called WITHIN, which is centered around the healing properties of psychedelic medicines such as ketamine.
I’m beyond grateful to have created this reality where I can enjoy the gift of life while also serving others in the way my four years old self hoped I always would.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The path to my current reality has not been a smooth road at all. Holding a very different outlook on life, as well as very divergent perspective on how we heal and the role of the healthcare provider or patient in healing, I have found myself highly scrutinized and judged by my traditional medicine colleagues and counterparts.
While so many in my field feel very attached and comfortable within the traditions of the past and “how it’s always been”, I feel strongly that the need for change in our traditional medical model is urgent.
It’s taken years of inner work and acceptance to come to a place where my passion for pivoting and for questioning the status quo in healthcare is a place I feel honored to sit in.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m most proud of my ability and willingness to think beyond traditional training and societal norms while having the courage to follow my heart and instincts. I’ve forged my own path and I believe when we do so, we give others freedom and permission to choose the same, no matter what area of life they may wish to change. As a medical provider, I’m most proud of always focusing on empowerment of the patient and coming from the perspective that the patient is always the absolute key to their healing, opposed to anything outside of themselves.
What’s next?
I am planning to create a course teaching other physicians how to diversity their impact while also creating amazing income, building their work around their lives. So many physicians believe there are two practice options in medicine; inpatient or outpatient medicine; working excessive hours, sacrificing their personal health, their family life and their non-medical dreams. It’s my vision to introduce other physicians to another way. A way that can bring both impact, fulfillment, as well as time-freedom to enjoy/experience life.
I am also working on creating access to tools focused on helping to improve and relieve the growing epidemic of “burnout” in our traditional healthcare model which is not only taking a toll on our providers but is trickling down into the patient experience and outcomes.
Contact Info:
- Email: ericmillermd@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ericmillermd
- Other: within.center
Image Credits
Brooke Logue Photography (all photos in white shirt) Svetlana Peskova
