Welcome back to Part II of David’s story. I hope you enjoyed reading how he got started in Dentistry, and I’m sure you’ll find inspiration in how he evolved over the years.

David was born in the North East of England near the border of what he describes as “sunny Scotland.”  He practiced dentistry for almost eleven years, and in 2014, he made the decision to step out of dentistry.  He turned a part-time career, practicing as a counselor and trauma therapist, into a full-time vocation.  He also moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he now resides.

Me: What have been your biggest challenges?

David: What immediately comes to mind was investing large amounts of time and money in post-graduate education and then at times struggling to utilize the skills gained in a clinical setting, being mindful that “if I didn’t use it, I’d lose it.” That said, I believed and still believe that if you’re good at what you do, passionate about what you do and believe in what you do, you will attract your client base.

Although I am no longer practicing as a dentist, I would say that my greatest challenge was finding the courage to leave the profession despite knowing deep down that it was the right decision. On the one hand, I felt torn knowing how hard I had worked to reach a certain standard and to earn the money I was earning, whilst on the other hand I was listening to a place deep within me that seemed to sense something very different. Also, it seemed like almost everyone external to me was telling or advising me not to leave. “Are you mad! But you’ve worked so hard!?! It would be such a waste! But, what about the money!?!” A lot of exclamations I know, but fully justified I assure you… and I’ve left out the expletives.

Ha! A lot of us can relate to the commentary from others, including the expletives! It was the same for me. I always say getting out of dentistry was much harder than getting in. How did you know it was time? How did you make the first move?

My body informed me it was time. It was a full body somatic experience and I went with it, nervous and all.

I suppose the initial steps began with the trainings I did, practicing what I had learned and integrating the lessons taken from that. If I was interested in an area I would simply call someone up who was good at it, or read a book on the topic, or attend a workshop, network etc. Over time things simply unfolded but they would never have done so had I not had the courage or impetus to take action and just start.

It’s always that first step that counts. What are you doing now?

I practice full-time as a counselor and trauma therapist working with adults via Skype and in a practice setting. I also facilitate and have been involved with men’s groups for many years.

Part of my personal journey involved me gaining the knowledge and understanding that enabled me to transition out of my head and connect with my body at a deeper level than I had previously thought possible. The insights and gifts received since that time have proved instrumental in helping me transform my life.

It’s interesting that you point that out. I’ve noticed for some, that body awareness is such a valuable tool to truly knowing themselves and accessing their intuition. For others it might be more in their thoughts or emotions, but either way, it really is the inner work that allows us to change and find what we want in life. If we stay on the surface and skip the soul-searching, we often don’t go anywhere. Do you miss any part of dentistry? How does this career make you feel different from dentistry?

I missed working with my hands, and so I took time to meet that need by pursuing hobbies/crafts etc.

The career feels different from dentistry in the sense that I experience it differently in my body. My body feels more aligned doing it. It doesn’t feel like an effort. Dentistry did.

Yes! There goes your intuition again. What a wonderful tool to guide you.  What were your biggest motivators to change?

My final decision to leave dentistry reflected a few things that came in quick succession. I lost my parents tragically, which put the fragility of life into perspective for me. The realization that this was my life, that I was (seemingly) in the driver’s seat and yet, really, I did not know what was around the corner or how much time I had left. Also, finding out that I was going to be a father. I remember lying awake with the vulnerability of thinking, “how can I follow my dreams when I have a baby coming?” and then thinking, “how could I look my (son) in the eyes as a teenager and tell him to follow his dreams when his dad didn’t have the courage to do the same?”

That last thought always strikes me to the core. The idea that we’d want our children to know they can follow their dreams is so powerful that I can’t think of any greater motivation. (In fact, I recently blogged about that here.) And then you mention the other most powerful motivator– life’s tragedies always make us pause. Again, it sounds like you were okay practicing dentistry, but it wasn’t your dream, and you wanted to pursue your dreams. Is that true?

Yup.

That’s so cool. We often hear of people who are forced to get out of dentistry because they are unhappy with it. It’s almost a matter of survival for them. For you it was because you generally enjoyed it, but you knew you could have more. You knew it was possible to have it all.  That’s a huge inspiration.

There’s one more part to David’s story.  Stay tuned for Part III of my interview with David.  Until then, learn more about David and what he does here.