In this episode, I share what has helped my long-term relationship over four decades.

I was asked to share my secrets with a large group of physicians which got me thinking.

I realized that I have no secrets but I do have an approach. And since I started appraoching my relationship with intention, it is better than ever.

Resentment grows from silent expectations. Shifting from expectation to intention makes more room for connection.

What would love do now? guides me as a practical filter for tone, attention, listening, and repair. It's especially useful given our mismatched neurotypes and when our nervous systems are depleted.

In this episode, I share

• Why needing to "being right" interferes with connection

• The cost of silent expectations and resentment

• The value of replacing expectations with clear intentions

• "What would love do now?" as a moment-to-moment practice

• How nervous system depletion turns neutral moments into conflict

• Why friendship and fun matter

Pearls of Wisdom

• Clear intentions open doors, resentment keeps shut

• Love becomes steadier when we treat it as a verb

• Long-term relationships are built through practice: listening, repair, trying again

• Protecting health protects the relationship

• Friendship sustains intimacy: staying on the same team, looking up, making room for fun

Reflection questions:

• What silent expectations are you holding?

• What intention do you want to bring into your next hard conversation: connection, kindness, honesty, peace?

• When you are depleted, what support would help you respond instead of react?

• How could you treat our partner more like a friend this week—lighter, more generous, more on the same team?

Ways to work with me
https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/
https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats
https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/yoga
https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/jessies-blog

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.

What do you want to be known for?

One thing we want to be known for is this podcast. 300 episodes in, we are committed to offering fresh perspectives and value as healing medicine for our listeners as well as conversations that help to heal the culture of medicine.

When we ask the question, "What do we want to be known for?" it becomes a decision-making filter, a boundary-setting tool, and a compass for alignment—helping us lead with love and live closer to our true selves.

In this episode, we explore:

• How "default identities" form in medicine (often unintentionally)

• The cost of being known for something that no longer, or never fit

• How to use the question "what I want to be known for" as a values-based filter

Pearls of Wisdom

• Default identities form through repetition, people-pleasing, and conditioning—not always conscious choice.

• Naming what you don't want to be known for helps refine what matters.

• Values like authenticity, compassion, and love support intentional leadership.

• There's no urgency for a perfect answer—clarity can emerge slowly.

Reflection Questions

• What are you currently known for?

• Did you choose this, or did it just happen?

• Where does your current identity feel true? Where does it feel heavy or misaligned?

• What's one small step you can take toward being known for what really matters to you?

Resources & Next Steps

• Read Jessie's blog on this same topic: https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/jessies-blog/what-do-you-want-to-be-known-for-1?rq=known%20for

• I fyou want to work on this question, reach out 1:1 coaching or join Jessie for a mindful coaching retreat at Nicasio Creek Farm in 2026.

• Join Jessie and Ni-Cheng for Connect in Nature at Green Gulch Farm and Zen Center (the only retreat we offer together and an opportunity to bring friends, partners, and colleagues of all genders and professions.

• Speaking/Workshops:

• • Dr. Mahoney: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking

  • Dr. Liang: www.awakenbreath.org

Disclaimer
Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.

A conversation about living through a "fun filter." What does it looks like to let joy, ease, and alignment guide our decisions instead of obligation, striving, or outdated beliefs?

A special co-released episode with Dr. Melissa Parsons, fellow retired pediatrician, coach, and kindred spirit.

Together, we reflect on our own transitions out of pediatrics, how we've redefined success, and the freedom that comes when we allow ourselves to change, grow, and choose what lights us up. We also share honest moments about parenting adult children, reimagining purpose, and how sometimes the most meaningful transformations begin when we stop pushing and start listening. If you've been wondering what gets to be "enough," this episode offers a gentler compass.

In this episode, we explore:

• What a "fun filter" is (and what it isn't)

• Redefining success after leaving a long-held identity

• Why we don't have to earn rest, joy, or white space

• How change can be a sign of being fully alive

• Letting alignment and impact coexist

Pearls of Wisdom

• Choosing what's fun is not frivolous and can be freeing.

• You don't have to earn rest, white space, or joy.

• Change doesn't make you flighty because it means you're alive.

• Fun and impact can coexist.

• "Enough" isn't a milestone; it's a mindset.

Reflection Questions:

What currently feels fun, easy, or light in your life?

Where might you be holding onto old definitions of "success" or "productivity"?

What might open up if you trusted fun as a valid reason to say yes—or no?

Resources & Links:

• Enjoy these Mindful Yoga Classes about Fun

• • Playfulness + Connection + Flow = Fun Mindful Yoga with Jessie Mahoney

  • Breathe in Fun, Lightness, and Love. Exhale Stress and Anxiety. Mindful Yoga to Explore Ease.

• Coaching: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching

• Retreats: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats

• Speaking/Workshops: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking

• Dr. Melissa Parsons: melissaparsonscoaching.com

• Listen to Melissa's podcast, Your Favorite You: www.melissaparsonscoaching.com/podcast

• Melissa Parsons, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician, who practiced in Columbus, Ohio for 22 years, retiring in 2021. She became interested in coaching in 2017, recognizing that she liked her life, but she did not love it, and could not figure out why. Coaching helped her create a life she never dreamed possible. Melissa started her business, Melissa Parsons Coaching, in May 2020, and she has not looked back since, except to help other amazing women learn to love themselves and their lives, too! Melissa hosts a popular podcast called Your Favorite You,. She runs a group coaching program by the same name for small groups of women looking to become their favorite versions of themselves, often by treating themselves as they would a best friend.

Disclaimer: Nothing shared on the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.