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When you pause and feel grateful in the middle of a hard day, something real happens. Your nervous system settles. Your chest loosens. You feel a little less alone. That short-term effect matters.
But I want more for you than momentary relief.
Long-term gratitude practice, the kind you repeat,...
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Last week, I touch on the science of gratitude. (Explore more deeply in this blog).  Practicing gratitude literally reshapes your brain and lowers stress. This week, we’re putting that science into practice.
Gratitude is often misunderstood as a soft emotion, but in truth, it’s one of the most...
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When I first started exploring gratitude, I wasn’t looking for inspiration, I was looking for evidence. Like many physicians, I was tired, skeptical, and searching for something that actually worked. Gratitude, I thought, sounded nice in theory, but how could it possibly make a difference when...
Why Fear Might Be Your Best Compass
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It Starts Early
Plug in a night light if you’re scared of the dark.
Run away.
Cover your eyes during the scary part of the movie.
If you admit to fear, you’re called a chicken or a scaredy-cat.
As children, we’re taught to ignore fear, to push it away, and n...
I almost missed it.
On a walk through the yard, I noticed several deep red blooms on our climbing rose alongside a few new buds. It’s a robust grower, reliable all summer. I celebrate the first bloom of spring, but as the months roll on, I stop noticing them as much. That deep red bloom in mid-O...
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I was obsessed with Fat Bear Week. Chunk, picture below, was the 1200 lb 2025 champion.
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If you're not familiar with it, there's a wildlife camera positioned at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska, that films brown bears feasting on salmon during their summer run. What started as a l...
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Are We Even Hearing Each Other Anymore?
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If it feels like we’re all talking past each other lately, you’re not imagining it.
We live in a polarized time, and communication feels next to impossible.
In healthcare, the challenge is amplified: high stakes, constant interruptions, and everyone op...
I had two very different experiences this week that got me thinking about something we all struggle with but rarely name: the invisible barriers we construct in our own lives.
Experience 1: The Resource Allocation Meeting
I sat through yet another meeting about resource allocation. We desperately...
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Does the world feel like it’s shifting beneath your feet lately?
As physicians, we’re no strangers to uncertainty. We’ve stood at the bedside weighing imperfect options, guided by training and instinct when protocols fall short.
But here’s the paradox: the same skills that help us thrive i...
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What big decision is keeping you up at night? You’ve weighed the pros and cons, run the numbers, and talked it through with your people. And still, there’s no obvious “right” answer.
As a clinician, you are trained to identify the best path forward for the patient in front of you, to make the ...
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It's a fun time of year in academic medicine. In my role as a Learning Community Director, I meet with a cohort of fourth-year medical students. We review their Medical Student Performance Evaluation, also known as the Dean's Letter. I highlight all the positive comments about them and disc...
How often do you lay awake at 2 AM, replaying a conversation with a difficult colleague? Or find yourself checking your phone obsessively, waiting for a response that may never come?
As physicians, we're trained to take charge, solve problems, and heal. It's what makes you excellent doctor. It i...
