Truly Balanced: The Midlife Insider

Last week. I received a message from a former patient. I was sitting at my desk between appointments, when the notification popped up. We had not spoken in a while. I opened it and read her words. “It’s too expensive for me right now.” And she could find support cheaper. The old me would have felt a rush of guilt. Tight chest. Racing thoughts. The urge to explain myself or immediately offer a discount. This time, something different happened. I thanked her for telling me. I w

It is the Sunday after Black Friday. For the second year in a row. I did not work in the ER. No back to back shifts. No 3 a.m. traumas. No dragging myself home in the dark and wondering how I would keep this up. This year. I woke up. Laughed with my family. I had dinner and a dance party. Because for years, this was the dream. Not to leave medicine. To practice it on my terms. Concierge style. More time with fewer patients. Women who can text me when something feels off. Call

I didn’t plan to talk about hormones this weekend. But by the end of the conference, five women had pulled me aside. But somehow. Every conversation led there. Friday night, I was eating a salad and chatting with a woman I’d just met. She was in her mid-50s.  Retired and now an entrepreneur And tired. We started talking about menopause. She leaned in and said. “Sister, this stuff is real.” She wasn’t talking about a few hot flashes. How quickly her body had changed on her. Th