In this powerful episode of FEM, MD, Dr. Lauren Umstattd sits down with ENT surgeon-turned-author Frances Mei Hardin to discuss her debut memoir and the hidden emotional cost of surgical training.

Frances Mei speaks candidly about the anger she carried out of residency and how writing became the vehicle that transformed it. From resident-on-resident hostility and weaponized reporting systems to the psychological toll of perfectionism, sleep deprivation, and hierarchy in the OR, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what many physicians experience but rarely say out loud.

They explore:

• The cultural legacy of The House of God — and why its themes still ring true

• How narrative nonfiction differs from anonymous venting and why accountability matters

• Neurodivergence as both vulnerability and superpower in medicine

• The role of hypnosis therapy in healing trauma and reclaiming focus

• Perfectionism, emotional intelligence, and the cost of brittle excellence

• Psychological safety in the operating room and how hierarchy without respect harms patient care

• Resident-on-resident toxicity and the bystander effect in surgical culture

Frances Mei shares what it means to “write through the anger." What began as revenge writing evolved into a reckoning with her own blind spots, emotional immaturity, and survival mechanisms. The result is a memoir that examines burnout, identity, agency, and reinvention inside academic medicine.

If you are a medical student, resident, attending physician, or simply someone navigating ambition in a high-pressure field — this episode will resonate.

📖 Surgeon on the Edge is available wherever books are sold.

🎟️ Book tour stops include NYC, Cleveland, Chicago, Philly and more.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Dr. Frances Mei Hardin

Connect with Frances Mei:

@francesmeimd

https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/frances-mei-hardin-md

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective

In this episode of Fem MD, host Dr. Lauren Umstattd sits down with Dr. Maheetha Bharadwaj, a urology resident, educator, and content creator.

Maheetha shares her journey into medicine, from her early love of science and the arts to choosing urology—a field that blends surgery, patient care, and navigating sensitive topics with empathy. She offers an inside look at the realities of surgical residency, including long hours, on-call challenges, and mentorship in a traditionally male-dominated specialty. Maheetha also discusses her work in gender-affirming care and how she uses social media to educate the public, demystify medicine, and connect authentically with a broad audience.

This episode highlights the dedication, creativity, and passion required to balance medicine, mentorship, and innovative outreach in today’s healthcare landscape.

Dr. Maheetha Bharadwaj, 4th year Urology Resident at the University of Washington, dancer, advocate, and social media creator. Her journey sits at the intersection of medicine, art, and advocacy. She studied Biology and Biomedical Informatics at Stanford, spent a year at Cambridge learning genomic medicine, and worked in bioinformatics at Memorial Sloan Kettering before heading to medical school. Beyond the lab and clinic, dance has been a constant for nearly 20 years. She has choreographed works exploring patient experiences, including an Indian Classical Dance narrative on the journey through a cancer diagnosis, later published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Her work has earned national recognition, including the Joseph Collins Foundation and Massachusetts Medical Society scholarships.

Now, as the 2025-2026 Artist-in-Residence with The Hippocratic Collective, she is creating a new dance project highlighting human connection and sexual dysfunction. Her path to urology was inspired by seeing women surgeons online. Seeing so many women have such different paths in surgery inspired Dr. Bharadwaj to gain the confidence to do the same. During residency, Dr. Bharadwaj has also built a powerful voice on social media. Through dancing skits, educational videos, and humorous creations like the “Medical Kardashian Skits,” she empowers, educates, and entertains, helping restore trust in medicine and inspire the next generation. Her videos have reached millions, sparking conversations about disparities, residency life, and women’s health research. Her goal is to use creativity, humor, and advocacy to build community and show future surgeons, especially women and those from underrepresented backgrounds, that there is a place for them in medicine. Outside the OR, you’ll find her choreographing, creating content, and building bridges between medicine and the arts, always reminding us that healing comes in many forms.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Dr. Maheetha Bharadwaj

Connect with Maheetha:

@dancing_uro_doc

https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/maheetha-bharadwaj-md

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective

In this episode of FEM MD, host Dr. Lauren Umstattd engages in a candid conversation with Dylan Cade Bates, a seasoned law enforcement professional and mental health advocate. They explore the unique challenges faced by women in law enforcement and the importance of mental health for first responders. The discussion highlights the need for support systems and the significance of addressing mental health issues in high-stress professions.

Dylan Cade Bates is a seasoned law enforcement professional, mental health advocate, and founder of Blonde in Blue—a nationwide peer support network dedicated to first responders and their families. With nearly a decade of experience in patrol, investigations, crisis negotiation, critical incident response, and peer support, Dylan brings both professional expertise and lived experience to supporting those serving on the front lines. Certified in Hostage and Crisis Intervention, Trauma-Informed Care, and Peer Support Facilitation, Dylan is also a counselor-in-training.

Together with her husband, Po‘okela “Kela” Bates, they lead a movement to break the stigma around mental health in public safety. Blonde in Blue connects first responders and loved ones for real conversations, community support, and resilience tools. Recognizing the challenges these careers pose at home and on duty, Dylan champions honest dialogue and nationwide connection so no responder or family ever feels alone.

Dylan’s dedication to peer support has extended into weekly confidential support groups and content creation across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Patreon, making resources and advocacy accessible across platforms. Known for authenticity and compassion, Dylan’s story shows that your scars are proof you survived, and healing happens best when we stand together.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Dylan Cade Bates

Connect with Dylan & Blonde In Blue:

● Website: patreon.com/BlondeinBlue

● Instagram: @blondeinbluenetwork

● TikTok: @blondeinblue72

● Facebook: Blonde in Blue

● Podcast: badgesandbreakthroughs.com

● All podcast episodes can be found on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective

In this episode of Fem MD, Dr. Lauren Umstattd speaks with Dr. Stephanie Pearson, an OB-GYN whose surgical career ended after a work-related shoulder injury sustained while delivering a baby. What should have been a routine delivery resulted in permanent damage, ultimately preventing her from returning to operative or obstetric practice.

Dr. Pearson shares the difficult aftermath of her injury, including being dismissed by early providers, navigating frozen shoulder and nerve damage, and losing her job when she could no longer meet the “100% of job duties” requirement in her contract. Despite FMLA protections, she was terminated when her leave ended—highlighting the legal and contractual vulnerabilities physicians often overlook.

The conversation explores the hidden gaps in disability insurance, the challenges of workers’ compensation, and the emotional toll of losing one’s identity as a physician. Dr. Pearson also reflects on rebuilding her sense of self and purpose after medicine, and how her experience led her to found PearsonRavitz to educate physicians on disability and career protection.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Stephanie Pearson, MD

Connect with Stephanie: @drstephaniepearson

https://pearsonravitz.com/

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective

In this episode of Fem MD, host Dr. Lauren Umstattd sits down with Brooke Martin—Emmy Award–winning news anchor turned author—to discuss her powerful memoir, Controlled Burn. Brooke opens up about her journey of faith, resilience, and love in the face of unimaginable loss after her daughter, Emma, was diagnosed with a fatal condition. Together, they explore the inspiration behind the book, the emotional challenges of writing through grief, and the lasting impact loss can have on relationships. Brooke also reflects on the power of storytelling and how sharing her story has become a source of hope, connection, and healing for others walking similar paths.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Brooke Martin

Connect with Brooke: @brookemartin.tv

https://morewithbrookemartin.com/

Controlled Burn: https://store.dexteritybooks.com/products/controlled-burn-rising-from-the-ashes-to-forge-an-unshakable-faith

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective

In this episode of Fem MD, Dr. Lauren Umstattd interviews author Audrey Bellezza, who shares how, at age 50—healthy, active, and a mom of two boys—she was blindsided by a diagnosis of stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer. Audrey recounts the shock, the agonizing period of unknowns, and how biomarker testing revealed a mutation-driven cancer.

She explains her targeted therapy treatment, its difficult side effects, and how seeking specialists at Johns Hopkins introduced her to the possibility of a groundbreaking vaccine now in early clinical trials. Alongside her advocacy, Audrey has authored a Jane Austen trilogy and most recently released Anne of Avenue A, blending her love of literature with her mission to inspire hope.

Audrey also founded Love4Lungs, a nonprofit dedicated to funding research, supporting patients, and raising awareness that lung cancer can affect anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle. She leaves listeners with a quote from her latest novel that now guides her life: “Don’t delay what brings you joy.”

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Audrey Bellezza

Connect with Audrey: @audreybellezzawrites

Love4Lungs: https://www.love4lungs.org/

Anne of Avenue A: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Anne-of-Avenue-A/Audrey-Bellezza/For-the-Love-of-Austen/9781668097656

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective

In this episode of Fem MD, Lauren sits down with Emmy-nominated producer Chelsea White — known for her work on Watch What Happens Live and The Drew Barrymore Show — for an honest, layered conversation about identity, neurodiversity, and the freedom that comes from embracing every part of who you are.

Chelsea was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at just three years old, a moment that shaped how she understood herself long before she had language for it. Growing up with Tourette’s and OCD meant navigating stigma, misunderstanding, and the pressure to hide the parts of herself that didn’t fit neatly into others’ expectations.

Together, Lauren and Chelsea talk about:

• What early diagnosis actually felt like from the inside

• The misconceptions about Tourette’s and OCD that still persist

• How Chelsea found her voice in the entertainment industry

• Why mentorship matters — especially for young women

• The moment she stopped trying to “pass as normal”

• How embracing your quirks can become your superpower, not your liability

This is a conversation about resilience, authenticity, and choosing to show up as your full self even in rooms that weren’t built with you in mind. Chelsea’s story is a reminder that your differences are not something to hide — they’re the very things that set you free.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Chelsea White

Connect with Chelsea: @thechelseawhite

https://thechelseawhite.com/

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective

In this raw and unfiltered episode of Fem, MD, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Melyssa Hancock opens up about her 12-round, 3-year IVF journey—one that spanned multiple clinics, a cross-country move of frozen embryos, a complicated surrogacy process, canceled transfers, and more than $250,000 in out-of-pocket costs.

We talk about:

• Fertility preservation as a surgical trainee
• Why she switched IVF clinics after two failed transfers
• What it’s actually like to do daily injections, hormone surges, and constant ultrasounds while running a busy private practice
• How IVF reshaped her marriage, her sense of identity, and her mental health
• The moment she saw the faintest line on a pregnancy test after years of negatives
• How hyperbaric oxygen therapy and NAD ended up part of her “Hail Mary” cycle
• Nearly pursuing surrogacy — and why she ultimately carried her daughter
• The emotional, physical, and financial toll on female physicians navigating fertility
• Why we need to talk about infertility in medicine loudly and without shame

Dr. Hancock also shares the birth story of her daughter, Olivia, and why the struggle made motherhood even more profound.

This is one of the most intimate, vulnerable conversations we’ve had on Fem, MD — and a must-listen for anyone in medicine who’s ever wondered when (and whether) their personal life will catch up to their professional one.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Melyssa Hancock, MD

Connect with Melyssa: @drmelyssahancock

https://drmelyssahancock.com/

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective ​