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As a mother and a doctor, I know you are sometimes worried and afraid, overwhelmed and overstretched. But your families depend on you to be their foundation. You're imperfect. And that's okay.
Because you are something better.

You're whole, fierce, and unshakeable.

ALL RECENT POSTS:

Habits

“bring back the family dinner”

In her book “Bringing up Bébé,” Pamela Druckerman talks about how French parenting differs from North American parenting styles. French families usually serve meals in courses with vegetables offered first when the kids are the most hungry. Everyone eats the same thing. Kids are encouraged to take 3 bites of everything to learn how to […]

Habits

“better use of time in your day”

In a very funny writing class taught by Margaret Atwood, she described how privileged male writers in the past used to write: They would wake up and eat breakfast (made by someone else), have uninterrupted time to write in a quiet study, then break in the afternoon for tea (prepared by someone else), wander in […]

Habits

my experience with fair play cards

I have seen many women recommend the book “Fair Play” by Eve Rodsky. Since I liked the summary points of the book (fair warning–I have not read the whole book yet), I invested in the deck of fair play cards. The cards are designed to make the invisible load of tasks needed to run a […]

Habits

“is coffee my crutch?”

Hmmmmm….. My kids will tell you “Mom will never get rid of her coffee.” And…they’re sort of right. What goes better with a great book than a steaming fresh cup of coffee? Add cozy socks and a fresh snowfall and a house all to myself–well, I’m in a dream world right now because I can’t […]

Habits

“my experience with wild fit”

This past fall, a program called Wild Fit caught my attention. It advertises itself as “not a diet” but more of a way of life with an emphasis on behavioural changes and honouring how humans have traditionally eaten based on the seasons. I’ve never been a sweet snacker (my weakness is chips), but even I […]

Habits

“my mobility habit”

I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, but when I look at the other emerg docs in my group around the same age as me, they look so stiff. I saw one awkwardly bend over to pick up a fallen pen, and it looked…ungraceful. It’s a sign–and now, one of my non-negotiable daily habits is […]

Habits

“the beauty of a morning walk”

I was recently at a reunion dinner with medical friends. One of them, a family doctor, told me he now routinely prescribes nature to his patients aligned with the amazing initiative PaRx (https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/en-ca). I remembered a CWIM talk mentioning this in one of the keynote sessions. It was a fascinating talk! I made a mental […]

Habits

“fluidity and alignment”

I recently saw an ad for a retreat for female doctors that sounded just perfect. Workshops that address work-life balance (or integration). Parenting workshops. Boundary exercises. Morning yoga. Good food. Coffee. Scenic location. You get the idea. All the good stuff and more! But I don’t plan to go. I  have the time to go. […]

Habits

“morning pages”

When I took my first writing class, my teacher, Laura, suggested that we write on paper with a pen rather than type on our laptops. (blink. blink. say what?). I think I had both claws gripping my Mac. Laura said “something special” happens when you write on paper. But she didn’t elaborate. So I tried […]

Habits

“emotions are data”

Journalling will change your life. It is an essential way of processing your emotions and recording the daily wisdom that you don’t want to forget. When you write out how you feel without edits, your awareness of the day’s hurts, highs, lows, gratitudes, and bizarre events are more “chewy.” It’s as if you get to […]

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