Ep 172: Anticipatory Grief AND Joy with Dr. Tasha Faruqui

In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure to speak with another one of my new friends whom I met at the Physician Coaching Summit earlier this month. Dr. Tasha Faruqui is a fellow pediatrician, public speaker, medical advocate, and author. She’s here today to talk about her beautiful book, Keep Your Head Up: A Mother’s Story of Chasing Joy in the Face of Grief, and how anticipatory grief shaped her journey as both a parent and a physician.We explore what it looks like to parent while navigating anticipatory grief, how Tasha learned to trust her intuition as a guide, and why her family stopped waiting for things to change before allowing joy.  Pursuing joy on purpose can help you hold grief and joy at the same time—and even anticipating joy can be just as meaningful as the moment itself.Inspired by her father, a doctor and surgeon to an underserved rural community, Dr. Tasha Faruqui joined the National Health Service Corps following her graduation from medical school. Her plan was to take over her father’s practice once her commitment was complete, but this was diverted when her second daughter, Soraya, was born with a rare, little-known genetic disorder that remains largely a mystery thirteen years later. Tasha’s focus then shifted to pediatrics, with particular attention to advocacy and support for parents of medically complex children and those with a limited life expectancy. Today, she regularly brings her dynamic message of fierce and loving hope to medical students at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the top pediatric medical facility in the country, Make-A-Wish events, and her Instagram community (@thefaruqui5). Her debut memoir, Keep Your Head Up: A Mother’s Story of Chasing Joy in the Face of Grief, was published by Jossey-Bass in September 2025. Tasha was named a top doctor by Cincinnati Magazine in 2022, 2024, and 2025.Click HERE to get the full show notes.