For Mehmet Oz, M.D., mentorship is more than an hour-long phone call a week. Mentoring is about finding people you admire, studying what they do, and thinking about how you can emulate their actions.
Related: Dr. Oz wants you to realize that your best years are ahead of you
Two primary people served as mentors in the life of Oz.
Oprah Winfrey
Since her first appearance on her Discovery Channel show, Second Opinion with Dr. Oz , Oprah served as her model. “She mentored a lot of people from afar,” he says. "She mentored me closely."
Oz says he admires Oprah's drive, which is fairness and truth, not financial success.
"She's a great teacher,” he said. “She also understood how to teach America profound lessons. People don't change based on what they are told, they change based on what they feel. Oprah knew it. Great leaders know this. »
Dr. Gerald Lemole
Gerald Lemole, MD, father-in-law of Oz, is also a cardiothoracic surgeon. He influenced Oz because he showed him that even highly talented, traditionally trained doctors could be spiritual and incorporate alternative forms of medicine into their practice.
"My stepfather, in addition to being a fantastic heart surgeon, very talented, innovative and creative, is also a deeply spiritual person,” says Oz.
Lemole was also a renegade, playing rock music in the operating room in the 1970s, which was unknown at the time. "He felt that what you hear in the operating room can influence you, the doctor, but also the patient, and so he played music in the operating room," says Oz. Now, this practice is widely used in operating rooms across the country.
Related: 5 things your future mentor will love you for
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2018 issue of LadiesBelle I/O magazine.
