Hanukkah was always celebrated in our living room, while Christmas was always celebrated in our den. I never thought twice about this separation. It felt natural to leave part of my identity behind as I walked from room to room, just to be confronted with the other part of me.
At Hillel, I learned to walk into a room as my whole self, never leaving part of my identity behind. I was finally Jewish enough. For so many years, I created walls because I came from an interfaith family. Hillel taught me that my intersectionality was an asset in Jewish spaces, as it taught me to be open-minded, understanding, and compassionate.
And now, I want to encourage you. If you only have one Jewish parent or grandparent, you bring a unique perspective to your own community. If both of your parents are Jewish, you have agency to help others embrace their Judaism, no matter what their circle looks like.
If I were to sketch my circle now, it would represent being limitless. There would be no diameter, sharp lines, or boundaries to silo different parts of myself; the parts that come together to make me, me. I am defined by an infinite and smooth curve. Every part of my identity is integral to my circle. Every part of my identity makes me whole.
LIMITLESS is a docuseries featuring inspiring stories from women plastic surgeons who broke the glass ceiling and rose to prominence within their field as society presidents. Each woman tells her own story of resilience and fortitude, with invaluable advice for future women leaders in plastic surgery. Presented by Allergan Aesthetics, in cooperation with the ASPS Women Plastic Surgeons Forum, LIMITLESS was coproduced by the series' visionary, Shuting Zhong, MD.
Dr. Linda Phillips shares insight on the benefits of embracing collaborative leadership, a model that has helped in her role as the most recent female president of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons during its centennial year.
Dr. Susan Mackinnon reflects on not having female surgeons to look up to in her career and how she feels lucky to now mentor women, as she did during her tenure as president of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons in 2008.
Dr. Andrea Pusic talks about the importance of female mentors in her career and how she's made a point of paying it forward, including during her tenure as president of The Plastic Surgery Foundation in 2018.
Watch more discussions from LIMITLESS women leaders as they continue to break down barriers in plastic surgery. Our latest video series, LIMITLESS Talks, offers compelling conversations among women plastic surgeons and guests on a range of subjects such as the importance of allyship and the experiences of being a woman plastic surgeon in the military.
Dr. Anne Peled and Dr. Wendy Chen lead the conversation with Dr. Thomas A. Imahiyerobo and Dr. Robert T. Grant about the importance of allyship in plastic surgery and offer suggestions for how surgeons who are men can better support, amplify and encourage their women counterparts to succeed.
Veterans Dr. Katrina Gallus and Dr. Helen Hui-Chau and active-duty plastic surgeon Dr. Jennifer Sabino share how the military benefited them, the nuances of family planning and the unique biases they face as women in the military. LIMITLESS salutes these brave women, and we're truly grateful for their service.
LIMITLESS Asked and Answered offers empowering perspectives and advice from women surgeons to help mentor future leaders in plastic surgery. Dr. Kelly Bolden, Dr. Anne Peled, Dr. Nyama Sillah and others discuss how supporting each other via the LIMITLESS initiative helps motivate and propel women to the next step in their surgical careers.
Watch the amazing stories of women surgeons who have become trailblazers in their field. Hear from women like Dr. Camille Cash, the first board-certified, female, African American plastic surgeon in the state of Texas.
Plastic surgery resident, Shuting Zhong, MD, was once told, "Women shouldn't be surgeons." N