The Other Human in the Room

This week is all about inviting you to Create Space with me (Joan) this fall! Listen to the audio version of the Creating Space workshop, which includes a detailed description of the course and retreat. Book your connection call with Joan: joanchanmd.com/space Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/ Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

Dr. Laura Vater is a medical oncologist, writer, and advocate for clinician humanity. In this conversation, we go deep on what it actually looks like to protect yourself inside a system that wasn't built with you in mind. We talk about sleep deprivation, suicidal ideation during training, and how Laura found the courage to advocate for change — not all at once, but through longitudinal relationshi...

Dr. Risa Adams is back for our fourth recorded IFS session together, and this one goes somewhere I didn't expect: deep into a nine-year-old version of me who raised her hand in class, got laughed at, and quietly decided that not knowing things was dangerous. We explore what it means to really meet a part of yourself; not to fix her or convince her, but to let her feel genuinely witnessed. If you'v...

What happens when a nurse and a pediatrician decide that the antidote to moral distress might be poetry, circles, and the Artist's Way? In this episode, I sit down with Laura Holford, RN and Dr. Anu Gorukanti, co-founders of Introspective Spaces, to talk about contemplative practice, community care, and what it actually looks like to bring your whole weird human self to work. We get into activism,...

What do dirty dishes and a miscategorized inbox task have in common? More than you'd think. In this episode, I sit down with Alison Jamison — coach for women physicians and certified Fair Play facilitator — to talk about the invisible labor that quietly fuels resentment at home and at work. We dig into Eve Rodsky's Fair Play framework: the idea that true delegation means handing over conception, p...

This one was recorded on a window ledge at the Millcroft Inn, still wrapped in the softest robe, fresh off my second annual Creating Space retreat with eight incredible physician humans. The theme that kept surfacing all weekend? Being selfish: the word we were all using to explain why we couldn't possibly take up space, rest, or honor what we actually want. In this episode, I dig into where "self...

Dr. Risa Adams returns to help me explore something that's been loudly alive for me lately: the fear and vulnerability that comes with stepping into a new leadership role as a medical educator. We follow the thread from imposter syndrome and performative teaching all the way back to a grade four classroom — where a little part of me learned that being wrong in front of others meant being cast out....

In this episode, I'm sharing the second part of my journey finding humanity as a medical educator, focusing on three practical workflow challenges I've been navigating. I'm getting real about the "inhuman stories" that have been surfacing - like feeling I need to be my residents' cruise director, believing teaching shouldn't take extra time, and worrying that learners mean worse patient care. Thro...

In this deeply nourishing conversation, I sit down with Dr. Alysha Mackenzie-Feder, a pediatrician from Kelowna, BC, to explore the critical difference between empathy and compassion in healthcare. Alysha shares how her journey through Zen Buddhism and contemplative practices transformed her understanding of physician wellbeing and patient care, revealing why "compassion fatigue" might actually be...

In this solo episode, I'm sharing three major "inhuman stories" that have been haunting me as I've stepped deeper into medical education as a preceptor and co-site director. I unpack the beliefs that I need to know everything to teach, that my job is to mold students in my image, and that I'm solely responsible for their outcomes—and how these stories create unnecessary stress and anxiety. Through...

In this conversation, I reconnect with Dr. Caitlin Christie, a fellow family physician and coach practicing in Ontario, to share what we're actually doing on the ground to create sustainable, joyful practices. We dive into the real challenges of primary care - from new funding initiatives to physician capacity pressures - and explore how we've shifted from feeling helpless about external circumsta...

In this follow-up session with my friend and IFS therapist Dr Risa Adams, I explore my complicated relationship with anger—an emotion I've spent most of my life suppressing and fearing. After a conflict with my husband revealed layers of resentment and shame, I discovered that my anger isn't the enemy I thought it was; it's actually a protective part trying to keep me safe and advocate for my auth...

In this episode, I explore the powerful idea of being replaceable in our work. Drawing from personal experiences, I discuss how accepting this truth can alleviate burnout and foster a healthier work-life balance. Join me as I share insights on how shifting our mindset from perfectionism to collaboration can enhance our professional lives. Let’s embrace the concept of being part of a greater whole....

It’s my 40th birthday! (Or rather it WAS my birthday at the time of recording this episode) I take the day off clinic, let myself have a truly delicious day, and reflect on what it means to turn 40. I open a time capsule I made as a 13-year-old in the year 2000 and react—tenderly and hilariously—to what she thought success was. And then I zoom out: lessons from my 30s, hopes for my 40s, and why lo...

This week’s episode is a little different. Instead of my usual stream of consciousness conversation that expands on an idea in every direction, I wanted to experiment with something much more concise. So I present to you the first of hopefully many Healing Human Idea pieces. The full text can be found on my website & Instagram, to accompany this audio form. Return back to this one as many time...

In this episode, I invited Dr Risa Adams back for a recorded “mini session” using Internal Family Systems, because I wanted to share what it can look like to be safely vulnerable in real time. We explore what happens in me when a patient is openly unhappy with me—how I freeze, how my inner “clinical team,” my people-pleaser, and my inner critic all rush the wheel at once. Underneath it all, we mee...

In this solo episode, I’m sharing what my three-month podcast pause is teaching me about productivity—specifically, why “more” isn’t the goal. Using a simple gardening analogy, I explore how overcrowding our calendars (and our minds) creates competition for the resources we actually need to do good work: time, attention, creativity, and rest. If you’ve been feeling crunchy, cramped, or like you’re...

A real-time recording from The Only Human in the Van, in which I react to the funding changes coming next month for myself and many other family physicians in Ontario. FHO docs: I'd love to hear what you're planning to change and not change in April - reach out on IG or through my website if you'd like to share! Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd Website: joanchanmd.com

In this episode, I’m talking with local legend Dr. John Crosby—a 78-year-old family doctor in Cambridge who’s spent 50+ years learning (and teaching) how to make this work sustainable. We get real about the trade-offs in family medicine: paperwork, complexity, people-pleasing, boundaries, and the myth that being “a good doctor” means saying yes to everything. John shares practical systems (includi...

After a three-month pause, I’m back with a brand new episode—and it’s about a word I want to destroy: lazy. In the middle of a stomach bug, I noticed how quickly that old shame-label tried to sneak in: “I’m being lazy.” So I dug into the origins of the word lazy and found just how much ableism, morality, and productivity-culture are baked into that one tiny word. If you’ve ever called yourself laz...

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March! This episode is for anyone feeling stuck on their journey to change their life. Growth and change can...

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March! Everything about this podcast episode is mediocre. YOU'RE WELCOME. Learn more about Hippocratic Colle...

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March! How do you need your patients to change in order for you to be happy? It may seem like a strange ques...

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March! I had such a brain expanding conversation with Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti that the internet demons...

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March! People pleasing is such a common struggle for humans in healthcare - especially those in marginalized...