Contributor

Smita Malhotra, M.D.

Pediatrician, Writer, Speaker and Student of Life.

I grew up in India, the Middle East, Canada and the great state of Texas, where I met people from all walks of life. It is how I came upon my first passion of being a storyteller through writing. I always thought that I would become a journalist, but I knew that I also wanted to be a healer. I went to medical school in Texas and found myself in New York City for pediatric residency where I met my husband. He was the chief resident and I was the intern. It was kind of like Grey's Anatomy but not really. After getting married and arriving in Los Angeles, I fell in love with the creative vibe of Southern California and opened my own photography company. For two years, I traveled the world photographing weddings while practicing medicine part time. I began to realize that photography and writing were just two different ways for me to practice my passion-storytelling. And medicine gave me the opportunity to listen to the stories of my patients' courage and resilience. I have found that the driving force of life is passion. I have somehow managed to create a life which combines all of mine. What I hope to teach my daughters is what Howard Thurman once wrote, "ask what makes you come alive, and go do it".