Book Nook: It's All In Your Head

Joseph D. Pianka wants to start a conversation about every-day concepts that have made an enormous difference for both himself and his patients. He strives to reach as many people as possible who may be overwhelmed, confused, or intimidated by the abundance of diet and fitness regimens available and to educate and motivate them to discover fitness practices which complement their lives and balance among all the regular activities they enjoy. It's All in Your Head was written directly for everyday individuals with busy lives and varied hobbies. Rather than another "how to" manual, it is a "why to" guide through the complicated space of fitness and nutrition. Incorporating the fundamental principles universal to successful diet and fitness programs and teaching self-motivation skills, It’s All in Your Head unlocks doors to previously unrecognized potential and the ability to maintain fitness dreams.

You can learn more in this interview.

What inspired your story?
My story was born out of a mental place of darkness that I, like so many, especially in healthcare, grappled with early in the pandemic which sent me into a downward spiral. Telling my story carried me through.

How does a new story idea come to you? Is it an event that sparks the plot or a character speaking to you?
Ideas come to me in meditative states, especially when working out, surfing, snowboarding, in church, performing medical procedures, or first thing in the morning when I wake.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book(s)?
How incredibly involved the process of publishing a book was. The writing was the easy part!

What was your greatest challenge in writing this book?
I think the greatest challenge was that, considering I am the furthest thing from a writer and faced with the daunting tasks of writing and self-editing my book into something "readable," I was constantly battling self doubt and questioning what I was thinking. Thanks to family and friends’ support as well as my religious faith, I persevered. I still don't believe I am much of a writer, but I sure have plenty I want to say!

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IG: @author_josephpianka

TT: @joe_piankamd_author

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Joseph D. Pianka, MD, FACP, FACG, has been a board-certified practicing gastroenterologist in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, for over twenty years. He has always found ways to rise above the dark moments medical practitioners face through his athletic hobbies and focus on family, but early in the COVID-19 pandemic, he fell into a spiral at the the prospect of being unable to care for those who depended on him. With a television announcing early statistics about pandemic mortality playing in the background while he learned that a significant portion of his practice—and ability to care for patients—was being restricted, he had an emotional breakdown. Facing physician burnout and depression, Pianka decided to sit down and write an outline about staying fit and healthy in a seemingly chaotic existence, and he kept writing until the sun came out (literally and metaphorically). What began as a simple reference guide for his patients, conceptualized prior to the COVID- 19 pandemic, evolved into an unexpected second career as an inspirational writer.