Solving For Joy

Chapter 1: Opening & Introduction

Dr. Meena Julapalli
But in that moment… I surrendered to peace. I felt gratitude. I felt joy. It was complete clarity—knowing I had never lost my way. It was always right here.

Chrissie Ott, MD
Joy is one of our inherent radiances. When we heal our injuries, our wounds, when we remove the residue around them—what’s left are the four immeasurables: joy, love, compassion, and equanimity.

Dr. Meena Julapalli
Once I’ve heard someone’s story, I can put my knowledge and wisdom together with their experience to empower them. To give them the tools they need, to help them build the intuition of what their mind, body, heart, and soul need—not just to survive, but to live and thrive.

Chrissie Ott, MD
You’re listening to Solving for Joy. I’m your host, Dr. Chrissie Ott, a multi-boarded integrative physician and professional certified life and career coach. This podcast is about joy: what it means, how we find it, and the creative ways people are solving for it in their own lives. I’m so glad you’re here.

Hello and welcome. I am so delighted to bring you my guest today, Dr. Meena Julapalli. She’s an integrative pediatric dermatologist, a TEDx speaker, a children’s book author, and founder of The Joyful Path. She’s also a friend of mine from residency—we haven’t had a real conversation in 19 years, but somehow we’ve followed such similar passions.

Known to many as the “chief joyologist” at The Joyful Path, Meena truly lives up to it. If you’ve ever met her, you’ll remember her 10,000-watt smile—it stays with you. She blends the science of skin with the soul of joy, helping kids and families not only heal, but thrive. She founded Bluebird Dermatology in Houston, Texas, where she practices direct care medicine grounded in connection, creativity, and compassion.

Her work has been featured in Dermatology Times and across several podcasts. She explores the deep emotional layers of skin conditions and what it means to feel at home in your skin. And this month, she’s launching something very special: Mindset Coaching for Kids. Because she believes joy, resilience, and self-trust aren’t just adult goals—they’re essential tools every child deserves.

Whether she’s speaking about integrative care, emotional wellbeing, or the power of presence, Meena’s message is clear: joy is not a reward, it’s a practice, and one we all have access to.

Chapter 2: What Makes Your Heart Sing

Chrissie Ott, MD
Before we dive into your journey, Meena, let’s touchstone joy. What’s a small joy that found you this week?

Dr. Meena Julapalli
I’m an ambassador for Life is Good, a company built on optimism. They also have a nonprofit called The Playmaker Project, helping children heal through trauma with the power of play. This week, I got a new t-shirt from them—blue, with a bird on it. My practice is called Bluebird Dermatology, and I wrote a book called Listen to the Song in My Heart. It felt like it was made for me, so I wore it today.

Chrissie Ott, MD
It really was meant for you. And your children’s books—Listen to the Song in My Heart, and Bluebird, Oh Bluebird, What Makes Your Heart Sing?—they’re illustrated by children themselves, right?

Dr. Meena Julapalli
Yes! Both books are about discovering joy—within yourself and in the world around you. And the best part? Kids illustrated them. I’ve got three more on the way, all drawn by children.

Chapter 3: The Joyful Path — From Burnout to Bluebird Dermatology

Chrissie Ott, MD
Tell me about this road—the joyful path—from pediatric residency to dermatology, to founding Bluebird.

Dr. Meena Julapalli
My path wasn’t linear. After residency at Baylor, I fell in love with pediatric dermatology. I did a dermatology residency, then a fellowship in Colorado. I was triple board certified.

I loved academics—teaching residents, collaborating with colleagues. But over time, it became corporatized. The metric became: how many patients can you see, how much revenue can you generate. I was seeing 50 patients a day. I felt disconnected, robotic. My smile—the one people say is 10,000 watts—felt forced.

Then, my mom—previously healthy—had a ruptured brain aneurysm. My world flipped upside down. I was burned out professionally and emotionally. I resigned. I took six months off. I call it my existential crisis.

Chapter 4: Post-Traumatic Growth & Antarctica

Dr. Meena Julapalli
I traveled. Did a medical mission in Thailand. Hiked the Alps. And then, spontaneously, I went to Antarctica.

One day, penguins were playing on one side, towering glaciers on the other. The sun sparkled on the ocean. I fell to my knees in gratitude. Years before, when my mom got sick, I had fallen to my knees in despair. Now, it was gratitude.

In that moment, I knew: if I was going to keep practicing medicine, it had to be on my own terms. That’s how Bluebird Dermatology was born. Direct care. No clock. Eight patients a day instead of 50. I can sit, listen, and really see people.

Chapter 5: Medicine, Family, and Rediscovering Joy

Chrissie Ott, MD
That’s post-traumatic growth. You connected to community, nature, awe, your inner voice. And it became undeniable—choiceless—that you had to follow this joyful path.

How is your mom now?

Dr. Meena Julapalli
It’s been nine years. She has lasting deficits, but she’s alive and thriving in many ways. The medical system saved her life, but it didn’t teach her how to live. We had resources to pursue therapies outside the system—Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, plant medicine, Reiki, meditation. That deepened my integrative approach.

I became a Reiki master. I studied with Dr. Joe Dispenza. I trained in hypnotherapy. It may sound like a lot, but it all came from curiosity.

To me, being a “joyologist” means holding onto that sense of wonder children have—and helping them keep it.

Chapter 6: Children’s Books & Mindset Coaching

Chrissie Ott, MD
And now you’re launching mindset coaching for kids.

Dr. Meena Julapalli
Yes. I trained in Adventures in Wisdom, which teaches mindset skills through storytelling. Stories help kids learn without judgment—they can see themselves in the characters.

We cover things like how the mind works, shifting from limiting to supportive beliefs, facing fear, setting goals, building resilience. I integrate mindfulness, yoga, HeartMath, and playful exercises. Kids love it—they ask me things like, “What if I don’t know what brings me joy? How do I become curious?”

And every parent who hears about it asks me: “Do you do this for adults too?”

Chapter 7: Tools for Healing — Play, Laughter, Safety

Chrissie Ott, MD
I love that you bring play, laughter, and nervous system safety into the clinic.

Dr. Meena Julapalli
Yes. We laugh. We play. We do acupressure, EFT, self-massage. These are signals to the body: you are safe. And when the body feels safe, it can heal.

I often ask kids: What brings you joy? That question itself is medicine.

Chapter 8: Connection, Community, and Collective Healing

Dr. Meena Julapalli
Out of this came The Joyful Path—community programs like forest walks, mindful art, writing workshops. Because most of our suffering comes from disconnection—from ourselves, each other, nature, art, music, community.

When “I” becomes “we,” illness becomes wellness. That’s the power of community.

Chapter 9: Closing Reflections & Where to Find Meena

Chrissie Ott, MD
Meena, thank you for bringing your light, your story, your joy. Where can listeners find you?

Dr. Meena Julapalli
You can find me at thejoyfulpath.org
and bluebirddermatology.com
. My children’s books are on my site and on Amazon. And Mindset Coaching for Kids is now available virtually.

Chrissie Ott, MD
Beautiful. Thank you, Meena, for this conversation, and for reminding us that joy is always here—accessible, even in hard times.

Chapter 10: Outro Credits

Chrissie Ott, MD
Next week on Solving for Joy, I’m sitting down with Dr. Kemia Sarraf—internist, trauma-informed coach, and CEO of Lodestar Coaching. If you’ve ever felt the weight of uncertainty pressing on your nervous system, or noticed how quickly exhaustion, fear, or cynicism creep in under chronic stress, this conversation is for you. We go deeper than burnout. Dr. K brings language to what’s really happening in our bodies and why connection isn’t just nice—it’s what keeps us human.

We’ll also explore how joy, hope, and courage aren’t accidents. They’re muscles—muscles we can strengthen even when the world feels like it’s unraveling. I can’t wait for you to hear it.

If you’re a physician coach or coaching-aligned physician, whether you’re coach-curious, in training, or already established, the Physician Coaching Summit could be for you. It’s coming up in November in Carefree, Arizona. We’d love to see you there. Details are at thephysiciancoachingsummit.com
.

As always, I’m a doctor, but not your doctor. This podcast is for education and connection, not medical advice. Please talk with your own clinician about your specific situation.

Thank you to Kelsey for making everything here work, to Su for all of the behind-the-scenes support, and to you, listeners—you are why we do this work. Please check in, leave us a review or rating, and keep solving for joy.