Breakthroughs and Vulnerability
B.U.D.S | Newsletter 13 | Discovering Your Path Forward
In my early twenties as I began my adult and professional life, I had a strong sense of control and power over the external circumstances and events in my life; a rare privilege and illusion shared amongst the youth.
This mirage, slowly disappeared as I grew up and began ticking off the boxes: Marriage. Career advancement. Fatherhood.
I was swimming in the deeper currents of life, drowning in helplessness and forced to accept my limitations, trading hubris in my twenties for humility in my thirties.
Fortunately, I quickly embraced my new, constant companion. The same feeling that accompanies any individual, on the inevitable path of self growth: vulnerability.
On the Path Less Travelled
Carving out a career in deprescribing as a pharmacist has meant questioning the entrenched norms of my profession. Speaking out against the status quo has produced skepticism and contempt from some of my colleagues, especially those that have other interests at heart.
Deprescribing can seem antithetical to the business of community pharmacy, drawing resistance from stakeholders whose only interest is to maximize bottom line, even at the expense of the health of the communities they claim to serve.
I believe there’s a better way and different future for my patients — a life not defined by how many medications they take, but complemented by lifestyle, mental and physical tools. With this holistic approach, we can help them achieve better outcomes while leaning on the wisdom of fewer, simpler choices.
Reframing Mental Health
For me, embracing vulnerability has been transformative. Leaning into uncertainty and shifting your perspective can be a gamechanger, especially in the context of reframing issues with your mental health.
For those who have been afflicted by trauma, suffering or generational wounds, attempting to break free from the past and create a new way forward can be an isolating and uncertain path.
To succeed, you’ll need to exercise your muscles in vulnerability and acceptance.
Vulnerability requires you to ask for help; to expose your weaknesses. Opening your hands and heart to the world, hoping that someone will reach out to lift you up.
Sadly, you’ll be disappointed. Many will let you down. But in those dark times, you discover something much more powerful and valuable. The wounds you once feared exposing, eventually become calloused and stronger.
You realize that vulnerability is not a weakness; it is the birthplace of your resilience.
Eventually, as you work to overcome the obstacles that once held you back, you’ll begin to make progress. Momentum builds and slowly, you make your own luck; finding the members in your tribe, who are fighting similar battles. Once you find the right people, at the right time, your life will change.
Finding Your Tribe
I must say, I owe a debt of gratitude to a special group of people. Having just returned from the ACLM 2024 Lifestyle Conference in Orlando, I finally found my tribe.
A group of like-minded healthcare practitioners who share my vision for deprescribing and transforming healthcare to emphasize chronic disease prevention.
These individuals are leaders, compassionate advocates, and kindred spirits who believe in a healthcare system built on empowerment, prevention, and holistic care.
We are, together, building a future of healthcare that doesn’t just treat illness but nurtures wellness at every level. And in each other, I have found the courage to continue this work, knowing that we are a collective force, moving forward with purpose.
To all my new friends and colleagues in the CLMAG and ACLM, this post is for you. Thank you for your vision, your support, and your unwavering belief that we can create something better for the communities we serve.
And for those individuals who feel isolated, ignored or overwhelmed, struggling with mental and physical health, have no fear. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
In the end, you never walk alone.
Thanks for reading. SG.
“The only choice we have, as we mature, is how we inhabit our vulnerability… How we become larger, more compassionate, and courageous with our intimacy with disappearance. Our choice is to inhabit vulnerability, as general citizens of loss… Always at the gate of existence. Never bravely, and completely attempting to enter. Never walking, fully, through the door.”
— David Whyte | From: Identify and Conversation. Waking Up.
Build. Understand. Discipline. Stillness. “B.U.D.S” is written by me, Dr. Shawn Gill - I’m a pharmacist and Father of two boys. During the day, I work as a deprescribing pharmacist, helping patients get off drugs, safely and effectively. At night, I write this newsletter. B.U.D.S is a community that's focused on inspiring individuals to take account of their health and wellness, as well as reverse mental health and chronic disease. If you’d like to support this mission, please subscribe below. Much love. SG
Thank you for your perseverance to support your clients who share your vision. It must not be easy in our health care system that is too quick to prescribe antidepressants with no plan or support for tapering .