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: awareness

Showing 12 results:

A common tension came up during a coaching conversation with a brilliant, deeply thoughtful coachee. With a lot of diligent work, she has grown more comfortable being and showing her authentic self rather than holding back or becoming someone different for other people’s comfort. Now she is facin...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Sep 04, 2026 adaptability adaptation alignment authentic leadership authenticity awareness behavior boundaries coaching communicaiton communication style confidence congruence connection courage development emotional awareness emotional intelligence expression extroversion fulfillment growth identity influence integrity interpersonal introversion leadership motivation performance personal growth personality presence psychology purpose purposefulness reflection relationships renewal resilience restoration self-abandonment self-acceptance self-awareness self-expression teaching temperament values vulnerability wellbeing

Pick Up the Phone

A couple of weeks ago, I was juggling multiple time-sensitive projects when someone began doing work which I felt was mine to do, that I wanted to do, and in an order that made no sense to me. I initially reacted from momentary frustration. Becoming a coach does not uninstall the old neural pathw...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jul 31, 2026 acceptance activation adaptability awareness breathing burnout centering compassion connection creativity curiosity emotional intelligence emotions empathy grounding growth learning mindfulness mindset nervous system neuroscience pathways patience perspective reactions reflection regulation relationships residency resilience responding self-awareness self-regulation stress transformation trust wellness

The Price of Value

This week's theme comes straight from Facebook Marketplace. My husband (who is not a social media guy) asked me to list his Kubota skid steer for "69-9." So I did. I had just sold his utility trailer for $2,200, so I entered all the details, uploaded the photos, and hit Publish. Within seconds, s...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jul 17, 2026 abundance advocacy appreciation authenticity awareness belief business compensation confidence contribution courage empowerment encouragement entrepreneurship expertise family medicine financial health generosity gratitude growth identity impact influence leadership medicine mentorship mindset negotiation opportunity perception perspective physicians purpose recognition reflection self-advocacy self-worth service support sustainability undervaluing validation value visibility worth worthiness

The Bump Nobody Warned You About

A webinar this week about the evolution of a rural residency program inspired this week's reflections. In addition to the successes and growing pains, the thing that caught my attention was the sheer number of changes they had both created and endured. In just 11 years, the program had 4 Chief Me...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jul 10, 2026 acceptance adaptability adaptation agility alignment awareness change change management collaboration commitment communication complexity continuity culture endurance evolution expectations flexibility growth healthcare innovation leadership leadership development medicine mindset mission mission focus navigation organizational health organizations perseverance perspective preparedness puprose reflection residency resilience rural stability stewarship sustainability systems teamwork transformation transition trust turbulence turnover uncertainty

Building Impact Capacity

This week I did something new. I asked Claude to forecast my workload after I entered in all the things from my calendar and everything that wasn’t. It included my coaching practice, presentations, faculty development, travel, writing, a new time-limited leadership role I'll share more about soon...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jul 10, 2026 agency alignment attention awareness boundaries capacity capacity building change clarity collaboration commitment communication compelxity decision-making delegation design efficiency energy expectations focus forecasting foundation growth impact intentionality leadership momentum organization planning preparation prevention priorities prioritization proactivity readiness reflection resources simplification stewardship strategy sustainability sustems time tradeoffs transformation transition workload

The Tyranny of the Unfamiliar

Recently, I brought a situation to my coach because I was concerned I might be facing an ethical dilemma. As we worked through it together, it became clear I was actually on solid ground. What I was experiencing wasn't an ethics issue. It was just discomfort. What's interesting is that I've sat w...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — Jun 26, 2026 acceptance adaptability adaptation adjustment agility awareness calibration capacity chagne challenge coaching confidence coping courage curiosity development discomfort emotional-intelligence endurance enviornment experience familiarity flexibility growth leadership learning mentorship mindfulness mindset perseverance perspective planning preparation problem solving progress readiness recovery reflection resilience resourcing self-awareness strategy support sustainability transformation uncertainty wellbeing

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

John Changes the Question

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to John, a fictional physician whose story reflects common themes many physicians wrestle with. He’s a mid-career family physician facing a career dilemma I hear often: “I’ve never stayed in one job more than x number of years. I feel I need to leave my current o...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — May 29, 2026 adaptation agency alignment authenticity awareness burnout career change clarity coaching compassion connection continuity decision making direction discovery engagement fulfillment growth inquiry insight intention leadership listening meaning medicine mindset perspective physicians purpose reflection renewal resilience self-awareness sustainability teaching transformation transition trust values

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

John and the Honeymoon Effect

Last week I introduced you to John, a fictional physician whose story reflects common themes many physicians wrestle with. He’s a mid-career family physician wrestling with a career dilemma I hear very frequently: “I’ve never stayed in one job more than x number of years. I feel I need to leave m...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — May 17, 2026 adaptation awareness balance burnout career career change clarity coaching cognition compassion contentment curiosity decision making development feedback fulfillment growth healthcare identity insight intentionality leadership learning medicine mindset motivation negativity bias patterns perspective physician psychology purpose reflection relationships resilience self-assessment self-awareness systems transitions wellbeing

The Impact We Don't Always See

I came across a piece from Sahil Bloom not too long ago about the “Stonecutter Principle,” which is so relatable to the work I do. In case you’re not familiar with the story - a quick recap: three stonecutters doing the same work but describing it very differently: cutting stone, building a wall,...

by Dr. Tonya Caylor — May 14, 2026 administration awareness burnout caregiving cathedral compassion connection documentation empathy forms fulfillment gratitude growth healing healthcare humanity impact leadership legacy meaning medicine mindset motivation patient care perspective physician purpose purposeful work quality of life reflection reframing relationships resilience service stonecutter storytelling support values

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

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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: awareness

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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