Thriving in 2026 Pt 2: Permission to Rest and Restart

Welcome to Part 2 of our annual Thriving in the New Year interview series! Every January, I sit down with physician coaches to hear how they're approaching the year—and I always walk away with something that shifts my thinking.   I'm joined by Dr. Maneesha Ahluwalia (life coach and former infectious disease physician), Dr. Nora Vasquez (internist and high-performance coach), and Dr. Ladan Davallow (pediatric endocrinologist and coach). We got into what to do when your January has already gone sideways, why physicians are so bad at celebrating wins, and the difference between living in the gap versus the gain.   If you're feeling behind on your New Year's intentions, this conversation will feel like a breath of fresh air.   Featured Guests: Dr. Maneesha Ahluwalia – Former infectious disease physician, now full-time life coach. Find her on Instagram @LifeCoachingForIndians   Dr. Nora Vasquez – Internist and certified high-performance coach. Find her at renewyourmindmd.com Dr. Ladan Davallow – Pediatric endocrinologist and coach for parents of kids with diabetes. Find her at endoMDhealth.com and diabrite.com

Welcome to the first episode of our annual Thriving in the New Year interview series! Every January, I sit down with physician coaches to hear how they're approaching the year ahead—and I always learn something that shifts my own thinking. This year is no different. I'm joined by three brilliant physician coaches: Dr. Jessie Mahoney (pediatrician and mindfulness coach), Dr. Allison Anderson (cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and relationship mentor), and Dr. Wendy Schofer (pediatrician specializing in eating disorder prevention). We got into words of the year, what it means to feel whole, why satisfaction is so hard for physicians, and how to approach goals in a way that actually feels good. Jessie shared her words for the year—strategic and focused, wealthy and healthy, brave and bold—and her decision to filter everything through one question: is it fun? Wendy opened up about surviving the hardest year of her life and landing on "whole" as her compass for saying no. And Allison gave us a completely different approach to New Year's intentions: focusing on experiences you want to have and setting monthly themes instead of rigid goals. We also talked about why working harder backfires in certain areas of life, how we were literally trained not to feel satisfied, and what it means to stop just "plugging holes" and start bringing your whole self to your life. Featured Guests: Dr. Jessie Mahoney – Pediatrician and full-time physician coach offering mindful coaching and retreats through Pause and Presence. Find her at jessiemahoneymd.com Dr. Allison Anderson – Cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and dating/relationship mentor for women physicians. Find her on Instagram @AllisonAndersonCoaching (two L's in Allison) Dr. Wendy Schofer – Pediatrician specializing in eating disorder prevention through her Family in Focus program for parents. Find her at wendyschofermd.com

You've made it through another year. Maybe the holidays went well. Maybe you've eaten more cookies than planned and you're already dreading January. Either way, here's what I want you to know: Nothing is wrong with you. In this episode, I share my year-end love letter to you—a physician who's probably being too hard on herself. We'll talk about why your experience around food isn't a given (even with years of "evidence"), how to stop the internal tug-of-war with food, and why acknowledging your own needs matters more than any diet plan. This is for any woman physician ready to head into the new year without the shame spiral.

In medical school, we learned to push feelings down, distance ourselves from them, and keep working no matter what. That is an essential skill as a doctor - we have to be able to keep a clear head in intensely emotional times.  But it's also the reason why food feels so hard to control as doctors. In this episode, I'm breaking down: why emotions drive so much of our eating (even when it doesn't feel like "stress eating"), how to actually notice what you're feeling before you're elbow-deep in the chip bag, and simple techniques you can use between patients to process emotions without anyone knowing.  I'll share my own story of how frustration with getting my kids out the door was ruining my entire day and driving my eating—and how working on that one emotion had ripple effects I didn't expect. This episode is for you if you're tired of feeling out of control around food and ready to understand what's really going on underneath.  

You're standing in front of the break room donuts at 2pm wondering: Am I actually hungry? Or have I already eaten too much? Should I eat this? What if I'm eating when I'm not really hungry? If you've ever questioned whether you're "really" hungry, this episode is for you. Diet culture taught us to stop trusting ourselves. Eat less, less, less. And medical training taught us to ignore our bodies - skip meals, hold our bladders, function alert on no sleep. No wonder you're second-guessing every hunger signal. In this episode, I break down what physical hunger actually feels like versus other common types of eating I see with physicians. I explain why post-call hunger hits different (hello, increased ghrelin, decreased leptin, and impaired frontal lobe).  And I give you specific strategies for each type of eating so you can actually do something about it. This episode is perfect for any physician who's tired of questioning every hunger signal and wants to start trusting herself again.  

You keep doing the same thing with food over and over. And you can't figure out why. Here's what's happening: there are hidden obstacles between you and healthy eating. You just can't see them yet. Because we're not trained to look for obstacles - we just blame ourselves instead.  And that's not fair. In this episode, I teach you how to spot the hidden obstacles that keep tripping you up with food. I'll show you why forcing yourself doesn't work and give you the exact questions to ask so you can problem-solve instead of self-blame. Perfect for you if you keep repeating the same eating patterns or you're exhausted from trying so hard without seeing results.  

You've started over so many times. Every Monday, every January 1st, promising yourself this time will be different. Then a few weeks later you're right back where you started, eating takeout in your car after clinic, wondering what's wrong with you.   Here's what nobody tells you: It's not that you failed. It's how you started.   In this episode, I'm sharing exactly how I would start over with everything I know now. Six strategies that make the difference between white-knuckling it for a few weeks and actually creating change that lasts. This isn't another "try harder" pep talk—it's about setting yourself up so you can keep going without the constant battle.   Perfect for physicians tired of starting over and ready to do weight loss differently. Listen today and share with someone who needs to hear this!  

You've delivered babies, managed codes, diagnosed complex cases. So why can't you figure out your eating? If you've ever thought "I'm a doctor, I should know better" while reaching for food you didn't plan to eat, this episode is for you. I break down exactly why food feels so much harder than everything else you've mastered - and why it has nothing to do with being stupid or lacking knowledge. You'll learn the five real reasons physicians struggle with food (none of them are what you think), why focusing on the food itself is like watching the magician's assistant instead of where the trick actually happens, and how shame creates a brick wall that blocks any chance of change. This episode is perfect for any woman physician who's tired of feeling like she's the only smart person who can't figure out something that "should be simple."  

Ever feel like you're either "all in" or completely off track with your eating? Like you need to do everything perfectly or you might as well not try? In this episode, I dive deep into the perfectionism block that keeps so many physicians in the frustrating cycle of trying harder but always feeling stuck. I share why there's actually no "right way" to lose weight, despite what diet culture tells us. You'll discover how perfectionist thinking creates obstacles that make it nearly impossible to start OR stick with healthy changes.  More importantly, I'll show you what actually works: finding YOUR path that fits your real life (not some idealized version where you have endless time and energy). If you're tired of the all-or-nothing rollercoaster and ready to build consistency that actually lasts, this episode is exactly what you need to hear. Listen now.  

You know that awful feeling after a weekend of eating way off-plan? The shame, the self-blame, the "I'll start over Monday" drama? There's a better way to handle these situations - and it's something you already know how to do. In this episode, I share exactly what happened during my recent lake weekend where I ate way more chips, pizza, and treats than usual, and how I approached it using the same no-blame mindset we bring to M&M rounds. Instead of spiraling into shame, I got curious about what was really driving that eating. You'll learn why that "out of control" weekend eating usually has nothing to do with the food itself, and discover my simple process for understanding what really happened so you can course-correct quickly without the drama. I break down the real reasons physicians eat differently on weekends and share my personal "get back on track" strategy that doesn't involve cutting out food groups. This episode is perfect for any physician who's tired of beating themselves up after eating off-plan and wants to learn how to get back to healthier eating more quickly and easily.