Shows / The Other Human in the Room
The Other Human in the Room
A podcast for physicans and other helping professions. Exploring how reconnecting to ourselves as human beings allows us to reclaim our love and satisfaction with medical practice and serve our patients in sustainable and enjoyable ways.
Episodes
- The Other Human in the Room
226. Helpless Helper: Escaping the Drama Triangle
This episode comes to you from the middle of my annual summer sabbatical, where I've been reading romance novels, working with my poetry editor, and thinking a…
- The Other Human in the Room
225. The IFS Recap with Dr. Risa Adams
I sat down again with the wonderful Risa Adams, this time letting go of our usual IFS session format to reflect more openly on what these conversations have…
- The Other Human in the Room
224. Part Time Celebration
This episode dives into the real history of "part-time" and "full-time," where those definitions came from, and why the 40-hour week was invented to protect…
- The Other Human in the Room
BONUS: The Wild Beneath with Dr Kelly Anderson
This week I sat down with my dear friend Dr. Kelly Anderson to talk about her debut novel, The Wild Beneath, WHICH COMES OUT AUGUST 4!!! She shares the…
- The Other Human in the Room
223. The Theatre of Medicine with Alexis Milligan
I met Alexis Milligan at a theater workshop for medical educators and immediately ran up to her afterward and said: can you please come on my podcast? Alexis…
- The Other Human in the Room
222. Joan Explores IFS - Part 5 (Unburdening My Know-it-all Part)
Dr. Risa Adams is back for our fifth and final recorded IFS session together, and is a direct follow up from part 4 where I connect with a part stuck in a…
- The Other Human in the Room
221. Year 4 in Review
It's the four-year anniversary of The Other Human in the Room, and I am reflecting on what's needed to die this past year — in my podcast, my teaching, my…
- The Other Human in the Room
You are invited to Creating Space 2026!
This week is all about inviting you to Create Space with me (Joan) this fall! Listen to the audio version of the Creating Space workshop, which includes a…
- The Other Human in the Room
220. Teaching with Your Humanity with Dr. Laura Vater
Dr. Laura Vater is a medical oncologist, writer, and advocate for clinician humanity. In this conversation, we go deep on what it actually looks like to…
- The Other Human in the Room
Joan Explores IFS - Part 4 (Connecting with Grade 4 Joan)
Dr. Risa Adams is back for our fourth recorded IFS session together, and this one goes somewhere I didn't expect: deep into a nine-year-old version of me who…
- The Other Human in the Room
218. Introspective Spaces with Dr. Anu Gorukanti and Laura Holford, RN
What happens when a nurse and a pediatrician decide that the antidote to moral distress might be poetry, circles, and the Artist's Way? In this episode, I sit…
- The Other Human in the Room
217. Fair Play at Home & Work with Alison Jamison
What do dirty dishes and a miscategorized inbox task have in common? More than you'd think. In this episode, I sit down with Alison Jamison — coach for women…
- The Other Human in the Room
216. Being Selfish (Retreat Recap)
This one was recorded on a window ledge at the Millcroft Inn, still wrapped in the softest robe, fresh off my second annual Creating Space retreat with eight…
- The Other Human in the Room
215. Joan Explores IFS - Part 3 (Fear of Being Wrong)
Dr. Risa Adams returns to help me explore something that's been loudly alive for me lately: the fear and vulnerability that comes with stepping into a new…
- The Other Human in the Room
214. Humanizing Medical Education - Part 2
In this episode, I'm sharing the second part of my journey finding humanity as a medical educator, focusing on three practical workflow challenges I've been…
- The Other Human in the Room
213. A Deeper Well with Dr Alysha Mackenzie-Feder
In this deeply nourishing conversation, I sit down with Dr. Alysha Mackenzie-Feder, a pediatrician from Kelowna, BC, to explore the critical difference between…
- The Other Human in the Room
212. Humanizing Medical Education - Part 1
In this solo episode, I'm sharing three major "inhuman stories" that have been haunting me as I've stepped deeper into medical education as a preceptor and…
- The Other Human in the Room
211. Real Talk with 2 Ontario Family Docs
In this conversation, I reconnect with Dr. Caitlin Christie, a fellow family physician and coach practicing in Ontario, to share what we're actually doing on…
- The Other Human in the Room
210. Joan Explores IFS - Part 2
In this follow-up session with my friend and IFS therapist Dr Risa Adams, I explore my complicated relationship with anger—an emotion I've spent most of my…
- The Other Human in the Room
209. Being Replaceable
In this episode, I explore the powerful idea of being replaceable in our work. Drawing from personal experiences, I discuss how accepting this truth can…
- The Other Human in the Room
208. Opening My Teenage Time Capsule
It’s my 40th birthday! (Or rather it WAS my birthday at the time of recording this episode) I take the day off clinic, let myself have a truly delicious day…
- The Other Human in the Room
207. Timely, Not Urgent (A Healing Human Idea)
This week’s episode is a little different. Instead of my usual stream of consciousness conversation that expands on an idea in every direction, I wanted to…
- The Other Human in the Room
206. Joan Explores IFS - Part 1
In this episode, I invited Dr Risa Adams back for a recorded “mini session” using Internal Family Systems, because I wanted to share what it can look like to…
- The Other Human in the Room
205. What's In Your Garden?
In this solo episode, I’m sharing what my three-month podcast pause is teaching me about productivity—specifically, why “more” isn’t the goal. Using a simple…
- The Other Human in the Room
BONUS: FHO+ Thoughts - March 2026 edition!
A real-time recording from The Only Human in the Van, in which I react to the funding changes coming next month for myself and many other family physicians in…
- The Other Human in the Room
204. Crazy Busy Doctor Wisdom with Dr John Crosby
In this episode, I’m talking with local legend Dr. John Crosby—a 78-year-old family doctor in Cambridge who’s spent 50+ years learning (and teaching) how to…
- The Other Human in the Room
203. On Feeling Lazy
After a three-month pause, I’m back with a brand new episode—and it’s about a word I want to destroy: lazy. In the middle of a stomach bug, I noticed how…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 119. The Messy Middle
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 111. In Praise of Mediocrity
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 73. Patient Manuals
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 114. Hosipicing Modernity with Vanessa Andreotti
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 61. The Pain of People Pleasing
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 48. Guidelines Legalism
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 46. Managing Conflict Well
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 50. HHC - How Embodiment Can Change Our Experience and Practice of Medicine - Dr Hillary McBride
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 39. Illness Anxiety
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 37. What to Do When You Make a Mistake
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
FROM THE VAULT: 26. Medical Expert Pressure
The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus! For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases…
- The Other Human in the Room
202. How to Stop Hiding Your Magic with Dr Carlos Yu
In this episode, I sit down with Dr Carlos Yu, a self-described “odd” family doctor who has spent 35+ years quietly rewriting what it means to practice…
- The Other Human in the Room
201. Share the Load, Save the System with Dr. Joyce Cheung & Angelique Bernabe
I’m joined by Dr Joyce Cheung (family/palliative MD) and Ange Bernabe (PhD, economist) to talk about Locvm—an Ontario-born, physician-designed platform making…
- The Other Human in the Room
200. The Power of Pause
In this solo episode, I name the yellow flags that told me I’d crept past capacity—and why my body’s honest answer was to pause. I walk through the dopamine of…
- The Other Human in the Room
199. Right to Accommodation with Dr Michael Quon
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Quon, a general internist and disability-inclusion advocate, to talk candidly about returning to work with…
- The Other Human in the Room
198. The Hidden Costs of Altruism with Dr Dimitrios Tsatiris
In this episode, I sit down with psychiatrist and physician-wellness advocate Dr. Dimitrios Tsatiris to unpack why the traits medicine rewards—achievement…
- The Other Human in the Room
197. It Doesn't Have to Be This Way with Drs. Risa Adams, Elizabeth Parsons, Robin Beardsley
In this conversation, I sit down with three physician–psychotherapists—Dr. Elizabeth Parsons, Dr. Risa Adams, and Dr. Robin Beardsley—co-authors of a book that…
- The Other Human in the Room
196. Weaving All of Your Sparks into Your Medical Career with Dr Katherine Raffensperger
This week I sit down with Dr. Katherine Raffensperger, a psychiatry resident with an MD/MBA who sees medicine and business as parallel, interwoven paths.We get…
- The Other Human in the Room
195. From Overwhelm to Efficiency with Dr. Adam Stewart
I sit down with Dr. Adam Stewart—rural Ontario family doc and self-described efficiency nerd—to swap real-world systems for making primary care saner. We dig…
- The Other Human in the Room
194. Being a Good Team Player
“Good team player” is often code for “do more, say yes, don’t rock the boat.” In this solo episode, I reframe teamwork entirely: the best teammate is rested…
- The Other Human in the Room
193. The Case for Scheduling Nothing with Dr. Duncan Rozario
In this episode, I sit down with general surgeon, startup advisor, and all-around “human in many hats,” Dr. Duncan Rozario, to talk about purpose…
- The Other Human in the Room
192. Living Your Childhood Dreams with Dr. Ryan Montoya
In this episode of The Other Human in the Room, I meet Dr. Ryan Montoya—family physician, graphic novelist, and luggage design consultant—joining us from his…
- The Other Human in the Room
191. Enjoy Your Difficulties—Lessons from Nashville
When a much-anticipated Nashville trip collided with a looming airline strike, zero sleep, and a nasty URTI, I leaned on a practice that’s changed my life…
- The Other Human in the Room
190. Give Yourself Permission with Dr. Anne Aspler
In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Anne Aspler to explore what it really takes to give yourself permission to create, to heal, and to exist as more than…
- The Other Human in the Room
189. Two Row Medicine with Dr. Karenna'onwe Karen Hill
In this episode of The Other Human in the Room, I sit down with Dr Karenna'onwe Karen Hill, a Mohawk Turtle Clan family physician from Six Nations of the Grand…
- The Other Human in the Room
188. Rediscovering Your Authentic Voice with Dr. Aditya Nellore
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Aditya Nellore, a physician and singer who shares how his hardest “failures” became the very doorway into a more authentic…
- The Other Human in the Room
187. Pick Your Challenge
In this short summer episode, I share why the real power is in choosing the hard that aligns with your values. From charting to patient scheduling to new…
- The Other Human in the Room
186. From Burnout to Coherence with Dr. Mitch Abrams
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Mitchell Abrams, a radiologist whose personal health crisis and journey through burnout led him on a path of deep…
- The Other Human in the Room
185. Medical Misinformation with Dr Kim Bretz ND
In this episode, I sit down with naturopath Kim Bretz to talk about one of the thorniest issues in healthcare today: medical misinformation. We explore what it…
- The Other Human in the Room
184. Medical Storytelling on Youtube with Dr Andy Nguyen
In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Andy Nguyen to explore where healthcare and creativity meet. We talk about the power of storytelling in medicine…
- The Other Human in the Room
183. Facts vs Story: Interpreting the new FHO+ Model
In this episode, I dive into the upcoming changes to the FHO funding model for family physicians in Ontario and explore how we respond to changes in ways that…
- The Other Human in the Room
182. From Medicine to Memoirs and TV Scripts with Dr Tony Chin-Quee
In this episode, I speak with Tony Chin-Quee, an otolaryngologist turned writer, about his journey from medicine to storytelling. We talk about the challenges…
- The Other Human in the Room
181. ADHD in Healthcare with Melissa Beacom, OT and Tara Embrey, OT
In this conversation, I speak with Tara and Melissa, two brilliant occupational therapists who open up about the challenges faced by healthcare…