MasterClass with Dr. Scott

Blurb:

Dr. Scott is the successful business owner of a health and wellness company. Early in life, he knew that he wanted to help others by becoming a physician. After graduating from medical school, Dr. Scott practiced anesthesiology for 11 years. While he found the work fulfilling, he felt stymied by the bureaucracy of the healthcare industry. To care for patients in ways he felt more effective, he opened a functional practice to treat illnesses using alternative means. At the end of the interview, students learn how Dr. Scott personifies the ten success principles from our course modules.

Objective:

Our listeners should follow Dr. Scott’s example by adopting a solid work ethic and avoiding procrastination. Our students should also learn other key lessons, such as the importance of developing strong communication skills and engaging in self-directed reading. Lastly, our audience should reflect on the success principles from Dr. Scott’s life story, namely defining success, setting goals, and making incremental progress towards achieving their dreams. 

Lesson Requirements:

• Watch the video that accompanies the lesson
• Write a definition of each word highlighted in bold and written in italics
• Use ten of the vocabulary words in a sentence
• Respond to a minimum of three open-ended questions by following instructions at the end of the lesson.

Lesson Outcome:

• Participants will increase their vocabulary by at least ten words.
• Participants will improve their writing skills and their ability to contemplate how their responses to open-ended questions relate to their prospects for success upon release.
• Participants will add to their journal, demonstrating a self-directed, self-improvement pathway to prepare for success upon release.

Our team at Prison Professors thanks Dr. Scott for sharing invaluable life lessons with us as he describes his career as a physician and entrepreneur. He practiced for several years as an anesthesiologist, a medical practitioner who administered anesthesia—a medication that causes patients to lose sensation and avoid feeling pain during an operation. Although Dr. Scott found purpose in his work, he became dissatisfied with excessive regulations in the medical industry. He opened a functional practice to overcome those barriers and treat patients in ways he deemed more valuable.

Background:

Since he was a child, Dr. Scott knew that he wanted to become a physician. Extended family members who practiced medicine inspired him when he was a young child. Dr. Scott wished to pursue the same profession of treating and preventing illnesses. As he came of age, Dr. Scott never swayed from this goal. He made incremental progress to convert his dream into a reality, using perseverance and a formidable work ethic. 

Dr. Scott demonstrated aptitude throughout his academic career, and he prioritized his studies. While many students enjoyed the social aspect of college, Dr. Scott stayed home to complete his assignments. He attributes his success in school to his willingness to work hard. He avoided procrastination and completed schoolwork at the earliest opportunity rather than waiting until later.

A voracious reader, Dr. Scott consistently fed his intellectual curiosity. Science and math always interested him. We learn that he read broadly to increase his general knowledge. He tells us that the more a person reads, the more qualified a person becomes to succeed. Learning, like anything else, requires practice and commitment. 

Participants can learn from leaders like Dr. Scott. He shows us the value that comes from cultivating a love of learning. Even people in prison can develop higher skill levels in math, critical thinking, and communications. These three disciplines open more opportunities for personal and professional success. When people develop higher skill levels, they advance faster in any vocation. 

Dr. Scott also emphasized the importance of mastering topics or subjects. Rather than working toward a specific credential or certificate, strive for proficiency. Exceptional preparations and a commitment to self-directed learning helped Dr. Scott perform well on standardized tests and qualified him to participate in advanced classes that equipped him for a career in medicine.  

After high school, Dr. Scott accepted a scholarship from the University of Minnesota, where he studied business as an undergraduate. Even though he remained committed to becoming a doctor, he majored in business rather than medicine to become a more well-rounded professional. He believed studying business would give him insight into the economic aspects of the medical profession and help him launch his own company when he felt ready.

Participants may follow Dr. Scott’s example and consider how their reading and independent-study efforts will contribute to the careers they want to build.

As an undergraduate student, Dr. Scott continued the formidable work habits he began cultivating in grade school. During the final two years of college, he worked as a swim coach and waiter. He also completed pre-medical school courses in college, reflecting a 100% commitment to his goal of becoming a doctor. 

After college, Dr. Scott took a gap year to gain experience in the workforce and then enrolled in the University of Minnesota’s four-year medical school. During medical school, he gained professional experience working as a research assistant. Upon graduating, Dr. Scott finished a one-year internship, a prerequisite for medical school graduates to become fully licensed doctors. After his internship, he continued his training with a three-year program to practice anesthesiology. 

Our courses show the importance of making a long-term commitment to prepare for success. An overnight success frequently takes longer than 20 years in the making. Dr. Scott spent almost three decades in school—from kindergarten through residency—to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor. 

His example of commitment obliterates excuses some people make. If we’re willing to work hard toward our goals, we’ll make step-by-step progress. Every participant in this course should see the value of a lifelong commitment to personal development. Regardless of where we are, we can always work to prepare for the success we want. 

Takeaway:

While serving a 45-year sentence, leaders like Dr. Scott inspired me. From their stories, I found guidance on the importance of being productive. Similarly, participants can follow the example of role models. We all should see the importance of taking incremental steps to prepare for success.

Dr. Scott worked for decades to become a physician, never deviating from his plan. His story offers further proof that success doesn’t happen by accident – it requires systematic planning over several years. The bad decisions I made as a young man led to my imprisonment. Learning from leaders like Dr. Scott convinced me to start making better decisions while I served decades in prison. It’s never too late to start planting seeds for success. 

Any person in prison can begin sowing seeds for success. The earlier a person starts, the more progress a person can make. Sadly, many people in prison or jail believe that it’s best to wait until near the end of their sentence to prepare for transitioning to the broader community. Yet profiles like Dr. Scott’s give powerful reasons for people to refrain from procrastination.  

Working hard, always with a sense of urgency, helps us develop better habits and build more confidence.

People in prison or jail may lack access to formal classes. Yet like Dr. Scott, they can still read books to become more knowledgeable about real-world subjects. We can always read to improve communication skills or general knowledge. We can strive to master unfamiliar disciplines, knowing that the more we learn, the more we open ourselves to opportunities. Whether a person wants to be a mechanic, painter, or entrepreneur, the individual can find literature on related topics to gain expertise. 

• How would procrastination hinder or help a commitment to success?
• What strategies can you use to avoid procrastination?
• How do you define the term “well-rounded”?
• How can reading diverse subjects make you more well-rounded?

Career:

After finishing his residency, Dr. Scott began practicing as an anesthesiologist at a community hospital in the Kansas City area. He developed a passion for anesthesiology because the science enabled him to help people before and after surgery, when patients felt most vulnerable. In alleviating the suffering of others, he derived a sense of fulfillment. 

Dr. Scott began his career in a hospital setting. He found the work gratifying, but after 11 years, the industry regulations started to annoy him. Dr. Scott began looking for new opportunities to apply his knowledge without getting buried in so many bureaucratic protocols.

Wanting to apply what he learned from his undergraduate studies in business, Dr. Scott launched his own company. He wanted to specialize in functional medicine, striving to find diseases’ root causes and prevent their occurrence. His new company would take a more proactive approach rather than treating illness with conventional methods that included medical prescriptions and surgical procedures. Through his innovative venture, Dr. Scott created a platform to teach people how to improve their health and wellness with improved diet and exercise. 

Launching any new business venture involves considerable risks. Unlike employees, entrepreneurs take responsibility for every aspect of their company’s operations. They must create websites, marketing campaigns, and budget for customer acquisitions. Dr. Scott vigorously researched strategies that might improve prospects for his new business to succeed. 

Since he didn’t have prior experience running his own business, Dr. Scott collaborated with other people. He hired subject-matter experts to perform tasks such as designing websites and advertisements for his firm. An experienced operator from a different market agreed to mentor Dr. Scott, helping him avoid mistakes. Based on demographics, a research company provided Dr. Scott with lists of both warm and hot leads. 

Reflecting on the progress of his venture to date, Dr. Scott advises aspiring entrepreneurs to get advice from knowledgeable people. Mentors or subject-matter experts help entrepreneurs save time and create accountability metrics.  

In this same way, people leaving prison or jail should network with supportive individuals who can keep them on the right track as they rebuild their lives. 

Takeaway:

Even though he had an 11-year career as a successful physician, Dr. Scott sought help from others when he chose to become an entrepreneur. By paying experts, he saved time, which he valued as an irreplaceable commodity.

To succeed in business, Dr. Scott willingly took calculated risks. Successful people think methodically about the pros and cons of a decision, investing their time before investing their money to get the outcome they want. 

Like Dr. Scott, many people in our audiences may choose to become entrepreneurs upon release. Opening a business may prove a viable means of earning an income for our listeners, especially since the job market isn’t so friendly to people who have a criminal background.  

People who have developed knowledge of diet and exercise may find career opportunities in health coaching. However, to succeed, they should consider the guidance that Dr. Scott offered about building a business. 

• In what ways would you say Dr. Scott’s story shows humility?
• How does Dr. Scott’s collaboration with others align with our course lessons on the importance of building an influential support network?
• What character traits should you look for in people as you build your professional network?
• What examples do you have of taking calculated risks to reach your goals?
• How does Dr. Scott’s career journey reflect altruism – the act of helping others with no expectation of an award? 

Conclusion:

At the end of our conversation, Dr. Scott advised us to be confident in ourselves and believe in our dreams. We can achieve our goals despite our present challenges with perseverance and the right attitude. 

As reflected in our closing remarks, Dr. Scott’s philosophy aligns with the ten principles we teach at Prison Professors. The table below illustrates how Dr. Scott’s life examples correlate with our coursework:

Values: We must define success.

• As a child, Dr. Scott knew that he wanted to become a doctor. By identifying his desired occupation early in life, Dr. Scott clearly defined what success meant for him and worked to fulfill his dream.

Goals: We must set clear goals that align with our definition of success.

• Dr. Scott was clearly very goal-oriented. He did everything possible to earn good grades and become "the teacher's pet" because he knew that he had to excel in school to become a physician. His hard work paid off: he eventually earned a scholarship from the University of Minnesota.

Attitude: We must make a commitment with the right attitude.

• He routinely demonstrated a positive mindset through habits like avoiding procrastination and maintaining a formidable work ethic. He also recognized the importance of skills outside medicine by studying business to become more well-rounded. With this early investment in a diverse skill set, Dr. Scott prepared himself for his eventual success as an entrepreneur

Aspiration: We must see ourselves as being something more than the challenges we currently face.

• We heard Dr. Scott tell us about his aspirations of becoming a doctor. Rather than talk without taking action, he spent decades investing in his education and sharpening his talents. Although his journey took several years, he never stopped working to become the successful person he aspired to be.

Action: We must take incremental action steps.

• Our students must implement the success principles we teach rather than passively watch this module. Our listeners stand the best chance of success if they follow Dr. Scott's example by taking positive actions today. These steps include immediately performing exercises to improve their comprehension, vocabulary, and communication skills.

Accountability: We must hold ourselves accountable.

• Our audience members must hold themselves responsible for their success. Everyone listening to this module should take this information seriously and apply the lessons taught to reach their dreams.

Awareness: We must stay aware of opportunities.

• Like Dr. Scott, our listeners should recognize opportunities around them and reach out to others. We encourage our audience members to be proactive in finding ways to advance their skillset and set goals to become successful as returning citizens. Our students should also make others aware of their journey by proactively contacting potential mentors to establish a support group ahead of their release.

Authenticity: We must be authentic.

• Dr. Scott demonstrates authenticity by maintaining his commitment to learning and becoming the best in his profession. Aside from expanding his expertise, Dr. Scott demonstrates authenticity by collaborating with mentors who teach him best practices for his business.

Achievement: We must celebrate small victories.

• All of Dr. Scott's accomplishments – including getting his undergraduate degree, completing medical school, and earning a scholarship – were proof that his hard work paid off. His example shows us that we must reflect on our progress and celebrate when our efforts lead us to success.

Appreciation: We must show appreciation for the blessings that come our way.

• Dr. Scott graciously volunteered to complete this interview and prepare the accompanying lesson plan to give back to his community. By helping others, Dr. Scott embodies our tenet of showing appreciation for his good fortune in life.

Prison Professors seeks to correct the injustice of mass incarceration in the United States. We strive to inspire incarcerated people to adopt positive mindsets and broaden their skillsets to become more capable of rebuilding their lives upon release. Role models like Dr. Scott teach us vital life lessons that can help us begin transforming our circumstances for the better. All our listeners can benefit from immediately putting these sound principles into practice as they seek to earn their freedom. 

Critical Thinking Questions:

Choose any of the three questions below. Write a response to each of the three questions you choose. In your answer, please write at least three paragraphs, with a minimum of three sentences each.  

This exercise in personal development will help you develop better critical-thinking skills and better writing skills. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. We’re striving to learn how to think differently and communicate more efficiently. Try to use some of the vocabulary words from this lesson in your responses. 

1. How can reading help you become a better communicator? 

2. What tools are available for you to begin a self-directed reading routine.

3. What leadership principles do you believe Dr. Scott follows as a business owner?

4. Explain what it means to "master" a new concept or skill in your own words.

5. Why do successful people like Dr. Scott avoid procrastination?

6. What type of career would you find gratifying? Why?

7. Why do successful leaders like Dr. Scott maintain a vigorous work ethic?

8. How do you think Dr. Scott applies math, critical thinking, and communications skills in his work as an entrepreneur? 

9. How do you think Dr. Scott’s work ethic as a young man led him to success later in life?

10. How does Dr. Scott’s story inspire you to adopt our team’s success principles?

‍