Mudder of Reinvention

She entered medical school at 31, cared for a son with childhood cancer as a single mom, headed up a successful multi- million-dollar surgical practice, worked in a hospital during the early, deadly days of COVID-19 and, after switching careers during a pandemic, is now reimagining a new life chapter.

For all the storms that Michelle Gordon ’94 has weathered throughout her life, she credits Harvey Mudd College with shaping her, sharpening her intellectual tenacity and mental toughness, and helping her get through challenging times.

“Going through the Harvey Mudd curriculum was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done,” says Gordon from her home in Cortland Manor in New York. “I learned how to quickly assimilate and filter knowledge and how to be an effective problem solver. Being around people who think like you do really helps you grow. After that experience, I knew I could take on anything.”

Finding a challenging and self-fulfilling career was harder than Gordon expected. She decided early in life to be a doctor. Gordon remembers overhearing her mother discuss her two brothers (who were doctors) and declaring they were “so rich.” “My five-year-old brain put this together: ‘I want to make my mom happy. I have to be rich. And the way to be rich is to be a doctor.’” She pauses. “And, you know what I got? Rich. And I also burned myself out.”

Now as a “recovering surgeon,” Gordon sees herself as a “health coach,” helping other high-powered professionals deal with burn out as they begin new careers. She’s also working on other ventures that build on her medical background and personal experiences: women and menopause, combatting depression and adopting healthier habits.

Life’s puzzles

Science is in Gordon’s background and blood. She grew up in Richland, Washington, a town that Manhattan Project personnel took over to create plutonium for the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Her father was a particle physicist. “The culture of the town was like a think tank; all the people who lived in the area were scientists,” she says, remembering a pro-nuke rally she attended in high school.

After graduating high school and moving to Seattle, Gordon took college classes and began to explore her personal identity. She moved to Southern California and married a man but, deep down, Gordon knew she was gay. She enrolled in Mudd at age 25.

Gordon discovered she was pregnant around the time her marriage was dissolving. She kept her studies going and proudly remembers carrying her “one-year-old son across the stage to receive my diploma.” A few months later, her son was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer. Gordon cared for him after graduation while working in Mudd’s IT department.

All the while, she held on to her goal of becoming a doctor. She was accepted into medical school at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona at age 31. She was sure she was starting her dream career. She moved to Queens for her residency, took a job in Westchester, and, in 2005, formed a surgical group which she led for almost 15 years.

“Look, I’m 60 years old, and I’m still building something new.”

Gordon enjoyed the problem-solving aspects of being a surgeon, especially emergencies that she says “were like puzzles. People came in broken and left happy.” But once her practice got big and the administrative paperwork overwhelming, she discovered she really didn’t like leading surgeons with big personalities. Gordon’s dream career was starting to crack.

When her medical director, who was going through difficult times in his personal life, died by suicide in 2019, Gordon looked at her own life: always exhausted, resentful and wanting more time with her son. “Is this the life I want?” she wondered.

As Gordon was figuring out how to close down the practice, the pandemic descended on New York City. “Every available bed at our hospital was an ICU bed,” she recalls. “Everywhere there were dead and dying Covid patients. We lost some of our best nurses to Covid because we did not know how to treat them.”

Gordon worked most of the year at the hospital. After she closed her practice, Gordon gradually released her childlike idea of being a rich doctor, began to breathe easier and got excited about other career paths.

Career coach, podcaster and telehealth provider

In recent years, Gordon has continued to reinvent herself: she’s coached high- achieving professionals, established resources for women with menopause, and created a popular “Launch Your Life” podcast where she shared personal stories and motivational talks about career, behavioral change, motherhood and life.

Gordon’s current focus involves reinforcing wellness choices and helping to individualize medicine and private care. In March 2024, she started a telehealth practice and loves it. She often gives others advice about the value of reinvention.

“Look, I’m 60 years old, and I’m still building something new,” she says. In her opinion, it’s never too late to go after your dreams.