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Recorded from the car on a Monday morning because sometimes life doesn't wait for perfect circumstances - and that's exactly the point.

When Crisis Hits Close to Home

This is a different kind of episode. Raw, real, and recorded in the midst of what I'm calling a "semi-urgent medical crisis" in my family. You know the kind - not a code blue emergency, but the agonizing wait for test results, appointments, and answers that consume your thoughts and rearrange your entire world.

We spend so much time being on the other side of these moments as physicians. But sometimes, we're the ones sitting in the waiting room, holding our breath, and trying to navigate the impossible balance of being both caregiver and professional.

If you've ever faced a breast cancer diagnosis, fertility struggles, or watched a loved one go through a medical crisis while trying to hold your own life together, this episode is for you.

10 Ways I'm Getting Through (And You Can Too)

1. Notice Yourself and Your Needs
You can't pour from an empty cup. Even when this isn't your medical crisis, you're still a crucial part of the equation. Ask yourself moment by moment: What do I need right now to show up for what matters most?

2. Continue Your Routines with Self-Compassion
The basics still matter - maybe even more now. I'm still trying to get to bed on time, wake up for exercise, and eat regularly. These routines might look different during crisis, but they're your anchor. Don't abandon what keeps you grounded.

3. Let People Know What You Need
Here's the hard truth: I am less reliable and dependable to everyone else right now, and that's okay. I'm canceling plans, rescheduling patients, and making different choices. Being upfront about this isn't failure - it's honesty about where your energy needs to go.

4. Accept What's True AND Allow Moments of Good
You can simultaneously acknowledge that this is incredibly difficult while also letting in moments of joy, silliness, and playfulness when they appear. This isn't about toxic positivity - it's about not shutting yourself off from the full human experience.

5. Practice Creative Procrastination
Those big projects and dreams you've been planning? It's okay to put them on hold. This isn't giving up - it's being strategic about your focus. Future plans can wait when family needs you now.

6. Get Crystal Clear on Your Values
We say family is our top priority, but are we living like it? When crisis hits, you get clarity fast about what actually matters. Use this clarity to make decisions moment by moment, even when it means inconveniencing others.

7. Know Who's on Your Team
Some people in your life are good to bring into the loop during tough times. Others, despite being good people, are not equipped to help in crisis. This is boundaries work in action. Choose wisely who gets access to your vulnerable moments.

8. Prepare for Growth
You didn't choose this lesson, but here it is anyway. There are things for you to learn and ways for you to grow in this space

Support the show

To learn more about my coaching practice and group offerings, head over to www.healthierforgood.com. I help Physicians and Allied Health Professional women to let go of toxic perfectionist and people-pleasing habits that leave them frustrated and exhausted. If you are ready to learn skills that help you set boundaries and prioritize yourself, without becoming a cynical a-hole, come work with me.

Want to contact me directly?
Email: megan@healthierforgood.com

Follow me on Instagram!
@MeganMeloMD

Send us a text

Welcome to another edition of Ending Physician Overwhelm - this time recorded from the car because life happens, and we roll with it.

The Question That Changes Everything

When we talk about cutting back on work or reducing FTE, we often focus on what we want less of. But here's what we miss: What do we actually want MORE of?

This episode dives deep into a conversation I had with a coaching client who was looking to reconfigure her work schedule. We weren't just trying to work less for the sake of working less - we were being intentional about creating space for what truly matters.

The Laundry Trap (And Why We're Not Cutting FTE for More Chores)

Let's be crystal clear: We are not cutting our physician FTE in order to do more laundry.

Yes, those piles of laundry create distress. Yes, the house needs attention. But if you find yourself cutting hours only to spend that precious time doing tasks that breed resentment and frustration, you've missed the point entirely.

Three Areas Where You Need to Ask This Question

1. At Work: What Professional Boundaries Have Shifted?

That evening clinic you agreed to when you first started? The complex procedures you took on to save patients a referral? The schedule flexibility you once had that no longer serves your current life phase?

Just because you were willing to do something before doesn't mean you're wrong to say no now.

Your life has changed. Maybe you have aging parents, young children, or different priorities. There's nothing wrong with recognizing that what worked then doesn't work now.

2. At Home: Where Are You Trading Time for the Wrong Things?

If you have more money than time available, why are you still doing your own laundry, cleaning, and yard work?

Your kids and partner need to learn life skills anyway. Get the humans in your house contributing, or pay someone else to handle what doesn't bring you joy.

3. In Relationships: What Are You No Longer Willing to Tolerate?

This applies everywhere - with patients, family, colleagues, and friends. Maybe you used to let visits run long, take on cases outside your expertise, or accommodate behaviors that drain your energy.

You get to change your mind about what you'll accept.

The Permission You've Been Waiting For

You don't need to justify why something that was okay before isn't okay now. Evidence changes. Life circumstances change. Sometimes you just wake up and realize you need better boundaries because you're drowning.

All of these reasons are valid.

Your Action Steps

1. Get clear on your values and goals - What do you actually want more of in your life?
2. Identify your non-negotiables - What are you willing to be flexible on, and what absolutely isn't up for discussion?
3. Practice the uncomfortable conversations - Whether it's asking for schedule changes at work or setting boundaries at home.
4. Remember: Boundaries aren't selfish - They're necessary for sustainability and showing u

Support the show

To learn more about my coaching practice and group offerings, head over to www.healthierforgood.com. I help Physicians and Allied Health Professional women to let go of toxic perfectionist and people-pleasing habits that leave them frustrated and exhausted. If you are ready to learn skills that help you set boundaries and prioritize yourself, without becoming a cynical a-hole, come work with me.

Want to contact me directly?
Email: megan@healthierforgood.com

Follow me on Instagram!
@MeganMeloMD

Send us a text

The Wearable Device That Could Change Everything for Physicians

What if there was a way to get objective, real-time data about how your lifestyle choices are actually affecting your health? Not just a random cortisol test that tells you nothing actionable, but continuous monitoring that could force you to confront the truth about how you're treating your body?

In this special car edition episode, we dive into my million-dollar idea: a continuous cortisol monitor that could revolutionize how physicians approach self-care.

What We Talk About

• Why random cortisol tests are basically useless (and what question I always ask patients who request them)
• How a continuous cortisol monitor could provide the objective data your scientist brain needs to finally prioritize self-care
• The institutionalized sacrifice of women physicians—and why the system profits from your overwork without compensating you
• Why the self-care strategies that worked at 24 won't work at 44 (and what you need to do differently)
• The uncomfortable truth about why you've been conditioned to ignore your body's needs

The Million Dollar Question

If you could see in real-time how your cortisol levels spike when you're running on four hours of sleep, grabbing donuts from the break room, and charting until midnight—what would you do with that data?

More importantly: What will you do right now, without that monitor, knowing that your current patterns are harming your health?

Your Homework

Put on your imaginary continuous cortisol monitor this week. What would it be showing you? If you were tasked with reducing those levels, what one change would you make first?

Remember: You can't continue to sacrifice your health for a system that profits from your overwork. The future of healthcare depends on you figuring out how to set limits so you can stay in the game without breaking yourself.

Key Takeaway

Being a woman physician doesn't have to be bad for your health—but only if you stop living into that narrative and start making choices that honor the fact that your body at this stage of life needs different care than it did 20 years ago.

This week, choose self-compassion over self-sacrifice. Your patients, your family, and your future self will thank you.

Let's Connect

Need more support? Schedule a coaching consultation at https://calendly.com/healthierforgood/coaching-discovery-call

Connect with us:

• Website: healthierforgood.com
• Email: megan@healthierforgood.com
• Instagram: @meganmelomd

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share with a colleague who might benefit!

Support the show

To learn more about my coaching practice and group offerings, head over to www.healthierforgood.com. I help Physicians and Allied Health Professional women to let go of toxic perfectionist and people-pleasing habits that leave them frustrated and exhausted. If you are ready to learn skills that help you set boundaries and prioritize yourself, without becoming a cynical a-hole, come work with me.

Want to contact me directly?
Email: megan@healthierforgood.com

Follow me on Instagram!
@MeganMeloMD