I’ve heard plenty of stereotypes as a woman in surgery… but this one was a first.

There’s a version of me that’s all steel and focus —scrubbed in, sharp, and driven. But there’s another side that longs for softness: quiet mornings, laughter with loved ones, moments to just be. I used to think that to be taken seriously in surgery, I had to silence the parts of me that craved ease, beauty, or balance. But I’m learning that wholeness doesn’t come from choosing either/or — it comes from honoring both.

Still riding the high from the SIGN Fracture Care International conference! Meeting Dr Zirkle, the legend behind SIGN, feels so surreal!