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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:
If you’ve watched “The Wild Robot,” I’m sure you’ve been touched by the story of Roz, a robot stranded on a remote island who raises Brightbill (a gosling orphan), after accidentally killing his family. The movie has many touching scenes. One interaction that I loved: Roz: “I do not have the programming to be a […]
Control is at the root of my unwillingness to ask for help. And control is a function of perfectionism. Perfectionism exists because of a worry of how others will judge me. So that leads me to lesson three of lessening the mental load: no one (whose opinions matter to me) will judge. And here’s the […]
There are lots of things I don’t enjoy doing: Killing centipedes. Raking leaves. Car servicing and cleaning. Visiting some relatives. Hosting big gatherings. Taking the kids to get haircuts. Cleaning the BBQ. Moving carpets under heavy furniture. Icy arena hockey practices. Swimming in chlorinated pools. Washing stinky sports gear. And do you know how I […]
As a busy mother and professional, you’re used to handling a lot of tasks and roles. Even if things aren’t done efficiently, there are still many tasks on your “to-do-list” pile that you tend to own. Am I right? For most of my life, I’ve been the “responsible child.” When I got married, I naturally […]
In some seasons, being a mom takes precedence. In others, your career goals take priority. Or eldercare. Or a crisis. And when the timing is right (enough), the season may be to focus on yourself–to put your personal growth needs first. I’ll state the obvious–yes, men have it easier. Men have it easier because in […]
This is what I did in my outrageous (as I thought) bid to become a documentary photographer. Step #1: I explored different photography offerings in my city. I found the Raymond Chang School of Continuing Studies. The school offered classes that worked well with my half-line of emergency medicine. Step #2: I decided to learn […]
During my MBA, I had the opportunity to work with a career coach. And it was an amazing experience! One of the questions my coach asked me was this: “If you were invited to do a TED talk, what idea would you want to share with the world?” Wow. And you know what? I didn’t […]
If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you might be familiar with the idea of medicine + Medicine plus motherhood. Medicine plus photography. Medicine plus writing. Medicine plus coaching. “But Dawn, I don’t have hobbies!” No problem, everyone is different. Medicine can be deeply fulfilling. Motherhood can be deeply rewarding. In both […]
I decided to take a one-year academic sabbatical to focus on my family while building my career as a coach. It’s one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. For the next year, I will be unemployed from the hospital. I’ve been unemployed before while on my two maternity leaves. But we all know those […]
When you were growing up, what did your parents model for you regarding the division of household chores? Was it equal? Was it divided amongst gendered expectations? Or did one parent manage it all? I grew up with an older sister and a younger brother. My parents divided chores based on age appropriate skill levels. […]
