Since returning from Mayo Clinic and the annual WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium for Women with Heart Disease training, I’ve done many public presentations on the subject of heart disease – the #1 killer of women in North America. My talks are pretty well all the same. When I tell the story of my own heart attack misdiagnosis, it never changes.  When I talk about emerging research from Mayo and other experts on women’s risk factors for developing heart disease, it’s always the same list.  When I discuss surprising symptoms and signs that you might be having a heart attack – well, you get my drift.

This is a normal public speaking reality for those who have a specific message to deliver or a unique area of expertise to share.  Same talk, same slides, different audiences.

Just ask psychiatrist Dr. Manoj Waikar, adjunct professor at Stanford University, who moonlights as a public speaker for the largest American psychiatric drug maker, Eli Lilly.  Continue reading →