What happens when a respected family physician confronts the system that burned him out?

In this powerful episode, host Maddie Traylor sits down with Dr. Todd Otten, a physician-turned-advocate, to unpack one of the most urgent crises in medicine today: the erosion of trust in American healthcare. From his personal journey through burnout to launching a national movement for reform, Dr. Otten offers a raw, unfiltered look at what's broken—and how we can fix it.

Discover how his upcoming documentary, “Suck It Up, Buttercup: Trust and Betrayal in American Medicine,” is catalyzing nationwide conversations on the emotional and financial tolls of our current system. Learn about forward-thinking initiatives like Medicine Forward and Right Care Clinic that are helping rebuild trust—one patient, one provider, one policy at a time.

Whether you're a provider, administrator, recruiter, or policymaker, this episode is a clarion call for meaningful reform through human-centered design, transparency, and collective action.

Key Takeaways:

• What’s driving physician burnout—and how we fix it
• How lack of trust and misaligned incentives hurt patient care
• Why storytelling (film, books) is key to healthcare reform
• The vision behind Suck It Up, Buttercup
• How collaborative action can reverse clinician disengagement
• Innovative care models that prioritize people over profit
• What organizations can do now to rebuild healthcare integrity

Episode Highlights:

00:50 Meet Dr. Todd Otten: Physician Turned Reform Advocate
02:09 Todd’s Burnout Story & Pivot Toward Advocacy
03:15 The Healthcare System’s Structural Failings
04:34 Medicine Forward & the Power of Physician Unity
15:52 Creating the Documentary: Suck It Up, Buttercup
17:48 Patient & Provider Stories That Need to Be Told
26:47 Restoring Humanity to the Healthcare Experience
35:37 Final Thoughts: Hope, Change & Taking Action

Keywords:

Physician burnout and recovery,
Healthcare reformation podcast,
Trust in healthcare system,
Independent primary care models,
Patient-centered care reform,
Medical workforce advocacy,
Burnout in American healthcare,
Medicine Forward movement,
Private practice leadership,
Right Care Clinic innovation,
Healthcare storytelling and documentary,

Connect with Todd Otten:

LinkedIn: Todd Otten
Visit & Read Ripple of Change
Visit & Read The Doctor Is No Longer In
Visit Suck It Up, Buttercup
Watch Suck It Up, Buttercup Teaser