Social Impact Authors: How & Why Dr Lenny Peters of Bethany Medical Center Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
One-hundred percent of the proceeds from this book will go to support the orphanages and other charitable works from the Lenny Peters Foundation. Any attention I can bring to the causes we support is, I think, very significant. And beyond that, if my story inspires others to give back in some way or start their own foundations to help others less fortunate than themselves, all the better.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lenny Peters.
Lenny Peters, M.D. is the founder of Bethany Medical in High Point, North Carolina, the largest independent medical provider in the region. Building upon his success in healthcare and his own medical research company, the Peters portfolio of businesses includes seven companies: a publicly traded regional bank later acquired by a national bank and a series of commercial development projects in High Point, reimagining the future for a city hit hard by the 2020 pandemic. Peters’ successes in business are matched only by his contributions to communities and populations in need both in the U.S. and overseas. Through the Lenny Peters Foundation, Peters and his team in his native India help fund a home for palliative care, a prayer center, and a newly established orphanage for the protection of young girls. His memoir, Barefoot to Benefactor: My Life Story of Faith and Courage will be published by Post Hill Press on September 14, 2021.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Gladly. I grew up in a poor rural village in Southern India, where the homes had no electricity or running water. We walked shoeless everywhere we went, and life was hard because we mainly lived off the land and what we could afford to buy from the local merchants. I knew early on I was intellectually gifted and wanted to be someone of importance to lift my family out of poverty and help those in need. I left home for university at 14, taking a train to the big city, and from then on I have for the most part been on my own. My family supported me as best they could from afar, but at 17, I went from college to medical school, and my ambition continued to grow as I did. I left India at 24 to pursue a path that broke with the traditional Indian life of arranged marriage and working solely to support a family. I have since been licensed to practice medicine on four continents, made significant investments in finance and commercial real estate, and built the largest independent medical practice in the Triad region of North Carolina. I made good on my vow to bring my family out of poverty and to provide something more for our future generations than we had when my siblings and I were born.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
Yes, The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru. He went on to become India’s first Prime Minister after the nation gained independence from Britain. The melding of history and culture and philosophy in the book unfolds in such a way that the reader is forced to consider his own life, his own path. It let me know very early on in life that an identity, whether India’s or any persons’, is not assigned but comes from within. What exists does so without being told to. And if that is true, then anything is possible for any of us.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
As a student, I was very advanced for my young age, but I was still a boy, and boys will naturally do things that aren’t always wise. My mother insisted I not go swimming at a particular watering hole near our home because of snakes. All the boys in the village went there anyway. I resisted, but one day it was so incredibly hot that I gave in and joined the other boys. Well, I cried all the way home, partly because, yes, a snake bit me right on my behind and I thought I might die, but also because I knew how upset my mother would be. And she was, although she was also relieved, and so was I that the snake had not been poisonous. I learned that day to always listen to your mother and also not to swim with snakes.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
One-hundred percent of the proceeds from this book will go to support the orphanages and other charitable works from the Lenny Peters Foundation. Any attention I can bring to the causes we support is, I think, very significant. And beyond that, if my story inspires others to give back in some way or start their own foundations to help others less fortunate than themselves, all the better.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
One of the most interesting, I believe, is my journey from India to London. Without giving too much away, I can say that if it were not for the kindness of one man, the father of one of my friends at medical school, I am not sure my journey would have ever begun. He opened up his home to me, insisted I sleep in his bed while he took the floor, and shared many humble meals with me until I was able to get certified to practice medicine in the U.K., land a job, and my own apartment. Getting to London opened a world of opportunities for me, and that started with this man opening his home to me.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
Indeed, I was very proud and honored to have been invited to an event at the White House to meet the President of the United States. I had a special suit custom-made to look my best and represent myself, an immigrant who made a successful life for himself in this country, in the very best way. The President not only took notice, but he also admired my suit and asked where he might get one similar. I told him I would have him one made, and right after that, I reflected on how far I had come and how sharing my story might encourage others who come from the same, humble beginnings as I do to never give up and go as far as their dreams and work ethic will take them.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Not just one. There are so many whose lives we have affected through the Lenny Peters Foundation that to name one would be a slight to the rest. Our homes for boys and girls and our homes for the sick and dying, we see easily between 100 and 300 people year after year in our homes, and it is our goal, our mission, to care for them all.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
#1: Be kind. It costs us nothing to be kind to others, but that exchange can be invaluable to someone in need.
#2: If blessed with the means or once you have acquired the means to do so, give back. There are plenty of people in the world who just need a little bit of help for a limited amount of time, and they can get themselves and their families back on track.
#3: Pay more attention to what you can do for your community or the public than what you would like other people to stop doing. Rather than curtail the liberties of others, meet the responsibilities you have, and so much of life will sort itself out.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Sure, I cover this in the book as well. A leader is someone who not only says what the example should be but one who sets the example. To lead others and to get them to commit to our causes, we must demonstrate without fail our own commitment. We must show up and be motivated and make sound decisions with as much input and support from our team as we can get, but we can never forget that others are looking to us for guidance and direction, and so we who lead must live by that, not just 9 to 5 but 24/7, every day of the year.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Well, I cannot say no one told me. My mother, we are of a strong Christian faith, ingrained in me the power of prayer and forgiveness. If anything, I wish I might have implemented more of this earlier on in my life. Yet when I needed them most, both the power of prayer and the power of forgiveness sustained me, whereas, without them, I might not have continued on my path to being here talking with you today. The examples that I give in the book are how I dealt with the prejudice I encountered when I moved to the South. I had run into bias before as a minority in the context of my religion and immigrant status in the U.K. Some people, not all, but some did not take kindly or quickly to my dark skin in the American South in the 1980s. It took some soul searching and perseverance to treat people who did not want to be treated by a non-white doctor.
Beyond that is to put forth positive energy into the Universe. The world around you will reflect what you put into it. With the most regularity and sincerity, radiate kindness and confidence. Believe in yourself and your team that you will succeed and receive what is good and beneficial in life.
There are several other factors that lead to or might be considered the keys to success, which I cover in my next book, but I’ll share a few of them here. They are: don’t wait; do it now; stop lying to yourself; listen; and be frugal. The last one, be frugal, is very important. I think we all want to live in luxury and have the finer things in life, which is OK as long as you can afford it. Otherwise, live within your means until your means allow for more, and even then get the best price and value for your money.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I am a student of history. In that regard, I often look for wisdom to those historical figures who met the greatest challenges. If they had the fortitude and the wherewithal to articulate with profundity what they were thinking or experiencing amid whatever world event or calamity was taking place, I am sure I can find that clarity and wisdom in my own life regardless of what I might be facing. One of my favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill, and I think appropriately I open the first section of my memoir with this:
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. He seems to be very creative, and his talents are multi-faceted. I think I would enjoy listening to his view of the future.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Please go to LennyPetersFoundation.org, where you can follow our story, pre-order Barefoot to Benefactor: My Life Story of Faith and Courage (Post Hill Press, September 14, 2021), and if you are able to or inclined, you can contribute there as well. There is a second book in the works, Peters Principles for Success, and a third book on the state of health care in America, each of which will be published by the Lenny Peters Foundation.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
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