Lachlan Soper is a doctor and medical professional based in Sydney, Australia Lachlan is many things to many people—a caring General Practitioner to his patients, a committed cyclist to his biking companions, but, most importantly, a father to his three beautiful children.
Before becoming a General Practitioner Lachlan Soper, graduated from medicine in 2000 and attained his FRACGP (Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) in 2006. Since 2004, Lachlan has worked in general practice. Throughout his extensive medical career, he worked in Muswellbrook, then shifted to Dee Why, then North Sydney and, finally, back to Muswellbrook, where he was a partner at the Brook Medical Centre until mid-2017. He also practiced in St Ives, concurrently to and since finishing in Muswellbrook.
Of all the roles and responsibilities he’s taken on, Lachlan Sopers believes being a father is the most rewarding and one he is most proud of. Raising his children showed him that there is nothing more beautiful than the sound as his children giggling and laughing or the warm feeling of cuddles at the end of a tiring day. Lachlan knows the responsibility of raising a child, moulding them and helping them learn how to make their own decisions, isn’t one that should be taken lightly by anyone. Lachlan feels great honour that he was given the opportunity to share his life through authentic conversations with his children through that very moulding process.
Outside of being a General Practitioner or spending time with his children, Lachlan Soper spends much of his free time cycling through his community and country. Lachlan’s love for cycling started during childhood when he would borrow a bike from his friends and spend hours riding through the local streets, but never feeling tired from the joy and fun cycling brought him. Throughout many decades, Lachlan’s enjoyment of cycling has stayed strong. His bike has taken him all over the country, including through the Victorian Alps, the New South Wales Snowy Mountains, and from Melbourne to Sydney twice. Lachlan has also participated in a myriad of charity rides.
As a General Practitioner, Lachlan Soper infuses a bit of his parenting style into his work and takes the time to listen to his patients. By listening to his patients, he is able to make informed and comprehensive management plans that link into their lifestyle and personal preferences.
Lachlan Soper loves the opportunity to work with generations of family members, from newborns to those in their more senior years. Because Lachlan prioritises family above all, he understands and deeply appreciates the honour it is to be referred to as, “My family’s GP.”
Our Interview With Lachlan Soper
Question: Name the most impactful lesson you learned from failure.
Lachlan Soper: The more you fail, the more opportunities you have to learn, change and grow. Failure is a fork-in-the-road moment. You can choose to blame others or something else and likely repeat the mistake; or take stock, reflect, apologise if necessary, learn and change to be a better person than you were before the failure.
Question: What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Lachlan Soper: The daily challenge of raising, nurturing and moulding 3 children. And seeing those hard yards transform them bit by bit.
Question: Name a tool you use for work that you can’t live without.
Lachlan Soper: A stethescope; every good doctor needs one.
Question: What is your favorite hobby and why?
Lachlan Soper: Cycling. It gets you outdoors and keeps you fit. You can chat and have prolonged conversations with friends while riding, unlike many other sports. Cycling is a great way to see your local city, country or explore overseas. There are so many places that you can get to on a bike that you cannot get to in a car, and you can get from one point to another much quicker than if you were to walk.
Question: What excited you the most about your industry right now?
Lachlan Soper: The excitement is always the same, it’s the engagement with patients on a one-on-one level, helping them improve their health, or diagnose and manage a disease to attain an optimal outcome.
Question: What concerns you most about your industry right now?
Lachlan Soper: COVID-19, it’s impact on consultations, peoples’ fears, people being reluctant to get treatment for other medical issues due to those fears.
Question: Name one small habit that positively impacts your productivity.
Lachlan Soper: Planning – having a “to do” list, and diarising how I plan to achieve these tasks through a day / week / month.
Question: What tips do you have for getting a seat at the table?
Lachlan Soper: Authenticity.
Question: What book has made the biggest impact on your life?
Lachlan Soper: The Bible – seeing how God works through one small nation, Israel through the course of history. And then how through one man dying on a cross and coming back to life, all nations have been touched.
Question: Do you value intelligence or common sense more? Why?
Lachlan Soper: Common sense – it’s safer.
Question: What would you consider to be the perfect day?
Lachlan Soper: It would involve a long, scenic bike ride, 3 great meals (with some snacks in between), rest, cuddling my kids, and watching a movie together. Perhaps picture riding as a family through the Loire Valley in France. Starting out with a European breakfast, stopping off and investigating chateaus. Baguettes for lunch under a shady tree lying on soft grass on the river bank, and more riding to more chateaus in the afternoon. Wrapping up with pasta at a restaurant with a view. Then winding down with a movie in the hotel room.
