Fast Talks with Family Docs

Prescriptions and Pages: Medicine, Meaning, and Storytelling with Dr. Ashten Duncan (S3:EP7 TWO)

Family medicine often requires physicians to find the best possible answer when the textbook answer is not accessible to their patients. In Part Two, Dr. Ashten Duncan takes us inside his work at a federally qualified health center, where limited resources, transportation barriers, medication costs, and gaps in specialty care shape everyday decisions. He also discusses leading an antimicrobial stewardship program, the importance of team-based care, and what medical training does not always teach about caring for underserved communities. We close with his advice for physicians who want to explore writing, teaching, research, and service: begin with one meaningful thing and build from there.

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Dr. Ashten Duncan’s experiences in medicine gave him both the perspective and the story he needed to become a writer. In Part One, he shares how he developed writing as a skill alongside his medical training and why storytelling can help physicians communicate in ways that research and clinical expertise alone cannot. We also explore his award-winning novel, Journey of the Broken Vessels, and how the beauty, chaos, moral injury, and loss of identity he witnessed during residency reshaped the story he had been trying to tell for nearly a decade.

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www.fasttalkswithfamilydocs.com

What happens when physicians step beyond the exam room and into the places where policy, strategy, and organizational decisions are made? In Part Two, Dr. Lee Mills takes us behind the scenes of the AAFP Congress of Delegates and explores the growing need for physician involvement in companies, state organizations, health systems, and medical practices. We discuss how clinical training shapes the way physicians approach problem and why effective leadership also requires learning to navigate organizational culture, implementation, budgets, and data. Dr. Mills shares how physicians can develop those skills, contribute to broader leadership roles, and bring an essential voice to the decisions shaping healthcare.

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www.fasttalkswithfamilydocs.com

What makes family physicians uniquely prepared to lead beyond the exam room? Dr. Lee Mills joins us to reflect on a career spanning full-scope patient care, military service, healthcare executive leadership, and organized medicine. We talk about the experiences that shaped his approach to leadership, what he has learned from serving in a variety of roles and practice settings, and why family physicians need a voice wherever healthcare decisions are made.

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Fertility awareness methods can reveal much more than whether a patient is ovulating or trying to conceive. In Part Two, Dr. Alyssa Penick, DO, explains how cycle tracking can help identify concerns such as irregular periods, PMS, insulin resistance, and endometriosis. We also discuss referrals, resources and training available to physicians who want to incorporate fertility awareness methods into patient care, and why helping patients understand what is and is not normal can make such a meaningful difference. 

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Family physicians talk with patients every day about contraception, menstrual cycles, and fertility, but how much do we really know about what the cycle can tell us? Dr. Alyssa Penick, DO, joins us to break down fertility awareness and how tracking the body’s natural biomarkers can offer important clues about reproductive and overall health. We talk about fertility, infertility, hormone tracking, insulin resistance, and why understanding the menstrual cycle can give family physicians another powerful tool for caring for their patients. 

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The 2026 Oklahoma Legislative Session is in the books. Join host Dr. Veer Vedala and OAFP Legislative Consultant Dawn Watson as they recap the biggest wins, key challenges, and what the session means for family medicine in Oklahoma.

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In Part Two, we explore the science and practice of Mindful Self-Compassion. Dr. Schumann explains how these tools move beyond “just giving yourself grace” and can actually reshape physician wellbeing, patient interactions, and clinical behavior. We also discuss therapeutic yoga, coaching techniques, and practical changes any family doctor can start using tomorrow.

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Family medicine physicians spend their careers caring for everyone else — but what happens when they forget how to care for themselves? In Part One, Dr. Sarah-Anne Schumann shares her journey from traditional clinical medicine into mindfulness, therapeutic yoga, and health coaching. We talk about burnout, identity, and why evidence-based mindfulness practices are becoming increasingly important for physicians navigating modern medicine.

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In Part 2, the conversation shifts to emergency medicine, mentorship, and the importance of investing in future healthcare leaders.

We discuss what it’s like practicing emergency medicine within the Cherokee Nation health system, the unique challenges faced by the patient population, and the rewards of serving Native communities. The episode also explores the YMS program, the value of early mentorship, and why creating opportunities for students from underserved backgrounds matters now more than ever.

From immigration medicine to ER care and mentorship, this conversation centers on one common theme: using medicine as a way to serve, empower, and strengthen communities.

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