What If We Stopped Sacrificing Ourselves to Practice Medicine?
What if the cost of being a “good doctor” didn’t have to be your well-being?
For many physicians, this question feels quietly radical.
We’ve been conditioned to give until we’re empty.
To serve at the expense of our sleep, our health, and sometimes even our sense of self.
We were taught to sacrifice.
To stay the course.
To wear burnout like a badge of honor.
In medical culture, martyrdom is celebrated. Creativity is questioned. Rest is a luxury.
The idea that medicine could feel like alignment instead of exhaustion gets buried under paperwork, RVUs, and survival mode.
I recently spoke with a group of pediatric and adolescent medicine physicians exploring lifestyle medicine.
What struck me yet again was the deep, unspoken yearning that so many of us carry.
Physicians are longing for more: more peace, more purpose, more presence, more passion.
Most physicians I meet are quietly craving something different, but feel stuck.
Paralyzed by fear.
Exhausted by the very system they trained so hard to be part of.
Physicians Get to Want More
Wanting more doesn’t make you selfish.
It makes you human.
It makes you a force for healing, not just for your patients, but for yourself.
The problem isn’t a lack of resilience.
It’s a lack of permission.
A lack of space.
A lack of systems that allow us to show up as whole people.
Why Change in Medicine Is So Hard
We were trained to suppress our humanity—not honor it.
We were taught to fear mistakes, avoid uncertainty, and seek approval.
We overthink. We undervalue creativity.
We try to do it all alone.
But alignment doesn’t come from sacrifice.
It comes from presence. From trust. From sustainability.
What I’ve Learned From Coaching Hundreds of Physicians
Your nervous system matters. You can’t create or lead from depletion.
You don’t need a perfect plan—just a clear intention and the courage to begin.
There is not just one “right” way. There are many “right" ways.
The system may not yet reflect your values, but you can still live them.
The 7 Cs of Transformative Change
Physicians who want to reimagine how they practice medicine need to embrace:
Courage – to ask what you truly want and trust the answer
Creativity – to build what doesn’t yet exist
Calm – to regulate your nervous system and access clarity
Compassion – especially for yourself
Capacity – because nothing sustainable grows from depletion
Commitment – to keep showing up for the life and practice you want, even when it’s hard
Community – to be supported and seen by others walking the same brave path
My Journey Toward Alignment
My own journey started with one small step: Yoga on Zoom during COVID. A way to connect, to breathe, and to offer something nourishing during a season of collective depletion.
From that simple step, something bigger began to emerge. I leaned into my coaching certifications and began coaching distressed physicians. When the pandemic eased, I began leading retreats—intentionally designed spaces for healing and connection, where my husband creates restorative, plant-forward culinary experiences.
Today, I speak across the country about the power of unlearning the conditioning that keeps us stuck in sacrifice and martyrdom.
I teach physicians how to reclaim joy, meaning, and alignment—and how doing so isn’t selfish, but essential to healing and preventing burnout in our field.
I coach physicians individually and in groups.
I host physician wellness retreats grounded in lifestyle medicine, mindfulness, and coaching.
I co-host the Mindful Healers Podcast.
And I still teach Mindful Yoga for Healers free nearly every Saturday—because that’s where this all began.
None of it was pre-planned. It unfolded because I let it.
Because I allowed myself to trust what I knew in my bones: that healing myself could help others heal too.
What Would Love Do?
If you want to begin your journey, start with this question: What Would Love Do?
Love for you.
Love for your patients.
Love for your purpose.
If “love” feels too soft, ask:
What would peace do? What would sustainability do? What would alignment do? What would compassion do?
You don’t have to do this alone.
Whether your next step is a rest, a pause, a breath, joining a community, or making a bold pivot immediately, let it be rooted in care for yourself.
Let it be the beginning of alignment.
Let it be an act of love.