Heal The Burn

Are physicians islands? We spend years learning to be self-sufficient, to have answers, and to keep moving forward when things get hard. But what happens when the weight of the work becomes too much to carry alone? In this episode, Dr. Natalie Bowersox joins me for a conversation about teamwork, conflict, difficult outcomes, coaching, and the moments that remind us we were never meant to do this w...

In this episode of Heal the Burn , I talk with Dr. Carrie Hersh, a neurologist and multiple sclerosis specialist at Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas, about burnout, identity, and what it means to “buy back time.” Carrie shares the story of reaching a point where she seriously wondered whether she could stay in medicine at all. She shares how, with time, support, and a lot of reflection, she realized...

You can work with the same people every day and still feel like you don’t really know them sometimes. Even worse, they may feel like they really don’t really know you either. So, how does our sense of belonging in the work place affect us? Turns out important studies show this to be profoundly important in terms of burnout. I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Sofya Asfaw, whose leadership work...

We often talk about resilience as if it appears the moment crisis arrives. In this episode of Heal the Burn , I speak with Dr. Prema Samy, an otolaryngologist from Ontario, Canada, whose husband, also a surgeon, suffered a life-changing stroke. Overnight, she found herself not only a physician and mother but also a caregiver, all while trying to recreate herself and discover what it takes to survi...

In this episode, physician coach Anne Hirsch, MD talks with me about communication shifts and behavior changes that often appear long before burnout gets identified. Drawing on more than three decades in medicine and years of coaching experience, Anne explains why high-performing physicians often struggle to see these changes in themselves, and how we can help each other.

Today I sit down with communication researcher Richard Frankel, PhD, whose decades of work have helped define listening as a clinical skill. We talk about this as not only structured and teachable, but, more importantly, deeply tied to outcomes and our well-being. Together, we explore how small moments of attention shape trust, efficiency, and meaning in medicine, and why the simple act of hearing...

In this episode of Heal the Burn , I speak with Dr Leonard Calabrese, a rheumatologist and clinical immunologist at Cleveland Clinic who has spent years studying empathy in medicine. We explore the practitioner–patient relationship, the biology of human connection, and why empathy may actually protect physicians from burnout rather than cause it. We discuss how tools like ambient AI can help physi...

In this episode I sit down with Dr. Bud Isaacson, former Executive Dean of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University, to explore how the way we train and support learners shapes the future of medicine, and the impact we can make. We talk about reflective practice, the power of small teaching moments, and why even mid-career physicians who feel stretched or worn dow...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Moises Auron to explore the unspoken curriculum of medicine: how professionalism, leadership, and emotional intelligence help shape how physicians feel about work and belonging. We unpack why pretending, suppressing emotion, and “holding it together” can fuel burnout, and how authenticity, vulnerability, and human connection can become sources of resilience ins...

In this special episode, Primary care doctor and Executive Dean, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Bud Isaacson, MD, takes the mic and turns the questions on me. We talk about my journey to a career in medicine, what burned me out, what brought me to Cleveland, and how Heal the Burn began.

Why did that person not say hello? Why did the patient respond that way? What did my boss mean by not responding to my email. These are the stories we tell ourselves. Unfortunately, they're hard wired into our brains. But can we do anything to counter this? Please join me as I dig into the story I tell myself with Dr. Andrea Sikon from Cleveland Clinic

Join me as I have a speak with Dr. Christine Sinsky from the AMA about the impact administrative duties pushed on doctors is causing burnout, and that data supports an improved Inbox experience!

EMRs, am I right? Weren't they supposed to make everything better? Wait, have they? Join me with my guest, Dr. Eric Boose who is the Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at The Cleveland Clinic as we explore the relationship between providers and the electronic record. Please feel free to leave comments! Here are references for today's discussion: 1. Electronic Health Records andBur...

Can you work in medicine and not identify as burned out? Believe it or not, it's a thing! In my interviews I met emergency room physician Nik Jones who has made some big changes in his professional life to remain lit as a doctor in a high-pressure specialty.

Remember a time when you did things that challenged your creative side, and you did it for fun? Our hobbies get lost sometimes when working in a field like medicine. I propose adding creativity to your arsenal of things to address burnout. Please join me as I discuss adult learning with singer/songwriter Craig Carothers in what I find is an inspiring episode.

We work for it, we fight against it, we blame it for our frustrations. But what happens when we come to grips with The System and it's sometimes glacial pace of change? I talk with the Enterprise Chair of Family Medicine, Dr. Donald Ford about this sometimes overwhelming issue.

Join me for a discussion with physican coach and primary care doctor Tricia James as we explore the confounding nature of not feeling professional or personal satisfaction even though we've made it through hard things like residency, or our first job, or even later in our careers.

This is a short introduction to this series I've made of interviews designed to untangle the pain of physician burnout. Here I explain the idea of the show and some of the upcoming episodes I'm excited to share.

In this conversation, Dr. Kelly Aurand shares her journey from feeling burned out as a primary care physician to finding fulfillment in leadership and informatics through the power of 'and.' She discusses the challenges of navigating the medical field, the importance of embracing multiple truths, and the power of coaching in overcoming feelings of isolation. She emphasizes the need for systemic ch...