Ep. 45 Dr Joseph D Pianka

Filled Up Cup

On this episode I am joined by Dr. Joseph D Pianka. He is a Physician/Gastroenterologist and author of It's All In Your Head. He has been a board-certified practicing gastroenterologist in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, for over twenty years. A devout husband and father of three, he is also an avid surfer, snowboarder, fly-fisherman, and outdoor enthusiast. Combining his expertise pertaining to fitness and nutrition, his unique perspectives regarding psychology, faith, and self-motivation, and his love of athletics and pop culture, Pianka’s ultimate goal is to help as many people as possible who struggle to find motivation in regards to health and fitness.

Medical providers are prone to dark moments, and life can be incredibly overwhelming. Pianka has personally always found ways to rise above his dark moments through his athletic hobbies and focus on family, but early in the COVID-19 pandemic, he fell into a spiral at the the prospect of being unable to care for those who depended on him. With a television announcing early statistics about pandemic mortality playing in the background while he learned that a significant portion of his practice—and ability to care for patients—was being restricted, he had an emotional breakdown. Facing physician burnout and depression, Pianka decided to sit down and write an outline about staying fit and healthy in a seemingly chaotic existence, and he kept writing until the sun came out (literally and metaphorically). What began as a simple reference guide for his patients, conceptualized prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, evolved into an unexpected second career as an inspirational writer.

And, once it seemed possible after publication, he realized he wasn’t done yet: All of his proceeds from the book will be donated to Ukraine relief. This book is entirely about creating meaningful difference for others, and the people in the Ukraine are the most in need of help right now. “Profits that would mean little to me in the grand scheme of things may mean everything to some of them.”

It’s All in Your Head was written directly for everyday individuals with busy lives and varied hobbies. Rather than another “how to” manual, it is a “why to” guide through the complicated space of fitness and nutrition. Incorporating the fundamental principles universal to successful diet and fitness programs and teaching self-motivation skills, It’s All in Your Head unlocks doors to previously unrecognized potential and the ability to maintain fitness dreams.
We have an in depth conversation about his personal experience with burnout and what the pandemic has been like from a front line workers perspective. We talk about the warning signs to look for, ways to start making positive changes and what he knows helped him permanently change things both mentally and physically.
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