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Ending Physician Overwhelm
Ending Physician Overwhelm
Author: Megan Melo, Physician and Life Coach
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© 2026 Ending Physician Overwhelm
Description
I'm Megan Melo, board-certified Family and Obesity Medicine Physician and Physician Coach. In this podcast we talk about the many ways that burnout shows up in our lives, and what we can do about it. I'm on a mission to help Physicians take steps towards to heal burnout by unlearning the habits of perfectionism, people-pleasing and limiting beliefs so that we can lead healthier, happier lives.
The healthcare system is broken; but you don't have to wait until it's fixed to feel better. I'm here to help.
Thank you for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review. Until next time, take care.
Connect with me:
- Website: www.healthierforgood.com
- Instagram: @MeganMeloMD
- Email: megan@healthierforgood.com
- Bookshop.org Book Shop: https://bookshop.org/shop/meganmelo
215 Episodes
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Send a text You listen. You nod. You try to apply what you’re learning. And still—something isn’t quite moving. If that’s you, pause with me for a moment, because here’s the truth we don’t say out loud enough: You are not doing anything wrong. Most of what you’re trying to change—burnout, boundaries, habits, presence, sustainability—was never meant to be done in isolation. Not squeezed between patient visits, portal messages, and bedtime routines. Not silently. Not perfectly. In this episode,...
Send us a text Without overthinking it (yes, I know—that’s a tall order), I asked you to name one difficult emotion you’ve felt in the last few days. Anger. Frustration. Disgust. Resentment. If your immediate instinct was to judge yourself for it—or to shove it down and keep functioning—this episode is for you. As women physicians, we’ve been trained to override our internal signals. Push through. Stay professional. Don’t be “too emotional.” And yet, here we are—exhausted, overwhelmed, and wo...
Send us a text You already work hard. The question is: why are you still making it harder than it needs to be? In this episode, we’re talking about tools—and not just scalpels and stethoscopes. We’re talking about AI scribes, support teams, GLP-1 medications, Epic features, macros, automation… all the things that are supposed to help—but somehow end up wrapped in guilt, resistance, or overwhelm. If you’ve ever thought: “I shouldn’t need this.”“Using that feels like cheating.”“I’m too ov...
Send us a text January has a very specific way of messing with people-pleasing perfectionists. We start the year with big intentions—this will be the year we exercise, sleep, get our notes done, take better care of ourselves. And then… reality hits. Clinic runs late. Staffing falls apart. The inbox explodes. And somehow, we decide we are the problem. In this episode, I want you to hear this clearly: you are not failing. You’re just missing one skill—and it’s a skill you can absolutely learn...
Send us a text You don’t need a brand-new personality this year. You don’t need kale, CrossFit, or a personality transplant on January 1st. What you do need are a few small, intentional tweaks—decisions that actually respect the life you’re living and the woman you already are. In this episode, we’re officially past the “New Year, New You” nonsense and back in real life. And from that grounded place, I’m sharing 10 tweaks I’m committing to for 2026—not as rules, not as resolutions, but as liv...
Send us a text Rewriting the “New Year, New You” Narrative New Year’s can be a surprisingly difficult time, especially for women physicians who already carry a heavy load of responsibility, perfectionism, and self-judgment. In this episode, I explore why the familiar “New Year, New You” energy so often leaves us feeling discouraged rather than renewed, and offer a more compassionate, sustainable way to reflect and move forward. Instead of trying to wipe the slate clean or fix what feels...
Send us a text You get asked questions all day long. By patients. By staff. By your family. By the system. But when was the last time you asked yourself a question that actually helped? In this final week of our 10-week Recharge Challenge, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked (and powerful) stress-reduction tools you already have: better questions. Not the stuck, spiraling ones: Why is this happening to me?What now?!How am I supposed to manage all of this?Those aren’t really questio...
Send us a text What do you need more of right now? Your brain will say: time, sleep, money, peace on earth, a functioning Epic inbox. Fair. But this week, we’re naming the thing that quietly drives everything else: connection. Not “more people.” Not “more social plans.” More moments where you actually feel connected—to your people, to your purpose, and to yourself. Because you can be surrounded all day (patients, staff, family) and still feel… nothing. Or worse: irritated, numb, braced, and a...
Send us a text Let’s be honest: when you’re exhausted, under-resourced, and working in a system that keeps asking for more… gratitude can feel like a stretch. In this episode, we’re talking about gratitude—but not the fluffy, bypass-y kind that tells you to “just be thankful” while everything burns down. We’re talking about real gratitude: the kind that helps regulate your nervous system, protect your mental health, and increase resilience without denying how hard things are. If you’ve ever h...
Send us a text What if the best medicine you take this week doesn’t come in a bottle, a supplement, a perfectly periodized strength program, or a color-coded workout app… but from simply moving your body the way it was designed to move? In this week’s episode of Ending Physician Overwhelm, we’re looking at rhythmic movement — walking, running, swimming, biking, anything repetitive and steady — and why it is one of the most powerful, accessible stress-reducers we have. And yes… we’re talking r...
Send us a text Berry Good Medicine Ending Physician Overwhelm – Episode 205 This week we’re diving into one of the easiest, most delicious ways to lower stress and protect your health as a women physician: berries. Yes… berries. No, they won’t fix the existential dread of your overflowing inbox, but they will equip your brain and body to handle the demands of physician life with more ease, more resilience, and more energy. In Week 6 of our 10-Week Recharge Challenge we’re focusing on how ber...
Send us a text When was the last time you laughed so hard you lost control? Not the polite workplace chuckle. Not the “ha-ha-that’s-funny” text response. I mean full-body, shoulders-shaking, snort-laughing, tears-in-your-eyes, I-might-pee-a-little laughter. …Yeah. If you can’t remember, you are exactly who this week is for. In Week 5 of the 10-Week Recharge Challenge, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked, most physiologic, and most delightfully human tools we have against burnout an...
Send us a text You don’t have “insomnia.” You have too much on your mind, too much on your plate, and a healthcare system that treats your sleep like an optional hobby. In this episode of Ending Physician Overwhelm, we’re diving into sleep as a radical act of self-preservation for physicians. This is Week 4 of the 10-Week Recharge Challenge, and we’re getting honest about why you’re not sleeping—and what you can actually do about it. We’ll talk about: 🧠 “Too-much-on-my-mind-ia” vs true insomn...
Send us a text You’ve been told to “just take a deep breath” more times than you can count. Usually by someone who doesn’t realize you’ve been holding your breath since pre-med. This week on Ending Physician Overwhelm, we’re talking about something deceptively simple — breathing. Not the kind of “calm down” breath that makes you want to throw a stethoscope, but intentional, physiologic breathing that actually changes your body chemistry. In Week 3 of the 10-Week Recharge Challenge, we’re taki...
Send us a text This week, we’re getting a little leafy. In Week 2 of our 10-Week Recharge Challenge, we’re focusing on feeding your cells from the inside out. No, you don’t need to become a kale evangelist — but yes, your mitochondria are begging you for some help. As physicians, we’ve been trained to care for everyone else first. We run on caffeine, cortisol, and guilt, and we convince ourselves that “real” self-care can wait until the inbox is empty. But your body isn’t a machine — it’s an ...
Send us a text Hey friend — can we talk about the badge of busyness for a minute? That invisible medal we wear to prove our worth? In medicine, we’ve turned endurance into identity. We work through exhaustion, chart through dinner, and treat rest like a reward we haven’t quite earned. But that constant hustle for worthiness isn’t just costing us our joy — it’s literally aging us faster. In this 200th episode of Ending Physician Overwhelm, we’re diving into the science of stress, telomeres, an...
Send us a text You're Not Broken. You're Just in a Broken System. After four years of coaching women physicians, I've noticed patterns; patterns that show up again and again in brilliant, capable doctors who feel like they're barely holding it together. If you've ever felt like a hot mess inside while everyone thinks you have it all figured out, this episode is for you. What You'll Discover in This Episode: 1. We all feel like hot messes inside You think it's just you who's struggling to thr...
Send us a text What if you gave yourself permission to dream bigger? We spend so much time answering questions about our patients, our practice, our responsibilities. But when was the last time someone asked you questions just about you? Not you as a physician. Not you as a professional. Just... you. In this episode, we're doing something different. I'm inviting you to sit down with me—imagine we're in a cozy space, maybe sipping something warm—and explore seven powerful questions together. T...
Send us a text How to keep showing up when the system keeps breaking down Recording from my car today because perfectionism can take a back seat - we've got more important things to talk about. Let's not sugarcoat this: Healthcare is a dumpster fire right now. Between government officials spreading vaccine misinformation, declining reimbursements, inadequate staffing, and the general chaos of October 2025, you have every reason to feel cynical. But here's what we're NOT going to do: We're not...
Send us a text The question that reveals everything about why you're stuck (and how to get unstuck) Before we dive in, I want you to do something. Right now, finish this sentence: "If I had more help, I'd..." Don't filter it. Don't edit it. Just let your brain complete that thought. What came up for you? Was it "see more patients" or "finally start that exercise routine"? The answer reveals more about your relationship with help than you might realize. What You'll Learn: Why women physicians ...



