Better Physician Life: How to Get Unstuck in Your Medical Career

On this inspiring episode of Better Physician Life, Dr. Michael Hersh explores "Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and the story of “Three Feet from Gold.” This episode examines why physicians often abandon new opportunities too quickly, how exhaustion distorts career decisions, and why early setbacks may not mean the path is wrong.

Join Dr. Michael Hersh on the Better Physician Life Podcast as he explores the book Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke. In medicine, quitting is rarely seen as an option, even when the day starts to feel heavier and continuing feels more like a habit than a choice. Discover why persistence can also keep us stuck, how sunk costs and identity make change feel threatening, and why setting clear decision criteria in advance can help you make intentional shifts without abandoning the work you still value.

On this episode of the Better Physician Life Podcast, Dr. Michael Hersh explores the hidden transition many physicians face mid-career. Inspired by Arthur C. Brooks's From Strength to Strength, this episode unpacks why achievement can stop feeling fulfilling, the shift from fluid to crystallized intelligence, and how to rethink purpose, relationships, and career direction in the second half of life.

Join Dr. Michael Hersh as he welcomes Dr. Lee Sharma on the Better Physician Life Podcast to explore why negotiation feels so uncomfortable for physicians, how villainization narratives destroy curiosity and relationships, and practical ways to advocate for yourself without guilt. Learn to shift from compromise to alignment, overcome people-pleasing patterns, and negotiate contracts, boundaries, and better days in medicine.

Join Dr. Michael Hersh as he gives physicians permission to care less. Not about clinical standards or patients, but about stopping the habit of carrying every outcome, complaint, RVU dip, and system failure home. Discover the difference between true accountability and over-responsibility, why “caring deeply” can quietly exhaust you, and how a simple 5-minute reset finally lets the workday end when you walk in the door.

Join Dr. Michael Hersh on the Better Physician Life Podcast as he welcomes Kim Downey to share the invisible burdens physicians carry every day. The endless inboxes, prior authorizations, productivity pressure, and zero control. Discover why self-care messages fall flat, the difference between burnout and moral injury, and how one patient turned grief into powerful advocacy. Learn what patients don’t see, why doctors feel less alone when they share stories, and how a physician-only retreat is creating real hope.

Join Dr. Michael Hersh on the Better Physician Life Podcast as he confronts the subtle trap of people-pleasing, saying yes when you mean no, disguised as professionalism. Uncover how it breeds resentment at work and home, and reclaim integrity by honoring your true capacity for deeper fulfillment and presence.

Join host Dr. Michael Hersh and guest Dr. Maureen (Moe) Gibbons on the Better Physician Life Podcast as they unpack the subtle "tired" that creeps in mid-career and how creating bandwidth can lead to intentional shifts, rather than exits from medicine. Discover tools for white space, nervous system resets, and energy audits to reclaim sustainability, joy, and a practice that fits your life.

Dr. Michael Hersh gets real about why rest feels so uncomfortable for physicians, even when we crave it. Explore the conditioning that ties worth to productivity, why "doing nothing" backfires, the difference between passive and active rest, and practical ways to build real, sustainable rest (starting with just five minutes) without guilt or perfection.

Dr. Michael Hersh unpacks "work dread"—that familiar heaviness, resistance, and Sunday anxiety many physicians feel before the workday even starts. Learn why it's not burnout or a signal to leave medicine, how to get specific about what's really causing it, and simple shifts (including a free 5-minute tool) to stop bracing for the day and show up with more presence.

Dr. Michael Hersh tackles the one emotion physicians are rarely allowed to admit: anger. Discover why anger shows up so often, why suppressing it only makes it leak sideways, and how to turn it from a problem into a messenger. Learn practical steps to interrupt the reflex, uncover what’s underneath, pause before reacting, and repair when needed, so you can respond with intention instead of impulse.

Dr. Michael Hersh unpacks the buzzword "physician agency" and why it often feels like a watered-down version of the autonomy physicians once held. Learn the real difference between control and compliance, how agency is something you claim, not something you're given, and practical ways to rebuild ownership in your practice, your career, and your life starting today.

That jolt in your chest when someone says, “Can I give you some feedback?” isn’t weakness; it’s old training. Dr. Michael Hersh shows why feedback feels like judgment, how to turn it into usable data instead of shame, and the exact steps to receive and give it without losing confidence.