Surgeons with Purpose

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 Seller Finance Academy [here].Ready to join Empowered Surgeons? Click here.

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 structural heart disease interventional cardiologist based in the Dallas Fort Worth area, model, yogi, and host of the Open Heart podcast.Follow Priya on instagram here. Follow her podcast, which debuts this fall, here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.Check out Hippocratic Collective here.

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 with empathy, and honoring the reality that it’s families who must live with the consequences of life-and-death decisions. He and his son, Kevin, open up about what it means to carry unimaginable loss, and how they've chosen to turn tragedy into a source of hope, compassion, and human connection.You’ll hear:How loss reshaped their family and his career as a physicianWhy talking about death matters more than avoiding itThe art of skillful empathy and being present without absorbing every tragedyWhy doctors should guide, not decide, for familiesDr. Hoeflinger's words of wisdom for physicians: "The world’s not on your shoulders…Don't expect so much of yourself." "Spend more time away from the hospital." Follow the Hoeflinger podcast on Apple podcasts here and on YouTube here. Get on the Dr. Hoeflinger newsletter here.Follow Dr. Hoeflinger on instagram here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.Check out Hippocratic Collective here.

Are you a woman surgeon interested in the Cabo retreat Jan 9-11? Click here to learn more about it. Click here if you're serious and get on my calendar for a 15 min interview.Dr. Karuna Dewan was accepted to medical school at just 16 and knew early on she wanted to be a laryngologist. Today she is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, the Jonathan Glass, MD & Cherie-Ann Nathan, MD Endowed Professor in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, and Director of the Ark-La-Tex Voice, Airway and Swallow Center at LSU Health Shreveport.But her path was anything but straightforward. In this conversation, she opens up about the bullying, rumors, and systemic failures she endured during residency, and the long shadow of trauma, PTSD, and professional stigma that followed.Dr. Dewan speaks candidly about:How residency culture can mirror high school bullying.The “weaponization of professionalism” and the absence of true advocacy for residents.Why labeling trainees as “problem residents” causes lasting harm.The power of mentorship, and what anti-mentors teach us.Concrete ways faculty can offer curiosity, specificity, and constructive feedback instead of dehumanizing criticism.She also shares how she rebuilt her confidence, thrived in a new residency, and now fiercely supports her own residents with kindness and compassion. Her story is one of resilience, advocacy, and a vision for a future where training doesn’t come at the cost of humanity.“I didn’t get here by magic. I earned this.” – Dr. Karuna DewanFollow Karuna on instagram here.Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.Learn more about the Hippocratic-Collective here.

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 dual life, and the value of a creative outlet. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:From Rags to Resilience: Growing up on welfare in California and being treated like just another number, then moving to Massachusetts and experiencing a system that valued him as an individual.Education & Isolation: How higher-quality education and feeling singled out shaped his perspective and fueled his drive.Creativity as Survival: Using art, movement, and creative thinking to solve problems when conventional support systems weren’t enough.Capturing Creative Moments: The importance of noticing and preserving moments of creativity in everyday life.Learning from the Greats: Insights drawn from creative icons like Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David on harnessing creativity effectively.Creativity vs. Anxiety: Why channeling energy into creative outlets is healthier than letting the brain default to anxiety.A New Lens on Media: How approaching shows and comics with a creative, analytical mind can unlock new perspectives.Balancing Medicine & Art: Managing parental pressure to pursue medicine while following artistic passions, and finding harmony between professional and creative endeavors.Preventing Burnout: How maintaining a creative outlet and staying aligned with personal values protects against professional exhaustion.Career Wisdom: The pitfalls of overvaluing power, status, or wealth over meaningful experiences, and the importance of self-knowledge before taking leadership roles.Introspection & Self-Knowledge: Understanding your conative style, whether you’re a visionary or implementer, and how tools like the Kolbe Index can guide career and creative decisions.Creating for Yourself: Embracing imperfection, starting before you’re ready, and why being “paid for your art” transforms you from hobbyist to professional.Who Before How: Why understanding yourself and your values is always the first step in any field or endeavor.Follow Dr. Ryan Montoya on instagram here.Join Empowered Surgeons group here.Learn more about the Hippocratic Collective here.Dr. Ryan Montoya, MD is a board certified Family Medicine physician. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Biology, and completed graduate courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University, before attending medical school and residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Montoya provided full spectrum family medicine care and opioid addiction medication assisted treatment (MAT) at a Federally Qualified Health Center while starting his own direct primary care practice in Massachusetts. He has lived and provided community healthcare in...

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 for anyone.Dr. Hardin recounts a residency moment when she was wrongly reprimanded, an experience many of you will recognize.Finally, we address the disproportionate number of women and minorities placed on remediation plans.Learn more about the Hippocratic Collective here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.Frances Mei Hardin, MD, is a reformed gunner. She survived ENT residency, practiced solo in the rural South, and then peaced out of medicine entirely to start the Hippocratic Collective. She decoupled her self-worth from her identity as a surgeon, survived an ego death, and is now entering her mogul era—writing her first book, building a physician-led media empire, and making the kind of stuff she wishes existed back when she was white-knuckling her way through surgical training. She no longer thinks being a doctor is her whole personality. You shouldn't either.

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 inherit it from cultural messages, past experiences, and unconscious beliefs we’ve never questioned.In this episode, we explore the hidden beliefs that quietly steer your career, relationships, and happiness as well as the behaviors and emotions of imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, or perfectionism.Because changing your self-concept is not about waiting for confidence to arrive; it's about deciding to become the person you want to be, and then stepping into your power.Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 PearsonRavitz, a physician disability insurance firm born from lived experience.This episode is a raw, inspiring conversation about loss, identity, reinvention, and the deep cracks in our medical system that no one talks about until it’s too late.We cover:🔹 Wanting to be just like her childhood pediatrician, and realizing in med school she couldn't make kids cry🔹 The inappropriate OR moment that changed her surgical trajectory (and the perfect clapback that still lives rent-free)🔹 Falling in love with ObGyn by accident and matching into her dream program🔹 The career-ending injury: torn labrum, frozen shoulder, being called a “pussy” by an orthopedic surgeon, and ultimately losing her surgical identity🔹 The spiral that followed, and how a puppy and her husband saved her life🔹 What happens when physicians become the meanest part of your grief🔹 Losing everything that brought joy: martial arts, rock climbing, her career🔹 Trying to rebuild through med mal, biotech, editing, until nothing lit her up🔹 The disability insurance nightmare (rejected workman’s comp, denied group policy), and why she sued the state of Pennsylvania🔹 Getting licensed in insurance and crying in her car when she passed... because she didn’t get an A🔹 Why musculoskeletal injuries are just the tip of the iceberg for physician disability🔹 The “emotional ergonomics” of surgery and why we need an ergonomic time-out🔹 What it means to “protect the asset”🔹 People-pleasing, perfectionism, and the impossible standard for woman surgeons🔹 How understanding both medicine and insurance is her value add🔹 Building a mission-driven business (Pearson Ravitz just turned 8!)🔹 Why she won’t be satisfied until every resident is covered🔹 The quiet truth: Physicians are human. Health issues happen. And identity can evolve.

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, conscious choices, and a shared commitment to rewrite the rules. Together, they challenge the unspoken norms of medicine, from toxic gratitude and performative suffering to the misplaced belief that having a family somehow weakens you as a physician.They also introduce their project, The Other Side Med, aimed at supporting the often-ignored partners of those in medicine and building a new vision of success that includes relationships, rest, and real human connection.In This Episode, We Discuss:The origin story of The Other Side Med and why male spouses of doctors need their own spaceChris’s emotional turning point, and the conversation that changed everythingThe unspoken rules in medicine that quietly punish anyone who colors outside the linesThe cultural gaslighting of residents: ‘if you can’t deal with it, change your choices’How Hannah protected herself during pregnancy without asking permissionWhy 70% of what happens in medicine would get you fired anywhere elseYou don’t need to leave your personal life at the door, and why integration makes doctors betterThe difference between transactional and relational medicineTheir personal non-negotiables and how you can start defining your ownLearning to say “no” with intention, knowing it will get easier every timeKey Takeaways:“You're not alone.” Whether you’re getting married, raising kids, or prioritizing your health, there’s no one right way to do medicine.Define your non-negotiables. What do you need (relationally, physically, emotionally, spiritually) to feel whole? Those are your anchors.You don’t need permission. From scheduling OB visits while pregnant to creating boundaries, advocacy doesn’t require approval.Toxic appreciation is real. Gratitude shouldn’t be used to normalize exhaustion or mistreatment.Say no, and mean it. If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no. Protecting your time and energy isn’t selfish; it’s essential.Follow Other Side Med on instagram here.Learn more about the Hippocratic Collective here.Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 unsaidAsk the right questionsRecognize and match others’ moodsMake their feelings easy to readThe four types of conversations are:SocialEmotionalExperientialPracticalSocial conversations answer the question, "Who are we?" The goal=acknowledgement.Emotional conversations answer the question, "How do we feel?" The goal=empathy.Experiential conversations answer the question, "What was that like?" The goal=understanding.Practical conversations answer the question, "What's the solution?" The goal=decision making.The more we match and synchronize with the person we’re communicating with, the more effective the communication becomes. Doctors often try to jump straight into practical conversations with patients, believing it saves time. In reality, first matching the patient’s style of communication and then gently guiding them into a practical discussion is a far more efficient—and effective—approach.

*****************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, coupled with ADHD-related challenges, led to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts, and how a leave of absence, support from loved ones, professional help, and self-discovery transformed his life.We explore:✨ How ADHD can masquerade as anxiety and depression, especially during times of high stress✨ The spiral of negative self-talk: “I can’t manage my life → I’m not worthy → I’m worthless”✨ Doing well at work while your personal life quietly unravels✨ The power of a diagnosis: learning he wasn’t broken, and strategies for managing ADHD✨ Why medication and coping strategies are both essential but not always enough✨ The critical role of supportive programs and communities when taking a mental health break✨ Signs of ADHD often missed in high-achieving adults, especially women✨ How ADHD traits, like rejection sensitive dysphoria and executive dysfunction, impact everyday life and training✨ Dealing with stigma as a neurodivergent physician✨ How lived experience with mental health challenges can make you a better doctor✨ Meditation, gratitude, and re-directing your brain as tools for healing✨ Advice for physicians who suspect they may have ADHDFemi's story is a powerful call to action to prioritize your mental health, lean on your support system, and embrace your authentic self.Follow Dr. Femi Oyewole on instagram here.Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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, Dr. Mel Thacker invites you into a conversation about uncertainty, purpose, and the courage to follow your inner tracker. Mel explores how self-trust can become a portal to transformation, especially for those of us navigating burnout, career crossroads, or the deep sense that something in our lives isn’t quite aligned.You’ll hear reflections like:✨ “Too much uncertainty is chaos, but too little is death.” - Boyd Varty🐾 “As paradoxical as it sounds, going down a path and not finding a track is part of finding the track.” - Boyd Varty💡 “If you can see your whole life’s path laid out, then it’s not your life's path.” -Joseph CampbellWe’ll unpack how following your bliss may lead you into spaces where others don’t understand or respect you, and why that might be the most vital, alive place you can stand.This episode is for you if:✅ You’re a surgeon (or any high-achiever) standing at a career crossroads.✅ You feel restless or disconnected from your original purpose.✅ You’re tired of “playing it safe” and longing for a life that’s fully your own.Because on the trail, as in life, there’s not one right way. The only mistake is refusing to choose at all.

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, often with no idea who their surgeon was or how they’d get post-op care—it felt wrong. That’s when his mission became clear.Today, gender-affirming surgeries like phalloplasty, vulvoplasty, vaginoplasty make up the majority of his practice. But that’s not where the innovation stops. His expertise in peripheral nerve surgery is now transforming care for cisgender patients too—addressing chronic pelvic pain, loss of orgasm, and other conditions that have long lived in the "black box" of genital health.We discuss:The massive, all-consuming nature of gender-affirming surgery as a fieldThe unique multi-disciplinary approach requiredHis work creating a national fellowship registry for plastics training in gender-affirming careDr. Peters also opens up about the resistance he faced in becoming a pioneer:The stereotype that trans patients would be too high maintenanceThe internal debate about making an entire career out of being queerThe real fear of becoming a public target in a national political firestormWe cover the grim reality many gender-affirming surgeons now face:Death threats, doxxing, and needing police escortsBeing secretly recorded at conferences, with videos landing on right-wing mediaThe political machinery driving today’s anti-trans healthcare movement—how it started with trans athletes, moved to youth care, and now threatens adult care nationwideDr. Peters explains how state-level policies, executive orders, and forthcoming legislation have created chaos at institutions like his—leaving surgeons to navigate legal, ethical, and personal safety decisions on the fly, often unpaid and unprotected.Yet through all of it, he continues to operate—literally and figuratively—at full capacity:Fielding political crisis calls from 6 am to 10 pmTaking urgent meetings between casesConsulting with institutional leadership and legal teamsWondering daily: Are we still safe to provide care?We also dive into the joy and creativity that sustain him:Designing nerve reconstruction surgeries with sticky notes and sharpiesInnovating individualized procedures for patients both trans and cisgenderFinding peace in the OR, surrounded by blue gowns and bright lightsReinventing his practice to stay engaged and energizedDr. Peters shares powerful reflections on visibility and authenticity in academic medicine:The exhaustion of assimilationThe freedom of showing up as himselfThe real question: Is it professionalism… or forced conformity?We close with a conversation about sustainability, boundaries, and the 30-year plan:Guardrails around time and energyThe wide, interdepartmental future of peripheral nerve surgeryThe healing power of storytelling—both his own and his patients’His plans to one day write a book that blends memoir with patient narratives to build empathy in a time when it’s urgently neededThis is a conversation about surgery, identity, advocacy, and resilience. About holding space for others while fighting for your own right to belong.Because at the end of the day, we’re all just humans trying our best to live our lives in a...

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, Tyler pursued both writing and medicine with the quiet hope that someday, he could bring those two worlds together.In this episode, Tyler shares how being a long-time patient shaped his perspective on medical training and culture, including the deep stigma around being labeled a “pain patient.” We explore what it really means to be a physician or surgeon: Is our job simply to diagnose and treat? Or is there something more intangible—bearing witness, holding space, and being present with patients?We also talk about why doctors are wired to hate uncertainty, and how that can get in the way of both healing and growth. Tyler reveals the counterintuitive secret that helped him expand his capacity during medical school. The best part is that it’s something you can access too.Learn more about Tyler and his best-selling book, Freeze Frame, here.Follow him on instagram here.Check out Hippocratic Collective here.Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 ingrained patterns stem from unmet emotional needs. We dive into the world of Schema Therapy, which addresses the origin of recurring emotional pain, not just its surface-level expression.You’ll learn about the concept of “limited reparenting”, the 18 core maladaptive schemas, and the one that often plagues high-achievers: unrelenting standards and hypercriticalness. We explore how the environments of surgical training—hierarchical, elitist, and shame-based—reinforce these painful inner narratives.What You’ll Learn:What schemas are: core beliefs developed through repeated unmet needs in childhoodHow trauma gets “stuck” in the body when fight-or-flight is inhibitedThe cycle of negative feedback in training, and how it impairs learning and emotional developmentWhy positive reinforcement—not criticism—is the most effective teaching toolHow to reconcile compassion for others with righteous anger and boundary-settingWhy mental self-flagellation is learned, not necessaryHow it’s possible to be a brilliant surgeon with the frustration tolerance of an 8-year-oldThe link between repressed anger and chronic illness (“Repression of anger will f*ck you up”)Somatic and schema therapy techniques that actually help you heal, not just copeModalities We Discuss:EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) – how moving your eyes during trauma recall helps decouple the emergency responseSomatic Completion – allowing the body to finish survival reflexes that were blockedImagery Rescripting – going back into a childhood memory and rewriting the experience to reclaim powerCore Insight:You can be competent, accomplished, and admired—and still be psychologically underdeveloped. It’s not your fault. But it is your responsibility to grow.Final Thought:Emotions are just data. Anger is not dangerous—it’s a vibration. Learn to feel it without reacting to it. Only then can you choose wisely.Join more than 83k others and follow Barlas on instagram here and join his reparenting community. We all know we need this.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 are highestWhy just because we can, doesn’t mean we should—and how she decides when not to operateWhy post-op cardiac care is never à la carte—and how communication defines outcomesWhy self-flagellation after a complication sabotages future decision-making—and how to shift from fear-based to mission-based thinkingWhat skydiving teaches about emergency preparedness, trust, and rapid executionHow anxiety, fear, and trauma must be processed after the fact—not in the middle of the ORUsing celebration and reflection to build self-trust and resilienceReclaiming your identity in medicine by anchoring to mission, not job titleThis episode is a powerful invitation to rethink risk, courage, and how we serve. If you've ever struggled with self-doubt, anxiety about litigation and complications, or the emotional toll of high-stakes surgery—this conversation is for you.Alexandra Kharazi, MD, is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, author, speaker and skydiver.​Dr. Kharazi is board certified in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. She has publications in numerous medical journals including The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Innovations: Technology and Techniques in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, and Journal of Innovations in Cardiac Rhythm Management. In addition to her medical degree, Dr. Kharazi holds a masters degree in biology, having completed a masters thesis titled "Generation and molecular analysis of dominant negative alleles of anthrax lethal factor in Drosophila."Having received multiple honors and recognition for patient satisfaction, she has been featured in regional and national media outlets and peer-review journals, Medium, KevinMD, and Doximity among a few. Dr. Kharazi is the author of “The Heart of Fear” and offers realistic success plans that help her audience to become better … both personally and professionally.​She is a member of the American College of Surgeons.Follow Dr. Alexandra Kharazi on instagram here.Connect with her on her website here.Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 OR, in leadership, and in life.We dive into powerful mindshifts specifically for surgeons, like:🔹 Perfectionism → Service🔹 Scarcity → Abundance🔹 "I have to" → "I get to"🔹 "I don't know" → "I'm figuring it out"🔹 Triggered → Curious🔹 "I can’t say no" → "I only say yes when it’s a hell yes"🔹 Self-focus → Other-focus🔹 Waiting for the other shoe to drop → Trusting you'll be okay no matter whatThese aren’t just affirmations. They’re tools for resilience and power—the kind that help you lead, advocate, and operate from your values, not just your training.Whether you're burned out, bored, or just ready for something more aligned—this episode will help you remember what’s possible when you start leading from your whole self.

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 realized the job she worked so hard for wasn’t the job she wanted.We talk about the cost of “doctor-pleasing,” the power of saying “no,” and the importance of waking up to the beliefs we inherit from medicine. Sharon opens up about taking a sabbatical, discovering coaching, and now enjoying a mix of surgery, speaking, and professional development—all rooted in her values.If you’ve ever questioned the system or felt torn between who you are and what medicine asks of you, this one’s for you.Sharon Stein, MD, FACS, FACRS is a Harvard trained colon and rectal surgeon with over 10,000 cases under her belt. Laparoscopic, robotic, open - all of the cases. Textbook author. The kind of surgeon people went to when other surgeons couldn't figure out what to do next. Always an advocate for her patients.  Professor of surgery with over 150 articles in peer reviewed journals. Moderator, course director and faculty for more than 150 programs internationally. Program director for surgical fellowship. Board examiner.  Former president of Association of Women Surgeons, Committee chair for American College of Surgeons, Executive Council for American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. With 100's of hours of coaching under her belt, Sharon provides her clients with insight, perspective and skills that they need to be more effective as a surgeon and communicator.  Sharon trained as a coach at Weatherhead School of Business, Case Western Reserve and completed diversity and leadership training at Kellogg School of business/ Northwestern University. She is internationally known as a coach, speaker, and host of the Intentional Surgeon Podcast. Connect with Dr. Sharon Stein via her website here. Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 of complications post-training versus during residency.Growing up the daughter of an orthopedic surgeon—rounding in soccer cleats and witnessing community impact.The torn ACL that inspired her path into orthopedics.Giving birth to her first child during residency—and what it took to keep going.Trailblazing as one of the first two women in her fellowship program, and how much she loved it.Navigating “ortho bro” culture.The growing pains of her first year in practice.Ergonomics in orthopedic surgery—and how to operate smarter, not harder.What enrages her about how the system treats grandma’s hip—and why it matters.Going head-to-head with the head of medicine as a resident advocating for patients.The sad reality: if healthcare workers don’t advocate for geriatric patients, no one will.Understanding hip fracture care as end-of-life care—and reframing what that means.Knowing when to go above and beyond for the people who need it most.The parallel between breaking barriers as a female surgeon and the women we care for who once broke barriers themselves.Seeing herself in her older patients—and why that connection matters.Setting boundaries thoughtfully—who are we saying “no” to and why?Carving out time for meaningful conversations within a system that rarely makes space for them.Her dream to collect patient stories and write a book that honors their lives.The privilege of hearing people’s stories at some of the worst moments of their lives.Remembering our impact—how a two-hour surgery can define a patient's entire life.Why caring deeply is both a gift and a burden for highly empathetic surgeons.Sound advice from an ER resident: “Every time a patient is horrible, I remember—they’re having the worst day of their life.”And finally: Don’t mess with little old ladies with hip fractures. They are history. They are human. They matter.Follow Dr. Colleen Balkam Balk on instagram here. Whether you are a medical student, resident, or practicing physician, she’d be honored to serve as a sounding board for you!Find out more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

“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 resonates, you are going to want to sign up for the Empowered Surgeons Group! Learn more here.Get Cesar's and Steven's book, Great Speech! here.Watch my TEDx talk, How to Save Lives with Two Minutes of Listening here.