Cress Talk

10/21/2020

Conversation Starter Guide

“What are you doing this weekend?”, “What were the high and low points of your day?”, and “Working on anything exciting lately?”, if any of these questions got you thinking, then you are in luck! Sometimes in life we all find ourselves in an awkward situation where we just do not know what to say! In this episode, Jamie, Jamie, and Chloe discuss a list put out by Science of People describing 57 ways of starting and maintaining a meaningful conversation. They discuss their opinions about a variety of options, and offer insight on how it will affect your conversation.
09/30/2020

The Shift From In-Person to Online - Telehealth & Tele-education

Have you ever wondered how the advent of Telehealth and Tele-education is affecting people worldwide? Is it true that telehealth can be just as effective as in-person visits? With the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of life has been moved online, ranging from doctor’s appointments, therapy appointments, school, and almost any social event that you can imagine. Join your hosts as they analyze how the rise of telehealth and distance learning can affect us and our outcomes surrounding improvement. In this episode, they talk about different studies conducted in the past and their results as well as their own personal experiences with online life. The pros and cons are discussed for you to form your own thoughts on how this digital age impacts the many aspects of your life.
09/14/2020

Lenox Hill Episodes 7 & 8

In many medical television shows, there is often an unrealistic portrayal of what it is like to be a physician in a hospital. The new Netflix series Lenox Hill follows four doctors in the fields of neurosurgery, emergency medicine, and OB/GYN as they strive to deliver the best healthcare for the patients while juggling their own personal lives. Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie as they go through the last two episodes, “Pain” and “Full Circle.” Your hosts comment on the personal and professional lives of each doctor and reflect on what it takes to build a successful hospital with a reliable team. Lenox Hill shows a wide spectrum of the doctors’ lives from having difficult conversations with cancer patients, facing unfavorable outcomes post-surgery, to making complex family decisions with a spouse - you can even say this show is “too real,” but that’s exactly what we need.
08/23/2020

Lenox Hill Episodes 5 & 6

In many medical television shows, there is often an unrealistic portrayal of what it is like to be a physician in a hospital. The new Netflix series Lenox Hill follows four doctors in the fields of neurosurgery, emergency medicine, and OB/GYN as they strive to deliver the best healthcare for the patients while juggling their own personal lives. Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie as they go through the fifth and sixth episodes, “Undercurrents” and “Night of the Dead.” Your hosts comment on the personal and professional lives of each doctor and reflect on what it takes to build a successful hospital with a reliable team. Lenox Hill shows a wide spectrum of the doctors’ lives from having difficult conversations with cancer patients, facing unfavorable outcomes post-surgery, to making complex family decisions with a spouse - you can even say this show is “too real,” but that’s exactly what we need.
08/10/2020

Lenox Hill Episodes 3 & 4

In many medical television shows, there is often an unrealistic portrayal of what it is like to be a physician in a hospital. The new Netflix series Lenox Hill follows four doctors in the fields of neurosurgery, emergency medicine, and OB/GYN as they strive to deliver the best healthcare for the patients while juggling their own personal lives. Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie as they go through the third and fourth episodes, “Birth” and “Together.” Your hosts comment on the personal and professional lives of each doctor and reflect on what it takes to build a successful hospital with a reliable team. Lenox Hill shows a wide spectrum of the doctors’ lives from having difficult conversations with cancer patients, facing unfavorable outcomes post-surgery, to making complex family decisions with a spouse - you can even say this show is “too real,” but that’s exactly what we need.
07/27/2020

Lenox Hill Episodes 1 & 2

In many medical television shows, there is often an unrealistic portrayal of what it is like to be a physician in a hospital. The new Netflix series Lenox Hill follows four doctors in the fields of neurosurgery, emergency medicine, and OB/GYN as they strive to deliver the best healthcare for patients while juggling their own personal lives. Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie as they go through the first two episodes, “Growth Hurts” and “The Barrier.” Your hosts comment on the personal and professional lives of each doctor and reflect on what it takes to build a successful hospital with a reliable team. Lenox Hill displays a wide spectrum of the doctors’ lives from having difficult conversations with cancer patients, facing unfavorable outcomes post-surgery, to making complex family decisions - you can even say this show is “too real,” but that's what makes it phenomenal.
07/10/2020

Cress Chat - Stress Culture & Fetishizing Productivity

Ever feel that if you're not stressed, then that must mean you’re not working hard enough? Ever feel as though you just aren’t doing as much as your peers? Ever feel guilty when allowing yourself to take a break? Look no further. In this week’s Cress Chat episode, Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie discuss how in today’s society, productivity is idolized to an unhealthy extreme, creating a world of stress culture. Learn how to look past the constant buzz of “who is doing the most” and focus on yourself and what is beneficial for you. Your hosts discuss their personal experiences and battles with stress and productivity and how they overcome it.
07/02/2020

Cress Recs - My Beautiful Broken Brain & When Breath Becomes Air

Welcome to the first episode of our new segment, Cress Recs! A series in which we give you our recommendations of books, films, activities, and much more. In this week’s episode, Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie discuss a documentary as well as a book they highly praise. “My Beautiful Broken Brain” by Lotje Sodderland is a documentary about a young woman’s journey to recovery following a stroke. The hosts discuss an overall synopsis of the documentary as well as their commentary on why they think it was an eye-opening watch for them. Paul Kalanithi’s memoir, “When Breath Becomes Air” is written by a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer - he writes about about his experiences of going from a physician who treated to a patient who needed treating. Your hosts discuss at length how his thought-provoking and deeply moving words can change the life of anyone who reads his story.
06/20/2020

How Do We Break Bad Habits?

Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” While there are many great habits that can be acquired, there are plenty of bad ones, too. Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie in addressing how to break these bad habits and examine habits that successful people try to avoid. The bad habits that we repeat on a daily basis contribute to shaping our mental and physical health. Habits play a tremendous role in our lives, often more than we want to admit. Are these habits ultimately helping you build your success, or tearing it down? In this episode, we discuss the biology of habits, and explore the idea of not only getting rid of your bad habits, but replacing them with good ones.
06/12/2020

Habits of Successful People

Our habits define the processes and procedures that make up our everyday lives. Have you ever wondered what good habits you can implement in your life to increase productivity and success? Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie in discussing the habits of successful people. We chose specific habits from entrepreneurs, CEOs, and other leaders about how they go about their day while maintaining their efficiency, some of which may surprise you! From waking up early to investing your time in learning about other subjects, we cover it all in this episode. “When we invest our time in anything, it is lost forever,” which is why we bring you these tips on how to stay effective in having a rewarding, worthwhile day.
05/30/2020

From Shooting Hoops to Saving Lives - Conversation with Dr. Niki Williams

"I never miss a shift in medicine so I don't know why I don't invest in my physical and emotional wellbeing," says emergency medicine physician Dr. Niki Williams, DO. Williams shares about her untraditional journey into medicine: from being a professional basketball player to a physician, it's evident that she has experience with two different, yet similar playing fields. Williams talks about how her skills and mindset as an athlete has translated over to her life in medicine - from keeping her "game day" routines to implementing skills as a team leader, she reveals how the ER is no different than playing on the court - everyone works together as a team. She addresses the surge of burnout and healthcare worker trauma amongst our healers, and discusses the need and urgency of not only acknowledging this issue, but actually implementing a solution. “We are having a discussion about mental health, being resilient, and real issues that need to be addressed,” says Williams. Join the conversation to learn more about Williams and her insights based on her life experiences, both on and off the court.
05/18/2020

Cress Chat - Not Social, but Physical Distancing

As you sit inside your homes quarantined, do you feel like the world is spiraling beyond your control? Introducing a new segment called Cress Chat, where your hosts Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie have casual conversations, share about their lives, and have honest advice-giving sessions. In this first episode of Cress Chat, your hosts explore how quarantine impacts wellbeing and how to guide yourself through it. They open up about their unique situations during this pandemic and what they do to understand their emotions and anxiety to take control of it. This episode explores the psychological effects of quarantine and how you can practice physical distancing while remaining social. Join the conversation as they help you identify signs and symptoms of emotional distress, as well as provide some good news to remind you that everything is going to be okay.
05/06/2020

Emerging Racism

“Belonging is conditional,” says John Cho, an Asian American actor in light of the recent increase in racist attacks against Asians during the COVID-19 outbreak. In the second episode of our series on COVID-19, Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie dive deep into the atrocities that are happening against Asians all around the world as people reach for a scapegoat to blame for the outbreak of the virus. They analyze what is fueling these racist beliefs and discuss how we can work together to stop the hate and stigma around Asians during these unprecedented times. Your hosts open up about their personal experiences with racism and unpack their thoughts as well as lessons learned from such encounters.
05/04/2020

Conversation with Dr. Laura Falkowski

"Some of my colleagues say that once this is over, that's it. They're done with medicine, and they're going to do something else." In the first episode of our series on the coronavirus, we sit down with Dr. Laura Falkowski, whose experiences in OB/GYN provide a unique perspective of healthcare in the era of COVID-19. Dr. Falkowski explains current changes that had to be implemented due to the overflow of patients in hospitals: mothers now must spend a lot of their time in labor alone, and after delivery, are transferred to off-site locations in order to provide beds for COVID-19 patients. Changes that are not ideal, but necessary to reduce risk for mothers, infants, and medical staff. "I discussed with my family my wishes if something were to happen to me. Morbid, but it's not if I'm going to be exposed to it - I am exposed to it." In addition to changes in tactics enforced by hospitals, Dr. Falkowski also provides insight on how healthcare workers on the front lines are coping with these tumultuous times. "You wake up and think 'Oh my gosh, the sun's out! - oh wait, the pandemic."
05/03/2020

Community - Are You Missing Out?

Ever feel like you're the only exception, and no one else will understand? You might want to try finding a community of like-minded people. Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie as they discuss the benefits of surrounding yourself with people who are going through similar lifestyles and struggles as you are. They talk about how community can serve to alleviate any feelings of mental stress and isolation to nurture your overall wellbeing.
03/30/2020

Imposter Syndrome - Feel like a Fraud?

Have you ever accomplished something great, like land a dream job or promotion? How did it feel? Great and exciting? Or did that high last a few seconds until the fear of having your cover blown takes over and you convince yourself it was just luck? If this resonates with you, and you didn't already know it, you are experiencing imposter syndrome. Join Chloe, Jamie, and Jamie as they analyze this syndrome that is characterized by constant feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, despite evident success. They also dive into what causes this mentality, how to identify if you have it, and how to counter it. Through sharing personal anecdotes and life experiences, your hosts also have some fun in discovering what types of imposters they are, because yes - there are types, which was one of many fascinating discoveries made during this conversation.
03/22/2020

Why Cress? A Word from the Creator

“I didn’t have anyone to resonate with. There was no one I could go to for that support that thinking back, is so crucial, and I know this experience isn’t unique to myself,” says Michael Lai. As co-founder and CEO of Cress Health, Lai believes that the power of personalized peer-to-peer communities is understated in its ability to curate personal wellness for those who feel isolated, believing the lies that say their struggles are unique only to them. We discuss how introducing you to a community of like-minded individuals provides safety in sharing and healing - because they can understand you in ways others can’t. Lai shares components of the Cress application that would restructure the way people gain support, internally and externally.
03/15/2020

Intro

For Cress Talk's inaugural podcast, get to know the hosts as they introduce themselves and give a glimpse of the exciting content that's in store.