10/01/2026
Stop running.
Come back to myself.
October has always been a special month for me.
It’s my Mom’s birthday month! And every year, her birthday falls around PA Week—a week dedicated to celebrating the profession I’ve been fortunate enough to call mine for more than nine years.
So, naturally, October 1 has become a little tradition here.
For the fourth year in a row, I’m dedicating this post to my Mom, while also celebrating PA Week and the advocacy work happening for PAs across the country.
But this year feels different. This one is more vulnerable.
Celebrating the people—and the profession—that shaped me
Through the efforts of organizations like the Florida Academy of PAs and the American Academy of PAs, we continue to make meaningful progress toward positive change for our profession. But sometimes, progress can still feel like it isn’t enough.
And that is exactly why our voices matter!
We are stronger in numbers and in our combined voices.
If you are a PA—or simply believe in the value PAs bring to healthcare—I encourage you to learn about the issues affecting our profession and connect with your state legislators, especially during PA Week, October 6–12.
Advocacy doesn’t stop when PA Week ends. Neither does our responsibility to keep writing the story of our profession.
PAs have taken many turns throughout our history. We have experienced struggles, breakthroughs, uncertainty, and triumphs. And we are still writing that story.
Who better to represent so much of that history than Dr. Randy Danielsen, an esteemed professor and dean of my new alma mater, A.T. Still University’s Doctor of Medical Science program? Randy is, respectfully, part of our collective PA history. You can read more about his remarkable contributions HERE.
And then there’s my own little piece of that history.
My Mom, Trang, probably never imagined that the first little daughter she raised would one day become a PA-C. Much less a Triple-Board-Certified, Doctoral-Trained PA-C.
But here I am!
And Mom, I have always been so proud of you.
You supported me from the very beginning, even though the PA profession doesn’t exist in our native country of Vietnam, where I was born and spent the first 10 years of my life in My Hoa Hung.
You didn’t always understand every decision I made. But you never needed to. You simply stood beside me…
My Mom taught me something bigger than achievement
Recently, I listened to a podcast that gently reminded me of the late Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s words:
“Now I have a path, there’s nothing to fear.”
Those words stayed with me.
Because maybe I have been running.
Running toward the next degree.
The next certification.
The next opportunity.
The next leadership role.
The next move.
The next volunteer project.
The next version of myself.
And somewhere along the way, I realized I needed to stop.
Stop running.
Come back to myself.
Come back to the WHY behind the choices I’ve made.
Come back and sit with myself long enough to recognize what those choices have actually given me.
…The universities I chose.
…The career path I pivoted toward.
…The additional board certifications I pursued.
…The places I’ve lived.
…The leadership opportunities I’ve chased.
…The resource blog I started because I saw a gap I wanted to help bridge.
And, perhaps most importantly, the genuine relationships and connections that grew from all of it.
Those connections mattered!
They still matter!!!
I had this very conversation with my Mom one late evening last month.
She has been one of my greatest mentors—not because she has always had an answer, but because she has never made me feel like I needed to have one.
Instead of asking me:
“Why did you do all that?” or “How come you didn’t try this?”
…She simply reminds me that she respects and supports me—whether I succeed or fail.
And believe me…
I have failed.
I have fallen hard.
And more than once, I have come back to thank my Mom for simply being there.
She was never the “tiger mom” stereotype that people sometimes assume all Asian mothers must be.
But she is still fiercely protective of all her children.
Don’t mess with my Mother!
She has come to understand that I can live a couple of hours away from her, as long as she can go to sleep at night knowing I am with someone who will stand beside me through thick and thin.
She has peace in her heart knowing I am safe.
She’s okay with me choosing a profession that requires me to continually advocate for myself—and volunteering even more of my time outside of a full-time workload to advocate for patients and PAs, whether through Lifestyle Medicine or the profession as a whole.
She’s okay with me continuing to pursue education and leadership opportunities, even when I know each opportunity brings more responsibility.
She’s okay with me choosing to have a purpose each and every day, knowing I may never be bored.
And she’s okay even when I scored 63/100 on a recent “True Happiness Test.”
Because maybe a high sense of purpose doesn’t always translate into a high happiness score when you’re constantly running away from yourself.
That realization brought me back to the same gentle reminder:
Stop running.
Come back to myself.
And then… I graduate!
Technically, shortly after this post is released on October 1, I’ll be airborne.
I’m flying to Arizona to graduate with the A.T. Still University Doctor of Medical Science Class of 2026 in Mesa on October 2. After years of coursework, clinical application, research, writing, projects, deadlines, and everything in between, I will officially complete this doctoral chapter of my journey as a PA-C. And this time, I don’t want to rush through it.
I want to stop.
I want to savor it.
I want to celebrate every single loved one who is able to be there with me.
My fiancé.
Most of my family, including my parents, sister, and aunts.
Baby nephew Noah.
My classmates.
The people who have supported me from near and far.
I am so honored to have them beside me for this moment.
I’ve been looking forward to this precious time together for a long time.
I’m looking forward to making another memorable album full of photographs and collages one day.
I’m looking forward to returning to the peaceful red-rock landscapes of Arizona, where I somehow feel even more connected—to my surroundings, to myself, and to the people I love.
Maybe that’s exactly what stopping the running is all about!
Not giving up on ambition.
Not becoming less driven.
Not abandoning purpose.
But simply learning to pause long enough to reflect inwardly and savor the moment—with ourselves and with the people who make the journey meaningful.
This is my WHY.
My blog began from the standpoint of a “Loud Introvert.”
I started sharing outwardly because I wanted to explore what it really means to use your voice—to ask deeper questions, listen closer, and care better.
And somewhere along the way, I realized that sharing is part of what makes me happier!
Not running doesn’t mean keeping everything to myself.
It means coming home to who I am.
It means allowing myself to be seen.
It means remembering why I started.
It means embracing the person who has been here all along…
Be Nhi Ma Do.
Show it.
Live it.
Share it.
And maybe, just maybe…
That’s what this next chapter is asking of me.
Not to run faster.
But to stop.
Look around.
Breathe.
And finally appreciate how far I’ve come—and who I’ve had the privilege of becoming along the way.
Until we meet again,
~Nhi Ma Do, DMSc, PA-C, FMCP-M, DipACLM, Blue Zones® Certified Health Professional