Eps 57 “Embracing Change When Life Changes the Plan” with Dr Alex Markwell

Today we’re joined by Dr Alex Markwell, an emergency physician, health leader, educator and advocate whose career has been shaped by expertise, service and the courage to change direction. Alex completed her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Queensland before undertaking specialist training at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She became a Fellow of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine in 2011. Alex is a Past President of the Australian Medical Association Queensland, former Chair of the Queensland Clinical Senate, and was deeply involved in Queensland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex shares candid insights on standing up against systemic injustices, navigating unexpected health challenges, leveraging peer mentorship, and redefining professional identity when life forces a change in direction. While Alex is passionate about emergency medicine, today we hear the personal health reasons that led her to reconsider her career path. Let’s dive into our conversation with Dr Alex Markwell. Key moments in the podcast: 00:00 Mentor Nudge Moment 00:38 Podcast Welcome Setup 01:14 Meet Dr Alex Markwell 02:43 Queensland Roots 04:19 Books That Shaped Her 05:59 Self Care Reality Check 07:45 Choosing Medicine Path 11:56 Mentors And Peer Support 14:32 Advocacy Nudge To AMA 18:59 New Career Direction 21:35 Speaking Up For Justice 24:01 Leadership In Emergency 27:21 Gender Bias And Harassment 31:43 Calling Out Bad Behavior 34:09 Health Crisis After COVID 39:59 Clinician And Patient Lens 44:34 Three Golden Nuggets 47:39 Closing Credits Farewell Here is what stays with us from this conversation: **Leadership is born from showing up and calling out injustice.** \* **Grassroots Advocacy:** Stepping into advocacy roles begins simply by identifying an issue and daring to use your voice, even as a junior professional. \* **Challenging Normalised Behaviours:** True cultural change requires calling out inappropriate behavior in real-time, preventing toxic habits from becoming acceptable norms. \* **Crisis vs. Collaborative Leadership:** High-stakes environments like the emergency room hone rapid crisis leadership, but long-term impact requires shifting to reflective, collaborative governance. **Growth thrives in two-way support and peer-to-peer connection.** \* **The Power of Lateral Mentorship:** Career development relies heavily on peer support networks and mutual learning rather than traditional top-down hierarchies. \* **Strategic Encouragement:** A gentle nudge from a trusted peer or mentor can provide the exact confidence boost needed to step into unexpected opportunities. \* **Shared Resilience:** Surrounding yourself with trusted colleagues creates a safety net for navigating high-pressure careers. **Career detours often reveal new avenues for purpose and impact.** \* **Adapting to Unexpected Pivots:** Facing severe health challenges requires stepping back, reassessing capabilities, and embracing alternative career paths like virtual care and board leadership. \* **Separating Identity from Profession:** True resilience comes from uncoupling your personal worth from a single professional title or rigid career trajectory. \* **Leveraging Lived Experience:** Transitioning from clinician to patient offers invaluable perspective for improving patient dignity, safety, and healthcare governance. \* **Be open to pivots:** Don’t be afraid to say yes to new paths; even if your original plan changes, meaningful opportunities will follow. **Intuition and clarity guide us through life’s biggest forks in the road.** \* **Trusting Your Instincts:** Taking time to listen to your gut helps prevent missteps and provides clarity during difficult choices. \* **Saying Yes to the Unknown:** Remaining open to unexpected opportunities often leads to fulfilling destinations you never originally planned for. Connect with Alex Markwell This is an original podcast by Flyntrok. We help organisations, communities and individuals change and adapt to a new world. You will find Flyntrok on LinkedIn, Instagram and X. Listen to this podcast on Substack, Spotify or Apple. We would love it if you would leave us a comment, screenshot the episode and tag us on social, and share this episode with your community so that they can better navigate their forks in the road. Hosted by Stephen Berkeley and Anne Boland Produced by Rajeev Nedumaran of Studior. Music by Damian Smith of Bespoke Music. Art work by Ben Tibbin of Mozmo Creative and Social Media Creations by Alana Rauert of Muse Communications. **Disclaimer:** The views expressed in this episode were those of the hosts and the guest, not of any entity they work for or with. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flyntrok.substack.com