Even the most organized patients struggle to get answers, refills, or follow-ups—not because they’re doing something wrong, but because the system wasn’t built to help them succeed. In this first of a two-part series, we explore how healthcare sets patients up to fail—and what to do about it.

When people can’t get answers from their provider, they text a friend. Sometimes that friend is a nurse. And sometimes, that’s the only reason they get clarity. This post explores how that became our default—and how Storyline began by filling in the gap with time, trust, and translation.

In a world obsessed with doing more, faster, Pooh reminds us that being still and paying attention might just be the most important work of all.

As patients, we often feel the pace of modern medicine—short visits, rushed decisions, more screen than face time. Behind the buzzwords of “value-based care” lies a deeper tension: we want healthcare to focus on real outcomes, but the system still rewards volume. What if the wisdom we need isn’t in doing more, but in noticing more?