Beyond the Bleep

What happens when a surgeon steps onto the comedy stage?

In this episode of The Creative Clinician, I speak with Dr Michael Akadiri, surgical doctor and stand-up comedian, about building a life across medicine and comedy.

We explore how humour became a creative outlet, the freedom and uncertainty of pursuing an unconventional path and what it takes to balance ambition, family and the realities of the arts.

If you’ve ever wondered whether there could be more to your career than the path in front of you, this is an honest and encouraging conversation about creativity, risk and how our gifts can take us far beyond the consulting room.

Book tickets for the upcoming tour here

Is creativity is one of medicine’s most overlooked skills?

In the first episode of The Creative Clinician series, exploring creativity in medicine, I speak with Professor Louise Younie. Louise is a GP and Professor of Medical Education at Oxford university and we explore how creativity helps us relate to the human dimension of medicine. The parts of healthcare that don’t always fit neatly into guidelines or protocols and how creative enquiry can help us navigate uncertainty, connect more deeply with our patients and process some of what we carry from our work.

Louise also shares her work creating “flourishing spaces” for medical students and clinicians, and simple ways we can make more room for curiosity, reflection and creativity in our own lives.

A conversation about seeing medicine, our patients and ourselves a little differently.

In this episode of Beyond the Bleep, Dr Feyisara Mendes speaks with Dr Kieran Allen, an Australian doctor completing specialist training in psychiatry. Drawing on his own lived experience, Kieran advocates for greater openness, compassion, and structural change around doctors’ mental health and challenges the stigma that still shapes medical culture.

Dr. Kieran shares what it’s like to navigate medicine while managing mental illness: the private cost, the question of disclosure and how certain struggles are still seen as more “acceptable” than others. We explore why clinicians may be particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, how training and workplace pressures can amplify risk, and why “burnout” can become a convenient label that overlooks deeper distress.

Ultimately, this is a conversation about survival and growth by seeking support earlier, building a more sustainable way of working and using lived experience to improve care for patients and for colleagues within the profession.

UK Support

• NHS Practitioner Health (England) — free, confidential mental health and addiction support for doctors and dentists.

• BMA Counselling & Peer Support — free, confidential 24/7 counselling line + peer support for all doctors and medical students (UK). 

• Samaritans — urgent emotional support (UK, 24/7) via 116 123.

Australian Support

• Drs4Drs — 24/7, free, confidential telephone counselling and support for doctors and medical students (Australia), call 1300 374 377.
  
• Lifeline — 24/7 crisis support in Australia, call 13 11 14.

• In this episode, I’m joined by GP and entrepreneur Dr Divpreet Sacha. We explore her journey into a portfolio career shaped by lived experience, curiosity and purpose. She shares how her personal fertility journey led her into women’s health innovation, what it takes to build something impactful alongside clinical work and motherhood, and why scalable solutions matter. We also explore imposter syndrome, sustainable ambition and creating a career on your own terms.

Dr David Onu, author of The Career Reinvention Blueprint, shares his own story of reinvention. Pivoting from a prestigious career in neurosurgery, to a path that brought him a deeper, more grounded sense of fulfilment and transformed the way he defines success.

In this episode, he shares insights from his new book that will resonate with anyone considering a quiet shift or a bold pivot.

Join my conversation with Dr. Claudia Pastides as she discusses navigating the intersection of creativity and medicine. Sharing her journey from General Practice to pioneering roles in health tech and digital health leadership, all while championing preventive care, women's health and launching her latest venture 'The Pink Pineapple' podcast.

Dr Ola’s journey is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention.
From war-torn Iraq to the frontlines of critical care and now, entrepreneurship. Hear how she turned her passion for helping others into a thriving business built on freedom and flexibility.

Welcome to Beyond the Bleep the podcast for doctors who dare to redefine their path.

In our first episode we're kicking things off with Dr. Fran Fieldhouse. An exceptional GP with decades of experience, who continues to evolve her career on her own terms.

Dr. Fran Fieldhouse proves that purpose, passion and medicine can coexist. Hear how she balances life as a GP partner with her work as a global changemaker, building an enterprise that unites her passion for global health and medical education.