Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky Krista Vernoff
Mar 10, 2026
Krista Vernoff, a television writer and showrunner behind Grey's Anatomy and Station 19, reflects on stepping away from relentless showrunning to reclaim health and creativity. She discusses burnout, restorative rest, surfing as healing, family recovery, rewriting harmful TV tropes, and her pivot to novel writing and gentler projects.
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Doctor Told Me To Look For Hummingbirds
- Krista Vernoff described a pulmonologist telling her she had the lungs of a 30-year swimmer despite months of coughing.
- The doctor advised long walks to 'look for the hummingbirds,' which Krista interpreted as a prescription to change her nervous system and seek awe.
Awe As Daily Medicine
- Krista explains that awe functions as medicine for depression and can be intentionally induced by short walks focusing on small and large beautiful things.
- She used surfing to generate daily awe and terror, replicating the adrenaline of showrunning to exhaust and then allow real rest.
From Childhood Access To A Sobriety Turning Point
- Krista revealed she drank and used drugs from about age 11 and that her father was a cocaine dealer, which normalized access to substances.
- She crossed a personal line at 22 with cocaine and rapidly lost her functional sobriety, prompting eventual recovery.
