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If you had asked me 15 years ago what I thought of rest, I would have said “sleeping is for lazy people.” And I really believed it. Like many doctors, I was proud of my ability to plough through long days at the hospital with almost no sleep or breaks to eat. I didn’t even […]

If you’ve ever read the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by law professor Amy Chua, you’ll have a good idea of the type of mother I thought I would be. I had dreams of my kids speaking four languages, being great readers, being skilled at the violin, and of course excelling at the best […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Is there a book you’ve long promised yourself to read? Or an adventure you’d like to experience with your family? Or a hobby you’d like to try? What’s stopping you? “But Dawn, I don’t have the time!” Hmm….let’s agree to disagree. Last week, I asked you to get into the habit of choosing. Choose one […]

When you’re a medical student, your dreams are as big as mountains. Vast, seemingly limitless. You dream of travel, your possible future partner, where you will work and climb the ladder. As a resident, you start to let medical culture mould you. You choose a speciality and adopt its personality. You start to grow a […]

Have you accepted that being busy is part of your life? As a mother-doctor, you have so many identities. I know that people come to you with their needs because you are known to get $#it done. Maybe you feel proud that you can get it all done? mother/wife/daughter/doctor/peacemaker/homework checker/grocery shopper/sports coach/listkeeper/RSVPer/gift buyer/shoelace finder/housekeeper/dinner maker/dinner […]

I was at a conference for women leaders recently. One of the participants shared a vulnerable story about how people often took advantage of her kind nature. And then she started to tear up. “Why do I always need to be the one to change? What’s wrong with being me?” Every woman in that room […]

In her inspiring TED talk, Tiffany Dufu calls a woman’s need to perfectly manage every aspect of the household the “home control disease.” Others call it the invisible mental load that tends to fall more on women in heterosexual partnerships. No matter what you call it, it’s the patriarchy baked into gendered norm expectations. No […]