325. What Would Be Kind to Yourself This Year? Birthday Reflections with Dr. Jessie Mahoney & Dr. Erica Bove
Self-Kindness, Surrender, and Having Fun: The Second Annual Birthday Conversation
In this episode, Dr. Jessie Mahoney and Dr. Erica Bove return for their second annual birthday conversation. Born on the same day, these two physicians sit down each year to reflect on what they are proud of, what they know now that they did not know a year ago, and what they want for the year ahead.
This year's conversation asks a question worth sitting with: what would be kind to yourself this year? From there, it moves through surrender as a lived, embodied experience rather than an idea, the discomfort and power of rest for people trained to produce, creative grandparenting and the courage to do things differently, female friendship as a vital part of health rather than an optional extra, dropping old stories about how things are supposed to go, and a story about legacy that reframes everything around one word: fun.
What We Explore
What self-kindness actually looks like when it becomes a decision, not just a mantra
How surrender shows up differently across career, family, health, and new relationships
Why rest and non-productivity remain uncomfortable for physicians and why they are essential
Creative, aligned grandparenting and stepping outside the way you were raised
The power of intentional female friendship across distances and life changes
What it means to build a legacy around fun, and how to start now
Pearls of Wisdom
What would be kind to yourself this year is a question worth answering honestly.
Surrender is not just a concept. When you experience it at a cellular level, it changes how you move through everything.
Sometimes speaking up means standing tall and saying this has to be something I am proud of. Sometimes it means letting other people be them.
Patience often delivers what pushing cannot. When you stop trying to make things happen, they actually do happen.
Rest is not a reward. It is the diastole that makes the next season of your life possible.
Female friendship is not optional. It is part of your whole health system.
Reflection Questions
What would be kind to yourself this year?
Where are you pushing through something that patience, rest, or surrender might serve better?
What would your children or the people closest to you say about whether you are having fun?
Which friendships deserve an intentional reach this week?
What would change if you stopped treating rest as something to earn?
FAQs
What is this episode about? This is the second annual birthday conversation between Dr. Jessie Mahoney and Dr. Erica Bove, two physicians who share a birthday. They reflect on self-kindness, surrender, rest, fun, alignment, and intentional friendship.
Who is Dr. Erica Bove? Dr. Erica Bove is a double board-certified OBGYN and reproductive endocrinologist who practices at the University of Vermont and runs a fertility coaching practice for female physicians. She and Dr. Mahoney first connected at a Pause and Presence retreat.
Do I need to listen to last year's episode first? No, this episode stands alone. Listening to both gives you a powerful picture of how much can change in a single year.
Is this episode only for physicians? The conversation is rooted in the physician experience, but the themes of self-kindness, surrender, rest, friendship, and fun apply to anyone asking what a well-lived year actually looks like. For more on physician coaching and wellness, explore the full Healing Medicine Podcast: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/mindful-healers-podcast
Related Episodes:
177. An Unexpectedly Wonderful Journey of Love and Science with Dr. Erica Bove
Ways to work with Jessie:
CME Wellness Retreats: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats
1:1 and Small Group Physician Coaching: https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching
Free Live-Stream Mindful Yoga:www.jessiemahoneymd.com/yoga
Jessie's Blog: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/jessies-blog
*Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice. The Healing Medicine Podcast was formerly known as the Mindful Healers Podcast.