When he’s not giving patients a new lease on life by alleviating their physical pain, Dr. Ashu K. Goyle can be found in his at-home music cave, jamming out Grateful Dead hits on his guitar.
Or getting in some cardio or weight lifting.
Or savoring a big and bold glass of Napa Valley cab from Far Niente alongside one of his wife Nicolle’s culinary masterpieces.
However, if you catch him first thing in the morning, the anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist is meditating—his daily must-start.
“It’s part of keeping me centered. It helps me realign with myself and my purpose,” says Goyle, the founder of Integrated Spine, Pain & Wellness.
Professionally, Goyle knows multiple ways to give patients relief. Personally, the Ohio native is a Jack-of-all-trades when it comes to finding his own respite in the precious downtime from the practice that keeps him busy.
At 13, Goyle took up the guitar and fell in musical love. Today, he heads to his music room and plays solo or along to songs performed by his favorite guitar artists that span from his first love of classic rock to modern rock to jazz.
Think main influences like David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, and Jerry Garcia. But there’s also Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Halen, Pat Metheny, Eric Clapton, and John Mayer.
And if there were a guitar version of karaoke, his go-to selection would be The Grateful Dead trio of Help on the Way, Slipknot!, with a segway into Franklin’s Tower.
“That’s my reprieve. It recharges me and takes me to a totally different world and place,” Goyle says of his harmonic therapy.
His ultimate favorite way to chill, however, is spending quality time with his two puppies and his wife of seven years, Nicolle. His partner in life and business, she helms the regenerative aesthetic services, as well as handles all marketing and branding for the practice.
Nicolle’s other talent dovetails with their passion for fine wine.
“My wife is an amazing cook. She makes these healthy and delicious meals,” Goyle says. “Relaxing with her and enjoying her company with our puppies is my favorite way to decompress.”
A comfortable escape from the physical agony they’ve endured is what Goyle has given patients throughout his career. The goal is for them to finally be themselves after months or even years of feeling anything but that.
Goyle talks about a former patient, a woman who underwent an epidural injection treatment to relieve her pain. When he checked to see how she was doing, a huge smile had taken over her face. Her husband by her side had tears in his eyes.
Goyle reassured him that his wife was fine. But neither fear nor sadness were the reasons for his emotional state. The man told Goyle he was crying because this was the first time he had seen his wife smile in three months.
“When we can make a difference in someone’s life on that level,” Goyle says before a brief pause. “For me, this was it. This is what I want to be part of.” ISPWScottsdale.com
