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Through in depth conversations with a wide range of guests, Solving for Joy explores the idea that we are always trying to solve life's equation for maximal joy. We'll discover what constants are actually variables we can change and have a lot of laughs along the way. Dr. Chrissie Ott brings a coaching lens, experience in healthcare, entrepreneurship and creativity to the table. We hope this podcast is a tool for many to reclaim delight in their own personal and professional lives!
Kirin Palmer, MD (00:00)
We need to stop worrying about how it's all going to turn out so that we can experience joy.
Chrissie Ott, MD (00:07)
Noticing the absence of joy is an inflection point. In fact, adding joy back in—and noticing when it’s missing—is the joy point.
Kirin Palmer, MD (00:19)
Don't be afraid to pivot. You're not a one-trick pony, and there is a beautiful life on the other side of whatever you're experiencing.
Chrissie Ott (00:31)
You're listening to Solving for Joy. I'm your host, Dr. Chrissie Ott, a multi-boarded integrative physician and professional certified life and career coach.
Chrissie Ott (00:41)
This podcast is about joy—what it means, how we find it, and the creative ways people are solving for it in their own lives. I'm so glad you're here.
Chrissie Ott, MD (00:54)
Hello friends, welcome back after a brief hiatus. The Solving for Joy podcast is happy to see you and hear you again—or for you to hear us.
We are basking in the glow of having just come back from the 2025 Physician Coaching Summit, and it has been a source of such deep, true joy and resonance and connection, so it is…
Kirin Palmer, MD (01:12)
Okay.
Chrissie Ott, MD (01:22)
…a great pleasure to bring you our guest today, who is also all about joy, resonance, and connection.
I get to introduce you to my friend and local Portland pediatrician, Dr. Kirin Palmer, who is the founder of Pure Joy Pediatrics. Dr. Palmer is a board-certified pediatrician in solo practice in Tigard, Oregon, with more than 16 years in clinical medicine, including experience as both a hospitalist and outpatient pediatrician. She designed a practice that restores the sacred physician–patient relationship and centers joy, presence, and family wellness—all of which make my heart go pitter-patter.
She has been featured in articles from the Oregon Pediatric Society, including The Pure Joy of Solo Practice, where she reflects on the challenges and rewards of stepping away from corporate medicine into a more connected model of care. So empowering, so wonderful.
Welcome, Dr. Palmer—we’re so glad you’re here.
Kirin Palmer, MD (02:27)
It is such a joy to be here. And it just feels like that’s really what it's all about. As we’ve talked about—how the practice started and the intention behind Pure Joy Pediatrics—I just thought: Yes. I want more of that.
It started with an intention. I had been a pediatrician for a while, a seasoned pediatrician. I worked in the hospital system, urgent care, and a practice here in Portland, and I started this practice with the intention of restoring joy back to the pediatric encounter.
I realized I wasn’t experiencing joy every day as I cared for patients. And I thought, How can this be? I worked so hard to become a pediatrician—it was what I always wanted. I’m the oldest of eight children through two blended families. Being around kids was always my life.
But I couldn’t understand why it was getting so hard. What I did realize, though, was that—even on the days I didn’t feel like going to work—the moment I stepped into the exam room, I did experience joy. And I thought: That’s what we have to preserve. That’s the good stuff.
Chrissie Ott, MD (03:49)
It is.
Awareness is the first step. Noticing the absence of something requires a more refined presence than noticing what's there. We notice fatigue, frustration, burnout… but noticing the absence of joy is a profound inflection point. That moment—adding joy back in—is the joy point. It's why I named Joy Point Solutions what I did.
I love how our paths and our love affair with the concept of joy overlap.
Kirin Palmer, MD (04:26)
Yeah.
We were talking about this off-camera. This past year, 2025, I chose more joy as my word of the year. Not because things were terrible, but because I knew challenges were coming. More joy felt like my North Star.
Chrissie Ott, MD (04:54)
What does that mean to you? Thinking somatically—how does joy land in your body?
Kirin Palmer, MD (05:08)
Somatically, it feels like a lightness of being. Hard things still happen, but they don’t land for too long. You're able to lift whatever the emotional or physical cargo is.
I got the flu in February—one of the worst illnesses I’ve had—and it knocked me down for a week. But joy gives me lightness, energy, vibrance. It makes it hard not to smile. It gives me energy to do things. That's how it lands in my body.
Chrissie Ott, MD (06:17)
Yes. Joy is not trivial—it’s essential.
Joy sustains us through difficult seasons: illness, grief, or realizing the career you hoped for isn’t the one you’re experiencing.
Kirin Palmer, MD (06:59)
Yes, yes. I love that joy is sustaining.
Chrissie Ott, MD (07:04)
Sustaining—yes.
Kirin Palmer, MD (07:09)
Yes.
Chrissie Ott, MD (07:13)
So, if you were to finish the sentence about how joy animates your practice:
“We need to stop ______ and start ______.”
Kirin Palmer, MD (07:18)
We need to stop worrying about how it's all going to turn out so that we can experience joy.
Chrissie Ott, MD (07:42)
Say that again. Let’s sit with that.
Kirin Palmer, MD (07:42)
We need to stop worrying in order to really experience joy.
Chrissie Ott, MD (07:53)
Yes. That impulse to worry about the future—that’s future-tripping. But joy lives in the present moment.
Kirin Palmer, MD (08:07)
Yeah.
Chrissie Ott, MD (08:16)
We have to be present to experience joy.
Kirin Palmer, MD (08:20)
Right.
And that idea really lands for me as a pediatrician. Parenting is full of future worries: pregnancy, birth, NICU, feeding, school… all the “what ifs.”
Those worries rob us of joy. Even when we know this, it's still a daily practice. Maybe one day I’ll worry less—but for now, it’s about recognizing the worry and remembering it has no power over me today.
There’s a lot out there that’s hard—but I get to choose what I do with my fear and worry.
Chrissie Ott, MD (10:17)
What is a practice?
We may never reach perfection, but the practice is the path. Becoming more present—even when pulled into worry—is the practice.
Kirin Palmer, MD (10:32)
Yes. Thank you.
Chrissie Ott, MD (10:55)
There’s so little value in endlessly reworking the past compared with what is available in the present moment if we are truly here.
Kirin Palmer, MD (10:57)
Yes. So good. I keep practicing.
Chrissie Ott, MD (11:18)
Practice makes progress.
As an independent pediatrician, what has surprised you most about life as a business owner?
Kirin Palmer, MD (11:22)
So many things.
This weekend I was at a conference with other women who own businesses. When people hear I'm solo, they say, “That must be so hard.”
And I thought: No, this is actually easier in some ways.
It's a different kind of hard.
In big organizations, people who don’t take care of patients dictate your schedule. That fuels burnout. Holidays sneak up. You’re negotiating Christmas coverage. Life speeds by.
Patients aren’t happy. You aren’t happy.
It's hard to practice like that.
Chrissie Ott, MD (13:50)
Yes.
Dr. Kara Pepper gave an incredible talk at the summit about how lack of agency fuels burnout. Stepping out on your own gives back control.
It’s been almost 10 years since I closed my own solo practice, and I remember it with such fondness. The joy of choosing your volume and pace is priceless.
Kirin Palmer, MD (15:18)
That was a huge surprise—how creative and exhilarating it felt to build something from scratch.
The hardest part isn’t the medicine.
It’s insurance companies.
Dealing with billing, reimbursement, what they will and won’t pay for—it’s disheartening. For example, some refuse to pay for nutritional counseling, which is essential.
Parents see “not covered” and think “not important,” and that’s so frustrating because childhood is where chronic disease prevention starts.
But I love my families.
Seeing kids grow up brings me joy. So I stay.
And honestly? When I opened, I assumed kids would associate me giving shots with fear. But we’ve built such a positive environment that the shots are just a blip—they forgive me, and they come in happily.
Chrissie Ott, MD (18:15)
Same.
I gave my own shots too. Bubbles and lollipops are magic. Pustefix—German bubbles—look them up. High-quality bubbles!
Kirin Palmer, MD (18:51)
I’m definitely borrowing that! We love bubbles.
We’ve done glow-in-the-dark rooms for flu clinics. Kids, especially autistic kiddos, love it.
Chrissie Ott, MD (19:35)
A bubble machine would be next-level.
Kirin Palmer, MD (19:35)
I'll listen back for the name.
Chrissie Ott, MD (19:53)
If you could whisper one sentence to physicians on the verge of burnout, what would it be?
Kirin Palmer, MD (19:57)
Don’t be afraid to pivot.
You’re not a one-trick pony, and there is a beautiful life on the other side of whatever you're experiencing.
I still love practicing medicine.
The most rewarding pediatrics I’ve ever practiced is here—in my solo practice. It's possible.
Chrissie Ott, MD (20:35)
I felt that land deeply. What came up for you?
Kirin Palmer, MD (20:37)
It’s for the physicians who don’t see another way out.
My moment of epiphany was hearing about Dr. Lorna Breen, who took her life after getting COVID twice.
I’m a single parent. The early pandemic was terrifying. Her story made me stop and reevaluate everything.
I thought: That cannot be me.
So I googled “empowering women physicians.”
Sunny Smith’s podcast came up. That was my life raft. Through her I learned about coaching. I didn’t know what a life coach was.
I binged her podcast. Then others.
It helped pull me out of a tailspin and gave me hope.
Coaching helped me quickly move toward where I wanted to be.
To this day I have three women physician coaches.
Last year, Sunny coached me, and her wisdom was: Solve for life.
And that’s what I did.
Chrissie Ott, MD (26:10)
The reciprocity curve—patients reflect our impact back to us.
Kirin Palmer, MD (26:17)
Just recently, a teenager told me she wants to go to medical school and be a pediatrician. My heart melted.
Last year, a three-year-old dressed up as Dr. Palmer for Halloween. Not “a doctor”—Dr. Palmer.
That joy keeps me going.
Chrissie Ott, MD (27:23)
So special.
You’ve found meaning, alignment, and delight—my definition of joy.
Kirin Palmer, MD (27:35)
Thank you.
Chrissie Ott, MD (27:55)
What are your three takeaways for listeners solving for joy?
Kirin Palmer, MD (27:58)
1. Self-care.
Real self-care. Today, for example: yoga, meditation, sauna, doing my hair, giving myself space before this interview. Even small acts count.
2. Connection.
We are not meant to do hard things alone. Reconnect with old friends. Reach out intentionally. Even greet a neighbor. Coaching communities have been lifelines for me. Connection is a sturdy lifeboat.
3. Move through fear.
Fear is primitive. It won’t go away. But we can put it aside and keep moving. I was afraid to open my practice. I was afraid financially. But I moved anyway.
Chrissie Ott, MD (32:01)
Which brings us back to not worrying about how it will all turn out. Not ruminating.
Let me recap your strategies for solving for joy:
Exquisite self-care.
Nurture connections.
Normalize fear and move anyway.
Kirin Palmer, MD (32:48)
Yes—that’s my recipe.
Chrissie Ott, MD (33:00)
Thank you, Kirin.
I’m so happy Pure Joy Pediatrics exists and that you’ve learned to solve for joy in your own way.
Kirin Palmer, MD (33:07)
Thank you so much for having me, Chrissie. Joy is the theme of the rest of my life—how do we get more of it?
Chrissie Ott, MD (33:33)
Amen to that.
Kirin Palmer, MD (33:35)
Thank you.
Chrissie Ott MD (she/her) (33:37)
Thank you again to Dr. Kirin Palmer for this generous, heart-forward conversation and for reminding us that joy isn't something we wait for at the end of the journey. It's something we return to in the present moment. Her courage to create a practice rooted in connection, intention, and agency is such a powerful example of what becomes possible when we honor what matters most.
And as we're talking about honoring what matters, we're still basking in the resonance of the 2025 Physician Coaching Summit. Spending those three days in that space, co-hosted with my dear friends and collaborators, Dr. Shideh Shafie and Dr. Vanessa Calderon, was beyond even my highest hopes.
Kathy Stepien kept telling me, “Chrissie, the people who need to be there will be there.” And she was right. The room was full of the coaches and clinicians this moment was calling in—such generous, wise, deeply human people who lifted one another up in ways that felt joyful, sustainable, and needed.
If you weren't able to join us, we are still holding space for you. Save the dates next year, November 4th through 7th, 2026, right here just outside of Portland in a gorgeous retreat space in the Columbia River Gorge. You can save your spot with a $500 deposit and lock in early-bird pricing while you make the rest of the plans. And we can't wait to welcome you. Check out physiciancoachingsummit.com for more information.
And the energy of the summit is flowing directly into something else I'm super excited about: the Physician Coaching Collective, which I have the great privilege of co-leading with Dr. Shideh Shafie and Dr. Vanessa Calderon.
This is a new kind of community for physician coaches, built for physician coaches by physician coaches and rooted in growth and joy. It's the professional home for coaches who are ready to build their work in community rather than in isolation, who crave rigor and accountability delivered with love, laughter, and transparency, who want to give and receive support as they grow.
Inside PCC, you will find a supportive, growth-rooted environment: professional development, personal development and mentorship, community, and collaborators in a place where transparency is the norm.
We're offering three gatherings each month, weaving together coaching mastery and mentorship, business strategy and sustainable growth. We will have skills-building workshops, live mentorship circles, and expert business frameworks to help you attract aligned clients, set clear pricing, and scale sustainably. No yucky tactics—just clarity and confidence.
Our first call this week was so extraordinary. Nearly 20 bright, light-filled humans showed up with presence, generosity, and heart. And if you haven't joined yet, you're not too late. You're right on time. Our next call is on Black Friday, November 28th. Every session has a full playback if you can't attend live.
If you are looking for a place to grow alongside other physician coaches, to deepen your craft, to feel seen, supported, and stretched in all the right ways, then truly, you belong here.
As always, a gentle reminder: I'm a doctor, but not your doctor. Nothing in this episode is construed as medical advice. Please consult your own trusted clinicians.
And a huge thank you, as always: Kelsey, you really, really made the Physician Coaching Summit an amazing success and are fabulous. Sue, my partner in life in all things that matter.
Listeners, may you care for your body, your mind, and your spirit with the same compassion you extend to others. I'll see you next time on Solving for Joy.