Ryan Fightmaster MD

Ryan Fightmaster MD Life was too short to be a doctor. So, I quit. And wrote my way out of my mid-life crisis. Why did I do it? Because I was scared and "supposed to".

I went to medical school, incurred $200K in student loans, completed a residency program, and earned my board certification in psychiatry, while never wanting to be a doctor. In that process, I lost my "want to". In 2022, I left it all behind (including a $400K/year salary), to build a life I love and want. If you can relate, join me as I figure it all out (and help you do the same).

She lets me vent. Then, calmly, she asks, “When have you ever not got it done?” It’s not about getting the project done....
04/07/2026

She lets me vent. Then, calmly, she asks, “When have you ever not got it done?”

It’s not about getting the project done. It’s about getting to the moment where you KNOW the project’s getting done.

Tap the link in my bio to subscribe to my newsletter and never miss my writing (plus get all my notes, links, and resources) 👆

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I created this list because I figured all of us keep an active and evolving “Oh sh*t” list. Because we must. Won’t speak...
04/04/2026

I created this list because I figured all of us keep an active and evolving “Oh sh*t” list. Because we must. Won’t speak for you here, but I get lost all the time. Don’t know up from down. Doubt from conviction. That’s why my list goes 30 deep. I get help, inspiration, and laughs wherever I can get it.

Jokes aside—and writing this was a lot of fun—creativity really matters. I’m indebted to this stuff. It connects and carries me, over and over. Shouts to everyone who put their soul on the line for a song, a script, or a sport. It mattered. Won’t stop mattering.

To making meaningful stuff!

Got a go-to from your own “Oh Sh*t” lost? Drop it in the comments. We’ll take all the inspiration we can get.

👆Read the full list by tapping the link in my bio 👆

soundofmusic

I’m not making anymore mountains out of post holes Tap the link in my bio to get all my writing in one place 👆
03/28/2026

I’m not making anymore mountains out of post holes

Tap the link in my bio to get all my writing in one place 👆

Sanity is for the birds (and the weekend)
03/24/2026

Sanity is for the birds (and the weekend)

Not sure about you, but I don’t like drinking my backwash 🤔Read the full article by tapping the link in my bio 👆
03/23/2026

Not sure about you, but I don’t like drinking my backwash 🤔

Read the full article by tapping the link in my bio 👆

Let your eyes wander. Never know where you might see the truth 🫣Read my writing on Substack. Join by tapping the link in...
03/17/2026

Let your eyes wander. Never know where you might see the truth 🫣

Read my writing on Substack. Join by tapping the link in my bio 👆

Risk grows self belief. Recognition is the catalyst. 👇Tap the link in my bio to join my Substack, Flares in the Dark, wh...
03/14/2026

Risk grows self belief. Recognition is the catalyst.

👇Tap the link in my bio to join my Substack, Flares in the Dark, where I hunt truth like my livelihood depends on it, well, because it does.

If it gets you closer, that’s good enough 🎯 Everything I write is designed to get you closer to going for it, to listeni...
03/12/2026

If it gets you closer, that’s good enough 🎯

Everything I write is designed to get you closer to going for it, to listening to that ounce of knowing inside an ocean of doubt. Read my writing on Substack (linked in bio👇)

What happens when you let fate decide if you get to be who you are?
03/06/2026

What happens when you let fate decide if you get to be who you are?

The knowledge that my family was proud and happy provided me with no solace in the darkness.

The most unselfish act: going for it 🎯Tap the link in my bio to join my Substack community, where we ask for more than a...
02/17/2026

The most unselfish act: going for it 🎯

Tap the link in my bio to join my Substack community, where we ask for more than a “good work-life balance” 👇

Locating the more sustainable source of self 📍Looking for more than a “good work-life balance?” Want your work to mean m...
02/14/2026

Locating the more sustainable source of self 📍

Looking for more than a “good work-life balance?” Want your work to mean more than a paycheck? Us too. Join our free community on Substack and never miss my writing 👆

Time’s compounding our compromises 📈Looking for more than a “good work-life balance”? Join my Substack community by tapp...
02/11/2026

Time’s compounding our compromises 📈

Looking for more than a “good work-life balance”? Join my Substack community by tapping the link in my bio 👆

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Asheville, NC

Website

https://substack.com/@ryanfightmaster/

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