The Other Human in the Room

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! Do you get stressed about following the guidelines? Or notice other colleagues seem stressed if anyon...

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! Joan explains the powerful concept that shifted the way she viewed conflict forever - and made her mu...

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! Please join Joan as she interviews Dr Hillary McBride, as they explore how the ideas and practice of...

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! Anyone who works in healthcare encounters illness anxiety on a daily (if not hourly) basis. Anxiety a...

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! The thing that your brain loves to worry about all day has happened - you made a mistake. In medicine...

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! Do you feel pressure to be the "medical expert" in your work? Do you constantly feel like you don't k...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr Carlos Yu, a self-described “odd” family doctor who has spent 35+ years quietly rewriting what it means to practice medicine as his full, weird, magical self. We talk about cold plunges in Lake Ontario, drum circles, ear acupuncture groups, and the deep privilege of witnessing patients when they’re open and vulnerable. Carlos shares how he moved from judging by...

I’m joined by Dr Joyce Cheung (family/palliative MD) and Ange Bernabe (PhD, economist) to talk about Locvm—an Ontario-born, physician-designed platform making it easier to find and be a locum. We dig into why sharing the load is system-saving: clear contracts, payment flow, accountability, and a real pool that supports parental leave, illness, sabbaticals, and rural coverage. We also talk about th...

In this solo episode, I name the yellow flags that told me I’d crept past capacity—and why my body’s honest answer was to pause. I walk through the dopamine of rushing, the resentment that follows, and the relief I felt when I imagined three months without weekly production. I share what this means for the show, and how pausing creates space for deeper thinking and play. Consider this an invitatio...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Quon, a general internist and disability-inclusion advocate, to talk candidly about returning to work with disability and the real-world mechanics of getting accommodations as a physician. Michael shares his origin story, a life-altering brain injury, and the long road back—plus what he’s learned about legal protections, policy gaps, and culture change...

In this episode, I sit down with psychiatrist and physician-wellness advocate Dr. Dimitrios Tsatiris to unpack why the traits medicine rewards—achievement, perfectionism, and altruism—can quietly fuel suffering. We talk about diminishing returns, moral injury, and the difference between excellence and perfection. We explore practical ways to honor limits, take real vacations, and build cultures of...

In this conversation, I sit down with three physician–psychotherapists—Dr. Elizabeth Parsons, Dr. Risa Adams, and Dr. Robin Beardsley—co-authors of a book that asks us to consider: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way. We explore Internal Family Systems (IFS), self-energy, and the “U-turn” as practical tools for reclaiming agency, setting boundaries, and softening people-pleasing. They share how collabo...

This week I sit down with Dr. Katherine Raffensperger, a psychiatry resident with an MD/MBA who sees medicine and business as parallel, interwoven paths. We get into how policy has reshaped mental health care, why leadership and communication should be explicitly taught in training, and what price transparency might mean for real people. Katherine shares how entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary...

I sit down with Dr. Adam Stewart—rural Ontario family doc and self-described efficiency nerd—to swap real-world systems for making primary care saner. We dig into EMR hacks, delegation to people and tech, AI scribes, block fees, and the “reset the clock” approach to slashing prescription-renewal chaos. Adam walks through protected time, inbox-zero habits, and why tiny upstream tweaks compound into...

“Good team player” is often code for “do more, say yes, don’t rock the boat.” In this solo episode, I reframe teamwork entirely: the best teammate is rested, resourced, grounded—and only plays games worth winning. I unpack collaboration vs compliance, share a real-life specialist request I partly declined (kindly!), and offer language, mindsets, and boundaries you can use tomorrow. Learn more abou...

In this episode, I sit down with general surgeon, startup advisor, and all-around “human in many hats,” Dr. Duncan Rozario , to talk about purpose, product–market fit in medicine, and why scheduling nothing might be the most sustainable strategy of all. We dig into happiness “proxies” (status, money, likes) vs. the real drivers of meaning, and a humility practice summed up in four words: Could I b...

In this episode of The Other Human in the Room, I meet Dr. Ryan Montoya—family physician, graphic novelist, and luggage design consultant—joining us from his current post in Russia. Ryan shares how life as a U.S. diplomat’s spouse has taken him around the world, and how embracing planned transitions has actually buffered him from burnout. Ryan also lets us into his creative world: including creati...

When a much-anticipated Nashville trip collided with a looming airline strike, zero sleep, and a nasty URTI, I leaned on a practice that’s changed my life: enjoying my difficulties . In this solo debrief, I walk through two core buckets—changing my relationship to hard things and building my capacity for joy. From buying a backup flight to taking porch-ukulele breaks mid-summit, this is a practica...

In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Anne Aspler to explore what it really takes to give yourself permission to create, to heal, and to exist as more than just a doctor. We talk about growing up in fundamentalist religion, finding parallels between dogma in faith and medicine, and the courage it takes to step outside of rigid systems. Anne shares her journey of deconversion, her advocacy for...

In this episode of The Other Human in the Room, I sit down with Dr Karenna'onwe Karen Hill, a Mohawk Turtle Clan family physician from Six Nations of the Grand River. She shares her remarkable journey into medicine, the concept of two-row medicine —rooted in the Haudenosaunee Two Row Wampum—and how Indigenous and Western healing can travel side by side, guided by peace, power, and a good mind. Tog...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Aditya Nellore, a physician and singer who shares how his hardest “failures” became the very doorway into a more authentic life. From failing out of college to going unmatched in the residency match, Aditya opens up about the stigma he faced—and how those painful moments ultimately reconnected him to music and led him into a specialty that values his whole self...

In this short summer episode, I share why the real power is in choosing the hard that aligns with your values. From charting to patient scheduling to new projects, I offer practical examples and a fresh mindset: pick your challenge on purpose. Book a call with me to register for Creating Space: http://joanchanmd.com/space Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Mitchell Abrams, a radiologist whose personal health crisis and journey through burnout led him on a path of deep transformation—both personally and professionally. We talk about what happens when you start to actually *feel* your emotions, how ancient wisdom intersects with quantum science, and what a healthcare system rooted in coherence and compassion could...

In this episode, I sit down with naturopath Kim Bretz to talk about one of the thorniest issues in healthcare today: medical misinformation. We explore what it means to practice in the messy, often misunderstood middle ground between allopathic and naturopathic medicine. Kim shares her experience as a bridge-builder—between professions, between patients and providers, and between fear and trust. T...

In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Andy Nguyen to explore where healthcare and creativity meet. We talk about the power of storytelling in medicine, what it’s like to start a creative journey, and how social media can shape the narratives we tell about our work. Andy shares his own experience as a medical Youtube creator and offers insights on authenticity and building community. We also re...