“Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.” 

—Brené Brown

In her book, I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), Brené Brown takes the time to distinguish the difference between guilt and shame.  Guilt is: “I did something bad.” Shame is: “I am bad.” The...

“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.” 

—Mark Black

In August 2022, I gave myself one job: Do nothing. My goal was to rest, rejuvenate and relax. I have spent so much of my life hustling and achieving that a much-needed rest was undoubtedly in order. And guess what ...

“Life does not change if you only modify the content,

your life will change if you will dare to alter the context.”

–Santosh Kalwar

Have you heard the commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace, called This Is Water? I hadn’t. It isn’t your typical commencement speech filled w...

“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.”
―Theophrastus

Fact: No one will value your time as much as you do. 

Time is undoubtedly our most valuable and limited resource.  Every day, so many people and things vie for our time.  Our families, friends, patients, hospital ...

“Monday is like a math problem.  Add the irritation, subtract the sleep, multiply the problems, divide the happiness.”
―Unknown 

Work dread.  You know the feeling even if you didn’t know it had a name.  It is that sensation in the pit of your stomach when you realize that the start of...

“Alone, we can do little; together, we can do so much.”
―Helen Keller 

For all its traumas, one of the most incredible gifts bestowed upon doctors is the community created during medical training.  When I think back to my Internal Medicine internship, I don’t think about the grueling,...

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are taught from an early age to avoid comparing ourselves to others.  Then, we are sent off to school, where we are ranked, compared, and pitted a...

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
–George Bernard Shaw

Who Needs A Reinvention?

Everyone.

Reinvention gets a bad rap. People hear the word and think it sounds woo. Or, they believe it means scrapping everything and starting over, like tor...

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
–Sydney J. Harris 

During a recent conversation with my physician coach, I found myself reflecting on my favorite part of our family vacation to the Caribbean. We snorkeled, swam with turtles, rented jet skis, held starfish, and...

“Change begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

–Roy T. Bennett, The Light In The Heart

Before physician coaching, I did not believe that I had the capacity for change.  I would dare say that I had a relatively dismal opinion of anyone’s ability to change.  Of course, we all have the p...

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
– Anne Lamott

While coaching a physician, we started talking about his upcoming vacation.  He and his wife had planned a two-week South Pacific trip, which sounded incredible.  As he spoke about his break, he t...

“Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.”
―Ruth E. Renkel

It is incredible to look back at your life and recognize the critical moments that led you to become the unique human being you are today.  Many people, places, and things needed to come together ...