Connection and community are not fluff. They are foundational.

More than ever, I have been focusing on building community and connection.

For myself.And for others.

As an empty nester who recently moved to a new community, a solo small business owner, and an entrepreneur, community and connection have risen higher on my priority list.

The benefits are unparalleled.

Connection is profoundly human—and profoundly impactful. It strengthens relationships, reduces burnout, and makes work and home life more joyful.

Community and connection are not soft extras they are foundational.

Trees and forests use connection and community as a source of strength and longevity.

They connect underground in a vast web of roots and fungi, sharing nutrients and signals.

This is how the forest survives and thrives.

Humans need this too.

We are meant to survive and thrive in community.

We need connection for healing, growth, and the development of individual and collective strength.

Feeling a sense of community is a form of medicine that helps calm our personal and collective nervous systems—and supports us in functioning optimally.

Why it often feels hard for women in medicine

Making friends and forging deep connections can be challenging in adulthood. And for women in medicine, it can feel even harder.

The demands of a medical career leave little time for connection.

I aspire to make it easier for women physicians to connect and enjoy community.

I share tools that help and I create opportunities for in person connection.

Whether online or in Nicasio, I will continue to gather physicians in community—spaces where you can connect deeply, be fully human, and feel less alone.

Just like the surrounding forests, the more we support each other and deeply connect with like-minded people, the more we thrive—individually and collectively.

Community and connection are not soft extras. They are essential for transforming yourself—and transforming medicine.

If you’re craving community and a nervous-system “exhale,” retreats are one of the most powerful ways I know to accelerate connection: