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: healthcare
Showing 8 results:
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
John's Decision
A common theme I hear from physicians is this:
“I’ve lost confidence in my ability to pick a good job because I’m looking to leave…again.”
And honestly, healthcare is different than it was decades ago when physicians often stayed in one practice for 30–40 years. Expectations, systems, autonomy, c...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
May 14, 2026
adaptation
autonomy
balance
burnout
career
career change
change
clarity
coaching
cognition
comparison
confidence
contentment
decision making
despair
fulfillment
growth
healthcare
insight
intention
job search
leadership
medicine
mindset
motivation
negativity bias
perspective
physician
psychology
purpose
reflection
resilience
self-awareness
shame
stress
systems
thought work
transition
values
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
Back to Now: When the Clock Stops Judging You
A physician I was coaching recently brought this to a session:
“I’m always running late in clinic.”
If you work in medicine in this day and age, you know that reality.
But as we slowed it down, she noticed something important:
‘Late’ has judgment.
The actual data?
She walked into the room at 10:3...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Mar 27, 2026
acceptance
attention
awareness
balance
calm
clarity
coaching
compassion
data
decision making
efficiency
effort
emotion
focus
healthcare
insight
judgment
medicine
mental health
midnfulness
observation
organization
overwhelm
patient care
perception
performance
perspective
physician
presence
prioritization
process
productivity
reflection
reslience
self-awareness
self-compassion
stress
surgeon
thoughts
wellbeing
workflow
The Casting Room
I’ve been reflecting on how easily past training experiences (or any experience for that matter) can be oversimplified by those who didn’t live them.
It took me a minute to understand why that bothered me. It's because those oversimplified accounts tell a very narrow story of some of the very exp...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jan 31, 2026
burnout
compassion
grace
healing
healthcare
humanity
humility
kindness
medicine
mentorship
perfectionism
professionalism
reflection
residency
resilience
stress
suffering
surgery
training
trauma
vulnerability
witnessing
Rumble of Renovation, Story and Reflection
I know I talk a lot about renovation - that's because I have spent no less than 19 years living in three different houses undergoing renovation by my husband - who has a day job! Plus, the experiences are so rich with lessons! So I want to take you back a few years.
But first - Brene’ Brown defin...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 10, 2025
adaptability
authenticity
burnout
collaboration
communication
compromise
conflict resolution
courage
creativity
curiosity
emotional intelligence
growth mindset
healthcare
impasse
ingenuity
innovation
leadership
listening
mutual respect
partnership
perspective
problem-solving
reconstruction
redesign
renovation
resilience
rumble
sustainability
systems change
teamwork
vulnerability
Extra Mile Reflection
This photo is a throw-back to when my dad had been stuck in his recliner for a couple of days due to severe worsening metastatic bone pain to his hip. It only hurt if he moved his leg. So after scrambling to get the family to be with him, he had a telemedicine visit with his primary care doc who ...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 03, 2025
access
advocacy
caregiving
compassion
connection
dignity
empathy
gratitude
healthcare
impact
independence
joy
language
mobility
paperwork
presence
service
support
telemedicine
wellbeing
Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections
