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We dive into the personal and professional journey of Ben Reinking, a board-certified pediatric cardiologist, medical educator, and certified physician development coach. We explore the importance of maintaining hobbies, finding balance, and how personal interests can help prevent burnout in physicians. Ben shares valuable insights into the challenges of the medical profession and offers practical strategies for sustaining a fulfilling career and personal life.

Ben Reinking is a board-certified pediatric cardiologist, medical educator, and certified physician development coach, as well as the owner of The Developing Doctor. He can also be reached on Instagram.

He discusses the KevinMD article, “Cultivating joy beyond the clinic: a physician’s tale of rediscovering hobbies.”

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Transcript

Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today, we welcome back Ben Reinking. He’s a pediatric cardiologist, a medical educator, and certified physician development coach, founder of The Developing Doctor. Today’s KevinMD article is “Cultivating Joy Beyond the Clinic, a Physician’s Tale of Rediscovering Hobbies.” Ben, welcome back to the show.

Ben Reinking: Thanks for having me again, Kevin. I enjoy being here.

Kevin Pho: So, let’s jump right into this most recent article about cultivating joy beyond the clinic. Now, before talking about the article itself, what made you decide to write it in the first place?

Ben Reinking: Yeah, I think it was just interacting with the learners and my colleagues and kind of talking about what we did over the weekend. I noticed that there were some of us who were struggling a bit because we’d just been working and working and working. The people who came in on Monday and were happy to be at work had spent their weekends doing things they enjoyed. A little light bulb went off in my head that it’s important to cultivate these things outside of medicine because they’re so essential.

Kevin Pho: Yeah, so tell us about some of those conversations, especially with physicians who have trouble answering that question because they’ve been working all the time. Are these people just on call, or are they catching up with charts? Give us an example of the type of physicians who would answer that way.

Ben Reinking: Yeah, yeah. Being on call is a big one, right? Our schedules often involve a week of being on call, which means 24/7 for an entire week. It’s tough to connect with anything outside of work, even if the call isn’t that intense. But there are also people who are hypervigilant about checking their inboxes, emails, and staying on top of charting. They spend so much time on those tasks that they forget about everything else outside of medicine.

Kevin Pho: And when you’re talking to these physicians, what kind of sense do you get regarding their personal and professional satisfaction?

Ben Reinking: Oh, they’re pretty cranky, pretty miserable, to be honest. They’re the people who tend to be a bit crusty throughout the week. So, they’re not happy at work, and I don’t think they’re that happy at home either.

Kevin Pho: All right, so talk about the article itself.

Ben Reinking: Yeah. One of the things I reflected on was growing up. I was fortunate to have a lot of extended family around in my hometown, and I spent a lot of time with one of my grandfathers. He was really into horses and would often rope me into helping with yard work. At the end of the yard work, I’d get to help take care of the horses. I remembered an incident when I was feeding the horses, and it was a light bulb moment. His influence and the way he found joy outside of work with family were things I adopted without even realizing it.

Kevin Pho: Tell me about the role of hobbies in your professional life. You’re a pediatric cardiologist, which is a demanding field. How do you integrate hobbies with your work?

Ben Reinking: There are two main things that help me. First, I’m someone who grinds through challenges. That’s how I got through medical training, and it’s something I also apply to my personal life. I like high-intensity interval training. If I have a bad day, sweating it out makes a big difference for me. So, 20 or 30 minutes of physical exertion clears my head mentally. Exercise is a big part of what I do.

The second thing is getting my hands dirty in the garden. My family is famous for making salsa, so this time of year, we’re busy using up the last of the tomatoes and making salsa. Gardening and using the produce we grow is a lot of fun.

Kevin Pho: When you coach physicians who are experiencing burnout, do you see a correlation between burnout and a lack of hobbies?

Ben Reinking: Absolutely. It’s often about the lack of balance. People don’t realize they’re missing a whole part of themselves outside of work. I spoke to a physician who took a job in the Pacific Northwest because they wanted to live by the coast and sail. They’d been there for seven years but had never been to the beach or on a sailboat. That was at the top of their list when they moved, but time passes quickly when you’re busy, and you can lose a part of yourself when you spend all your time at work.

Kevin Pho: When physicians tell you stories like that, how do you coach them? Medicine, residency, and fellowship are all-consuming. How do you guide physicians who find themselves in that situation?

Ben Reinking: The first step is to gently call them out. There’s a lot of power in saying things out loud. For example, when the physician mentioned they’d never been to the coast, I said, “Wait a second. Say that again. How is that possible?” Just having that moment to pause and reflect is important. The next step, which is harder, is reflecting on what’s important to them and whether they’re honoring those values. That’s one of the more challenging parts of coaching because, in medicine, we like concrete things. But this reflection is often at the root of the problem.

Ben Reinking: So, when we talk about values, it can be a harder sell because it’s less tangible. But that’s where a lot of the work needs to be done—figuring out what you value and whether you’re living in alignment with those values. Are you prioritizing things that are important to you? That’s where coaching helps, by creating that space to pause and think.

Kevin Pho: How successful are you in helping physicians change that mindset and realize that medicine shouldn’t consume their entire life? Do you find that light bulb moment happens often?

Ben Reinking: Yes, it can happen more quickly than you’d think. Sometimes it takes just one realization for someone to see that they need to make a change. I will say that there’s a bit of a generational difference. Younger physicians and those in training tend to recognize the need for balance sooner. They’re quicker to acknowledge that they’re losing parts of themselves during the training process. For those who have been practicing for a long time, where the culture of relentless work is deeply ingrained, it’s harder to shift that mindset. But it’s possible, and it works.

Kevin Pho: In your article, you talk about the difference between social and solitary hobbies. Are all hobbies equal in terms of benefits, or is there a distinction?

Ben Reinking: Yeah, there’s definitely a difference. We live in an age where social media makes us feel connected because we have instant access to others through our devices. But that’s not the same as real interaction. One of the most important aspects of hobbies is making connections—not just with yourself, but with your community. For example, a book club involves solitary reading, but you then connect with others by discussing the book. Those social interactions are vital.

Kevin Pho: Are there any studies that show a connection between social hobbies and improved physician well-being or reduced burnout?

Ben Reinking: Yes, there are studies that demonstrate that social interactions improve overall life satisfaction. You can also look at the Blue Zones—areas where people live longer, healthier lives. These communities have strong social connections and active lifestyles. There’s a lot of evidence supporting the importance of social activities for well-being.

Kevin Pho: For listeners who aren’t familiar, can you explain what Blue Zones are?

Ben Reinking: Sure. Blue Zones are regions around the world where people tend to live longer and have better quality of life. These areas share common traits, such as strong social networks, active lifestyles, and healthy diets, often similar to the Mediterranean diet. Their way of life contributes to both longevity and quality of life.

Kevin Pho: There’s a mindset in medicine that if you have a life outside of your career or if medicine isn’t your top priority, you’re not fully committed to your patients. How do you respond to that traditional belief?

Ben Reinking: The simplest response is that it’s wrong. You can’t take care of your patients well if you’re not well yourself. There’s nothing wrong with setting boundaries, like finishing work at 5:30 and not adding extra patients. The strong work ethic in medicine is admirable, but it’s not sustainable if it comes at the cost of your well-being.

Kevin Pho: Do you get pushback from physicians who believe that putting patients first means sacrificing their own well-being, even at the expense of their family life?

Ben Reinking: Yes, I do. When that happens, we have to explore why they think that way. What’s driving the belief that they can’t be good doctors and also take care of themselves? Medicine is a blend of altruism, challenge, and financial security. Sometimes these motivations get tangled up, leading to an endless cycle of work. Part of coaching is helping them untangle those motivations and see that there are other ways to practice medicine effectively.

Kevin Pho: You mentioned a physician who hadn’t been to the beach in seven years despite moving to the Pacific Northwest for that reason. To make time for themselves, physicians need to set boundaries, such as saying no to extra shifts. How difficult is it for them to do that?

Ben Reinking: It’s hard. Changing habits is never easy. These habits develop for a reason, and they’re tough to break. One tip is to remove as many work-related items from personal devices as possible—emails, work apps, etc. This creates a natural boundary. Another strategy is to observe colleagues who have set boundaries and learn from them. Identify the skills needed to create the lifestyle you want.

Kevin Pho: Can you share a coaching success story? Take us into a session where a physician came to you burned out with no hobbies, and you helped them make changes that led to an improvement.

Ben Reinking: Yes, I had a family medicine physician who was seeing a high volume of patients and spent hours charting after work. This left them with little personal time. Interestingly, they worked with colleagues who finished charting before leaving for the day. The physician believed their own notes were more thorough due to the time they spent, but I encouraged them to have someone in their office de-identify notes and compare them. Without patient names, they couldn’t tell the difference between their notes and those of their colleagues. That realization was powerful.

After that, we worked on skills to improve their efficiency with charting. Their goal was to attend their child’s Saturday football games, which had previously been spent catching up on charts. I’m happy to say they made it to several games, which was a big win.

Kevin Pho: We’re talking to Ben Reinking, a pediatric cardiologist, medical educator, and certified physician development coach. Today’s KevinMD article is “Cultivating Joy Beyond the Clinic, a Physician’s Tale of Rediscovering Hobbies.” Ben, what are your take-home messages for the KevinMD audience?

Ben Reinking: If you’re unhappy in your job and life feels like an endless grind, know that it’s possible to create margin in your life and reclaim the parts of yourself that you may have lost during training and medical practice. Small steps can lead to significant changes, and there’s help available for those who want to make that shift.

Kevin Pho: Ben, thank you so much for sharing your insights and perspective. Thanks again for coming back on the show.

Ben Reinking: Thank you, Kevin.