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Who is The Physician Philosopher?

By Jimmy Turner, MD
The Physician Philosopher

My favorite superhero growing up was always superman.  I found it fascinating how he – after saving a falling school bus – could hide in plain sight with a comb over and glasses to protect his superhero identity.  At some point, though, everyone needs to admit to who they really are – and while you may not be Lois Lane today is that day for me.  Who is The Physician Philosopher?

Join along as we discuss why this blog was anonymous in the first place, the reason for coming clean now, and the direction that this blog will take in the near future.

Why Not Come Out From the Start?

There are many reasons why I started this blog anonymously.  Chief among them were two-conflicting facts: I am an employed physician at a big academic hospital and I have an outspoken, opinionated personality.

While my writing can sometimes have an edge to it, the truth is that’s how I am in real life, too.  To a fault, I am an outspoken, opinionated, and passionate person.  I am one of those people that others either love or hate – I just don’t see too many people feeling lukewarm about my personality.

Given the brutal honesty with which I write on this blog, I wasn’t sure how my employer would view my posts.

The Big Disclosure at Work

So, it was with much fear and trepidation that I approached the chair of my department.  Going in, I had a lot of competing thoughts.

He could tell me that it would have to stay anonymous or to shut it down all together.  What if he said that it was a terrible idea?  How would the administration above him view my efforts?  What if I’ve been too honest?

…Then I sat down in the chair, and my worries were dismantled.  It was completely different than I anticipated.

After assuaging my fears, he not only told me that it was great that I had a blog – he encouraged me to make it non-anonymous.

He realized, what I had not, that (as long as I have a disclaimer saying that the views on this site are mine alone, which they are), this blog could be viewed as a good thing.  Hell, it might even be viewed positively by the institution if they have their thinking cap on.

To say I was on cloud 9 that day would be a vast understatement.  We talk a lot about how autonomy produces satisfaction at work.  On this day, my job satisfaction could not have been any higher.

That meeting gave me the motivation that I needed to reveal myself to the world.

Why Now?

This isn’t just a random day in February.  Something else also happened today. And, it’s big!

Today is the day that I published The Physician Philosopher’s Guide to Personal Finance:  The 20% of Personal Finance Doctors Need to Know to Get 80% of the Results

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I’ve worked on this book for the past 9 months.  It has been written, re-written, revised, proof-read, and edited. I’ll probably write a post about the details of what went into writing the book for those that are interested, but suffice it to say it was a ton of work.

With that said, I have two very distinct projects going on right now.

The first is my in-person work at the academic hospital where I work studying personal finance in residents while we create a business of medicine curriculum with a few of my colleagues.  The second is The Physician Philosopher website.

It made sense at some point to make it obvious that these efforts had the same source.  Publishing the book seemed like the most appropriate time to do that.

So, while these efforts will remain separate and distinct, people will know my passion to teach our future doctors about this topic is genuine and real.

Who is The Physician Philosopher?

Without further ado, my name is Jimmy Turner.

Who am I? I’ve told you before, and it hasn’t changed!

Jimmy Turner The Physician PhilosopherI am a God-fearing husband, father of three little philosophers, a son, a grandson, a brother, and a friend.  I am an author, inventor, blogger, passionate Wake Forest sports fan, and craft-beer lover.  During the day (and sometimes at night) I also happen to be a physician practicing academic anesthesiology at a level 1 tertiary medical center.

I am passionate about my main gig where I teach, perform clinical research, and try to practice the best medicine that I can.  That said, it will never define who I am as my identity is defined via the things listed in the paragraph above this.

Recognizing that I suffer from a bad case of imposter syndrome, I reveal my identity knowing that there is a good chance this could blow up in my face. Anyone who has ever been in this position wonders what people will think, what they will say, and how they will respond.

I suppose “it is what it is.”  Though, my wife always follows that comment up by saying, “Yes, but it will be what you make it.”

It Will Be What We Make It

The Physician Philosopher blog’s purpose will remain the same.  There will not be any drastic changes in the course we sail.

I may occasionally tone down the details of my financial updates, though I still intend to share how we are doing and to mention our accomplishments.

My hope has always been that our story will encourage others that they can accomplish their financial and life goals if they just make their decisions intentionally.

So, you can continue to count on:

  • Blog posts that highlight the importance of behavioral finance (i.e. the tips and tricks that help defeat the biggest financial enemy – ourselves)
  • The ever increasing importance of how to interact with the financial industry and how to protect yourself from conflicts of interest.
  • Posts that address work-life balance and the burnout that is rampant in medicine.
  • How utilizing the tools provided by financial independence can help you find this balance.
  • And, along the way, we will also discuss my family’s progress as a case study for you to follow.

Take Home

For those that have known about this for some time now, I appreciate your support.   I know it can get tiring hearing me talk about the same things over and over.  Now, this conversation can be shared among many more people.

To the others who are just now learning who I am for the first time, I guess I should say that I am pleased to meet you.  I’m not perfect, and I don’t expect you to be either.

While I am no Clark Kent (or superman), I do the best that I can.  Hopefully, that will be enough for those who are willing to follow along!

What questions do you have?  Why haven’t you gone to check my book out yet? I’d love to hear from the community that I’ve grown to love.  Leave a comment below.

Jimmy Turner / TPP

22 Comments

  1. Dave @ Accidental FIRE

    All of us bloggers have some imposter syndrome. Push it aside and move on!

    Reply
  2. Xrayvsn

    That is wonderful that you had a very supportive chairmen of your department, that makes all the difference in the world.

    I feel it is a lot harder to blog anonymously because you limit yourself in ways you can spread the information. Of course I have reasons to remain anonymous (rather keep the stuff on my blog especially regarding the divorce away from my daughter until she is much older, etc).

    Again congrats on the new book and the revealing of your identity.

    Reply
    • ThePhysicianPhilosopher

      Blogging anonymously does limit people in terms of stories and relatability at times.

      Thanks for the support, my friend.

      Reply
  3. VagabondMD

    I look forward to reading the book. Congrats!

    Reply
  4. Fred Leamnson

    Congratulations on the book and on coming clean with your chair. It just goes to show how things get built up in our heads much bigger than they end up being. Happens to me quite frequently. The old lesson of “face your fears and the death of fear is evident” comes to mind.

    I know you will stay who you are. There’s no need to change now that people know who you are. Your wife’s sage advice is good – “it will be what we make it.” Like me, it sounds like you married up.

    I look forward to reading and sharing your book. Congrats again. That’s a huge accomplishment, especially with a full life like yours.

    Reply
  5. Passive Income MD

    Congrats!!! I was there only a few months ago and there’s no doubt it was the right move for me. Positives have far outweighed the negatives. I can only imagine it’ll be the same for you. I still deal with imposter syndrome too, but you can’t let that keep you from pursuing your passion & mission. I’ll check out your book!

    Reply
    • ThePhysicianPhilosopher

      I am hoping to have the same experience!! Now, I’ll be able to talk more freely about it at work and with my residents and students, too, which is nice.

      Thanks for being a trailblazer!

      Reply
  6. Dr. McFrugal

    Congrats, Jimmy! Must feel great to come clean with your identity.

    All along, I figured you’ll eventually get so big that it would be impossible to stay anonymous anyway.

    Cheers my friend!

    Reply
    • ThePhysicianPhilosopher

      Thanks, DMF! I don’t know about all that getting big business, but it certainly won’t be for a lack of trying to get the word out!

      Reply
  7. Wealthy Doc

    Congratulations on your book Jimmy.
    You have done an amazing amount of work in the last year or two!
    Keep it up, my friend.

    Reply
    • ThePhysicianPhilosopher

      Thanks, wealthy doc! There is a big need. Just trying to be a small part of the help!

      Reply
  8. Millionaire Doc

    Congratulations Jimmy. Looking forward to reading your book and continuing to follow your journey.

    Reply
  9. Crispy Doc

    Jimmy (feels weird to address you this way publicly),

    Just downloaded your opus yesterday, excited to read it soon! Happy a shy wall flower like you could go public.

    As for the ambitious curriculum, think about reaching out to Jason Mizell in Arkansas (#83 WCI podcast) who is passionate in ways you’ll relate to about reaching the same audience.

    Excited to see your trajectory and extrapolate it into the future. You have much to be proud of (and grateful for).

    Fondly,

    CD

    Reply
    • ThePhysicianPhilosopher

      Thanks, CD.

      I actually brought Jason in as a visiting professor at Wake (where I work). He did a great job opening the door for us to make our own curriculum. It will look different than Jason’s to start, but I agree he is a wonderful resource.

      Reply
  10. Johanna Fox Turner

    From one brutally honest person to another, congratulations for coming out of the shadows! Happy to meet you and interesting that we share a last name, although I think I’ll stick with TPP. It must be a huge relief to not have to hide your identity, even though you’re now a celebrity with all of the baggage that comes with it 😉

    I’d love to hear more about your wife in a future post – she looks and sounds like a pretty cool ladykk, always curious about the “better half” (great picture, btw). Look forward to reading your book when the invite arrives.

    Reply
    • ThePhysicianPhilosopher

      I’ve thought about asking my wife write a post. I’ll keep that in mind.

      P.s. go snag the book right now while you can 🙂 you are an email subscriber. Check those for the details!

      Reply
  11. Johanna Turner

    Sorry to be so dense, but I cannot figure out where to snag the book. Do I sign up for the email list again?

    Reply
    • ThePhysicianPhilosopher

      It is free on Amazon right now for Kindle 🙂 I am pretty sure you will like it, particularly the chapter on conflicts of interest!

      Reply

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