Ten years ago, if you had asked me where I saw myself in a decade, I might’ve said something impressive: maybe leading a division at a major academic medical center or launching a research initiative to improve pediatric palliative care. I would’ve been sincere—and I would’ve been wrong.

Because ten years ago, I hadn’t yet burned out.

I hadn’t yet questioned everything I thought I wanted.

And I hadn’t yet become a healthcare visionary.

The Dream Job That Broke Me

When I took the job at Dana-Farber, I thought I had made it. It was prestigious, meaningful, full of possibility. It aligned with my training, my goals, my idea of success. I had worked so hard to get to that moment.

But the job that was supposed to be my dream quickly became a slow-motion nightmare.

Looking back, it was a porr fit from the start—too rigid, too institutional, too disconnected from the kind of care I believed in. But I didn’t know how to admit that to myself. I just felt like I was failing. I was exhausted, frustrated, and full of shame.

I would lie awake at night wondering if I had made a terrible mistake… if I had wasted years of training… if I had built my life on the wrong foundation.

That’s the thing about burnout: it doesn’t just drain your energy. It erodes your sense of identity.

Crawling Out of the Forest

There was no magic moment where it all turned around. No one came to save me. I clawed my way back, inch by inch.

I started journaling. Meditating. Listening more closely to myself. I got curious about what actually felt good—what helped, what hurt, what patterns I was repeating.

And I started designing small experiments to feel better. I would block time for things that made me feel like me. I’d notice what gave me energy and what drained it. I practiced saying no. I let myself stop pretending.

I was trained in systems design and quality improvement so I used the skills I had. I tried to palliate myself. I tried many, many therapists. I read books about grief and burnout and eventually I found my way to a yoga mat (out of spite, but that is another story.) I didn’t have a coaching program, a community, or a roadmap to follow. I was fighting for my survival and eventually found some things that worked. 

They say to write the book you wish you could read—and that’s exactly what I did. The Phoenix Blueprint was born from the ashes of my own burnout, the questions I couldn’t stop asking, and the truths I wish someone had told me earlier.

But it didn’t stop with a book.

Every program I create—THRIVE, Spark Your Change, Healthcare Visionary Academy—is a version of the guide I needed but couldn’t find. These aren’t just offerings. They’re maps. They’re letters to my past self. And they’re here for anyone who's trying to find their way back to meaning, clarity, and self-trust in a system that doesn’t make it easy.

Because if I needed it, someone else probably does too.

Thinking Like a Strategist Again

As I got clearer on what helped me heal, I couldn’t stop asking questions.

Why was this job—this dream job—such a terrible fit?
What exactly was missing?
What would an ideal job look like for someone like me?

This is where my training in systems improvement and strategic planning kicked in. I stopped thinking only about how to escape a bad situation, and I started designing the right one.

I mapped out my values. Named my strengths. Clarified what I needed to feel useful, joyful, and at peace. I didn’t want more prestige or productivity. I wanted freedom. Connection. Meaning.

The future vision began to take shape:

• I’d work in the community.
  
  
• I’d set my own schedule.
  
  
• I’d still care for people—but on my terms.
  
  
• I’d run a business that made healthcare feel more human.
  
  

And eventually… I started writing a business plan.

The Visionary Life

Today, I have a mix of work that lights me up. I do hospice work I love, and I coach clinicians, teams, and future changemakers through my business, Recharge Studio.

But more importantly, I know who I am.

I’m a companion. A guide. A wayfinder.

Whether I’m sitting at a deathbed or on a coaching call, my role is the same: to help people walk into the unknown with courage and clarity.

And that’s where the Healthcare Visionary Academy comes in.

What It Means to Be a Healthcare Visionary

Being a healthcare visionary doesn’t mean having a five-year plan or founding a startup. It means seeing farther.

It means being willing to pivot when what you thought you wanted no longer fits.

It means seeing the gift and the opportunity in every challenge—even the ones that nearly broke you.

It means choosing a values-rooted path, even if it’s less well-marked.

It means designing your life and career from the inside out.

Ten years ago, I couldn’t have told you any of this. I was performing the role of a successful clinician. I looked the part. But I was empty. I was lost.

Now I know: that unraveling was the start of my reassembly.

That burnout wasn’t a failure—it was a message.

That job I “shouldn’t have taken” was the teacher that launched me into a better life.

The Maps I Leave Behind

That’s what Recharge Studio is about.

It’s not just a business. It’s a place for people like us—people who care deeply, who work hard, who want to make a difference but don’t want to lose themselves in the process.

We do serious things here—but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We say hard things. We enjoy a little dark humor. We lead with love. And we leave the maps behind for others.

Because once you’ve walked through the fire and found a new path, you don’t gatekeep the trail. You light it up.

Want to Find Your Way?

If you’re reading this and thinking, That sounds like me,—you’re not alone.

If you’re burned out, stuck, or wondering what comes next…

If you’ve outgrown the job you once worked so hard to get…

If you’re starting to dream of something more visionary…

Then I want to personally invite you to join the interest list for Healthcare Visionary Academy—my flagship program for clinicians ready to lead their careers from a place of clarity, creativity, and courage.

We launch this fall. Get on the list now and be the first to hear when enrollment opens.

👉 Join the Interest List Here

Let’s build something better—together.