Hey There!
I'm Kathy.
Hospice & palliative care doctor
Like you, I wear a lot of hats.
And like you, there’s more to me
than what I do. I’m a Brooklyn-
raised, straight-talking, people-loving
introvert who wears my heart on
my sleeve and will undoubtedly cry
if you show me a really touching
life insurance commercial or dogs
reuniting with their military owners.
It all started from a desire
to truly understand people…
Growing up as a Chinese-American immigrant meant I had the best of both cultures—not to mention the FOOD 😍
But it also meant I was an outsider in more ways than one.
Picture a nerdy, socially & physically awkward version of me with braces and you can see why I was picked on—a lot. My parents advised me to “ignore them, keep your head down and just study hard.” Looking back, that’s probably where my overachiever origin story began.
So I found solace in other ways. Ever since childhood, I’ve always been fascinated with the human condition. People- watching was my sport of choice. I made up stories about strangers on the subway: their fears, worries, hopes and dreams. What got them out of bed in the mornings and what made them want to crawl right back in and never leave.
I loved the science behind what makes people behave a certain way so much that I wanted to be a psychologist (my AIM screen name was Shrink369). But my parents told me being a doctor was the pinnacle of success in America…so I went to med school.
And imagine my surprise when I got my degree and started working, having accomplished the big feat that was supposed to solve all my problems, that I still wasn’t happy.
Sound
Familiar?
So I figured the answer was to work harder.
I stayed later, took on extra projects, sacrificed my mental and emotional sanity to prove (incorrectly) that the more I achieved, the better my life would be. I dreaded going to work, and used the words “soul-sucking” to describe my job more than once (ok, all the time). I desperately wanted a more meaningful, fulfilling and impactful life, but had no idea where to start and how to get there.
Full disclosure: it took me a LONG time to figure it out on my own. Specifically, 8 years and a lot of mistakes (ahem, lessons).
Pivoting to hospice & palliative care was the first time that I felt like I was on the right path.
And just as things were starting to feel on track…the pandemic hit.
It was as if the universe was like “oh you love caring for seriously and terminally ill patients? Hold my beer.”
I resorted to my usual coping mechanisms: intellectualization, impulse buying and just plain denial. They had done me good up until then right?
Until one day I found myself in my darkest moments, having daily panic attacks, crying constantly, wondering if the world was better off without me.
I knew then and there that something had to change.
So I made a decision.
To get help.
To evolve.
To grow.
And that’s when everything changed for me.
It’s about giving yourself permission to be exactly who you are and loving every step of the journey.
I believe in the power of the human spirit.
I believe that life is what we make of it—that we should laugh until we cry, and cry until we laugh.
That braving the bad days is what makes the good days that much sweeter and better.
When you spend as much time as I do at the bedside of dying people, you learn a thing or two about living.
If caring for these incredible people has taught me anything, it’s that life is unpredictable.
My work days are spent relieving patient suffering and improving the quality of the remainder of their lives.
So naturally, coaching and podcasting grew from a deep desire to do the same for people outside the hospital. To help people live the life they TRULY want —and to become the person they most want to be — before it’s too late.
There’s nothing more beautiful to me than being BLINDED by the powerful light of someone in total alignment with themselves and their purpose. Of someone who is doing the work of healing and growing and is fully embracing their own journey.
The next most beautiful moment is when that person turns around to lend a helping hand to someone in need.
Because as soon as I felt really great about who I was and where I was going, all I wanted to do was to bottle up the “secret sauce” and put it in tap water so everyone else could feel the same. Hint: it’s not really a secret, it’s just hidden in plain sight.
It’s what’s helped me to launch my podcast, invest in real estate, start my coaching business, write articles for major publications and feel SO aligned with my purpose, why I was put on this earth and who I really am at my core.
It was the difference between me saying “gosh, if only I could do that” and “holy crap, this is my life now!”
Helping people become the best, most authentic and empowered versions of themselves is the best way I know to give back, and because I’ve done it for myself, I KNOW it’s possible for you too.
I want this too!Random Facts
I’m a proud product of the New York City (and state) public school systems BTW public =/= poorly educated
I have 4 dog names pre-chosen and have 0 dogs (yet!)
My husband and family are the best things to ever happen to me
A good book, cozy blanket and hot coffee will always lift my spirits
