"Write Your Best Chapter"

We all have a story. How we get to tell those stories matter. Shara Turner is a tremendous human being who has set herself up to make impactful changes in lives of those touched by Trauma. How we see addiction will in turn lead to how we interact with those who suffer with addiction. Join me in this in depth discussion about how addiction is surviving in its most primitive way. Shara's interview w...

In the year 2020, 42% of physicians reported feeling burnt out. Roughly one physician dies every day by suicide which is double the rate of general population. There is help. Sometimes we need to reach out, sometimes we need to reflect, be mindful, and help ourselves become more resilient. Sometimes we need to live a more aligned life with our values and purpose. Sometimes we need to focus on a gr...

We all know what we have to do to get to what we want in life. The question is: Why don't we? As a palliative care physician I see quite a bit of regret at the end of life. I am here as a quick warning shot for you. There is still time. You get to show up in your life the way you have always wanted to... If, you agree to be ready to fail. If, you can manage your mind around being ok for things not...

Where do we get our compassion from? Where does it come from? This week I have a great friend and a wonderful nurse to tell us just that. Cheryl Nicponski is a Doctor's Nurse. That's a term I coined everytime I worked with a nurse who could have just as well been a doctor. She is bright, compassionate and a fierce advocate for all sorts of equality. It is my pleasure to have you listen to her stor...

How do you live your life? Did you know that no matter what kind of hand life deals you, you get to decide? You can be travelling to a tropical island to go diving and be caught in torrential rain. You get to love it. My guest this week is a Radiation Oncologist and a cancer survivor life coach. Not only does she live her life intentionally every single day, she also gets to hold space for all who...

Compassion Fatigue. It means we are tired of caring. We can no longer give since we have been giving so long. The hospitals are full. There are no more ICU beds. Some hospitals are even turning away unvaccinated people. In this episode, I share some of my ways to manage our mind in these trying times. We can continue to love and care for unvaccinated people. They have done nothing wrong. Please ta...

Have you heard of a Birth Doula? Doulas have been around for thousands of years. They were essentially female companion for supportive purposes. It seems to me, there is no better time to take advantage of this support than when faced with end of life. Join me as I interview Janie Rakow who tells me about this amazing profession. You will find her at www. FareWellDoula.com for any question or inte...

In financial world, we talk about "Cost of Living" quite a bit. When deciding to move somewhere, we often mention how it's not a good idea to go somewhere because the cost of living is higher. How about life? When deciding to go one way or another at a crossroad, try thinking of "Cost of NOT Living". On this anniversary episode, I will share how we decided to adopt a dog even though everyone was t...

Would you have dinner with someone you thought was racist? Is there any opportunity for a meaningful dialogue with those we disagree with. I worry that social media, or any media for that matter, is making us antisocial. We have become so quick to judge, unfollow, unfriend and categorize people in buckets we can understand. No matter what your political belief is, I invite you to listen to how we...

We live in a world that creates expectations in our heads as what it means to be happy: We should get married and have children to know the true meaning of happiness. What if we can't? If we are unable for whatever reason, what does that mean about our chance of happiness the way society makes us feel? It is my pleasure to introduce Jenn, my mindfulness and yoga instructor, to you this week. Learn...

Do you work for a living? Are there people who go out of their way to make your life a little better? They try to literally add love and cheer to the lives of all who come in contact with them. If you have been lucky enough to have met them, I hope that you have the presence of mind to thank them and let them know how very special they are. This week, I am dedicating this episode to someone very s...

If you only listen to one episode, make it this one. It is my absolute honor to interview my guest Dr. Katherine Shear. She is the expert on studying and treating complicated grief which is now known as Prolonged Grief Disorder. In this in depth and intimate interview, she not only asks about my own grief regarding loss of my father, but she tells us the how and why we experience grief the way we...

As physicians, we have only learned to keep going. When we get into school, it feels like we are on a conveyor belt that we cannot get off of no matter what. Some people bend, but most people break. Not because they do not have what it takes, but because medicine takes so much from you. It is my absolute pleasure to share the story of Air Force Captain Jillian Rigert, DMD, MD with you. She went th...

"Why me?" This can be the first thought that comes to our mind when things go wrong. This can be with a new cancer diagnosis or when what you were setting out to do falls apart. Why not you? Can you rethink what is happening in your life so that you can change the "It's not fair" drama into "Nothing has gone wrong". The simplest way I can think about it is this: why not you? The universe does not...

We move through our lives getting irritated by how people treat and disappoint us. We live our lives having mediocre relationships with the people we think should love and adore us. We want people behave in such a way that they can be worthy of our love. What if we already loved them? Just the way they are with all their shortcomings. Are you perfect? Do you think others don't secretly wish you we...

We are often hardwired to go to the worst case scenario when faced with challenges. We try to put our better days conditionally on what could happen in another day. What if that day never came? Would you put your happiness on pause? What if you had stage IV metastatic cancer with 2% chance of survival? Would you audition for a popular TV show? Come to think of it, if not now, then when? Join me as...

What is the meaning of life? Often times, when faced with end of life and terminal cancer, patients are faced with a sense of doom. This sense can feel anything from isolation to depression, anxiety and absolute helplessness. There have been randomized controlled trial studies for the past 40 years or so regarding the value of using psychedelic mushrooms such as Psilocybin to combat these feelings...

Smartphone and internet addiction is a real life sucker. It increases loneliness and depression. It fuels anxiety. It increases stress. It can exacerbate attention deficit disorder. It can diminish our ability to concentrate and think creatively. It can disturb your sleep and encourages self absorption. In today's podcast, inspired by a coaching client, I talk about how to set better example for o...

Telling stories is what connects us all as humans. Using narrative medicine to humanize the experiences we have around illness and disease is the highest form of self reflection and therapy. Join me as I interview Ms. Wendy Hind, PhD, JD, who tells us the story of her son William. By using poetry, she creatively celebrates her life experience as a mother of a child born with a cardiac congenital d...

You may have never thought about this, but a disease is not the same thing as an illness. To best tend to our own and our patient's disease, we must first think about what they think of their illness. In this episode, I will teach you the tools to ask the right questions in life to get the answers that give you a better result. This is regardless of whether you have an illness or are just overwhel...

When faced with the reality of a child's rare and serious illness, we often wonder: What Do We Do? Well, I am so happy to share Dallas Graham's story with you. He single handedly decided to create children's books authored by those very extraordinary children facing unimaginable obstacles. Red Fred Project is an organization that has put its heart and soul into creating legacy of the lives of thos...

Imagine being an executive leadership educator guiding major healthcare organizations through significant changes, only to be faced with the most unimaginable personal crisis of your own. Dr. Anne Harbison shares her story of unbearable loss and her intentional road to personal growth and learning to reach a higher ground and purpose. Learn how she managed to put her story within the context of a...

If our time is truly short, what are some of the things that you would love to accomplish? I mean if anything would be possible for you, what would manifest in your life? In this episode, I will talk to you about the impact that this podcast has had on the life of so many people both near and far. If one person can make this much impact, I invite you to wonder, what could be possible for you?

When you finish medical school and end up with a quarter of a million dollars worth of student loan debt, you may think you have no way out of this hole you have created for yourself. Allow me to introduce you to an amazing example of what is possible for all of us who want to practice joy and live a more intentional life. From playing cello, creating painting, and starting her own bakery, learn t...

When we are faced with the end of our lives, we start fighting for more time. Ideally, this time would be spent doing the things we love to do, or doing the things that we wanted to do. The reality is, at that moment, we are in no shape to do what we have wanted to do. I am giving you the gift of time NOW. In this episode, I will teach you ways to find pockets of time to do what matters most to yo...