Jordy Ponce

They'd freak me out.

No one could concentrate.

And she let me finish.

And then she said, Jordi, you're scared.

You need to get your act together and take this job because you're gonna be able to offer something that rarely people can, which is both your analytical skills, your clinical skills, but also the empathy you're building for going through this experience.

And Lisa had always called me boundaried.

And that meant I didn't share a lot about myself, which was true in counseling.

And she was asking me or nudging me to practice in a different way to be really open with my story.

And I said, oh, Lisa, I thought you were going to let me off the hook here.

And she just gave me a signature Lisa eye roll, which is a badge of honor if you've ever received one.

It's like the Paul Hollywood handshake of psychologists.

So I started at Moffitt, and my first day, I was terrified.

I went to trainings, I shook people's hands, I met new people, I smiled, but I was panicking inside.

I mean, literally, I hid in an office space to have a panic attack, only that space had a glass wall I didn't realize, so people could walk by and see the new guy just hyperventilating in a room by himself.

It was not a great start.

Finally, I met with my first patient and I had rehearsed my intro speech.

It was, hi, I'm Jordy Ponce.

I'm a psychologist here at Moffitt, but you may see me at chemo or in waiting rooms because I'm also a patient.

And she burst into tears.

And I was like, oh no, I have broken this woman in a vulnerable place.