What does it mean to stay tender-hearted—and even a little wild—while working in modern medicine? Dr. Wendy Lau, an emergency physician and Zen practitioner, shares the GRACE approach (Gather, Recall, Attune, Consider, Engage/End) that helps clinicians meet patients with genuine compassion, even on the busiest shifts. She explains how naming moral residue and moral injury can lift hidden weight off our shoulders and introduces self-stewardship as a practical way to set healthy limits so we can keep serving over the long haul. Along the way, Wendy reflects on community, creativity, and finding hope in the simple truth that everything changes—one breath and one patient at a time.

Resources mentioned

• Upaya Zen Center
• GRACE Framework – developed by Roshi Joan Halifax
• Cynda Rushton, PhD, RN – research on moral residue and self-stewardship
• The Inner Practice of Medicine – book by Dr. Wendy Lau

If the episode resonates, share it with a friend or send us your reflections—each voice helps broaden our circle of compassionate care.

What does it mean to be well—not just physically, but emotionally, culturally, and in community?

In this episode, we talk with Saul Ferolus, a Haitian peace seeker, father, husband and community advocate, who shares his lived experience as a Haitian navigating life after the 2010 earthquake, migration, and the challenges of being misunderstood in a new country. His story invites us to consider how well-being is shaped not only by access to care, but by the narratives we tell about each other.

We explore how the effects of othering—especially through fear-based media portrayals—can undermine health at both individual and collective levels. And we reflect on what it means to belong, to be seen with dignity, and to stay connected to community, even across distance and disruption.

This is a conversation about resilience, relational health, and the quiet power of being held in community. Lepspwa fe viv! Hope gives life!

What does it mean to lead with compassion in global health—and why does it matter now more than ever?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Shams Syed to explore how compassion, partnership, and service are not just values—but strategies for systems change. From his early work designing bi-directional hospital partnerships across continents to his reflections on faith, identity, and burnout, Shams shares hard-won insights from decades of work in the field.

We talk about:

• Reimagining quality improvement through a human-centered lens
• The role of compassion in leadership, policymaking, and health equity
• What it means to create safe systems for transformation
• How faith, curiosity, and lived experience shape global health work
• The difference between empathy and compassion—and why action matters

Alongside co-hosts Dr. Ashley Ono and Dr. Lopa Basu, this conversation weaves the technical with the spiritual, exploring how love, service, and deep listening can shift not just outcomes—but the very way we move through the world.

"Improvement cycles are driven by an engine—and that’s the engine of the heart." — Dr. Shams Syed

Resources & Mentions:

• WHO’s Global Compassion Rounds
• Dr. Rana Awdish, In Shock
• Rumi quote: “Listen with ears of tolerance…”
• The compassion equation: awareness → empathy → action

Tune in and subscribe to Inspire Global Radio for more conversations that explore healing, leadership, and the courage to care.