Summer has arrived. The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and many of us are looking forward to vacations, road trips, family visits, and new adventures.

What if I told you that travel isn't just enjoyable—it's actually good for your health?

Summer is here, and with it comes more time outdoors, longer days, and plenty of sunshine. While sunlight brings many joys, it also brings ultraviolet (UV) radiation, one of the leading causes of skin cancer.

Recently, there has been a surge of misinformation claiming that sunscreen is harmful or even causes cancer. The science tells a different story. Sunscreen is one of the most effective tools we have for preventing skin cancer, and decades of research consistently show that regular use reduces the risk of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Every May, my family and I travel over to Beasley’s orchard in Danville, Indiana to pick up fresh from the vine strawberries. Have you ever had a fresh May strawberry?  It’s a completely different experience than the pale strawberries we typically see in the grocery store. When we eat fruits and vegetables in season, not only are they tastier, but they are also at the height of their nutritional value. 

There is something remarkable happening in medicine.

It is not loud. It is not driven by large systems or complex policies.And yet, it is steadily reshaping the way care is experienced across the country.

It is a return.

A return to a time when your doctor knew you well. When visits were not rushed. When care was not dictated by a third party, but guided by the relationship between physician and patient.

This is the heart of direct primary care.

There is something deeply human about wanting the people we love to feel well.

When you experience care that is thoughtful, unhurried, and truly centered on you, it becomes difficult to imagine your spouse navigating rushed visits alone… or your children growing up in a system that treats them like a number… or your closest friend continuing to feel overlooked.

Good care has a quiet way of changing our expectations.

And once you’ve experienced it, you begin to notice where it is missing.

There is a certain magic to spring.

Longer days. Softer light. The return of warmth.

And, for many, the quiet but persistent arrival of seasonal allergies.

What begins as a tickle in the throat or a hint of congestion can quickly unfold into something far more disruptive—runny nose, itchy eyes, fatigue, disrupted sleep. A body that feels, quite simply, out of rhythm with the beauty unfolding outside.

The good news is this: we have many elegant, effective tools to restore that balance.

We’re hosting an open house on April 25 (2–4 pm) at 156 E. Market Street, Suite 900.
If you’ve ever been curious about direct primary care, this is a lovely, no-pressure way to experience it.

If you have friends or family who are curious about the practice, please bring them by. I would love to meet them!

With deep gratitude and a full heart, I am delighted to invite you to an Open House at Deserving of Joy: Direct Primary Care as we celebrate the successful completion of our first quarter in practice. What began as a vision has grown into a vibrant, thoughtful community of 122 members, each one contributing to something truly meaningful.

There is a quiet truth about being human that modern life often forgets: we are not machines. We are living systems that repair, regulate, and restore themselves each night through sleep.

For adults, the body functions best with seven to nine hours of sleep per night. This is not indulgence. It is biological maintenance. During sleep the brain organizes memories, the immune system recalibrates, hormones reset, and the body repairs the small stresses of the day.

When sleep becomes fragmented, the effects ripple through nearly every system in the body.

If you have been looking out the window at the snowbanks and gray skies wondering whether winter will ever loosen its grip, I have good news.

The sun is staying out a little longer each evening.
The weather forecast is hinting at a few glorious fifty degree days.
And if you listen closely, you might hear a familiar tune playing softly in the background.

🎶 It’s tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime! 🎶

Time to bring back one of my favorite habits to prescribe.

Welcome back to Instructions for the Care of Joyful Humans!

Have you ever wished there was an instruction manual for taking care of yourself? One that did not involve guilt, perfection, or impossible standards? Welcome to Instructions for the Care of Joyful Humans. This is a space where we will highlight small, practical tips to help you feel healthier, more grounded, and yes, more joyful.

You might have expected me to talk about nutrition or exercise here, but no, we are going to start with something much more important for your mental health: creativity!

I’m so excited to share one of the most practical and meaningful perks of membership at Deserving of Joy: Direct Primary Care.

Attached, you’ll find a flyer outlining our in-house pricing for common medications, labs, and injections. These are services I use every day in family medicine, and I’m proud to offer them at remarkably low, transparent cash prices.

As I sit down to reflect on our very first week at Deserving of Joy: Direct Primary Care, I am filled with gratitude. This past week was everything I hoped it would be and more. We shared long, unhurried visits in a calm, living room like space, with the time and presence to truly talk through concerns, explore goals, and care for patients as whole people. This is how family medicine is meant to feel.

As we step into 2026, I just want to pause and say thank you. Thank you for choosing Deserving of Joy: Direct Primary Care and trusting me with your care.  Thank you for saying yes to a different kind of healthcare that is thoughtful, personal, and rooted in relationships.

I wanted to take a quiet moment to wish you a very Merry Christmas.

The holidays were never meant to feel like a performance.

And yet, for so many of us — especially women in the thick of careers, caregiving, and perimenopause — this season can feel less like joy… and more like juggling.

Before you find yourself carrying the emotional load, the family expectations, and the endless to-do list, I want to offer a few physician-guided, heart-centered reminders to help you not just survive the holidays, but truly thrive in them.

Because your well-being is worth protecting — especially now.

As the new year approaches, many of us take a fresh look at our health, our priorities, and—yes—our HSA balances. With recent changes under the Primary Care Enhancement Act, your Health Savings Account can now do more for you than ever before.

As we get closer to opening day, I hope you’re feeling as excited as I am. I want to give you a clear picture of what a Deserving of Joy membership truly includes — because it’s so much more than easy appointments or a monthly fee. It’s a return to something medicine has been missing: access, time, and a real relationship with your doctor.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how health care should feel: calm, personal, unrushed, and centered around you. That’s exactly why I chose Direct Primary Care, and why Deserving of Joy exists.

So what is DPC?

Happy Thanksgiving to my members and followers! Check out a sneak peak of the Deserving of Joy: Direct Primary Care office!