Welcome to the very first episode of Stories From the Innkeeper — a new series within Doctor’s Inn centered around personal stories, reflections, and the parts of medicine we don’t always talk about enough.
For our first episode, I’m joined by two of my close friends and classmates, Thomas (Tommy) Pawlowski and Anish Rana, as we reflect on a question that quietly follows many medical students throughout training:
Do you have to sacrifice yourself to succeed?
The three of us matched into our #1 residency programs, pursued research, traveled internationally, stayed connected with family and relationships, and intentionally made space for life outside of medicine. Yet throughout medical school, there was always an unspoken pressure that if you weren’t constantly grinding, suffering, or living in the library, maybe you weren’t doing enough.
In this conversation, we challenge that idea.
We talk about impostor syndrome, the pressure to fit the hyper-Type A mold, balancing travel and research, making money stretch during medical school, wellness beyond institutional checkboxes, relationships, productivity guilt, and learning the art of saying both “yes” and “no.” We also reflect on the moments that mattered most—the memories, friendships, and experiences that never make it onto a CV but ultimately shaped who we became.
This episode is a reminder that medicine doesn’t have to be a four-year gauntlet. You will have difficult seasons. But suffering is not a prerequisite for success.
Because four years later, the moments you remember most usually aren’t the extra hours spent in the library.
They’re the moments where you actually lived.
You can follow Anish on Instagram @ anish_rana and Tommy @tommyp709
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