We recently connected with David Brendel and have shared our conversation below.

Hi David, thanks for joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

The defining moment of my career occurred nearly 25 years ago during my medical training, when I worked with a patient whose stroke had left him with virtually no facial expression or verbal output. His lesion, as seen on an MRI, had caused the devastating syndrome he now displayed (abulia). Clinical neuroscience predicted exactly what symptoms a stroke in this brain region would cause. And yet one of the patient’s behaviors was completely unpredictable and defied all we know about neuroscience. In a nearly two-hour case conference led by one of the greatest neurologists of all time (Dr. C. Miller Fisher of Massachusetts General Hospital), the patient stared at a portrait of Dr. Fisher on the wall just behind where Dr. Fisher sat. The portrait and the man in the flesh looked essentially identical. Just after the conference, during which the patient had said nearly nothing beyond one-word answers in response to Dr. Fisher’s endless questions, I pushed the patient’s wheelchair into the hallway. He turned his shoulders, looked up at me, and suddenly appeared ebullient. “That was quite a portrait of Dr. Fisher!” he exclaimed before quickly returning to his previous state of abulia. This remarkable, almost unbelievable, moment taught me the key lesson of my career. We need to use medical science to understand our patients and guide them to appropriate treatment, but at the very same time we must keep in mind how unique and inscrutable the human mind really is. Science should be as much about uncertainty and mystery as it is about knowledge. From that point forward, I was determined to bring that mindset to every patient I treat. While I focus on establishing a psychiatric diagnosis and providing evidence-based treatment (often with psychotropic medications), I also connect with the patient’s individual human complexity and respect the aspects of their existence that cannot be captured by empirical science. This insight formed the basis of my book, which was published by MIT Press and entitled Healing Psychiatry: Bridging the Science/Humanism Divide. This approach to psychiatry has kept the work invigorating for me all these years and, based on the positive feedback I receive, has helped many of my patients to recover from mental illness and go on to lead fulfilling lives.

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My main practice areas are psychiatry and executive coaching. In my psychiatry practice, I diagnose and treat a wide range of mental health conditions in adults including anxiety, insomnia, attention deficit disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and personality disorders. My approach often includes integrating medication management and psychotherapy. In my executive coaching practice, I work with clients who are transitioning into major leadership roles in companies and organizations. My clients work in a variety of sectors including healthcare, biotech, higher education, law, and financial services. I’m proud of my capacity to use powerful inquiry and dialogue to help people confront their greatest challenges, have significant insights, and move their careers and personal lives forward to reach their goals.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele over the past ten years has been making good use of online resources. Sharing knowledge via online articles and interviews has helped to boost my name recognition, expertise, and accessibility. Having up-to-date websites and other profiles (such as LinkedIn, ZocDoc, and Psychology) that are packed with salient information also helps a great deal. Using online resources and leveraging relationships with longstanding colleagues have empowered me to maintain a busy and exciting professional life.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Some of the highest impact books I have read are: 1) Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)
2) Originals (Adam Grant)
3) The Lay of the Land (Richard Ford)
4) The Laws of Human Nature (Robert Greene)
5) The Metaphysical Club (Louis Menand)
6) Homo Deus (Yuval Noah Harari)
7) Luckiest Man (Jonathan Eig)
8) The Magic Mountain (Thomas Mann)

These and other books inspired me to co-author a book with my close colleague, Ryan Stelzer. The book (published in 2021 by Hachette) is entitled Think Talk Create: Building Workplaces Fit For Humans.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.davidbrendel.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/David-Brendel/100011721379158/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-brendel/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/drdavidbrendel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFAYxr5u4Rs
• Other: https://www.leadingmindsexecutivecoaching.com https://www.drdavidbrendel.com https://www.strategyofmind.com