Grit, Legacy, and Giving Back - Diana Mae Monea - Optometrists Building Empires - Episode # 093
What does it take to build a legacy in optometry across nearly five decades … and keep going even when life tries to stop you?
In this episode of Optometrists Building Empires, host Ankit Patel sits down with Dr. Diana Mae Monea, a pioneering optometrist from Canada whose career spans close to 50 years of practice, leadership, and relentless giving back. From launching Canada's first optometry website in 1999 to building a multi-location practice called Eye Health Centers across Saskatchewan and Calgary, Diana's journey is one shaped by grit, purpose, and an unwavering belief that caring for people is the highest form of success.
Diana opens up about what it was like to enter optometry as a woman in 1978, when banks required her father to co-sign a loan simply because of her gender. She shares how growing up in poverty fueled her drive, how she built her practice around education over selling, and why she believes every practice should be built with succession in mind from day one.
Takeaways:
- Perseverance is the foundation. When the system is stacked against you, whether it's a bank, a bias, or a broken circumstance, the ability to push forward anyway is often the only real advantage you have.
- Building a practice around giving back creates something money can't buy. Diana's most powerful patient moments came not from revenue, but from impact, and those moments are what kept her going for decades.
- Education beats selling every single time. When patients understand why they need something, they say yes without pressure. That shift starts in the exam chair with a doctor who genuinely believes in what they're recommending.
- Succession planning should begin the moment you open your doors. Life changes without warning, and practices without a transition plan in place are far more vulnerable than their owners realize.
- The workforce has changed, and resisting that reality costs you. Every generation has something unique to offer. Practices that create space for different generations to contribute, rather than compete, will be better positioned for the road ahead.
- Embracing change in optometry is not optional. From online retail to AI to telemedicine, the profession is evolving rapidly. Those who adapt will lead. Those who don't will be left behind.
- An empire is deeply personal. Diana's definition of empire has nothing to do with locations or accolades, it's about overcoming your obstacles and making an impact on the people in your life, however that looks for you.
Quote of the Show:
- “We all have the opportunity every single day to make a difference. I’m still practicing today because I want to make a difference. That’s what keeps me going.” - Dr. Diana Mae Monea
Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doc_diana_monea/
- Website: https://www.eyehealthcentres.com/
- Book a Meeting with Ankit: https://meetings.hubspot.com/ankit98/optometry-redefined?uuid=e5cd456c-9db4-42c7-b106-2b6e250a6d01
- Optometry Redefined Book: https://www.amazon.com/Optometry-Redefined-Master-Resourcing-Performance/dp/B0FKJTZGJ3/ref=monarch_sidesheet_image
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5w1H9BBwRXvBSSkexePYxG
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/optometrists-building-empires/id1762685070
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/689a039b-54ce-4f04-b641-66d8640d93d0
- Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/optometrists-building-empires-5812208
Creators and Guests
