Better Skills. Better Doctors.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , Michael and I share our recap of Harmonize 8 and 9: our boldest back-to-back training weekends yet.  We talk about what changed this time around, from improved student-teacher ratios and real-time diagnostics to the powerful new margins and pricing module that finally addresses how to price herbs based on reality, not emotion. We...

Send us Fan Mail In this special New Year’s episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , Michael and I pull back the curtain on our biggest business risk to date: running two back-to-back Harmonize trainings in 2026.  We reflect on the key wins of 2025, from hiring our first employees to launching The Modern Herbalist magazine, hitting 100 podcast episodes, and finally shifting to a single Harmoniz...

Send us Fan Mail In this New Year’s episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I break down the top five things the Chinese medicine profession needs to leave behind in 2025 if we want to evolve.  From people-pleasing and toxic social media habits to blaming dry needling, avoiding sales and marketing, and staying paralyzed by fear of change. I'm brutally honest about what’s not working and w...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I unpack the trap of chasing achievement as a path to worthiness or lasting happiness. Using examples like Paris Syndrome, holiday letdowns, and the emptiness that follows big wins, I explore the cultural myth that things will be better “once you get there.”  I break down the “have-do-be” mindset that keeps so many of us stuck, a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I talk about what happens when we delegate our self-trust to AI, social media, or the hive mind instead of doing the harder, slower work of thinking for ourselves.  I share my own experience using ChatGPT to write podcast episodes and why it left me feeling disconnected from my content and my audience. I also unpack the deeper is...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I talk about the one quality that drives every successful treatment plan, patient outcome, and practice: your own confidence.  From my personal experience recovering from ACL surgery to the clinical win of a Harmonize graduate who leaned into certainty, I discuss how your belief in your work directly shapes how patients respond. ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I unpack the myth of luck and why waiting for your “big break” is often just a clever form of hiding.  Inspired by the story behind the viral Bernie Sanders mitten photo, I explore the two mindsets that show up in moments of opportunity: the entrepreneurial brain and the employee brain. I break down why success isn’t about privil...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I break down how seemingly harmless language, like “try,” “hope,” “unfortunately,” or even “I don’t know", can  erode your authority, your patient’s trust, and your ability to lead.  These words, often rooted in people-pleasing and perfectionism, are especially common in a profession dominated by women trained to soften thei...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Michael breaks down what really makes Harmonize different, and why the weekend training is just the beginning.  Most practitioners assume the live event is the whole value, but what actually changes your clinic is the backend support. Michael explains how Harmonize Blueprint, Hub Community, and Script Assist work together to help you integrate the system into real...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I walk you through exactly what Harmonize is, and what it isn’t, so you can make a clear, grounded decision about whether this training is right for you.  If you’ve been circling the page, talking yourself into or out of it, or living in the “maybe someday” swirl, this is the episode I’d hand you and say: start here. Harm...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I talk about the difference between spending and investing, and why saying “I can’t afford it” is often just a thought, not a fact.  I share how our beliefs around money are shaped by consumer culture, and why many Chinese medicine practitioners stay stuck not because they doubt the value of a program, but because they don’t full...

Send us Fan Mail In this coaching episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I work with a practitioner who’s feeling stuck between wanting to raise her prices and not wanting to disappoint longtime patients. What unfolds is a powerful exploration of people-pleasing, undercharging, resentment, and what it really means to make authentic business decisions.  We dig into the emotional weight of care...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I talk about how people-pleasing and a fear of being disliked can sabotage your authority as a practitioner and your patients’ outcomes.  I share stories from my own early days in practice, where I let patients dictate treatment, negotiated on my own recommendations, and stayed quiet to avoid conflict.  Spoiler: none of it worked...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I unpack why so many Chinese medicine practitioners resist sales and how that resistance is quietly killing their businesses.  I share personal stories and professional missteps to reframe sales not as sleazy or greedy, but as a core clinical skill. If my job as a doctor is to move someone from suffering to relief, then persuadin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I dive into the unique challenges of building a business when you’re financially comfortable and don’t technically need to work. Whether you’re supported by a partner or have other income streams, it can be surprisingly hard to find the fire that fuels meaningful growth.  I share my own story of running a “jobby” for years and th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I share a personal story about hitting the edge of what I could accomplish alone—and how that experience mirrors the exact point where many Chinese medicine practitioners stall in their business.  Whether it’s lifting heavier weights or growing a practice, there comes a time when self-guided effort isn’t enough. I talk about what...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I unpack why many Chinese medicine practitioners hesitate to specialize, niche down, or take bold steps in their business, and how that hesitation is rooted in fear, not fact.  I share the story of a practitioner who believed there weren’t “enough patients” for her niche, and how we dismantled that false narrative with math, mind...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I break down the critical difference between capability and capacity, and why understanding this gap is the key to sustainable growth in both life and business.  Just because you’re capable doesn’t mean you’ve built the capacity to handle what you want. And repeating “I don’t have the bandwidth” might be training your brain to be...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I unpack the hidden ways we resist growth in life and business. Whether it’s avoiding discomfort, clinging to outdated identities, or numbing through distraction.  From the pressure to stay youthful to the fear of letting go of what no longer fits, I break down why personal evolution feels so uncomfortable and why resisting it cr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I explore the real reason so many Chinese medicine practitioners hold back from growing their businesses: fear of being judged.  Whether it’s posting on social media, raising your rates, or stepping into a more visible role, the discomfort of potential criticism can keep you small. I unpack the evolutionary roots of this fear, wh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I discuss what real empowerment actually means for Chinese medicine practitioners, especially women in the profession.  I share a story about a Facebook group that mistook outrage and blame for empowerment—and why that mindset keeps us stuck.  True empowerment doesn’t come from complaining about inequality or waiting for someone...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I share a behind-the-scenes coaching conversation with a practitioner who made a massive leap: she pitched and sold a $6,000 postpartum package that includes in-home acupuncture, herbal medicine, and chef-prepared meals.  But the real shift wasn’t just charging a premium. It was confronting the hidden resistance to receiving that level of money and ownership. We t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I reflect on why the most compelling stories—the ones we remember and learn from—are always shaped by adversity.  From watching a surprisingly drama-free documentary about Kenny G to navigating hard seasons in my own business, I explore why grit, struggle, and setbacks are what give your story depth. Easy paths don’t inspire. But...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I get honest about a recent wave of discouragement after rebranding my coaching business and not seeing the results I expected.  I share what I did to recalibrate—returning to the basics, restarting my self-coaching practice, revisiting my letter from my future self, and reevaluating how I create content.  This episode is a remin...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of Better Skills. Better Doctors. , I’m joined by Lauryn Williams of Student Loan Planner to break down what’s really happening with student loan repayment in 2025.  We cover the end of interest-free forbearance, the reality behind the new RAP plan, and the major shifts in income-driven repayment programs that will impact nearly everyone with federal studen...