Written by Brent Lacey on April 5, 2021. Posted in Early Career and Young Professionals, Podcast, Podcast Episodes, Practice Management.

Podcast Episode 53 – How to Become Financially Independent “Docs Outside the Box” – Dr. Nii Darko

Episode 53 – My guest on the podcast today is Dr. Nii Darko. Dr. Nii is a trauma surgeon and the host of the very popular podcast Docs Outside the Box. He and his wife have an incredible story about their journey to financial freedom. As the children of immigrants, the Darko family had some real struggles, but they made deliberate choices to rise above their circumstances.

I think what was most revealing about their story was how their character shaped their choices. If you want financial independence, and if you want to no longer have to make decisions based on how it will affect your ability to pay off your student loans, you need to listen to this inspiring conversation.

As Dr. Nii will tell you, it’s not about what you’re willing to do. It’s about what you’re willing to give up that will lead to your success or failure. I think this conversation will motivate you to make some tough decisions so you can achieve the financial success that you want and deserve.

Free Resource: How to Crush Your Student Loans

If you want to become debt free, you’ve got to start by getting a plan to pay off your student loans. That’s probably the biggest loan category that you have. It won’t get smaller without a plan! Download this free guide so you can learn what you need in order to formulate a plan to crush your student loans!

Check out the additional free resources available at The Scope of Practice!

Meet Dr. Nii Darko!

Dr. Nii Darko, aka THE Doc Outside the Box, is a Board-certified Trauma Surgeon who is pushing the limits beyond medicine.

Dr. Nii is the host of Docs Outside the Box podcast where he features ordinary doctors living extraordinary lives with a focus on money, mindset, and mission. Dr. Nii is the bestselling author of 3,2,1…Podcast – The Beginner’s Guide to Building Brand Authority Through Podcasting, and he’s helped other doctors find their own voices through his popular podcasting course, 10 Days to Podcasting.

Dr. Nii has spent several years performing medical humanitarian work in Ghana with International Healthcare Volunteers (IHCV). He serves as a mentor for the Tour for Diversity in Medicine (T4D), an organization devoted to educating, empowering, and inspiring up-and-coming minority physicians. His newest venture is Equal Access Health, a locum tenens company that helps doctors achieve the lifestyle they deserve and have always wanted.

Dr. Nii’s mission: “The revolution of doctors breaking the typecast of just being doctors is here, I want to bring it to the world LIVE & DIRECT.”

Dr. Nii holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences and a M.B.A. in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University. He completed his General Surgery residency at Morehouse School of Medicine, during which he was featured on CNN’s Grady’s Anatomy special. He then went on to complete a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Miami. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

Connect to Dr. Nii Darko and Docs Outside the Box

Buy the book!
Listen to the Docs Outside the Box Podcast
Check out the YouTube Channel
Website: www.drniidarko.com

Join the Business and Personal Finance for Physicians and Dentists Facebook Group!

Most physicians and dentists come out of training programs with a huge amount of personal debt and little to no idea of how to actually run a clinical practice. This Facebook community is for anyone who wants to learn more about how to manage their business more successfully and master their personal finances.

Check out the Doctor Podcast Network!

The Doctor Podcast Network is a group of physician and physician family podcasters with incredible messages to share with physicians. I’m incredibly excited to be a founding member of the organization. We are a large and growing network with incredible outreach.

We podcast about any and all topics that are important to physicians and their families including:

Financial wellness
Business mastery and leadership
Marriage and family support
Real estate
and much more!

Click here and come check out the great podcasts that are a part of the network. If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, we’d love to have you join us! Help us reach out to physicians all over the world!

One-on-one personal finance and business coaching

If you need a little more individualized help figuring out:

How to build and implement a successful long-term finance strategy
How to budget effectively without going crazy
What to do in order to get you and your spouse on the same page with your finances
Writing a resume
How to find the right practice to join
Or anything else related to business or personal finance

I’d love to help you so you can have the successful career and financial freedom you deserve. Just click here and email me to set up a free consultation to determine if one-on-one coaching is right for you.

I’ve coached hundreds of families to eliminate millions of dollars in debt and get their finances on track, and I’d love to help you do the same so you feel safe knowing your career and personal finances are as strong as you want them to be.

Click here and email me to set up a free consultation today!

Show times

00:00 – Introduction to the episode
01:28 – Subscribe to the podcast, and please share it with someone!
01:42 – Email me if you’re interested in one-on-one coaching for personal finances or your career.
02:59 – This week’s sponsor is Contract Diagnostics.
03:45 – Introduction to Dr. Nii Darko.
04:39 – Introduction to Dr. Nii Darko, host of Docs Outside the Box.
05:20 – Do Docs Outside the Box like Dr. Seuss? Dr. Nii Darko and Dr. Lacey think so.
06:35 – Dr. Nii Darko suggests that you should subscribe to Docs Outside the Box, The Scope of Practice, and any other podcasts you want to support.
07:51 – The finance strategy that Dr. Nii Darko employed really set him apart as one of the Docs Outside the Box. However, it all started with him being far behind his goals due to some personal finance choices.
10:30 – Dr. Nii Darko and his wife had $660,000 in student loans!!
13:00 – When they realized how deeply in debt they were, Dr. Nii Darko and his wife made a conscious decision that they would be focused on crushing their debt.
15:20 – The journey to debt freedom starts with a single step. It’s messy, it’s hard, and it requires sacrifice. If you can do it, you’ll be one of those weird “docs outside the box.”
16:50 – Dr. Nii Darko and his wife lived on only one income and paid off loans as fast at $20,000 in a month.
17:40 – One thing that they realized is that debt freedom gives you choices. That’s worth more to them than any possessions.
21:52 – Dr. Nii and his wife had to spend a lot of money on in vitro fertilization, but they were blessed to be able to have a great family.
22:25 – Dr. Nii Darko and his wife had a really tough road, so what made the big difference? What made them become docs outside the box?
26:00 – It’s not “your debt” or “my debt.” It’s “our debt.”
26:55 – You need to work together if you want to succeed in becoming debt free.
28:24 – Dr. Lacey shares some of his own debt free journey.
29:10 – What did Dr. Darko and his wife have to sacrifice in order to become debt free?
30:55 – People may think you’re strange if you choose to not spend money on things. But, that’s something you may have to do if you
31:49 – If you want different results, you’ve got to make different choices. Dr. Lacey shares a story about how someone completely misjudged the kind of car he would be likely to drive.
34:55 – How did Dr. Nii and his wife see that their style of communication would change over time?
36:32 – Why was it so stupid for Dr. Nii to have bought a house in residency?
39:47 – Dr. Nii Darko shares his parting advice so we can all become docs outside the box.
42:23 – How can people connect to Dr. Nii Darko and the Docs Outside the Box podcast?
44:10 – Summary of the episode
44:48 – This week’s free resource is a guide called “Crush Your Student Loans.”
52:33 – Signing off!

Listen to the next episode

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