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The Last Across the Finish Line: Dr. Tony Kovatch on Legacy, Healing & What Really Matters
Manage episode 493360309 series 3656393
Dr. Tony Kovatch, known as "Slow Tony" after being the last to cross the finish line at the 2025 Pittsburgh Marathon, shares insights from his 40+ years as a pediatrician and his philosophy on living a meaningful life shaped by personal struggles and professional triumphs.
• Early exposure to his mother's battle with Huntington's disease influenced his decision to become a doctor
• Viktor Frankl's logotherapy provided a framework for finding meaning in suffering throughout his life
• The importance of treating doctors as humans, not expecting superhuman perfection
• How obsessive-compulsive personality traits can be channeled positively
• Pediatricians need to focus on the "little things" that patients remember—returning calls, showing kindness
• Parenting advice: use positive reinforcement abundantly and recognize your words become children's inner voices
• Running as both physical discipline and spiritual practice, even when finishing last
• The metaphor of marathon running: "Your times become slower and slower, but the experience of the race is unchanged"
• Finding meaning in retirement
Never stop doing good for goodness' sake alone, without expecting any return on your investment of kindness.
Dr. Kovatch writes on Medium-
https://medium.com/@kovatcha42/stopping-the-hemorrhage-a-warm-well-lighted-place-b8e8ce27cbd4
"Out of the Old Black Bag" by Dr. Anthony Kovatch
https://issuu.com/ssmsdept/docs/bulletin_22.sept_final/s/16962787
https://www.facebook.com/tony.kovatch.12
WPXI News Article Pittsburgh Marathon
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl https://amzn.to/4lIiYbK (paid link)
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Chapters
1. Meeting Dr. Tony Kovach (00:00:00)
2. Mother's Illness and Viktor Frankl's Influence (00:04:23)
3. Physician Burnout and Finding Meaning (00:08:39)
4. The Human Side of Medicine (00:13:40)
5. Running and Obsessive Personality Benefits (00:18:06)
6. Kindness and Parenting Philosophy (00:25:38)
7. The Spiritual Nature of Running (00:31:52)
8. Being Last in the Marathon (00:37:02)
9. Enjoying Retirement and What's Next (00:42:15)
11 episodes
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