Surgeons with Purpose

• #36 Too Much with Dr. Cindy Lee Neighbors

  Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here.Mental health struggles, self-sabotage, rock bottom, psychiatric admissions, having the "wrong" facial expressions and tone of voice, an intra-op assault accusation, grief, discrimination, bad teachers, big emotions, and creativity.In this episode, Dr. Cindy Lee Neighbors shares her experience as a creative, passionate, and vocal presence in a system that couldn’t handle her. Her story highlights the immense emotional toll when training programs target their trainees.I was definitely a troublemaker in residency too, and I watched other troublemakers get pushed out—just like Dr. Neighbors was. But are the troublemakers really the problem? Or are they the solution?Cindy Lee Neighbors is a physician, writer, and advocate for mental health, education reform, and women's rights. Born and raised in Honolulu, she pursued her dreams of acting in Los Angeles before embarking on a career in military medicine. Her debut memoir, TOO MUCH, is a raw and honest account of her experiences navigating mental health challenges and fighting for change within the demanding field of military medicine. She won a 2024-2025 Reader Views Readers Choice Gold Prize in Humanities and was a Finalist in Memoir/Biography/Autobiography.TOO MUCH is a gripping true story of a woman driven to the brink, sacrificing everything—love, loyalty, and sanity—in the name of retribution. It's a raw and honest look at the dark side of medicine, the challenges of mental illness, and the courage it takes to break free. It’s a story that will remind you how a brighter future is possible, even when it feels like everything is broken. This is the story of a whistleblower.Find Dr. Cindy Lee Neighbors on instagram @cindyleeneighbors @surgerylandbooks @toomuchthebook, her websigte, www.cindyleeneighbors.com, and LinkedIN Cindy Lee NeighborsTOO MUCH can be purchased from Amazon here, Barnes and Noble here, and Strand Book store here. Get Benji and Briana Become Booger Doctors here.Here's that poem she talks about in our discussion and submitted to The Pharos:I actually missThe stupid little thingsRetractingIn the ORSuturingPeopleWearing a headlightStarvingNot being able to peeFreezingStanding on a stoolBumping headsHaving to suction the bloodAdjusting my loops “loupes”Holding my breathBecause of the plumePrayingNot to kill someoneEven though I know that doesn’t change thingsAnd just waiting for the case to be overOnly so I could do it again in the morningI actually miss the thing I ran away fromDoes this make me a masochistOr insane?Like they say I am—“Too insane to be a doctor”— (But not insane enough to stop living).Cindy Lee Neighbors Sign up for MASTERS CURVEBALLS IN THE OR (AND LIFE) IN 5 STEPS here. You are going to want to come live to this event! It will change how you approach challenges inside and outside the operating room forever.Empowered Surgeon Group is enrolling. Modules available April 1st, 2025. First live call is April 30th, 2025. Secure your spot today!

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• #35 Trainee to Attending Self-Concept

  Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here.Going from trainee to attending requires a death and rebirth. One identity dies and another is born. Stepping into the identity of an authority, an expert, an attending IS the first step. If you are studying for oral boards or about to graduate, elevating your self-concept is the best thing you can do. Here are some self-concept qualities to consider for a trainee vs attending:Trainee:- In service to patient first, then program and self- Surgery looks easy (it's not)- Self-worth is detached from outcomes- Striving- Revere your mentors' ideas- Say "yes" to everything for approval and popularity (sacrifice your own needs for success)- World is small in a good way; it's a container you signed up forAttending:- In service to patient first, then self and practice/employer/institution- Surgery might seem hard or scary, until you get to know your new environment and build muscle memory and confidence, then it can get easy to the point of boredom- Self-worth is attached to outcomes (can shrink your world)- Stagnation (unless you learn to strive for something you desire again)- Revere your own ideas- Say "no" more than "yes" knowing respect matters more than approval (unless you stay stuck in trainee identity, particularly the story that you have to sacrifice yourself for success)- World can become big if you allow yourself to evolve or world can shrink from anxiety and experiential avoidance Sign up for MASTERS CURVEBALLS IN THE OR (AND LIFE) IN 5 STEPS here. You are going to want to come live to this event! It will change how you approach challenges inside and outside the operating room forever.Empowered Surgeon Group is enrolling. Modules available April 1st, 2025. First live call is April 30th, 2025. Secure your spot today!

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• #34 Courage to Pivot with Dr. Rashida Vassell

  Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here.From ambitious and intelligent young woman who fast-tracked through college and medical school to hard-working surgery resident to new mom in her chief year to attending trying to navigate life after training, Dr. Vassell tells us all about how she reinvented herself multiple times to create a career that aligns with her desires and values. Her story is an example of what is possible for all of us. We are NOT stuck. There are paths that allow us to help patients in meaningful and fulfilling ways without sacrificing our autonomy, freedom, or joy. We just have to get creative and learn how to feel comfortable with uncertainty. If she can find her happy place, so can you.Dr. Rashida Vassell is the CEO and Founder of Safahla Medical PLLC, an integrative, cutaneous surgery and medical aesthetics practice. She is double Board-Certified in Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine and Anti-aging Medicine. Dr. Vassell spent years honing her clinical skills as a Medical Director at the teaching institution, Montefiore Mount Vernon, in Westchester County, NY; followed by Guthrie Corning Hospital.Find out more about Dr. Vassell and Safahla Medical here. Follow her on instagram here. Sign up for MASTERS CURVEBALLS IN THE OR (AND LIFE) IN 5 STEPS here. You are going to want to come live to this event! It will change how you approach challenges inside and outside the operating room forever.Empowered Surgeon Group is enrolling. Modules available April 1st, 2025. First live call is April 30th, 2025. Secure your spot today!

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• #33 Finding Your Attending Identity with Dr. Amina Farooq

  Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here.We don't typically end up living the life we imagined we were going to live when we applied to our specialties. Dr. Amina Farooq shares her experience working as an academic interventional radiologist within a dehumanizing system. For many of us, this dehumanization erodes our sense of purpose. Healthcare is the one profession where institutions have normalized dehumanizing doctors and patients. If we want to humanize this profession, we are going to have to start with recognizing and stepping in to our own humanity.Follow Amina on instagram here. Sign up for MASTERS CURVEBALLS IN THE OR (AND LIFE) IN 5 STEPS here. You are going to want to come live to this event! It will change how you approach challenges inside and outside the operating room forever.Empowered Surgeon Group is enrolling. Modules available April 1st, 2025. First live call is April 30th, 2025. Secure your spot today!

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• #32 Blake's Story

  Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here.****SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING***********This episode discusses suicide, which can be distressing for some. If this subject is triggering for you, please consider skipping this one. If you are going to listen, make sure to listen carefully and take good care of yourself. If you are feeling hopeless or suicidal, please find support, call the suicide and crisis lifeline 988 or click here****In this episode, Dr. Blake Palmer's widow, Dr. Andrea Palmer, comes on to talk about Blake's life, his committment to his patients and profession, his struggles, the lack of support from his institution, and the circumstances leading up to his death. Blake's story highlights how the glaring lack of humanity in our systems and institutions leads to desperate measures, particularly for a surgeon who is empathetic and caring, who feels isolated, and who is poorly resourced. His story is unfortunately not unique. Consider supporting the well-being and mental health support of healthcare workers by donating to the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation here. Find an Internal Family Systems Practitioner near you here.Find Dr. Andrea Palmer on instagram or email her at [email protected]."Blake was a loving husband and father who enjoyed all things outdoors. From hiking mountains, to traveling, to running Spartan races with his wife and kids, he was a man who loved music, movies, good food and making people laugh with classic dad jokes.Blake will be remembered as a skilled and caring surgeon who spent his working life devoted to his patients. Blake earned his Bachelor's degrees in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Colorado and went on earn his M.D. from the University of Oklahoma, College of Medicine. He completed his Urology residency and Pediatric Urology Fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He was board certified through the American Board of Urology in Urology and Pediatric Urology and was an active part of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Urology Executive Committee as the Vice-Chair for Education.Prior to arriving in Fort Worth, Blake was an Assistant Professor in the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Urology, Director of Pediatric Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Children's Hospital of Oklahoma and was Pediatric Surgery Director in the Oklahoma Transplant Center. At Cook Children’s in Fort Worth he developed the kidney transplant program, the robotic surgery program and was Chief of Urology from 2018 until his death."Excerpt from Blake's obituary.Empowered Surgeon Group is enrolling. Modules available April 1st, 2025. First live call is April 30th, 2025. Secure your spot today!

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