Some trades don’t make sense—until they do.
This is one of them.
Keith Pochick was an ER doctor. Twenty years in. Saving lives. Leading teams. Teaching residents. Everything he was trained to do and everything the world told him he should want.
Until it stopped working.
This conversation started the way most do: a quiet nudge, a LinkedIn post, and a DM sent without a plan. Forty-eight hours later, Keith and I sat down for the first time. No prep, no script. Just two guys who had made The Trade™ and knew the cost.
He didn’t leave medicine on a whim. He left over years.One dissection. One advisory meeting. One tug from his future at a time.Until one day he said yes to something that had been whispering for years.
Now, he teaches middle school science.And he’s never felt more useful.
This isn’t a story about burnout. It’s a story about awakening—when staying felt heavier than leaving,when the “right thing” wasn’t the thing that felt true anymore,and when Keith finally stopped letting guilt steal his curiosity.
You’re going to feel this one.
And if you’re wondering whether it’s too late to start over...listen to the guy who did it—with no regrets, and no backup plan.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com