Life Changing Experience

In 2000, Genevie Kocourek was shivering in a tent when her life changed forever. Then an information technology director who led rock-climbing trips in her spare time, she had enrolled in a wilderness first-responder course to learn how to care for injured climbers. ‘It was 38 degrees and raining,’ she recalls, ‘and I was having the time of my life!’ In high school, Kocourek had dreamt of becoming a doctor, until a guidance counsellor insisted that it wasn’t appropriate for a woman. At that moment, her passion was reignited. When she learnt that her employer was offering early retirement, she decided to turn her retiring into a brand-new career.

In 2008, Kocourek graduated four years after enrolling in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She was 53, almost twice the age of her fellow students. ‘It was pretty weird most of the time because I was old enough to be the mother of most of them,’ says Kocourek. However, she embraced that role and often found herself giving students advice on topics such as how to keep a marriage together.

The long nights of studying and heavy workload sometimes made Kocourek question her goal. Kocourek would call up her husband or her friends for support at such moments. ‘I’d be exhausted and say, “I don't want to do this anymore,”’ she says. ‘They'd say, “All right, but you've never quit anything before, so why quit this one?” Sometimes they'd just listen.’

Singing in the medical school’s rock band also provided an outlet, she says. ‘Those guys were great. They were super, super nice and kept things kind of light.’ Kocourek has since established Trinity Integrative Family Medicine, with offices in the Greater Milwaukee area.

As for tackling a new career, she admits it's tough. ‘You have to know that you really want it,’ she says, ‘and have at least 10 reasons why you should follow through with a particular goal and don't try to do it alone. Don't isolate yourself'.