Paging Dr. Burnout: When the White Coat Comes Off

In this episode of Unstable Vitals, hosts Dr. Adam Brown and Dr. Lara Zibners sit down with Dr. Melissa Parsons, a former top pediatrician turned life coach, to unpack the emotional cost of surviving in the healthcare system. Melissa shares her deeply personal journey from burnout and perfectionism to finding healing through coaching, vulnerability, and letting go of the unrealistic expectations placed on physicians. Melissa walks us through the moment she realized she needed help—and how that decision transformed her life.

Together, the trio explores the culture of silence and shame in medicine, especially around mental health, and the dangerous separation of emotional and physical well-being. They confront the damaging myths doctors are taught: that resilience means suppression, that rest is weakness, and that showing emotion is unprofessional. The episode tackles physician burnout, systemic failures, and the urgent need to create a healthcare system that supports its healers.