Have you ever moved through your entire day… only to realize you barely remember it?
You showed up. You rounded. You answered the emails, led the meeting, signed the forms, handled the thing no one else caught — and still, it all blurs together.
You race to pick up the kids. You’re already late. There’s still dinner, and homework, and messages waiting once they’re finally asleep.
And somewhere in there, you might wonder:
Is this it? Is this just what it is now?
As women physicians and leaders, we know how to run a full day. We know how to perform under pressure, to solve problems before anyone else even names them.
But knowing how to go fast is not the same as knowing where to slow down.
Connections, Culture, and Collaboration
You can be highly efficient and still miss the moments that matter most.
Slowing down takes a different kind of wisdom.
Because when we miss the small moments — the quiet nod in the hallway, the shared laugh at the nurses’ station, the pause in a meeting where a real connection forms — we miss what makes the whole thing worth doing.
And often, we miss the investments that pay us back later.
Let’s just re-iterate that again — these investments of time, pay us back later.
In relationships. In trust. In the culture we say we want, but don’t always have time to build.
I remember one day, not so long ago, feeling annoyed with myself for lingering in the hallway. I knew it meant I’d be finishing notes late — again.
I’d just returned from time away… maybe it was a conference, maybe vacation. Honestly, I can’t remember. But I do remember that small moment in the hallway.
I stopped.
I chatted.
I connected — with a nurse, or maybe a consultant, or both.
And what felt like a delay in the moment turned out to be a deposit into the relationships that make everything else smoother.
I didn’t realize it right away, but those small pauses — at the nurses’ station, in a quick chat after a meeting, in the margin of a busy day — were some of the most valuable minutes I spent.
They weren’t inefficiencies. They were investments.
Because later, when I needed a team to rally or a consultant to respond fast, the return was there.
The residents used to joke that I had some kind of superpower — how did I get people to call back so fast?
How did I de-escalate that conflict so easily?
It wasn’t magic.
It was time I had already spent.
It was the trust I had built.
It was the collaboration I had nurtured when no one was watching.
Life is Short. Buy the Boat.
For me, two personal lessons taught me how to really slow down — especially in a system that never does.
First, my dad died young. But people remembered him as someone who “bought the boat.” He didn’t wait to enjoy his life.
He made time for joy, connection, and presence while he was still here.
That stuck with me.
Second, I married someone who sees the world very differently. Born in a country shaped by war and disruption, he learned to value small joys in a way many of us never had to.
He taught me how to savor the ordinary. How to pause. How to be still — without guilt.
These two influences helped me see that leadership isn’t just about moving things forward.
It’s about creating space to notice what’s already here.
To value the people beside us.
To build a culture that doesn’t just survive the day, but reflects the kind of medicine, and life, we actually want to lead.
Slow Down to Lead Well
I know that for many of you listening, joy can feel hard to come by right now.
You’re showing up, day after day, often stretched thin — working in systems that demand more than they give, and still finding ways to serve your patients, your teams, and your families.
You may feel overworked. Undervalued. Disconnected from the parts of this work that once lit you up.
And I get it.
That’s why today’s message is simple:
Slow down.
Not forever. Not for hours you don’t have. But long enough to notice what’s in front of you.
To find a moment that isn’t about output or productivity, but about presence.
Because when we slow down — at the nurses’ station, in a team meeting, in a conversation that’s not strictly “necessary” — we create space for something more meaningful.
- We build trust.
- We create openings for collaboration.
- We make people feel seen.
And when you invest in the people around you, even in small ways, you start to shape the culture. A culture where people feel connected. Where asking for help doesn’t feel like failure, it feels like teamwork.
That’s leadership.
And it starts with you.
Not when the inbox is empty, or when the call schedule lightens.
But right here. Right now. In the small, ordinary moments.
You don’t need to change everything overnight.
Just pause long enough to notice what matters.
And lead from that place.
So, I would like to invite you take a few deep breaths today, and:
1) Reflect on the moments that matter to you.
2) Slow down a step — not to do less, but to lead better.
3) Breathe and remember that presence, not just productivity, is where our real power lies.