What a 1990s SNL character got right about coaching, and what he got right about getting it wrong. During the early 90s, Stuart Smalley would sit in front of a mirror in a pastel cardigan and repeat his catchphrase. “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.” The SNL character, created […]
I’m a grandfather. Those are words I wasn’t sure I’d ever say out loud. I grew up in a big, traditional family. Sunday supper at my grandparents’ table was a regular occurrence. An aunt or uncle would turn up unannounced, and there was always a place set. I’m the oldest of seven. A full house […]
You learned a lot of medicine in training. You also learned a lot of things that were never on the syllabus. Medical training conditioning is not a single lesson Be a good doctor. Be smart. Hardworking. Emotionally blunt. Perfectionist. We called all of this excellence. It was conditioning. The Tuesday I Stopped in My Tracks […]
When I started medical school, the curriculum had just shifted to small-group case discussion. Six to ten students sat around a table every week. A faculty member graded our participation. I dreaded it. I am naturally introspective. Generally, I think before I speak, and I process internally before I respond externally. In a room that […]
I have been teaching physicians to audit their Energy Accounts for two years. Then I spent six weeks wearing a sensor from Arena Labs that audited them for me. The numbers did not lie. By week three, I could pull up a graph that told me, almost to the day, when I had run a […]
Author’s Note: As a pediatric cardiologist, a medical educator, and a coach, I’ve sat on every side of the table. I’ve interviewed anxious premeds, shepherded fellows through subspecialty training, served on promotion committees, and now lead an academic division. I’m also a learning-community director who welcomes medical students on their first day of orientation and […]
The Operating System I walked into medical school orientation in shorts and a T-shirt. Everyone else had business casual. I had showed up dressed for the wrong century. At some point that first morning, the facilitator asked us to go around the room and share three words that described us. I don’t remember most of […]
Series: Part 1: System Transformation | Part 2 | Part 3: Patient Approaches In the first article of this series, we explored how systemic dysfunction, high costs, and poor health outcomes fuel burnout among the people who deliver care. Nearly half of physicians still report symptoms of burnout, and the numbers are similar or worse […]
Series: Part 1 | Part 2: Provider Solutions | Part 3: Patient Approaches Editor’s note: This post is the first in a three-part series examining the burnout crisis in U.S. health care and outlining a blueprint for system transformation. Part 2 explores what providers need to thrive, and Part 3 examines how to build programs […]
Update April 2026 Medicine should challenge you, not break you. It is a profession that demands rigor and sacrifice, but there is a meaningful difference between leaning into a healthy growth edge and slipping into harmful strain. Feeling engaged, stretched, and motivated to learn is invigorating. Chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and detachment are signs something has […]
