“I’m ok” is not ok. In medicine, strength is often a mask — and silence isolates us. Healing begins when we ask for help. We are not our performance or perfection; we are human. Let’s name the struggle, end the myth of invulnerability, and make it safe to be seen and rescued.
Empathy in medicine and leadership isn’t sharing your story — it’s offering presence. People don’t want equivalence; they want to feel seen. Listen with humility, ask with curiosity, and hold space without making it about you. “I’m here” speaks louder than “I know how you feel.”
We talk a lot about fixing healthcare with policies and metrics. But change doesn’t come by force — it comes by longing. Longing for dignity, compassion, and the calling that drew us here. Let’s stop managing the deck and start longing for the sea.
Over lunch we talked about cycling. A week later, he was gone. Physicians have some of the highest suicide rates of any profession, yet silence is still called “professionalism.” This culture is killing us. It’s time we tell the truth — and break the silence.