What happens when a neurologist spends more than 30 years not just treating the brain, but really listening to the person behind the diagnosis?
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Carolyn Larkin Taylor, a board certified neurologist and author of Whispers of the Mind: A Neurologist’s Memoir. Carolyn shares stories from the exam room and the bedside that will move you, challenge you, and restore some faith in what medicine can look like when compassion leads the way.
We talk about her journey from optometrist to neurologist, why MS and Parkinson’s patients hold a special place in her heart, and how treatments for these conditions have changed over the years. Carolyn also opens up about the pressures of corporatized medicine, medical gaslighting, and the burnout many doctors are feeling as insurance and billing rules pull them away from real human connection.
One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is the story of Prancer, the golden retriever therapy dog who worked by Carolyn’s side for 14 years and comforted patients in ways medicine never could. We also explore addiction, end of life decisions, and the neurologic illnesses that affected her own family.
If you have ever felt dismissed as a patient, know someone living with a neurologic condition, or just want to hear stories of courage and humanity in healthcare, this is an episode worth your time.
Listen in, share it with a friend, and check out Whispers of the Mind to dive even deeper into Carolyn’s stories.
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