Getting back in touch with your previous reasons for choosing medicine and/or discovering new motivations can be a powerful tool to improve your professional fulfillment. Before I unpack all the amazingness that can come from crafting an individual purpose statement for your career, I want to take this week to relay a side-note observation.

I’ve noticed an emerging trend involving a small percentage of early-career physicians having an adverse reaction to phrases such as...

For the past three weeks, we've been delving into impostor phenomenon – the definition, its effects, and helpful tips to improve. This week we look at two final aspects of impostor phenomenon. 1. Maintaining progress 2. How to help others experiencing intense or frequent impostor side effects.

Several of the books and authors mentioned last week highlight the importance of having a team of people you trust to play specific roles in maintaining a better self-assessment. I...

Over the last 2 weeks, we have discussed the definition, demographics, and major concepts of impostor phenomenon (IP) along with how it shows up and its negative side-effects. This week,  I’m giving you a smash-up of recommendations for improvement based on four key references (below) along with a smattering of conferences, podcasts, and my experiences, including personal, clinical, academic, and coaching. There exists much overlap - it's always a good thing when various experts...

Okay, last week, we looked at the definition, demographics, and some concepts around Impostor Phenomenon (IP), aka Impostor Syndrome. This week, I want to review how it shows up and why it matters. There are real side effects to living in the Impostor Cycle, especially for those with frequent or intense impostor tendencies. I’ve listed common ones below:

Avoidance of personal and professional advancements:

    Avoid difficult situations or risks

   ...

Throughout the rest of January, we will tackle the topic of impostor phenomenon, aka impostor syndrome. Today we will mainly unpack the definition, look briefly at demographics, how it shows up, and some key points from my perspective. We will unpack why it matters and practical steps to gain some relief in the following weeks. Finally, we will discuss tips for interacting with those experiencing intense impostor symptoms.

So, what exactly is impostor phenomenon (IP)? Essentially IP is...

In this video blog, we look at how the benefit of the doubt is an amazing gift. 

You can also gift yourself a coaching course - even use CME funds. Our 12-week course for individual physicians walks you through detailed steps of ditching unnecessary suffering, protecting and increasing your energy, and fostering your ideal future. 

Our brains naturally focus on the negatives and when we are stressed, that is even more true.  Gratefulness practices help us right-size it. 

Have a joy-filled week! Tonya

Now is a great time to see how I partner with family medicine residency programs to help physicians enjoy their chosen careers. Learn more here. 

Begin recognizing your automatic stories that include fact and assumptions. This creates room for you to break common thought distortions. And shift your perspective towards one that serves you better. 

Have a joy-filled month - Tonya

Our 12-week course for individual physicians walks you through detailed steps of ditching of how our thoughts work. You learn how to decrease unnecessary suffering, protecting and increasing your energy, and fostering your ideal future. 

Let’s explore external validation. I believe it’s an important topic since it, along with unhealthy perfectionism and a couple of other issues, played a role in my burnout story. Residents, and faculty alike, often fall prey to an unhealthy desire for others' approval.

The satisfaction of external validation is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. It’s a natural occurrence with some adaptive consequences historically.  Wanting to belong and a desire for external...

Oh, the elusive yet promising search for work-life balance. I hear people say it's not possible. I listen to others proclaim it is absolutely possible.  Once I found a few different ways to view it – I learned I lean more toward the latter camp than the former.  I offer you the three ways of viewing it that have helped me.  Two of which appear in my brain as novel thoughts (though it's possible it's not original – my brain is funny that way) and one which I...