Solving For Joy

Chrissie Ott, MD
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Through in depth conversations with a wide range of guests, Solving for Joy explores the idea that we are always trying to solve life's equation for maximal joy. We'll discover what constants are actually variables we can change and have a lot of laughs along the way. Dr. Chrissie Ott brings a coaching lens, experience in healthcare, entrepreneurship and creativity to the table. We hope this podcast is a tool for many to reclaim delight in their own personal and professional lives!

  1. 3D AGO

    Who Are You Becoming? Reclaiming Direction and Joy in Academic Medicine with Dr. Stacey Ishman

    Hello, my friend. If you’re in academic medicine and feeling exhausted, unclear, or quietly frustrated despite working hard, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Dr. Stacey Ishman, MD, MPH, a former full professor with more than 20 years in academic medicine who now helps physicians build promotable, meaningful careers without sacrificing their lives. We talk about what happens when effort stops translating into advancement, how invisible work and perfectionism drain energy, and why clarity, values, and intentional choice matter more than simply saying yes. This is a conversation about alignment, identity, and direction — not doing more, but doing what actually moves you forward. In this episode, we explore: Why effort alone doesn’t lead to promotion in academic medicineWhat happens when expectations are unclear and no one teaches you how to vet opportunitiesThe cost of invisible work and perfectionismWhy naming what you want to be known for changes your trajectoryHow values-driven yeses and nos protect both your career and your lifeWhy coaching is support, not remediationA reminder many physicians need: joy is not something to postponeResources & Mentions Charting with Ease (download) https://dr-chrissie-ott.myflodesk.com/gq7zurcgdqThe Art of Saying No guide for clinicians https://dr-chrissie-ott.myflodesk.com/gq7zurcgdqDr. Stacey Ishman: https://medicalmentorcoaching.comStay Connected Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast Website & transcripts: https://www.solvingforjoy.com For Physician Coaches Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.com Physician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

    36 min

  2. JAN 13

    How Language Shapes the Nervous System: NLP, Self-Concept, and Identity

    Hello, my friend. I want to talk with you about language. Not grammar or semantics, but the words we use to describe ourselves, our capacity, and our lives. The phrases we repeat so often they begin to feel like truth, even when they’re really just habits. In this episode, I share some foundational ideas from Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP, through the lens of coaching and lived experience. NLP explores how language, perception, and physiology interact to shape our experience, and how increasing awareness of that interaction gives us more choice and agency. At a time when much feels outside of our control, this conversation is about reclaiming influence where it still exists. Inside your nervous system. Inside your self-talk. Inside the meaning you assign to what’s happening. We talk about how our internal “map” of reality is not the same as the terrain itself. How meaning is assigned, not inherent. And how identity language, especially “I am” statements, can quietly limit possibility. I also share how shifting toward process-based language preserves safety, flexibility, and growth. This isn’t about positive thinking or forcing affirmations you don’t believe. It’s about awareness. About noticing what you’ve been agreeing to. And about gently choosing language that leaves room for who you’re becoming. In this episode, we explore: How language shapes perception, physiology, and experienceWhy “the map is not the territory” matters in everyday lifeHow meaning is created through interpretation, not events themselvesThe hidden cost of identity language and habitual “I am” statementsHow process-based language preserves agency and possibilityWhy change happens best in safety, not shameHow gentle self-correction supports growth without self-criticismThroughout the episode, I offer reflection invitations you can return to in real time or later. You may want to pause, notice the phrases you repeat most about yourself, and experiment with small rewordings. Nothing dramatic. Just subtle shifts that open space. If something in this episode resonates, I’d love to hear from you. You can email us at solvingforjoy@joypointsolutions.com or send a DM on Instagram. Thank you for being here, and for engaging in the quiet, powerful work of noticing how you speak yourself into being. May your words become gentler, truer, and more spacious. XO,Chrissie Resources & Mentions Atomic Habits by James ClearThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel RuizStay Connected Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast Website & transcripts: https://www.solvingforjoy.com For Physician Coaches Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.com Physician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

    17 min

  3. 12/30/2025

    Why Goal-Setting Isn’t Bringing You Joy and What to Do Instead

    Hello, my friend. This end-of-year episode is a little different. It’s just you and me, and I want to offer you a tool rather than a conversation. If you’re approaching the new year feeling tired, reflective, or unsure how to move forward without forcing yourself into another round of goals or resolutions, this episode is for you. Instead of goal-setting, I’m introducing a practice I call End-of-Year Self-Concept Accounting. It’s a structured, compassionate way to take stock of who you’ve been, what you’ve lived through, and who you’ve become over the past year, without judgment and without pressure to “fix” yourself. This isn’t a gratitude list. It’s not a performance review. And it’s not about becoming someone else. It’s about recognizing your growth, reclaiming your value, and intentionally closing the year so you’re not unconsciously carrying it forward. In this episode, I guide you through six reflective “statements,” modeled after financial accounting, that help you reconcile your inner ledger and create a grounded opening balance for the year ahead. In this episode, we explore: Why traditional goal-setting can actually block joy and increase self-criticismHow to create a general ledger of the experiences that shaped you this yearHow to categorize growth assets, learning expenses, and internal investmentsHow to intentionally release beliefs, roles, and obligations that no longer serve youHow to recognize what has truly appreciated within you, even if no one else has measured itHow to assess your current “net worth” in confidence, self-trust, and contributionHow to carry lessons forward as wisdom rather than woundsHow to begin the new year from who you’ve already become, rather than who you think you should beThroughout the episode, I’ll invite you to pause, reflect, and write. You may want a pen and paper nearby, and I encourage you to give yourself protected, uninterrupted time to do this work, even if it’s not all in one sitting. My hope is that this practice helps replace self-criticism with self-recognition, and urgency with clarity. When we take the time to see ourselves accurately, we create a much steadier foundation for joy, ease, and meaningful growth. If this episode resonates with you, I’d love to hear what comes up. You can email us at solvingforjoy@joypointsolutions.com or send a DM on Instagram. Thank you for being here, and for doing the brave, quiet work of becoming more fully yourself. May there be fewer resolutions, more self-trust, and joy that comes from standing in your own earned truth. XO, Chrissie Resources & Mentions Influence Is Your Superpower by Zoe ChanceA thoughtful exploration of influence as an ethical, relational skill. Chrissie mentions this book when reflecting on visibility, leadership, and owning the impact you already have. Stay ConnectedInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmdPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcastWebsite & transcripts: https://www.solvingforjoy.com For Physician CoachesPhysician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.comPhysician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

    31 min

  4. 12/23/2025

    Cultivating Pride: Queer and Trans Joy as Collective Healing with Dr. Anna Larson

    There’s a moment many people are living in right now where the body knows something before the mind catches up. You feel braced. Alert. A little stunned that certain conversations even need to be happening. And while you may technically feel supported in your work or community, safety still feels conditional. That’s where this episode begins. In today’s conversation, I’m joined by Dr. Anna Larson (she/any), a family medicine physician with over 15 years of experience in LGBTQ+ leadership, advocacy, and gender-affirming care. Anna is also a coach and intuitive healer who understands—both personally and professionally—what it means to live, parent, and practice medicine in a climate where identity, autonomy, and care are under scrutiny. As a queer clinician myself, I’m Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her), and Anna and I talk honestly about how political rhetoric doesn’t just live in headlines—it lives in nervous systems. We explore how fear reactivates old survival patterns, why burnout is often a long-held scream rather than a personal failing, and what happens when people are forced to edit themselves in order to belong. Anna shares deeply personal stories, including advocating for her patients and community while breastfeeding her infant—holding tenderness and resistance in the same moment. It’s a powerful reminder that care, joy, and justice are not mutually exclusive. We also spend time talking about trans joy and queer joy—not as performance or bypass, but as embodied truth. Joy as regulation. Joy as resilience. Joy as something that becomes possible when people no longer have to explain, code-switch, or protect themselves in order to be safe. This conversation naturally weaves into the origins of the Cultivate Pride retreat, a space Anna and I are co-creating for trans, queer, and allied people to rest, process, reconnect, and remember who they are when they’re not in survival mode. In this episode, we explore: • The difference between being supported and being truly safe • How political and cultural pressure lands in the body • Why burnout often masks years of suppressed expression • The real impact of disrupted gender-affirming care on patients, families, and clinicians • Trans joy and queer joy as grounding, non-performative, and deeply human • Community as a form of medicine • Advocacy that is sustained by tenderness rather than depletion • What becomes possible when people heal together This episode isn’t about debating identity or ideology. It’s about autonomy. Dignity. Care. And joy. And it’s an invitation to remember: you were never meant to carry all of this alone. Learn more about the Cultivate Pride retreat: https://www.cultivatepride.com Connect with Dr. Anna Larson (she/any): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queerdoc.anna Stay Connected Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast Website & transcripts: https://www.solvingforjoy.com For Physician Coaches Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.com Physician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

    28 min

  5. 12/09/2025

    Menopause, Musculoskeletal Pain, and Running: What You Haven’t Been Told About Joyful Movement with Dr. Michelle Quirk

    So let me tell you a story... A day ago, I sat across from someone who has reshaped the way many women think about running. Not as punishment. Not as performance. Simply as a gentler path back to themselves. That someone is Dr. Michelle Quirk. Michelle is a pediatrician and run coach who talks about movement in a way that softens the nervous system. She offers a kind of grounded wisdom that makes you wonder what might be possible if running felt kinder and more connected. Early in our conversation she said something that caught my attention. There is something called the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause, and when women start estrogen replacement, many of the aches and pains they think are running injuries go away. For so many midlife women, especially physicians, this matters. You are not too old to run. You are not imagining the discomfort. And joy is still available to you. Michelle did not grow up a runner. She began the way many of us do, with limiting beliefs, self-doubt, and memories of forced fitness tests. Everything shifted when she started running slowly, listening to her body, and leaving her headphones at home. Running became a mindfulness practice and even a place where she processed her grief after losing her father. In this episode, Michelle and I talk about: • Why running can be a kind activity rather than a punishing one • The identity myths that keep women from seeing themselves as runners • What perimenopause and menopause change in the body • The often overlooked relationship between hormones and joint pain • How slowing down can make running safer and more joyful • How running supported Michelle through grief • The possibility of redefining athleticism in midlife • What it means to let movement be an invitation instead of a mandate This episode is not about becoming an athlete. It is about reclaiming your relationship with your body and reconnecting with joy, especially in midlife. Michelle brings warmth, clarity, and a deeply human perspective to the idea that movement can be a pathway back to yourself. Connect with Dr. Michelle QuirkWebsite: https://mindful-marathon.com/coachmichellePodcast: https://mindful-marathon.com/podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful.marathon/ Stay Connected Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmdPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcastWebsite and transcripts: https://www.solvingforjoy.com For Physician Coaches Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.comPhysician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

    51 min

  6. 12/03/2025

    The Midlife (W)reckoning: Burnout, Perimenopause, and Perfectionism — and the Case for Joy with Dr. Zarya Rubin

    So let me tell you a story. A few weeks ago at the Physician Coaching Summit, I walked into a room where the energy felt… different. Warm. Bright. Alive in a way you can feel in your chest. And at the center of it was Dr. Zarya Rubin. She’s one of those people who radiates something you can’t fake — joy, yes, but also this grounded wisdom that only comes from having walked through some real fires. I’d already known her work around burnout and midlife wellness, but meeting her in person? Seeing the way she held the room? Hearing her talk about midlife, the nervous system, and the realities we don’t say out loud? I immediately knew we needed to have this conversation. Because here’s the thing Zarya understands better than almost anyone: Midlife is not the beginning of the end. It’s the beginning of finally telling the truth. She’s lived the unraveling — the panic attacks, the autoimmune crash, the sleepless nights, the identity confusion, the “why am I doing everything ‘right’ and still falling apart?” exhaustion.She’s lived the perimenopause plot twists no one prepares you for.She’s lived inside that very specific flavor of perfectionism that looks like competence on the outside and feels like collapse on the inside. And she’s lived the rebuilding, too.The healing.The choosing joy not as a perk, but as a lifeline. In this episode, Zarya and I talk about: The midlife moment where your body becomes louder than your to-do listWhy burnout for high-achieving women can look “functional” until the day it’s notHow perimenopause makes everything you’ve been ignoring impossible to outrunWhat perfectionism was protecting her from — and why it cost her so muchThe surprising thing (hello, tango!) that brought her back into her bodyWhy functional medicine finally helped her make sense of her symptomsAnd the joy practices she returns to again and againThis is not a conversation about “fixing” midlife.It’s a conversation about reclaiming it — your autonomy, your voice, your nervous system, your pleasure, your meaning. Zarya is funny, brilliant, deeply human, and refreshingly honest about what it takes to go from burnout to balance, and from balance to actual joy. If you’ve been navigating your own midlife reckoning (or wreckoning, I promise you’ll exhale hearing this one. Connect with Dr. Zarya Rubin Website: https://www.zaryarubinmd.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaryarubinmdPodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outsmart-burnout-midlife-wellness-for-women-with-dr/id1816580256LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaryarubinmdTEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdg5sbx-Fpc Stay Connected with Me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmdPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcastWebsite + transcripts: https://www.solvingforjoy.com 🎧 Full transcript + more at: https://www.solvingforjoy.com For Physician Coaches Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.comPhysician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net

    54 min

  7. 11/25/2025

    Life After Medicine: Dr. Anne Pendo on Purpose, Presence and The Four Questions Every Physician Should Consider

    If you’ve ever wondered “Who am I when I’m not my role?” or “What comes after medicine?” this is the episode you want in your ears. Today, I sit down with my dear friend Dr. Anne Pendo — internist, former chief wellness officer, certified physician coach, grandmother-with-a-tea-set, and lifelong hope giver — to talk about something we don’t talk about enough: Life… after. After the pager.After the identity.After the decades of being the one people turn to.After the grief that rearranges your entire insides.After the moment when you say, “I can’t keep doing this the way I’ve always done it.” Anne shares how she spent more than 30 years in medicine asking herself four questions: What matters most?Who am I serving?Am I making a difference?And what’s the cost?Those questions stayed with her through leadership, culture change, and personal tragedy.They stayed with her after her son Robbie died.And they stayed with her when she realized she couldn’t “work her way through” that grief — that the only way forward was to feel it fully and trust the helpers around her. And eventually, those same four questions led her toward something new. Not a quitting.Not a losing herself.Not a walking away. But a gentle, honest, deeply intentional choosing of a life after medicine that still holds purpose, connection, presence, and meaning. In this conversation, Anne talks about: What surprised her most when she stepped away from clinical practiceWhy she didn’t miss it — and what that told herHow she learned to rest for the first time since 1975 (yes, really)The moment a Christmas card cracked her heart open and whispered: this is what you want more ofBeing a “warm blanket” presence and why that matters in every kind of healingHow coaching became a natural extension of who she already wasThe tiny joys — bedtime songs, tea parties with Eloise, Olive and Ollie’s therapy dog rounds — that keep her anchored nowAnd what it means to continue your purpose, even when your job title changesThis episode is tender and honest and full of the kind of wisdom that only comes from someone who has truly lived through the dark and still chooses hope — on purpose. If you’re in a season of transition, grief, burnout, or asking yourself what comes next… you’ll feel so seen here. Connect with Dr. Anne Pendo Website: https://www.annependomd.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annependo/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annependomd/ Stay Connected with Chrissie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmdPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcastWebsite: https://www.chrissieottmd.com 🎧 Full transcript + more at: https://www.solvingforjoy.com For Physician Coaches Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.comPhysician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net

    50 min

  8. 11/19/2025

    From Burnout to Pure Joy: How Dr. Kirin Palmer Found Sustenance Through Presence and Coaching

    What do you do when the work you love begins to hollow you out? When you’re showing up for little patients with big needs—and your own family at home—while quietly wondering how long you can keep going? If you’ve ever felt that tension between your vocation and your wellbeing, this conversation is for you. In this episode of Solving for Joy, I sit down with Dr. Kirin Palmer, pediatrician and founder of Pure Joy Pediatrics, to explore what it means to stay human in medicine. Kirin shares openly about navigating burnout, motherhood, and identity, and how receiving coaching gave her something physicians rarely talk about: permission to be supported. In the middle of a season that asked more of her than she had to give, Kirin realized her only way through wasn’t more grit—it was more presence. She began choosing small, grounding practices that tethered her back to herself and back to the joy she built her practice around. What emerged wasn’t balance in the traditional sense. It was sustenance—a way of moving through medicine that centers humanity, connection, and the simple joy of caring for children with her whole, grounded self. Together, we talk about how receiving care reshapes the care you give, why presence matters more than perfection, and how joy can become a compass when everything around you is pulling at your edges. In this episode, you’ll hear: • What burnout looked and felt like for Dr. Kirin Palmer • How coaching supported her through a demanding and vulnerable season • Why presence—not performance—is the foundation of her pediatric practice • How she keeps joy at the center of caring for kids and caring for herself • What “sustenance” means in medicine, and why so many physicians are running on empty • The power of receiving support when you’re usually the one providing it • What helps her stay grounded when her mind starts future-tripping If you’ve been longing for space to breathe, to soften, or to simply come home to yourself in your work, I hope this conversation opens a gentle door back to curiosity, compassion, and a more sustainable kind of joy. More from Dr. Kirin Palmer: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirinpalmermd/Practice IG: https://www.instagram.com/purejoypediatrics/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirin-palmer-md-13476524/Website: https://www.purejoypediatrics.com/ Stay connected with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmdPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcastWebsite: https://www.chrissieottmd.com 🎧 Full transcript and more: https://www.solvingforjoy.com Physician Coaches: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.comhttps://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net

    37 min
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About

Through in depth conversations with a wide range of guests, Solving for Joy explores the idea that we are always trying to solve life's equation for maximal joy. We'll discover what constants are actually variables we can change and have a lot of laughs along the way. Dr. Chrissie Ott brings a coaching lens, experience in healthcare, entrepreneurship and creativity to the table. We hope this podcast is a tool for many to reclaim delight in their own personal and professional lives!

Information

  • Creator
    Chrissie Ott, MD
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Solving For Joy

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