Living More Fully Through Accepting Death with Jennifer Clark

Shift Out Loud with Tracy Spears

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Humans require certain things in order to thrive… and once you move beyond food, water, and shelter, the list gets a little complicated. Understanding the full scope of your needs can enable you to shift in ways you didn’t know were possible. In this episode of Shift Out Loud, I’m joined by Dr. Jennifer Clark, a seasoned physician on a mission to heal, educate, and innovate toward the relief of suffering. When not volunteering at Clarehouse, Oklahoma’s first social model hospice home, she teaches at the University of Tulsa and collaborates with organizations fostering cultures of human flourishing.

Our discussion explores the shifts that led her to palliative medicine and the profound lessons she’s learned through this important work. You’ll learn how she built a career that satisfies her right-brain creativity and left-brain desire for structure, how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs serves as a framework for her practice, and why you should pre-order her incredible first book, Suffer.

Ready to play bigger? Listen now to discover:

• The mind-blowing hidden truth about Maslow’s hierarchy (and where that pyramid really came from)
• How the awareness of our mortality can powerfully change the way we live
• What it means to create and participate in true intimacy

Guest bio: Dr. Jennifer Clark has been in the world of healthcare for over 20 years. With Med-Peds training and board certification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Dr Clark is a physician and healthcare delivery consultant serving in various roles as a clinician-educator, -administrator, and -innovator. She is the author of Suffer, a book on the power of suffering.

Timestamps:

01:54 Intro

03:25 Meet Dr. Jennifer Clark

09:37 Path to palliative medicine

14:27 Emotional journey

16:17 Maslow’s hierarchy

20:20 Observing the family environment

23:50 “Putting back together”

29:59 The truth about Maslow

36:45 Intimacy

42:16 Shift to mortality salience

45:34 Shift to meditative practice

50:01 TED Talk

54:42 Next shift

58:26 Intense transition

1:01:20 Conclusion

Links:

Dr. Jennifer Clark

thegiftofchoosing.com

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

Discover your tactical leadership toolkit: exceptionalleaderslab.com

Interested in working with me or having me speak at your event? Find more information at tracyspears.com

For insights that will help you play bigger in your life, work, and community, visit my resource library: tracyspears.com/blog

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Twitter: @tracylspears

Instagram: @tracylspears

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