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: satisfaction
Showing 4 results:
When Difficult Gets Interesting
I was recently talking with a leader who had navigated a complex, high-stakes situation. We discussed the stress she had experienced. I asked if in the midst of it, she had also felt energized by the challenge. I saw a little twinkle in her eye as she said, “a little.”
And so, no surprise, that g...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Oct 30, 2026
adaptability
adrenaline
appraisal
awareness
capacity
challenge
challenge response
cognitive flexbility
cohesion
collaboration
complexity
confidence
coping
cortisol
crisis
decision making
dhea
discomfort
dopamine
education
emotional intelligence
empowerment
engagement
fight or flight
figureoutable
flexbility
fulfillment
growth
healthcare
leadership
leadership development
learning
medicine
mentoring
mindset
motivation
neuroscience
perception
performance
physiology
pressure
prioritization
problem-solving
psychology
recovery
reflection
reframing
residency
resilience
resourcefulness
satisfaction
strategy
stress
stress management
teaching
teamwork
thriving
uncertainty
What Renovation Taught Me About Teams
My husband and I are back in the messy middle of building.
We are not a strangers to it. We completely renovated a historic home over seven years and our Alaskan home over ten, with my husband acting as contractor, doing the work he enjoyed and subbing the rest out.
And now, we’re building remote...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Mar 13, 2026
adaptation
alignment
behavior
building
change
clarity
co-creation
collaboration
communication
conflict
construction
creativity
decision making
development
dynamics
expectations
forming
friction
group
growth
homebuilding
innovation
leadership
learning
marriage
mindset
organization
partnership
patience
performing
problem solving
process
progress
reflection
remodel
renovation
resilience
satisfaction
storming
structure
teams
teamwork
transformation
uncertainty
vision
Story Reflection
This past week, I listened to a webinar featuring Dr. Paul Chelminski from UNC - Chapel Hill (and my former faculty advisor in the CHARM GME Wellbeing Course). He stated that much of our discontent in medicine comes from taking too much refuge in the idealized version of medicine. (My interpretat...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 08, 2025
acceptance
advocacy
agency
aspiration
boundaries
compassion
connection
discontent
gratitude
grounding
idealism
inspiration
mindset
perspective
presence
purpose
realignment
reality
reflefction
satisfaction
1% Reflection
I invite you this week to consider what percent of your average work week includes joy. When you drill down - what are those experiences that offer soul-satisfying glimmers?
If it's below 20% - there is some good news - slowly increasing up to 20% will be protective against burnout. If it's above...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 03, 2025
awareness
balance
burnout
connection
energy
engagement
fulfillment
gratitude
growth
incremental
inspiration
joy
mindfulness
presence
purpose
reflection
resilience
satisfaction
wellbeing
workplace
Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections