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I love a good gift guide! Gift guides are so fun. The internet has brought us the ability to review and recommend, which is something that 30+ years ago wasn’t even part of the shopping landscape.
My recommendations this year are geared toward anyone you might be buying a gift for, including yourself. For years, I used to wait with baited breath to see what my husband might get me for Christmas (or my birthday, for that matter), hoping he would come through with a flash of creativity and romance… only to be disappointed and then feel resentful. We finally had a heart to heart about this, and once I understood more about his personality and his particular love language, I let go of the resentment.
It wasn’t doing anything except hurting me.
Now, I make sure to buy myself a gift every Christmas and every birthday. You might say, well why doesn’t he take your love language into account? My love language is not giving and receiving gifts, it’s actually words of affirmation. So it also took me being honest with myself about how important is it for me to get a gift from someone else, and truly the answer is it’s not that important to me.
(Note: Some links to recommended items in this article are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you purchase items through these links but it in no way changes your buying experience.)
Gifts For the Reader
Reading is a vehicle for entertainment but also personal development, and the latter tend to be the types of books I gravitate toward. My first book recommendation is The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. The ideas from this book fall into the “simple but not easy” category. The premise is that in any area of your life, from work to family to romantic relationships, you need to stop trying to control things and people you can’t control. Let them, and then turn it around to ask yourself “Let me…”.
My second book recommendation is The Inner Compass by Lawrence Yeo, which is a short read about developing your intuition. It has powerful examples and easy to follow exercises, really focusing on the power of journaling – which of course I’m all for.
I also recommend Joy Prescriptions by Tiffany Moon, who was a guest on the podcast earlier this year. Her book reads like a memoir crossed with a self-help book. And I particularly enjoyed The Purpose Code by Jordan Grumet, who was the first guest of this year on the show. I highly recommend going back and listening to both episodes with these authors to prime yourself or your gift recipient for the books.
I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend my own book Lean Out, which, as most of you know, talks about the Treadmill of Achievement: why we’re so drawn to it, how to recognize if you’re on it, and how to get off so you can live your own authentic work-life balance regardless of what everyone else is doing.
As a busy professional, how can you fit in time to read these books? One way is to spend less time watching TV. Stop subscribing to shows or binge-watching series on the weekends. The other tip I have is to listen to your books while you’re either commuting, driving places, or taking solo walks – which I also highly recommend doing several times per week.
I like Audible, which is always running specials on subscriptions. They have so many available books in all genres. I use the Libby app through my local library for audio books that have been out for a while, but they don’t often have access to brand new books (or you need to wait a long time to borrow them). In those cases, I always use Audible. A subscription makes a great gift, too.
Gifts For the Beauty Lover
I used to be very into fashion and subscribed to several magazines in the era when people got magazines mailed to them, but at some point during my adult years (particularly when I was an early career anesthesiologist turned mom), I realized that following the latest fashion trends and having a closet full of fancy clothes I never wear didn’t serve me or anyone else. As I started looking into best practices for anti-aging skincare, my penchant for aesthetics in the form of clothes turned into one of skincare and beauty. I love doing my makeup every day, just for me, even when I’m not going to see anyone. So, here are my game-changing beauty product recommendations.
The first is Thrive liquid lash extensions mascara. This is a tubing mascara where you just wipe your lashes off with warm water at the end of the day, and it comes off. (I understand this is not very environmental because little tubes of mascara go down the drain, but I pick my battles and this mascara is well worth it.) I started using it when we went on a sailing trip 5 years ago and I’ve never stopped. I often get compliments on my lashes from people like OR nurses standing close to me while I’m inducing anesthesia, or my hairdresser standing over me while washing my hair. They always want to know if I use those lash lengthening medications – it’s that good.
The second game-changing beauty item for me is Wonderskin lip stain. This is the stuff you might have seen on social media where people put it on and it makes their lips blue, and then they wipe it off to make a color. My lips are really light in pigment naturally, and I tend to look dead if I don’t have anything on them. Light lip colors also wash me out and make me look dead. Of course, being someone who works in the OR wearing a mask all day and also leads an active life outside of work doing things outside, working out, teaching yoga, and the like, I love to have something long-lasting. But on top of having lightly colored lips, I also have dry lips at baseline. I’ve tried so many products that are supposed to stain the lips, and they usually leave my lips feeling dry and uncomfortable.
Not Wonderskin. There are two formations: one you apply and peel off, and the other you apply and wipe off with a wet towel. I get the latter, and it works great. It leaves subtle color on my lips literally all day and doesn’t make them feel dry at all. After trying several of the colors, the two I repurchase over and over again are Charming and Whimsical, which are both dusty rose. Charming is cooler, and Whimsical is warmer.
This stuff is $22 for a tube, so it’s a good price point for a gift. But if you’re really wanting something budget-minded and aren’t sure about lip stains just yet, then I suggest ELF Sheer For It Blush Tints, which cost about $5. They are for lips and cheeks, so they do double duty. They’re liquid-y but not messy or hard to work with. I find that they last on the lips just about as long as the Wonderskin. The colors I particularly like are Cherry Cola, Left on Red, and Plums Up.
My last recommendation in the beauty department are BK Beauty brushes. I’ve found over my years of experimenting with makeup that the right tools can really make the look. BK brushes are super high quality, very soft, and they’ve lasted for years. My favorites are the 109 for spreading my foundation stick thinly and evenly, and the viral A506 which I can’t live without for placing concealer right under the eyes. (Concealer is never something I wore until I turned 45, but alas, it is needed, and this brush keeps it from looking cakey or makeupy.)
Gifts For the Comfort Clothing Lover
In the cold Utah winters, I’ve come to live in roomy cashmere sweaters; they are just so warm and soft. The Quince boat neck cashmere sweater is a favorite when I want to wear something stylish but still be warm. There are many colors to choose from, but I have the brown one.
I recently bought the Kuhl hygge ½ zip pullover fleece, and I’ve been wearing it constantly ever since. I get compliments on it from random people wherever I wear it. It’s super soft, has just the right shape, and a kangaroo pocket in the front that I love. I think it’s eye-catching because there’s a pretty, retro trim around the zipper and neckline. Kuhl is a fiercely independent company that does a lot to protect its brand and stands behind its exceptional quality and fabrics, so I love supporting them.
If you’re looking for a pullover with that retro feel but at a lower price, I recommend the Anrabess oversized pullover with a henley button front, which you can find on Amazon for $30-40. It’s just the right length and baggy drape to wear with leggings to the gym and not feel exposed.
Gifts For the Fitness Lover
I’ve been on a two-year journey of increasing my strength training to preserve muscle mass and bone density as I age. If you or someone you love is also interested in this, I have a couple recommendations for you. In the past I’ve recommended the kinds of adjustable dumbbells I use in our home gym, but if you want to go really minimal and yet still have effective workouts, I recommend getting a 35 lb kettlebell. You can do so much with it; you can do traditional lifts like squats and presses, but there is also of course the kettlebell swing. If you don’t know how to do it, check Youtube for some how-to videos. The swing is such an effective exercise for both strength and cardio. It will take a woman a while to build up strength before the 35-lb kettlebell is too heavy for everything, but it’s also not too heavy that you can’t start with it at an entry level. Especially for swings, a heavier bell is better.
With my recent focus on strength training, my cardio mostly consists of walking. I try to take at least 5 walks a week with a weight vest on as well. If you’re not familiar with rucking, this is a great article about how beneficial it is for movement, stability, bone density, and even weight loss. I have two vests; one is a style where you swing it over your shoulders like a harness, and the other is a larger zip-up vest. I’m not sure which I like better at this point, so take a look at the styles and reviews and see what you think would work better for you. I recommend starting somewhere between 10 and 20% of your body weight.
Gifts For the Physician Who Wants Balance and Fulfillment
Lastly, I have a couple gifts that, if you’re a physician, you’re more likely to get yourself as a gift of sanity, self-love, and balance. The first is 1:1 coaching. If you’re been thinking about getting some support through a work transition, or maybe you need a change but you don’t know where to start, coaching with me would be an excellent gift this year. I run a holiday special during November and December, where you basically get one session for free when you sign up before the end of the year. This is an investment but an invaluable gift for your own happiness.
I also would like to invite all the physicians listening to gift themselves a retreat in 2026. I’d love it if you’d join me in the red rock wilderness of southern Utah at the Revitalize: Physician Renewal Retreat. The couple code INVITE200 gives $200 of the registration price, and if you sign up for this retreat through my link, I will gift you an additional one-off coaching session after the retreat to debrief and find ways to integrate your retreat takeaways into your everyday life.
There you have it, my 2025 favorite things gift guide… I hope you find some great ideas for yourself and others this holiday!
What are your game-changing products or services you’d recommend to anyone who asks? Share your thoughts by sending me a text through your podcast listening app, leaving a comment below!
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