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Dr. Kaur takes us on a deeply personal journey from traditional healthcare settings to founding her own direct primary care practice, which she calls her "professional nirvana." After nearly a decade in corporate medicine, including positions at prestigious institutions, she found herself facing a critical realization: her mental health was suffering in ways that hadn't happened even during profound personal tragedy.

"When my mental health started to get affected by my job, that's when I realized – this is just a job," she reflects. This moment became the catalyst for a four-year process of introspection that ultimately led her to launch her own practice. The transition wasn't easy – it required draining retirement accounts and facing significant financial uncertainty. Yet despite these challenges, she describes being happier than ever because she can finally practice medicine aligned with her values.

Through candid conversation, Dr. Kaur dismantles the notion that physician happiness should be secondary to patient care. She explains how direct primary care enables her to have meaningful conversations with patients about all aspects of their health – discussions that often surprise patients accustomed to rushed healthcare encounters. "I can actually give care in the amount and to the degree which care is needed and be fulfilled that I did my best," she explains.

Perhaps most poignantly, she shares that one of her father's final reflections was regretting that he spent his life working to meet others' expectations rather than pursuing what truly made him happy. Whether you're considering a similar path or simply seeking greater fulfillment in your current role, this conversation offers a valuable perspective on creating a sustainable, joy-filled medical career. Connect with Dr. Kaur on Instagram @drkkaurmd or via email at kkaurmd@kkaurmd.com.

Though I am a physician, this is not medical advice. This is only a tool that physicians can use to get ideas on how to deal with burnout and/or know they are not alone. If you are in need of medical assistance talk to your physician.


Learn more about female physicians' journey through burnout to thriving!
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/books

Let's connect for speaking opportunities!
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/dr-shahhaque-md-as-a-speaker

Check out the free resources from The Worthy Physician:
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/freebie-downloads

Battle of the Boxes

21 Day Self Focus Journal

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What happens when physicians feel more like data entry specialists than healers? In this deeply reflective conversation, neonatologist Dr. Stephen DeMeo reveals how rediscovering meaningful human connections can transform both patient care and physician well-being.

The NICU offers a unique healthcare environment where cutting-edge critical care intersects with deeply personal family journeys. Dr. DeMeo explains how sitting with families during their most vulnerable moments—whether celebrating tiny victories or navigating heartbreaking decisions—often clarifies clinical situations more effectively than any technological intervention. "Sometimes the most difficult conversations I have with parents are ones where I actually know that the baby's going to be just fine," he shares, highlighting how each family experiences medical events through their unique emotional lens.

Beyond patient care, Dr. DeMeo addresses systemic challenges facing today's physicians: the documentation burden that steals time from meaningful interactions, the tendency toward depersonalization when burned out, and the delicate balance between medicine as calling versus occupation. His refreshingly practical solution to burnout? Going deeper into patient connections rather than withdrawing. "If I committed more to the reconnection of medicine...put the computer on wheels to the side, sit down in your patient's room, talk to them...all of that connection has been really restorative for me."

Looking toward medicine's future, Dr. DeMeo expresses optimism about technology's potential to free physicians from administrative burdens while advocating for more humane training environments for medical students. His perspective offers a hopeful vision where AI and other innovations might actually help doctors return to medicine's fundamental purpose: humans caring for humans during life's most challenging moments.

Topics covered:

• Technology should enhance human connection, not replace it
• Reconnecting with patients is the antidote to physician burnout and depersonalization
• Evidence-based medicine must be balanced with understanding what matters to families
• Creating a supportive environment for medical trainees breaks the cycle of toxic education

Connect with Dr. DeMeo on LinkedIn.

Though I am a physician, this is not medical advice. This is only a tool that physicians can use to get ideas on how to deal with burnout and/or know they are not alone. If you are in need of medical assistance talk to your physician.


Learn more about female physicians' journey through burnout to thriving!
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/books

Let's connect for speaking opportunities!
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/dr-shahhaque-md-as-a-speaker

Check out the free resources from The Worthy Physician:
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/freebie-downloads

Battle of the Boxes

21 Day Self Focus Journal

Send us a text

Burnout recovery expert Scott Anderson shares counterintuitive approaches to overcome physician burnout and find a sustainable path to high achievement without sacrificing wellbeing.

• Burnout involves oscillating between hypervigilance and avoidance, similar to patterns seen in PTSD
• Traditional approaches like vacations and sabbaticals often worsen burnout rather than resolving it
• The R&R technique offers a simple 5-second practice to interrupt stress cycles by noticing physical sensations
• Most burned-out professionals spend 80% of their time on activities that generate only 20% of their value
• Complete disengagement—even for just minutes at a time—is essential for burnout recovery
• Community support helps combat the isolation that often accompanies burnout
• Life beyond burnout can lead to greater achievement with less strain and more fulfillment
• Recovery doesn't require abandoning medicine but rather recalibrating one's relationship to work

For a free burnout assessment and personalized interventions, visit fastfixcall.com. You can also find Scott's book "You're Not Toast" and more resources at burnoutbreakthrough.com.

Though I am a physician, this is not medical advice. This is only a tool that physicians can use to get ideas on how to deal with burnout and/or know they are not alone. If you are in need of medical assistance talk to your physician.


Learn more about female physicians' journey through burnout to thriving!
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/books

Let's connect for speaking opportunities!
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/dr-shahhaque-md-as-a-speaker

Check out the free resources from The Worthy Physician:
https://www.theworthyphysician.com/freebie-downloads

Battle of the Boxes

21 Day Self Focus Journal