Medicine, Fatherhood, Burgers, & Glow Worms

Hey everyone! We’re Chris, Hannah, and Emmett Herring. If you’re new to our newsletter, welcome. Once a month, you’ll usually catch Hannah giving a quick highlight/encouragement from life inside the hospital and me (Chris) sharing thoughts about life outside the hospital. Ideally, you’ll find both relevant and worth the read.

Before we get in the weeds of medicine and everything that’s happening in the industry, here’s a quick personal update as we’re getting ready to graduate residency and begin a new season of life.

• Put our PA home on the market and it sold in 48 hours

• Bought a home in VA that we’ll move into in July

• Chris was in Austin, TX and Napa, CA two weeks of the month for work

• We co-founded the Hippocratic Collective and officially launched on Instagram. Website and professional services launch today, May 1st.

• Hannah’s doing everything she can to not have a pre-term baby…but this child appears is determined to make its appearance any day now.

• Emmett and Oliver were moved off the waitlist and accepted into their schools for this coming fall.

All in all - a lot of life change happened in April. The uncertainties are a little less uncertain and and anxieties have turned into comforting next steps. Now, it’s all about finishing well and leaving a positive impact on the people and places we care for the most.

What’s On Deck

• Fatherhood, Burgers, & Glow Worms: Catching the Moment Before It’s Gone - Dr. Anthony Guynes, MD, CEO of Soleya Scrubs

• Hippocratic Collective 

• Hottest Scrubs of 2025

• What to expect in May 

Fatherhood, Burgers, & Glow Worms

Jet Boats, Burgers, and Glow Worms: A Father-Son Trip About Growing Up (and Holding On)

This might be the only truly great idea I have had. When my kids finish eighth grade, they get to pick anywhere in the world they want to go — just them and me. No siblings. No distractions. Just two plane tickets, two suitcases, and time.

It’s the perfect age. Old enough to appreciate the adventure. Young enough to still think it’s cool to hang out with Dad.

When my 13-year-old, Quinnson — or Q, as we usually call him — planned out his eighth grade trip this year, he picked New Zealand. His logic was simple: “As far away from Seattle as possible... but where they still speak English.”

This was my third graduation trip. And I realized Q is standing right at the edge of something. He’s growing into the next version of himself — taller (6’3" somehow), more responsible, already running his own side business, Pressure Point, applying heat transfers by the hundreds to Soleya Scrubs — but still carrying a backpack full of plush food stuffies like a fuzzy jar of peanut butter and a giant corndog.

Transitions don’t come with a warning. They just show up one day, already halfway up the river.

Seattle to Auckland

First impressions: New Zealand is ridiculously green. Everyone is laid back and friendly. Also, if you’re over six feet tall and don’t look lost, people will try to hand you a beer and sometimes a cigar, even if you’re only thirteen.

After the third time someone tried to hand Q a pint, it became a running joke. It helped that, thanks to a steady soundtrack of Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg, we felt like we were starring in our own buddy movie: Dad and his (way too grown looking) kid, road tripping through a country where even the sheep seem relaxed.

The food? Forgettable. We ate six burgers in six days. Q kept giving me a hard time about it: “You realize we’ve had nothing but burgers and fries since we landed, right?”

Right.

Glow Worms and Jet Boats

The glow worm caves at Waitomo were our first real adventure. Picture floating through a silent underground river, pitch black, with millions of tiny glowing larvae overhead. Like drifting through a quiet, cool, private galaxy.

But the moment that stuck — the one I’ll remember long after the burgers and glow worms fade — happened two days later, deep in Whanganui National Park.

We were on a jet boat cruising up the Whanganui River toward the Bridge to Nowhere. Just Q and me, the boat skimming over occasional rapids, massive green cliffs closing in on both sides.

The river was so peaceful and beautiful it didn’t feel real. Just water and dirt and moss and endless deep green trees. It felt like a dream, in slow motion..

I looked over at Q - sitting there proudly, quietly taking it all in, squinting as the wind blew against his face, his longish dirty blonde hair flitting around in the misty sunlight. I knew this was a moment I would hold onto the rest of my life. My eyes started to water. I reached my left arm around his shoulder, squeezed, and then just sat there for a few moments taking it all in. 

Zip Lines and Circus Tents

But not everything was sentimental.

In Rotorua, we booked a zip line course through the forest. At one point, Q and I raced down parallel zip lines — 400 meters, him smiling, me screaming — and of course, me winning. He might have the height but dad has the weight.

We also found ourselves at a traveling New Zealand circus. Picture a mash-up of unicycles, motorcycles, acrobatics, and Cirque de Soleil style clowns that were as skilled as they were hilarious. We were most impressed by the human cannonball. And we laughed, a lot. 

There’s something about seeing your almost-grown kid doubled over at a bad clown routine that reminds you: no matter how tall they get, or how serious they seem, they’re still kids.

Transitions

When my older two finished eighth grade, we had our trips too.

My oldest, Josiah, chose Costa Rica — zip lining through rainforests, tracking sea turtles, and him grabbing onto my life vest as I started falling from our river raft. 

For my second kid, Kye, we made a last minute change from Harry Potter UK Tour to National Parks Road Trip due to the first COVID lockdown. Imagine having Glacier, Yellowstone, Zion and Yosemite almost all to yourself. Our time together in the car was just as memorable.

Now Q’s trip is added to the mix: New Zealand, jet boats, glow worms, burgers and beer…

And my youngest? Shelby’s ten, already plotting a trip to Japan, and Studio Ghibli. I can’t wait. And I’m already crying as I write this…

These trips aren’t about where we go, although it does make it extra special. They’re about capturing a snapshot of who they are and how important they are to me. It’s not about creating perfect memories. It’s about marking the transition — from kid to adult, from hanging out with Dad to creating their own adventures.

Full Circle

Back when I was doing my emergency medicine residency at Maricopa in Phoenix, Q was in preschool — hiding under the table crying at the prospective resident lunch while I enjoyed the free food and schmoozing my future interns. 

Now he’s applying heat transfers to our scrubs, helping me build something bigger than both of us.

Life doesn’t slow down just because you’re exhausted or busy or trying to catch up on charting. It just barrels forward — birthdays, graduations, nightshifts, early-morning plane rides.

Sometimes you catch it. Sometimes you don’t.

But when you do — when you’re lucky enough to be speeding up a river with your kid sitting next to you, burger crumbs on his hoodie — you hold on a little tighter.

Author: Anthony Guynes, MD is an emergency physician in Seattle, Washington. He and his wife, Elizabeth Guynes, BSN, RN, a public health and high school nurse, are co-founders of Soleya Scrubs, athleisure style scrubs made in the USA.

The Hippocratic Collective

At Other Side Med, we believe the human side of medicine deserves far more attention, and that belief is exactly why we co-founded the Hippocratic Collective with some incredible individuals.

The Hippocratic Collective exists to support physicians as people, not just providers. We’re building a new kind of professional community, one rooted in honesty, connection, and the belief that medicine doesn’t have to break you to be meaningful. This is a countercultural space in healthcare: one where you can tell the truth, find belonging, and grow in both courage and clarity.

Through podcasts, coaching, writing, in-person gatherings, and curated tools, we’re sharing real stories, building deeper relationships, and offering resources that help physicians, and their families, thrive. The work is heavy, but you don’t have to carry it alone.

If you’ve ever felt isolated, exhausted, or like your humanity was an afterthought in your career, we’re building this for you. Our vision is to co-create a future where physicians are seen, supported, and sustainably whole, at work and at home. We need it and believe others do too.

We officially launch today, May 1st, and Hannah and I would love for you to take part. Ways to do that are via:

• Website

• Instagram

• TikTok

• YouTube

• Facebook

• Hippocratic Press

What Scrubs Are Taking Over in 2025?

It’s been really cool to see Hannah talk about things she likes and doesn’t like about her work as an OB/GYN. For years, I’ve heard her talk about scrub brands, try dozens of them, and struggle to like any particular one over another.

UNTIL she tried Soleya Scrubs.

They’re high-end scrubs that give the quality feel of a lululemon or Vuori. After trying one pair, she now owns every color and style they offer. They’re her go to scrubs when she’s not operating. Perfect blend of comfort, style, and flexibility….even while pregnant.

Because she loved them so much, it’s created an opportunity to get to know their founders, Anthony and Beth Guynes. They’re a Doctor and Nurse couple out of Seattle, Washington. Two incredible people who have a passion for healthcare, but wanted to make the attire they work in every day be something people loved.

But brands are more than their logos and products, they’re 1000% their people. So that’s why I was excited for Anthony to share his story as a father in medicine with everyone. He likes what he does in medicine, but he loves his family more. He likes being an entrepreneur, but he loves creating memorable experiences with his kids more. He likes building the hottest scrub brand in healthcare…but he loves the people he’s doing it with more.

Getting to personally know Anthony and Beth has changed the way Hannah and I think about business. It’s “people over transactions.” It’s “impact and revenue, not revenue over impact”. And it’s “know your worth.” Anyone can get a cheap set up scrubs. Anyone can say "ehhh…these will do.” But there’s only one brand of scrubs Hannah’s ever said “I have to have more of these, I don’t care how much they cost.”

So we’d highly recommend you check them out! They’re a company worth supporting with a product you’ll absolutely love! You can also check out their instagram page here.

What’s happening in May?

If you’re not already following us on Instagram, we’d love to have you be a part of what’s happening there.

This month (May) we’re potentially creating a lot of content around mat/pat leave, navigating life with a toddler + newborn and how that stretches our marriage, ways to be involved with the Hippocratic Collective, and far more content collaborations with other medical creators.

As always, thanks for reading.

Lastly, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you want to say hey, share your story and have it highlighted in our community spotlight, meet us personally over a Zoom call, collaborate with Other Side Med, or anything else you can think of…shoot us a message.

See you in June!

Hannah, Chris, Emmett, and Ollie