Healthy Humans, Sick Society

My manuscript got shortlisted by The Letter Review! 🎉

I spent a lot of time observing plants in their environments last summer on the farm. I watched some of them grow and thrive with the right mix of compost, and others wither and be eaten alive by birds, pathogens and mildew.

It is all in the soil, level of care and environment that each individual seed grows up in. It is not at all about the goodness or the strength of the seed (with the obvious caveat that a zucchini plant can’t be a tomato regardless of how good the environment is).

I reflected on that as I thought of my own journey thus far, going into my 12th year as an Egyptian immigrant to America. To make it to this point, I had to let go of how I saw myself as a doctor and become an airbnb-hosting, uber-driving, data-freelancing, lowly-interning, and dog-sitting immigrant when I needed to.

Sacrifice is my middle name. It has been a lonely experience for the most part, but I sucked it up and continue to do so because I did not want to live in a place with a suffocating dictatorship. As I continued to “make it in America” I watched the tech workplace in SF become more toxic, the politics become wonky, the conditions on the streets of America worsen, and the Middle East burn.

There is no going back.

Because of everything I have been through, I am a naturally resilient seed that is just looking for a healthy environment to grow in. Why is that so elusive these days?

So the question now becomes: What will I do with all of these skills to build the America that I want? It is up to me, not to them, to decide.

As highly-skilled immigrants in the United States, this is our fucking time to shine. If you are an immigrant working in the STEM field, and feeling a bit low after the election rhetoric, then join our free webinar that I’ll be hosting on November 15th 12.30 pm PST titled Harnessing Hardships: An Immigrant’s guide to health and power in a toxic workplace. Register to get the cal and Zoom invite.

Also…I have something big to share with you ol’ faithful reader...

I just got my first official recognition as a writer!

After five years of taking my writing seriously, and applying to tons of writing competitions, my Non-fiction manuscript titled Healthy Humans, Sick Society just got shortlisted by The Letter Review this week!

I am delighted and gumption-ized!

"I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man"

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Here is the premise:

Healthy Humans, Sick Society

Written by Omar Shaker, an American-Egyptian trained physician, skilled in clinical data science, and board-certified in functional medicine.

"In a society that values profit over people, Healthy Humans, Sick Society reveals the toxic narrative that immigrants face in today’s workforce—from job insecurity for H-1B visa holders to older workers pushed toward cosmetic changes and plastic surgery to stay employable. This ‘boiling frog’ scenario intensifies quietly, as chronic stress wears down the body, disrupts sleep, and accelerates burnout—all largely ignored by companies. Shaker’s book offers a wake-up call, presenting evidence-based, culturally relevant strategies to reclaim our health and dignity before we’re all left ‘boiled alive.’”

Let me know what you think!

🙏🙏🙏
My Sunday gratitude goes to our two new paid members this month:

• Dr. Brian Dixon, founder of Mindful Psychiatry, Simply Psych and a kick-ass healthcare reformer (check out his website in the link). Welcome aboard Dr. Dixon! It’s an honor to have your support and thanks for leading the way.

• Melanie Kiss-Endicott, who is possibly the coolest Health IT Professional, an author, and an avid world traveller. Check out her book ‘Adventure More, Worry Less’ in the link and if you are a woman looking for travel buddies, reach out to her at on LinkedIn to ask about her travel groups.

Thank you both for supporting this work.I hope you enjoy the exclusive content and research coming your way.

---

As I start querying agents and publishers in the coming months, I will start releasing all the research I have gathered through my reading, writing and my data driven health coaching.

Become a paid member to get my practical tidbits and paywalled essays

Here are some teasers about what is to come:

• Bullshit-o-meter Articles: Dispelling wellness myths and bullshit that is not scientific or helpful to help you save your money from fads. [Free Always]

• The Human Dash Articles: These are well-researched evidence-based health essays that will help guide you towards reclaiming your health and building actual long-term meaningful well-being. [Free with Paid Exercises and Workbooks].

• The Better Perspectives Show: Interviews that we produce from our events and transcripts from our podcast. [Free episodes and exclusive group discussions and live events for Paid members]

• Ask Me Anything about Health Monthly: For [Paid] Members.

• In Search of Gumption: My classic spilling my guts out to you posts like this one you just finished reading. [Fucking Free Forever!]

With love and see you next Sunday,

Omar Shaker