How to Follow Your Feel Good: Dr. Sarah Seidelmann on Animal Allies, Art, and the Absurd
When suffering shows up, what does it mean to let no pain go untransformed?
This week, I’m joined by physician, coach, author, and artist Dr. Sarah Bamford Seidelmann for a whimsical and deeply human conversation about joy, creativity, and the sacred absurd. Together, we explore how boundaries sustain our gifts, what it means to make a “feasting table of our wounds,” and why even in moments of grief, laughter and delight have their place.
Sarah shares her journey from fourth-generation physician and pathologist to bestselling author, shamanic practitioner, and coach. We talk about animal messengers, the 100-day projects that changed her life, the power of sustainable boundaries, and the role of self-expression in healing. With warmth and humor, she reminds us that joy doesn’t have to wait—and healing doesn’t have to be linear.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why joy and grief often travel together—and why neither cancels the other out
• What it means to “make a feasting table of our wounds” and transform suffering into service
• How to recognize and honor animal messengers in your own life
• Why boundaries are both compassionate and essential for sustainability
• How self-expression—through art, dance, writing, or story—creates a path back to wholeness
• Why playfulness and delight are not frivolous, but vital
• What it means to “make a feasting table of our wounds” and transform suffering into service
• How to recognize and honor animal messengers in your own life
• Why boundaries are both compassionate and essential for sustainability
• How self-expression—through art, dance, writing, or story—creates a path back to wholeness
• Why playfulness and delight are not frivolous, but vital
If you’ve ever wondered how creativity, spirit, and science can coexist in the messy middle of being human, this episode is a generous invitation to explore.
Subscribe for real talk, relational tools, and the spark to reconnect with your joy—new episodes every Tuesday.
A gentle note: I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor. This podcast is for education and connection only and isn’t medical advice. Please talk with your own clinician about your specific situation.
More from Dr. Sarah Seidelmann:
Website: https://www.followyourfeelgood.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahseidelmann/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-Bamford-Seidelmann/author/B007P7GRXI
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahseidelmann/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-Bamford-Seidelmann/author/B007P7GRXI
Stay connected with me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd
Website: https://www.chrissieottmd.com
Solving for Joy Podcast (IG): https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast
Website: https://www.chrissieottmd.com
Solving for Joy Podcast (IG): https://www.instagram.com/solvingforjoypodcast
Physician Coaches:
Next week on Solving for Joy: Margaret Moore (Coach Meg), pioneer in evidence-based coaching, joins me to talk about the nine parts of the mind, her new book The Science of Leadership, and what it means to lead from the inside out.
Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net
