In this conversation, I sit down with three physician–psychotherapists—Dr. Elizabeth Parsons, Dr. Risa Adams, and Dr. Robin Beardsley—co-authors of a book that asks us to consider: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way.

We explore Internal Family Systems (IFS), self-energy, and the “U-turn” as practical tools for reclaiming agency, setting boundaries, and softening people-pleasing.

They share how collaboration at the speed of trust helped them write together, and why “all parts are welcome, not all behaviors.”

If you’ve ever felt swallowed by shoulds, this one offers micro-practices of compassion, choice, and connection.

Connect with Risa: https://www.risaadamsmd.com/ 

Connect with Elizabeth: https://www.eparsonsmd.ca/ 

Connect with Robin: https://yourcompassionateself.ca/

Buy their book: https://www.amazon.ca/Doesnt-Have-This-Way-Physicians/dp/B0FMQ4KZ9W

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

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

This week I sit down with Dr. Katherine Raffensperger, a psychiatry resident with an MD/MBA who sees medicine and business as parallel, interwoven paths.

We get into how policy has reshaped mental health care, why leadership and communication should be explicitly taught in training, and what price transparency might mean for real people.

Katherine shares how entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary learning made her a better clinician, plus the practices that keep her grounded through intern year.

If you’ve got a spark outside “the box,” this episode is your permission slip to weave it in.

Connect with Katherine:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-raffensperger/

TikTok: @raffmdmba

Instagram: @raffmdmba

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

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

I sit down with Dr. Adam Stewart—rural Ontario family doc and self-described efficiency nerd—to swap real-world systems for making primary care saner. We dig into EMR hacks, delegation to people and tech, AI scribes, block fees, and the “reset the clock” approach to slashing prescription-renewal chaos. Adam walks through protected time, inbox-zero habits, and why tiny upstream tweaks compound into hours saved. We also peek at how Ontario’s FHO+ might change behavior—and how to optimize without losing our souls (or evenings). 

Connect with Dr Adam Stewart: https://stewartmedicine.com/

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

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

“Good team player” is often code for “do more, say yes, don’t rock the boat.” In this solo episode, I reframe teamwork entirely: the best teammate is rested, resourced, grounded—and only plays games worth winning. I unpack collaboration vs compliance, share a real-life specialist request I partly declined (kindly!), and offer language, mindsets, and boundaries you can use tomorrow.

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

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

In this episode, I sit down with general surgeon, startup advisor, and all-around “human in many hats,” Dr. Duncan Rozario, to talk about purpose, product–market fit in medicine, and why scheduling nothing might be the most sustainable strategy of all. We dig into happiness “proxies” (status, money, likes) vs. the real drivers of meaning, and a humility practice summed up in four words: Could I be wrong? Duncan shares how expanding teams can shorten waitlists while protecting physician wellbeing, and how diversified creative work keeps us curious, generous, and human.

Connect with Duncan: https://www.duncanrozario.com/

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

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

In this episode of The Other Human in the Room, I meet Dr. Ryan Montoya—family physician, graphic novelist, and luggage design consultant—joining us from his current post in Russia. Ryan shares how life as a U.S. diplomat’s spouse has taken him around the world, and how embracing planned transitions has actually buffered him from burnout. Ryan also lets us into his creative world: including creating his own graphic novel and, yes, the story of how he cold-pitched a bespoke artist’s trunk to Goyard and ended up consulting on halo pieces in Paris. This episode is an invitation to dust off your Grade 3 dream and take one next step toward it, whether that’s inside or outside medicine.

Find Ryan: 

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

https://bcphr.org/dr-ryan-montoya/

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

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

When a much-anticipated Nashville trip collided with a looming airline strike, zero sleep, and a nasty URTI, I leaned on a practice that’s changed my life: enjoying my difficulties. In this solo debrief, I walk through two core buckets—changing my relationship to hard things and building my capacity for joy. From buying a backup flight to taking porch-ukulele breaks mid-summit, this is a practical, honest guide to finding delight when plans go sideways. 

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

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

In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Anne Aspler to explore what it really takes to give yourself permission to create, to heal, and to exist as more than just a doctor. We talk about growing up in fundamentalist religion, finding parallels between dogma in faith and medicine, and the courage it takes to step outside of rigid systems. Anne shares her journey of deconversion, her advocacy for survivors of “private violence,” and how creativity—whether singing, writing, or simply giving yourself space—can be a lifeline. This is an episode about reclaiming humanity, breaking free from productivity dogma, and allowing yourself to do what lights you up.

Connect with Anne: 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dr.anneaspler

Website: https://www.anneaspler.com/

LAST CHANCE to book a call with me to register for Creating Space before we begin in October: http://joanchanmd.com/space

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

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

In this episode of The Other Human in the Room, I sit down with Dr Karenna'onwe Karen Hill, a Mohawk Turtle Clan family physician from Six Nations of the Grand River. She shares her remarkable journey into medicine, the concept of two-row medicine—rooted in the Haudenosaunee Two Row Wampum—and how Indigenous and Western healing can travel side by side, guided by peace, power, and a good mind. Together we explore what it means to practice true healing, how colonization has impacted us all, and why bringing our full selves into medicine is essential to reclaiming humanity in healthcare.

Book a call with me to register for Creating Space: http://joanchanmd.com/space

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

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

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Aditya Nellore, a physician and singer who shares how his hardest “failures” became the very doorway into a more authentic life. From failing out of college to going unmatched in the residency match, Aditya opens up about the stigma he faced—and how those painful moments ultimately reconnected him to music and led him into a specialty that values his whole self. Together we talk about medicine, mental health, creativity, and the power of choosing authenticity over perfection.

Connect with Aditya: https://www.instagram.com/drsingsofficial/

Book a call with me to register for Creating Space: http://joanchanmd.com/space

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

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