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[Balancing Medicine, Writing, and Motherhood: Insights from Dr. Jillian Goddard]-[Schedules, routines, and more with Dr. Gillian Goddard]

Before Breakfast · B1 · 2025-01-22

HealthLife
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📋 Summary

Navigating a Dual-Career Path

In this episode of Before Breakfast, host Laura Vanderkam interviews Dr. Jillian Goddard, a New York City-based endocrinologist who has successfully expanded her professional scope into the world of digital media. Dr. Goddard discusses her transition into writing for Emily Oster’s ParentData empire, specifically authoring the Hot Flash newsletter. She describes this career evolution as a way to "use my brain a little bit differently" after establishing her medical practice over a decade ago. By leveraging her undergraduate background in journalism, she has managed to bridge the gap between her clinical expertise in hormonal health and her passion for writing.

The Anatomy of a Dual Schedule

Dr. Goddard manages two distinct types of workdays, requiring high levels of discipline and organization. On her "patient days," she maintains a strict 10-hour clinical schedule, starting with a 4:45 a.m. alarm. She emphasizes efficiency, noting that she accomplishes "all the paperwork and administrative tasks" during these office hours to keep her evenings free for her four children.

Conversely, her writing days are more flexible but equally structured. She utilizes an "editorial calendar" to plan her content and dedicates specific morning blocks to writing. She characterizes her home office as a "fishbowl" with glass doors, illustrating the reality of working from home while raising children. To maintain focus, she uses clear boundaries—even posting signs on doors when she has important meetings—to ensure she remains "present" for both her professional responsibilities and her family life.

Weekly Rhythms and Life Boundaries

Rather than fixating on daily perfection, Dr. Goddard views her life in terms of a week. She acknowledges that she does not exercise or have much leisure time on patient days, but compensates for this on her writing days. This "template" approach allows her to maintain a stable average of seven and a half hours of sleep, even with a demanding schedule. She distinguishes between her work styles: while she maintains "hard, fast boundaries" regarding her clinical work, she allows her writing to be "completely integrated" into her daily existence.

Independence and Community Involvement

Dr. Goddard places a high value on fostering independence in her four children, noting that they manage their own school commutes and extracurricular activities. This autonomy has been vital in managing her busy life. Outside of work and parenting, she is deeply involved in her church community, currently serving as the "warden," which she views as a meaningful way to contribute to her community. She also finds joy in personal pursuits, such as singing in the church choir and participating in a year-long project to listen to the complete works of Bach, and now, Beethoven.

Content Strategy and Inspiration

When discussing her newsletter, Dr. Goddard explains that she initially brainstormed a list of 100 topics to ensure the project was a "viable option." She keeps her content fresh by monitoring health news and medical journals, occasionally creating "mini journal clubs" to break down complex studies—such as the recent find on "jazz dancing for fitness and menopause," which she playfully refers to as "medical literature clickbait." Her approach highlights the importance of preparation and finding joy in the intersection of professional expertise and public communication.

🎯Key Sentences

1
This is not where you want to drop the ball.
2
Now the ball's in your court.
3
I have been doing that for a long, long time.
4
Was this something that had been in the back of your mind for a while?
5
I try to be really efficient when I'm in the office.
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📝Key Phrases

1
circle back to
2
in the back of one's mind
3
cast about for
4
fall in one's lap
5
hard and fast
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📖 Transcript

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