Thriving in 2026 Pt 1: Reclaiming Fun and Wholeness

Welcome to the first episode of our annual Thriving in the New Year interview series! Every January, I sit down with physician coaches to hear how they're approaching the year ahead—and I always learn something that shifts my own thinking. This year is no different.

I'm joined by three brilliant physician coaches: Dr. Jessie Mahoney (pediatrician and mindfulness coach), Dr. Allison Anderson (cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and relationship mentor), and Dr. Wendy Schofer (pediatrician specializing in eating disorder prevention). We got into words of the year, what it means to feel whole, why satisfaction is so hard for physicians, and how to approach goals in a way that actually feels good.

Jessie shared her words for the year—strategic and focused, wealthy and healthy, brave and bold—and her decision to filter everything through one question: is it fun? Wendy opened up about surviving the hardest year of her life and landing on "whole" as her compass for saying no. And Allison gave us a completely different approach to New Year's intentions: focusing on experiences you want to have and setting monthly themes instead of rigid goals.

We also talked about why working harder backfires in certain areas of life, how we were literally trained not to feel satisfied, and what it means to stop just "plugging holes" and start bringing your whole self to your life.

Featured Guests:

Dr. Jessie Mahoney – Pediatrician and full-time physician coach offering mindful coaching and retreats through Pause and Presence. Find her at jessiemahoneymd.com

Dr. Allison Anderson – Cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and dating/relationship mentor for women physicians. Find her on Instagram @AllisonAndersonCoaching (two L's in Allison)

Dr. Wendy Schofer – Pediatrician specializing in eating disorder prevention through her Family in Focus program for parents. Find her at wendyschofermd.com