My Most Meaningful Moment at the American College of Emergency Medicine Physicians (ACEP) Conference
Three books can change your Thursday. One book can change your world.
Hello,
This past week, the annual ACEP conference came to Salt Lake City—the city I now call home for much of the year. It had been years since I last attended, but I decided to stop by. I wanted to catch up with old friends, sit in on a few lectures, and soak up the sense of purpose and possibility that always seems to linger in the hallways of conferences like this.
So I walked into the Salt Palace Convention Center, name tag-free, no agenda, just curious. I spent the morning wandering from session to session, lingering at the edges of familiar faces and hallway conversations. And just as I was about to head out, a man and woman approached me.
“Are you Dr. Rosh?” he asked.
I nodded, and he smiled.
His name was Raymond. He started talking about Rosh Review—how he had used it to prepare for his boards, how it helped him through one of the most high-pressure seasons of his life. I’ve had a lot of these conversations over the years. But then Raymond shifted.
He started talking about Three Book Thursday.
He told me how much it had meant to him. How it helped him feel less alone. That he, too, had once struggled to get into medical school. That test-taking hadn’t come easy. That the pressures of clinical work still pressed in. That he and his wife were raising a child who was facing some profound challenges right now.
And right there, in the corner of a busy convention hallway, he opened up. He shared details most people save for late-night talks with close friends. He didn’t hold back. And I didn’t want to move.
Because in that moment, I understood something I hadn’t before.
These newsletters I send… sometimes it’s easy to forget there’s a real person on the other end. That the stories I write—the moments of struggle, failure, doubt, joy—might actually land somewhere. Might actually matter. Might actually help someone keep going.
Raymond reminded me of that.
He reminded me of the impact we can have just by showing up. Just by telling the truth. Just by being a little bit more human.
And as if the week needed one more dose of meaning, I had just finished reading What You’re Made For by George Raveling—a book gifted to me by my friend David Mishkin. David had no idea how perfectly timed that gift would be. Raveling’s voice lit me up. He gave shape to things I’ve always believed but never had the words for.
So I did what we all should do when a book moves us—I passed it on. I sent a copy to Mike Sanders, a friend who I know will not only appreciate it, but pay it forward.
Raveling died earlier this month at the age of 88. His life was full—athlete, coach, mentor, Nike executive, civil rights leader. But what made him special wasn’t the titles. It was how he used them. He saw his life not as a resume, but as an opportunity. A chance to serve, to shape, to inspire.
This week reminded me of that.
So to Raymond—thank you. For your honesty, your vulnerability, your courage. For reminding me why I write.
To David—thank you for the book, the friendship, and the thoughtfulness that always seems to show up at the right time.
To Mike—thank you for being someone I trust to carry the torch.
And to Anthony Mazzarelli—thank you for breakfast.
Welcome to this week’s Three Book Thursday.
1. Living a full life
What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports
Summary
I first heard George Raveling’s name back in June 2020, during a podcast with Tim Ferriss. Raveling was sharp, grounded, and full of wisdom that didn’t sound like advice—it sounded like truth. He spoke like someone who had earned every insight. I remember thinking, “I need to read more about this man.” And then, like so many things, I moved on. Never followed up.
Fast forward three years. I get handed the book by my friend David Mishkin.
What You’re Made For isn’t just about sports, though Raveling’s life was deeply rooted in the game. It’s about discipline. Relationships. Service. It’s about what happens when you stay curious long enough, work hard enough, and care deeply enough to live a life that means something—not just to you, but to the people around you.
Raveling’s journey is full of unexpected turns. He grew up poor, lost his father early, and lived through America’s most turbulent racial divides. And yet, he became a Big East basketball coach, Nike executive, mentor to presidents, and the man who held the original copy of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. But that’s not what defines him.
What defines Raveling is how he lived—with urgency, gratitude, and depth. He didn’t just show up for his career. He showed up for people. For growth. For the long game.
Reading this book reminded me that living a full life doesn’t require fanfare. It requires intention. Effort. And the humility to learn from everyone you meet. Raveling calls that out directly: don’t chase titles. Chase meaning. Don’t hoard knowledge. Share it. Don’t wait to become the person you want to be. Start building that version of yourself right now.
This book didn’t hand me a blueprint. It handed me a mirror. A reminder to lead with heart. To live fully. And to keep finding the people—and the moments—that bring you back to what really matters.
Thank you, Dave, for handing me this spark.
And thank you, George Raveling, for showing us what a life well-lived actually looks like.
Favorite Quote, Insight, & Principle
Quote: “Plant a lot of flowers on the way up, because you’re going to have to pick them on the way down.”
Insight: Our struggles give meaning to our triumphs.
Principle: Small, daily victories can compound into life-changing achievements.
Author: George Raveling
Themes: Personal development, Living a full life, Leadership
2. Fiction
All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel
Summary
Set during World War II, All the Light We Cannot See follows Marie-Laure, a blind French girl navigating a crumbling world, and Werner, a German orphan with a gift for engineering who’s pulled into the war. Their lives move toward each other slowly, inevitably, and what unfolds isn’t a grand collision—but a series of small, powerful moments that ask what it means to be good in a broken world.
This book isn’t about war. It’s about resilience. About navigating the unknown, finding beauty in ruin, and holding onto integrity when everything around you asks you to let go.
What moved me most was how much this story mirrors our own lives—how we lead, how we parent, how we move through uncertainty. Marie-Laure doesn’t have sight, but she sees what matters. Werner is trained to obey, but starts to listen to something deeper. Both remind us: clarity isn’t about seeing everything. It’s about choosing what to see.
Slow down for this one. It’s worth it.
Favorite Quote, Insight, & Principle
Quote: “Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.”
Insight: See obstacles as opportunities. See darkness as a canvas.
Principle: Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things.
Author: Anthony Doerr
Themes: Fiction
3. Memoir
A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable
Summary
Dan Gable isn’t just a wrestling legend. He’s a symbol of what’s possible when you combine obsession with purpose. This is a man who went undefeated through high school, lost only once in college, and then went on to win Olympic gold without giving up a single point. But this book isn’t just a record of wins–it’s a story of what it takes to get there. The hours. The losses. The tragedy. The pain. And ultimately, the choice to rise.
Gable doesn’t tell his story to impress. He tells it to teach. He walks us through the habits, the mindset, the sacrifices that shaped his life–and he does it with humility and honesty. What emerges isn’t just a portrait of an elite athlete, but of a man who understood that success isn’t an event, it’s a system. It’s showing up. Every day. Especially when you don’t feel like it.
One of the most powerful themes in this book is how Gable responded to adversity. His sister was murdered when he was a teenager–a loss that could have broken him. But he channeled that pain. Turned it into fuel. And that resilience, that ability to turn personal tragedy into performance, is something that speaks far beyond the mat.
This book made me think deeply about what it means to commit–to something, to someone, to yourself. Gable teaches that greatness isn’t a gift. It’s earned. Rep by rep. Hour by hour. Through discomfort, discipline, and the decision to keep going when no one’s watching.
For anyone chasing excellence, A Wrestling Life is a reminder that you don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to be relentless.
Because sometimes the fight isn’t against an opponent—it’s against the urge to settle.
And Dan Gable shows us what happens when you never stop wrestling.
Favorite Quote, Insight, & Principle
Quote: “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”
Insight: I never feared the opponent. I feared not living up to my own standard.
Principle: Most people stop when they’re tired. Champions stop when the job is done.
Author: Dan Gable
Themes: Memoir, Peak performance, Personal development
This week reminded me that our lives are built in the small moments. A conversation in a convention hallway. A book passed between friends. A spark that shifts something inside us.
Raymond’s words, George Raveling’s legacy, Dan Gable’s grit, Marie-Laure’s resilience—they all point to the same truth: we are shaped by the choices we make in mundane moments. When we decide to show up. To share. To keep going.
We don’t always know who’s listening. Or which gesture will matter. But the ripple starts somewhere.
And sometimes, that’s all it takes to change a life.
So this week, do the small thing. The kind thing. The thing that might feel too simple to matter. It does.
Plant the flower. Send the book. Say the truth.
You never know what it will become.
Always ❤️📚💡
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