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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Learn More About Us:
Website: https://www.thefocusedview.com.au/
Email: Michael@thefocusedview.com.au
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-focused-view
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefocusedview/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefocusedview
Send us your thoughts about the episode
Thank you for joining us in this episode of The Focused View Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, give us a 5-Star rating, and leave a review on Apple Podcast and Spotify to help us reach even more eye care professionals and build a community of innovation and see new opportunities within the optical industry. Talk with you next time!
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