The Best Thanksgiving Recipe: A Dash of Gratitude, A Heavy Scoop of GRIT
Happy Thanksgiving from the Girls of Grit!
Lisa and Cindy flip the script in this Thanksgiving episode of The Girls Of Grit. They share five things every medical device rep should be grateful for, yes, even the tiny wins that often go unnoticed.
From the people who make your cases possible to the territories that feel like a second home, these moments of gratitude remind us why we love what we do.
Tune in for relatable stories, laughs, and actionable insights that’ll leave you reflecting on your own career and ready to see your work in a new, thankful light.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
01:52 The Importance of Gratitude in Medical Device Sales
03:40 Five Things to Be Grateful For
04:08 The Privilege of Meaningful Work
06:13 Appreciating the People Who Make Our Job Possible
10:17 Finding Comfort in Familiar Territories
13:10 Personal Growth and Unexpected Lessons
15:39 Celebrating Sales Wins
16:58 If Medical Device Reps Ran Thanksgiving
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
Privilege of Meaningful Work – Lisa and Cindy reflect on the impact medical device reps have on patients’ lives and the privilege of contributing to life-changing outcomes.
People Who Make the Job Possible – Gratitude for scrub techs, nurses, physicians, and behind-the-scenes heroes who keep operations smooth.
Territory as a Second Home – How knowing your accounts, favorite stops, and routines can bring comfort and joy.
Unexpected Growth – The career challenges and setbacks that build mental toughness and personal resilience.
Sales Wins Big & Small – Why celebrating every victory, from a yes on a case to a new relationship, fuels growth.
Seeing Differently – Gratitude isn’t just an emotion; it’s a mindset that changes how you experience work chaos.
Med Reps Running Thanksgiving – Fun hypothetical on organizing Thanksgiving like a medical device case—control, planning, and tiny hacks.
Community & Support – Appreciation for the Girls of Grit listeners and the partnerships that make growth possible.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
“The secret to gratitude is actually seeing things differently. You get to do this, instead of you having to do this.” - Annaliese Rhodes
“Being part of meaningful work and impacting lives is a blessing we often take for granted.” - Annaliese Rhodes
“Sometimes it's also important just to sit back and really take a moment to remember and be grateful for the things that you do have.” - Annaliese Rhodes
“Your territory can feel like a second home, and those little routines make all the difference.” - Annaliese Rhodes
“Even in chaos, there’s room for gratitude and laughter if you choose to see it.” - Annaliese Rhodes
“Gratitude isn’t always an emotion, it's a way of seeing the world through a different lens.” - Cynthia Ficara
“Be grateful for the people who quietly make your work possible; they're the backbone of every case.” - Cynthia Ficara
“Every no, every chaotic moment, every setback is actually a chance to grow.” - Cynthia Ficara
“Tiny wins really are what makes a big win.” - Cynthia Ficara
“Even the smallest moments, like a warm coffee on a long drive, can bring gratitude into your day.” - Cynthia Ficara
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Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Annaliese Rhodes: Welcome everyone to another episode of Secrets in Medical Device Sales, brought to you by the girls of Grit, and today we are doing a awesome, fun, easy Thanksgiving episode. I'm sure
Cynthia Ficara: you're all busy and hectic and crazy, so nobody really needs to lecture. Nobody really needs a lesson. No. But it's really important to slow down, and be grateful for the things that we overlook as blessings as a medical device rep.
And sometimes it may be seen as chaos, but deep down it's really a blessing. So this is gonna be really fun, Lisa. Yeah, we're gonna make this. Simple, different fun because she and I had a chance to sit down and talk about, actually it was fun thinking about looking at medical device. What in medical device are we grateful for, and what areas do we see?
So. We hope you sit back, listen in and probably agree with a few of our things.
Finding Gratitude in the Chaos of Thanksgiving Week
Annaliese Rhodes: Yeah. We want this, this to be kind of a lighthearted episode for all of you. You know? I mean, most of you are probably running around right now. It's the week of Thanksgiving. You're traveling, you're cooking, you're doing last minute grocery shopping.
You've probably got family coming to town or you're planning to go out. with all of your kids and spouses and friends and family and Friendsgiving and like all the stuff, right? It's like a really big busy week. And so we wanna give you guys a little bit of permission to kind of sit back, kick back and like reset and just listen to this really fun episode, the really grateful episode that Cindy and I put together for you guys.
Cynthia Ficara: I think so too. And there's also the tr you did say travel, but the travel part, like a lot of times the medical device, we travel, you know, you're in your car working, but when it comes to traveling, also getting everything ready for these holidays, I think that, let's not make it a burden this week.
Let's make it something to really just sit back and think about in a different way.
Annaliese Rhodes: Yeah.
Cynthia Ficara: So. We just made a list. It's only five things we did.
Annaliese Rhodes: We keep your attention for five things, right, Lisa? Exactly. And the five things are really funny 'cause I got some good stories in 'em. So these, again, this should be a lighthearted episode for you guys.
I really hope you enjoy it. Everybody needs a laugh In the middle of a really busy week. I know. I definitely do. I swear this week stresses me out so much. So like I'm really happy we're doing something light and easy. No hard lectures today. So, okay, we put a list together, five things like Cindy said.
So the first thing that we think everybody should be grateful for in medical devices is the privilege of meaningful work. Being able to be part of amazing things, including. Patients outcomes, people's lives like we are having real impact every day on people. I just, I think that is such a blessing. It is such a gift to be able to be given, a chance to help someone else out in life.
Right. We are called to serve and I think it's just such a fantastic place to be. I really do. I've loved every minute of working in medical devices. I think overall. Okay. Okay. Lemme take that back. Maybe not every minute. Lemme not lie now, but you know, for the most part, Cindy, I mean, somebody asked me the other day, they're like, wow, 25 years, that's a long time to, be doing what you're doing and the stress that you carry and all the things, right.
And I'm like, I know, but I really love my job.
Cynthia Ficara: Lisa, you're so right, on our list of meaningful work, it truly is a privilege. And when you think of it that way, it really helps you see things differently.
okay. So I think, it's time to really reveal the secret because believe it or not, Lisa and I always. Find a way, and you know, we truly believe that the secret to gratitude is actually seeing things differently. Many of us think of gratitude as an emotion, right? Yeah. I mean, in a sense it can be.
But while we're talking today, we want you to pause and reflect a little bit on your own medical device career, your own sales career, your own career, trying to be a medical device. And when you start to see things in a grateful way and not in a way that. Seems to be a burden, seems to be chaos. You know, the old saying, oh my gosh, I have to do that.
You know, in life you can say, I get to do that. Yeah. And that's why we believe seeing differently is the secret
Annaliese Rhodes: to gratitude. I love that secret. I think that's such a great way to put it, Cindy, with that, let's just roll into number two. Sure. Because this is a good way to explain it. So number two is what are we grateful for?
We are grateful for the people who make our job possible. And who do we mean? Right? Absolutely. Because it's not, not necessarily our employers, which are fantastic, but it's also the people that probably get the least amount of attention. And this is what we mean by seeing it through different glasses, through different ways.
How about those scrub techs who quietly save your butt? Or help you survive your first number of cases, right? When you're first walking in for your, first day on the job, or even your first time selling something, or just a new account. How about all those scrub techs and nurses out there that absolutely recognize that you're like a little frantic and a little bit lost, and there they are saving you, that you
Cynthia Ficara: can't do the case without 'em.
No. They are truly, truly, truly a part of your case. Okay. So what about the nurses? You've got nurses in there. Yeah. They may quietly, help you out in any last minute situation. Yeah. You know, they make it possible. Yeah. You got the scrub techs, you've got
Annaliese Rhodes: nurses. I got another one. All right. How about the people that cut you that last minute po.
Oh, when you. You know you need it right for the end of the quarter. You know you need that last minute PO and that person that is always sweet, always kind, always there for you. I am super grateful. I can think of right now. I know people that I could literally call out and be like, thank you for always making it happen.
At the end of the quarter, at the end of the month, when I call you in that 13th hour and you're like, I got it. It's coming. You gotta be thankful for those people.
Cynthia Ficara: And, I challenge you guys all too. Do you know the name of those people? Because if you don't, that's something you should, look out for.
Yes. what about, there's also something grateful when you are stressing and you're thinking, you're looking at your business as slow, or something's kind of like, not the momentum you want, and all of a sudden the phone rings, whether it's a scheduler or an appointment, and all of a sudden they'll like squeeze in, whether it's an add-on case or a meeting, and you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Those people, yes. Make a difference. Yes, they do. Hundred percent help you make it happen.
Annaliese Rhodes: A hundred percent. And of course we can't forget our physicians. You know, of course we are thankful for all of them and all the things that they allow us to be a part of and be on their team. But also when they need us the most, when they trust us the most in those high stakes events or those high stake moments when they turn to us and say, what do I do next?
As you and I discuss in so many of our episodes. You gotta be thankful for their, trust and their loyalty and their ability to partner with us and us back with them.
Cynthia Ficara: I think that that is probably one of the most grateful things to be thankful for. Yeah. But on a lighter note. you know what else I'm thinking about?
How about be grateful for that, circulator, the nurse that could like hand you a stool when it's been hours and you look like you're about to pass out. Oh,
Annaliese Rhodes: girl. Do you know when I was pregnant with Brooklyn? I'll never forget this, by the way. This was, I will never forget this call. Holy crap. It literally just hit me when you were saying that it was Thanksgiving.
It was Thanksgiving night. And I was, 'cause Brooklyn was due on December the 27th. Okay. So I was super pregnant in November, the end of November for Thanksgiving. I'm sitting on my couch after eating Thanksgiving, super fat now at this point, and the phone rings and it's one of my CT surgeons and he is like, I've got a rupture.
I need you to come in. And it was Thanksgiving night, kid you, not Thanksgiving night at midnight. And well it was like 10 o'clock when he called me. It was midnight when I got to the hospital. My back was killing me. I was sore, you know, tired, super pregnant, and I was standing in the room wearing maternity lead.
Oh. And the circulator is like so, like, so heavy and outta nowhere appears this like beautiful stool. And she's like, do you wanna sit down? And I'm like, oh my gosh. Yes. Thank you so much. And even the doctor was like. Please, Lisa, sit down right now. I do not need you having the baby tonight. I am not kidding you, Cindy.
That legit happened to me and literally the night of Thanksgiving. I just had a visual
Cynthia Ficara: of that, that's exactly what this is. That's gratitude. I'm so glad you remembered that. you didn't remember that when we were doing our list. Nope. Our prep. I know.
The Little Things That Carry Us Through the Day
Okay, Number three thing that we are grateful for is the territory that feels like a second home. And we kind of titled it that way because Lisa and I were like, my gosh, if you really look at what we do and what you're grateful for, one of the first things we both kind of cultivated for is going to our favorite place.
If you guys ever, whether you watched it or if you heard the reference of cheer, sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. It's so true. It's very true. And you can walk into a hospital Especially like if it's a holiday and Yeah. you've got skeleton crew with the good people and everybody's so happy to see you.
But they're your home. They're your people. they're like extended family.
Annaliese Rhodes: Yeah. Oh, I have, a place, I can't, won't say it out loud, but I have a place that I literally go to. So often and when we pass it on the interstate, I'm like, there's my second home guys. And they all know it too. They're like, oh, we know this exit, right?
Like, I know everything about it. I had to go there the other day with Brooklyn and she's like, how do you know where every Starbucks is? I'm like, 'cause I basically live here, by the way. yeah. So like totally love, love, love that account, and love being in that town. it's almost like the comfort of the routine of being in those places, like even though it's not your home.
It's so routine 'cause you're there so often, you know exactly. which gas station you need to hit, which Starbucks you're gonna hit. Where's the
Cynthia Ficara: cleanest
Annaliese Rhodes: bathrooms? Where, where's the cleanest? Oh, I can do that too. I totally have that. I know exactly what exits I'm stopping at, by the way, for that.
Cynthia Ficara: Oh, I know my kids make fun of me 'cause I, everything about exit numbers. If we're going to some town, I'm like, oh, you get here to exit this. You can turn here. You've got a Starbucks, you've got a Wawa, you've got good coffee. Like these are really important things. Like I'm so there is, I am telling you when you drive two plus hours, there's nothing that makes me more grateful than if I can find a clean.
Bathroom
Annaliese Rhodes: because you have to pee. Do I, Cindy? I plan on where I'm getting gas when I know, like I literally do, okay, I'm gonna have to pee at this exact time, so I'm just gonna hold, I'm gonna stop at this gas station because the Starbucks is right next to it. I pull up my car and I mobile order my Starbucks, and I'm like, I love this.
And it's like the little things, right? I'm so grateful for that stuff because especially when you've had like a really long day or you're tired, or it's late at night or early in the morning. Man, I'm so grateful for those small little things. 'cause they're not small. They get you through the day. They're
Cynthia Ficara: not small.
and that does become your home. And those little things really make your day.
I mean, I'm not somebody that gets coffee every day, but every so often I am so grateful when I'm driving and I'm looking down, I'm holding a warm cup of coffee I know. Or something different. Or it's the holiday time I do delve into the, some of the gingerbread.
I'm not a pumpkin person. Pepper, peppermint, mocha, blah, blah, blah. I'll do,
Annaliese Rhodes: yeah.
Cynthia Ficara: I'll do some sweet things. Not all the time, but sometimes it just feels good. If it's the end of a long day and you got a long drive, I'm like, it's Christmas. I get this nice, warm drink.
Wins That Shape Who We Become
Annaliese Rhodes: All right. What's our number four?
Number four is, this is what we said, we're calling it, the growth that we didn't see coming. So like, not necessarily growth of your numbers, you guys for once. We're not talking about that. We're talking about like. How this job makes you mentally tough, like more mentally tough? I don't know.
Or tougher, maybe that's the word I'm looking for. Like there are so many things that we encounter as medical device reps, especially being women in this industry. And I truly believe that this career has made me the strong woman that I am today in so many different ways. And I really truly have never really thought about it until you and I started discussing it.
And it really just hits me like. Wow. I've come so far from where I was when I was in my early twenties to where I am now in my late forties. It has made me the person that I am today, and I am so thankful for that. And that's my surgeons, that's the companies I've worked for. That's the work I've done.
That's the ways that I've handled certain situations. I mean, you could go on and on, so I am truly grateful for that.
Cynthia Ficara: And it spills over into your life as well. Yes. You know, and that goes back to our secret. You see things differently. And I think there's nothing that feels better that you may come across an obstacle, whether it be actually in your work or in your life, that all of a sudden it's not so hard to handle anymore.
You don't analyze it in a way you used to because you can see it differently. And you do become really tough as a byproduct. Not necessarily a goal, it's just that's what happens. When you pull it all together and it's something to be very thankful for, that it's not something we talk about much, or not something you really think about until you and I were talking and it's like, look at how much we've grown and look at how much everybody you listening has either already grown, growing and will grow.
it's a really great thing. I'd also say something else where we see growth, one of the little things is thinking about like. How every No or every what seems like a setback or chaotic moment like you're running around the OR and it's real crazy, or a gatekeeper says no. Mm-hmm.
But. I bet if you think through what happened the rest of that day, you grow from that. You learn from that. You take a piece of what happened to grow with that. And sometimes silly to say, but be grateful for the gatekeeper that said no, because look what it made you do next.
Annaliese Rhodes: Oh my God. Ugh. I love that.
It's so well said. All right, the last thing is, of course we gotta talk about this, right? You know. Your sales wins. Great. Be grateful for your sales wins, both big and small. And I think, you know, one of the best ones sometimes it isn't just like doing the actual case. It's getting the yes, the yes that you were waiting for and working on from that surgeon for so long.
You finally get the guy or gal to say, you know what? I got a case, I wanna use you the next, you know, next week, next month, whatever it is. That is such a great feeling because you worked so hard for it. So you gotta celebrate that. You gotta be grateful for that. 'cause that's what makes you grow, right?
That's what we were talking about. That's what makes you grow as a person, as a business person, as a medical device rep, as a high performer, all of that.
Cynthia Ficara: you can't say that enough. I mean, tiny wins really are what makes a big win. Like it's, they're all wins, but, be grateful for all them, be grateful for new relationship you had this year.
maybe with one of your customers, a new hospital, like, just take a minute and think about those wins. it makes you feel good. It makes you realize that there's some validation. To, a lot of the work you've done, maybe a successful case, think about, maybe something that didn't go well that I said earlier, and then you can apply it to the next case.
Think about what that feels like when it, worked in your favor. Yeah. And to be grateful for those, those big and small. It's, what keeps us as sales reps coming back.
A Timeout, a Brine Bag, and a Whole Lot of Gratitude
Annaliese Rhodes: Yeah. All right. we have a couple of funny, like, thought provoking things for you guys. Like if medical device reps ran Thanksgiving, right?
So,
Cynthia Ficara: exactly remember what we said at the beginning. What are you doing? You're like packing your car, you're running around, you're trying to do a case, you're organized. You are like, oh, don't forget, I gotta go run back out to the grocery store three times because I forgot Yes. Whether it's gravy master, or now you need like those weird molasses, like something you never buy.
But once a year. Who isn't? Yeah, but who isn't control in a brine bag, right? Like who?
Annaliese Rhodes: Stocks, brine bags. You always gotta go back and get a freaking brine bag. But who isn't controlling every moment of Thanksgiving? I mean, hello? Like isn? It that part of our job is to control the whole thing.
Okay. Right. So I've always thought about this. You know what's so funny is like, as I was thinking about this, I remember so many years. People would hand the knife to my dad. Okay. 'cause my dad's a surgeon, right? But he's an orthopedic surgeon, so it's not very often that he's beautifully carving things.
Sydnee, do you know how many turkeys he hacked up? Like, it was so bad. we were in Arkansas one year and one of my, stepmom's uncles was like. You know, here Bo, you know you should carve the Turkey, you should do the honors. And he's like, nah, that's okay. Knowing full well that he really sucked the curving.
And they're like, no, Bo, you should do it. And he literally like butchered the whole thing. And they're like, yeah, sorry. You're never carving the Turkey again. He needs an electric knife. Just so bad. He's an orthopedic surgeon. You know, saws, you're exactly right. That's exactly what he said too. He was like, I need a saw.
what if as like reps, if they like handed it over to us, what if we were like, okay, everybody needs a time out. Let's call time out like allergies, what meds are we on? Like, who's drinking what? What red wine are we drinking? You know, before you carve the Turkey.
Cynthia Ficara: It would be awesome so, if med reps could run Thanksgiving.
Yes. You'd have a timeout. Does everybody have everything? We got everything good and then instead of like blue sterile towels, you're gonna have your tip of cloths out. Everything's gonna be organized. It's gonna be labeled, it's gonna be overplan. So everything's in now my favorite, my favorite thing, if med reps could run Thanksgiving would be everyone would show up early just in case.
Annaliese Rhodes: Nobody shows up early, everybody's late. It's so annoying. You gotta balance, you gotta balance. Keeping everything hot like that is like one of my most annoying things. I'm like, I don't know how to keep everything hot. But you know, there are, those women that do that. Like my mother-in-law keeps everything hot.
I don't know how she does it. I don't know what magical power, but like. Every single time that's power. And we always are waiting on somebody. Somebody's always late, and every time everything's still hot. I'm like, how does it stay hot? ' cause by that point, I've been drinking too much wine. So I'm like, I don't know.
Cynthia Ficara: That's where I am not fortunate enough to have two ovens, but the planning of the ovens, the position on the stove, double oven. And then, you know what? I finally just give yourself permission to get microwave vegetables when you've gotta just get too many people and there's not enough spots if you're gonna make the gravy just right on the stove, just.
Microwave your vegetables for God's sakes, and just do everything else. And then everything's nice and hot and warm. Do smaller trains and turn 'em sideways to share in the oven.
Annaliese Rhodes: Yes,
Cynthia Ficara: I've done that.
Annaliese Rhodes: I've totally done that.
Cynthia Ficara: oh, and a convection oven. That helps too.
Annaliese Rhodes: Oh, those are great. Yes. Agreed. hope you guys really enjoyed this fun little episode that Cindy and I wanted to put together.
You know, we think. We know we give you guys like super hardcore great episodes every week, and that's our goal is to always come with like seriously great things. But sometimes it's also important just to sit back and really take a moment to remember. And be grateful for the things that you do have and the people that you're able to interact with the patient's lives that you're able to impact the quality of your life in terms of what you're given by your medical device companies.
I mean, so many of us take our healthcare for granted. It is such a wonderful gift that we have with these medical device companies to help support coverage, especially when you have big families like mine. There's just so much to be grateful for, I think, and I really am glad that we sat back, Cindy and just kind of went through a fun little list that we put together.
To remind all of you of what's really important, and I wanna say that I am thankful, and I know Cindy's gonna say the exact same thing, but we are thankful for all of you. We are thankful for our girls of Grit community and all of you who continue to listen right in, support us. We cannot tell all of you thank you enough.
we love all of you. All we want is for you guys to become the best, most high performing, highest successful. Everything in the world for you guys. That's all we want, so we are just thankful for y'all.
Cynthia Ficara: And now I'm all warm and fuzzy inside because you just summarizing everything just made me feel that.
And so although I said gratitude isn't always an emotion, it feels emotional when you truly have genuine gratitude. I felt what you said, but I also see things in a different way to make me feel that way, way. And I am also very grateful to you, Lisa. I am grateful that you and I both. Figure out a way to make this time to impact the people we truly believe when we started this two years ago was that we know we can help people.
And maybe not every episode resonates with you, but, I'm really glad that you and I have done this together. I think you and I help each other when somebody's busy. The other one helps and vice versa. And I think we found a true partnership. So I'm extremely grateful to have you and I can look back and see how much we've grown.
So, yay. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We hope you all spend this week with a little bit of gratitude, still with a little bit of grit from both Lisa and me, the girls of Grit. So. Follow us, send us a message. We're here for you. We're wishing you a very safe, very safe and happy. Grateful thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving
Annaliese Rhodes: Okay, Cindy. Thanksgiving week we finally get to slow down for like five minutes. And five minutes might be generous, but yes, we are taking a breath and we're talking about gratitude and medical device sales. The real
Cynthia Ficara: kind like being grateful for teammates who answer late calls, surgeons who have us on speed dial and reps who show up with grit every single day.
Annaliese Rhodes: Exactly. So we are taking a moment. To notice this week all the things that go unnoticed in our everyday work lives. So happy Thanksgiving
Cynthia Ficara: to all of you high performers.
