What Changes When We See the Whole Person?

Some conversations stay with you long after you stop recording. My recent conversation with Dr. Deborah Glassman was one of them. Deb is a board-certified urologist with more than three decades of clinical experience, a yoga teacher, and someone who brings a wonderfully human perspective to medicine, wellbeing, and the connection between mind and body. From the moment we first connected through a mutual friend, I knew we had a lot in common.

We both spent decades in demanding professions. We both discovered mind-body practices while navigating the stress that came with those careers. And we both came to understand that caring for ourselves doesn't take away from our ability to perform well or care for others. It helps make it possible. That idea wove its way through so much of our conversation.

When “wellness” isn't enough

Deb spoke candidly about the pressures facing physicians today - the demands of productivity, the loss of autonomy, and the reality that many healthcare institutions recognize the importance of wellness without necessarily creating the conditions that allow people to access it. As she shared:

"Physicians do need time for themselves to rest, relax, renew so that they can come back and show their best selves."

That resonated deeply with me. Different profession, similar experience. For nearly two decades as a litigator, I worked in a culture where the expectations were high, the workload was heavy, and there was always something else that needed my attention. We can tell people to take care of themselves. We can offer wellness programs. But if the surrounding culture makes it nearly impossible to step away, disconnect, or acknowledge that we're human, there's a disconnect. Supporting wellbeing requires more than offering resources. It requires creating conditions that allow people to actually use them.

Presence changes how we show up

One of my favorite parts of our conversation was hearing Deb describe how her own yoga practice eventually changed the way she practiced medicine. It wasn't simply something she did outside of work to reduce stress. It changed how she related to the person sitting in front of her.

"I can make a connection with somebody and they can feel seen and heard. And to me, that is the goal because I know I can't fix everybody."

I love this. Whether we're physicians, attorneys, leaders, colleagues, parents or friends, we can't always fix what's happening for another person. But we can be present. We can listen. We can help someone feel seen and heard. And sometimes that matters more than we realize.

Seeing women in midlife as whole people

Our conversation also turned to something Deb and I are both especially passionate about: supporting women in midlife. As a urologist, Deb sees firsthand how the hormonal changes associated with perimenopause and menopause can affect far more than reproductive health. Pelvic health. Bone health. Mental health. Cardiac health. Her philosophy is simple:

"We have to look at each individual...as an individual and holistically."

That word - holistically - is important. Women don't leave what is happening in their bodies at the door when they arrive at work. And for many women in their 40s, 50s and beyond, these changes are occurring at a time when they may simultaneously be navigating demanding careers, leadership responsibilities, children, aging parents and countless expectations to continue showing up as though nothing has changed. Deb spoke beautifully about the permission to simply be where we are:

"There is this idea that I'm not enough or its not okay to be the way I am at any given moment."

What if instead of expecting people to quietly push through, we became more curious about what they might be navigating And what if our workplaces did the same?

Taking this conversation into the workplace

That's one reason I'm especially excited about another conversation happening next week. On August 26 - Women's Equality Day - my friend and colleague Shonda Moralis, MSW, LCSW and I will be presenting a CLE for the Philadelphia Bar Association:

“Leading Ahead of the Curve: Preparing for Philadelphia's New Workplace Protections While Strengthening Performance and Culture.” Co-hosted by the Women in the Profession and Women's Rights Committees, the program will explore Philadelphia's new workplace protections surrounding menstruation, perimenopause and menopause, which take effect January 1, 2027.

But we're going beyond what the law requires. We'll explore what these changes mean for leadership, communication, workplace culture, employee wellbeing and performance, and how organizations can use this moment not simply to comply, but to create healthier, more supportive environments where people are better positioned to do their best work. Offering this program on Women's Equality Day feels particularly meaningful. Because continuing the work toward equality also means recognizing experiences that have historically been minimized, stigmatized or expected to be managed silently and creating workplaces where people don't have to choose between caring for themselves and succeeding professionally.

You can register here for the August 26 CLE.

A conversation worth hearing

There's so much more to my conversation with Deb than I could possibly capture here. We talk about burnout in medicine, perfectionism, productivity, vulnerability, yoga, mindfulness, compassion, women in midlife, the mind-body connection and what it means to care for ourselves while continuing to care deeply for others. And perhaps one of the simplest pieces of wisdom Deb shared is also one of the most useful:

"One minute of breathing, one minute of body scan, one minute of just compassion...can just completely turn a day around."

Sometimes meaningful change starts there. With a moment. With noticing. With remembering that behind every title, role, deadline and expectation is a human being. The full episode of Conscious Corner Podcast with Courtney featuring Dr. Deb Glassman is available now on both Spotify and YouTube.