In this powerful episode of Read. Talk. Grow., host Dr. Denise Milstine is joined by author and anesthesiologist Dr. Maggie North and fellow author and psychiatrist Dr. Jesse Gold to explore the emotional and systemic roots of physician burnout through the lens of North’s romance novel “The Ripple Effect.” The conversation dives into the hidden grief of leaving medicine, the gendered realities of burnout, and the importance of reclaiming humanity in healthcare — and offers a deeply resonant look at what it means to care for others while learning to care for yourself.

This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.

We talked with:

• Dr. Maggie North is a doctor by day, author by night. She lives in Ottawa, Canada with the man she met in ninth grade, their kid, and a rotating cast of hypoallergenic aquarium friends. She enjoys being autistic a lot more since she received her diagnosis as an adult. Her books include Rules for Second Chances (2024) and The Ripple Effect (2025).
• Dr. Jessi Gold is the inaugural Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee (UT) System and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Dr. Gold works clinically as an outpatient psychiatrist and focuses her work on students, faculty, and healthcare workers. She is also the author of the national best seller HOW DO YOU FEEL?: One Doctor’s Search for Humanity in Medicine.

Purchase “The Ripple Effect.”

• From Bookshop.org.
• From Barnes & Noble.
• From Amazon.

Purchase "How Do You Feel?: One Doctor’s Search for Humanity in Medicine."

• From Bookshop.org
• From Barnes & Noble.
• From Amazon. 

Got feedback?

• If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
• We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
• Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.

The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.