Misguided ideas surface in healthcare settings all the time.

With warmth and loving amusement, we reflect on how these initiatives—often wrapped in corporate optimism—miss the mark. yet don't have to steal our peace.

Brilliantly bad ideas aren't about you and tehy don't have to steal your peace.

They're structural, impersonal, and often just disconnected from the day-to-day reality of clinical life.

We invite you to laugh with us, reflect, and most importantly, not to take them personally.

Pearls of Wisdom:

• Bad ideas often come with good intentions—they're usually more about systemic gaps than personal disrespect.
• You get to choose how much energy to bring to these initiatives—humor and grace are powerful tools.
• "Wellness" programs often miss the mark because they don't reflect the lived reality of those they're meant to support.
• Expecting and accepting mismatched ideas can bring lightness—and maybe even loving amusement.

Reflection Questions:

• What is your favorite "brilliantly bad idea?"

• How might you use humor to help you when the next one comes your way?

Please send us the brilliantly bad ideas you have witnessed. We would love to hear them!

If you're navigating burnout, frustration, or the absurdities of healthcare, we offer coaching, retreats, and workshops to help you find clarity, compassion, and joy again.

Jessie offers 1:1 coaching and mindful retreats designed to bring back peace, purpose, and presence in your work and life.

Learn more at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching and www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats. CME is available for most Pause & Presence offerings.

If you'd like to bring humor, mindfulness, and meaning to your institution or event, we both offer also offer keynotes and workshops. Learn more here:
Jessie Mahoney, MD: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking
Ni-Cheng Liang, MD: www.awakenbreath.org

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.

What if there isn't one right way to do things, but many?

Letting go of being right can open the door to creativity, flexibility, and even liberation.

This episode offers a mindful and compassionate reframe: seeing our approaches as preferences—shaped by our experiences, values, and identities.

Pearls of Wisdom:

• Softening into the idea of preferences fosters collaboration, both in medicine and at home.
• Mindfulness helps us notice when judgment or irritation is a sign of unmet preferences.
• Letting go of the need to be 'right' invites deeper trust, compassion, and innovation.
• Seeing differences as diversity—not wrongness—can transform teams, relationships, and institutions.

Reflection Questions:

• Where in your life are you attached to doing things the "right way"?
• How might it feel to see your way as simply your preference?
• Whose preferences might you be overlooking at work or at home?
• What would it look like to honor your own preferences without needing agreement?
• How might this create more peace and possibility in your relationships?

If you'd like support shifting from perfectionism to preference, or from rigidity to freedom, we would love to work with you. Jessie offers 1:1 mindful coaching and retreat experiences that integrate exactly these insights—visit www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching and www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats to explore upcoming options. End-of-year CME can be available with virtual coaching.

We also speak and teach on these topics to healthcare teams, medical institutions, and professional conferences. To bring this mindful conversation about preferences, teamwork, and connection to your organization, learn more about inviting us to speak:
Jessie Mahoney, MD: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking
Ni-Cheng Liang, MD: www.awakenbreath.org

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.

Peace and joy await when you allow others to make their own decisions, even if you think they are bad decisions.

It is deeply freeing and surprisingly energizing when you stop trying to fix other people.

Pearls of Wisdom:

• Letting go of trying to fix others not giving up—it's trusting others to be on their own journey.

• Trying to manage, fix, or protect everyone is a hidden source of burnout and energy depletion.

• Showing up with "loving amusement" rather than control is a powerful act of mindful compassion.

• The gesture of "hands wide open" brings curiosity, calm, and even play into the present moment.

• Choosing peace often looks like not engaging, not defending, and simply saying: "How interesting."

Reflection Questions:

• Where am I over-functioning in my relationships or at work?

• Where can I release control and choose presence and curiosity instead?

• What might it feel like to meet life with hands wide open?

• What do I notice when I stop managing and fixing?

If this episode resonated with you, explore coaching at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching.

Join an upcoming retreat at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats. They are both beautiful opportunities to cultivate authenticity, presence, and peace.

If you'd like to bring this work to your team, institution, or conference, I would love to speak or lead a workshop. You can reach out through www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking.

Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang is also available for speaking engagements via www.awakenbreath.org.

Thank you for listening and being part of this community.

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.