So, it’s officially fall. 

I don’t have any pumpkins, and I think that famed pumpkin spiced latte is overly sweet and doesn’t taste enough like pumpkin.

 But I am wearing sweaters! It was 38 degrees Fahrenheit here in Connecticut this morning.

It’s time to put away the sundresses and shorts.

I’m counting on Kim Hancher to help me pick the cutest, comfiest, chic-est sweaters for this season. Not to mention pants and skirts! (I’m really craving tulle!)

Meanwhile, I’m switching up my skin care routine.

Gone is the hot, humid weather. Here come the cooler, dryer days!

Here are a few of my favorites right now (my choices are always from the leaders in clean beauty because I want skincare that actually cares):

First, hydration!

Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion adapts (hence, the name) to your skin’s needs throughout the day. With coconut oil and hyaluronic acid (a natural moisturizer found in your skin), this lightweight formula is all about keeping your skin looking fresh. 

N...

What’s standing between you and what you want for your health?

When I’m first getting to know a woman in my community, in one way or another, I always ask this question.

And I almost always get responses like these:

• “How are you able to [find the time?]”

• “I can’t get anything accomplished.”

• “I feel like I have to entertain [my kids] at all times.”

Then, I get to help her understand that thoughts like these - not her partner or her children - are holding her back from the happy, healthy life of her dreams.

Let’s allow that to sink in for a bit. (You might even want to read it again.)

You will have days when it seems nearly impossible to carve out time for yourself, but you get to prioritize your physical, mental and emotional care even when your life presents you with challenges. Because it will. That’s life.

May I share a story of “one of those days” that I had recently?

My sons and I were in the middle of our 8 AM movement practice at 8 AM. (This has been...

I used to perform weight loss surgery.

Did you know that?

It’s true!

As you more likely know, I’m a vascular surgeon. But the road to vascular surgery includes training in general surgery. And weight loss surgery is a huge program at NYU where I began my training. 

During my time there, the LapBand was having its moment. We placed dozens each week. We performed other surgeries too - like the gastric bypass - but the LapBand was definitely a fave.

It was most often a short, straight-forward, effective surgery. You know that arcade game where you manipulate a mechanical arm inside a plastic box in order to grasp one of the cheapest stuffed animals you’ve ever seen with a mechanical hand? You know … the game that seems like a total scam?

Well, that’s kinda what it’s like to place a LapBand! While the patient slept, I would stand at the foot of the operating table while the attending physician would stand to the left of the patient. With a laparoscopic tool in each hand, I would tunn...

“Practice self-care,” they say. 

But how?

“Self-care everyday,” they say.

But really?! When?

Now, these questions assume that you already understand the value of self-care ... the importance of taking care of you. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually.

So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get tactical.

You want a self-care practice. Duh … That’s not where you’re getting stuck. If you’re anything like my clients and the former version of me, you’re getting stuck at the implementation phase. 

So, I’m putting a stake in the ground. If you’re craving self-care and you're struggling to get it, you need boundaries, my friend. 

How do I know? Well, because smart, capable women like you are telling me in their own words. But, more than that, I know because, once upon a time, I had to take a crash course in setting boundaries too.

One fateful Saturday I missed my 8 AM spin class at my neighborhood studio (clearly, this was ages ago). And it was a turning point ...

The holiday season is truly magical. In fact, it’s my favorite. But it can be a real challenge to your personal care.

You want to make a serious impact in your career; so, you’re pushing hard for a strong close to the 4th quarter. You’re going to all the holiday parties, drinking all the signature cocktails and sampling all the holiday cookies.

You also want to make a significant impact in your family. You’re pouring extra special attention into creating memorable holiday celebrations for your loved ones. You’re visiting, and shopping, and wrapping, and carroling.

Replenish Your Energy

And therein lies the issue - you're so focused on giving your Energy away that you are less focused on replenishing your Energy. And the holiday season is over two months long. So, this inattention to your self-care tends to last at least as long.  

Until … you guessed it! New Year New You! And then you're seduced and coerced into taking massive action like a detox or a diet or a new gym membership ...

During my surgery training at NYU, I had the opportunity to help a young woman take a big, brave step toward saving her life.

It was 2008. I was 28 years old and so was my new patient.

I met her in an area of NYU Langone Medical Center that we called Day Surgery. It was a wing of the hospital that was bright and spacious (unlike the vast majority of the Center). The staff was friendly and light-hearted. And we residents loved the rotation.

Patients came in from home. They were mostly healthy and were either having an elective (as in optional) operation or a brief and straight-forward one. The vast majority of these patients went home on the day of surgery. Hence, it was called Day Surgery. 

Day Surgery was full of breast surgery - breast reductions and breast implants but also biopsies, lumpectomies and mastectomies. 

The first case of the day is at 7:30 AM and I met my 28 year-old patient just before the operating room was ready. Before walking into her pre-op room, I read her ch...

Here are a few things I know about you:

• You don’t just do things. You do things well.
• You’re energized by putting all your effort into something.
• You’re excited by learning, growing and improving.

And you feel that way at home and at work. So, one day … you got yourself a Pinterest account.

In the completely unlikely event that you don’t have a Pinterest account, here’s a little primer. Pinterest is a search engine, much like Google, that was created in 2010. Users post “pins” or images to their online board. The pins are often linked to websites that offer more information. For example, if you search “fall meals healthy,” you’ll get thousands of image-based results like this:

It’s got a little of a social media element because you can comment on and save pins. You can also follow your favorite pinners so that you’re notified about what they’re pinning. When you open Pinterest, a curated set of pins will greet you and keep you engaged and scrolling for hours.

Cool, right?...

Steve Jobs changed my life.

You may be thinking, well, duh … he changed the world by co-founding Apple. And you would be 100% correct.

But, truly, he changed my life. And he did it post-mortem like many great thinkers do.

Just about one year ago, I found this Steve Jobs quote:

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been, ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” - Steve Jobs

And reading these words from his monumental Stanford University 2005 commencement speech kinda rocked my world. 

At the time, I was 38 (I’m 39 now). I was (and still am) a wife, mom of three, and a vascular surgeon. And while I am a wife and a mom, 24/7, being a vascular surgeon dominated the vast majority of my waking hours. And those waking hours seemed less and less fulfilling.

I found myself pausing longer and longer b...

Summer is - hands down - my favorite season. So, I’ve been lamenting the end of summer for weeks. In the Northeast, the summer break is often extended until after the Labor Day holiday. That just allows me to be in denial about the start of school for a little bit longer.

But, in late August, I had to face the music. I had uniforms and folders and water bottles to buy. And I had schedules to plan and calendars to synchronize.  The flurry of back-to-school activity made it pretty hard to ignore that September was coming. Well, that and that pumpkin spice latte that just won’t go away. And now September is here! 

If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, you may have realized that I really embrace new seasons. In January, my blog post focused on making your New Year’s resolution a habit. You can find that post here.  On July 1st, I offered The Real Summer Reset in celebration of doing a mid-year follow-up for your 2019 goals. And now September presents us with yet another opportu...