Over the last few weeks, we couldn’t post on Substack as my team and I were busy creating the infrastructure for our upcoming Substack Mastery Boost program, which will empower creators, freelancers, and content startups in 2026. I will soon post an update from our community publication.
However, this weekend, out of hundreds of submissions to this new curated publication, I had a chance to curate a memoir from one of our founding members, DrDavid Mokotoff, MD.
I chose this thoughtful and unfiltered memoir to offer readers a glimpse into David’s compassionate life, highlight his authentic writing as a role model for aspiring authors, and honor his legacy as a caring physician in cardiology, author of several books/scientific papers, and respected storyteller with a community voice.
My lifetime love affair with reading and writing by Dr David Mokotoff, MD
Image courtesy of Dr David Mokotoff
I was born in New York City, but have no childhood memories of it. That's because when I was four years old, my family moved 70 miles north to the Catskill Mountains.
I grew up in the small town of Middletown, nestled in the Hudson Valley. In many ways, it was a great place to grow up, surrounded by small mountains, lakes, trees, and farmland. I recall horse and dairy farms, where the scent of fresh hay was inseparable from that of manure.
It was a great place to grow up because within two hours, you could be in New York City, enjoy it, and then be home by night. My best high school friend and I would drive in, catch a Mets game, visit a museum, eat good food, and then come back home. New York City overwhelmed me with its size. It still does.
I don't remember exactly when I fell in love with writing, but I'm sure it wasn't until later in life. Still, I have always been an avid reader. If I'm not reading, it feels like a piece of me is missing.
When asked what genres I prefer, I always say the same thing: it doesn't matter, as long as the writing is engaging and meaningful. I've enjoyed a wide range of fiction, nonfiction, short stories, science fiction, biographies, and memoirs. I do remember that in grade school, the first book I read was "Lord of the Flies."
I read little during college and medical school because I was too busy studying and having a good time. But later in life, reading became an escape and a salvation from the daily grind of raising a family and running a private medical practice. I would read at night, although I was always so exhausted that my ex-wife would joke that I was asleep after turning two pages.
Reading a real book, with the smell of fresh paper and print, is one of the things I miss most. I now only read on my tablet. My eyesight is such that having nightlights and reading glasses has become too complicated. A tablet makes it simple to change lighting and font size. Plus, it's easier to carry an entire library on a small device when traveling.
Late in life and after retiring in 2015, I yearned to write and blog. I posted blog pieces on free sites like KevinMD, but in 2018, I discovered Medium. There, I found a wonderful community of readers and writers. I also met, or rather, he found me—Dr. Mehmet Yildiz. He has mentored me through years of writing on Medium and helped me get started on Substack.
Once I decided to write, I pursued it as if I were back in school. I attended writers' conferences. One in particular was for doctors who wanted to write as a second career, publishing non-medical content. One of these events featured guest speakers, including Dr. Michael Palmer ("Extreme Measures") and Dr. Tess Gerritsen ("The Surgeon"), who were fantastic.
I recall a memorable phrase by one speaker who said, "Good things happen to people who write." Her point was that you must constantly write to be successful. Readers can't discover you unless you consistently put out content. The best thing to do is to write, write, and then write some more. Write about good times and bad ones. Write about fun times and boring ones.
I wrote a memoir, "The Moose's Children: A Memoir of Betrayal, Death and Survival." It describes a period of my life when my wife struggled with alcohol addiction, which eventually killed her. I became a single dad and learned that of all the things we control in the world, other people are not one of them.
There are so many books about alcoholism and addiction. However, I told my story from the perspective of how it affects family and friends close to the alcoholic. Like waves in a pond after tossing a stone, the impact spreads far and wide.
I wrote an anthology of short stories, "Light & Dark." It was fun to write and made me exercise the creative side of my brain. I have written on a variety of subjects, including humor and scientific topics, as well as explored cultural, culinary, and political themes.
Writing is a lot like shopping for new clothes. You have to try on more than one outfit to see what fits you best.
I also quickly learned that you cannot be successful as a writer unless you have passion. If you are writing about something that you think others will enjoy, but you don't, that is a formula for failure.
After a few years on Medium, I analyzed how my stories performed on the platform and decided to focus on a single niche when I began my Substack. That was something I was most passionate about: explaining complex medical topics in simple terms that a layperson could understand. Hence, "Cardiology Made Easy" was born.
In nine months, I have gained over 1,200 subscribers, with 25 of those being paid. Many writers on this platform have experienced greater success. However, I am not focused on numbers or money. Sure, everyone likes money, and since there is no income from views, claps, responses, and interactions like on Medium, the pay model is quite different. I now publish on both. I could be doing more from a marketing perspective, but as the saying goes, "Life Happens."
Now more adventures are on my way. My wife and I have sold our home of twenty years and are building a new one that will enable us to age more safely and continue enjoying our passions.
For my wife, that's painting, and for me, it's gardening. There will be no more swimming pools or stairs. We have 11 beautiful live oak trees in the front yard, and even as I get older, I can still tend to my vegetables, flowers, herbs, and bird feeder. I've always wanted a porch swing, and now I will have a porch large enough to hold one.
But in the end, for me, life isn't about degrees, sales, and dollars. It's about how much love I was able to give to friends and family, and how I improved others' lives. I did that with 40 years of practicing medicine. My writing can't compare to that, but in a smaller way, it does. If even one post can make someone smile, laugh, or learn something new, that's what I call a successful writing career.
How about you?
Thank you for reading my story and subscribing to my Cardiology Made Easy publication on Substack.
I believe anyone can be a super learner, as I have proven. I have been conducting Superlearning workshops for many years, both offline and in closed online environments, empowering people from diverse backgrounds. However, I recently opened my services to the public onSubstack and Patreon, and many paid members joined in the last few days.
The reason, I suppose, is that it is not only affordable and moderated by a passionate, compassionate, and experienced person like myself and my collaborators, but also that 90% of these members are over 50. They want to prevent cognitive decline and enjoy the second, third, or fourth part of their lives. One of the members is over 90 years old.
Every genuine person is welcome to join our community of superlearners. For a limited time, to help build a big community, I’m offering an 80% discount on the $8 monthly membership fee on Substack, which is a significant savings.
After the pilot, next year, this will become a yearly $3,000 program, as demand is expected to be massive like my offine education programs. My goal is to reach over a million members by the end of 2026, operating it on my own platform, Digitalmehmet Content Ecosystem, with assistance from Substack and Patreon.
I also created a publication called Superlearning on Medium and will support my readers there too. Opportunities are endless on integrated platforms, where passion and community spirit can illuminate us and society.
This very low-cost membership, less than $2 monthly, will bring additional benefits, such as being part of my Substack Mastery Boost Pilot, which will be a global service for creators, freelancers, book authors, and content entrepreneurs in 2026.
This small fee is not about profit but to ensure genuine commitment. In the past, many free readers downloaded my previous books but never shared any feedback.
If you are interested in being an alpha or beta reader, please leave a comment on the story or contact me via this web form.
I wrote this book not only for students, teachers, and parents, but also for everyone who desires to become a lifelong learner. Thank you for being part of my superlearner community.🙏
I invite you to subscribe to my publications on Substack, where I offer experience-based and original content on health, content strategy, book authoring, and technology topics you can’t find online to inform and inspire my readers.
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 37K writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. You can contact me via my website. If you are a new writer, check out my writing list to find some helpful stories for your education.
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