Today, we're going to talk about something that might be the most important skill you'll need in 2026—and it has nothing to do with learning the latest AI tool or mastering a new clinical technique.

And fair warning: I'm going to make some changes to how I practice in 2026 and what I spend my time on. Because sometimes the best way to teach something is to actually *live* it.

We're talking about strategic disengagement. First, a definition. For this podcast, disengagement means permanently withdrawing from something or someone. Ending something.

Episode Timestamps
[00:00] Open: The Scrap Book on the Shelf
[02:13] Segment 1: The Performance Trap
[12:07] Segment 2: The Identity Crisis That Isn't
[20:12] Segment 3: Protecting Spaciousness
[28:58] Segment 4: The AI-Forward Pivot
[33:24] Segment 5: Your Action Step: The Mastermind Invitation
[36:16] Closing: What's Complete?
[38:10] Disclaimer

39:44 Total Run Time

Episode Notes & Resources:

**Mentioned in this Episode:**
- Jenna Kutcher's Goal Digger Podcast (Episode 968) https://jennakutcherblog.com/a-new-chapter-for-goal-digger/
- Mayer, Z., & Freund, A. M. (in press). Better off without? Benefits and costs of resolving goal conflict through goal shelving and goal disengagement. Motivation and Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-022-09966-x
- Oettingen, G., Marquardt, M. K., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2012). Mental contrasting turns positive feedback on creative potential into successful performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(5), 990–996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.03.008
- Schwörer, B., Krott, N. R., & Oettingen, G. (2020). Saying goodbye and saying it well: Consequences of a (not) well-rounded ending. Motivation Science, 6(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000126
- The Practice Scaling Mastermind: https://TheDoctorsMentor.com/mastermind-2026

**Action Steps from This Episode:**
1. Complete the Spaciousness Audit
2. Identify one thing you're good at that might be trapping you
3. Practice mental contrasting on a desired outcome where you are not seeing much movement
4. Join the 2026 Practice Scaling Mastermind