Stories & Reflections from a Family Medicine Physician Coach

Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections

Lessons, lightbulb moments, and honest reflections from life inside and outside medicine - served with a side of perspective.

Tags: adaptability

Showing 12 results:

Broadening the Differential: A Lesson in Agile Thinking

I've been spending time with colleagues lately exploring the concept of agility in the research literature. And as a result, I keep finding the need for it everywhere. This week alone, our house build presented a wiring issue that no longer aligned with the original lighting and door-swing plans ...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jun 12, 2026 adaptability adaptation advocacy agility anchoring assumptions awareness bias caregiving change chaos clinical thinking collaboration communication complexity contingency curiosity decision making diagnosis efficiency execution family flexibility growth home building humility insight judgment leadership learning logistics medicine openness perspective perspective shift planning prioritization problem solving realignment reassessment recalibration reconsideration reflection reframing resilience responsiveness rethinking structure systems truth seeking uncertainty

Retroactive Omniscience and Having Your Own Back

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been following “John,” a fictional physician trying to sort through the emotional aftermath of multiple job changes and the growing belief that maybe he was just bad at choosing jobs. In the first edition, he recognized the story he was telling himself and how it wa...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — May 23, 2026 adaptability adaptation awareness career career change change clarity coaching cognition compassion confidence curiosity decision making development discernment evolution growth healthcare hindsight insight intentionality judgment leadership learning medicine mindset perspective physician psychology purpose refleciton resilience self-awareness self-doubt selftrust shame stress transitions trust wellbeing

Learning As We Go

We’re in the thick of our Washington build, and I’ve lost count of how many times the plan has had to change on a dime. Not many major ones. But what feels like a near-constant set of pivots. Inspection corrections. New ideas. The domino effect of one decision making another no longer feasible. A...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Apr 24, 2026 adaptability adjustment ai awareness balance change coaching cognition consistency decision making development education efficiency flexibility framework future growth improvement innovation insight iteration leadership learning medicine mindset planning problem solving progress reasoning reflection residency resilience skills strategy teaching technology thinking transformation

What the Critic Taught Me

I was talking with a physician recently who started his own practice. Someone had asked about him in a local Facebook group. There were about thirty responses. Not just “he’s good,” but detailed, generous paragraphs about his skill, empathy, time, and care. And then one line: “My mom saw him and ...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Apr 23, 2026 adaptability attention awareness beliefs boundaries burnout coaching comparison confidence criticism delegation development emotions empathy feeback focus grace growth identity improvement interpretation leadership learning medicine mentorship mindset narrative perspective physician practice purpose reflection reputation resilience reviews selfworth trigger validation values wellbeing

Marine Survival Weekend (From the Archives)

As a faculty member of the Alaska Family Medicine Residency program, I had my share of teaching during our infamous Wilderness Medicine Weekend excursion. In January, it involved snow cave construction, and in May, it involved marine safety. The first spring, I participated with 2 other faculty m...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Feb 23, 2026 accountability adaptability alaska awareness education embarassment experience growth humility insight leadership learning medicine mentorship perspective professionalism reflection reframing residency resilience responsibility safety teaching teamwork trust wilderness wisdom

Progress Through Process

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately in complex work with many moving parts: helping design a longitudinal faculty coach training with the STFM CBME Faculty Coach Training initiative, and collaborating with colleagues through an AMA-funded Precision Medicine education grant with GAFP. In both ...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jan 28, 2026 adaptability attention chunking coaching development discipline discomfort focus growth improvement incremental integration learning mastery mindfulness observation patience persistence planning practice process progression reflection resilience skillbuilding

Story and Reflection: By the Book

A lighter note for today. I thought it’d be fun to share a story about what happens when my rule-follower tendencies show up at the exact moment my plan stops matching reality. Not too long ago, while traveling with multiple stops, airline changes, and short layovers, I was determined to fit ever...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jan 28, 2026 acceptance adaptability control determination flexibility frustration humility humor improvisation mindfulness partnership patience perseverance perspective planning problem-solving reflection resilience rules travel

Endurance, Recovery, and Trust: What Medicine Can Learn from an Ironman

I logged 24,000 steps a couple of weeks ago, not competing, just spectating. Cheering at an Ironman turned out to be its own endurance event! Somewhere between the cowbells and the cheers, I found myself thinking about what it really takes to sustain that kind of effort. Not just on race day and ...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Nov 07, 2025 adaptability adaptation awareness balance discipline effort endurance flow focus integration microbreaks momentum patience persistence preparation presence process recovery recovery load reflection resilience restraint savoring threshold training trust

Waves and Wakes: Reflection

Reflections: Paddle-boarding on Waves & Wakes Last November, I promised part 2 of my paddle-boarding lesson - so here it is. If you’ve ever been paddleboarding in the ocean, you know to expect waves. You bend your knees, stay flexible, and adjust your stance to keep your balance. It’s part of the...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jun 12, 2025 adaptability anticipatory grace balance clam within chaos core strength emotional agility equanimity expectation flexibility grounding inner anchor mindset non reactivity perspective shift postural awareness preparation purposeful adjustment readiness resilience self regulation situational awareness turbulence uncertainty navigation values values alignment wake readiness

The Draft Reflection

At the start of the pandemic, my primary role was in a private practice setting, though I still filled in as faculty at the residency (as I do now). In our group of six physicians and one PA, we were constantly using every resource available to stay up to date on the ever-evolving science—what it...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jun 12, 2025 adaptability advocacy balance bandwidth burnout collaboration communication community drafting educaiton energy management information fatigue leadership misinformation overload pacing perspective priorities public health recovery reflection regulation resilience resource sharing solidarity support sustainability teamwork trust uncertainty

Word of the Year Reflection

Choosing a word of the year provides a simple yet powerful compass that can guide your decisions, actions, and mindset throughout the year. It's like a quick check-in on your purpose statement focused on 2025. As we step into a new year, take 15 minutes to sit quietly with yourself and reflect. A...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jun 12, 2025 adaptability alignment amalgamation blending choice clarity coaching decision making direction empowerment flexibility focus guidance identity integration intention leadership mentoring mindfulness personal growth purpose reflection resilience roles self-awareness strength transformation transition values word of the year

Story and Reflection: Lessons from Strife

During my part of my time as core faculty, I gained many humorous memories and more valuable (even if somewhat unorthodox) lessons. We were a large group (12 in all), and for a short while, the makeup of personalities and dynamics created some unruly situations. Many memorable and laughable lesso...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jun 11, 2025 adaptability agreement collaboration communication conflict consensus culture decision making emotional intelligence emotional regulation facilitation feedback group dynamics humanity humor leadership lessons perspective process productivity psychological safety reflection regulation relationship preservation repetition resolution self-awareness strategy strife systems teamwork yes-and

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Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections

Lessons, lightbulb moments, and honest reflections from life inside and outside medicine - served with a side of perspective.

Tags: adaptability

Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections

Lessons, lightbulb moments, and honest reflections from life inside and outside medicine - served with a side of perspective.

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