My ‘One Word’ this week is: SHARON

“What lights me up about my wife Sharon in my fifties?”

This is a question I was recently asked on a podcast!

My answer: The same thing that did in my twenties: put her in a pair of scrubs, and I melt. 🧊

Sure, part of it is that I think Sharon rocks her scrubs. But the real reason I melt is WHY she’s wearing them: she’s an OB-GYN. As the husband of a doctor, I’ve learned many life lessons.

Here are the top 5 my wife, the-OB-GYN-in-scrubs, has taught me:

1. PERSPECTIVE

When I was doing consumer packaged goods branding in the corporate world, a life or death situation was the new Chips Ahoy cookie product missing its launch date. For Sharon? It’s literally life or death. She’ll often be in a situation where she’s got mere minutes to save a baby and mother. Her work helped me realize that botched ingredients at a snack food company doesn’t  really compare to having a woman or baby’s life in your hands!

2. THINKING FAST ON MY FEET

Sharon uses her solution-oriented mind to think quickly and make vital decisions to birth babies and keep mothers safe. She’s taught me how to think fast on my feet in high-stakes situations so that big moments never get the best of me.

3. EMPATHY

My wife is revered for her bedside manner. Sharon has this unbelievable ability to put herself in her patient’s shoes, drawing from her own experiences with two difficult pregnancies. She’s taught me so much about emotional intelligence and empathy. Not all doctors have EQ, but she’s got it in spades.

4. PERSEVERANCE

My wife has essentially been “on call” for thirty years—sometimes once or twice a week. She’s often delivering babies through the night, but she never gives up. She’s always smiling when she shows up to that delivery. She’s shown me the true power of perseverance and how to keep pushing through to the desired outcome.

5. CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS 

It takes nine months to have a baby, and my wife’s patients are with her through the whole pregnancy. She builds profound relationships over that time, with many patients coming back for their second and third babies. Sharon’s now at a point in her career where she’s delivering babies of the babies she delivered! My daughter wants to go into either oncology or OB-GYN because she’s eager to build that rapport and trust. She learned that from her mom.

This is what it REALLY means to me when I see my wife Sharon in a pair of scrubs. It’s the multifaceted set of emotions I experience every day for—and because of—this wonder woman.  I’m endlessly grateful for all the things my wife has taught me and all the love she puts into the world.

By the way, Sharon’s ‘One Word’ is Cultivator – and that’s 100% the truth!

Who makes YOU melt 🧊?