Be bold and pursue your passions, no matter how daunting. In this episode, we explore the transformative power of taking risks and embracing your true calling. Dr. Teri Rhetta-Gallarzo joins hosts Dr. Sylvia Morris and Dr. Angela Walker to share her journey of overcoming self-doubt with the mantra “Be bold.” Teri shares her journey from hesitance in pursuing medicine to embracing her calling, encouraging others to take risks and trust their instincts. They also discuss the complexities of group communication and the importance of mindfulness in digital conversations. With laughter and wisdom, they inspire others to celebrate victories, learn from struggles, and leap over obstacles.
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Be Bold: The Courage To Evolve With Dr. Teri Rhetta-Gallarzo
Group Text Etiquette
We have one of my favorite people in the world. We have Teri Lynn Rhetta-Gallarzo, MD, MMM. We are going to get into a really great conversation around sisterhood and how she’s been making boss leaps. I will tell you that we have known each other for a very long time. Before we get into that, let’s talk about text chains or group text. I am fine with them. I like being in a group. I’d like to know what’s happening. My thing with group text is sometimes, people put too much in or overshare in it, or it’s like bad news that I wasn’t aware that so-and-so passed. I’m at work, doing my thing, looking down at the phone. I’m like, “So-and-so died.” What do you feel like the rules should be for group text?
You are Miss Popular and I am not quite where you are. My group texts are my little family, my immediate family, my husband and my girls. I’m an only child, so I don’t have a lot of extended family, but on my husband’s side of the family, there are five siblings, so them and some grandkids are in there. I have my line sisters, and then I have you guys from med school. My groups are a little tighter. In these groups, I haven’t had the oversharing experience. I have, however, had the experience where I share things in a group, like the first person’s name in the group comes up and I go back to that person’s name. I think that I’m just corresponding with that one person, but I correspond with all the people in the group.
Luckily, I don’t have too many indiscretions or anything, but my caution is just to be aware before you start sharing who exactly is in the group. It helps with ours because we’ve named ours. That would be my cautionary tale. Name your group. Have a group named versus just that one person whose leading person’s tag guides the group.
I would say I have had incidents where I had my kids have shown me, that if there’s an ongoing conversation and you’re just busy or you just don’t have time for the dings, you can remove yourself from the conversation and then put yourself back in. That’s probably what I would do in that situation when you’re getting too much information or just stay silent. A lot of times, I put something in there and it’s just silent and you’re like, “I guess nobody’s really interested in what I have to say today.” I would probably approach it that way.
In my case, Teri and I have the, I suppose, privilege or honor maybe of being in a group text with people we have known since kindergarten. Literally, not figuratively, not like, “We went to elementary school. It was like fifth grade.” No, I mean like kindergarten. I’m not as always in tune with that particular group text. I may or may not have had it on silent at particular times. I’m not going to confirm nor deny that. Teri, first of all, welcome to the show. We are so excited that you are here.
Thank you for having me.
Tell us your thoughts or feelings on the group text and what the group text etiquette is. Clearly, I don’t know.
That’s what I was just getting ready to say. As I listen to you all, I guess social butterfly may include me too as well because I find myself on many threads. It gets difficult when they add or delete someone. One thread is gone and then you get the new thread and then you get lost because you’re going to the old thread and, “Don’t use this one.” That’s tough. I do believe there should be text etiquette, like please be mindful of the hour of the day that you’re texting because if people are on the East Coast, it’s very late. I have been subject to that like a text at 5:00 AM because it’s 8:00 on another coast. There’s that.
I do agree sometimes you need to silence because sometimes it could just be overwhelming. I am okay in general with group chats, except for the person who wants to say something about everything or the person who gets into emoji gif meme mode, which is like eight screens of just meme and emoji. That should be in the rules. Limit it to 2 emojis, 2 gifs, per 12 hours. You got to wait cycle. You got to wait until your turn comes up again. Other than that, I enjoy it. It is a good way to stay in contact. Although our elementary school chat is busy often, happy birthday 27 times or whatever, it does let us know that we do find out some things that we probably otherwise would not have. It has its value.
To Teri’s Younger Self
I appreciate that reminder, Teri. As I was saying, we literally have known each other since kindergarten, which means that we have gone through lots of different things together. It has really been wonderful to see both our personal and professional evolutions. As we have this conversation, I am excited to share with our audience many of your boss leaps both personally and professionally. That brings us to our first question. What would you say to Teri that was on the monkey bars at Inglewood Christian School? What would you say to that little girl?
If I could go back to my elementary school self, I would tell myself, “Be bold. Do not be so afraid of taking a chance or taking a leap.” One of the things that Sylvia and I can laugh about right now is that, all through elementary school, people talked about who in the class was going to be a doctor. Sylvia is going to be a doctor.” We knew that from age eight and up. Congratulations on making that dream come true.
Me, on the other hand, they would say that, but I was like, “Yeah, no, not for me. I’m not serious enough. I’m not diligent enough.” I ran from it and I even changed the college that I was going to go to trying to run from it. I would tell my younger self, “Don’t do that. Go ahead, take the leap. Move out. Be bold. Make the moves. You will not regret it. There are people on your journey that God will send to you, and they will sustain you.” I think that’s what I would reach back and tell her up.
This is perfect timing because as we’re both aware, you are a grandmom, and I don’t know what your official title is. I know we can all pick our titles these days, but tell us what, right now, in your career, in your life, what that has meant to you and what that, how that has changed your life.
I am a stepmom. I tried to have kids, but was not successful in having a child of my own. Through marriage, I became the bonus mom to a wonderful girl and boy. That has been its own experience as well. My daughter had a little mini-me, so this is Mariella, but what has happened is it changes your whole why. It gives energy and excitement to things that were normally routine and mundane. When I finish this question, we’ll pause. Through their relationship, she’s met a really wonderful guy. We’ve been able to grow our blended family much more blended now. It makes the tough days a little bit easier. It adds just a little bit joy at the end.
Thank you so much for sharing that with our audience. I think that is really important. We both have had the journey of figuring out, “Can I do this? Am I capable? Am I supposed to be here?” I think the better way of saying that is probably Imposter Syndrome. Could you talk a little bit about how you navigate that and how you manage imposter syndrome, or do you believe in it?
We encounter all different kinds of people in our journey, but there are some that stand out. I am in a professional women’s group and I have one colleague who says, “I don’t believe in that. That’s not true. I know I’m supposed to be where I’m supposed to be.” She feels that it’s a mindset that we give into because it’s pushed on us a little. I go back and forth about that because there is truly something to be said when you are the only or the first or 1 of 2, and the other one, for whatever reason, is not in the room. I think that it is not something that we convey upon ourselves. I do agree with her in that. I think people have such a negative expectation and disposition in some cases that they portrayed or pushed that onto us. You have to learn how to deal with it in different environments with different groups of people.
One of the things that I like to do is tap into the resilience of the ancestors. It is difficult to be the only in the room, but it is far more difficult to be working 12, 14, 15 hours a day with limited rations to eat and the fear of someone coming to kill you or sell you just because. Our heritage just shows us as we read through history, even when they try to remove our history, that part, that we are a resilient group of people. When I’m in that situation, I remind myself, “Remember, there are others that came before you that had to do such difficult things as well.” I think about all of the other firsts, Joe Lewis, and Willie Mays and all these firsts. I would even go so far as to say there’s a bit of a covering that you’re given at that moment when you tap into that. That helps me get through It.
I think so much what you said is so important in terms of babies, our kids, our grandkids, and letting them know that you belong here. You are supposed to be in the room. You have a voice. It is meant to be heard. In my house, there’s no such thing as children are seen and not heard. I think we need to remove that from our philosophy in our communities, which still exists because what we see is when you are valuing the voice of young people, then are empowered to come forth and speak their truth and do their very best in the communities that we’re in.
I agree with you 100%, and I don’t think I’ve thought of it in the way that you just mentioned of drawing on where our ancestors have come from. When you’re in that moment where you are having self-doubt or wondering, “Yes, I belong here and I know I can do it because I know what my ancestors have done,” that means we have to continue to talk about what our ancestors have done. I think in this forum, in particular, of sharing other women’s stories that are not necessarily heard because many of our guests are not necessarily on CNN or on the news. Many women are doing amazing things in our communities and our kids need to see that. What you see, you know you can do. Thank you, Teri. Very good info.
Career Journey And Leadership
I think of it as the ordinary and the extraordinary. We’re all extraordinary in our lives and worlds and want to shine a light on that. Teri, tell me about your journey to becoming a physician and what you learned along the way. Just a couple of pearls.
I did not take the straight path to becoming a physician. I took more of a circuitous route, if you will. Initially, I tried to run from medicine because I did feel intimidated. It was daunting. I’m not good enough or smart enough. I did try to placate myself with, “I I’ll get a degree in Business and that’ll be fine,” and I did. I got a degree in Business and set out to find the perfect job, but medicine for me is truly a calling.
I found a group of students who were studying for the MCAT. This is now after I graduated from college and worked for a while. I decided to sit down and study with them. Just little by little, just step by step and I mean baby step by baby step, I was able to overcome the hurdles. I went back to school to complete my prerequisites. I had to quit my full-time job and do that, but I was able to just work my way back up there. I was privileged I was able to go to Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, and received a really excellent education. There, I met people who, again, along your path, right at the time, you have everything you need for the season that you’re in that would not let me give up.
It was a very difficult journey for me. I had Sylvia and then some of the other friends from elementary school who really supported me through that. It taught me a lot about myself. Tapping into that resilience, if we keep that theme going for a little bit longer, I’m not a quitter. When you know that, then you know when it gets rough, because it is going to get rough, that you have something inside of you that will sustain you and help you make it. I did. I graduated from Case Western Reserve and came back home for residency, and then the story ended with me being the chief resident of internal medicine. I did a dual residency.
Tapping into that resilience, when it gets rough, you have something inside of you that will sustain you and help you make it. Share on XYou were a chief resident at Loma Linda University.
That’s in Southern California, for those of you who may not know Loma Linda University Medical Center. I also received a really good education there. I met some really wonderful people through the Med-peds, internal medicine, and pediatrics programs. I learned a little bit more about myself and resilience and being able to continue to shine when others try to dim your light. That’s another thing we go through, which also seeds that Imposter Syndrome. It’s really been an experience. When Sylvia mentioned and invited me to come to the show, I like the name because that is what we have to do. We leap over hurdles, we leap over obstacles, we leap over negativity. I just love being a boss. Thank you again.
I feel like I’ve heard that part of your story before, Teri, but I did not remember it. That is a huge boss leap. You have completed college, you’ve got your degree, you’ve got access to make money, and then you decide, “No, I want to further my education.” You defer making money for many years and pay Loans even after you’ve done that, you went on to put more initials behind your name and I’ll let you describe the MMM versus the MBA. What prompted that? How did you make that decision? I know you mentioned you had a business background, undergrad. Tell us a little bit more about that.
I went to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Go Lions. I received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing. Business degree, nice and solid, because Loyola Marymount is well known for the business program here in Southern California. I went on to get my medical degree and I saw the opportunity to marry the business with the medicine. In the environment in the healthcare industry is in right now, it pays to speak a lot of languages.
I took the opportunity to marry the business with the medicine by getting my MMM, which stands for Masters of Medical Management. It is an MBA program, and I completed it at the University of Southern California. Fight on, for those of you who know about USC. The cohort was all physicians, so radiology, OB GYN, etc. I was able to expand my knowledge of both business and medicine at the same time. I got that MMM, that Master of Medical Management.
We’ve been talking about having a Master’s in Medical Management, and I know you’ve worked on the insurance side of healthcare. You are what I would call a healthcare leader. We have both had a number of jobs, and have had been exposed to, shall we say, different leadership styles. Can you talk a little bit about leadership and perhaps not necessarily assess leadership? How do you know when you are working with a good leader? In addition, how do you want to lead? How do you like to lead?
I’m going to think about that one a little bit. I had mentioned this before, that we meet all different kinds of people in our journey. You see examples of leaders you want to be and don’t want to be. I remember teaching that to my residents and that’s a philosophy that I still share with my direct reports. I think that good leadership is seen in people who consider themselves forever learners. You are never finished. You’re always striving to be better, to learn more, to find the best-known way for that moment. I try to do that with my leadership and I try to instill that in those that I lead.
These are ever-changing. There are disruptors, discoveries, and things like that. I think that true leadership is always evolving. It’s a forever learning process, and it includes that thirst for knowledge and that thirst for never being finished. I’m always getting better. I think definitely, you have to be strong and when you are a woman, you need to have a village because you pour out quite a bit and there’s not as many people pouring into you.
I think that helps as well. A hype man, a wingman, a hype woman, a wing woman is always good. Thank you. Says Sylvia, “Yes, girl. Go ahead. Go for it. Try it.” I remember when I went out for chief medical officer at a national health plan, so yes, while I was on the payer side, Sylvia was like, “You can do this. You got this. You have a business degree, a medical degree, and you have a Master’s degree in both in medicine and management. Do it.” Having that also, that village, is what really keeps you moving forward. It keeps you grounded also.
As a woman, having that village is what keeps you moving forward and grounded. Share on XWe all need that, BHW, Best Hype Woman, on your side.
That’s Sylvia. Very good.
Self-Care And Friendship
Teri, we know that you have many hats including being a grandmom. Now, tell us how you practice self-care or how you like to.
I think that in that recipe for self-care, you have to pour in a little retail therapy. You need some time at the mall. That is the culmination of the day because you get up and you have manicure and a pedicure. You put on a really nice outfit and you go and have lunch with a dear friend and then you walk around the mall. You might not buy anything because you don’t have to buy anything every time. It’s just taking that time to relax and dream and consider. In some cases, buy, yes, but definitely peruse to remind yourself of, “What am I busting my buns for?” Every now and then, you’ll end up with something designer in your bag.
Is this an inherent SoCal thing? This sounds so familiar.
Yes, it is. When I get you back out here again, because I missed you when you were in Irvine, but you had that taste when you had that magazine cover, that magazine set. Retail therapy is one of the finer things in life.
We have a couple more questions. I’m going to talk about why I think we’re such good friends, but please tell our audience why you think we are such good friends. When I think about it, I know that our friendship has evolved as we have evolved. Over the last 50 years, you have always given me space to be authentic and know that I’m not the same person I was in third grade, high school, college, med school, residency, or even in my 40s.
You always give me space to shine my light, I would say, the brightest. You don’t let me not be truthful to myself. You are a truth-teller and there is no BS is allowed and no victimhood is allowed. It is always about, “How are you at this moment and how are you moving forward and how are you evolving? That, I really appreciate. The other thing is you always show up for me. I know that we don’t always talk all the time every week, but I know if I need something, I can pick up the phone. I can send you a text and you’ll be there. Thank you, girl.
Back at you, girl. I think the question on the floor is, why do I think we’re such good friends? I don’t know. Angela, you’ve known her for many years. It’s just something about when you know somebody when they learn how to write like the letter A, and then you see them when they are learning cursive or not learning cursive. However, I’ve never seen Sylvia really stand her ground as that. Those stories are really good. I think it’s a part of knowing what is at the core of a person that has strengthened our friendship.
It has not always been sunshine and roses. I think that we should allow ourselves to be ourselves, but then accept somebody who will really tell you the truth, like what she’s saying. That goes both ways. That strengthens our friendship. The other thing is being able to know when it’s your turn. A lot of times, when Sylvia and I talk, I’ll go, “Girl, I know it’s not my turn, but I’ll tell you when it’s my turn. You go.” She goes, “Okay, I’m done now. It’s your turn. You go.”
Allowing ourselves to be ourselves but also accepting someone who will honestly tell us the truth goes both ways and strengthens our friendship. Share on XBeing able to give that space but being mindful that the other person may be going through something too, knowing you’re not alone, that helps you get through that whatever that happens to be. Good, bad, up or down. There was a time in our lives when she was up and I was down or I was down and she was up and we were like, “When are we ever going to catch each other when we’re both on the up?”
We celebrated that. It’s like that’s, “Girl, I got good news, you have good news, too.” Celebrating the wins, allowing the ability to mourn the losses, but only for a little while. Okay. That’s it. That’s over. Pity party over. Just somebody who really says, “Girl, I know you can do it.” They know and you know that they know. I think that helps. The people we meet along the way, like Sylvia was responsible for me meeting you, added to the village because good women are few and far between. I appreciate your strength, your letting me be part of that group, because that’s a tight group in and of itself. Allowing this, like I said, is a blended family and extended family experience. Thank you. I think that’s what strengthens it.
Sisterhood
Good people attract good people and I try to teach my girls that. If you are surrounding yourself with people that want the best for you and you want the best for them, then you’ll go a long way. It’s finding those people and not settling for anything less and when to move on because some people are not able to fulfill that need to be supportive. Teri, I know that we have something in common in that we have a sisterhood outside of our bloodline’s family. We didn’t make the same decision in how we pledged, but nevertheless, we’re both part of The Divine Nine. You pledged AKA. What does that sisterhood mean to you? How has that played a role in your life?
That, again, has allowed me to broaden my horizons, expand my network and really work with other women who possess that same moral and ethical drive or compass, if you will. Yes, I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, and Angela, are you a member of it?
Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated.
Even though we have our thing in college, it lets us know that we really strive for something bigger as a group of people. Our family is not limited to just the aunts, just the uncles or just the cousins. My sisters that are in the Divine Nine that are not necessarily Alpha Kappa Alpha women are still my family. That, to me, lets me know that if I needed something, I could call you because just we lean on the shield in some cases, for things. I think that it forces you to understand different personalities because if you’ve ever been in a chapter meeting, you can imagine a lot of alpha women trying to, and I don’t mean alpha as an AKA, I mean alpha as in, “I’m the big dog, I’m the one.”
In some cases, understand the true value of compromise and the importance of really compromising and listening to my sister. It teaches you the importance of forgiveness and all of those things that expand to all of life. I think that that has encouraged me. You also get to see examples of strong and powerful women like the vice president, who lets you know that you can do it and break ceilings as well.
Sisterhood forces you to understand the true value of compromise, the importance of forgiveness, and all of those things that expand to all of life. Share on XYou are a true, shining example of what we call in our book a superwoman, but you are just wearing all your hats with complete grace and you’ve always been such a pleasure. I look forward to the mani-pedi, the dressing up, the lunch and the libation, and then retail therapy thereafter when we’re in the same vicinity. Thank you so much for being a part of our show. I think we’re trying to reach women in every part of their life. Certainly, you have shown us a part of what it takes to be there for your family as well as in your business and as a sister and a friend. I can’t thank you enough.
Takeaways
Thank you, Teri Lynn Rhetta-Gallarzo, MD, MMM, daughter, sister, wife, nana, sister friend, and leader. You wear so many hats and I am so proud of you as a human being. I’m so happy that after many years of friendship, we are still evolving and that we are still thick as thieves, as people say. Thank you so much for being with us on the show and sharing all of your boss leap moves. Angela, what take homes do you do we have for our audience from our conversation with Dr. Rhetta-Gallarzo?
Continue to shine your light when others are trying to dim it. That is so poignant and so relevant in all aspects of our life. When you’re an undergrad and you have a counselor that’s telling you, “No, you can’t become a physician because you have a bad grade in this class,” or you’re in medical school and someone tells you, “No, you’re not going to be able to do that residency because you’re too small to be an orthopedic surgeon,” just don’t let anyone dim your light. When you have a dream, you can achieve it. It may be harder, your path may be longer, but it’s definitely something you can do. That was my one takeaway, and then forever learning.
That’s something that I have learned because you think that we get to this age, the golden years, the beautiful years, and mine happened to be in my 50s, and I’ve done everything. I’ve met the mark. What I’m learning is I want to continue to learn. I want to do more. When you do that, it just continues to expand your horizons. Don’t limit yourself. Forever learning is part of the human experience if you are going to, I think, live it with joy and meaning. Those are my takeaways. How about you?
I just want to talk about the name of our show. It’s Boss Leaps. Every time I would get a new job, Teri, you would say to me, “You are leaping from one lily pad to the next.” That always sticks with me because it is a reminder that we are moving forward. We are evolving. We’re not staying stuck where we are. Teri, I want to thank you for that. I also want to leave us with the phrase be bold because I think that’s the most beautiful thing that you’ve said out of many things in our conversation and for our audience. With that, thank you very much, Dr. Teri Lynn Rhetta-Gallarzo, and be bold.
To our audience, be well.
Important Links
About Dr. Teri Rhetta-Gallarzo
Dr. Teri L. Rhetta is a native of Los Angeles. She attended private school and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a bachelor’s in business administration. After serious self-reflection and with steady discipline, Teri returned to school to complete her pre-requisites for medical school.
She matriculated at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, but returned to California to complete her dual residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Loma Linda University Medical Center.
In 2017 Dr. Rhetta received her Master of Medical Management from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. Although medical school and residency were particularly challenging, she channeled her resilience and determination to get through successfully.
After residency, Dr. Rhetta worked as a Hospitalist at Riverside County Regional Medical Center where she received the first ever Nurses Choice Award for Physician of the Year in 2013. She later moved into managed care where she began to develop her leadership skills.
Dr. Rhetta worked at the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) where during her tenure she helped to establish the ‘Total Pain Care’ strategy which helped patients with chronic pain. In 2018, Dr. Rhetta was hired as the Chief Medical Officer for WellCare of California. As CMO, she led her team to achieve a 5.0 CMS Star rating – the first of anyone in the entire corporation.
Teri is a proud and active member in her Church and in her community. She is a member of the Eta Nu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, incorporated®. In 2021 she participated in the AKA Target 2 initiative, Health and Wellness and in the Target 4 initiative, the Arts. In 2022, she was appointed to the position of Co-Chairman for the Technology committee.
When Teri saw a need in the Fundraiser committee, she stepped up and became an interim Co-chairman and is currently helping the chapter raise money for our 2024 future scholarship recipients. She is loyal and dedicated to her sorors and to the mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She is building her knowledge about chapter and national operations with the hope of being an effective future chapter leader.
Dr. Rhetta is a proud wife, mom and grandmom. She loves spending time with her family and dog, Tiberius. In her free time, she enjoys shopping which is her “retail therapy”.