Episode 47: Clarity for the Physician Mom in a Noisy World

A piano in the hands of a novice creates noise. But in the hands of a skilled musician, those same ivory keys produce a masterpiece.

The difference? Composition, practice, artistry – and most of all, clarity.

Living without clarity is like playing a song without knowing the notes.

In today’s world, we’re pulled in countless directions, it’s a struggle to focus.

Information overload and mental clutter leave you second-guessing yourself.

“I should do this, no wait, I should do that. Maybe I should do them both!”

But just like a musician bringing order to sound, you can bring clarity to your life.

You can cut through the noise, find direction, and create something meaningful.

Today I will introduce you to 3 steps to find your focus.

Keep listening, your masterpiece is waiting!

When Your Mind Wants to Focus on Everything, Everywhere, all at Once

How you find clarity in a noisy world when it’s the foundation for making intentional decisions. It helps to set realistic goals and have confidence in decisions.

I know I’m a hard worker and when I put my mind to something great things can happen.

What about when my mind wants to focus on too many things? What does anyone do when it’s not clear which path to choose?

I was recently at an alumni conference for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine in Tucson, Arizona. The conference started with an interactive opening session that I felt set the tone for the following few days.

We were challenged to think of something we are celebrating and something that is a current struggle.

And then we had to share it out loud to a small group of colleagues.

It wasn’t hard to share what I celebrated because I’m really excited about a couple lifestyle changes my husband teamed up to make.

But deciding on a struggle was tough. There are so many to choose from!

I had thoughts of the things I should be doing.

I had daily articles and scientific papers telling me how to tweak my life to be healthier.

I had my external and internal expectations of being a good mom.

I had predetermined ideals of where I should be in my business, which were a little too lofty so of course I fell short. That’s a struggle!

With all this noise and jumbled information, all the wishes, desires and failures, how could I pick just one struggle?

And then the answer came to me – clarity.

I needed clarity about my direction, my path both far and near on my life’s timeline.

I wanted to know which pieces of information were real, worth following and more importantly, which pieces resonate with my values and goals?

I wanted clarity with my next steps rather than wasting energy on what feels like a thousand directions at once.

How can anyone be truly effective that way?

I am so grateful to report that I did find clarity, actually the next morning – though I didn’t realize it at first. Until it dawned on me a day later that I had the answer, where my focus needs to land, and my energy diverted.

I want to share the 3 steps that worked for me to find clarity. And those steps are customizable to your situation too.

Here we go.

Find Clarity with Intention, Awareness and Action as a Doctor Mom

Set an intention to find your clarity.

It’s true, clarity may just fall in your lap where you have a revelation and just know what your next steps are. That is a gift, and I think to be celebrated.

What seems more common, however, is that people struggle with a sense of misdirection. Things don’t feel right in terms of where they’re spending their energy to succeed in their career or parenthood.

You may experience this too, and it’s hard to nail it down and label it; it took me time to discover!

When you sit back, take a big sigh and acknowledge, yep, what I need is clarity. That word sums it up.

My first step is to set an intention to find your clarity.

It needs to be on your radar, so when it blips, you notice.

An intention also means its churning in the background in your brain as you go about your day. It’s like feeding your mind a question before you fall asleep so you can subconsciously ponder the answer while you sleep.

Setting an intention for clarity is quick too, like an announcement to yourself this will happen.

Identify where your overload comes from.

What is causing excess noise in your life?

As a physician mom there are so many options. For example:

• There is a constant shift from one role to another – between doctor and mom. This creates a fragmented day when you’re charting one minute and cleaning up dried mac n cheese sauce the next.


• It’s hard to find even a few uninterrupted moments for personal clarity when the day is packed with these moments.


• Digital interruptions also play a major role in creating noise. Smartphones and watches are lifelines for staying connected and not missing a text from your kids. That’s the good.


• The bad is that they also deliver constantly notifications from emails, social media, and messaging apps – you know, the ones you can’t silence. Each ping or buzz draws attention away from deeper thought.


• And the ugly is leaving doctor moms caught in a cycle of reactive multitasking rather than proactive planning for their future. The pressure to stay “in the loop” means that moments of silence are rare.


• Perfectionism and the need to meet societal expectations further amplify the noise.


• Many moms are burdened by the expectation to excel at work, maintain an attractive home (like the Instagram pictures), and be fully present for their children. And they do all of this while keeping time with their social circles.


• My gosh, this is a lot. It leaves little mental space for introspection or strategic planning. The internal dialogue of perfectionism drowns out clarity.

Knowing where to turn down the volume in your life allows you to process and follow your intention.

This helps you tailor your approach to finding clarity.

Craft your own path or solution.

These everyday distractions—ranging from external demands to digital overload and internal pressures—create a significant barrier to carving out time for self-reflection.

Recognizing these distractions was the first step toward reclaiming clarity and finding the space to focus on what truly matters in your life.

The last important step is finding the space, or gap in time to listen, self-reflection.

Allow yourself the time to daydream on clarity, without the noise.

Or, maybe you practice meditation, or clear your head with exercise, or writing.

What is interfering with finding that time?

So, for example, I mentioned I found the answer the next morning (even though I didn’t realize it just then). That answer came during a deep meditation in a morning session at that conference. I wasn’t even thinking about my intention!

You see, for me, finding my center, creativity and strength comes with quiet reflection in the form of meditation and writing.

For me that turns off the noise of the world.

What does it take for you to hit pause on the information overload and mental clutter of life?

Really think about this one because the answer will help you tailor your approach to finding clarity.

Returning to the possible sources of noise I gave as examples, here are some possible solutions to tuning out that noise.

• When juggling roles of doctor, wife, mom, sibling, friend, all of them! Delegate and embrace the art of saying no. You don’t have to shoulder every task, and this can be liberating.


• Whether it’s sharing household duties, outsourcing small chores, or setting firm boundaries at work, delegating helps reduce the mental load. This will clear space in your day and free up mental energy


• Maybe the path is a digital detox – it can make a world of difference. Set specific times to disconnect. You know, you can get extra benefit if this disconnect time is part of your sleep routine. Plugging in and silencing your phone 30 min, or 60 minutes before bed not only shuts out nonessential noise, but helps you with sleep quality.


• For the last example of perfectionism, I’ll tell you part of my answer to my question of finding clarity.


• My first step was to cultivate self-compassion the same way my mother showed compassion to me and the same way I show compassion to my kids.
• It meant stop beating myself up over not achieving enough, I would never tell that to my kids.
• It meant resetting the bar on my goals, to be more realistic.
• Self-compassion is the practice of treating yourself with the same kindness, understanding, and support that you would a loved one.
• It involves acknowledging your struggles without self-judgement and responding to yourself with care, not criticism.
• I think Self-compassion applies to everyone struggling with perfectionism and trying to meet unwritten societal expectations.

Creating Space for Clarity for the Physician Mom

Finding clarity in a world filled with noise—both external and internal—requires intention, awareness, and action.

Set an intention to gain clarity and signal to your mind that this is a priority. Allow it to work in the background even amidst the chaos of daily life.

Then, identify the key sources of your distraction—whether it’s role overload, digital interruptions, or internal mindset and pressures. This helps you pinpoint where you can lower the volume and carve out time for deeper reflection.

Then, the actions or the path to clarity look different for everyone. Maybe it’s through delegating, taking a digital detox, practicing self-compassion, or simply allowing yourself moments of boredom. Really, when was the last time you were bored?

You can open the door to deeper self-awareness and direction.

Imagine the masterpiece you could create once you silence the noise and let the melody of clarity shine through.

Clarity isn’t something you have to chase—it’s already waiting for you in the quiet moments.

Don't forget to join me next week for another dose of support and inspiration. Until then, take care of yourselves, and take care of those who matter most.

It’s Time to Take Control and Thrive!