284. Brilliantly Bad Ideas: How to Keep Your Humor and Sanity in the Face of Absurdity

Hilariously misguided yet well-intentioned ideas surface in healthcare settings all the time. 

With warmth and loving amusement, we reflect on how these initiatives—often wrapped in corporate optimism—miss the mark, yet don’t have to steal our peace. 

Brilliantly bad ideas aren’t about you. They're structural, impersonal, and often just disconnected from the day-to-day reality of clinical life.

We invite you to laugh with us, reflect, and most importantly, not to take them personally.

Pearls of Wisdom:

• Bad ideas often come with good intentions—they’re usually more about systemic gaps than personal disrespect.
• You get to choose how much energy to bring to these initiatives—humor and grace are powerful tools.
• “Wellness” programs often miss the mark because they don’t reflect the lived reality of those they're meant to support.
• Expecting and accepting mismatched ideas can bring lightness—and maybe even loving amusement.

Reflection Questions:

• What is your favorite “brilliantly bad idea” that you’ve experienced at work? 

• How might you use humor to help you when the next one comes your way?

Please send us the brilliantly bad ideas you have witnessed.

If you're navigating burnout, frustration, or the absurdities of healthcare, we offer coaching, retreats, and workshops to help you find clarity, compassion, and joy again.

Jessie offers 1:1 coaching and mindful retreats designed to bring back peace, purpose, and presence in your work and life. 

Learn more at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching and www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats. CME is available for most offerings.

If you'd like to bring humor, mindfulness, and meaning to your institution or event, we both offer also offer keynotes and workshops. Learn more here:
Jessie Mahoney, MD: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking
Ni-Cheng Liang, MD: www.awakenbreath.org

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.