Awakening Doctor

If you’ve ever felt like a square peg in a round-hole world, especially within the hallowed halls of medicine, then this episode of Awakening Doctor is for you. Dr. Gianna Brummer, a medical doctor with extensive psychotherapeutic training, shares her personal story of reclaiming body, mind, and soul within medical practice. Together, we explore the evolution of her career from the confines of con...

Dr. Nondumiso Makhunga-Stevenson is a medical doctor, clinical epidemiologist and physician coach whose story weaves together threads of traditional wisdom, social justice, and cutting-edge medical practice.  In this episode of Awakening Doctor, we explore the many contrasts that have defined her professional career, the legacy that shapes her holistic approach to patient care, and her deep convic...

The late Professor Lynette Denny was one of medicine’s foremost trailblazers in the field of cervical cancer research. A world-renowned gynaecological oncologist, distinguished scientist, and passionate advocate for women’s health issues around the globe. In this episode of Awakening Doctor, recorded a few weeks before her passing, Lyn talked candidly about her lifetime of public service in South...

Dr Paul Abramowitz is a specialist periodontist, sex and intimacy therapist, and the author of "Sexed, Hardwired by Nature, Evolving by Choice".  From childhood epiphanies about the nature of reality to the legacy of his family’s medical lineage and the weighty influence of apartheid, race, privilege, and an ongoing journey with long COVID, Paul's story is an invitation to a deeper...

Join host Dr. Maria Christodoulou and producer Amy Kaye, as we reflect on the podcast journey of 2023.  With more than 1200 downloads, 8 episodes, and listeners in over 30 countries and 137 cities around the world, we are grateful for the meaningful connections we have forged and the budding community we are building. Each episode has provided us an opportunity to weave our love of storytelling in...

In this episode of Awakening Doctor, we meet the extraordinary Irene F. Sullivan, a trauma nurse practitioner with a multifaceted career spanning art, medicine, theology, philosophy, and cultural anthropology. Her story takes us from the hustle of an inner-city hospital in the United States to the vast expanses of remote Alaska, and from the rural landscapes of Boulder, Colorado, to an artist’s st...

Dr. Patrick Hanaway is a board-certified family physician and leading role player in the evolution and expansion of Integrative and Functional Medicine across the globe. He is also an initiated Mara’akame (indigenous healer) in the tradition of the Wixarika people of the Sierra Madres in Mexico, holding community fires, leading ritual ceremonies and offering traditional healing sessions. A modern-...

Dr Lisa Africa’s journey into medicine was guided by her artistic sensibilities and her fascination with the intricate wonders of the human body. Today, she is a healer and a visual artist who seamlessly integrates her artistic ability and her medical expertise to empower and educate her patients. In this episode of Awakening Doctor we sat down to talk about her experiences as a young doctor worki...

Rod Suskin is an internationally renowned astrologer, sangoma, teacher, author, academic, and TV and media personality based in Cape Town, South Africa. In this episode of Awakening Doctor, Rod shares his personal story of becoming a traditional healer and offers unique insights into the interplay between destiny, purpose, and the cosmic forces that shape our lives. We talk about the divination to...

Dr Sheron Forgus is a specialist family physician, budding novelist, dedicated wife and mother, and passionate advocate for coaching and mentoring as a means to personal and professional wellbeing. In this episode of Awakening Doctor, Sheron talks to us about her experiences as a senior clinician at a community clinic in Cape Town and gives a candid account of the personal circumstances that event...

Dr. Liana Roodt is a breast, endocrine and general surgeon based in South Africa. In this episode of Awakening Doctor, Liana shares with us her personal story of pursuing a career in a traditionally male-dominated field. We explore her motivation for specialising in breast cancer surgery, her commitment to “surgery with soul”, and the inspiration that led her to found Project Flamingo, a non-profi...

From his humble beginnings in Cape Town’s District Six to his appointment as Head of the Western Cape Government’s Department of Health in 2020, Dr Keith Cloete shares his unique perspective on leadership as “a son of the Western Cape” and reveals how core values instilled by his parents have helped him to make meaning of his purpose and destiny. In this inaugural episode of the Awakening Doctor p...