Maggie McKay (Host): When a new physician arrives, it's always good to get to know them. So today, we're talking with Dr. Zachary Lind.

Welcome to Stoughton Health Talk. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Thank you so much for being here today, Dr. Lind. Would you please introduce yourself?

Zachary Lind, MD: My name is Zach Lind. I'm a podiatrist here at Stoughton Health.

Host: So, what is your background? Where'd you go to school, et cetera?

Zachary Lind, MD: Sure. So, I'm initially from Shawano, kind of up near Green Bay. I did my undergraduate degree at UW Stevens Point. From there, I went on to Des Moines University for Podiatric Medical School, followed by three years of heavy surgical training in Ascension in Milwaukee.

Host: Wow. So, why did you choose Stoughton of all the hospitals you could be at?

Zachary Lind, MD: Stoughton has a great reputation within Wisconsin, especially in the healthcare system. They have state-of-the-art ORs that they're building out. We have a new outpatient center that'll be done come spring. Just really, the community that they help build and the presence that they have in the community really has a positive impact on patient healthcare and just how the patients perceive the care that they receive here.

Host: Dr. Lind, what led you to choose Podiatry as your focus?

Zachary Lind, MD: Yeah, good question. So, I grew up having quite a few injuries between skateboarding and hockey. So, I saw podiatrists quite frequently growing up and really seeing the inside of that and kind of how they helped me progress from injured state back to a regular, healthy state is really kind of what I saw initially and then kind of pursued that throughout undergrad and then on to medical school from there in Des Moines.

Host: Did you ever go back to them and say, I became a podiatrist because of you?

Zachary Lind, MD: No. Unfortunately, they retired and since have moved out of the area not long after I was in high school.

Host: So when it comes to patient care philosophy, what's yours?

Zachary Lind, MD: Yeah, that's a good question So, my patient care philosophy is that everybody that comes in is greeted with a smile. We like to make sure that they feel at home in the office from the very first visit, and I really listen to the concerns that they have regarding their care, and the injury or condition that they may have going on. From there, it allows us to develop a very personalized approach to their treatment from conservative care and as needed up to surgical treatments.

Host: Do you have any free time? It sounds you're working a lot. And if you do, how do you spend it?

Zachary Lind, MD: Yeah. I do have some free time. I love spending it with-- I have a wife and an 18-month-old daughter, so we're quite busy in the home front, as far as that goes. And just even trying to keep the house clean, you know, anybody that's got a toddler knows how that goes. But we do love getting outside and hiking. We go to the children's museum and really just try to find things that our daughter can do and things that we also enjoy.

Host: Just trying to get sleep is at of the list, I would imagine, between work and a little one.

Zachary Lind, MD: Yep.

Host: So Dr. Lind, what was your very, very, very first job, like in high school or whatever?

Zachary Lind, MD: Ooh. Good question. Very first job, I started them similar, but the Shawano Sports Park was a mini golf, batting cages and a small go-kart track. And I was one of the attendants at that. I also worked for a small trucking company a friend's dad had started. So, we would break down the wooden pallets that stuff would get shipped on and rebuild them.

Host: And what did you learn from that? What were some of the life lessons that you took from those jobs?

Zachary Lind, MD: In the time, you don't really think it's just a job, it's a paycheck, it allows you to have fun on the weekends when you're in high school and, you know, in that age. Looking back, you really see that interpersonal interactions that you have with people. You know, people that come from different backgrounds, everybody shows up and does different things. And from now, being a physician, I still feel everybody from the garbage man to welders to contractors to people that are in the admin field, everybody comes in and needs attention. And it really allows me to interact with them in ways that everybody can feel comfortable.

Host: It's so true that we have no idea what those first jobs are setting us up for, but they always come in handy. I think that's why it's so important to have one in high school, you know. So, is there anything you're streaming right now? Guilty pleasure, you and your wife watching anything fun on Netflix?

Zachary Lind, MD: I'm a fan of Suits, the show Suits.

Host: Me too! Oh, my gosh.

Zachary Lind, MD: I just saw that there's a reboot of it coming, Suits LA, with some of the initial characters. I just actually recently watched. I had a little bit of time off before starting this position, and, just recently re-watched Game of Thrones,. So, that took a significant amount of time, but enjoyable.

Otherwise, I love automotive racing. So, I watch F1 and I watched some NASCAR and some of the World Endurance Championship type stuff, and try to get out to Road America as much as I can to see those races there.

Host: Let's go back to suits, Dr. Lind. Have you watched the whole, like all nine, 10 seasons, whatever?

Zachary Lind, MD: I have not. I just recently started that. So, I used to get random clips that would pop up on my YouTube of recommended videos. And the Suits videos were always so captivating. And so, I just recently started it. So, I'm only in season 2.

Host: Oh my gosh. You have a long way to go. Maybe when your little one is like 10, you'll be ready for the LA version, which is February 2025, by the way. Okay. So, enough of that. What are you most proud of career-wise so far?

Zachary Lind, MD: Really good question. So, some of my background that people aren't necessarily aware of, people that don't have access to my CV, is that I actually welded in high school and for a year and a half after high school. I think for me, and this would have been around the time after the big '08 crash and kind of what had followed after that. So, I had gotten laid off and I think my most proud moment was deciding that I need to follow a different route, and I need to get schooling and it's led to here, which has been fantastic.

Host: So, where you are at in your life right now, if you weren't a doctor, what do you think you would have done career-wise?

Zachary Lind, MD: That's always the question. I probably would have been some sort of race team engineer. I'm not a numbers guy, to be honest with you. So, engineer was never really on the table, but I would love to be in those prototype development for Ford racing or something along those lines.

Host: What's something most people don't know about you?

Zachary Lind, MD: What most people wouldn't know about me is that back in my skateboarding days, I used to have hair down to my shoulders, and will occasionally let it grow out, not quite that long. You know, I have to keep a professional look every now and then here, but yep.

Host: What is your life mantra or your general philosophy?

Zachary Lind, MD: I'm a pretty relaxed guy when it comes to most things. It takes a lot to get me frazzled. So, my big thing is that in every moment, as long as you can take a step back and really evaluate, is this worth the energy? Is it worth me being upset about? Can we go about it a different way? So, I like to handle that throughout pretty much all aspects of my life.

Host: That's very Zen. I wish I was more like that. I try. What's the biggest challenge and the biggest reward of your work?

Zachary Lind, MD: The biggest challenge sometimes is just trying to help people help themselves. This is very connected, it's patient specific. It's very much a team decision and team treatment. I give recommendations based on literature. But a lot of times, it's trying to help patients see that the route we're on is the good route and the best route for them to get back to healing. And, you know, sometimes if somebody has a little slip up or a little complication along the way, it really kind of deters them and changes the attitude towards certain things. And sometimes you just feel it on my end of have we done everything the way we should, or should we adjust something or should we stay the course? And that's really the most difficult.

Most rewarding is honestly seeing people get better, which, you know, it's why we do what we do. It's what we're here for. Patients come in with certain concerns, and they tend to be in pain most often when they see us. So, getting them from pain back to function is the most rewarding portion of my job.

Host: In closing, is there anything else you'd like to add?

Zachary Lind, MD: There really isn't. No, I'm new to the area. So, like I said, I'm from more north towards Green Bay and then Des Moines and Milwaukee. So, we're kind of moving from big city to a little bit back to that rural life that we've known. So, if anybody has recommendations on good eating spots, good hiking spots in the area, we're in the Cottage Grove, my wife and I. So, if anybody's got any recommendations, I'm open to it.

Host: I bet you're going to get flooded with them now. Thank you so much for being here.

Zachary Lind, MD: Thank you so much for having me on. This has been fun.

Host: Yeah. And for letting us have a little window into your life. Again, that's Dr. Zach Lind. To find out more, please visit stoughtonhealth.com. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening to Stoughton Health Talk, a podcast from Stoughton Health.