Finding My Rhythm: Healing, Leading, Becoming

When I first began stepping into administrative roles within the hospital, I felt like I had entered a foreign country—one where the language, customs, and even values were unfamiliar. I was no stranger to the complexity of patient care, but suddenly I found myself navigating budget cycles, strategic planning sessions,…

I remember becoming a foster parent. It starts with twenty-plus hours of mandatory training. My husband and I were determined to adopt—a child already in the system, one who needed a permanent home. With three biological children, we wanted to complete our family with a fourth. So we signed up,…

He sat in my office chair, stiff as stone. Shoulders hunched forward, cap pulled low, eyes darting—not in aggression, but in deep discomfort. His hands fidgeted with the bill of that hat, picking at a frayed edge. He didn’t want to be there. Every part of his body told me…

This past year, I experienced one of the most profound losses of my life—I lost my best friend, Bess Marshall, to pancreatic cancer. Walking alongside her during her final chapter was both a sacred privilege and an emotional challenge. As a physician, I found myself constantly navigating the tension between…

When Leadership Chooses Silence Leadership is not ease or accolade,Not titles etched on polished grade.It is the weight of seeing clearWhen others turn from what they fear.It’s standing firm when others fall,Answering a deeper call.To raise your voice, to hold the line—For patients, for truth, for what is right in…

I remember the day I opened my patient experience scores for the first time. I was a surgeon, confident in my training, deeply committed to my patients, and convinced I was doing everything right. So, when I saw my overall score placed me in the 5th percentile nationwide, I was…