116. My Brother, The Hero

Jul 6

This is a tribute to my brother, Dr. Christopher, who is getting married! I wanted to talk about heroes in medicine and what makes someone a hero. My husband, Mark, joins me to spill all the good stuff about Chris, we talk about the qualities of a hero, and how you might actually be your own hero!

The Qualities of a Hero

Self-Awareness
Openness
Curiosity
Taking Your Time
Knowing What You Want
Tenacity
Passion
Setting Boundaries

Listen to Episode 116 Here

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The Qualities That Make a Hero

My brother is a hero, so to celebrate his upcoming wedding, I want to talk about all the qualities that make him a hero. First, he is so self-aware, and this means that he is able to make decisions confidently - both personally and professionally.

His inquisitiveness is another quality that makes a hero. I think this is especially beneficial in medicine because it means he’s always asking questions and wanting to get to the root cause of a problem. He has and will continue to diagnose patients because he doesn’t give up.

This leads me to his stubbornness! Being stubborn is often thought of as a negative quality, but in Chris’s case, it’s such a good thing. He’s tenacious and steadfast - and has saved many, many patients' lives!

Being Your Own Hero

We can’t talk about the qualities of Chris the Hero without talking about his openness and neutrality. This non-judgemental approach to life serves heroes and helps to create deeper conversations. Similarly, curiosity allows heroes to ask more questions and explore more.

Something I’ve especially learned from my brother is how to set and maintain good boundaries. Knowing your limits allows you to provide the best service possible. Boundaries are also super important when you’re as close to your family as Chris is!

But what if you don’t have someone in your life who meets those hero qualities? Especially as women in medicine, we don’t often have a role model who does the exact same things that we do. Ladies, this is when you can step up and be your own hero - you are incredible!

Who are your heroes? Tell me about them in the comments below and why they inspire you so much!

In This Episode

How your inquisitiveness is a hero quality [5:00]
How your self-awareness can impact others [6:15]
The power of being open and neutral [7:00]
How your curiosity can make you a hero [7:15]
How stubbornness can actually be a good quality [10:45]
What can happen when you’re close to your family [17:00]
What it means to be your own hero and role model [19:00]

Quotes

“One of the things that stands out for me in terms of a hero is somebody that is strong enough and self-aware enough to know who they are so that they can view others in a really clear light and in a neutral space without judgment.” [6:13]

“He is okay to speak his mind. He does not care what people think about him. He is okay with other people being wrong about him. I think it is what has given such the ability to live such a unique and full life.” [13:46]

“You might be your own hero because you might not have somebody who is doing exactly what you’re trying to do. A lot of times we judge ourselves based on these other heroes we have, but not having a hero that you can replicate off of.” [18:52]