Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
#ItsPersonal III 89. Rajani LaRocca shares childhood love for reading and family traditions
8 Plays4 years ago
Rajani LaRocca was born in Bangalore, India, and immigrated to the U.S as a baby. She later spent her childhood in Louisville, Kentucky.
On this podcast, Rajani shares what her day looks like as a primary care physician. Yup! She not only writes amazing books. She also has been taking care of humans as a physician since 2001!
Rajani talks about family traditions and finding joy during this time (all things considered) Find out some of Rajani's hobbies (when she has time) besides writing, and get to know her outside the amazing work she does for the literary world.
Website: https://www.rajanilarocca.com/about/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RajaniLaRocca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rajanilarocca/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction & Guest Background
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of It's Personal. The last book I wrote is heavy. All right. Hey, Gary. This is DVD Superboy. My name is Randy Riebein. My name is Jared Krizovska. I don't think I'm a person that curses a little. I'm excited. Hi. Sure. I'm Rajani LaRocca. And I'm a doctor and an author outside of Boston.
00:00:27
Speaker
Reggie, I don't know how you do it. I am just, again, we talked about it very briefly, but I know you are super busy. I want to ask just like, how are things going in general? I know that's a loaded question based on how the world is right now, but I always want to just check in. So how are things going? You know, things are okay. Things are, I mean, things are going well in certain respects and things are just like, you know,
00:00:54
Speaker
the same as everybody else's in other respects where we're just waiting and hoping that, you know, the pandemic gets better.
Childhood & Education
00:01:01
Speaker
But yeah, I'm, you know, I'm doing well. I can't complain right now. Yeah. And I think that's okay, that a great way to respond. And I always tell people like it's okay to not be okay as well. Like to very much tell me or anybody else that like things are hard and that's normal right now. Right. Yeah, definitely. Definitely.
00:01:23
Speaker
Yeah, so again, because you wear so many different hats, I'm super excited to talk to you. I wanted to just start with your childhood, obviously, and just kind of what that looked like for you as a little girl. I know that you were an avid reader based on just listening to you talk and reading your bios in different places. So in regards to like your childhood, you can start anywhere from elementary or
00:01:50
Speaker
high school or wherever you want to. What did that look like for you growing up? So, you know, I had a great childhood. I was an, I'm an only child and my parents were just like, they're just such wonderful parents. And I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and I went to a great school called Louisville Collegiate School and from fourth grade through the end of high school. So it was a long time at that school and I loved it there.
00:02:22
Speaker
I really got interested in reading pretty early on. I think I was a pretty early reader. I might have been like three or four when I was reading and then nobody could stop me. I just kept reading lots and lots of things. But the other thing was that I kind of liked everything. I was like one of those kids that just loved school. So I liked science. I liked math. I liked
00:02:49
Speaker
reading and writing and I liked history and I liked languages. So we started taking French. French was the only language that was offered in my school when I was there in sixth grade. So we all took French in sixth grade and I loved it. I thought it was so much fun. And I just had a ball. And I think, so then I took it all the way through high school. Some people switched languages when we got to high school and they had more offerings, but I took it all the way through
00:03:19
Speaker
I loved it and I thought it was so beautiful and I thought it made a lot of sense unlike other people. And then we actually took a field trip to Chicago one time and we actually ran into somebody who spoke French and I was like, oh my goodness, I can understand them. And also I'm speaking to them in French and they also understand me.
00:03:41
Speaker
Which I know, like, sounds very silly, but I just thought that was the coolest thing. That the thing that we learned in class was actually something that applied to real people.
Passion for Science & Medicine
00:03:52
Speaker
Yeah. That is so awesome. And, you know, it's so interesting because I think as I don't want to say all people, but most people who go through schooling, it's always fun to see things that you are being taught and being able to apply it to the real world. Because as a young kid, you often think, like, why?
00:04:11
Speaker
Am I learning these things? When will I ever have to use them? And that is a great example of how things kind of come back. And you're like, yes, I did use what I learned in class, which is awesome. Yes.
00:04:23
Speaker
And you know, for some subjects like math and science, I saw them everywhere anyway. Like I knew it. Like I, I could, you know, math is just so applicable to everything. Um, and, uh, science, like I was very interested in biology and I just thought it was so cool that like your body could do all these things and you didn't have to think about it. Cause otherwise we would spend all of our time thinking about breathing, heart beating, all that stuff and not being able to do anything else. So I thought that was cool, but yeah, but it was, it was, it was neat. I, I loved school.
00:04:52
Speaker
And, uh, yeah, I want to talk more about you being, cause I don't know if everyone knows, but you are a physician, which is, it's a lot right now and I'm assuming you're super busy, but what does a typical day look like for you? Yeah. So I don't, um, I am a primary care doctor, so I take care of adults and, um, I, uh, I have a office that is part of mass general hospital in Boston.
00:05:21
Speaker
My office is not in the main hospital, it's just a different part of Boston. I've been there for 20 years now. It depends on whether it's a day where I'm in the office seeing patients or not. On the days that I'm in the office, we start seeing patients at 8.30, sometimes
00:05:48
Speaker
you know, a half a day up to noon and then we have some sort of meeting at noon and then one to five. And I, so that is an example of a day. And then on the days when I'm not in the office, I'll be at home answering messages from my nurses or patients as they come in. And since the pandemic hit for a while, we were only seeing people virtually, which is kind of a bummer, but it's also better than not seeing them at all. Yeah. Yeah.
00:06:18
Speaker
And we were also spending, I spent some time in what we called respiratory illness clinics. So anybody that had any symptoms of COVID would go, like we would send them there and they would have an appointment and we would be in a full gown and everything and, you know, mask and eye gear and everything like that. And then we would be able to test them there and get chest x-rays and all that kind of stuff. So that was, that was pretty wild. I did not do any inpatient stuff like in the hospital during COVID.
00:06:47
Speaker
Um, because most of my practice is all my practice is now all outpatient. Um, yeah, and now I see mostly people in person, uh, with masks and everything. Um, and, uh, one
Family Life & Pandemic Challenges
00:07:01
Speaker
day a week, uh, I see people virtually. So it's like a zoom call. Yeah. I want to thank you. Like that's just, again, phenomenally. No, I honestly, okay. But just you.
00:07:15
Speaker
I just appreciate the work that you do so much because again, you wear so many different hats and on top of that, you're giving so much to so many different people in so many different ways. So I really, truly appreciate that so much. I want to talk to you a little bit about family. I know you have two beautiful kids, you have a partner, you have a dog,
00:07:41
Speaker
What does family look like for you during this time? What are some things you like to do to keep traditions in your family? Oh, wow. You know, I have to say, so not only, so my children are now in college and they're both on campus. So that's great. But they were home for a lot of 2020, as you can imagine. And then my parents live with us too.
00:08:07
Speaker
So, you know, in Indian families, that's actually very common, is that the grandparents live with you. So that was really cool. And, you know, one thing that we've done, like, that we've done before COVID and after COVID is walk the dog together. And I got to tell you, that is like, it's one of the most awesome things because there's something about looking forward and paying attention just like to a little furry critter that enables you to just say stuff.
00:08:36
Speaker
that you wouldn't necessarily otherwise say. And it also gives you an excuse to like go take a walk with your kids, which is, you know, I'm not sure that we would be walking that much if it weren't for the dog, like the dog needs to walk. So we might as well all walk together. So yeah, I think that's the big one. Yeah, I love that. I love that. And because the kids are older, I think it
00:08:58
Speaker
I think it may, unfortunately, get harder, obviously, because they're away more and they're becoming more interested. They're possibly finding partners, finding jobs, et cetera. And I'm assuming through Zoom and through FaceTime and all those other things that you can use to stay connected. You're doing that, which is great. How are they doing in regards to the schooling, in regards to what it looks like for them online or in person?
00:09:26
Speaker
They're doing well. I mean, I think first semester, like last fall semester was especially hard for them. Because so my daughter, my daughter was a senior in high school when COVID hit. So she like missed spring of her senior year, like she didn't get to do all the stuff, the fun stuff with your friends that you always look forward to. So and you know, they had virtual graduation. Oh, well, but she got to go on campus. Oh, wow.
00:09:51
Speaker
Yeah, which was really cool. So we we took her there. And even though she was on campus, like all classes were online. So she has a single room with her own bathroom, which is amazing. And she basically spent like all she spent all day in her room and then like, you know, periodically would like go and have a meal maybe with some other people. But so that was that was hard, I think first semester. Now they have more hybrid stuff and some things in person. And then same thing with my son.
00:10:18
Speaker
He is now a third year in college, so his first semester was all online and he was on campus, but he was just like, you know, it's not easy. And then this semester is a lot more openness and there's some stuff happening in person, which is a lot better.
00:10:37
Speaker
both colleges have done a great job of keeping the rates low that you know kids have been responsible so it's been good. And that's the most important thing and I think as a freshman it's always hard like as a teacher watching kids graduate online like it's it's beautiful to watch as people are creative and they figure out things but I just feel for them because it's so not what they expected not the way they wanted to go out in regards to the connections that they've made
00:11:05
Speaker
like their freshman year of university or college, like that's supposed to be such a huge buildup in regards to building relationships, finding new friendships, experimenting, like so many things. I feel for a lot of those kids because when they look back it's
00:11:23
Speaker
going to be very different, how they reflect and the things they remember as well. I know there's beauty in all those things. They will find bits and pieces of joy, but it's just so different than what they would have expected. So them having to just have to pivot and kind of figure out what that looks like for them today, I take my hats off to them because they are so flexible in regards to everything.
00:11:51
Speaker
at least they're all in
Coping with College During the Pandemic
00:11:52
Speaker
it together. That's what I told my kids. I said, everyone's going through the same thing. So it's not like you're the only one that's missing out. Like literally everybody is going through this. So it's okay. Be safe, make friends. And like, this will be over eventually. And things will be safe again. And you'll be able to go off and
00:12:10
Speaker
have more of a regular college experience. Yeah, your things will be fine and I think they're in great positions in regards to school like first year you have lots of hopefully lots of years left where you will eventually get to experience what college normally is and third year it's like you're not quite there yet for the most part but you're at a time where you're you know your courses you have some friends like you should feel a little bit more comfortable so those are almost for me at least thinking about it
00:12:38
Speaker
the perfect years to go into it because you kind of have a little bit of a sense of like, you know what, it's going to get better.
00:12:48
Speaker
Right. It's going to get better. Absolutely. And I have time here for it to get better.
Writing & Creative Process
00:12:52
Speaker
And I have time. And I have time, which is great. I want to talk obviously about just your books just because, you know, books are awesome. What you write is awesome. And the main thing for me is I wonder just about how you come up with topics for your books or even characters for your books. Do you mind sharing a little bit about that? Of course.
00:13:16
Speaker
So what's really weird is that when I first went back to writing like 10 years ago, I was afraid that I would run out of ideas because I was like, oh no, like what if I only had one book in me? Like, wouldn't that be sad? And then I got to tell you, once you start writing, you're like, oh, I have too many ideas and there's no way that I will have enough time in my life to write all these ideas. But I guess what I would say is that ideas
00:13:45
Speaker
are all around you and very often there's just like a little kernel of something that drops into your head. So sometimes it's a line, like with picture books, sometimes it's a single line that comes to me and I'm like, oh, I think that's an idea for a book. Like one time a few years ago I was walking my dog. This is a very good time to come up with ideas when you're walking your dog. There is this line called, there's a secret code inside you.
00:14:14
Speaker
And I was like, Oh, I was like, Oh, yeah, I think I know. Yeah, I think I know why that's in my head. And then I literally sat down and like wrote this book about DNA. And then sometimes it is like I took a writing class. And that's how I came up with the like, I generated a bunch of ideas for a novels. And that's how I came up with the idea for my first novel Midsummer's Mayhem was was from a childhood memory.
00:14:39
Speaker
where my dad would sometimes go on business trips and he would come back. And because I had an overactive imagination, I'd be like, what if the person who came back was not my dad, but someone who looked like him? And how would I know the difference? And I would come up with these quiz questions for my dad. And luckily, it was always him. But I was like, well, what if there's a girl whose dad comes back from a business trip?
00:15:02
Speaker
and he is acting weird and there's something wrong with him and she's the only one who notices. And then I kept asking myself why until I finally got to this crazy Shakespeare crossed with baking premise. So yeah, I mean, sometimes, and then this, my most recent novel that was released of Red, White and Whole, which is in verse, it's in poetry. Thank you. That came to me as a metaphor.
00:15:33
Speaker
And I was like, oh. And then I thought, I was writing another novel at the time and so I couldn't work on it all the time. So I just kind of like thought about it periodically and like Friday nights I might jot a few notes and then I finally got to work on it. And like it was all, like I had already figured it all out in my head. What happens in the story? Wow. It's so crazy, right?
00:15:55
Speaker
It is so crazy. And that book is just so beautiful. I'm not even going to say anything about it. If you're listening, you just need to go out and read it. Oh my goodness. It is such a beautiful book. It really, really is, honestly. I love all of the like, you bring so much out of it. Like the message in itself is so powerful, just how you build the character. And I love books in verse so much. Like I think they are my
00:16:24
Speaker
I just love how everything is done so purposefully, like every word, every line, every sentence, every comma, every period, like everything. And when I read, that's kind of what I look for. And when I read your work, specifically this book, I get every bit of it. And it gives me goosebumps. I really do love this, but I really do love your book so much.
00:16:49
Speaker
Oh, my goodness. Thank you. Wow. It's so it's it's such a beautiful book. And to hear that's how it was developed that it like you were thinking of an idea and then all of a sudden it was like, OK, I just need to write it. I just need to write it. I think it was so meant to be the book was so meant to be into the world. So I appreciate it. I really do. And again, on top of that, you're doing so much so for you to give books to people like me and kids, et cetera.
Finding Joy & Balance
00:17:17
Speaker
Thank you. That's awesome. That's awesome.
00:17:20
Speaker
Thank you for reading and thank you for telling people about it and being a teacher. So thank you. I just have maybe one more question that I want to ask you. And again, this could be anything in regards to family, in regards to friends, in regards to your partner. What are you trying to do?
00:17:42
Speaker
When you have time in regards to joy, in regards to getting away, do you get time to get away? And what does that look like for you? Wow. Okay, so if this were not pandemic times, I would say that I love to travel. Like we really do love to travel. We usually go someplace out of the country for like a week, all of us.
00:18:09
Speaker
And we like, we loved it. Like we loved going to different places and learning about different cultures and eating different kinds of food and all that kind of stuff. But now, since we can't do that, I just, so I try to exercise regularly. That helps with joy. It really does when your body is like,
00:18:35
Speaker
I'm feeling good, then it definitely helps you to like be able to transmit some joy. I am reading a ton. I'm just reading everything I can get my hands on. I mean, we can still do the walks with the dog. So that's what we do. And then we and then writing. I think that writing really helps to
00:19:00
Speaker
bring joy into my life. And hopefully, ultimately, it will bring some joy into other people's lives.
Closing Remarks & Online Presence
00:19:06
Speaker
That's awesome. That's awesome. And again, I just want to thank you so much for sharing your story with me, spending time with me, and again, bringing such beautiful books into the world and helping the world in other places in regards to the work that you do in office with patients as well. Regina, where can people find you?
00:19:30
Speaker
So they can find me on my website, www.rajanielaraca.com. It's r-a-j-a-n-i-l-a-r-o-c-c-a.com. And I'm on Twitter and Instagram and Clubhouse, and it's at Rajanielaraca. Thank you, Rajani. Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure.