Rising Stars: Meet Darian Dozier of Plaza

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darian Dozier

Hi Darian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been a writer and thought about starting an online platform for a long time. However, I doubted anyone would care about what I have to say, so I refrained from moving forward. I also had no idea what I was going to talk about. I began the journey of trying to get into medical school in 2014, but made many mistakes, so in 2018, I was denied admission from 9 schools. For the next year, I worked hard academically and clinically to ensure that my application was much stronger. After reapplying, I managed to receive two acceptances and one conditional acceptance. Around that time, the pandemic struck and I was stuck at home with nothing to do. During that time, I read the book, You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero where she encouraged me to just go after it. I took the next few months to build my site and start discussing my journey to medicine. My goal was to be the mentor that I didn’t have for someone else. Over the next four years, my blog and my social media presence have grown and I have created a wonderful community.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running a blog takes money, and if your blog is not designed to make money, then that can be a challenge. I have struggled to make my blog profitable, and sometimes have to remind myself that that would be a bonus, but is not the goal. In this era of online commerce, it can be tempting to try and make everything a money-making venture – and if you can make money, that’s great – but if you can make a difference, then that, in my opinion, has a greater impact. Having an online presence can also be a challenge, especially for someone in such a serious career. I have had content that I have had to remove or hide due to a professional conflict. I cannot be as liberal as I want and having that much responsibility can be a challenge.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a blogger who writes about my journey to medicine. I am currently a resident physician with a blog, Instagram, and TikTok that I am trying to grow. My goal is to encourage others who don’t think they can be a physician that they can and provide them with realistic tips to help them along the way. I am most proud of how consistent I have been. Although there are lapses in my writing and content creation, I am glad that I have continued contributing to both and connect with so many people along the way. Every time someone finds me and asks me for advice or says that I inspire them, it just encourages me to keep going.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Quality over quantity. I have many interests and new ideas all the time. Focusing on one aspect and trying to see that through can be a challenge for me. However, after trying to have this catch-all blog that didn’t perform very well, I have learned that a focused, niche blog that reaches a specific demographic is better than a general blog that the algorithm cannot place very well in search results. I could spit out 10 posts a week, but if they are not quality and on-brand, then they won’t amount to as much as 1-3 solid posts.

Pricing:

• Guests blogging – $100 per post
• Guest speaking – $0-$500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melanatedandmeducated.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.queen_d/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanatedandmeducatedblog/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mel_and_med
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZiDH3HepL9dcAszowNkBw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.queen_d