Ryan Fightmaster MD

Ryan Fightmaster MD Life was too short to be a doctor. So, I quit. And wrote my way out of my mid-life crisis. Why did I do it? Because I was scared and "supposed to".

I went to medical school, incurred $200K in student loans, completed a residency program, and earned my board certification in psychiatry, while never wanting to be a doctor. In that process, I lost my "want to". In 2022, I left it all behind (including a $400K/year salary), to build a life I love and want. If you can relate, join me as I figure it all out (and help you do the same).

Time’s compounding our compromises 📈Looking for more than a “good work-life balance”? Join my Substack community by tapp...
02/11/2026

Time’s compounding our compromises 📈

Looking for more than a “good work-life balance”? Join my Substack community by tapping the link in my bio 👆

I had no epiphanies. Only millions of decisions and thousands of thought experiments, each like the addition of a single...
02/05/2026

I had no epiphanies. Only millions of decisions and thousands of thought experiments, each like the addition of a single coin in that one arcade game, until the coins stacked atop each other, moving closer to the edge, millimeters hanging off the edge, until the miniature bull dozer pushed a load of coins off the ledge.

To access the full article, tap the link in my bio and join my Substack 👆

Hill-running strategies and other seemingly mundane advice that applies well to life 🏃Read the full essay by tapping the...
02/02/2026

Hill-running strategies and other seemingly mundane advice that applies well to life 🏃

Read the full essay by tapping the link in my bio👆

02/02/2026

Every Monday, I expect to start where I left off last week, but I never do. I usually start behind where I left things. My writing’s clunky, my ideas are dull. “Will I ever find it again?” I wonder. By Thursday though, I’m back to where I left things, and come Friday, I feel I’m further along than I was last week.

We have to find it every week. Should we get started?

"You can't pedal down the driveway without starting a 1000-foot climb." Truth, no matter the context.
01/30/2026

"You can't pedal down the driveway without starting a 1000-foot climb." Truth, no matter the context.

I knew the wind. I knew not an incline.

It’s not fun, but it’s better 🎯Desperate to enjoy what you do? Got a sense your life is missing something? Don’t want to...
01/28/2026

It’s not fun, but it’s better 🎯

Desperate to enjoy what you do? Got a sense your life is missing something? Don’t want to settle for a “good work-life balance”? Tap the link in my bio and join The Cutback, my Substack, where I write the stories I needed to hear to change careers 👆

❤️

Can we avoid passing down our resentments? We can sure as hell try!
01/24/2026

Can we avoid passing down our resentments? We can sure as hell try!

Worse than epigenetic change: the transmission of resentment

Abandon perfection. Get the tree in the ground.
01/16/2026

Abandon perfection. Get the tree in the ground.

I planted a tree into frozen clay. 10 years later, we get drinks.

A humble review of what it takes (Tap the link in my bio and join The Cutback, my weekly newsletter where I ask for more...
01/03/2026

A humble review of what it takes

(Tap the link in my bio and join The Cutback, my weekly newsletter where I ask for more than a "good work-life balance" 👇)

Finding peace in the middle of my to-do list
12/20/2025

Finding peace in the middle of my to-do list

A farewell to Asheville
11/15/2025

A farewell to Asheville

Bewitched by four o'clock no more My newsletter has moved to Substack! Tap the link in my bio to join our community and ...
11/01/2025

Bewitched by four o'clock no more

My newsletter has moved to Substack! Tap the link in my bio to join our community and never miss a Friday morning email 🎯

Address

Asheville, NC

Website

https://substack.com/@ryanfightmaster/

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