20/Happy Careers with Drs. Fred and Riyad

It's been one year since our podcast launched!

We revisit the biggest shifts in our own careers: Riyad's leap into training NHL goalies through sports vision, and Fred's evolving sense of identity beyond the exam room as a writer, speaker, and podcaster.

In this episode, we explore:

- Why trust and relationships, not visibility, are what actually open doors

- The "T-shaped professional" and portfolio careers as a framework for fulfillm...

What if burnout does not mean you hate your work?

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Kaleb Abbott, optometrist, assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, researcher, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur. Kaleb shares how his personal experience with burnout led him to study professional wellbeing in optometry, and how his career has evolved through clinical care, dry eye and ocular pain, entrepreneurship...

What happens when you follow curiosity instead of waiting for the perfect plan?

Dr. Sophia Leung is a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, President of the Alberta Association of Optometrists, and holds a joint Executive MBA from Cornell and Queen's — all while directing a specialty clinic and mentoring the next generation of Canadian optometrists.

Sophia has navigated her c...

In this episode of 20/Happy Careers, Dr. Fred Cho sits down with Dr. Fiona Soong to explore her career journey.

We chat about her early days working in Bermuda, the fascinating world of clinical research, becoming a KOL in myopia control, and looking beyond at her next career chapter.

Fiona shares lessons she's learned along the way, things she'd do differently, and the importance of pursuing curiosity both inside and outside the cli...

What does it take to leave a thriving clinical career — and find something even more aligned?

For Dr. Deborah Wang, it was a phone call that changed everything.

After graduating from SUNY Optometry in 2020, Deborah built a meaningful career at a busy Brooklyn ophthalmology practice. But when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2022, Deborah's priorities — and eventually her career path — transformed ent...

Dr. Dana Blakolmer is an optometrist from Oshawa, Ontario, with 30 years of practice experience. After learning her grandmother was a residential school survivor who had hidden her indigenous identity all her life, Dana began connecting with her roots — and eventually started providing eye care to Indigenous communities in rural British Columbia.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Dana discovered her Indigenous heritage after...

What does it look like when your career becomes a platform for real change?

Dr. Shaina Nensi is the current president of the Ontario Association of Optometrists, owner of Avenue Optometry & Vision Therapy, and the eyecare provider to Indigenous fly-in community in Northern Ontario.

In this episode:

• Losing the OAO board election the first time — and why she ran again
• What it's really like to run a clinic in a remote Indige...

In this episode of 20/Happy, hosts Dr. Fred Cho and Dr. Riyad Khamis reunite with their classmate Dr. Clement Nwadozi to explore how his multicultural upbringing shaped his approach to optometry and patient care.

Dr. Nzi shares his journey from West Africa through Cuba, Hong Kong, and Canada before settling in Lansing, Michigan. He discusses the value of optometry residencies and his transition to practice ownership.

The conversation...

Dr. Melissa Barnett is a world-renowned expert in scleral lenses and specialty contact lenses who has authored over 300 articles and delivered 500+ lectures world-wide. Today, her greatest satisfaction comes from something different: coaching and empowering other optometrists to reach their full potential.

In this episode, we explore:

• How scleral lenses change not just patients' lives, but entire families and communities
• Practical...

Dr. Diane van Staden joins Fred and Riyad to share her remarkable journey from clinical optometry to public health advocacy, academia, and career coaching. After practicing optometry in South Africa, Diane made a bold decision to leave clinical practice without a roadmap to address the public health crisis in eye care access.

In this conversation, Diane reveals how she navigated multiple career pivots—from implementing optomet...

After 10 years of practicing dentistry, Dr. Laura Brenner made a bold decision: she left clinical practice to become a certified professional coach, blogger, and speaker.

In this conversation, Laura shares her journey from burnout to fulfillment. She opens up about being a perfectionist and people pleaser, and how she now helps others design careers on their own terms.

We discuss:

• Why empaths in healthcare struggle with boundaries
• ...

In this episode, we explore the intersection of beauty trends and optometry with Dr. Janice Luk, discussing dry eye, lash culture, collaboration beyond traditional eye care, and how curiosity and passion can shape a more fulfilling, unconventional career. 

This episode is for optometrists and students who feel the pull to create something more—whether that’s speaking, writing, teaching, building, or simply designing...

Ever wonder if there's more to optometry than grinding through back-to-back patients? Dr. Sandra Chiu certainly did. After years of working grueling schedules in Toronto's busiest practices, the pandemic gave her an unexpected gift: time to think about what she actually wanted.

In this raw and inspiring conversation, Sandra shares how she went from Toronto valedictorian to burned-out associate to thriving small-town practice owner&m...

Dr. Brittany Hewitt, an optometrist turned mental health counselor, shares her personal burnout journey and how the pandemic gave her space to reconnect with forgotten passions.

We discuss the silent signs of healthcare burnout affecting 57% of professionals, practical prevention strategies like mindfulness and setting boundaries, and why protecting time for hobbies is essential. 

Dr. Hewitt reveals how pursuing counseling psych...

In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of sports vision with Dr. Riyad, who shares his journey working with elite hockey goalies and expanding into pickleball training. We explore what sports vision is, how it helps athletes improve reaction speed by 10-15%, and why peripheral vision is the anchor of your entire visual system.

Riyad reveals the common misconceptions coaches have about vision training, explains the ...

In this episode, Drs. Fred and Riyad dive into the world of travel optometry—what it is, perks & challenges, and how to get started. Dr. Fred shares stories from practicing in rural Newfoundland and Manitoba, where eye care is often scarce but deeply impactful. From iceberg views on the way to clinic to unexpected emergencies, he reflects on how this career path reshaped his perspective on work and fulfillment.

We also int...

This episode of 20/Happy Careers features Dr. Benjamin Konig, associate professor at Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO), International affairs director (KYCO), and board of director for VOSH international.

He shares his experience teaching in Nicaragua and how simply being present sent a powerful message to his students: they mattered, they were valued, and the world was rooting for their success. He reflects on how helping isn&rs...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Brianna Rhue—optometrist, tech entrepreneur, and national speaker—to explore why growth and risk-taking are essential ingredients for a fulfilling career. From co-founding Dr. Contact Lens to redefining what it means to lead in optometry, Brianna shares her journey of betting on herself, embracing discomfort, and building a career that lights her up. If you’ve ever felt boxed ...