January 20
Dr. Kathy Zhang has spent her career on the frontlines of life and death, supporting patients in their most vulnerable moments. A hospice and palliative care physician, TEDx speaker, and certified coach, Kathy transforms the wisdom of those nearing the end of life into lessons that inspire the living. Diagnosed with ADHD in her mid-30s, Kathy has used her neurodivergent brilliance to pioneer techniques that connect people to their inner wisdom, regulate their nervous systems, and overcome emotional blocks.
In this episode, Kathy shares her journey from a sensitive, introverted child to a medical doctor driven by connection and purpose. She reflects on the challenges she faced as a first-generation immigrant navigating cultural expectations and societal pressures, and how those experiences shaped her compassionate approach to caregiving. Through stories from her practice, she illustrates how understanding and addressing nervous system dysregulation can unlock resilience, clarity, and peace.
Kathy also delves into the transformative power of hypnosis and meditation, explaining how these tools can help rewire the brain for positive change. Whether you’re seeking to calm your mind, address trauma, or embrace life with intention, Kathy offers practical strategies rooted in neuroscience and empathy. Her insights remind us to live fully while we can and to use the lessons of mortality as a catalyst for meaning and connection.
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"Emotional regulation is the foundation. If you’re too dysregulated, no tips, tricks, or productivity hacks will work. Get to a neutral state first, and then you can move forward."
- Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang
"In hospice and palliative care, we emphasize self-care because if we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t provide the best care for our patients who truly need us."
- Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang
"Creativity, problem-solving, and positivity are my superpowers. Even in the hardest times, I’ve always believed that I would find a way to be okay."
- Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang
"The biggest regrets I hear are about connection—either not being true to themselves or not maintaining relationships with others. Ultimately, connection is what matters most."
- Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang
- Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang discovered her ADHD at age 35 through a friend's Instagram post about common symptoms, leading to her diagnosis in December 2021 and transforming her understanding of herself.
- As a child, she describes being highly sensitive and distracted, often using crying to regulate emotions and developing an obsessive relationship with television as a source of dopamine.
- Growing up as an introverted only child in an immigrant Chinese family, Dr. Zhang navigated cultural expectations while struggling with rejection sensitivity and emotional regulation.
[20:00 - 40:00] Medical Career and Nervous System Regulation
- Dr. Zhang works as a hospice and palliative care physician, finding meaning in connecting deeply with dying patients despite her natural sensitivity to emotional situations.
- She combines her medical practice with coaching and hypnosis, using her neurodivergent perspective to pioneer neuroscience-based methods for emotional regulation.
- Drawing from her own experiences during COVID-19, Dr. Zhang emphasizes the importance of understanding and regulating one's nervous system through techniques like tapping and meditation.
[40:00 - 69:00] Life Lessons and Professional Integration
- Dr. Zhang shares profound insights from her hospice patients, noting that end-of-life regrets typically center around authentic self-expression and maintaining meaningful connections.
- She attributes her success to ADHD traits like creativity, problem-solving abilities, and natural optimism while emphasizing the importance of emotional regulation as her primary ADHD workaround.
- As both a physician and coach, Dr. Zhang advocates for integrating traditional medical approaches with alternative practices like hypnosis and tapping, making these tools more accessible to others.
