Becoming MD

Faith in the Fire: Becoming a Doctor When Life Falls Apart

• Caitlin Calland, M2 Medical Student • Episode 3

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In this episode of Becoming MD, we sit down with female physician Larissa Assam, MD, MPH whose path to medicine was anything but linear. Through seasons of loss, doubt, and stepping away from her dreams, she found strength in her faith and courage in the fire. Her journey reminds us that becoming a doctor isn’t always clean or predictable—sometimes it’s the comeback that defines you.

Now a compassionate family physician, she shares how faith grounded her, how perseverance rebuilt her path, and how life’s hardest moments shaped the doctor she is today. This episode is for anyone questioning their journey, navigating setbacks, or needing reassurance that delayed does not mean denied.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Why the challenges you’re facing now—stress, doubt, grief, or burnout—can shape you into a stronger, more compassionate doctor than any “perfect path” ever could.
  • What it really looks like to chase a medical degree while life refuses to slow down—when people still get sick, loved ones still pass, and you’re somehow expected to keep going.
  • How to find grounding, meaning, and spiritual steadiness in medical school and residency, even when everything around you feels too fast to breathe.

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