Send us a text

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast retired orthopedic surgeon and leader, Dr. Richard Barry.

We should all strive to achieve a lightness of being in our everyday relationships. Lightness is a transferable personality and management skill.

The term “lightness of being” refers to the deeper concept of a life lived with openness, humor, and humility. In other words, it’s about living with less attachment (or less heaviness), and more lightness.

In a practical sense, lightness of being means letting go of guilt, resentment, or control to move through life with a freer spirit. Lightness involves connection (whether it’s a patient connection, dealing with hospital staff, or spending time at home with our families). In all these situations, we should strive to be fully present in the present moment.

What steps does Rich suggest we take to shift our mindset from heaviness to lightness of being?

• Step 1 - Reframe seriousness. Life if serious enough. Ask yourself “does this need to be heavy or can I hold it lightly?” Shift the narrative from “I have to” to “I get to” which flips burden into opportunity.
• Step 2 - Look upon impermanence as freedom. Situations, feelings, and identities shift. This change in perspective allows you to loosen your grip.
• Step 3 - Choose small over big. Heaviness often comes from trying to solve everything at once. Break big tasks into smaller tasks that you can celebrate finishing.

Most importantly, PRACTICE your own lightness of being!

BIO

Rich Barry is a retired orthopaedic surgeon living in Northern California. Rich has a somewhat unique background. Prior to medical school and residency, he served as an Air Force C-130 pilot on a combat tour in Vietnam. He returned to the States with an assignment as a T-38 instructor pilot before being selected to attend medical school on an Air Force scholarship. After residency, he served as an Air Force orthopaedic surgeon at Travis AFB, California. After serving in the Air Force, he was in private practice in Davis California for over 20 years. He served as a clinical faculty member for the U.C. Davis Department of Orthopaedics.

Rich is a past-President of the California Orthopaedic Association and a past-Chair of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Board of Councilors. He served on the AAOS’ Board of Directors. He has been honored with the California Orthopaedic Association’s Founders Award and the COA’s 2011 Tipton Leadership Award. Rich and his wife remain active in the Lamplighters Orthopaedic Association, a leadership alumni group of Fellows and their spouses.

Since retirement, Rich has remained active in his community. He served as a physician at a Solano County Health Services inner-city, primary care clinic in Vallejo for several years. He was the Chairman of the Solano County Board of Supervisors Alcohol and Drug Advisory Board. He served as a member of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team for over 5 years.

Rich is a disabled veteran. He is married, and is very proud of their three children, and 4 grandchildren.

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!

Send us a text

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist, Nicholette Kasman, MD, MAPP.

Just as there’s a big difference between the absence of illness and health, there’s a difference between flourishing and simply not suffering. Applied positive psychology is the study of what contributes to flourishing.

It’s a human tendency to have a negativity bias. Although we’re constantly looking to fix ourselves and our problems, our greatest area for growth is to lean into our strengths.

This is all applicable to the lives of physicians. When we strive for excellence, we tend to lean into that negativity bias of trying to fix everything around us. That can lead to people feeling browbeaten. If you instead train someone to look for their own strengths and the strengths in those around them, people start to feel seen and engaged. That is the foundation of psychological safety and exceptional clinical work.

What steps does Nicholette suggest we take to integrate positive psychology into the operating room?

• Step 1 - Develop a vocabulary of strengths. Take a strength survey or use another resource to grow your awareness.
• Step 2 - Start looking for the strengths in other people by noticing what they get excited about.
• Step 3 - Point out those strengths. When you name the strength you see in another person, it makes them feel seen and empowered.

Most importantly, PRACTICE identifying strengths in ourselves and others!

BIO:

Nicholette Kasman, MD, MAPP, is a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesia at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and is a certified coach with additional training as a positive psychology coach. Her work focuses on enhancing well-being, psychological safety, and professional growth in academic medicine. She is a lead author of Team Building Through Positive Psychology Principles in the Pediatric Cardiac Operating Room (NEJM Catalyst) and was recently featured on SurgeonMasters discussing the use of strengths to support thriving in surgery and medicine.

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!

Send us a text

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast Professional Certified Coach, Lynn Bagdasian.

Practicing gratitude can make life so much better. There’s so much chaos and stress in the world around us as physicians. Implementing a gratitude practice into our daily lives releases dopamine and can reduce stress.

When we express gratitude as a habit, we transform everyday routines into rituals. Think about something you do every day, like washing your hands, brushing your teeth, or making coffee. We do these so often that they become routine. But if we incorporate a gratitude practice into those behaviors, they become mindfulness rituals.

What steps does Lynn suggest we take to create a daily gratitude ritual?

• Step 1 - Think of 3 things that you’re grateful for. It doesn’t have to be big things, it can be simple things like running water, or sharing a conversation with your kids.
• Step 2 - Think of a routine habit that you do every day (ex. brushing your teeth or washing your hands).
• Step 3 - Incorporate the three things that you’re grateful for into these three routine daily tasks to form a mindfulness gratitude ritual.

Most importantly, PRACTICE a gratitude ritual for well-being!

BIO:

Lynn Bagdasian is the founder of Lynn Bagdasian Life Coaching, LLC, where she specializes in empowering clients to gain insight & clarity and reach their full potential. She earned her Certified Professional Coach (CPC) credential through the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and holds a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accreditation with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Lynn holds a certification as a Grief Educator from David Kessler+grief.com, and is an iPEC Energy Leadership Master Practitioner.

Lynn serves as a volunteer, training and mentoring Tanzanian Coaches to support the next generation of East African women leaders.

When she's not coaching clients, leading workshops in her community or volunteering, Lynn enjoys spending time with her family & friends, meeting new people and traveling around the world. She is happiest when she is helping others create the life of their dreams.

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!