Hello Reader,
Dr. Cindy Van Praag described something in this week’s podcast conversation that most physician mothers feel but rarely name out loud.
Every day, you put on the doctor mask. Competent. In control. Confident. And people believe it — because you are those things.
Then you get in the car, pick up the kids, and put on the mom mask.
And somewhere underneath all of it, there’s a version of you that hasn’t just been in a long time. No mask. No role. Just you.
Cindy asked: Wouldn’t it be amazing if she could just throw the masks away and be herself?
It sounds simple.
It is not simple.
Because we’ve been training for these masks since medical school.
Here’s what Cindy said that I want you to carry into your week:
We have enough time. We don’t have enough energy.
She also works with physician moms who come to her convinced that the problem is their calendar. Too many commitments, not enough hours. And what she finds, almost every time, is that it’s not time that’s short — it’s energy.
When you’re depleted, everything expands. The chart that takes 10 minutes takes 25. The conversation you could have in one exchange takes three. You push through the day, but you’re not really present in it.
When you find the energy leaks — the physical ones, the relational ones, the places where your values and your daily life aren’t actually aligned — and you plug them, time takes care of itself.
That’s not a metaphor. That’s physiology.
Cindy was in a room last year with 8 to 10 accomplished, mid-career physicians. Families thriving, letters after every name. By every external measure, they were doing it right.
The facilitator went around the circle. Each person shared what was challenging them.
The common thread? Every single one of them landed on the same four words:
Am I enough?
Not the residents. The accomplished ones. The ones who look fine.
Cindy said the moment was powerful because voicing it in front of peers — and hearing others say it too — was itself part of the answer. The coach’s role is to hold up a mirror until the person can finally see what others already see in them. And what they see, almost always, is someone who already has the answers. They just need someone to guide them toward what they already know.
That’s what this episode is really about. Not balance as a destination. Not a five-step plan. But the possibility that the version of you who isn’t wearing any masks — the one underneath all the roles — is actually the most capable version of all.
What would change if you spent one week tracking your energy instead of your time?
🎧 Listen to the podcast sneak peek episode below and listen to the full episode on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Podbean, or Amazon Music.
What's inspiring us this week:
Secret service, DC police, and people doing their jobs. A safe NFL draft that occurred last week in Pittsburgh. Our colleagues in law enforcement who do their job every day and keep us all safe.
The Practice: Celebrating Wins
We get more of what we focus on. The practice of gratitude and celebrating the goodness of life is the first step in changing our brains, mindsets, and circumstances for the better.
Knocking off backlog of projects and fiercely editing and writing. Getting back in the saddle with my personal Substack The Learning Journal means I get to write to process again and starting to realize how therapeutic processing via typing is again!
If this episode resonated with you and sparked curiosity on how we help our clients find energy and time again for what matters most, book a call! Link below.
Stay mindful and keep leading,
Lillian
Founder & CEO
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