Sometimes the next step in a career isn’t forward — it’s inward.
I am publishing in the middle of a yoga ashram in India for three weeks. When colleagues ask why I’m going, the answer is … complicated.
- This is not a vacation.
- It is not a conference.
- It is not strictly professional development, nor is it purely a personal retreat.
- It exists somewhere in between.
Like many surgeons, my career has been built on momentum — training, responsibility, leadership, patient care, outcomes, and the quiet expectation that forward motion should never slow. We become exceptionally skilled at managing complexity, solving problems, and carrying responsibility for others. We’re much less practiced at stepping back to examine the life that has formed around those achievements.
Over time, success can become your entire identity.
An Intentional Pause
This upcoming trip to a yoga ashram in India represents an intentional pause. Not an escape from surgery or leadership, but an opportunity to examine how those roles fit within a larger life.
One might assume restoration means doing less. I believe it means it comes with more alignment. The paradox is familiar to many high-performing physicians. We pursue mastery while quietly accumulating fatigue. We lead teams while neglecting internal clarity. We care deeply for patients and colleagues while postponing care for ourselves.
This journey is not about abandoning ambition. It is about recalibrating it.
A More Holistic View
India has long represented a place where discipline and introspection coexist. The structured rhythm of an ashram — early mornings, physical practice, silence, study, and reflection — is not unlike surgical training in its rigor. The difference lies in where we direct our attention. Instead of mastering external systems, the work turns inward.
For me, India also represents a perspective I have been gradually exposed to over time. My oldest brother has long encouraged me to take on a more holistic view of life — one that balances achievement with awareness. This stands in contrast to conventional medical training that, while invaluable, has also carried personal costs. This trip feels like the first step in finally becoming curious enough to listen more closely.
This journey is also driven by curiosity. What happens when a surgeon steps outside familiar metrics of productivity, achievement, leadership, and administrative burden? What insights emerge when performance is no longer the primary measure of value?
Seeking Sustainable Excellence
Sustainable excellence requires more than technical skill. It requires resilience, energy management, intentional communication, and a deeper understanding of purpose.
What if we didn’t wait for burnout, transition, or retirement before asking these questions? The better time to pose these questions is earlier, while we’re still fully engaged in the work we love.
Returning with a Clearer Alignment
I don’t expect dramatic revelations from this trip. Real change rarely arrives that way. More often, it comes through small adjustments in awareness that compound over time.
When I return, I will still be an orthopaedic trauma surgeon. Leadership challenges will remain, and some responsibilities may look different. I hope to return with clearer alignment between who I am, how I lead, and why I do this work.
I will also return to what promises to be an exciting year for SurgeonMasters. In 2026, we’re expanding our events and working to grow a community committed to supporting surgeons in building healthier, more sustainable, and more fulfilling careers. In many ways, this journey feels aligned with that same mission.
Sometimes growth does not require moving faster.
Sometimes it requires traveling far enough to see clearly again.
And sometimes, the most meaningful progress begins by turning inward.