Dear Concierge Medicine Today Readers, Friends:
(and to all of those we've come to know as "extended" family)
Hey, all you Docpreneurs, here's an amazing piece of advice I heard recently from @cathyheller -- "Don't take the leap, build the runway." Or, another way to reframe it could be in this way: "If something about the healthcare world is broken and it breaks your heart, there's an opportunity to be a part of fixing it."
Aspiring concierge doctors (and seasoned ones too!) tell me each week about their dream of having more patients, more time, better staff, maybe journaling more, hiring a new doctor so they can eventually retire – or writing and publishing that book that's been rolling around in their head for years. Then, I tell them one uncomfortable truth:
You will never have enough time.
You might have a dream of starting a concierge medicine practice (or growing one!) but then the next patient walks in the door or the front office staff quits (but lets be honest, they probably quietly quit a long time ago).
It's hard to take a leap if we don't build a runway. All to often we'll hear this repeated "Just take the leap, do it!"
Newsflash: Gravity is the foe of us all and there's usually no parachute on our back.
One of the best examples of this is from the book At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof. He writes "Workaholism is, after all, the most rewarded addiction in the nation. You can be fired for drinking too much, but working too much usually gets you promoted. It also gets you a raise. So you dump yourself into bed exhausted most nights, only to do it all again tomorrow."
This isn't just true FOR Doctors. It's true of any job. Yes, we have bills to pay and the car will break down. The secret is — while your feet are rooted in reality — you find time to build yourself a runway – so your mind and your goals have the opportunity to synch up and … YOU can help yourself get closer to your next (not final) destination.
This October 16-18, 2025 in Atlanta, GA USA at the
Concierge Medicine Forum, the industry's annual medical education conference, we'll talk a lot about how we can be honest about our time, our goals and maybe, a little kinder to ourselves. We'll even talk about why the pursuit of perfection can be every Physician's biggest hurdle to "getting things done."
I'm of the persuasion and was told that "The path to your dream job often leads through your day job."
If you feel like you're on this elusive, mysterious search for more time, a better schedule, a less frantic pace, take a breath and look at the opportunities and the runway (or mountain) ahead of you. When you steward each day well, you'll be well on your way to success in your practice. Oh! And, trust the process. This is often the hardest part.
Remember your next big thing (or goal!) just might be found along the process of building your runway – not at the bottom of a cliff.
Start building your runway today.
FOR You, FOR Doctors,
PS. For more tips, register to attend the October 16-18, 2025 (Atlanta, GA USA) Industry's annual conference, the Concierge Medicine Forum. 
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