Monthly Archives: July 2025
Pete Lalor Brings a Coach’s Mindset to Surgery and Parenting
Pete Lalor, a bariatric surgeon and medical director in Ohio, launched from Amherst College to Ireland to the hockey rinks of Holland—but today we find him leading a surgical weight loss program. A former student-athlete, Pete shares how his performance mentality evolved from athletics into medicine, and why he remains a student of psychology even decades after majoring in it at Amherst.
Pete opens up about parenting five kids, the future of medicine (including the hype and limitations of GLP-1 weight loss drugs), and how youth sports today have left him feeling torn about their value and trade-offs. He also reflects on how emotional intelligence is a critical skill, whether you’re in the operating room or the living room.
Highlights include:
His enduring interest in psychology helps him be a more empathetic physician and parent.
Pete’s perspective on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic is nuanced: they can help, but they’re no magic bullet for obesity.
The values he absorbed at Amherst and in sports—grit, teamwork, performance—still shape his life today.
How he’s envisioning the next 20 years, including how he might apply his extensive experience and curiosities in a new direction.
The two Amherst classmates he wants me to interview next.
To get in touch with Pete, email him at petelalor@hotmail.com and learn more about his practice at http://www.woodcountyhospital.org.
Jane Rohde Bowers Excels In Public Health By Meeting People Where They Are
Jane Rohde Bowers grew up both overseas and in the Pioneer Valley, with parents who graduated from Amherst College and Mount Holyoke. She also had a front-row seat to international public health via her father’s career. A self-described “beach gal” who dreamed of marine biology, she instead found herself pulled into anthropology at Amherst and later, public health herself. Today, Jane is a Health Program Manager in Los Angeles County, where she champions equitable access to HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) care, especially for vulnerable populations.
In this conversation, Jane reflects on how her international upbringing shaped her ability to relate to others, how she found her footing in public health after a post-college journey that included backpacking and tour guiding, and how she now strives to mentor the next generation of practitioners. Throughout it all, she affirms her belief that health is a human right—and that connection, trust, and persistence are the keys to making real change.
Key Takeaways:
Jane shares how growing up abroad as the child of a global public health leader gave her a deep appreciation for diversity and a recognition of health disparities.
She talks about how her early jobs—backpacking through Mexico, working as a camping tour guide, and volunteering in San Diego—helped clarify her professional path.
Why meeting people where they are is central to Jane’s work today.
Jane opens up about how she builds trust with vulnerable populations.
The Amherst College classmate she wants me to interview next.
You can email Jane at janebowers100@gmail.com.
Adam Bonin Champions Democracy One Ballot at a Time
Adam Bonin’s voice, passion for politics, and Philadelphia sports devotion certainly will sound familiar to his Amherst classmates, but his post-college path has been anything but predictable. Adam takes us through his early certainty that law was his calling, the disillusionment he experienced practicing corporate law, and the path he carved into political law and election work. We hear how a career pivot allowed him to integrate his passion for politics with his legal skills, how he’s become the go-to expert in high-stakes election battles—and how his journey reflects a broader lesson in finding professional purpose.
Highlights include:
Adam’s role in shaping election law and voter protection in Pennsylvania.
How his Amherst experience—academically and socially—laid the groundwork for his intellectual agility and passion for public service.
He’s still a pop culture maven. From “The Simpsons” to wrestling, Adam’s enduring passions serve as both respite and connection points to his younger self.
The Amherst classmates he wants me to interview next.
To get in touch with Adam, email him at adam@boninlaw.com and find him on BlueSky.
Toby King Made His Own Path—From Geology To Bluegrass To Academia
When I think of people who’ve allowed life’s serendipities to shape their course, Toby King comes immediately to mind. In this episode, he walks me through a zigzagging journey that began with a keg behind the geology building before his freshman year at Amherst College even started and took him to UNC Asheville, where he’s Associate Professor and Chair of Music and, starting this fall, the chair of the UNC Faculty Assembly. Toby’s story is a reminder that we don’t always have to know where we’re going—as long as we stay open to what moves us.
Highlights include:
How Toby chose geology at Amherst after bonding with faculty during a pre-orientation outing—and a well-timed beer
Why he walked away from a geology career after a frank conversation with a mentor during an oil company internship
Why he taught himself how to play the banjo, and how he leveraged his passion for music into a spot at Columbia’s graduate program and a teaching role at Sarah Lawrence
The importance of prioritizing connections over content in teaching, and how the Amherst College geology department has influenced his approach to at UNC Asheville
The Amherst College classmates he wants me to interview next
To get in touch with Toby, check out his page on the UNC Asheville website: https://www.unca.edu/person/jonathan-king/.
Matt Collins' Blog 