EVENTS & PRESS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Private book club and teaching events ongoing (Please message me here about joining your book club conversation, medical school/healing professions trainee presentation, creative nonfiction interest group, or other gathering—locally or virtually!)

All events listed below are free and open to the public. Proceeds for donation are derived by redirecting speaker’s fees and book sales revenue.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11TH, 2 PM PST — in partnership with CLEAN AIR EVENTS

Zoom event (hosted by Seattle-based organization). In conversation with fellow Pacific Northwesterner and mom who gets it, Kristin Stevens. In community, in solidarity, in collective action…. Proceeds to benefit RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association. More details coming soon.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH, 7 PM — LAKE OSWEGO PUBLIC LIBRARY THIRD TUESDAY AUTHOR SERIES

In-person event at the Lake Theater in Lake Oswego, OR. With Held Together collaborator Kelly Burke. A conversation about Kelly’s experience of living with a chronic illness that threatens her personal and professional identities, talking to children about serious medical conditions and death, and recognizing the ways that physical limitations affect how we relate to our loved ones and shape how we understand ourselves. Proceeds to benefit the Children’s Literacy Project, a national nonprofit organization based in Lake Oswego.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5TH — BEAVERTON MAIN LIBRARY

In-person event in Beaverton, OR, featuring multiple collaborators. Evening. Details TBA. Proceeds to benefit children’s literacy.

PAST EVENTS

POWELL’S CITY OF BOOKS (Portland, OR) — April 2025. In conversation with Wendy Davis, PhD, PMH-C, of Postpartum Support International, and three of Held Together’s collaborators: Dr. Thompson’s obstetrician, Dafna (Devorah) Lohr, MD, and two of her own patients, Kelly Burke and Anna David.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION AUTHOR SERIES (St. Louis, MO) — May 2025. In conversation with reproductive mental health therapist Shellie Fidell, MSW, LCSW. And I was honored to meet—and give a copy of Held Together to—one of my longtime narrative medicine heroes, Dr. Abraham Verghese, who presented in the series the night before I did! Proceeds to benefit St. Louis tornado relief fund.

GARDEN HOME COMMUNITY LIBRARY (Portland, OR) — May 2025. A reading and Q&A—including collaborators Mitra Hasan and Anna David sharing excerpts from their own chapters too!

MAGERS & QUINN BOOKSELLERS (Minneapolis, MN) — June 2025. In conversation with Held Together collaborator Eileen Andersen. (Recording available here for those who missed it!)

BOLD COFFEE & BOOKS (Portland, OR) — July 2025. In conversation with Held Together collaborator Kelly Burke for a reading, a conversation, a Q&A…. All in a delightfully cozy coffee shop bookstore, recently opened by my book-loving (and book industry expert!) friend Ali Shaw and her family. You can read more about BOLD’s amazing origin story here too.

THIRD PLACE BOOKS, SEWARD PARK (Seattle, WA) — July 2025. In conversation about the wilderness of motherhood with Amber J. Keyser, PhD, author of The V-Word: True Stories about First-Time Sex and The Way Back from Broken.

SEASIDE PUBLIC LIBRARY (Seaside, OR) — July 2025. In conversation with Held Together collaborator Kelly Burke and in partnership with Beach Books. You can read a local newspaper piece about the event here. Proceeds to benefit The Trevor Project.

COFFEE TALK ONLINE GATHERING (virtual) — October 2025 event hosted by the Coffee & Grief community. You can also check out their Facebook page to learn more, find previous episodes, and join their community for companionship and support. (Recording in podcast listing below.)

ANNIE BLOOM’S BOOKS (Portland, OR) — October 2025. With Held Together collaborator Dafna (Devorah) Lohr. A conversation about providing reproductive health care while pregnant and parenting, navigating patienthood as a medical professional, and considering how our own personal and medical challenges affect the care we can offer to others.

MAGGIE MAE’S BOOKSHOP (Gresham, OR) — November 2025. With Held Together collaborator Anna David. A conversation about how our perceptions of self are shaped by our experiences with the medical system, how to balance trusting our intuition about our own bodies with considering sometimes-conflicting advice from others who care for us, and how to parent through uncertainty when we (or our children) are facing medical complexity, especially when we don't yet know what influences a given condition or diagnosis might have on our lives.

PODCASTS

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood — with host Amy Wilson

How do the paths we take to become parents shape our personal and professional lives? How can women become more empowered by sharing their stories of pregnancy complications and loss? What does it mean that Held Together is both a mirror and a window?

Modern Mommy Doc — with host Whitney Casares, MD

What happens when our lives veer far beyond what we expected, and how do we make sense instead out of what we actually experience? What does embracing imperfection mean—in our bodies, in our relationships, in our understanding of love? Is compromise a sign of openness and generosity or a resignation to self-erasure (or is it both and neither)? What kinds of hidden relationships weave through the stories of Held Together, and how do these connections invite us all into community?

I’ll Meet You There — with host Paige Nolan

What’s so unique about the structure of Held Together, and how does this relate to the winding path that Dr. Thompson’s career has followed? Why is the difference between resilience and persistence important? What does intuition really mean, and how does it tie into the power of listening in medicine? What might be possible if we allow ourselves to break in the name of becoming something stronger?

Solving for Joy — with host Chrissie Ott, MD

What does it mean to be held together in the face of deep loss—and how does sharing our stories help us heal, both individually and collectively? How can vulnerability guide us through the messy middle in times of uncertainty? What is the link between grief and creativity, and how can grief and joy live side by side?

Read. Talk. Grow. — with host Denise Millstine, MD, and conversation partner Molly Krause, MD

How can we advocate for ourselves and support each other as we navigate the emotional and medical complexities of becoming mothers, especially as professional women? How do we seek and find community when our path to family is complicated? What factors should women and couples in medicine, and in other professions that require large time commitments during peak reproductive years, take into account when planning their families?

(COMING SOON!) Read. Talk. Grow. — with host Denise Millstine, MD, and in conversation with author Catherine Newman

Catherine is an absolutely fantastic (and fancy best-selling!) author who has written many of my favorite pieces about navigating messy family life, living with uncertainty, and trying to remember to laugh about the absurdity of simply being human. I’m so honored to have had the opportunity to serve as the medical expert for this episode in support of her beautiful new book, Wreck (HaperCollins, October 2025).

The Podcast by KevinMD — with host Kevin Pho, MD

A conversation about living our fullest lives, even in the face of uncertainty, through an exploration of Olivia’s powerful story about Huntington’s disease and the impact of genetic testing over generations in her family. Please check out the KevinMD website to read an excerpt from Olivia’s chapter too….

Prescribing Possibility, inaugural episode! — with host Dympna Weil, MD

What’s it like to suddenly become a fertility medicine patient when you’re used to being the one offering healing, especially for doctors who provide prenatal and obstetrical care? How can stories offer hope to carry us through our bleakest moments? Why is there a poem about a bird in the opening pages of Held Together, and what does the word crepuscular have to do with it??

Mom and Mind — with host Dr. Katayune Kaeni, PsyD, PMH-C

How does sharing our truths inspire others to open up too, and how does this relate to the collaborative process that led to Held Together? What is imposter syndrome—and is there an antidote to it? Why is there such a powerful difference in thinking of ourselves as clinicians rather than providers? 

The Kettle — with host Meagan Francis

What does it mean to experience family life in community? How do our perspectives on motherhood change as our families grow—and as we grow as parents too? How could our experiences of raising families change if we gave ourselves permission to share more honestly and openly about the struggles, the joys, and the impossible-to-define in-betweens?

Restorative Grief — with host Mandy Capehart

How do we learn to tell our stories as grievers, even while we’re still living through uncertainty? How can storytelling transform how we understand ourselves, our pasts, and the possibilities ahead of us? How can we preserve a sense of safety and protect ourselves as we undertake the most vulnerable parts of healing?

Voices of Your Village — with host Alyssa Blask Campbell, MEd

How does our family structure shape our identity—and what happens when we open up our definition of family to include so much more than biological connections? How do our expectations going into family building impact our experiences of complications when things don’t go as we’d hoped? Is it beneficial (or even possible??) to learn to hold our expectations more loosely? In the midst of all the heaviness that can come with these conversations, how can sharing our stories allow us to tap into a deep well of optimism?

Create Meaning in Medicine — with hosts Erin Hurley, MD, and Joanne Sotelo, MD

How do personal narratives allow vulnerability to serve as a bridge rather than a barrier? How can storytelling deepen trust in clinical medicine? What do our own personal experiences, even the unspoken ones, bring to the care and healing connections we’re able to offer our patients?

The IBCLC Mentor — with host Margaret Salty, MPH, IBCLC

What was the initial inspiration behind Held Together? How do our experiences on the patient side of the medical system shape the care we can offer to support others? How can healthcare professionals best embrace humility and curiosity?

Coffee Talk Online Gathering — with hosts Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson and including readings by fellow authors Asha Dore, Bob Macauley, Brad Snyder, and Karen Bonofiglio.

Grab a cozy beverage and join us for a diverse and powerful series of readings about family, grief, medicine, loss, and redemption, with just a little dash of magic….

Best of Both Worlds — with hosts Laura Vanderkam and Sarah Hart-Unger, MD

Why doesn’t knowledge protect us from vulnerability? Where do we find the courage to keep trying when family building isn’t following the timelines we’d hoped for? How can our challenges in parenthood influence our career paths, and what is it like to take a leap of faith in a profession that reminds you every day of the struggles you’re facing in your personal life?

Success Reimagined — with host Amna Shabbir, MD

What does it look like to write the chapters of our lives that we’re still learning to live? How can speaking our quietest moments aloud help others lift up their own voices too? Why is it actually freeing to realize that there are no shortcuts to healing—and to understand that doing the deep work is a privilege we find at the intersection of courage, compassion, curiosity, and humility?

(COMING SOON!) Coffee, Grief, and Gratitude — with hosts Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson

(COMING SOON!) The Authentic Physician — with host Amy Loden Tiffany, MD, MBA

(COMING SOON!) The Balanced Parent — with host Laura Froyen, PhD

(COMING SOON!) Authentic Parenting — with host Anna Seewald

(COMING SOON!) Imperfect Love — with host Carla Marie Manly, PhD

(COMING SOON!) Let’s Talk Memoir — with host Ronit Plank

(COMING SOON!) Rewrite the Mother Code — with host Gertrude Lyons, MA, EdD

(COMING SOON!) Stellar Success — with host Tudor Francu, MD

(COMING SOON!) I Am One — the official podcast of Postpartum Support International, with hosts Dani Giddens and Emily Jankowski

TELEVISION & VIDEO

Family Action Network: In conversation with fellow physician-author Kimmery Martin, MD. Our reflections on the process and craft of narrative medicine, commonalities and contrasts in writing fiction versus nonfiction, and the nontraditional paths that brought us to where we are today, in both career and in family life.

Voices With Vigor: In conversation with fellow physician Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD, founder of myMDadvocate and MenopauseMenu and author of The Menopause Menu. An exploration of intersecting themes in our work, including community, family, and female wisdom.

Hello, Rose City! (KGW/NBC): Interview with host Lacey Evans. In celebration of Held Together’s April 2025 launch.

AM Northwest (KATU/ABC): Interview with host Helen Raptis. In celebration of Held Together’s April 2025 launch

Open To Hope: Interview with mother-daughter team Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley, founders of an international non-profit with the mission of helping people find hope after loss.

REVIEWS & OTHER COVERAGE