In this deeply nourishing conversation, I sit down with Dr. Alysha Mackenzie-Feder, a pediatrician from Kelowna, BC, to explore the critical difference between empathy and compassion in healthcare. Alysha shares how her journey through Zen Buddhism and contemplative practices transformed her understanding of physician wellbeing and patient care, revealing why "compassion fatigue" might actually be empathetic distress. We dive into emotions as physiological experiences, the hidden curriculum of medical training, and how creating community might be our path through these challenging times in healthcare. This episode offers both the language and practical tools to move from drowning in our patients' emotions to standing alongside them with an open heart and strong back.

Connect with Alysha:

Website: https://www.adeeperwell.ca/

Substack: https://adeeperwell.substack.com/

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this solo episode, I'm sharing three major "inhuman stories" that have been haunting me as I've stepped deeper into medical education as a preceptor and co-site director. I unpack the beliefs that I need to know everything to teach, that my job is to mold students in my image, and that I'm solely responsible for their outcomes—and how these stories create unnecessary stress and anxiety. Through frameworks like the carpenter versus gardener model and the division of responsibility, I'm finding my way toward more sustainable, humane approaches to teaching. This is very much the messy middle of my journey, and I hope it resonates with anyone navigating the challenges of teaching or mentoring in healthcare.

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this conversation, I reconnect with Dr. Caitlin Christie, a fellow family physician and coach practicing in Ontario, to share what we're actually doing on the ground to create sustainable, joyful practices. We dive into the real challenges of primary care - from new funding initiatives to physician capacity pressures - and explore how we've shifted from feeling helpless about external circumstances to focusing on what we can control. Caitlin and I trade practical strategies for protecting our wellbeing, from micro-moments of pleasure during clinic days to redesigning schedules that honor our capacity. This is a boots-on-the-ground conversation about how to thrive in family medicine by orienting toward what truly matters: how we feel at the end of the day.

Connect with Caitlin:

Website: https://caitlinchristie.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingbydrcaitlin/

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd