People Feature | Daniel and Kourtney Lee
Pour a cup of coffee or take your phone and go soak in the bath or a steam room. We have words for you, friends!! Ha! These answers have been some of the most therapeutic for me to read through. Maybe it’s because I’m in awe of all that Kourtney and Daniel can tackle in a week or maybe it’s because they function so similarly to Justin and but a lot of their responses made me feel related to and encouraged. I hope it’s the same for you. They’ve not been married for long but they get it.. They really do. xx-k
Q: “What are two things you would want us to know about you as individuals?”
Kourtney Lee: “I was adopted at birth which has taught me more than one sentence can hold and has fostered a deep love for adoption to be part of our family’s story in the future. Secondly, I am deathly afraid of magic- full on panic attack.”
Daniel Lee: “I was part of the US Figure Skating team for a great part of my life. This gave me an incredible opportunity to travel the world and learn about different cultures. It also gave me the work ethic to become a doctor and that is what I now do for my profession.”
Q: What are your days filled with, Monday through Friday as well as your weekends?
KL: “Every week looks different in our lives. Some days Daniel works 12 hours a day for 7-9 days in a row, other weeks he has completely off. I can work your typical 8-5 or any shift from 12-24+ hours. No day ever really looks the same for us. Outside of work, we usually make time for dinner with friends one night a week, dinner with family one night and we try to do some physical activity as a family at least once a week whether it be a long walk with our dogs, hike or skiing.”
Q: “What do your careers look like with both in the medical field?”
KL: “Well I have now finished medical school and am in the thick of residency so the amount of time I put into work has drastically increased, but the main difference since having Daniel in my life is that I have a constant support system who fully understands every nuance about the job and the stress and responsibility that comes along with it so I don’t have to be Ms. Independent anymore and I can count on him to have my back and support me to achieve even greater things.”
DL: “It is great to have finally completed all of my training and use that to help my patients in need. It also gives me a great part of my life back to find fun hobbies, go skiing/golf/rock climbing, spend time with our son Cruz and take him on adventures, and give all the support to Kourtney that she needs to kick butt in residency.”
Q: “How does the other encourage you or challenge you?”
“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”
KL: “Having someone who fully understands my career choice is unique and something I don’t take for granted. Every job poses its own difficulties, triumphs and circumstances and for yours to be fully understood without extra effort is a true blessing. It reminds me of this quote…—>
DL: “It is great when you have the support and understanding of your greatest fan who has gone through all the rigors of becoming a physician as well. You have the understanding of the schedule, of the hard work, and when to push one another to be the best person and doctor you can be. Also, the best part of Kourtney is how she expects the very best from me and knows how to get that out of me. She absolutely makes me the best possible version I could ever be.
Caveat: I love the pause these responses created. I think it’s easy to take it for granted when someone understands your aches and pains because they’re used to a situation or maybe they don’t give an animated reaction but in actuality the comparability is a gift in understanding and relatability. -km
Q: “Do you often see eye to eye? Can you explain the yes or no a little bit?”
KL: “HAHAHAHAHA! No. But I will say over the years we have learned to appreciate each others differences and viewpoints and use them as an advantage to better both ourselves, our careers and our relationship. I would say some of our biggest disagreements have led to some of the greatest enlightenments.”
DL: “No! But I think this is one of our best assets. We bring such different ideas to the table sometimes and can really push one another to be better. We respect each other at the end of the day and care enough to try and understand why we think differently and from the other person’s point of view.”
Q: “Can we hear about two of the goals you have for 2019, please?”
KL: “There is always a goal to learn more in medicine which is a huge reason I chose this profession. And the other goal I would have for us this year is to really embrace our strengths as individuals and use that to be stronger together. We don’t have any new career aspirations for this year as we have “made it” to where we fought so long to be, but the continual work life balance and spending time with family and friends is always something we strive to be better about.”
DL: “My goals are very simple. Work hard, play hard, enjoy life. I am a very passionate person and strive to be the best physician possible. I really truly want to make a difference in the community as a physician and its extra special to me because this is a community I grew up in. I also want to invest time in being the best possible father and husband I can be. I love how much time we focus on spending as a family and couple and would just try and increase that more because at the end of the day that is my biggest priority.”
Q: “How do you feel you grow as a team? Do you have any tools that maybe the rest of us could incorporate into the way we speak, dream, thrive, grow together?”
KL: “We aren’t afraid to say the hard stuff. I think one of our biggest strengths is we are not only people who hold ourselves to extreme standards, we hold each other to those standards as well. If one of us is falling short of our best, we are quick to bring it up and talk about it. We aren’t afraid to disagree and have bold, opposite opinions because in the end of it all, it usually results in us making a better decision than if we had gone at it alone.”
DL: “I totally agree with Kourtney. We are very demanding of ourselves and we hold each other accountable. I think our communication grows each and every day. I think we are very optimistic people but very realistic and use that to our advantage. Life is pretty fantastic and currently I am pinching myself daily because I feel like I am living the dream. I know there are times when life can be up and down but I know deep down that Kourtney is my person and at the end of the day we will come out swinging for one another and get through this life together.”
Bonus Question, “How did you two meet?”
KL: “Well we went to the same medical school in South Carolina, but Daniel was a couple of years ahead of me and we both were in relationships at that time. We knew of each other, but were not close. In your 4th year of medical school you have the opportunity to do rotations at hospitals that have a residency program you are interested in and I chose to do a rotation out in Colorado. Little did I know he had matched in CO years before and was a resident at the hospital. One day during my month at the hospital we recognized each other and that we had gone to the same medical school. He was super helpful with anything I needed on the rotation and we enjoyed hanging out during my rotation, but I was very focused on working hard and making a good impression on the program- little did I know Daniel was focused on something else!
DL: “We both went to medical school in South Carolina and knew of each other from there. However, it was years later when Kourtney was doing a rotation in Colorado that we would reconnect. I was completing my residency training at my hospital in Colorado and Kourtney had come to the hospital for an audition rotation. I had recognized her and obviously offered any help I could offer. The rest was history! Funny story though-- because my hair was incredibly long at the time and I would wear it in a man bun. She gave me a very nice compliment upon first seeing me and I actually got my hair cut later that day because I had set up my appointment. Ha! She always states I didn't even give it a second thought but I seriously contemplated keeping my hair just because of what she said.”
