Surgeons with Purpose

#119 Protect the Asset with Dr. Jeremy Heffner Oct 12, 2026 01:11:37 ***********SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING**************************This episode discusses suicidal ideation. Please listen carefully.Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Jeremy Heffner is a trauma and acute care surgeon fifteen years into practice. He ran the COVID response at his institution. Somewhere in there, his compartmentalization strategy stopped working. He would find himself in situat

#118 Designing Life in Surgery on Your Terms with Dr. Gopi Shah and Dr. Ashley Agan Oct 5, 2026 01:03:16 Interested in the Cabo retreat? Learn more about it here. And interview for a spot here.Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Gopi Shah and Ashley Agan met when Ashley was a PGY-3 and Gopi was a fellow. They’ve been friends ever since.Both went on to spend about eight years in academic medicine. Ashley made associate professor at UT Southwestern and was the first physician in her family. Go

#117 Solving for Math not Mind Drama Sep 28, 2026 34:44 Empowered Surgeons Group is going to Cabo January 6th-10th, 2027 for a mindset coaching intensive. Learn more about the retreat here. Interview for a spot at the retreat here.You know that old adage: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? What that means is solving for a result we want as opposed to indulging in our own mind drama. That's what this episode is all about. When you learn how to p

#116 How to Get on the TEDx Stage with Cesar Cervantes Sep 21, 2026 01:03:25 My TEDx journey started while I was pooping on a very fancy toilet in NYC. But before I say more about that...First things first, get Cesar's book, Great Speech, here.Then book a call with him here.And finally, join us for the Women Surgeons' Retreat in Cabo Jan 6-10, 2027. Calling all women surgeons who want to uplevel their lives and mastermind with colleagues. Get on my calendar here to intervi

#115 Vaibhav's Story Part Two Sep 14, 2026 38:21 *************SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING*******************This episode discusses a recent suicide. Please listen carefully, or if this is particularly triggering for you, forgo listening completely.On July 23, 2025, Vaibhav Duggal turned 24. He spent the morning of his birthday in a women's health clinic in El Paso, on his OB/GYN rotation as a third-year medical student at Texas Tech University Hea

#114 Swarm Leadership with Dr. Erik Pearson Sep 7, 2026 48:53 Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.Interested in the Women Surgeons' Cabo retreat Jan 6-10, 2027? Get on my calendar here.Dr. Erik Pearson grew up the son of an X-ray tech, trained in Dublin, and matched in Utah, where watching the pediatric surgeons at work made the decision for him. It wasn't only the operations. It was the weight of being trusted with someone's child.After fetal inter

#113 Becoming a Trauma-Informed Surgeon with Sacha McBain, PhD Aug 31, 2026 56:59 Interested in the Cabo retreat? Click here to schedule a 15-min interview.Learn more about the powerful coaching community & mindset course, Empowered Surgeons Group, here.Decades of research point to the same conclusion: social support is one of the strongest protective factors in the face of trauma. But what happens when the way we've learned to relate to others gets in the way of that conne

#112 The Three Success Tenets in Surgery Aug 24, 2026 23:41 Interested in the ESG Cabo Women Surgeons' Retreat in January 2027? Get on my calendar here.Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.In today's episode, you will learn the three success tenets to create success and sustainability in surgery:Protect the assetServe the patientDiversify your professional identityWhen we master these three things, life as a surgeon becomes easy and fulfilling. Eve

#111 Vaibhav's Story Aug 17, 2026 01:07:10 *************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 Aug 10, 2026 01:02:08 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 Aug 3, 2026 01:00:13 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 Jul 27, 2026 55:30 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 Jul 20, 2026 01:08:03 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 Jul 13, 2026 54:09 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 Jul 6, 2026 52:42 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 Jun 29, 2026 01:00:34 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 Jun 22, 2026 58:56 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 Jun 15, 2026 01:06:10 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 Jun 8, 2026 01:12:25 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 Jun 1, 2026 01:08:46 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 May 25, 2026 58:08 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 May 18, 2026 01:01:39 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 May 11, 2026 01:05:16 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 May 4, 2026 01:00:49 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 Apr 27, 2026 59:01 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 Apr 20, 2026 48:56 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 Apr 13, 2026 44:14 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 Apr 6, 2026 01:11:20 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 Mar 30, 2026 43:04 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 Mar 23, 2026 45:41 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 Mar 16, 2026 01:03:00 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 Mar 9, 2026 42:38 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 Mar 2, 2026 59:54 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 Feb 23, 2026 46:25 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 Feb 16, 2026 01:13:19 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 Feb 9, 2026 55:15 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 Feb 2, 2026 34:12 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 Jan 26, 2026 01:06:53 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 Jan 19, 2026 58:45 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 Jan 14, 2026 01:05:22 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 Jan 12, 2026 01:01:54 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 Jan 5, 2026 01:09:31 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 Dec 29, 2025 33:52 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 Dec 22, 2025 49:39 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 Dec 15, 2025 48:56 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? Dec 8, 2025 31:19 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 Dec 1, 2025 58:36 ⚠️ 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 Nov 24, 2025 52:40 *********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 Nov 17, 2025 01:03:21 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 Nov 10, 2025 30:42 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 Nov 3, 2025 01:04:58 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 Oct 27, 2025 01:06:41 ******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 Oct 20, 2025 51:45 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 Oct 13, 2025 35:20 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 Oct 6, 2025 48:05 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 Sep 29, 2025 42:58 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 Sep 22, 2025 45:31 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 Sep 15, 2025 58:06 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 Sep 8, 2025 01:01:58 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 Aug 25, 2025 01:04:07 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 Aug 18, 2025 53:46 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 Aug 11, 2025 32:00 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 Aug 4, 2025 01:00:52 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 Jul 28, 2025 56:44 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 Jul 21, 2025 31:34 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 Jul 14, 2025 57:03 *****************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 Jul 7, 2025 40:41 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 Jun 30, 2025 01:10:18 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 Jun 23, 2025 51:46 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 Jun 16, 2025 01:04:23 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 Jun 9, 2025 56:14 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 Jun 2, 2025 36:32 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 May 26, 2025 51:25 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 May 19, 2025 52:04 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 May 12, 2025 30:44 “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 May 7, 2025 01:01:03 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 May 5, 2025 50:55 "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 Apr 28, 2025 52:18 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 Apr 23, 2025 01:06:06 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 Apr 21, 2025 26:55 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

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