In this episode, Tanvi sits down with Dr. Shivani Ruben, an internal medicine physician specializing in geriatric primary care in Sacramento, California. Dr. Ruben shares her journey from UC Berkeley pre-med to choosing primary care for its focus on long-term patient relationships. She reflects on a powerful case from residency, a patient with diabetes who lost his vision and independence due to lack of access to screening, that shaped how she thinks about holistic, accessible care. Dr. Ruben discusses the realities of modern primary care, including the burden of patient messages through apps, the frustration of insurance denials, and the challenge of balancing 20-minute appointments with meaningful connections. She addresses how she navigates patients who come with Google diagnoses and AI-generated health questions, emphasizing the irreplaceable human element of medicine. Despite systemic challenges around access and the commercialization of healthcare, Dr. Ruben remains hopeful about technology augmenting (not replacing) the physician-patient relationship, and encourages aspiring doctors to always remember their "why" for entering medicine.

In this episode, Tanvi sits down with Dr. Aliya, an integrative medicine practitioner who combines Ayurvedic and Eastern medicine practices with Western medical training. Dr. Aliya shares her unconventional journey from nursing to medical school, where a pharmacology class on statin drugs sparked a crisis that nearly made her quit medicine entirely. Frustrated by the pharmaceutical-focused approach and her own declining health during training, she discovered lifestyle medicine and functional approaches that transformed both her wellbeing and her mother's autoimmune conditions. Dr. Aliya discusses the stark differences between rushed 10-minute conventional appointments and her two-hour integrative consultations, the challenges of accessing holistic care, and why she believes the healthcare system needs to empower patients to take ownership of their health rather than passively accept authority. Through her story of questioning, learning, and ultimately creating her own practice, Dr. Aliya illustrates how curiosity and cultural wisdom can reshape the way we approach healing.

In this episode, Dr. Jahnavi shares her unconventional journey from software engineering to internal medicine. She reflects on the risks of changing careers later in life, the realities of medical school and residency, and the emotional and practical sacrifices required along the way. Dr. Jahnavi also offers honest advice for students and professionals considering a nontraditional path into medicine.