Surgeons with Purpose

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 narrative, and she chose to believe him.Mandy loved medical school: the chaos, the autonomy, and the sense of purpose. Only later did she realize that the chaos she gravitated toward mirrored the chaos of her childhood, and that comfort and disorder had long been paired in her nervous system. After graduating medical school at 36, she entered residency and discovered stark differences between nursing and medicine, mentorship and hierarchy. A strong female role model in medical school contrasted sharply with a toxic training environment in residency, where lack of support - particularly from women in leadership - left her asking, “Why would people who are paid to train me treat me this way?”We talk openly about the pain and disorientation of being fired from a training program, and the rude awakening that truth, logic, and “first, do no harm” do not always govern surgical culture. From there, Mandy navigated her first job out of training, reimagined the life she wanted, and ultimately designed a practice on her own terms, including direct-care surgery and later, community-based women’s health and hormone therapy.Along the way we examine burnout, depersonalization, and the subtle spectrum between over-empathizing and dehumanizing patients. The middle ground, we learn, is compassion and skillful empathy. We also explore the gifts of palliative medicine and how it reshaped her ability to have difficult conversations, confront uncertainty, and meet suffering without collapsing into it.Today, Mandy practices community surgery through a circuitous and self-authored route - proof that there are many ways to practice surgery, many ways to serve, and many ways to live a life in healthcare that is meaningful, humane, and your own.Learn more about Dr. Mandy Rice here.Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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, risk, and the search for meaning in medicine. Mark talks candidly about disliking medical school, nearly quitting, and ultimately choosing ENT after spending time with a surgeon who modeled what it means to balance work and play - a theme that never stopped mattering.We explore how physicians make consequential decisions under uncertainty, how intuition can be trained, and why medicine treats vocation almost like the clergy: you choose young, never leave, and give your whole life to it. Along the way, we discuss administrative bloat, the profit motives of healthcare, the indoctrination of not listening to our inner voice, and the question of whether doctors are truly risk-averse or simply trained to be.A turning point comes with Mark’s service work on Mercy Ships, where he performed head and neck surgery in a purely service mindset. An epiphany in Monrovia - punctuated by a near-fatal car accident - clarified his path in a way that finally felt aligned rather than obligatory. Conversations in Madagascar later informed his paper Trading Bankruptcy for Health (Value Health, 2018), a study I referenced in my TEDx talk Seeing Beyond the Red Swans.We talk black swans, white swans, and red swans, and the privilege of being present with people in their deepest truths. Ultimately, we circle back to what humans crave most: to be seen, accepted, safe, and unjudged, even though safety is not incentivized in modern healthcare.We close with positive psychology, the inner judge and its saboteurs, and the uncomfortable but necessary skill of falling in love with failure, especially in surgery, where complications become harder emotionally even as skill peaks.Watch Mark's TEDx talk, Putting Purpose Over Path.Work with him and buy his book here.Follow him on instagram here.

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 creative entrepreneur, business coach, website designer, and brand strategist who works primarily with women founders and coaches to help them clarify their voice, build intentional digital spaces, and grow sustainable, aligned businesses. She blends her background in architecture with business strategy and creativity to support her clients in creating meaningful, effective online presences and offerings.Steph frames business not just as technical work but as creative and personal expression, rooted in clarity, intention, and connection between the founder and their audience. Her content and coaching often explore how inner beliefs, creativity, and somatic experience inform business success.Follow her on instagram here.

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 medical student by its breadth and clinical complexity, Lauren enjoyed the precision of endoscopic and microscopic surgery during residency but found herself emotionally weighed down by head and neck cancer care. A rotation in facial plastic surgery changed everything, offering her clarity, creativity, and a sense of elective choice that resonated deeply.Fellowship, however, became one of the most difficult chapters of her training. Despite being a strong student, Lauren felt profoundly out of alignment with her fellowship director and increasingly isolated, questioning herself in ways she never had before. As the experience deteriorated, she began simultaneously building her future practice, ultimately making the terrifying decision to resign just ten months in, despite fears about certification and professional identity. Ultimately, she chose her hard.Lauren goes on to describe building a facial plastic surgery practice rooted in trust, transparency, and psychological safety. She discusses leveraging social media, thinking like an entrepreneur, and learning to separate the certainty required in surgery from the experimentation required in business. Central to her work is reframing perfectionism and failure, setting honest expectations with patients, and acknowledging that neither surgeons nor outcomes are ever perfect.This conversation explores what it means to design a life and practice on your own terms, build culture intentionally, and fall in love with the hard parts of the work. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the bravest move in surgery and life is choosing alignment over approval.Dr. Lauren Umstattd is a facial plastic surgeon and entrepreneur known for her commitment to autonomy, ethical patient communication, and psychologically safe practice culture. She is passionate about building systems that support excellence without sacrificing humanity. Follow her on instagram here and TikTok here.

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 narrow definition of “excellence.” Dr. Hudon reflects on moral injury, middle management challenges, the growing administrative bloat in healthcare, and how she realized she always had a choice.This episode is about reclaiming agency through values, connection, collaboration, and the courage to design a life and practice that actually aligns with who you are.Key Themes:From Idealism to DisillusionmentKat describes the arc many physicians experience: entering medicine as a high-achieving, enthusiastic learner and slowly realizing, “I thought this was going to be better.”Residency forges some of her most meaningful, lifelong relationships—even as the system itself begins to erode joy and creativity.As leadership changes in employed medicine, conditions often worsen rather than improve.The Myth of Infinite ResilienceMedicine demands perfection while punishing anything less.Resilience is not endless—it’s a bucket that must be actively filled and resourced.The dream of post-training life rarely matches reality; the clinical work is often the easiest part of the job.Moral Injury and Systemic FailureFive years ago, Kat witnessed a dramatic rise in loneliness and anxiety among children without adequate training, resources, or systems to support them.The moral injury of feeling like she was causing harm simply by working within a broken system shook her willingness to participate in it.Healthcare has become an industry of industries, bloated by layers of administration and confusion designed to perpetuate itself.Insurance, Power, and AutonomyInsurance companies dictate care decisions, limiting physician autonomy and patient-centered care.If given a magic wand, Kat would eliminate the outsized power insurance holds over medical decision-makingThe growing number—and salaries—of administrators contrasts sharply with the lived experience of clinicians.Choosing a Different PathDisillusionment with healthcare helped catalyze Kat’s move toward building a direct care clinic focused on longevity and age management.Starting a business required clarity around core values and identity.Physicians have highly transferable skills and more freedom than they are often led to believe.Relationship Over...

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.

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 especially relevant for surgeons and high-achievers who have poured everything into one role and are wondering how to prevent burnout without giving up ambition.We Talk About:The Identity HouseThe idea that we all live in an identity house with multiple rooms (e.g., surgeon, parent, artist, athlete, writer)Why having multiple rooms matters: if one room floods or burns down, the entire house doesn’t collapseNot all identity rooms are the same size, and we don’t need to spend equal time in eachYou can spend most of your day in one “room”—the key is not letting the others get moldyThe concept of minimum effective dosing for neglected parts of identityWhy it’s never too late to renovate your identity home, even if you’ve lived only in the “surgeon room” for yearsCore Values as Burnout PreventionWhy defining core values is the first step in preventing burnout and moral injuryResearch-backed values associated with long-term well-being: Autonomy, mastery, belongingTwo distinct types of burnout:Career vs. Week ThinkingThe danger of optimizing for a “successful week” instead of a successful careerHow ego convinces us we’re more indispensable than we areThe liberating truth: the world keeps turning without usMastery, Presence, and the Craft of Surgery“Feeling our way to excellence” and how it intersects with see one, do one, teach oneThe universal mastery trajectory: Simple → Complex → SimpleWhy what looks “simple” is actually hundreds of unconscious micro-stepsThe four stages of competence:: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, unconscious competence (the apex of excellence)Why many high-achievers get stuck in conscious competence (or try to skip steps)Presence, intimacy with craft, and why the best moments (like a first kiss) are...

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 than around it. This isn’t about fixing yourself or returning to who you were before. It’s about learning how to metabolize difficult experiences and create something meaningful from them.If you need support, you can get on my calendar for a free consult here.Join us in Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 actually need.Coaching, as I define it, is choosing thoughts that generate feelings that empower you to create results you truly desire. It's the antidote to the soul-crushing grind of modern healthcare, moral injury, the day-to-day depletion, and the feeling that you’re running out of capacity while the system demands more.It’s also the only part of this profession that you can truly control.We start by identifying what you yearn for (your will), then reconnecting with your power, the internal clarity, agency, and authority that have been buried under years of training, cultural conditioning, and systemic pressure. Then we learn how to wield that power with intention and compassion. In this way, one moment at a time - little by little - your impact and your world expands. Instead of stagnating and staying small, you show up big. You create big things. I know it works because I've done it.If you’ve ever wondered what coaching actually is (and isn’t), why it works, or whether it’s worth your time, this episode is your starting point.

⚠️ 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 additional resources.Dr. Michelle Chestovich is a family medicine physician, physician coach, and the host of the Remind Yourself podcast—soon to be renamed Stress Rx. She is also the sister of Dr. Gretchen Butler, a brilliant, beloved human and radiologist who died by suicide on March 5, 2021.Michelle’s story mirrors the quiet struggle many physicians face. She found herself living a life she didn’t quite sign up for, balancing the demands of medicine with a shifting sense of identity after becoming a mother. Coaching became her pathway back to clarity, alignment, and truth.Her sister, Gretchen, faced the impossible convergence of pressures, expectations, and circumstances that contribute to the staggering statistic of 300–400 physician suicides each year.This episode is a tender, honest conversation about grief, the hidden burdens physicians carry, the systemic failures that harm our colleagues, and the transformative power of recognizing our own humanness.Get a lifetime of support in Empowered Surgeons Group here.Learn more about Dr. Michelle Chestovich and how she can help you here.

*********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 psychotic break that led to hospitalization, the healing support of an extraordinary program director, and her rise into a prestigious hepatobiliary fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. But even at the top, her body kept signaling what she now sees clearly: her life was misaligned, fueled by external validation and hidden coping mechanisms.When routine monitoring uncovered her secret drinking, she was thrust into the harsh reality of how the medical system treats physicians in distress—often punitively, fearfully, and without nuance. She describes how the state of Ohio’s approach pushed her to rock bottom, how a trusted psychiatrist saved her life, and how the state of Massachusetts’ more compassionate physician health program ultimately helped her rebuild it.Courtney has been sober since March 2021. She chose to share her story publicly, despite warnings it would end her career. Instead, the opposite happened. A closed credentialing door redirected her to a new opportunity—now serving as Chief of Surgery in a community where she is supported, aligned, and deeply fulfilled.Her journey highlights both truths: yes, institutions can weaponize oversight against physicians who don’t “fit,” and our ultimate success cannot be dictated by anything outside of us. Alignment, authenticity, and courage are powerful forces.Today, she is living her best life: thriving in private practice, leading a department, and connecting with her patients more meaningfully than ever.Key TopicsThe research-year crisis: stimulants, psychosis, and hospitalizationThe power of a supportive program director and the road back to residencyThe dream fellowship that wasn’t aligned, and how her body told the truthAddiction, secrecy, and the moment she was “caught”How states differ dramatically in supporting (or punishing) physicians in distressThe paradox of safety expectations: punished for depression, allowed to operate without sleepThe credentialing roadblock that redirected her to the role she was meant forTwo truths: systemic weaponization and internal sovereigntySobriety since March 2021 and what real recovery looks likeLiving in alignment: joy, leadership, community practice, connection with patientsFind Courtney on instagram here.Watch her story on CBS morning news here.Join Empowered Surgeons here.

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 shares the retained foreign body case that transformed his approach to leadership, the danger of tense OR energy, and the difference between title-based authority and referent power. We also discuss the failure of punitive peer review, the legacy of Ernest Codman, and what it really takes for surgeons to regain confidence after early-career mistakes.We each open up about panic attacks—mine recently in the OR, his in medical school—and talk about vulnerability, preparation, and staying ahead of fear. Scott also previews his upcoming book, Wipe Out Rise Up, a blend of surgical stories and lessons from surfing on resilience, perseverance, and facing storms head-on.Find Scott and his book here.Listen to his TEDx talk "Lessons from Surgery and Grey's Anatomy" here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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 happening in real time.Fear is intuitive, primitive, and immediately actionable. It comes in a wave, then recedes.Anxiety, on the other hand, never relents.The Five Fear ResponsesFightFlightFreezeFawnFlopWhen we close a loop with fight or flight, our brain registers safety and completion.But when we respond with freeze, fawn, or flop, the event can encode as trauma.That’s why exercising healthy fight—asserting boundaries instead of people-pleasing—is essential.In the hierarchical culture of surgical training, this can be especially hard to do.Managing Anxiety: Before, During, and After SurgeryPre-opNotice the thoughts your brain offers, often disguised as innocent questions:“What if I don’t find the nerve?”Instead of accepting that thought as truth, offer the opposite:“What if I do?”Then, shift into a mental state that serves you. I like to remind myself:“It’s not about me. It never was, and it never will be.”Finally, create a short ritual, like visualizing the entire case from start to finish at the scrub sink.Intra-opWhen anxiety hits—bleeding, getting lost in a dissection, uncertainty—let the physiologic surge pass through your system for 90 seconds.Do not believe the story your brain tells you during those 90 seconds.Once the wave subsides, find certainty:“What do I know for sure?”Then move from known to unknown with curiosity and creativity.Post-opDownload your thoughts.Speak them into a voice memo or write them down unedited, unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness.Getting it out of your head helps you process, release, and reset for the next case.Key takeaway:Anxiety isn’t the enemy; it’s an invitation.When you learn to meet it directly, you transform it into the fuel for courage, clarity, and growth.

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 truth is: we aren't exempt from the rules of business. Businesses need money for sustainability, and money comes from value.As surgeons, we have a lot of value to give the world.We give value to our patients when we hold space for them in clinic and offer our expertise. We give value in the operating room when we use our skills to help fix their problems. We give value to our communities by taking call. We give value every time we answer phone calls and messages.These are all value points, and we’re not wrong or bad for monetizing them. Every other industry does. That’s how a profession becomes sustainable: the more value you offer, the more people want to pay to receive it. The more resourced and protected you are as the ASSET, the more capacity you have to give your value for free…when you want to. Giving value away for free isn’t bad in and of itself, but when a system or culture forces us to martyr ourselves against our will, that’s a recipe for burnout and implosion. When we begin to understand how the world outside of surgery works, we open the door to diversifying our identity. We start to feel comfortable with the idea of multiple income streams. We stop telling ourselves that we’re special snowflakes with no discernible skills beyond surgery. We can learn marketing, selling, and social media just as well as the next person. The sooner you learn these lessons, the sooner you release yourself from your self-appointed shackles and the sooner you create freedom to evolve with your career. You deserve to be compensated for the immense value you offer the world. And you get to give value away for free on your terms.If this resonates, you are going to want to follow The Hippocratic Collective here. If you have an idea you want to share with the world, HC can bring that idea to life. If you are a woman surgeon interested in the Cabo retreat, get on my calendar here. You can learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

******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, and mental health unraveled. He speaks candidly about stigma in surgery, moral injury, being labeled “disruptive” when asking for help, and the moment a sensory trigger in the OR surfaced a childhood assault by a rabbi. This conversation is about the cost of carrying more than one human can hold, and the courage to put the burden down.If this episode resonates with you, and you'd like to reach out to Dr. Greenspon, email him at jgreenspon76@gmail.comIn this episode we discuss:Dealing with life-and-death without a vent partner: Pediatric penetrating trauma is difficult enough; facing it without support is punishing. Dr. Greenspon recognized the essential need for a trusted peer or space to unburden the experiences surgeons carry.Faith in crisis: As an Orthodox Jewish man, he struggled to find God in the chaos—then a flashback to childhood molestation shattered what remained of his religious safety net and contributed to the end of his marriage.The breaking point: A child his daughter’s age died from a gunshot wound to the chest. A smell in the OR triggered a panic attack and a vivid flashback. He finished the case, then self-reported to the CMO.Stigma and moral injury: Seeking help led to being labeled rather than supported. “You martyr yourself, and it gets weaponized against you.”Choosing to leave: Why leaving a toxic job and facing his demons was the best decision, and how outstanding residents became close friends.“Parent whisperer”: How he builds trust with families, honors the gravity of every operation, and treats residents with radical humility: “The only difference between me and you is that I happen to come first.”Work as a vice: How unprocessed trauma can morph into work addiction, guilt, and a compulsion to protect children—plus what recovery looks like now with a therapist who understands religious abuse.System reflections: On toxic competitiveness in pediatric surgery, administrative incentives, and what true appreciation and backup should look like.Resources & supportRAINN (U.S.) — National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673) | rainn.org988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.) — Call or text 988 | 988lifeline.orgPhysician Support Line (U.S.) — 1-888-409-0141 | physiciansupportline.comConnect & continueIf this conversation resonated, share it with a colleague.Subscribe to Surgeons With Purpose and leave a review to help other surgeons find the show.For coaching and community: Empowered Surgeons Group—tools, calls, and connection for surgeons navigating moral injury, complications, and career inflection points.Thank you, Dr. Greenspon, for the honesty and heart you brought to this episode.

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!

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 implementing practical intentional practices into their everyday lives.In this conversation, we explore Dr. Chrissy's journey through academic medicine, infertility, and institutional betrayal, and how it all led to a deeper integration of mind, body, heart, and soul.After seven and a half years at Tulane, she found herself at a crossroads. While navigating marriage and fertility treatments, she faced the harsh reality of how academia often punishes physicians for being human. What began as an ultrasound appointment became a weapon used against her and a defining moment in reclaiming her integrity and purpose.In This Episode:Surgeon Purpose Check: Who are we really doing this for: ourselves or the patients?Coaching as Catalyst: How hiring a coach for the department transformed the culture for everyone.Fertility and Academia: The tension between starting a family and the unspoken expectations of academic productivity.Integrity in Healing: How her fertility journey sparked a whole-self integration of mind, body, heart, and soul.Becoming the Medical Education Wellness Director at TulaneCreating wellness champions across departmentsUsing GME funding to host interdisciplinary networking eventsDeveloping an app to centralize well-being resources for residentsExpanding the Mission Online: How she brought physician wellness work to the digital space, helping clinicians worldwide prioritize their humanity.Mindset Over Strategy: Why happiness isn’t a moving target; it’s a mindset shift.Key Reframes for Resilience:We are human beings, not human doingsLife doesn't just have to happen to you; it can happen for you.Reflection Questions:How can I take more responsibility for the outcome?How can I grow from this opportunity?What good is already present in this challenge?

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 clinical scenariosWhy the “healthcare hero” narrative can unintentionally disempower patientsFiduciary ethics in the exam room: naming incentives, protecting integrity, and keeping decisions in the patient’s handsWhy creation must be “for you first”What agency looks like in career evolution: closing one chapter so another can fully beginHow to transmute suffering into service without bypassing the hard partsThe vision of the Hippocratic Collective: every physician’s voice belongsDr. Chrissie Ott is a physician, coach and host of Solving for Joy Podcast.Find her on instagram here.

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, we create freedom for ourselves. Our focus shifts from trying to control the uncontrollable to setting a clear intention: service. In that reality, we reclaim agency and purpose no matter the outcome.

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.