What I Have Learned Running an Online Business

I dove into the online world in April 2020, at the start of COVID. I had already been working on my first course, Pathways to Improvement, for several months when the pandemic closed down my medical practice. When I realized it would take the Alberta government a while to get virtual appointments up and running, I focused my efforts on preparing the first iteration of the Pathways course. I started out offering the course live and was able to fine-tune the topics and course materials based on the feedback from those early adopters, eventually offering it as a self-study course so that people can start whenever they are ready and work through the content at their own speed.

It didn’t take me very long to realize that I knew virtually nothing about running an online business and that it was very different than running a medical practice. So, I took a course from a well-known Canadian marketing company that helps people succeed with online courses. And I joined various email lists to observe how successful people run their businesses.

I didn’t learn what I expected to learn.

I expected to learn the secret to success, a formula that, if followed, would enable me to gain enough traction in the market to develop a sustainable business. What I actually learned is that I don’t want to run my business according to the tried and tested; it doesn’t feel comfortable to me. I had to reflect why that was the case and discovered it had to do with values.

I have learned that for me, living according to my values and doing things I enjoy are more important than financial success. What I look forward to each day is learning new and surprising things about how the human body works. I learn something every time I write a new blog or record a new video tip. I learn something each time I open an email or read a social media post from someone in the community wanting to improve their health and asking a good question that I must research to be able to answer. This sense of purpose is more valuable to me than doing things I dislike to be financially successful.

What Are My Values?

Altruism

As I reflect, I realize that my values now are the same ones that drew me to medicine 40 years ago—the desire to help others. A core value in medicine is that when there is a conflict of interest between the doctor’s well-being and that of patients/community, the doctor should put others’ well-being ahead of their own. Running a business involves conflicts of interest. I have choices about what information I provide and how I provide it. I choose topics I think will be of interest to you rather than those which are trending on other platforms - topics which might gain me more clicks and followers.

Service

My goal is to provide credible (science-based), actionable information to people with complex chronic diseases. I intend for this information to empower you to make decisions that will lead to improved health over the long term as your knowledge and skills improve. Empowerment means you will become more independent in your ability to search out the information you need. This is closely aligned with a value of self-determination. I trust in your motivation and ability to sort through the information you gain from me and other sources and to choose the approaches that are right for you.

Authenticity

• What you see is what you get. I’m the same person on and off screen. I don’t wear makeup or airbrush my photos. I have wrinkles.
• I write my own material (admittedly, often with AI assistance to save time).
• I make mistakes, and when they are pointed out to me, I admit the mistakes and edit the material in question. I believe this builds trust.
• I admit when I don’t know the answer to a question. The hard questions I have not considered before are my favorites because chances are I will be motivated by them to learn more about a new topic and will share what I learn with the community when I’m confident it is likely to be correct or useful. I’m working on many topics that are not yet ready to share.

Credibility

The information I provide is either science-based or empirical. You will know it is science-based when I provide original, peer-reviewed references in support. Empirical means the information has proven valuable over decades of clinical practice by me and others I respect. When information is empirical, I might say something like “in my experience” or “based on a consensus of experts,” and there may not be any research reference to support it.

An important point to mention here is that because research into complex chronic diseases is so woefully inadequate, the majority of strategies used by experts around the world are not evidence-based. They are most often interventions passed down and fine-tuned over decades of use; frequently, strategies developed for other conditions and used “off label” in complex chronic diseases. Just because something isn’t evidence-based doesn’t mean it isn’t valid or credible.

Sometimes information from different sources conflicts. When this occurs, I let you know and present diverse views so you can make up your own mind if any are right for you. One of the goals of the Dr. Eleanor Stein Podcast is to present diverse and even conflicting views, knowing there is no single solution for all. You are the expert on you, and I can’t possibly know what path will be right for you.

Similarly, I sometimes publish something that I believe is true at the time and then the evidence changes. When this happens, I let you know. I have the courage to challenge the conventional medical paradigm when new information becomes available. My recent blog on medical myths highlighted important new information that became available regarding the safety of dietary fat, hormone replacement therapy and the need for sunlight. All of these required an update in my beliefs and guidance. For clarity, the dangers of exercise in post-exertional malaise are not new to me; I lived with it for 27 years. I keep mentioning the perils of graded exercise because there are practitioners and insurers still recommending it after years of evidence that it doesn’t work and harms patients.

I don’t make promises I can’t keep. The path to healing is complicated and individual. It involves trial and error. I don’t promise a simple cure or even a cure at all. For most of us, the path is slow and winding, and full recovery is rare. Why? Because most of us have underlying factors that put us at risk for becoming ill in the first place, and some of these, like genetics, cannot be changed.

In my courses, I offer a buffet of self-management strategies rather than a recipe. I know this is frustrating for people who are exhausted, confused, and just want to be told what to do. But there is no one recipe or path that will work for all. The empowerment that comes with learning how to identify strategies that might work for you, doing the trial, and then evaluating the outcome is more valuable over the long run than following a recipe, which may or may not work, leaving you no more skilled at managing your health.

Accessibility

It is important for  what I provide to be accessible, and accessible includes affordable. Recognizing the financial constraints of the complex chronic disease community, I offer low-income pricing on all webinars and courses, as well as a steep sliding scale for Live! with Dr. Stein, my subscription-based membership.

If you email me (at [email protected]) documentation that you earn under 30,000/year gross income in your country’s currency or an amount equivalent to that in Canadian dollars, you will be sent instructions on how to access the low-income pricing. Over 125 people have used this option to join programs they may not have been able to afford otherwise. Congratulations to those of you who have had the courage to apply!

Accessibility also means understanding that we each have unique learning styles.

• I offer one-off webinars for those who want to learn about a particular topic and more in-depth multi-lesson courses for those who want to dig deeper.
• I offer both self-study and live, instructor-led courses.
• My courses and webinars include downloadable PDF slides, transcripts and workbooks you can print and read if you wish.
• All my webinars and courses are comprised of video lessons for those who prefer that modality. Many include audio-only downloads.
• My written blogs are also offered as video tips so that you can read or watch as you prefer.
• My podcasts are available in downloadable audio format on all major podcast platforms and in video format on YouTube.

Collaboration

My Team: First, a shout-out to the amazing team (in photo above) I have assembled, who makes the website, videos, blogs, and podcasts come to life. I work with a team of skilled, enthusiastic and creative people—many of whom have complex chronic diagnoses and found me after judging the regular marketplace a poor fit. My gain for sure. I couldn’t do what I do without them. At a recent team meeting, I asked everyone to introduce themselves and their role to our newest team members. Several people said, “I do whatever Ellie asks me to do.” How lucky am I to have a group of people willing to continually learn new skills and say “yes” when I ask them to do the impossible.

My Community: The culture of medicine is that the doctor is assumed to hold the knowledge and impart their wisdom to the patient (who often has to patiently wait for appointments and tests to get that knowledge). But it has been obvious to me from day one that this model was deeply flawed and often harmful, that patients are the experts about their experience and that I need to listen to each story to learn about that individual. Only then can I give individualized suggestions along with the pros and cons of each to enable the patient to make an informed decision about what they want to try next. I have learned everything I know through the generosity of thousands of patients who shared their stories with me. Thank you to all who spent hours teaching me and continuing to do so. Now, online, I have the chance to give back and pay it forward to a wider community than my medical practice in Calgary, Canada.

My Colleagues: Thank you to the hundreds of colleagues who shared their clinical knowledge with me over the past 40 years, in classrooms, at conferences and through research. In medicine, for the most part, there is a culture of sharing and mentoring. In the online world, there is a hierarchy based on how many followers a person has and how big one’s email list is. Sometimes I approach people far above me in the hierarchy, and I am humbled when they agree to share their time and knowledge with our community, despite the lack of tangible gain for them. I conclude that they are in it for the right reasons.

My value is to say YES when people lower than me in the hierarchy approach me for mentorship or support with their endeavors. I feel great seeing them succeed. In our community, competition is counterproductive. The only way we will make meaningful change and discover the medical solutions we are all hoping for is if we work together and support each other—even if our views differ.

How These Values Shape My Behavior

What all this means in practice is that

• I will not knowingly provide false or misleading information,
• I don’t make sensational posts just to get more clicks or followers, and
• I will not try to sell you anything you don’t need or want.

Making choices aligned with my values is more important than getting more followers or making a sale.

What Do I Gain by Providing Online Education on Healing from Complex Chronic Diseases?

Although my primary goal is to help others, I get a lot out of my work. It’s a win-win.

First and foremost, I love learning and teaching new ideas, things that might make a difference in our health and lives. Who knew? My mother was a teacher, and the profession never appealed to me, but here I am, essentially an online teacher.

I am not only learning new medical strategies, but also how to run a business, manage a diverse and creative team that lives all over the world, and how to manage my own emotions in response to the ups and downs of online life. I love it.

I love doing it “my way” rather than following the recipe I was taught. Every day, as I learn new things and get new feedback from all of you, my direction shifts. Just as when I travel, I prefer to be surprised by where I end up. I love the feeling of awe when I see or experience the unexpected.

Lastly, I am humbled by the feedback I get on social media (to which I am a reluctant convert) and by email. It seems that what I am offering is meeting a need and is appreciated. Thank you for your support, without which my enthusiasm would likely flag pretty quickly. Your feedback lets me know that it is worthwhile to pass on the knowledge and skills I have learned over the past 40 years and keep adding to them.

I have been very fortunate to have come out of my illness experience of 36 years significantly healed. I am very grateful, and I want to pass it forward. This work allows me to live in gratitude every day.