“First Do No Harm” is an impossible oath—a wonderful intention but an unlikely reality. So how do we create safety for ourselves in this profession, knowing we’ll inevitably cause harm?

This episode will teach you actionable steps to go from the “distract and avoid” type of surgeon to the “process and create” type of surgeon. The result for you? Empowerment.

Speaking of empowerment, if this resonates, you are going to want to sign up for the Empowered Surgeons Group! Learn more here.

Get Cesar's and Steven's book, Great Speech! here.

Watch my TEDx talk, How to Save Lives with Two Minutes of Listening here.

The best way to protect yourself in the profession of surgery is to build real connection with your patients.

People don’t retaliate against physicians they know, like, and trust.

This webinar will teach you how to cultivate know, like, and trust with every human you encounter.

You can take this work deeper by joining Empowered Surgeons Group. Learn more about what's included in the group here. Have questions? Feel free to email me at mel@melthackercoaching.com.

In this rich and layered conversation, we explore how sex coaching becomes a powerful *pleasure* portal to self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and healing from burnout. Danielle shares how experiencing debilitating physical symptoms in her twenties—and recognizing the abusive dynamics in her own mind—led her to a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection.

We talk about the bridges between neuroscience, pleasure, and human behavior, and how these connections help women access not only physical intimacy but personal freedom. From sex and surgical intuition to compassion-based strategies for self-evaluation, this episode is a deep dive into reclaiming agency, inside and outside the bedroom.

• Why neuroscience gave Danielle a language that mindfulness and yoga couldn’t
• Why prescriptive strategies fail without mindset alignment
• That sex can be one of the most nourishing human pleasures, be it the truly intimate version or "donut sex"
• How to create safety in the bedroom just like in the OR
• The parallels between surgical intuition and sexual agency
• How to have hard conversations with your partner about sticky subjects like sex
• Why intentions matter
• The importance of nonjudgmental evaluation of less-than-perfect surgery and less-than-perfect sex
• How sex coaching becomes a masterclass in self-compassion

Danielle Savory is a master certified coach, podcast host, and expert in the fields of neuropsychology, mindfulness, sexual pleasure and intimacy. Danielle brings a unique perspective to coaching, helping clients understand the ways in which the brain and body are interconnected and how this connection can be harnessed to experience the sensual pleasure the body is wired for.

As the host of Mashable's #1 Rated Sex & Relationship podcast "It's My Pleasure," Danielle has explored a wide range of topics related to sexuality, relationships, and personal growth - empowering women to embrace their sexuality and prioritize their pleasure. Danielle is a master certified coach with over 10 years of experience coaching hundreds of women with her proven process of increasing desire and expanding orgasmic capacity.

Check out her [website here], catch her insights (and wit) on [Instagram here] and on the It's My Pleasure podcast here, and don’t miss the Wall Street Journal piece she contributed to: “Is Everyone Having More Sex Than You This Summer?”—read it [here]!

If you loved this conversation, you are going to want to join the Empowered Surgeons Group! Get immediate access to a powerful 4 step process, bonus courses, a transformational workbook and weekly support with me. Learn more HERE.

In today’s episode, we dive deep into how the systems around us—medicine, culture, even religion—can deplete our humanity when we’re not paying attention.

I’m joined by Dr. Joan Chan, who brings her unique perspective of growing up in a fundamentalist Christian household, deconstructing black-and-white thinking, and navigating her career as a family physician through boundary-setting, and rehumanization.

Together, we explore how deindoctrination—whether from dogma or systemic norms—can actually bring us closer to creativity, innovation, and truly humane care.

If you’ve ever felt trapped between "just work harder" and "this isn’t sustainable," this episode will help you find your way back to the messy, liberating middle place where real solutions live.

We cover:

• Why surgeons can become unintentionally "scary" in a dehumanized system
• How depleting the system of humanity is dangerously short-sighted
• The fact that women physicians lose their longevity advantage compared to the general population (spoiler: it's the profession, not the gender)
• The connection between growing up with black-and-white thinking and entering rigid medical systems
• Joan’s personal journey: deconstructing religious dogma and deconditioning from overwork as virtue
• The trauma of realizing the rules you were taught aren't always humane — and learning to think for yourself
• How medicine can feel like religion: follow the dogma or be labeled a heretic
• The impossible math of family medicine (and, let's be real, every specialty): why no doctor can follow every guideline and stay sane
• The essential practice of setting boundaries around administrative burdens
• Reframing "saying no" as a sign of humanity, not laziness
• Why less work doesn’t mean less care (and why we urgently need more people doing less, not fewer people doing more)
• Moving from the drama triangle (villain, victim, rescuer) to the empowerment dynamic (creator, challenger, coach)
• How emotions protect us — and why success is often a terrible teacher while failure is a fantastic one
• Using curiosity, creativity and experimentation (instead of rigid certainty) to innovate in medicine
• Deindoctrinating ourselves from toxic beliefs about work, worth, and emotions
• Why the truth doesn’t break—and how to trust yourself (and your patients) as experts of your/their own lives
• Taking the same precision you use in surgery to cut out what no longer serves you

If you loved this conversation, you can get more Dr. Joan Chan in your life by listening to her podcasts, The Other Human in the Room and Experiential Anatomy. Follow her on instagram here and find her website here.

If you are a surgeon looking to humanize your life, I’ve got the perfect program for you. Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here.

It's normal to fall out of the current in the OR. We know we've fallen out when our brain sends us into anxiety, urgency, and self-doubt.

Getting back into the current is as easy as ABC:

A: Awareness, Allowance, Acceptance, Aligned Action

B: Breathe; Get your Brain Back in your own Business

C: Certainty-->Curiosity-->Creativity

Now...

You learned how to operate.

You learned how to care for patients.

But no one taught you the essentials of being human in the world of surgery.

This program fills that gap.

✔ Gain clarity on your internal and external world.

✔ Develop the tools to surf your way through all of life's challenges.

✔ Learn how to evolve and grow with your career.

✔ Free yourself from confusion and powerlessness.

▶ When your patients have complications.

▶ On your commute to the OR and clinic

There’s nothing else like this.

This program distills everything I’ve learned from 12 years as a surgeon. It combines tested coaching concepts—proven in both the clinic and the OR—giving you the language to finally describe your experiences and navigate them effectively.

No more wondering why you dread going to work.

No more spinning in confusion or feeling like a victim.

No more unnecessary stress.

This program will empower you.

I will hold you to your highest power—

And what you create with that power is limitless.

Get immediate access to the entire program + bonuses like “Surgical Mistakes and Complications”, “Mindset Reset OR Day”, “Mindset Reset Clinic Day”, and “Diversifying Your Identity” (Diversifying my identity is exactly how I found the courage to evolve with my own career. While your path will not look anything like mine, you can’t evolve until you diversify.)

And because implementation is the hardest part, you get weekly group coaching with me.

Every Wednesday at 4pm EST, we will come together for an hour and work the process.

A place for you to be held in a non-judgmental, compassionate space and solve the collective problems and pain points we have all faced as surgeons.

While you may think you are the only one who experiences anxiety in the OR, imposter syndrome, or self-blame after complications, I can assure you, everyone feels the same as you do.

Being witnessed in your truth and receiving a weekly infusion of coaching is the most impactful gift you will give yourself this year.

And if you can’t make the calls, the replays will be available to you.

Carve out your time. And invest in yourself.

Get your hard copy of the Empowered Surgeon Workbook.

And remember…this is a risk-free investment!

There is no scenario where you lose value. Either you get value from the program or you get your investment back, no hard feelings.

It’s really that simple.

Purchase and get immediate access to the Empowered Surgeons Group HERE.

Learn more about what's included in the group HERE.

Sign up for Empowered Surgeons Group here.

It's not the prior auths, unfinished charts, or patient messages that are burning you out. While those circumstances need reform, they are merely symptoms of a much bigger problem—a problem that has everything to do with you, which is fantastic news because it means you can do something about it.

In this episode, you’ll:

• Learn how your human animal communicates with you
• Normalize feeling unfulfilled, even when you’ve achieved everything you ever dreamed of
• Understand how we sometimes use the profession against ourselves—and how that leads to pretending
• Explore how the perceived cultural forces of self-sacrifice, people-pleasing, and always saying “yes” prevent meaningful change
• Dive into the evolution of self and the importance of reconnecting with your essential self
• Unpack why internal conflict is so common among surgeons
• Understand that every surgeon has their own burnout timeline
• Recognize how resisting what is can reduce your capacity
• Discover how to be okay where you are—so you can feel safe enough to move forward

Because you have a human brain with a built-in negativity bias, it will naturally direct your attention to what’s wrong.

It will point out all the problems in your world, presenting them as if it’s simply reporting the news.

But it’s up to you to intentionally look for what’s right—to pause, scan your life, and notice what’s actually working.

From that place, you can make a conscious and deliberate decision about the direction you want to go.

And remember, you always have three choices:

1. Accept it
2. Change it
3. Leave it

Sign up for Empowered Surgeons Group today and don't miss any of my offerings by getting on my email list here.

Failure is required for success—but failing in surgery is different. It’s layered. It’s nuanced. It carries weight that most outside the field can’t fully grasp.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why failure in surgery is fundamentally different from other professions
• The distinction between objective failure and subjective failure
• How to process the complex emotions that come with failure
• Why evaluating failure is not optional—it’s essential
• A clear, compassionate process for evaluating your own failures
• How to detach your self-worth from your outcomes
• The power of strategic pessimism to help you prepare for and learn from failure

Whether you’re grappling with a recent complication or quietly carrying one from years ago, this episode offers tools to help you reflect, reframe, and move forward with intention.

Get free value curated for surgeons straight to your inbox here.

Want to learn how to create safety for yourself in the profession of surgery? Register for my upcoming webinars:

Register for Master Curveballs in the OR (and life) in 5 Steps here.

Register for Your Best Career Insurance: Know, Like, and Trust here.

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here.

How do we incentivize surgeons to evolve their techniques? Why hasn’t scarless thyroid surgery taken off in the U.S.?

In this episode, we dive into:

• The disconnect between those who stay stuck in their beliefs and those who have incentive to innovate
• Why we often don’t offer techniques we don’t fully understand
• Rethinking patient counseling for thyroid surgery
• The evolution of surgical standards
• The delicate balance between certainty and an open mind in the profession of surgery
• How rigidity in our convictions keeps us stuck—and how loosening our grip can create new possibilities
• The crisis of faith in healthcare and how clinging too tightly to beliefs may be making it worse
• The pros and cons of academia and the challenges of building something new
• Following the internal whisper that calls for change—and the stickiness of leaving a job
• Navigating career transitions while keeping joy and curiosity alive
• The art of offering all the options—RFA, transoral surgery, and traditional surgery—without bias
• The mindset of an innovator and the power of Vu Ja De (seeing the familiar in a completely new way)
• Ego and bias in surgery—how to channel them for good rather than letting them hold us back
• The unexpected joy of being bad at something (when no one gets hurt)
• How fear keeps us where we are—and the fallacy that life is ever certain
• Expanding your identity to unlock new career horizons

This conversation is all about embracing uncertainty, questioning our assumptions, and stewarding change in a profession built on tradition.

Tune in—this one will challenge the way you think!

Follow Jon on instagram here.

Dr. Jon Russell is the Founder of The Russell Center for Endocrine Health. Before starting the Russell Center, he was Director of the Division of Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery at Johns Hopkins and directed the Thyroid Tumor Center.

Learn more about how to get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surgeons Curriculum here. One investment of $1,997 to learn essential concepts you didn't learn in training. This one course will change your perspective, and life, permanently.

Empowered Surgeons Curriculum is available now! This program will teach you everything you wished you learned but didn't in training. Read about everything you get in the program (group coaching, Empowered Surgeons workbook, bonus videos) here or sign up immediately here.