For Seekers of Wisdom, Community & Conversations That Matter
Voices With Vigor:
Rebecca Thompson, MD
A Conversation on Community, Family Definitions, and Female Wisdom
When Voices Come Together, They Create Light With Sound
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 | 1:00 PM Pacific Time
In our modern world, individual voices often feel lost in an endless sea of noise.
One voice may be drowned out by a symphony of others, or swallowed up in darkness.
Yet when voices gather with intention, something beautiful happens:
They resonate with calm, reason, and hope.
This is where Voices With Vigor begins.
This inaugural series launches as we celebrate the second anniversary of Susan Baumgaertel, MD's acclaimed book, 'The Menopause Menu'....
A fitting moment to expand the conversation beyond menopause to all the voices that matter.
About Voices With Vigor: A New Kind of Conversation Series
Voices With Vigor represents something rare in our digital age:
A return to the art of meaningful dialogue.
Inspired by the great conversationalists like Terry Gross of Fresh Air and the beloved Magliozzi brothers of Car Talk, this monthly series brings together extraordinary voices for intimate, unscripted conversations.
Each month, we welcome guests from diverse backgrounds:
Physician-authors, cancer support visionaries, veterans with creative passions, digital entrepreneurs, movement mavens, and so many others who share common threads of curiosity, kindness, dedication, and resilience.
What makes VWV special:
• Authentic dialogue over polished presentations
• Diverse perspectives united by shared humanity
• No sales pitches or commercial agendas
• Intimate format that prioritizes genuine connection
• Community building that extends beyond the screen
Merriam-Webster defines vigor as "active bodily or mental strength or force; active healthy well-balanced growth."
We believe our voices can be vigorous in spirit, in love, in creativity, and in purpose.
Important note:
While our inaugural series launches free as a gift to our community, future VWV conversations will transition to a premium format.
These foundational conversations will eventually live on YouTube, but the live, interactive experience—the chance to ask questions and be part of the dialogue in real time—that's happening now, and only now.
A Conversation That Matters
Join Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD, for an intimate conversation with physician-author Rebecca Thompson, MD….
A voice that bridges the worlds of medicine, motherhood, and meaningful storytelling.
In this FREE 60-minute live gathering, we'll explore:
• The art of being held together – How community and connection sustain us through life's complexities
• Redefining family in modern times – Fresh perspectives on what it means to belong and be supported
• Female wisdom in healthcare – The unique insights women bring to healing and helping others
• Words as medicine – How physicians use storytelling to make the complex accessible
• The courage to write your truth – What happens when we transform personal experience into universal wisdom
Meet Our Featured Voice: Rebecca Thompson, MD
Rebecca carries the quiet strength of someone who has learned to listen deeply—to patients, to families, to the whispers of her own heart.
As a family medicine and public health physician specializing in women's and children's health, she has spent her career using words as bridges.
Her book, "Held Together," emerged from this same impulse—to create connection where there might otherwise be isolation.
When she's not caring for patients or crafting sentences, you'll find Rebecca wandering through Portland's green spaces, reading in cozy corners, or embarking on all-weather adventures with her family.
She believes in the magic of unreasonably complicated board games…
A woman who sees possibility everywhere.
Your Host: Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD
Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD, brings three decades of medical wisdom and a lifetime of curiosity to every conversation.
As an internal medicine physician with over 30 years of clinical experience, she has witnessed the full spectrum of human experience:
• The fragility and resilience, the fear and hope, the moments that break us open and the connections that hold us together.
In early 2022, Susan stepped away from direct patient care to expand her impact through myMDadvocate, a virtual consultation service that serves as a bridge between patients and the often-complex healthcare system.
• As a physician consultant, healthcare navigator, and medical advocate, she helps people navigate everything from referral advocacy to chronic condition management, from aging gracefully to supporting caregivers through their most challenging moments.
Her passion for supporting women through life transitions led to the creation of MenopauseMenu, a comprehensive resource offering evidence-based information and holistic support.
• This work culminated in her 2023 book, "The Menopause Menu"—an all-in-one guide that transforms medical complexity into accessible wisdom.
Recognition and impact:
• Featured speaker at prestigious conferences including the STAT News Summit in Boston and the ICCR Conference in New York City
• Recognized by Seattle Met Top Doctors, The Best Doctors in America, and multiple professional organizations
• Board President of Cancer Lifeline, recipient of their Inspirational Leadership Award
• Sought-after voice on national and international podcasts
Susan Baumgaertel, MD, embodies the intersection of medicine and art, science and humanity, individual stories and universal truths.
She believes in the power of genuine conversation to illuminate what matters most.
"I wish to share my voice with vigor... with all who are curious."
What This Gathering Offers
This conversation comes to you as a gift…
No strings attached or hidden agendas.
Simply two physicians sharing what they've learned about resilience, community, and the courage to speak your truth.
✨ Live conversation between two thoughtful voices in medicine
✨ Interactive dialogue where your questions become part of the story
✨ Insights into the writing life for those called to put pen to paper
✨ Community connection with others who value authentic exchange
✨ Curated resources to continue your own journey of growth
Join This Circle of Voices
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM Pacific Time (4:00 PM Eastern)
Duration: 60 minutes of meaningful conversation
Format: Live via Zoom (details sent upon registration)
Investment: Free—because some things are too important to put behind paywalls
Pure conversation, connection, and community—free from sales pitches or any "click here to buy" distractions.
Why This Moment Matters
We live in times when authentic voices feel increasingly rare.
When genuine connection seems harder to find. When the noise threatens to drown out what truly matters.
Voices With Vigor stands as a quiet rebellion against all of that.
This conversation with Rebecca Thompson happens once—live, unrehearsed, real.
Miss it, and you miss the chance to be part of something that can't be replicated or reproduced.
This Conversation Calls To:
✨Healthcare professionals seeking deeper meaning in their work
✨Writers and storytellers exploring the intersection of personal and professional truth
✨ Anyone navigating the complexities of modern family and community
✨ Those who believe in the power of authentic dialogue over surface-level networking
✨ People ready to add their own voice to a chorus of hope and reason
This Moment Won't Come Again
Registration closes when we reach our intimate gathering size or at noon Pacific on August 19th.
The beauty of meaningful conversation lies in its limitations…
We can't accommodate everyone, but we can create something special for those who choose to join us.
Questions You Might Have
Q: What makes this different from other online events?
A: This follows the tradition of great conversationalists—genuine curiosity, thoughtful questions, space for real dialogue. No scripts or sales pitches, simply two people exploring ideas that matter.
Q: What if I can't attend live?
A: The recording captures the content, but the live experience—the ability to ask questions, feel the energy of real-time dialogue—that's irreplaceable.
Q: How long will we gather?
A: Sixty minutes, including time for your questions to become part of the conversation.
Q: Is this only for medical professionals?
A: Not at all. While our guests often come from healthcare, the conversations explore universal themes of purpose, connection, and authentic living.
Q: Will you try to sell me something?
A: Never. This is about paying it forward, the old-fashioned barter system of sharing what we know because it matters, not because it profits.
Q: I heard future events won't be free—is that true?
A: Yes. While we're launching this inaugural series as a gift to our community, VWV will transition to a premium format. This is your chance to experience these conversations in their most generous form.
Q: How do I prepare?
A: Bring your curiosity. If you're drawn to explore Rebecca's work beforehand, her book "Held Together" offers a beautiful preview of her thinking. Reading Susan’s "The Menopause Menu" will give you deeper insight into her approach to transforming complex medical wisdom into accessible guidance. But neither is required—just come as you are.
Q: What about future conversations?
A: Three voices join us each month, each bringing their own unique perspective to the themes that connect us all—resilience, creativity, purpose, community.
Your Choice, Your Voice
Two paths stretch before you:
One leads back to the familiar—the endless scroll of surface-level content, the webinars that promise everything and deliver little, the noise that drowns out what matters most. And later, when you realize what you missed, the opportunity to experience VWV in its founding spirit will have passed.
The other leads here—to a conversation that honors the complexity of human experience, that believes in the power of authentic voices to create light with sound. To a moment that won't come again, offered in a spirit that won't be repeated.
The choice, as always, is yours.
But this conversation happens only once, with these voices, at this moment in time, in this generous format.
Voices With Vigor – Creating light with sound, one conversation at a time.
Questions? Reach out at [email protected] or connect with Susan on LinkedIn.
We respect your privacy and protect your data. By registering for this event, you'll receive your free Zoom access link, be added to Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD's email list for updates about future Voices With Vigor conversations, and receive occasional wellness insights. You can unsubscribe anytime, and we never sell or share your information with third parties.
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