Erica Elliott – From Mountains to Medicine: Scaling the Heights in Search of My Calling

Erica talks about some of the themes in her memoir, about how she overcame some great difficulties, transforming misfortune into a path of purpose.
“I am a medical doctor in Santa Fe, New Mexico with patients from across the US. I have lived in many different countries while growing up. My adult life began as a school teacher on the Navajo Reservation in the early 1970s, then Peace Corps volunteer in South America working as a bilingual educator, high-altitude mountain climber in the Andes, Outward Bound Instructor in the Colorado Rockies, and then medical doctor in New Mexico. I helped found a co-housing community in Santa Fe called The Commons, where I raised my son, described in a TED talk I gave in 2015. My life has been a mythic journey of wonderment and life-changing experiences—including some major medical disasters—which ultimately led me to finding my life purpose of service to those who are suffering.”