My Journey to TEDxUnityPark: MULTIPLY
When I was in medical school in Zaria, Nigeria, one of the lessons my professors taught us was that the most important organ a doctor brings into the examination room is the brain.
Think about it.
You can put on your white coat, hang a stethoscope around your neck, and look every bit the part of a physician. But when you place those earpieces in your ears, what exactly are you hearing?
Do you know what you’re listening for? And maybe even more importantly, can you interpret it?
A stethoscope is only as useful as the knowledge of the person using it. You have to know what normal sounds like, recognize when something is abnormal, and understand what those findings might mean.
That was the lesson.
And my professors were absolutely right.
I’ve carried that lesson with me throughout my career as a pediatrician. Medical knowledge matters. Clinical reasoning matters. The ability to recognize illness, make decisions, and provide appropriate treatment matters.
But over the years, I’ve found myself wondering whether there’s another organ we need to bring into the examination room.
What about the heart?
Now, before my fellow physicians start arguing with me, I’m not suggesting that one anatomical organ is more important than another. We need our hearts, brains, lungs, kidneys, intestines, and all the other organs doing their jobs. Hello?
I’m talking about something else entirely.
I’m talking about the heart we bring to our work. The compassion. The empathy. The willingness to connect with another human being.
If you joined me throughout October, you might remember our LURV series: LISTEN, UNDERSTAND, REMEMBER, VALIDATE. Well, you might recall that those four weeks of reflection actually grew out of my preparation for this very TEDx talk! And as we move through November, I’ll be taking you along on more of that journey, exploring the ideas, experiences, and questions that brought me to this stage. Because, as I’m discovering, this conversation is much bigger than one talk, one stage, or even one month.
And that brings me to my upcoming TEDx talk.
How an Idea Was Born
For years, I’ve wanted to deliver seven TED talks, with the seventh eventually taking me to the main TED stage.
Why seven? I just picked seven. Sometimes a dream doesn’t need a complicated explanation. You simply decide that something is worth pursuing.
But I’ve also been clear about what I want to talk about on these stages. I want to bring conversations about LGBTQ+ affirming healthcare, health equity, and the human side of medicine to audiences who may never have considered these issues from the perspective of the patients experiencing them.
This particular TEDx idea grew out of conversations about affirming care.
I’ve spent years thinking about why healthcare professionals sometimes struggle to provide it. Most were never adequately trained. Many are uncertain about what to say or do. Others worry about making mistakes, offending someone, or getting something wrong.
And as I was exploring those challenges, I kept coming back to one word.
Safety.
What does it take to create a space where a patient feels safe enough to tell us what’s really going on? What does it take to build trust? And how do we move from a relationship where the doctor holds all the answers to one where the physician and patient become partners-in-care?
Somewhere in that thinking, I found myself remembering my professors’ words about the brain.
And I began thinking about the heart. Because knowing what to listen for through a stethoscope is one thing. Creating the conditions where a patient feels safe enough to tell you what you need to know is another.
We need both.
The brain holds our medical knowledge. The heart brings compassion, empathy, and human connection into the room. And neither should be left outside the door.
What Happens When We Multiply Trust?
On November 21, I’ll be speaking at TEDxUnityPark in Greenville, SC, and this year’s theme is MULTIPLY.
I love that theme because it invites us to think about what happens when something meaningful extends beyond one person or one encounter.
What if we could multiply the impact of safer healthcare spaces? What if we approached our patients as partners, listened to their experiences, and worked to build relationships grounded in trust? What might that mean for patients who have previously felt dismissed, misunderstood, or afraid to seek care? And what might it mean for the physicians and other healthcare professionals providing that care?
I believe the benefits have the potential to multiply in every direction.
Patients may feel more confident participating in their healthcare, sharing their concerns, and returning when they need help. Clinicians may experience greater connection, meaning, and satisfaction in their work.
And perhaps those individual experiences can begin to influence the cultures of our clinics, hospitals, and healthcare organizations.
That’s the possibility I want to explore.
I’m not suggesting that compassion replaces clinical competence. Nor am I suggesting that being kind will magically solve the structural problems in healthcare. But I am asking whether we have underestimated the power of human connection in the practice of medicine.
After all these years, I still believe my professors were right about the brain.
I just think the heart deserves a place beside it.
What’s Happening Around Here
Well, you already know the big news!
On Saturday, November 21, 2026, I’ll be taking the stage at TEDxUnityPark: MULTIPLY, right here in Atlanta.
I’d love for you to join me in the audience. I’ve recorded a short, 30-second video invitation, and I have a personal discount code for tickets.
Watch my TEDx invitation and follow the link to get your tickets
Use LULU20 for your ticket discount.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
I want to leave you with a question.
What is the most important thing a healthcare professional can bring into the examination room, beyond their medical knowledge?
Is it empathy? Curiosity? Humility? The ability to listen? Something else?
And if you’re a healthcare professional, I’d love to know whether you think bringing more of our humanity into our work could also make the work more satisfying for us.
Hit reply or leave a comment. I’d genuinely love to hear your perspective.
Until next week,
Dr. Lulu®
Pediatrician | Speaker | Author | Physician Educator
