Setbacks: Episode 236

Dr. Christine Kempton, an emeritus professor of hematology and coach to women in medicine, joins hosts Amanda Dinsmore, Laura Cazier, and Kendra Morrison to explore how self-abandonment can contribute to physician burnout. She explains how self-trust differs from confidence, how to recognize fear-driven inner criticism, and how small daily practices can help physicians stay connected to themselves amid uncertainty. Key Frameworks: Four components of self-trust: mindfulness, self-compassion, curiosity, and self-regard Distinguishing fear voice from wiser voice by urgency, absolutes, shame, calmness, compassion, and expansiveness   Resources: Christine Kempton Coaching (Website): https://christinekempton.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinekemptoncoaching/  Dr. Christine Kempton (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinekempton    10 Podcast Episodes. Instant Relief. 200+ episodes deep and counting. We pulled the 10 that'll actually give you relief. No lecture, no wellness module, just the good stuff. Get the Fast Track. 🎧 Podcast Fast Track   Ready to take the next step? Book your complimentary 30-minute call with one of our physician coaches. Use this time to talk through what you’re experiencing, explore your wellness needs, and see if our services are the right fit for you. Click here to book now!

Dr. Merry Jennifer (MJ) Markham, a gynecologic oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center and founder of M Markham Travel, joins us to talk about what nearly 20 years of caring for patients at the end of life have taught her about time. She explains why her patients’ deepest regrets are about postponed life rather than unfinished work, how planning travel became her own burnout prevention, and why rest is a clinical necessity rather than an indulgence. She also shares practical tools for setting boundaries (pause 48 hours before saying yes, treat “no” like a muscle) and a simple first step: block time on your calendar and step away from the clinic at lunch. Resources: Moffitt Cancer Center Profile: https://www.moffitt.org/providers/merry-jennifer-markham/  MMarkham Travel: https://mmarkhamtravel.com/    Weekly Well Check: Get your weekly dose of encouragement and learn the things you need to know to stay sane while practicing medicine. Weekly Well Check   Ready to take the next step? Book your complimentary 30-minute call with one of our physician coaches. Use this time to talk through what you’re experiencing, explore your wellness needs, and see if our services are the right fit for you. Click here to book now!  

Connecting When You're Exhausted: Episode 242 Ever sit in your driveway because you have nothing left to give the people inside? In this episode, Drs. Amanda, Laura, and Kendra explore why physicians come home depleted, how training teaches us to equate exhaustion with excellence, and why that pattern harms both our relationships and our longevity in medicine. Drawing on the Gottmans’ research on “bids for connection,” they share three practical tools: narrate your state instead of hiding it, build a real transition between work and home, and trade duration for presence. Your worth isn’t your output, and you can connect with the people you love even when you’re tired.   Weekly Well Check Get your weekly dose of encouragement and learn the things you need to know to stay sane while practicing medicine. Weekly Well Check   Ready to take the next step? Book your complimentary 30-minute call with one of our physician coaches. Use this time to talk through what you’re experiencing, explore your wellness needs, and see if our services are the right fit for you. Click here to book now!

Dr. Anthony Grandelis discusses how recovery principles can transform healthcare, addressing its spiritual crisis and fostering systemic change. He shares his personal journey, the impact of recovery on his medical practice, and a framework for healing the healthcare system.   Resources: The Recovery Prescription: What Addiction Can Teach Us About Healing a Broken Healthcare System: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H53NJHMV?lv=shuf&bestFormat=true&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_sms_apin_dp_97Q3SWWEK5FS5BHFMET9&channelId=704&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_sms_apin_dp_97Q3SWWEK5FS5BHFMET9&plpRedirect=mhFallback  Website: https://anthonygrandelismd.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-grandelis-8142314a/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonygrandelismd/?hl=en   Weekly Well Check Get your weekly dose of encouragement and learn the things you need to know to stay sane while practicing medicine. Weekly Well Check   Ready to take the next step? Book your complimentary 30-minute call with one of our physician coaches. Use this time to talk through what you’re experiencing, explore your wellness needs, and see if our services are the right fit for you. Click here to book now!

Treating a Broken System with Dr. Neil Farber Dr. Neil Farber, a physician and communication researcher, joins us to discuss his new book on physician burnout and the healthcare crisis. Drawing on his experience as both a physician and a patient, he explains how time pressure, clerical burden, and unresponsive administrators hurt physicians and patients alike. He also shares how bad news was poorly delivered to his wife and what it should have looked like, and points to the Mayo Clinic’s physician-administrator partnership as a model for real change. Book: Treating a Broken System: A Physician’s Cure for the Healthcare Crisis (the title is given as Fixing a Broken System later in the episode), released October 5th on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in hardback, softback, or e-book, with bookstore ordering through Ingram Book launch party: October 20th at 6:00 PM, Camino Books, Del Mar, CA Dr. Farber’s charities for book proceeds: Academy for Communication in Healthcare and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Free e-book on emotional regulation: Email a screenshot of your podcast review to [email protected] Podcast Fast Track (top 10 high-yield episodes): www.thewholephysician.com/fast-track Follow on social media: @thewholephysician https://neiljfarber.com/  Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258121436-treating-a-broken-system  Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Treating-Broken-System-Physicians-Healthcare-ebook/dp/B0HH98XX2Z

Episode 239: When Venting Becomes Relationship Poison Venting is a normal, even necessary, way to process hard experiences, but it can slip from releasing emotion into rehearsing it and recruiting allies. The hosts explain why venting feels so good, how validation differs from corroboration, why gossip and "shared enemy" bonding can feel like closeness, and how to seek support without building a jury, starting with the question, "Is this conversation helping me process the problem or helping me preserve it?" Free e-book on emotional regulation: Email a screenshot of your podcast review to [email protected] Get the Weekly Well Check

Episode 238: The Hidden Cost of Triangulation Triangulation happens when we manage tension with one person by recruiting a third. It brings short-term relief, but it often leaves the original relationship unresolved or worse. The hosts explain why physicians are especially prone to it, how to tell a helpful "bridge" from an unhelpful "alliance," and how to step out of a triangle by asking, "Have I said this to the person I'm saying it about?" Free e-book on emotional regulation: Email a screenshot of your podcast review to [email protected] Podcast Fast Track (personalized episode path): www.thewholephysician.com/fast-track

This episode explores the two forms of self-sabotage that physicians and professionals often encounter: before taking a risk and after experiencing success. Learn how to recognize these patterns and strategies to overcome them to unlock your full potential. Takeaways: Self-sabotage manifests before risk as procrastination and excuses. Success can trigger self-sabotage through the upper limit problem. Awareness of these patterns is the first step to change. Naming the pattern before acting can prevent self-sabotage. Adjusting your internal thermostat can help sustain success.   Resources: Link to Weekly Well Check

Summary: This episode explores how setbacks impact our brain chemistry and motivation, drawing on Dr. Tracy Marks' insights. Learn practical strategies to recover from setbacks, reframe failure, and build resilience with small, intentional actions.   Key Topics: Dopamine crash mechanism and its effect on motivation Difference between setbacks and depression The role of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system in setbacks Behavioral activation and micro goals for recovery Dopamine reset habits and social bonding as motivation boosters Self-compassion as a neurobiological necessity Distinguishing external setbacks from internal failure stories The concept of anti-fragility and post-traumatic growth     Resources: Dr. Tracey Marks' video, "Setbacks vs. Failure: Why Your Brain Gets Trapped in Negative Loops."  Link for Costa Rica Retreat

In this episode, the we sit down with Dr. Maryanne Wilbur — GYN oncologist, public health strategist, author, and CEO of Health Equity Consulting Inc. — to talk about physician burnout, moral injury, and what it would actually take to fix US healthcare. Topics covered: Dr. Wilbur's own path through burnout and moral injury, and what led her to write The Doctor Is No Longer In Her qualitative research project: anonymous interviews with US physicians who have left or are planning to leave medicine The five core themes that emerged: loss of control, burnout, dehumanization, moral injury, and betrayal (including gaslighting) The concept of "enmeshment" — losing your sense of self outside your professional identity — and why it's tied to suicidal ideation among physicians Why "you are not the problem" is a message every physician needs to hear The making of the documentary Suck It Up, Buttercup, and how it aims to bring these issues to the general public A rapid history of how US healthcare got here: Geraldine Cruz (1934), WWII wage caps and the birth of employer-based insurance, Medicare/Medicaid (1965), the 1972 amendment letting insurers negotiate prices, Friedman-era shareholder economics, vertical integration, and Citizens United (2010) Why administrative bloat — not physician pay — drives the $5.3 trillion US healthcare bill What it would take to change course: 10 million educated voters and campaign finance reform Upcoming projects: Dr. Wilbur's TED Talk, the Docflucon appearance, and The Whole Physician's retreat at Bodhi Tree Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica (early November) Links & Resources: Book: The Doctor Is No Longer In — thedoctorisnolongerin.com Documentary: Suck It Up, Buttercup — www.siubfilm.com Contact Dr. Wilbur: [email protected] Referenced article: "Money Is the Mission," The Lancet, November 2025 Referenced book: If I Betray These Words by Wendy Dean    MaryAnn Wilbur, MD, MPH, MHS LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryann-wilbur-md-mph-mhs-5ab008230/    Weekly Well Check