Surgeons with Purpose
A podcast for surgeons who feel dissatisfied and burnt out in their careers. Hosted by Dr. Mel Thacker, an ENT surgeon and coach, it helps listeners understand the root of their dissatisfaction. The show guides them to rediscover their identity beyond being a surgeon and create a more fulfilling life.
Episodes
#111 Vaibhav's Story
*************SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING*******************This episode discusses a recent suicide. Please listen carefully, or if this is particularly triggering for you, forgo listening completely.”If we could save one student, one kid, one life, we are spreading his shine,” Neeru Duggal.On July 23, 2025, Vaibhav Duggal turned 24. He spent the morning of his birthday in a women's health clinic in
#110 From Hiding to Highly Visible on LinkedIn with Sheikh C. Ali
Sheikh C. Ali dreamed of becoming a private practice surgeon from age seven. Then, when COVID hit between his third and fourth year of medical school, he noticed the landscape shifting. The pathway he'd spent his life walking toward no longer seemed viable, so he built a new path. He became the strategist healthcare leaders now hire to turn their expertise into visibility, authority, and opportuni
#109 PE Sharks in the Water with Dr. Adrienne Towsen
For 19 years, Dr. Adrienne Towsen practiced in the kind of orthopedic group most surgeons dream of: five partners, employees who'd been there forever, a 30-year reputation, a family feel.Then came the supergroup. Then came private equity.The pitch: liquidity events, surgery centers, top-dog status. The math: one year's salary upfront, paid back over five years through a 25% management "scrape." Th
#108 Difficult Conversations with Dr. Anthony Orsini
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Most of us got less than 20 hours of communication training in four years of medical school. Then we were thrown into the real world.Dr. Anthony Orsini has spent his career fixing that. A practicing neonatologist and founder of The Orsini Way, he's trained thousands of clinicians to navigate medicine's hardest conversations: breaking bad news, disclosin
#107 Becoming a Great Defendant with Heather Hansen
Take the quiz: What kind of surgeon are you becoming? here.Join us inside Empowered Surgeons group here.One of the most surprising truths about medical malpractice is this: the work that prepares you to become a strong defendant is the very same work that helps prevent lawsuits in the first place. It's the work that strengthens your relationships with patients, your spouse, your children, your col
#106 Villains in Surgery
Take the quiz, What Kind of Surgeon Are You Becoming here.Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.We often believe we have to create villains in the world in order to effect change. But what if that were not true?In this episode, I teach villain compassion, the difference between helping, fixing, and serving, and the power of intentionally choosing our thoughts before we make decisions. Becau
#105 Why Women are Leaving with Dr. Cornelia Griggs and Dr. Jose Greenspon
Join us in Empowered Surgeons Group here.Why are so many talented women surgeons questioning whether they belong in surgery, and what does that reveal about the culture of surgery as a whole?In this episode of Surgeons with Purpose, I talk to pediatric surgeons Dr. Cornelia Griggs and Dr. Jose Greenspon about the relational challenges of practice, imposter syndrome, the hidden emotional labor wome
#104 Multiple Streams of Income with Dr. Stephen Cohen
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Join Dr. Gita Pensa’s Litigation Education And Preparedness course here.Dr. Stephen Cohen is a board-certified general and colorectal surgeon, Section Chief of Surgery at the VA, and an experienced medical expert witness with nearly 30 years in the medicolegal field. We explore what it really means to build a sustainable career in surgery: one that allo
#103 Right Place Right Time with Dr. Racheal Peterson
Take the quiz "What Kind of Surgeon Are You Becoming?" here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.Dr. Racheal Peterson joins me to share her journey into neurosurgery, a path she set her sights on before medical school and ultimately made a reality. We talk about her first experiences in the operating room as a medical student and the sense of wonder that comes with being able to truly change a patie
#102 Becoming a Surgeon with Purpose with Dr. Cameron Roth
What kind of surgeon are you becoming? Take the quiz here.Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Check out Behind the Sports Medicine Podcast here and follow them on instagram here.Dr. Cameron Roth is a fellowship-trained orthopedic doctor specializing in hand, wrist, and upper extremity surgery and co-host of the podcast, Behind the Sports Medicine Podcast.In this episode we talk about what
#101 Finding Opportunities in Sham Peer Review with Dr. Tracey O'Connell
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Sham peer review can be one of the most devastating threats facing surgeons today. But it doesn’t have to.Physician, educator, and coach, Dr. Tracey O'Connell, pulls back the curtain on a reality most surgeons don't see coming until they're already inside it. This conversation is sobering. It is necessary. And it ends with a message of genuine hope: tha
#100 Surgery's Kangaroo Courts with Dr. Christian Bowers
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons here.Every surgeon enters the profession knowing the clinical risks. Complications happen. Patients are unhappy. Outcomes fall short. That is part of the contract.But what about the other risks? The systemic and structural ones that have nothing to do with how compassionate of a human you are, how good of a diagnostician you are, or how slick of a technician you a
#99 Not Getting Greedy with the Last 5% with Dr. Won Kim
Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.Dr. Won Kim is a brain and tumor neurosurgeon at UCLA Health, where he trained, completed a fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, and built a practice around treating tumors that were once considered inoperable. He is also the kind of surgeon who will tell you he is hard to work for, that M&M should be about quality improvement not blame, an
#98 You're Not Stuck with Dr. Red Hoffman
Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.Dr. Red Hoffman has spent her career sitting with people at the hardest moments of their lives. As a physician who combines trauma care and palliative medicine, she has built a practice around something most of us spend our whole lives avoiding: death. But what makes Red's perspective so singular is that she isn't just a professional witness to loss. She has live
#97 Break Free from the Golden Handcuffs with Dr. Shieva Ghofrany
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.What happens when being a doctor is no longer enough to sustain you?Dr. Shieva Ghofrany, OB/GYN and founder of A Tribe Called V joins me to explore identity, autonomy, and the hidden pressures of practicing medicine.Dr. Ghofrany didn’t follow a traditional path into medicine, and she doesn’t practice it traditionally either. From switching majors multip
#96 F*ck the Stigma: The Truth About Physician Mental Health with Dr. Jake Goodman
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Dr. Jake Goodman is a psychiatrist who works with healthcare professionals and has built a following of over 2 million people by saying the things most physicians are thinking but not saying out loud.His practice started in a telling way: his first patient was a surgeon, then a dentist, then a veterinarian, then an OB/GYN. That pattern wasn’t random; it
#95 Food, Trauma, and the Nervous System with Luis Mojica
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.What if your relationship with food had nothing to do with discipline and everything to do with your nervous system?In this conversation with Luis Mojica, we explore the connection between developmental trauma, chronic stress, and the way we relate to food. Luis shares his own story of using an eating disorder to cope with undiagnosed PTSD, and how that
#94 Solving for the Infertility Crisis in Surgery with Dr. Erica Bove
Learn more about Love and Science Fertility here.Join Empowerd Surgeons here.Infertility is shaping the lives of female physicians, and we need to talk about it.Dr. Erica Bove, creator of Love and Science, shares the startling fact that 1 in 4 female physicians and 1 in 3 female surgeons experience infertility. Interestingly, the very mindset that makes us successful in surgery can work against us
#93 Negotiating Our Worth with Dr. Karen Leitner
Surgeons, join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group today.In this episode, Dr. Karen Leitner and I explore the hidden thought patterns that keep women physicians stuck. And how to break free!We cover:Why charting paralysis happens (and the thought loops that drive it)Being diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) later in life and the shift from self-judgment to self-understand
#92 The Rules of Surviving Surgery with Dr. Sonya Sloan
Interested in our retreat to Norway? Get on my calendar for an interview here.What does it really take to survive and succeed in a system that wasn’t built with you in mind?In this episode, I explore that question with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sonya Sloan. We talk about the hidden curriculum of medicine: the unspoken rules, the power dynamics, and the strategies required to navigate surgical trainin
#91 Mistakes, Complications, and Missed Expectations
Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.Learn more about what's inside ESG here.In the perfectionist surgeon's mind, either we get a perfect outcome or we fail. But in the realm of humans, perfection is impossible. And we don't always have full control over the final surgical result.Instead of thinking in terms of surgical "success" and surgical "failure", what would it look like to categorize circumst
#90 Serving the Patient Not the Ego with Dr. Brian Nwannunu
What does it mean to stay grounded in your identity and your humanity inside a system that often asks you to override both?In this episode, orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Brian Nwannunu, shares his journey from being the son of Nigerian immigrants to building a career in surgery rooted in purpose, faith, and service. Brian knew from a young age that he was called to medicine, but his path wasn’t linear.
#89 The Game Doctors Were Never Taught with Dr. Gita Pensa
What do physicians actually need when they find themselves on the receiving end of a malpractice lawsuit?In this episode, I have a conversation with emergency physician, educator, speaker, coach, advocate and legal expert Dr. Gita Pensa about the reality of medical malpractice from the physician defendant’s perspective. We explore why getting sued can feel like being dropped onto another planet. A
#88 Two Complaints to the Board of Registration in Medicine: Lessons Learned
In 2019, two patients complained to the Board of Registration in Medicine about me.At the time, it felt deeply unfair. I felt hate. I felt indignation. I felt like a victim. I even fantasized about horrible things happening to the people who complained about me. They were my villains.But, through my own coaching journey, I began to understand that pain is not individual; it is inherited, relationa
#87 Women are Leaving with Dr. Cornelia Griggs
Surgeon-writer, Dr. Cornelia Griggs joins me this week.Check out her article with Dr. Andrea Merrill, The Hidden Reason Women are Leaving Surgery: They're Being Pushed Out here.Check out her book, The Sky Was Falling here.The first physician in a family of writers, artists, and communicators, she grew up surrounded by people willing to speak openly about medicine’s vulnerabilities. A former theate
#86 Magician to Physician to Attorney to Actor with Raymund King, MD, JD
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Life is more fun when your career path isn’t linear. Dr. Raymund King knows this well. From performing magic to practicing medicine, from the courtroom to the screen, Raymund’s life reflects a deep willingness to evolve and follow his inner knowing.We talk about witnessing tragedy, bucking the norm, the mindset of a doctor vs lawyer vs creative, reinven
#85 From Gaslighting to Real Care: A Patient's Perspective with Tiphany Kane
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.”It makes you feel crazy as a patient,” Tiphany Kane.As physicians, we have more influence than we realize over how patients feel and how they perceive us (and the profession in general). Whether or not we diagnose them or operate on them, patients want—and deserve—to be treated humanely.At its core, our job is simple: serve the patient.But that becomes
#84 From OR to AI with Dr. Ivan Capobianco
Join us inside Empowered Surgeons here. Subscribe to Stitches here.What happens when the skills that make you a great surgeon begin pulling you toward a different kind of impact?In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ivan Capobianco, who trained as a hepatobiliary and transplant surgeon and whose career journey spans Italy, Germany, global health work in Angola, academic research, AI, entrepreneursh
#83 Clean vs Dirty Pain in Surgery
The Pain to Power Workshop is the foundation upon which your self-concept is built. You can't step into the next version of yourself until you heal old wounds and rewrite your past. We start this work Feb 2nd, 2026. You have access to the content until March 2nd, 2026. Sign up here.If you are catching this episode outside the window, no worries! You can still join us inside Empowered Surgeons grou
#82 Becoming a Surgeon on Her Own Terms with Dr. Mandy Rice
LIMITED OFFER: The Pain to Power 5-day Coaching Program starts Feb 2nd. Sign up here.In this episode I speak with Dr. Mandy Rice, a dual board–certified General Surgeon and Surgical Intensivist whose path to surgery was anything but traditional. She began her career as a pediatric ICU nurse at 22, carrying the belief that she “wasn’t smart enough to be a doctor” - until a physician challenged that
#81 Putting Purpose Over Path with Dr. Mark Shrime
Have you ever felt like you were on a moving sidewalk toward retirement, as if you had committed to a life path long ago and now you’re simply being carried along it? If so, you’re not alone, and you won’t want to miss this episode.This week I speak with Mark Shrime, MD, PhD - Head and Neck surgeon, researcher, and former Chief of the Harvard Program in Global Surgery - about discernment, vocation
Special Episode: Processing Pain to Create Power with Steph Sheldon
After returning from our inaugural women surgeon's retreat in Cabo, Steph Sheldon and I debrief about the lessons we learned. Please enjoy this special episode of Surgeons with Purpose. The "Pain to Power Workshop" will launch on Jan 18th. Get on my email list here to get all the updates about the program.And if you are ready to join us in Empowered Surgeons Group, click here.Steph Sheldon is a cr
#80 Falling in Love with the Hard with Dr. Lauren Umstattd
Are you a woman surgeon who wants to retreat with us in Norway in August? Get on my calendar for an interview here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.In this episode, Dr. Lauren Umstattd shares her journey through otolaryngology training, a painful facial plastics fellowship experience, and the difficult decision to leave a path that no longer aligned with her values. First drawn to ENT as a medic
#79 Courage to Climb the Second Mountain with Dr. Kat Hudon
Dr. Kat Hudon shares her journey from enthusiastic learner to an employed physician slowly beaten down by a system designed to keep doctors exhausted, constrained, and disconnected from their creativity.In this convo, we explore how medicine places an impossible mantle of perfection on physicians, why resilience is a finite resource, and how the system punishes anything that falls outside the narr
#78 A Year in Review - 2025
See you all in 2026!Click here to join us in Empowered Surgeons group.Check out my latest TEDx talk, "Seeing Beyond the Red Swans", here.
#77 The Way of Excellence with Author Brad Stulberg
In this conversation, I’m joined by author and human performance expert Brad Stulberg to explore identity diversity, mastery, and what it really means to build a sustainable, meaningful career. We discuss the concept of the identity house, what it means to feel one's way to skill attunement, core values, process vs product, and how presence and flow are at the heart of mastery.This episode is espe
#76 Trauma and OR PTSD
Trauma is more common than we think, especially in high-stakes professions like surgery. In this episode, I define trauma, PTSD, and post-traumatic growth and explore how these experiences can show up in the body, the nervous system, and everyday life.Drawing from my own experience with complex PTSD and panic attacks, I walk you through a practical, humane process for moving through trauma rather
#75 What is Coaching?
Join Empowered Surgeons here.Book a free consult with me here.And if you're here for the free content, amazing! My next masterclass + open coaching is on December 14th at 10 am EST. Sign up for "5 Ways Surgeons Fail" here.In this episode, I break down what coaching is. Not the corporate wellness version, but the real, practical, life-changing version that surgeons and high-stakes professionals act
#74 You're Just a Regular Human with Dr. Michelle Chestovich
⚠️ SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNINGThis episode discusses suicide, which may be distressing for some listeners. If this subject is triggering for you, please consider skipping this episode. If you choose to listen, do so gently and take good care of yourself. If you’re feeling hopeless or suicidal, please reach out for support. You can call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or click here for addit
#73 From Breakdown to Breakthrough with Dr. Courtney McKeown
*********SENSITIVE TOPIC WARNING*******************This episode discusses substance abuse and suicide. Please listen carefully.In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Dr. Courtney McKeown shares the story she was once told would be “career suicide”—a story of mental health crisis, addiction, recovery, and the hard-won journey back to her authentic self.She reflects on the research-year ps
#72: Leading and Relating Better in Surgery with Dr. Scott Ellner
Trauma surgeon and healthcare leader Dr. Scott Ellner joins me to talk about the moments that reshaped his life and career, from witnessing a beachside intubation at age 21 to navigating one of the lowest points of his surgical practice. We explore complications, shame, psychological safety in the OR, and why compassion and emotional intelligence are essential (not optional) in surgery.Scott share
#71 Turning Anxiety into Resilience
Get the pre-or mindset checklist here.Join us in Empowered Surgeons Group here.Anxiety can be transformed into resilience and courage, but only when we move toward it, not away from it.Anxiety is the life-saving fear response misapplied to the imagination.By definition, anxiety is a lie.What we fear—killing the patient, facing a lawsuit, losing our reputation, losing everything—is not actually hap
#70 Knowing Your Value with Colin Royal
In this episode, digital marketer Colin Royal—husband to ENT surgeon and fellow Hippocratic Collective co-founder Dr. Frances Mei Hardin—joins the show to discuss everything we didn’t learn about how industries outside of surgery work.In surgical culture, we often carry false notions, like the idea that we should give our time, energy, and value away for free (see Episode #4: Toxic Martyrdom).The
#69 No More Stigma with Dr. Jose Greenspon
******SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING*********This episode discusses child abuse, religious trauma, depression, moral injury, and pediatric violent trauma. Please listen carefully.Pediatric surgeon Dr. Jose Greenspon shares an unflinching account of practicing at one of the busiest trauma centers in the country, shouldering all of the work after his partners resigned, all while his own faith, family, an
#68 From Imposter to Integrated: Reclaiming Humanity and Authenticity in Surgery
Click here to join Empowered Surgeons Group.On today's episode, enjoy the replay of the webinar, "From Imposter to Integrated: Reclaiming Humanity and Authenticity in Surgery".You can access all webinar replays inside the Empowered Surgeons Group member portal. Looking forward to seeing you inside the group!
#67 Mindset over Strategy with Dr. Chrissy Guidry
Click here to get on my calendar for a 15 min interview for the Cabo retreat. Women surgeons only.Click here to learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group.It's back-to-back Chrissy(ie) episodes! Dr. Chrissy Guidry is a trauma and critical care surgeon and founder of Whole Body Optimism, a program designed to empower busy healthcare professionals find integrity of mind, physical body, and soul by im
#66 Solving for Joy and Service with Dr. Chrissie Ott
Interested in Empowered Surgeons Group? Click here.In today's episode, Dr. Chrissie Ott and I sit down to discuss my journey.In this episode, you’ll learnHow panic, insomnia, and “I must be broken” thoughts can be early sirens of burnout—and what healing looked like for me.The Drama Triangle (victim–hero–villain) vs. David Emerald’s Empowerment Dynamic (creator–coach–challenger), with real clinica
#65 The One Way We Fail in Surgery
Follow me on instagram here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.In surgery, it's tempting to attach our identity to surgical outcomes. But what result does that create? Because complications are inevitable, patients are unpredictable, and surgeons are human--and fallible, the result of grasping onto perfection is always the same: suffering. If we instead define failure as simply failure to serve, w
#64 Creating Conscious Wealth with Mel Dorman
Are you a woman surgeon interested in our Cabo retreat? Click here before we fill our cohort!Today I’m talking with financial activist, author, and viral TEDx speaker Mel Dorman about how to create wealth in a way that’s simple, sustainable, and rooted in community. This conversation will stick with you long after you listen.Watch their TEDx talk [here], grab their book [here], and explore the Sel
#63 Using Intuition as a Guide with Dr. Priya Kothapalli
Women Surgeons interested in the Self-Concept Weekend in Cabo, click here to schedule a 15 min interview with me.In this episode, my guest, Dr. Priya Kothapalli, and I discuss the beauty and power of intuition, the challenges of corporate medicine, imposter syndrome, don't know mind, and what it's like to have the courage to design a life true to oneself. Priya Kothapalli, MD, is a coronary and st
#62 Turning Tragedy into Meaning with Dr. Brian Hoeflinger and Kevin Hoeflinger
After a tragic car crash in 1983 changed the course of his family forever, Dr. Brian Hoeflinger pursued neurosurgery with a new sense of purpose. Decades later, when his teenage son died suddenly in a car accident, he found himself once again reshaped by grief. In this episode, Dr. Hoeflinger shares how these experiences inform the way he practices medicine: communicating with clarity, leading wit
#60 A Peak Inside the Brain of a Creative with Comic Book Artist, Dr. Ryan Montoya
Women Surgeons, click here if interested in the retreat in Cabo.Have you ever considered the creative process of your favorite artist? I, personally, will never forget the moment I found out that Jerry Seinfeld wrote his jokes on napkins!Comic book artist and family practice physician, Dr. Ryan Montoya, comes on the show to talk about his evolution as a physician and an artist, how he balances his
#59 The Impossible Oath with Dr. Frances Mei Hardin
Women Surgeons, click here if interested in the retreat in Cabo.Master storyteller and fellow disrupter, Dr. Frances Mei Hardin comes on the podcast to discuss the article The Impossible Oath.We talk about what the Hippocratic Oath is and, perhaps more importantly, is not. You'll learn how the system grooms us for "betrayal blindness" and why a better-you-than-me, cut throat mentality isn't good f
#58 Self-Concept Shapes Everything
Are you a woman surgeon ready for a transformative January (1/9/26-1/11/26) retreat in Cabo? Click here to book your call and see if it’s the perfect fit for you.Your self-concept is the story you tell yourself about who you are. It shapes everything: the decisions you make, the risks you take (or avoid), and the way you show up in the world. But most of us never consciously choose it. Instead, we
#57 Reinvention of Self with Dr. Stephanie Pearson
Learn more about Pearson Ravitz here.Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective here.What happens when the surgeon becomes the patient? When the body you relied on to do your life’s work… stops cooperating?Today’s guest, Dr. Stephanie Pearson, walks us through her powerful, often painful journey, from aspiring pediatrician to ObGyn surgeon to founder of
#56 Prioritizing Non-negotiables with Dr. Hannah Thompson and Chris Herring
Medicine often forgets the people who live just beyond the call room: the spouses, the partners, the ones holding it together while the system pulls physicians apart. In this conversation, we meet Hannah and Chris, a couple who turned conflict into clarity.As the husband of a physician, Chris found himself isolated and invisible during Hannah’s residency. What followed were hard conversations, con
#55 Supercommunication
If you enjoyed this topic, you're going to want to join Empowered Surgeons. There’s a dedicated classroom to this topic in the “Surgeon Self-Concept” module. Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here. Watch Charles Duhigg's TEDx talk here.Get his book, Supercommunicators: how to unlock the secret languange of connection here.To recapSupercommunicators:Listen closely to what’s said and unsaidA
#54 When ADHD Hides in Plain Sight with Dr. Femi Oyewole
*****************SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING******************This episode contains discussion of suicidal thoughts. Please listen carefully or, if this topic is especially triggering for you, skip this one entirely.In this episode, Dr. Femi Oyewole shares his deeply personal journey of navigating medical training while living with undiagnosed ADHD. He opens up about how the pressures of residency,
#53 Finding Your Inner Wisdom like a Lion Tracker
Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.Get Boyd Varty's book, The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life, access his courses, or retreat with him here.What if losing your way isn’t a detour, but the only way forward?In surgery—and in life—we’re taught to crave certainty. A clear path. A guaranteed outcome. But what if that very craving is what keeps us stuck?In this episode of Surgeons with Purpose,
#52 Dr. Blair Peters on Advocating and Innovating with Authenticity
Learn more about Empowered Surgeons group here.Plastic surgery isn’t just about appearance—it’s about reinvention. For Dr. Blair Peters, that theme runs through every part of his story.After coming out before medical school and finding his place within the queer and trans community, Dr. Peters saw firsthand the inequities in gender-affirming care. Patients traveling across continents for surgery,
#51 The Counterintuitive Secret with YA author Dr. Tyler Beauchamp
Tyler Beauchamp is a pediatrician and children’s/YA author from Georgia whose earliest experiences with medicine came not as a student, but as a patient. As a child, Tyler spent years in and out of research clinics searching for answers. He began writing in waiting rooms as a way to cope, and eventually fell in love with both storytelling and medicine.A graduate of the University of North Carolina
#50 Toddlers in Scrubs with Psychologist Barlas Günay
Psychologist and reparenting expert, Barlas Günay, comes on the show to reveal why the majority of us are really just children in white coats. Toddlers in scrubs. Babies pretending to be adults. And what we can do about it.In this powerful episode, we explore why traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may fall short for high-functioning professionals—especially surgeons—whose deeply ingrai
#49 Sky Diving, Surgery, and the Art of Trusting Yourself with Dr. Alexandra Kharazi
In this episode, I sit down with cardiac surgeon, Dr. Alexandra Kharazi. Together, we explore what it means to operate—literally and figuratively—from a place of purpose rather than fear.We discuss:The emotional rewards of caring for high-risk cardiac patients who have few options leftThe "Black Swan" framework for surgical decision-making: a grounded process for choosing wisely when the stakes ar
#48 Mindshifting
Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.In a profession that demands perfection and endurance, it’s easy to default to survival mode. But what if the real evolution happens when we shift from self-preservation to purpose?In this episode, we unpack the 6 core human needs—belonging, autonomy, mastery, esteem, trust, and purpose—and how understanding them can change the way you show up in the
#47 From Institution to Autonomy with Dr. Sharon Stein
Dr. Sharon Stein is a colorectal surgeon, professor, coach, and creator of The Intentional Surgeon. In this episode, she shares her unconventional path to medicine—from outdoor education and real estate to academic surgery—and how she carved out a career aligned with her values. We explore her rise through academic leadership, the stresses of trying to fix a broken system, and the moment she reali
#46 Don’t Mess with Little Old Ladies with Dr. Colleen Balkam
In this impactful conversation, we dive deep with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Colleen Balkam into the emotional, physical, and cultural terrain of surgical practice—particularly in orthopedics and geriatric care.What we cover in this episode:Coaching, reframing excitement as anxiety, and the importance of pausing when things get hard.Facing your first complication as an attending.The emotional weight o
#45 Unintentional Harm
“First Do No Harm” is an impossible oath—a wonderful intention but an unlikely reality. So how do we create safety for ourselves in this profession, knowing we’ll inevitably cause harm? This episode will teach you actionable steps to go from the “distract and avoid” type of surgeon to the “process and create” type of surgeon. The result for you? Empowerment.Speaking of empowerment, if this resonat
Webinar: Your Best Career Insurance Policy-Know, Like, and Trust
The best way to protect yourself in the profession of surgery is to build real connection with your patients.People don’t retaliate against physicians they know, like, and trust.This webinar will teach you how to cultivate know, like, and trust with every human you encounter.You can take this work deeper by joining Empowered Surgeons Group. Learn more about what's included in the group here. Have
#44 Sex and Surgery with Master Coach Danielle Savory
"A pleasured woman is an empowered woman" - Danielle SavoryIn this rich and layered conversation, we explore how sex coaching becomes a powerful *pleasure* portal to self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and healing from burnout. Danielle shares how experiencing debilitating physical symptoms in her twenties—and recognizing the abusive dynamics in her own mind—led her to a deeper understandi
#43 Finding the Middle Way in Medicine with Dr. Joan Chan
In today’s episode, we dive deep into how the systems around us—medicine, culture, even religion—can deplete our humanity when we’re not paying attention.I’m joined by Dr. Joan Chan, who brings her unique perspective of growing up in a fundamentalist Christian household, deconstructing black-and-white thinking, and navigating her career as a family physician through boundary-setting, and rehumaniz
Webinar: The ABCs to Get Back in the Current
It's normal to fall out of the current in the OR. We know we've fallen out when our brain sends us into anxiety, urgency, and self-doubt. Getting back into the current is as easy as ABC:A: Awareness, Allowance, Acceptance, Aligned ActionB: Breathe; Get your Brain Back in your own BusinessC: Certainty-->Curiosity-->CreativityNow...You learned how to operate.You learned how to care for patient
#42 Why Your Human Animal Burns Out
Sign up for Empowered Surgeons Group here.It's not the prior auths, unfinished charts, or patient messages that are burning you out. While those circumstances need reform, they are merely symptoms of a much bigger problem—a problem that has everything to do with you, which is fantastic news because it means you can do something about it.In this episode, you’ll:Learn how your human animal communica
#41 Failure and Surgery
“...it is unsurprising that we surgeons are reluctant to engage the admission—or even contemplation—of failure with the exuberant rapture described by contemporary self-help print and motivational speakers.”—Dr. Eric Henderson, On Surgical Failures: Onward to Objective Evaluation of Our Less Proud MomentsFailure is required for success—but failing in surgery is different. It’s layered. It’s nuance
#40 Stewarding Change with Dr. Jon Russell
Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Group here.How do we incentivize surgeons to evolve their techniques? Why hasn’t scarless thyroid surgery taken off in the U.S.?In this episode, we dive into:The disconnect between those who stay stuck in their beliefs and those who have incentive to innovateWhy we often don’t offer techniques we don’t fully understandRethinking p
#39 Giftedness and Neurodivergence with Dr. Colleen Plein
Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Group here.Dr. Colleen Plein, an otolaryngologist and coach for gifted adults, joins the podcast to explore the unique challenges of being a gifted or neurodivergent adult—something many of us in medicine and surgery can relate to. Find her on instagram here or email her cpleincoaching@gmail.com. She is resource for all of you gif
#38 Psychological Challenges and Surgery Culture with Dr. Andrew Brunswick
Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Group here.Dr. Andrew Brunswick, a neurosurgeon at Kaiser Permanente in LA, joins us on the podcast to discuss the psychological challenges and culture in surgery. In this episode, we cover:The culture Andrew experienced while working on Wall StreetThe problem with getting stuck on the hedonic treadmillThe power of the word "enoug
#37 The Surgeon Essentialist
Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Group here.Essentialism is the disciplined pursuit of less, and the profession of surgery could use a hefty dose.Surgeon Essentialists do less, but better. This means we focus on the results we are trying to create, and then we reverse engineer the actions required to get us there. The primary goal of a surgeon is to help patients
#36 Too Much with Dr. Cindy Lee Neighbors
Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Group here.Mental health struggles, self-sabotage, rock bottom, psychiatric admissions, having the "wrong" facial expressions and tone of voice, an intra-op assault accusation, grief, discrimination, bad teachers, big emotions, and creativity.In this episode, Dr. Cindy Lee Neighbors shares her experience as a creative, passionate,
#35 Trainee to Attending Self-Concept
Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Group here.Going from trainee to attending requires a death and rebirth. One identity dies and another is born. Stepping into the identity of an authority, an expert, an attending IS the first step. If you are studying for oral boards or about to graduate, elevating your self-concept is the best thing you can do. Here are some sel
#34 Courage to Pivot with Dr. Rashida Vassell
Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Group here.From ambitious and intelligent young woman who fast-tracked through college and medical school to hard-working surgery resident to new mom in her chief year to attending trying to navigate life after training, Dr. Vassell tells us all about how she reinvented herself multiple times to create a career that aligns with he
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