Leading Legacy through Self Discovery

by Dr. Richard Dang, PharmD, APh, BCACP 

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“The FitPharmacist lifestyle is about being in tune with your values and needs in order to guide mind, body, and spirit towards a feeling of wholeness and completeness.”

I do not consider myself an athlete.

I am too short, too small, and too skinny.

I lack self-confidence.

I was not exposed to sports as a young child.

I did not watch, nor even dare, play basketball, football, or any other traditional youth sports. Despite having a swimming pool in my childhood home, I did not swim because I was too insecure with being shirtless around other people. 

I was a nerd and that is what defined my adolescent years. I excelled in my school work. I joined extra-curricular activities, such as newspaper and student leadership. I even joined the marching band. 

At some point, my parents enrolled me into Tae Kwon Do classes at the local dojo. This experience lit the match that would eventually spark my passion for my athletic ability. I became fully immersed in this sport and quickly rose through the ranks. I eventually earned my second-degree black belt. 

These activities taught me about discipline, dedication, and endurance. It taught me that I DID a have an inner athlete that was waiting to be released. This was a crucial foundation that would serve me well later on my journey.

In 2009, I started pharmacy school and despite feeling comfortable at the gym, I was still nowhere near what I considered to be the “ideal body”.

I started college with a little more confidence and an opportunity to try new things.  I had always aspired to the “ideal physique” – admiring the physical appearance of athletes. Although I had developed a level of athleticism through Tae Kwon Do, I still did not look like an athlete.

I continued to lack enough confidence to feel secure in the gym. I was insecure and intimidated. I secretly did push-ups and body weight movements in my room. That wasn’t enough. 

I finally convinced myself to take an Introduction to Weight Training class for one semester during my undergraduate studies. I started occasionally going to the university gym. I was primarily self-taught, I did not have a gym buddy or a group to learn along with, and I was still intimidated by those around me. I was also a victim of all of the rookie mistakes – ego lifting, poor form, comparing myself to others, lack of cardio, and no consideration of nutrition. This routine continued throughout undergrad and pharmacy school.

I did eventually begin to feel more comfortable in the gym. I felt more confident inside the gym. It had become an outlet to escape stressors of school and life. Here, I learned about consistency, but still did not achieve significant results towards achieving that “ideal body”.

After graduating pharmacy school and completing my PGY1 residency, I decided that I wanted to take my fitness journey to the next level. I felt that I had the tools that I needed to achieve my goals but lacked guidance. I committed to a personal trainer (Moli Duy) and this was the catalyst that I needed. I was 100% committed to every part of the process. I trained with Moli for about two years; driving in two hours of traffic to commute from Los Angeles to Long Beach and back during peak rush hour twice a week. I went to the gym 5-7 days a week; lifting weights at least 5 days week and running on the elliptical at least 4 days a week. 

First Transformation (2014)

I fully committed to changing my body with a personal trainer. I finally started seeing results; in the first 6 weeks, I lost 7 pounds and 4% body fat (2014).

Personal Trainer (2015)

My personal trainer, Moli Duy (@molivate) was an important catalyst along my journey (2015).

I quickly got results and I loved it. I looked good. I felt good. I was immediately hooked! I learned so much about proper form, nutrition, and everything in between. I finally saw what I could be capable of, in terms of physical strength and appearance.

I had achieved my goals for achieving a physique that I could be proud of but, it did not feel like enough. Something was still missing. 

At the same time of the rise of my fitness journey, I was also on an accelerated path in my career. I quickly joined the faculty of a top school of pharmacy and become deeply involved in the state pharmacy association. I enrolled in the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) Leader Development Institute. This is where I started the process of an internal inventory and reflection. This is where I learned about myself: my values, interests, strengths, and needs. This is where I learned to about my personality, my strengths, my weakness, and my identity.

LDI Trip (2015)

I found a community of like-minded individuals, through the CPhA Leader Development Institute, who were dedicated to their careers and personal growth (2015).

Spartan Race (2016)

#TeamDisrupteRx - Our CPhA group even shared an interest in fitness and challenged each other to complete a Spartan Race together (2016).

I notoriously dread cardio, especially long-distance. But, I successfully crossed the finish line of the Spartan Race after 5.2 miles and 22 obstacles through rain, wind, and mud (2016).

After some time, I discovered the parallels between my leadership and personal development and my fitness journey.

I realized that I needed to address and strengthen the internal factors in order to truly shine externally. I had to tackle my insecurities, my fears, and my weaknesses. 

This was the missing piece! I had nurtured my mind through school and career. I had nurtured my body through weightlifting. But I had neglected my spirit and that was dangerous. Because, despite my successes and until I had addressed these internal factors, I eventually developed feelings of burn out, dissatisfaction, and apathy. 

It wasn’t until I had nurtured my spirit that I had finally felt whole and complete. Now, I have the confidence to say that I am an athlete. I am enough, both physically and mentally. And I am living the FitPharmacist lifestyle. 

Current Photos (2018)

After a long journey of trial and error, self-discovery, and persistence, I am finally able to fully live out the FitPharmacist lifestyle with pride and content. 

Final thoughts & lessons:

·      Be consistent and fully commit to your goal

·      It is only you vs. you, do NOT compare your successes to others around you

·      You have your own unique and individual journey, everyone has to start somewhere 

·      Find a community to surround yourself with like-minded individuals and support each other

·      Practice self-care, take care of your physical and mental needs

·      Do not waste time on things that do not make you feel whole and complete

·      Be accountable, own your choices and actions, do not make excuses for yourself

·      Finally, do not forget to take a moment to have fun and enjoy the process, it can be a very rewarding experience 

About the Author:

Dr. Richard Dang, PharmD, APh, BCACP is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Director of the PGY-1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program. Dr. Dang is the 2018 Distinguished New Practitioner for the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA). He is a residency trained, board certified ambulatory care pharmacist and California's first licensed Advanced Practice Pharmacist. His practice sites include the community-based, collaborative practice clinics with the USC Pharmacies and Keck Medical Center of USC, the USC International Travel Health Clinic, and the USC Medication Management Center. 

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