Five years ago, I left full-time clinical practice.

From the outside, it probably didn’t make much sense. I had just completed my term as President of the Society of Dermatology Physician Associates and spent some of the most demanding years of my career leading through a global pandemic.

But privately, I was depleted.

After significant personal loss, a complicated season of life, and the relentless demands of caring for patients while leading a national organization, I realized I was giving more than I had left to give.

So I stepped away.

I wondered if I was walking away from something I had worked so hard to build.

I know many PAs and NPs have had a version of that moment:

Can I keep doing this?

Is it supposed to feel this hard?

What if I need something different?

I wish someone had told me then:

A change in direction is not always a step backward. Sometimes it’s how you learn to fly differently.

Consider the albatross. It isn’t flashy, but it has an extraordinary way of flying called dynamic soaring. It descends, turns into the wind, captures energy, and rises again.

From the ground, it can look like a detour.

It isn’t.

The dip is part of the flight.

Looking back, my dip gave me the courage to change course. Stepping away from clinical practice opened a new chapter where I discovered new ways to use my experience, contribute to healthcare, and grow.

That is why we created this community.

For the clinician wondering how they will get through another long day. For the PA or NP quietly asking, “Can I still do this?”

Yes. Maybe. And maybe differently.

There is no single right path. The destination can remain the same—even when the flight path changes.

Welcome to our nest: a place to pause, reconnect with purpose, find encouragement, and gather momentum to rise again.

Because sometimes the most unexpected dips in our flight are where the magic begins.

With gratitude,

Archana