Why Podiatrists Need to Embrace Their Inner Disturbing Element
Ann Dosen
My friend Dr. Richard Cowin recently shared the most delightfully misheard childhood story from Wayne Dyer—and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
Little Wayne comes home from school and says, “My teacher called me a scurvy elephant.” Confused, his foster mom calls the school, and the principal sets the record straight: she actually said “disturbing element.” But honestly? Wayne’s version is better.
That beautiful misunderstanding became a philosophy—for every rule-breaker who was never built to color inside the lines. And frankly? Thank God for that. Because what medicine needs is more scurvy elephants.
What’s a Scurvy Elephant? It’s the clinic owner building a thriving cash-pay model. The DPM pushing back when told to “stay in their lane.” The doc mastering minimally invasive surgery despite the side-eye. The podiatrist refusing to accept “JV team of medicine” status.
Scurvy elephants aren’t here to play nice. They’re here to disrupt.
What Can You Disturb Today?
Check where you’re leading with fear—undercharging, overbooking, saying “yes” when you mean “hell no.”
Normalize wanting both impact and income. Patient outcomes and time with your family. You’re allowed to want more.
Rewrite your systems. Rethink your values. And speak the damn truth—on stage, online, and behind closed doors.
If you’ve ever felt out of place in medicine… If you’ve ever wanted to lead louder, charge more, or burn down a system that tells you to settle… You’re not the problem. You’re the pattern interrupt.
You’re a scurvy elephant.
Now go stir something up. And if you want backup? PodiatryMeetings.com is right behind you. Trunk up, confidence high, ready to disrupt.