Michael Douglas! Michael is a 53yo primitive skills teacher, community mentor, and educator. I met him at his Maine Primitive Skills School and have been following his work ever since. We do not discuss the decade-old charge against him: please listen to the intro for further details. During this conversation, we discuss the importance of shared story, how community reverses entropy, and why the sacred question should guide us all.
Continue reading “Michael Douglas On Death – 20191010”Tag: medicine
On parental physicality (or baby chronicles: Part Nine)
To train for parenthood, I would recommend a training regimen of carrying a 15# dumbbell or kettlebell. Varying methods of holding the object, maybe by the handle, cradled against the chest, or even gentle dancing. Doesn’t matter, just keep holding it and don’t put it down.
Carry this object for increasing amounts of time. Maybe start with one accumulated hour of carrying every day. Build up to a few long (30+min) holds in there. Keep that thing close and with you all day.
Continue reading “On parental physicality (or baby chronicles: Part Nine)”On self-care in the time of a newborn (or baby chronicles: Part Six)
Time passes differently when you have a small baby in the home.
Continue reading “On self-care in the time of a newborn (or baby chronicles: Part Six)”On newborn reflections (or baby chronicles: Part Five)
So much has occurred over the past 13 days of life. I could write dozens of 500+word reflections without scrubbing the bottom of the pot for material. However, as a new parent of a newborn, I have neither the energy nor the dedicated time to start such an endeavor. So rather than jumping headlong into one topic, I will list some quick points to broadly cover the gamut of the past two weeks. Also, this better reflects my scatter-brained mind-space.
Continue reading “On newborn reflections (or baby chronicles: Part Five)”On a letter from past self and to future self, once again
Dear Past Eugene,
There is no way to prepare for the changes that you face ahead. The path to now, Current Eugene, is long and circuitous. You write “no two dogs, just a cat and an Andre.” Now, we have one dog, no Andre, and a baby on the way.
Continue reading “On a letter from past self and to future self, once again”
Ashley Caron On Death
Ashley Caron! Ashley is a 36yo Burly human, athlete, and badass mom. I met Ashley through her spouse, Michael, a previous interviewee on the podcast who is equally motivated and inspirational. During this conversation, we discuss the challenges of motherhood at 26 versus 36, the early death of her uncle, and why she wants desserts on her deathbed.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Jim Goodreau On Death
Jim Goodreau! Jim is a 71yo retired vascular surgeon, Air Force brat, and grieving father. I met Jim as a coach for my medical school program, SELECT, and I’ve been itching to sit down with him to dig through his rich and profound life experiences. During this conversation, we discuss his time as a Naval surgeon covering a huge swath of patients, his two strokes, and the immense losses of two of his sons.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
On doubt and interruptions (or 8 days to Step Two)
Practice test on Monday went well. Felt the fatigue as the sixth and seventh hours continued and this reflected in the scores. Test-taking will be as important as test-knowledge.
Continue reading “On doubt and interruptions (or 8 days to Step Two)”
On a return to the grind (or 15 days to Step Two)
This week with Mackenzi, baby, Honey, and Nala has been wonderful. Two humans with two dogs. Both are stinky and very needy, they walk at very different paces, and both love to gnaw on bully sticks. Most importantly, they both love to snuggle.
Continue reading “On a return to the grind (or 15 days to Step Two)”
John Giacalone On Death
John Giacalone! John is a 34yo husband, coach, and observer of patterns. I met John through mutual friends when I tweaked my neck after moving up to PA. Here, he is known as the Mobility Doc and the founder of the Lehigh Valley Barbell Club.
During this conversation, we discuss his vision for the future of both physical medicine and the world at large, speaking with his dying grandfather on the day of his wedding, and why he wants to be the guy that nobody knows.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Ayden LeRoux On Death
Ayden LeRoux! Ayden is a 29yo artist, writer, and BRCA1+ human. I’ve known Ayden since my grade school days where we won a swing dancing competition together and we haven’t spoken for almost half a decade, this interview served a chance to catch up and see where life has taken us. During this conversation, we discuss the intertwining of science and magic to predict her future health, Land Art installations as spirituality, and how a partner changes our plans for death.
I hope you enjoy 🙂
Eric Garza On Death
Eric Garza! Eric Garza is a 41yo professor, hunter, and suicide survivor. I met Eric online through primitive skills and ancestral plant groups, and his podcast A Worldview Apart caught my interest for his unique decolonization perspective. He speaks like a professor and as you’ll learn during this interview, has many diverse interests and skills from bow-making to inner tracking.
During this conversation, we discuss hunting as connection to landscape, pushing ourselves to take the shot and learn the skills, and the near death experience of his suicide attempt.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Kristin Clague Reihman On Death
Kristin Clague Reihman! Kristin is a 47yo physician, healer, and mother. She serves as a coach for students in my medical school program, and that’s how I met her during first year. I’ve been looking forward to this conversation, which we recorded in the room she birthed her fourth child. In this interview, we discuss the death of her mother when she was eighteen, her own near death experience fraught with pain, and how her spirituality is connecting with others.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
On the first trimester (or baby chronicles: Part One)
March 21, 2018
4weeks 5days gestation
We found out on Wednesday, the second week of the Surgical Clerkship. Mackenzi took a urine pregnancy test the day before, but the results were inconclusive. I felt like I knew the weekend prior that she was with child. I didn’t tell her, though.
Continue reading “On the first trimester (or baby chronicles: Part One)”
Caroline Wilson On Death
Caroline Wilson! Caroline is a 19yo college student, positive human, and survivor of a traumatic brain injury. I met Caroline while coaching crew in New Hampshire for Great Bay Rowing, and she served as a right-hand coxswain for the team. During one of our dryland practices, she fell and hit her head on cement. This caused a 2wk-long Elmer Fudd stutter and a long road to recovery. Luckily, she had her grandmother nearby, who underwent chemotherapy at the time.
In this lovely conversation, we discuss the plastic nature of memories especially when you have impaired long-term memory, how a positive reframe of a situation can change your outlook on life, and the nature of social crutches and how they help us function.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
On Death revisited, again
This past December, I put On Death on hiatus. The interview series, released every other week, had been going strong since inception in March 2016. Originally every week, I extended the releases to every other week to better balance the medical student with the interviewer.
[REPOST] Camille Imbo On Death
Camille Imbo! Camille is a 25yo fourth year medical student, an older sister, and a black woman. I met her during a SELECT session this year and the rawness of her laugh put her on my radar. During this conversation, we discuss the importance of names and how they change identity, the politicization of blackness, the inseparable mix of purpose and potential, and the soulmate bond between herself and her grandmother.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
[REPOST] Anna Shon On Death
Anna Shon! Anna is a 57yo mother of two, a devoted Catholic, and a good friend. In this conversation, we talk about the death of her parents and how this influenced her own vision for end of life, her aversion to burials, and her optimism for the future.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Katrina Wachter On Death
Katrina Wachter! Katrina is a 24yo third year medical student, a musician, a second Lieutenant in the US Army, and a Christian. I’ve known her since the very first days of med school as she is my peer pair partner for the SELECT program. She’s an outstanding example of a human and I am so glad to finally bring her to you. During this conversation, we discuss the value of deep breathing and journaling, her encounters with death, and her desires for a family.
I hope you enjoy! 😀
Joel Eisenberg On Death
Joel Eisenberg! Joel is a 25yo third year medical student, a native of Florida, and lover of food. I’ve rotated with Joel throughout medical school and I’m excited to bring him to you. During this conversation, we discuss authenticity, how culinary school is more intense than medical school, and how his mother taught him about death.
I hope you enjoy!
On the other side (or 2 days since Step One)
On Thursday, I slept in Philadelphia with my partner at a small Airbnb near the testing center. On Friday, we sat for Step One and drove home to Coopersburg in a post-test daze. On Saturday, we started our morning to gunfire, a wounded man, and chaos.
Continue reading “On the other side (or 2 days since Step One)”
On the final stretch (or 5 days to Step One)
I feel ready. I feel tired. I feel excited.
Continue reading “On the final stretch (or 5 days to Step One)”
On the move (or 12 days to Step One)
Thursday, Friday
(April 27 – 28)
Packing up the apartment. The beginning of the moving process. I forget how the first 50% of packing equals only 20% of the total amount of work involved.
On delaying the inevitable (or 18 days to Step One)
The new moon is Wednesday and I planned to sit for Step One on Tuesday. Instead, a rough practice exam last weekend shook my confidence and forced re-evaluation. Step is coming, but am I ready?
Continue reading “On delaying the inevitable (or 18 days to Step One)”
On necessary atrophy (or 8 days to Step One)
I want to move. I want to spend the day outside with the glorious Florida spring soaking up the rays of sun before I leave for Pennsylvania. I want to lift the heavy things with my partner. I want to set up my slackline next to my hammock and casually move between the two as I watch the sun trace a path across the sky.
Continue reading “On necessary atrophy (or 8 days to Step One)”
On bitter pills (or 15 days to Step One)
I don’t wanna. I know I need to, but I don’t wanna.
On time dilation (or 22 days to Step One)
I find it hard to believe that I’ve been studying for two weeks. Time seems to move differently during Step Prep. Day after day, each morning I wake up to my alarm, my partner makes coffee, and it feels the same. The morning fugue before I orient myself to the study tasks ahead.
Continue reading “On time dilation (or 22 days to Step One)”
On Wim Hof and Chill (or 29 days to Step One)
7a Wake up: make coffee, poop, stretch, water plants.
9a Begin studying: read a chapter from review texts and complete a block of practice questions.
2p Movement break. Eat food afterwards.
5p Resume studying: more question blocks and review the results.
9p Watch TV and eat.
10p Wind down and lights out.
11p Body in bed and sleep.
Rinse and repeat for twenty-nine more days.
Continue reading “On Wim Hof and Chill (or 29 days to Step One)”
On the change of seasons (or Course Seven: a post-mortem)
Tomorrow is the Vernal Equinox, the moment when day and night balance each other out, the mark of winter’s end and the start of spring. Florida has been expressing spring rebirth for some time with almost every tree pushing out new growth. Up north, in my childhood home of NH or the future home of PA, I know that snows have been freshly laid and the spring renewal is weeks, if not months, away.
Continue reading “On the change of seasons (or Course Seven: a post-mortem)”
Lui Espinosa On Death
Lui Espinosa! Lui is a 31yo second year medical student, a burgeoning philosopher-physician, and a runner. He has stood out among my classmates as a human with lived experiences and earned wisdom. During this conversation, you’ll learn about the death of his grandfather as well as his Portuguese friend Anibal, his setbacks and obstacles while growing up and attaining his education, and his joy of life throughout it all.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
On a minor concussion
27yo male presents 5days post-fall with occipital contact on semi-padded surface and no loss of consciousness.
Waking up on Saturday, I felt a little groggy. Not sure if it was the ice cream binge of black cherry talenti, or the late night of studying combined with a low pressure system rolling through the morning, or the mild brain trauma of Monday finally showing itself.
Meg Scott On Death
Meg Scott! Meg is a 23yo well-rounded second-year medical student, a follower of Christ, and a runner. I’m honored to call this deeply intelligent human my friend and I look forward to keeping tabs on her future career in surgery. In this conversation, we explore her relationship with Christ, how karate and horseback riding can teach you how to teach, and what the death of her close friend’s father taught her about death.
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
On lobsters and uncomfortable messages
While struggling with the new pressures of second year, a friend sent me a video about lobsters and growth. If you are struggling or feeling pressured, I highly recommend the 90sec story. The message of discomfort as a signal for growth has stuck with me. Now, in the final block of second year with a test tomorrow and on the road to Step, I finally feel like I’ve grown into a new shell.
On a tree a day
Monday
Walking outside my apartment with fresh eyes, I realized that this practice would be two-fold: for my eyes and for my limbs. My eyes are drawn to exciting trees with high ledges and interesting branches. Unfortunately, at this stage in my monkey-ing about, my eyes serve up a meal larger than my limbs can process. For these trees near my apartment, well-manicured live oaks with strong limbs at least four feet off the ground, the difficulty seems to lie in the first move. I think to myself, ‘If only I could get to that first branch!’ while grabbing hold of a crook here and placing my bare foot there and ineffectively throwing my weight into the air.
Samson Lu On Death
This week, we listen to Samson Lu‘s responses to our four prompts On Death! He’s an incredibly talented and passionate musician, as well as a MD/MPH student and my doppelganger. His thoughtful discussions on race, music, teaching, and legacies will leave you much to ponder!
I hope you enjoy!
Eugene H Kim 