Shame, Story, & Healing in Medicine

Shame can feel like quicksand in medicine—silent, isolating, and relentless—yet it can also be a bridge that pulls us back to each other. We sit down with Dr. Will Bynum, family physician, researcher, and co-founder of The Shame Lab, and returning guest Dr. Daisy Dulay to unpack how shame shows up in training, practice, and leadership, and how storytelling turns private pain into collective insight and safer care. We explore how storytelling can help clinicians process, learn, and speak up as well as why small, honest stories can change safety and culture.

Episode Key Messages

• defining shame in clinical practice and identity

• adverse events as common yet hidden experiences

• digital storytelling as a scaffold for self-compassion

• post-story conversation as a driver of learning

• shame’s link to patient safety and help-seeking

• The Shame Lab’s training and shame compass

• barriers to engagement and gender dynamics

• sustaining the work and finding funding paths

• practical steps to start small and build culture

Other Links Mentioned

• Read this episode's blog post
• CMA's Canadian Conference on Physician Health
• Watch the Look Back conversation with Mike Lang about the CMA conference
• Watch Daisy's digital story
• Listen to Daisy's original podcast
• Go see Hannah Mumby's artwork
• Check out The Shame Space website

About Our Guest

Will Bynum, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and a Veteran of the United States Air Force. He received his M.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2010, completed his residency with the US Air Force and received his Ph.D. in Health Professions Education at Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2023, where defended his thesis entitled “Out of the shadows: a qualitative exploration of shame in medical learners”, which was awarded best Doctoral Dissertation by the Association for Medical Education in Europe. He has published and spoken widely on the topic of shame and is Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Shame Lab, which conducts research, develops training, and delivers consultancy to advance constructive engagement with shame in professional practice.

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