Podcast | Mindset
Episode 38| June 8, 2024

From Mom Guilt to Authenticity w/ Dr. Ailina Ismail

The Mom Guilt a Doctor Could Not Diagnose Away

Dr. Ailina Ismail is a functional medicine doctor. She knows the science. And for years, she blamed herself.

Two of her children are on the autism spectrum, and the mom guilt kept whispering. What did I do during my pregnancy? Could I have been healthier?

Underneath it were three familiar patterns. Perfectionism. Procrastination. People-pleasing.

The reframe that freed her was a new definition of comfort zone.

In this episode of the Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast, Dr. Ailina Ismail shares how she worked through years of mom guilt, why she started with gratitude and inner-child work, and how a mentor gave her permission to build a life around her own comfort instead of everyone else’s.

Your real comfort zone is the place where you finally feel like yourself.

If guilt has been running the show, this conversation is a softer way forward.

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“Go into your own comfort zone, where you feel happy, instead of pleasing everyone in theirs.”

– Dr. Ailina Ismail

Fast Skim & Timestamps

0:00 Starting With Gratitude
1:04 Her Superpower: Resilience and Adaptability
2:44 The Mom Guilt She Carried
4:21 The Three Patterns Underneath It
5:47 Why Her Story Makes Her a Better Doctor
7:47 A New Definition of Comfort Zone
9:45 Getting Visible at Your Own Pace
11:15 The Struggle Becomes the Teacher

Key Takeaways

Start with gratitude. One thing a day is enough to shift your baseline.
Resilience and adaptability let you bounce back and meet whatever comes next.
Mom guilt often hides deeper patterns: perfectionism, procrastination, and people-pleasing.
Your lived experience can make you a more authentic coach or doctor.
Redefine your comfort zone as the place you feel happy, not the place you please others.
You do not have to go from zero to visible. Grow your visibility at your own pace.

Three Petite Practice® Questions

1. What is one thing I can be grateful for today?

2. What guilt am I carrying that is really perfectionism or people-pleasing in disguise?

3. Where would my real comfort zone be if I stopped pleasing everyone else?

Transcript Chapters

0:00 Starting With Gratitude

[00:00:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Welcome back to the Happy Healthy Hustle. We are here with Dr. Ailina Ismail, a functional medicine doctor. Welcome. [00:00:23] Dr. Ailina Ismail: Thank you for inviting me. The first thing I want to say is that I am thankful. I am grateful every day just to be alive, to have vision, to have two legs. It sounds cliche, but I wish everyone could be thankful for one thing a day. [00:00:59] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Starting with gratitude, this is so important.

1:04 Her Superpower: Resilience and Adaptability

[00:01:04] Dr. Ailina Ismail: My superpower is resilience and adaptability. My phrase for 2024 is to be my authentic self and embrace who I really am. I have gone through a lot of challenges, and resilience lets me bounce back from setbacks. I see a challenge as a test you were given because you can overcome it. Adaptability means that whatever new circumstance I face, positive or hard, I know I can adapt.

2:44 The Mom Guilt She Carried

[00:02:44] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: I compare challenges to a suitcase we carry. Reach for the biggest one and share it. How did you overcome it? [00:03:21] Dr. Ailina Ismail: One of my biggest is mom guilt. Two of my children are on the autism spectrum, and I kept asking, what did I do during my pregnancy, could I have been healthier, why did I have the caesarean sections. They were emergency C-sections to save the babies, but it was a huge struggle. Have I overcome it? Maybe ninety percent. It still comes back to haunt me.

4:21 The Three Patterns Underneath It

[00:04:21] Dr. Ailina Ismail: Going to the root cause of my mom guilt, it was three things. I am a perfectionist, I procrastinate, and I people-please. I started working on that around February 2020, just before COVID. I worked on my inner child and my self-worth, which I never knew about, because I used to be an introvert and a bookworm. I lived on the left side of my brain. Now I help others with the same things, because I come from that experience.

5:47 Why Her Story Makes Her a Better Doctor

[00:05:47] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: It is beautiful that you work in the area that will help people in a similar situation, because it makes it authentic and builds a bond with your patients. I compare our challenges to a dark spot on a page. You cannot erase it, but you can draw brighter colors around it, layer by layer, like an onion. The core stays, and that is what creates the bonding and the resilience you can share.

7:47 A New Definition of Comfort Zone

[00:07:47] Dr. Ailina Ismail: A mentor gave me a new definition of comfort zone. I wanted to leave my offline practice and move online, but I felt indebted to the place where I worked. She said, you have to go into your own comfort zone where you feel happy, rather than pleasing them in their comfort zone. That was a major breakthrough. Now I am in a happier place, doing what I want, being authentic. I also used to say I did not want to be famous online, and now going live on Instagram is part of what I do.

9:45 Getting Visible at Your Own Pace

[00:09:45] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Becoming confident with being visible, but visible where you want to be. I compare it to a small dinner party versus a big mass outing. You might go to many small dinner parties before you are ready for the big outing. You define your own comfort, and we are all different about what feels good.

11:15 The Struggle Becomes the Teacher

[00:11:15] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Your superpower is resilience, your struggle was mom guilt, and overcoming it was finding your comfort level. The struggle becomes the teacher, and what you do now is something you picked up during the struggle. [00:12:20] Dr. Ailina Ismail: So true. I focus on Instagram, so search Dr. Ailina, spelled A-I-L-I-N-A, and my website is drailina.com. [00:13:32] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Thank you so much for being here today. You are in Australia, and we are connecting across the ocean. Let us stay in touch.

Meet My Guest

Dr. Ailina Ismail

Functional Medicine Doctor

Dr. Ailina Ismail is a functional medicine doctor based in Australia who helps people get to the root cause of their health and their patterns. Her own journey through mom guilt and inner-child work shapes the authentic, whole-person care she offers.

Connect with her on Instagram @dr.ailina or at drailina.com.

Meet Your Host

Dr. Christiane Schroeter

TEDx Speaker & Leadership Strategist

I’m Dr. Christiane Schroeter, TEDx speaker, leadership strategist, and host of the Top 1% ranked Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast. I help leaders think clearly, speak with conviction, and take the next step during change.

About Dr. Christiane

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