In this post, I recap how 2021 went. In short, it was a transformative year personally and professionally. I matched into the specialty of my dreams, found a home in a residency program so well suited to my goals, and am inspired to push myself every day. At the same time, it was during this year that I found myself navigating both a “public” professional identity and a personal one. I’ve struggled on how to maintain this blog in a way that felt authentic to me and remained sensitive to my professional trajectory. While those hesitations still persist today—with more patient stories and moments of imposter syndrome than ever before—2021 was a transformative year, and one that deserved as full a recap as I can comfortably share.