Everyone dreams of running their own practice until they realise that it's more than just caring for patients. In this episode, we are joined by Shaina Zheng, a clinical optometrist and practice owner, to unpack the unexpected chaos behind the consultation room. Shaina gets real and opens up about her culture shock on ownership, their biggest challenges, pushback, and the powerful lessons she's learned about leadership, emotional intelligence, and resilience in independent practice.

Throughout the conversation, Shaina shares her journey from her early days working in a corporate practice to leading their own independent practice with his husband. She also highlights the importance of networking, mentorship, and building strong team culture, while touching on her passion for dry eye management and myopia control, two niches rooted deeply in her personal story. If you've ever wanted to build a meaningful career in eye care, this story will remind you why it's worth it.

About the Guest:

Shaina Zheng is a clinical optometrist, practice owner, and Vice President of the Dry Eye Society. She co-leads Eyecare Plus Mermaid Beach with a strong focus on culture-driven leadership and patient-centred excellence. Through her programs Dry Eye Impact and Impact Culture Group, Shaina is empowering optometrists across Australia to build sustainable careers, stronger teams, and practices grounded in wellbeing and purpose.

All the other links and resources mentioned in this episode can be found at

https://www.thefocusedview.com.au

Key Topics with Timestamps:

1:14 - Shaina's first encounter with optometry and how it shaped her career path

3:00 - Mentorship and early career lessons

6:40 - Transition from corporate environment to independent ownership

8:28 - Deciding to buy a practice

10:56 - The value of having a partner in building an independent practice

12:06 - Shaina's culture shock in practice ownership

14:28 - What to prepare before going into independent ownership

17:50 - Building trust with patients

22:34 - The power of community and connection

26:47 - Ways to create community connection

30:35 - Leadership lesson

35:07 - Benefits of emotional intelligence in leadership

40:30 - Finding your niche specialisation for the practice

46:27 - Biggest challenge of independent owners

50:09 - The one thing Shaina would have done differently in her journey to independence

53:27 - Advice for aspiring independent owners

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Website: https://www.thefocusedview.com.au/

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