Canada's number-one optometry podcast is celebrating its 100th episode. It’s quite a journey we’ve been on in The 20/20 Podcast! Harbir Sian welcomed several guests to his podcast, and they shared tons of insights into the eyecare industry. In this episode, Harbir celebrates the 100th episode of The 20/20 Podcast with Dr. Darryl Glover and friends live from the Vision Expo East. Harbir dives into his journey in the industry and accounts for the great experience he had in podcasting. Let’s journey back into memory lane and witness the growth Harbir shares in the eyecare industry.
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Watch the episode here
Listen to the podcast here
Dr. Darryl Glover Interviews Harbir At Vision Expo East
It is your favorite optometrist, Dr. Darryl Glover. I am excited because I get to hang out with this young man right here, Dr. Harbir Sian from The 20/20 Podcast. Canada's number-one optometry podcast is celebrating its 100th episode.
Thank you. I appreciate it. All thanks to you.
It is all you. You are a rockstar. Everyone in the eyecare industry knows your name, brand, and the value you create for the eyecare industry. That is why you have all these people here celebrating with you.
I am truly grateful. I got a lot of friends here joining us. Feel free to pop in and say hello if you guys want at any point, honestly. This is the 100th episode. I'm excited and proud. I get to celebrate it in the best possible way that I could, which is right here at Vision Expo East in New York. We are at the Vision Council booth with the man himself, Dr. Darryl Glover, and some other friends in attendance and sipping a little champagne. I can't ask for anything better.
I want to give a shout-out to the Vision Council because they have done an incredible job of putting on the Vision Expo. They do so much for eyecare in general. Thank you, Vision Council.
I wanted to say one real quick thing. My wife is going to read this at some point. I was trying to figure out what to do for my 100th episode. I was telling my wife a few weeks back. I was like, “What if I interview you for my 100th episode?” I thought it was a good idea. That is when I texted you, and you were like, “That was last minute.” I was like, “That is because I had another plan, and that got vetoed.” Here we are anyways. What are we going to do?
I want to walk through your journey of podcasting. Let's take it from day one, the first episode. Before you even got into the first episode, why did you want to start podcasting? What called you? What is your why?
The impetus for the show came years ago. I had my own eyewear brand. I was trying to launch that. I was connecting with many people in different industries. At the same time, on social media, I was connecting with eyecare people. Students, new grads, and people like that are asking me, “How do you think I can get to that level or escalate my business?” I was like, “I'm talking a successful people on one side over here who have these big businesses or athletes.” It is inspirational.
I want to share their message with the other people I'm talking to because I'm still on my journey. I like to share someone else's story. That is where it came from. I recorded 5 or 6 episodes before I ever announced I was going to do a podcast. I got 5 or 6 guests together, individually. I recorded 5 or 6 episodes to see if I felt like I was on something. I recorded this little trailer promo video. You might remember seeing that. I was like, “I like this.” I started doing it more. Initially, they were all in person in my clinic, and COVID happened. I went online and connected with you. Since you have given me that support, it has been amazing. The growth we have seen has been awesome.
It is bidirectional. I have learned so much from you. Every day, I grow with you. I'm excited to be here on this 100th episode. It is incredible why. You create value for the industry. That is why everyone is here to see you and celebrate with you because you are a rockstar in eyecare. Let's continue walking down this journey.
In the beginning, what were some of the challenges or gaps you ran into? When it comes to podcasting, it is still new. When you look at eyecare and healthcare, not a lot of people are doing that. I love to know what some of your challenges were. There are a lot of people out there that were like, “I want to start a podcast. I see Dr. Harbir Sian. I want to be the next 20/20 Podcast.” Have some gems on them.
The biggest thing I tell people is, in the beginning, I got too hung up on like, “I got to have a nice camera, nice microphone, and great lighting.” All of those things make a difference, but you don't need that stuff. I bought these cheap wireless microphones that plug into an iPhone for $30 on Amazon. I bought this light that was $50 or $70 off Amazon.
Within $100, I had what I needed. I recorded on my phone if I was doing a video. Otherwise, I did the audio. The biggest piece of advice I can give to anybody is to get started. There are going to be hurdles and stumble. You will stumble and all that, but once you get going, it is amazing how people see you actively doing something. They respect that enough that they want to support you.
The other little impetus to starting the podcast was a guy named Gary Vee. Everybody knows this guy. He used to say years ago, “Everybody should have a podcast.” He was like, “You are trying to call people up to get business from them or connect with them, and they are saying no. If you call them in and say, ‘I love to have you on my podcast,’ they will say yes.” I guarantee you it works. It has worked. You still got to be genuine, authentic, be good at what you do, and get good at it, eventually. That was it. Get started and do it.
I was trying to find clips that I could share on social media. I went back to Episode 50 something. That is far in, 40 to 50 episodes in. I was watching. I was like, “I can't believe I was timid.” It took me a while to get in comfortable with my own skin. A lesson I learned from a lot of colleagues is to be yourself. Whatever you are, geeky, nerdy, or super cool, just be you. I'm the geeky, nerdy guy. I lean into them.
When it comes to podcasts, it is like patient care. You got to be authentic, connect with the people or the person in front of you, and create value. That is what we do as podcasters. It is amazing. Let's continue walking down this journey. You have done 100 episodes. That is huge. Tell me about your top five episodes. Let's talk about that, starting with number five. Let me not do that because people are going to be haters out there.
Vision Expo East: When it comes to podcasts, it is like patient care. You've got to be authentic, connect with the people or the person in front of you, and create value.
There are a lot of nice people I have had on my show before. I don't want to upset anybody. I'm blessed to get to speak to the people that I do. If you told me several years ago before I started this show that I would get to sit down with you now in here doing this, or I got to chat with Adam, Wendy, or whoever on the show or special people, I would have said, “No.” Those people wouldn’t talk to me. It is like an optometrist with a clinic in Vancouver. They don't know who I am. It is crazy. We are not a superstar on a global scale, but it is still special within our industry.
We were walking in Times Square. We are a big crowd. All of a sudden, this young lady stops. I look at her beer, and he looks at me. She comes up and gives us a hug. She takes a picture with us. I was from the United States, and he was from Canada. You are a celebrity and superstar. To be recognized in Times Square in New York with all these people is a big deal.
I appreciate that, but only when there is a big vision conference happening in New York. If I come a month later, nobody is going to know who I am. Fair enough, that was special. Those little things that happen once in a while are funny. I got to go back to your question. There's one thing I did in 2022, and I called you when I had this idea. It was outside of my comfort zone. That was to do this series of episodes where I called out people in the industry. There are a lot of changes happening in the Canadian market. New entrants were coming in.
You called them out. You were real limply.
I was frustrated at that time. I called Darryl. I was like, “I want to do this thing.” I go on the show and say, “Specsavers, IRIS, and LensCrafters, I want you to come on the show and tell me where you think Canadian optometry is going and how you are going to make it a better profession in the future.” It was uncomfortable for me to go out. I felt like a nobody with a podcast, and they were going to be like, “Who is this dude coming on in public calling us out?” I did it. Thanks for the encouragement and a couple of colleagues I trust. They gave me feedback, and I did it. I got an amazing response. Everybody who I called out came on the show. Yuan was a wonderful person that gave me a lot of feedback on that series. Thank you very much.
You never asked me to be honest.
It is not over yet.
Come on over so you can be on a show.
Thank you very much for being here
It was a fantastic excuse.
What did you like about it the most?
You didn't throw any punches. You didn't hate things. You asked real questions. You were expecting a real answer. You asked the questions that we all ask. Whether you work for a corporate, a sole practitioner, are more interested in the medical aspects of optometry, or work in a clinic, you were there and you are genuine about it.
The hard thing was one was to put that call out. I even got some funny comments after. I put the thing out there before our provincial conference in Vancouver. When I went to the conference, I had somebody come by from one of these organizations. He was like, “People are not happy with you.” At first, I was scared, and I was like, “Good. That was the point.” They all came on the show and shared their story. That was a big turning point for me as a host to be comfortable asking the tough questions.
I love that you are able to bring people on a platform and give them a voice because, a lot of times, we don't know some of these organizations' stories. We go by what we hear, the rumor mill. You were able to bring all these organizations on your show to have an authentic conversation, and you have changed the eyecare industry. What else have you got for me? I know I told you the top five.
Vision Expo East: A lot of times, we don't know some of these organizations' stories. We go by what we hear—the rumor mill. Being able to bring all these organizations on for an authentic conversation changed the eyecare industry.
There were six episodes in that series. Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, I always put this up near the top. I feel comfortable doing that because she is not in eyecare. She is the greatest women's ice hockey player in history and a multiple-time Olympic gold medalist champion. She's a big-time person in Canada. She was like Wayne Gretzky and Hayley Wickenheiser. In Canada, to be a superstar hockey player is a big deal.
She is now a medical doctor. She finished her hockey career. She still worked with the Toronto Maple Leafs in their head office. She went to medical school while she was doing that. She was now working as a medical doctor. She came on the show, and her number one message was all about grit, hard work, and mental toughness. I love that one a lot. It was special.
Give me another one. One more, and that is it.
It is tough.
That is why I'm glad I'm asking the questions.
I'm going to try to give something that comes right off the top of my head here. I like Steve Vargo. He came on the show, and this was one of the best episodes of the year. I recorded with him again. He got good insights. If I'm picking from my eyecare community, everybody who has come on has been incredible.
I agree with you 100%, but I want to put you on the spot a little bit. I want to put someone else on the spot a little bit. Wendy, come on over. I'm asking Harbir the questions. On the 100th episode, you had the opportunity to do a show with Dr. Sian. I love to get the guest's perspective on how he held the conversation, how he navigated the conversation, how he made you feel, and the value created after that show.
It is a lifelong friendship. We bonded virtually. We are meeting for the first time here in New York. It was a great opportunity for me to be on your show, but to hear his voice is calming and loving. You make people feel welcome. You love the industry. You love everybody. He wants collaboration and to bring us all together. I love what you represent. He is a style guy. The TED Talk is incredible. In a short period of time, you made such a mark on our industry. We became friends on your show. I follow and watch everything you do.
Thank you, Wendy. That is very kind.
Thank you for doing this with us, and congratulations.
I love that we were able to get that perspective because we talked about podcasting, but what do the audience and guests feel? You heard from the people. You are a rockstar. I want to circle back onto something that Wendy brought up, your TED Talk. How did that even take place? What was going through your head when you were on stage? Walk us through that experience because I feel like that is a part of your journey in podcasting.
It was an incredible experience. That is a bucket list item, the opportunity to give a TED Talk. I would never have expected it. It is funny how things come out of somewhere seemingly, but it is all the relationships you build over the years and connecting with people in an authentic way enough that leaves a bit of an impression that when an opportunity comes by, they think about you.
It is all the relationships you build over the years and connecting with people in an authentic way that leaves an impression so that when an opportunity comes along, they think about you.
They were doing a TEDx event in Vancouver. The organizer knew someone I knew, and that guy decided to throw my name in the hat. He was like, “You should talk to Harbir. He is passionate about eyecare.” At the time, I have this series of YouTube videos I've created called Chiasma. The optic chiasm is the junction where the two optic nerves meet. This is the geeky side.
It is the combination of two lines of thought. I brought together the two lines I thought were eyecare and philosophy. I made these videos where I’m walking in nature, and I'm talking about how important our eyes are. They saw those videos, and they said, “We like you to do something like this on stage.” I put that together. I was amped.
They were coming to Vancouver a couple of days before. People were flying in for this event to speak at it. I was one of the local speakers. A few days before the event, they have a rehearsal. You got to go and meet the organizers for the first time in person. I did a virtual thing before. They go, “Do your talk.” I was like, “What do you want?” They were like, “50%, 75%, and 100%, all in. Give me your talk.” I was like, “I'm not ready for that. I will give you as best as I can.” I did it.
There is one guy I had never spoken to before. He is sitting in the audience. He goes, “I don't get what you are trying to say. What is the point of your talk?” I was like, “I think I was clear that I'm passionate about eyes.” He was like, “No, you are flat here. This is not good. You got to change this.” I was blown away. I came back and rehearsed again a day later. He was like, “Go home and practice. Here are some notes.” I came back, and I did it with so much passion. Another person in the audience that I hadn't met before was like, “I don't know.” They even said to me, “It is too late to change the talk now.” I was like, “What? Do you want me to scrap the whole thing? Unbelievable.”
If you go to watch the TED Talk on YouTube, that is 95% of what I originally had. They gave me good advice like, “Change your tone a little bit. Slow it down here. What are you doing with your hands?” The content was almost exactly the same. Thankfully, it has gotten a lot of good feedback. I had let that feedback get to me two days before I was supposed to step on stage. Luckily, it didn't. I feel good about how it all turned out.
I was watching something on Instagram. It was this guy talking about, “Five minutes of the day can haunt you for the entire day in the next couple of days. We got to get out of the habit of letting that five minutes hold real estate in our brains.” You are a fantastic podcaster, the best out there. The TED Talk to me was next level. You do a lot of things. You are a podcaster and TED Talker and own two practices, corporate and private practice. What do you not do? With all these things that you have your hands in, how are you able to make it happen?
I appreciate the question, but the number one answer is that I have so much support and love at home. My wife is insanely supportive. I know that a lot of people don't get what I get at home as far as that. I have all sorts of crazy ideas in my head and all these little endeavors I want to do. She will always hear me out and rarely be like, “That is stupid.” She will, but she will hash it up. We have three beautiful baby girls that I like. I'm still here in New York. That is because my wife is flexible, accommodating, and supportive in a way that she knows these opportunities can pay off in the future in different ways. I have that.
I always run everything by her first. I'm like, “I'm going to do a podcast.” She was like, “What is that going to take?” I was like, “I'm going to go to New York for a conference.” She was like, “What is that going to take? What does that mean for our family? What does it mean for your time with the kids?” I’m setting all the priorities and doing all that.
I got support from my parents, my sister, and my cousins. I got support in the practice. I have my business partner who pulls so much weight that I'm able to come here and do this. I'm able to take time off to spend time at home with the family because I know that she can run things. I know a lot of people don't have it. What I'm doing and what I'm capable of is way further down on the list after all the people who are helping and propping me up. I'm standing on the shoulders of all these amazing people.
The supporting cast is heavy. I'm a firm believer like you. My wife is my secret sauce. Whatever I need, as long as she is there, she is going to make me great. My wife is my everything. She is my biggest hater and supporter. Imagine what those conversations sound and look like at home. I want to bring it to an end.
I want to read a quick text from my wife. She knows when I need a soft touch and a kick in the ass. She is not shy to use her tactics. I was tired and feeling jittery. I did two CE lectures. I was like, “I want to make sure these go well.” She texted me. She goes, “You will do great. You have done this many times. You did a TED Talk. F these guys.”
Don't you love it when your wife can keep it real and authentic?
She didn't mean F these guys, but she was trying to get me amped up like, “You got it.” I love that. That is the support I got. It is amazing.
You got a fantastic support system. You are shining. I’m looking at you. Your face is glowing. You are living your best life out here in these eyecare streets. I was going to ask you to wrap it up. We are in a profession where we get to help people with the most precious sense known to mankind, sight. You impact a lot of people, how eyecare professionals think, and how organizations create products and services. If you could give one piece of advice to all those people out there in eyecare land, what would it be?
The biggest thing that is top of mind for me is always thinking about the long-term outlook for our profession. We want to care for our patients, but if our profession is not growing, expanding its scope, strengthening, and elevating consistently, we are not going to be able to continue to provide the care that we want to provide and take care of. Like you said, the most precious sense that we have is our vision.
There are a lot of factors and disruptive forces that come in that sway the way we practice and how we think about our practice. It's constantly thinking about how we can make it better, and a big part of that is working together and being collaborative. In a place like this, the energy is always great. One of the things I said in my presentation is collaboration over competition.
I always have that mindset of working together. You will find amazing people like Darryl and all these nice people that have come and said thank you or said hello on the show. It all comes from collaboration and helping each other. People want to help each other. It is insane. Please lend a helping hand to somebody. Maybe even more importantly, if you need help, ask somebody for help. One of the best ways to connect and create a bond with somebody is to ask for help. They help you, and you create this lasting bond. Helping each other to elevate the profession is the last message I want to leave.
Congratulations. We got to toast to that. I'm excited and proud. I'm speechless. A hundred episodes are under your belt. It is fantastic. God is good.
Your superpower is that you empower other people.
That was Episode 100 of the show. I'm doing Episode 101 shortly after this. You want to look out for that one with my wonderful friend, Dr. Claudine Curry. It is going to be an amazing episode. Thank you, Dr. Glover. Before I wrap up, I should have done this before I did the little close out there, but I said it many times, but 100 episodes, all the connections I'm making, the people I'm meeting, the fact I'm here in New York, so much of it is thanks to you.
I'm not the only person to say this. Many people say this about you. No matter where I am. Think about Obie out in Africa. Different people in different countries, in different states, and Canada, people know you and love you. The number one thing I said is, “Your superpower is you empower other people.” I feel that you have empowered me. Thank you very much. See you in the next episode. That is enough smooching and bromance here.
My wife is going to get jealous. Peace.
Important Links
Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser – Past Episode
Steve Vargo – Past Episode