Surgeons with Purpose

• #74 You're Just a Regular Human with Dr. Michelle Chestovich

  ⚠️ SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNINGThis episode discusses suicide, which may be distressing for some listeners. If this subject is triggering for you, please consider skipping this episode. If you choose to listen, do so gently and take good care of yourself. If you’re feeling hopeless or suicidal, please reach out for support. You can call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or click here for additional resources.Dr. Michelle Chestovich is a family medicine physician, physician coach, and the host of the Remind Yourself podcast—soon to be renamed Stress Rx. She is also the sister of Dr. Gretchen Butler, a brilliant, beloved human and radiologist who died by suicide on March 5, 2021.Michelle’s story mirrors the quiet struggle many physicians face. She found herself living a life she didn’t quite sign up for, balancing the demands of medicine with a shifting sense of identity after becoming a mother. Coaching became her pathway back to clarity, alignment, and truth.Her sister, Gretchen, faced the impossible convergence of pressures, expectations, and circumstances that contribute to the staggering statistic of 300–400 physician suicides each year.This episode is a tender, honest conversation about grief, the hidden burdens physicians carry, the systemic failures that harm our colleagues, and the transformative power of recognizing our own humanness.Get a lifetime of support in Empowered Surgeons Group here.Learn more about Dr. Michelle Chestovich and how she can help you here.

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• #73 From Breakdown to Breakthrough with Dr. Courtney McKeown

  *********SENSITIVE TOPIC WARNING*******************This episode discusses substance abuse and suicide. Please listen carefully.In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Dr. Courtney McKeown shares the story she was once told would be “career suicide”—a story of mental health crisis, addiction, recovery, and the hard-won journey back to her authentic self.She reflects on the research-year psychotic break that led to hospitalization, the healing support of an extraordinary program director, and her rise into a prestigious hepatobiliary fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. But even at the top, her body kept signaling what she now sees clearly: her life was misaligned, fueled by external validation and hidden coping mechanisms.When routine monitoring uncovered her secret drinking, she was thrust into the harsh reality of how the medical system treats physicians in distress—often punitively, fearfully, and without nuance. She describes how the state of Ohio’s approach pushed her to rock bottom, how a trusted psychiatrist saved her life, and how the state of Massachusetts’ more compassionate physician health program ultimately helped her rebuild it.Courtney has been sober since March 2021. She chose to share her story publicly, despite warnings it would end her career. Instead, the opposite happened. A closed credentialing door redirected her to a new opportunity—now serving as Chief of Surgery in a community where she is supported, aligned, and deeply fulfilled.Her journey highlights both truths: yes, institutions can weaponize oversight against physicians who don’t “fit,” and our ultimate success cannot be dictated by anything outside of us. Alignment, authenticity, and courage are powerful forces.Today, she is living her best life: thriving in private practice, leading a department, and connecting with her patients more meaningfully than ever.Key TopicsThe research-year crisis: stimulants, psychosis, and hospitalizationThe power of a supportive program director and the road back to residencyThe dream fellowship that wasn’t aligned, and how her body told the truthAddiction, secrecy, and the moment she was “caught”How states differ dramatically in supporting (or punishing) physicians in distressThe paradox of safety expectations: punished for depression, allowed to operate without sleepThe credentialing roadblock that redirected her to the role she was meant forTwo truths: systemic weaponization and internal sovereigntySobriety since March 2021 and what real recovery looks likeLiving in alignment: joy, leadership, community practice, connection with patientsFind Courtney on instagram here.Watch her story on CBS morning news here.Join Empowered Surgeons here.

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• #72: Leading and Relating Better in Surgery with Dr. Scott Ellner

  Trauma surgeon and healthcare leader Dr. Scott Ellner joins me to talk about the moments that reshaped his life and career, from witnessing a beachside intubation at age 21 to navigating one of the lowest points of his surgical practice. We explore complications, shame, psychological safety in the OR, and why compassion and emotional intelligence are essential (not optional) in surgery.Scott shares the retained foreign body case that transformed his approach to leadership, the danger of tense OR energy, and the difference between title-based authority and referent power. We also discuss the failure of punitive peer review, the legacy of Ernest Codman, and what it really takes for surgeons to regain confidence after early-career mistakes.We each open up about panic attacks—mine recently in the OR, his in medical school—and talk about vulnerability, preparation, and staying ahead of fear. Scott also previews his upcoming book, Wipe Out Rise Up, a blend of surgical stories and lessons from surfing on resilience, perseverance, and facing storms head-on.Find Scott and his book here.Listen to his TEDx talk "Lessons from Surgery and Grey's Anatomy" here.Join Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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• #71 Turning Anxiety into Resilience

  Get the pre-or mindset checklist here.Join us in Empowered Surgeons Group here.Anxiety can be transformed into resilience and courage, but only when we move toward it, not away from it.Anxiety is the life-saving fear response misapplied to the imagination.By definition, anxiety is a lie.What we fear—killing the patient, facing a lawsuit, losing our reputation, losing everything—is not actually happening in real time.Fear is intuitive, primitive, and immediately actionable. It comes in a wave, then recedes.Anxiety, on the other hand, never relents.The Five Fear ResponsesFightFlightFreezeFawnFlopWhen we close a loop with fight or flight, our brain registers safety and completion.But when we respond with freeze, fawn, or flop, the event can encode as trauma.That’s why exercising healthy fight—asserting boundaries instead of people-pleasing—is essential.In the hierarchical culture of surgical training, this can be especially hard to do.Managing Anxiety: Before, During, and After SurgeryPre-opNotice the thoughts your brain offers, often disguised as innocent questions:“What if I don’t find the nerve?”Instead of accepting that thought as truth, offer the opposite:“What if I do?”Then, shift into a mental state that serves you. I like to remind myself:“It’s not about me. It never was, and it never will be.”Finally, create a short ritual, like visualizing the entire case from start to finish at the scrub sink.Intra-opWhen anxiety hits—bleeding, getting lost in a dissection, uncertainty—let the physiologic surge pass through your system for 90 seconds.Do not believe the story your brain tells you during those 90 seconds.Once the wave subsides, find certainty:“What do I know for sure?”Then move from known to unknown with curiosity and creativity.Post-opDownload your thoughts.Speak them into a voice memo or write them down unedited, unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness.Getting it out of your head helps you process, release, and reset for the next case.Key takeaway:Anxiety isn’t the enemy; it’s an invitation.When you learn to meet it directly, you transform it into the fuel for courage, clarity, and growth.

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• #70 Knowing Your Value with Colin Royal

  In this episode, digital marketer Colin Royal—husband to ENT surgeon and fellow Hippocratic Collective co-founder Dr. Frances Mei Hardin—joins the show to discuss everything we didn’t learn about how industries outside of surgery work.In surgical culture, we often carry false notions, like the idea that we should give our time, energy, and value away for free (see Episode #4: Toxic Martyrdom).The truth is: we aren't exempt from the rules of business. Businesses need money for sustainability, and money comes from value.As surgeons, we have a lot of value to give the world.We give value to our patients when we hold space for them in clinic and offer our expertise. We give value in the operating room when we use our skills to help fix their problems. We give value to our communities by taking call. We give value every time we answer phone calls and messages.These are all value points, and we’re not wrong or bad for monetizing them. Every other industry does. That’s how a profession becomes sustainable: the more value you offer, the more people want to pay to receive it. The more resourced and protected you are as the ASSET, the more capacity you have to give your value for free…when you want to. Giving value away for free isn’t bad in and of itself, but when a system or culture forces us to martyr ourselves against our will, that’s a recipe for burnout and implosion. When we begin to understand how the world outside of surgery works, we open the door to diversifying our identity. We start to feel comfortable with the idea of multiple income streams. We stop telling ourselves that we’re special snowflakes with no discernible skills beyond surgery. We can learn marketing, selling, and social media just as well as the next person. The sooner you learn these lessons, the sooner you release yourself from your self-appointed shackles and the sooner you create freedom to evolve with your career. You deserve to be compensated for the immense value you offer the world. And you get to give value away for free on your terms.If this resonates, you are going to want to follow The Hippocratic Collective here. If you have an idea you want to share with the world, HC can bring that idea to life. If you are a woman surgeon interested in the Cabo retreat, get on my calendar here. You can learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

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