“I strived to care for patients—body, mind, and soul—through my medical practice.”
– Michael Skoch, MD
Could you introduce yourself, share your background, what you do, and what you aim to contribute through your work?
Michael, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
By way of introduction, I am a semi-retired family physician, though first a husband, father, and grandfather. I grew up a Kansas farm kid, the oldest son in a family of seven children.
Family is extremely important to me, a reality made evident as my own family has grown and through my years of service to families as a physician advisor in matters related to health. I strived to care for patients—body, mind, and soul—through my medical practice. Through my work as an author, I hope to contribute in yet another way to the healing processes that every family faces at various points along the way.
How has your experience in patient care influenced the way you observe and interpret everyday life?
Patient care experience certainly impacts the way I look at life. A physician’s career is built on effective listening, honing one’s knowledge of the human organism—mind, body, and soul—and applying science in the professional healing relationships that develop with one’s patients.
Life is full of opportunities to integrate one’s daily experiences into a bigger picture through listening and applying learned experiences to each day’s new revelations. Among other things, my patients taught me to anticipate the unexpected and, as much as possible, refrain from setting expectations—for myself or for others.
What led you to document and share your experiences?
The impetus for documenting and sharing my experience was an off-the-cuff comment by my wife that I could write a book about my life’s experience.
In my case, I faced a somewhat unique but significant opportunity to continually separate my professional life from my personal life in the effort to maintain a healthy boundary with regard to my mother’s healthcare. Not always easy, it was essential, if for no other reason than the maintenance of my sanity.
How do you balance personal memory and professional insight when telling a story?
Balancing personal memory and professional insight approaches an art form. The two—personal memory and professional insight—are closely connected in my thought processes, the result of a lifetime of living life to the fullest extent possible while caring for those who sought my professional expertise.
To maintain such a balance constitutes, in fact, part of the “art” of medicine.
What early life experiences most influenced your understanding of people and relationships?
Among my life’s experiences resulting in the most lasting influence on my understanding of people and relationships today was the selfless love my parents demonstrated to us children, along with the gift of our Catholic faith. A third early experience is the unlocking of the gift of music at an early age in my life.
These three—love, faith, and music—have likely contributed the most lasting influence on my understanding of people and relationships.
How do you define personal progress, and how has that definition evolved over time?
Progress in personal growth and self-awareness is defined by the degree to which one comes to know God. It is essential to know one’s place before God, which is, in turn, the definition of humility.
My understanding of progress in personal growth and self-awareness is now dramatically different than how I perceived it in my young adulthood, when my focus in measuring these attributes was on professional success and the esteem of others, especially those whom I perceived as “better” than me.
Was there a particular experience in your work that you felt would resonate most widely with readers?
As I completed my work on this manuscript, I realized the relationship with my dad as the one that would resonate most widely. My personal experience, while far from perfect, serves as one example of what healing childhood wounds looks like.
Regardless of the wound and its manifestation, what does seem to hold consistent is that forgiveness and mercy are necessary prescriptions for the promotion of wound healing and the restoration of mind and soul.
How do you navigate the space between evidence-based understanding and personal reflection?
Sharing professional insights that are supported by science, along with personal experiences that may be discordant with scientific evidence, gives the reader opportunities to recognize that “getting it right” is not always necessary for lessons to be learned.
The most important work we do in this space may well be in facing any problem with both an open mind and an open heart—accepting the truths and limitations of science while allowing the expanse of faith to speak when evidence-based understanding remains mute.
What practical advice would you offer to individuals considering documenting their own life experiences?
To individuals considering the documenting of their own life experiences, I say, “Take courage!” Focus not on what a reader may think. Focus instead on what your heart urges you to say.
How do you interpret receiving the BREW Reader’s Choice Award, and what does it represent to you?
That my book has been recognized with a BREW Reader’s Choice Award from The Chrysalis BREW Project has come as a pleasant surprise. I am grateful for this recognition, and I am encouraged by it.
The accolade leads me to consider that the gift I have been given in my ability to write might be used for the purpose of offering help to readers in navigating some of the challenges we face in this journey called life.
If you were to write your own bio, what would you say, and what impact do you hope your work will have?
Pulling back to the basics of my bio, I am, first of all, a son, a husband, and a father. My priorities in life are:
- my relationship with God the Father;
- my relationship with my wife;
- my relationships with my children (and now their respective families) and my family; and
- my work.
I work to approach every day with those priorities in that order. Everything else pales in comparison.
I have been blessed from an early age with the gift of faith and with a wife who is both patient and forgiving. My blessings include seven terrific young adult children who are each making their own contribution to the world in which they live. I am a Kansas farm kid turned family physician, and I have been further blessed by those whom I have served in the role of physician contributor to shared healthcare decision-making.
My hope, as my writing develops, is that in sharing my experiences and stories of having been blessed by others’ examples, I can bring hope to those who doubt and allay fear among those who worry.
It’s not about being right, let alone being perfect. It is about finding one’s way—confident in the mercy of a God who loves each beyond his or her wildest dream—and trusting that He will provide what I lack in my desire to live out His will for my life.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“It is about finding one’s way—confident in the mercy of a God who loves each beyond his or her wildest dream.”
– Michael Skoch, MD
Links
- Connect with Michael via LinkedIn
- Visit Michael’s website
- Know more about the BREW Book, Blog, and Poetry Awards here
Share Your Insights
What stood out to you in this conversation? Share your thoughts:
- How do life experiences shape your perspective on personal growth?
- What role does reflection play in your daily life?
- Have you ever considered documenting your own story?
Alignment with the UN SDGs
- SDG 3: Promotes holistic health and well-being
- SDG 4: Encourages lifelong learning and reflection
- SDG 16: Supports empathy, understanding, and personal development
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