Expect Bumpy. And It Will Be Less Bumpy.

I resigned from my long-time job as a pediatrician in 2020.

My first job lasted 18 years.

I loved being a pediatrician. I thrived as a physician leader. I was passionate about physician wellness, supporting my colleagues, and changing the culture of medicine.

And I was ready for something new.

From the outside, it may have looked like smooth sailing.

On the inside, it has been a bumpy ride.

All big decisions feel bumpy.

Even when you know deep within that it’s a great decision.

Even when it turns out amazing.

Career pivots in medicine are especially bumpy.

Why?

We didn’t get into medicine by accident.

Everyone who becomes a physician is committed to a mission.

We were taught to be saviors.

We were told we are “needed.”

We internalized responsibility.

We absorbed the story that making a change means letting people down.

What we don’t realize is that not making a change when you want to, is letting yourself down.

I also believe that we have a responsibility to bring to the world the things that only we each can bring.

What will you—and others—miss out on if you don’t step into your uniqueness and passion?

Expect conflict. Expect doubt.

Feeling conflicted is expected. Doubt, conflict, fear, and anxiety are too.

Human brains are wired to resist change.

They almost always offer the thought that change might turn out badly.

It’s human to second guess.

It’s human to wonder what might have happened if you made a different choice.

This happens even when change leads you to aligned work that brings you joy.

When you understand this and expect it, it’s less bumpy.

Not because you eliminate fear but because you stop making fear mean you’re doing it wrong.

The bumps get smaller over time

The road smooths out with use.

Your brain gets used to something new..

In my case, change meant practicing “new” all the time.

I worked in the same institution for 22 years.

While we talked about change in medicine all the time, it wasn’t the same as pivoting careers and building something from scratch.

What you practice grows.

When you practice change, transitions, and navigating “new,” new becomes a familiar paved road.

I’ve been practicing “new” since 2020.

New, different, and innovative has become my new normal. It is no longer bumpy.

Bumpy does not mean dangerous.

I know firsthand—from coaching hundreds of physicians through transitions that for most physicians, change and uncertainty are uncomfortable.

We were trained to believe that discomfort and uncertainty can be dangerous in medicine.

But in life and career transitions?

Bumpy, yes. Dangerous, no.

Bumpy dirt roads very often lead to amazing places.

If you’re in a bumpy season and/or navigating a career pivot or you feel called toward a next chapter but your brain is panicking—this is exactly what I help with in 1:1 coaching and Transition Well Small Group Coaching.