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You might call it work life balance or work life integration, but in the end, it’s a function of wanting to be great in two areas that compete—motherhood and a career in medicine. To be in two places at once. Maybe, like me, you have even wished to be cloned so that you could handle […]

As women and doctors, it’s safe to say that you are comfortable giving advice. Often. While I’m sure your patients appreciate your efforts to help guide them with the best medical practices, what about when you interact with your colleagues and friends in social settings or on social media?  Can you refrain from giving advice […]

I love talking about purpose and meaning with people. I especially enjoy listening to people who are navigating tough decisions in their lives. I could do that all day long. Medical trainees know this and often earnestly ask me “where should I work, Dawn?” “Where, Dawn? What hospital? I need to get this right! TELL […]

I was once asked to give a talk to a physician’s group that was encountering some challenges in their culture. I suggested the topic of vulnerability. The group’s willingness to open up, engage, and share their fears was humbling. We talked about the fear of not being “the fast doctor,” the fear of being “the […]

Until now, I’ve asked you to subtract things from your to-do list in order to make space. That involves saying no a lot. Certainly, it can feel very brave to say no when everyone else expects you to say yes. But it can also feel very brave to say yes when every part of you […]

In her TED talk, “The Power of Vulnerability” Brené Brown talks about the common view that vulnerability is weakness. Vulnerability, which she defines as emotional exposure without the ability to control the outcome, is actually the strongest indicator of courage. Credit: Dr. Brené Brown, TEDx Houston If you, a mother-doctor, are strong and healthy, your […]

You now understand that core values help you filter out the less optimal paths in life and perhaps you’ve taken a few items off your to-do list. But what if you’re still stuck as to the next best move? Do you know where you want to go? “waiting for a train to go Or a […]

Your chronotype describes the patterns of time that you naturally feel most sleepy and wakeful. When you are faced with an important deadline, what time of the day tends to be your most productive and energetic? Do you thrive best at night time when everyone else is asleep? Does the golden hue of your reading […]

When I was at the peak of my burnout in 2013, I went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Some days, I walked 20 km in the unrelenting heat. A few days, I walked 40 km. When I left Canada, my backpack weighted 13 kg. By the end of the pilgrimage, […]

When you were a kid, how long did your summers feel? For me, those golden days seemed to last forever. I remember running through the sprinklers, riding bikes with the neighbourhood kids, then going to the corner store to grab some freezies. We only went home when Mrs. Douglas called out into the twilight “Jonathan, […]