Cancer doctor shares his journey to oncology and reveals life lessons from the dying

Hardeep Phull, M.D. (cancer doctor, pilot, girl dad) shares his journey to becoming himself up to this point in his life.

He opens up about his path to becoming a medical doctor, including his mom's career as an oncology nurse, volunteering at the VA as a teenager, being rejected from medical school and how that shaped his journey, and how the financial support of Cleveland Clinic's endowment helped him choose his interest in oncology over the becoming a surgeon, and the innovative, divergent training he received at the Cleveland Clinic.

Hardeep reflects on how he overcame the resentment that naturally arose when he was rejected from every medical school he applied to and how he regrouped and eventually found success.

He explains why caring for dying patients is one of the great honors of his life, shares life lessons from caring for terminal patients, and tells us why there's no physical explanation for what happens when the soul leaves the body.

Hardeep also discusses how he combats stress and burnout, how to balance action vs. being present, tells us the 3 major turning points in his life story, shares the importance of following your calling, and how solitude and self-reflection leads to authenticity.

Plus, Hardeep tells us there's no life hack or self-help trick except the one we make for ourselves, and we end by discussing his love of the Interstellar soundtrack featuring the pipe organ and we chat about my first career as an organist.