This week marks 8 years since we released our very first episode of 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication.
Back then, I recorded on a matchbox-sized Samson travel mic that my brother Joe gave me, plugged into my very heavy laptop. I’m grateful to my brother and that tiny mic for making the show possible. I’m grateful to you for making the show a show.
This series has allowed me to stay connected to you, and to the work (even through COVID). It was in 2021, when we hit 50,000 downloads, that I felt we’d really made a community, and I wasn’t just talking into the void. We’ve been here, every 2 weeks, for over 200 episodes, aimed at helping you dig deeper into your communication, and maybe reconnect a bit with why you got into this work to begin with.
When we started, 8 years ago, Apple’s rules were that podcasters had to have a batch of episodes to begin with. You couldn’t start a series with just one episode. So we recorded our series intro, then an episode each on misconceptions, medical metaphors, and health literacy. These episodes still get downloads to this day! I chose these topics because these were the questions I got the most often from doctors, nurses, researchers and other providers I worked with and spoke with. I continue that same approach, and you continue to let me know what we should feature next. Have a suggestion? Let me know!
And you have shown up in big ways for us. In the last 7 weeks, four of our episodes landed in the top 5% of podcasts globally. It’s surreal, especially in a show designed for professionals who rarely have 10 minutes to spare. I’m so grateful to you, our listeners and guests.
This hard work of taking a closer look at communication and patient education continues to be crucial. None of us sees communication as simply a “soft skill.” It’s the main way we relate to one another. It’s also a strategic lever in individual relationships and organizational culture.
Every time someone tells me they used an idea from an episode in a real conversation, I’m reminded why this still matters. That’s why we’re still here, after 8 years. Over that time, we’ve managed to build an archive of specialized, evergreen content, 10-minute mini-lessons designed to work in the real world. In this next season of the show, and this next chapter for our work, we’re exploring ways to get these lessons into more hands — not just one listener at a time, but at scale. Interested? Here’s more information.
In case you didn’t catch our breakout episode on trust with Dr. Renata Schiavo, check it out here.
Thank you for being here, for listening, downloading and sharing. Thank you for the work you do in the world!
