If you’ve ever found yourself scouring the internet to find the newest craze that claims to help you achieve inner balance, you aren’t alone. In her best-selling book Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included), Dr. Pooja Lakshmin highlights the pervasiveness of faux self-care practices in our day-to-day lives and provides real ways for readers to improve their wellbeing. A psychiatrist specializing in women’s mental health, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine, a New York Times contributor, and the founder and CEO of Gemma, a physician-led women's mental health education platform, Pooja is dedicated to helping others achieve true personal wellness and empowerment. In this episode, we discuss Pooja’s own journey of self-reflection, what real self-care looks like, and how to align with your internal goals. Don’t miss this interview where we talk about: The misconception that happiness and confidence automatically come with checking all of the boxes of success Pooja’s experiences during her medical residency, the hypocrisies she discovered within the field that made her question her path, and how she returned to medicine on her own terms How you cannot rely on external solutions to fix internal problems, and that healing and growth arises from self-reflection  What inspired Pooja to write her book and how she’s found her audience How true self-care comes from knowing yourself and your values, and involves making decisions that honor those values even if it’s difficult to do so Find Pooja Lakshmin: www.poojalakshmin.com IG: @poojalakshmin LinkedIn: Pooja Lakshmin, MD Follow Lydia: www.lydiafenet.com IG: @lydiafenet LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/ClaimYourConfidencePodcast If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://bit.ly/ClaimYourConfidencePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices