No one is born with a mindfulness practice.  It takes time to discover your needs, to personalize your practice, and to cultivate that practice as you evolve as a mindful person.  Dr. Sima Porten is a skilled urologic cancer surgeon and incorporates mindfulness into her everyday routine.  Both her surgical skills and her mindfulness practice developed over an extended period of time and minor adjustments are continually required to reach the expert levels at which she performs.  In this episode we talk about developing and refining a mindfulness practice as a surgeon – how to incorporate those skills into the operating room, clinical care, and our home lives.  Dr. Porten also recently completed a clinical trial investigating the impact of mindfulness on perioperative outcomes for patients undergoing a major cancer operation.  Her balance and positive attitude are an inspiration to all who know her, and hopefully to all who listen to this episode. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

"Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain." – Vivian Greene Dr. James Harris is a general surgeon and Chair of Surgery at Howard County General Hospital of Johns Hopkins Medicine.  James is an incredible surgeon and role model whose personal story has taken tremendous twists and turns.  Despite the ups and downs, James always finds a way to "dance" and dance well.  He newest endeavor, Doc Health & Fitness (dochealthfitness.com; IG: dochealthandfitness; YouTube: DocHealth & Fitness) combines passions for health, fitness, and well-being with his love for surgery and caring for patients. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

The United States military is among the elite fighting forces in human history.  Fostering a great military starts with fostering great soldiers.  Tanya Ivey-Bloom is a nurse practitioner at the Johns Hopkins Hospital but also the current Commander of the 336th Medical Detachment of the US Army Reserves in Fort Meade Maryland.  We compare and contrast military and civilian medicine, leadership styles, and how the military embraces a mindful approach to training soldiers (and physicians). (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

Negative Feedback can arrive in a variety of forms in surgery including direct feedback from peers or bosses, patient complaints, or complications.  This solo podcast discusses a 4-step process to deal with negativity in our lives. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

Anne M. Suskind, MD, FACS, MS is an Associate Professor of Urology; Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; the Associate Chair of Faculty Affairs and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and the Chief of Neurourology, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery at the University of California San Francisco.  She is an accomplished surgeon scientist and a wonderful human being.  She is strongly interested in faculty and personal development and, in this podcast, discusses the rationale and process of her recent online course "Unlock Your Power."  We discuss her personal background and interests in mindfulness, anthropology, and psychology.  We discuss how discipline and insight are needed to make positive changes in who we are and align our purpose with our passion.  Her course can be found at https://suskina.wixsite.com/unlockyourpower or you can email her at [email protected] if you are interested in learning more. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

Taylor Riall, MD, PhD, FACS is the real deal!  Accomplished academic hepatobiliary surgeon, executive coach, competitive athlete, and a genuine inspiration to all who encounter her.  Dr. Riall was a major inspiration in my (ongoing) path to wellness and the creation of this podcast.  We tackle a lot in this discussion but start with changing surgical culture one surgeon, one inspiration at a time, move to mindfulness and resilience.  "Sitting with the Pieces" refers to the Japanese art of Kintsugi where pottery is intentionally broken and put back together with gold.  The metaphor is incredibly strong - what once was broken can be beautiful and have form.  We are all made of pieces that, when assembled, define who we are. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

Abraham Maslow was an American Psychologist who created a "Hierarchy of Needs" to describe an individual's ability to achieve their full potential - what he called self-actualization.  Achieving "wellness" in one's life is a challenge.  Understanding the framework of Maslow's Hierarchy and how it applies to medicine and surgery may help you climb the pyramid toward self-actualization and your highest potential. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

Paul Maroni is a urologic oncologist at University of Colorado in Denver.  He also runs the American Urological Association course on “Winning the Battle Against Burnout.”  Paul is also an extremely thoughtful and mindful surgeon, physician, and educator.  In this episode of OWZ, we tackle a lot more than burnout.  We discuss extreme ownership of the good and bad that occurs in our surgical practices, we talk about putting successes and failures into perspective, and, in Paul’s own words, we seek to find “joy serving others.”  We would be lying if we said everyday as a surgeon is amazingly positive.  But everyday can be amazing with the right perspective and approach. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

Dr. Casey Seideman is a pediatric urologist at Oregon Health and Sciences University.  A few years ago, Casey never ran a complete mile.  Now she is an outspoken advocate for wellness in the operating room and beyond.  In this podcast we tackle small changes and their ability make big impact, how mental preparation promotes a health surgical community, and how, as a surgeon, you can achieve great things you never thought you could do. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)

Tracy M. Downs, MD, FACS is a Professor of Urology and Chief Diversity & Community Engagement Officer at the University of Virginia.  Tracy is a deeply thoughtful and compassionate surgeon and person.  His approach to life parallels his approach to patient care which parallels his approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  We explore the metaphor of endurance built during distance running to the endurance needed to overcome the struggles of a surgical career and, similarly, the long-term work toward a more inclusive medical community and world.  In addition, the relationships he models with his family parallels the care and compassion with which he approaches his patients, colleagues, and his profession.  Lots to learn from Dr. Downs, enjoy. (Music Credit: Sunshine, Simon Jomphe Lepine.)