If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll change when life “calms down,” this episode is your sign that the time is now. Dr. Joanne Sotelo and Dr. Erin Hurley offer a compassionate but honest wake-up call for women in medicine, reminding us that high-functioning does not equal healthy. They explore the real cost of burnout, the importance of reclaiming personal agency, and how identity shifts, especially with the rise of AI, are forcing physicians to rethink fulfillment, purpose, and self-leadership.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• High-functioning is not the same as healthy. Doing all the things doesn’t mean you’re well.
• Radical honesty matters: where are you living on autopilot, and what is it costing you?
• Why reclaiming your agency (“I choose. I decide.”) is essential for preventing burnout and disengagement.
• The rise of AI is reshaping how physicians view relevance, purpose, and identity in medicine.
• A powerful reflection question: If nothing changes in the next five years, how would you feel about your life?

“The first step is that we need to wake up to the truth. We need to have that radical honesty with ourselves and ask good questions.” - Dr. Joanne Sotelo

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Do you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

🎧 Want to hear more? Find us on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-meaning-in-medicine/id1752701820

Feeling stuck or waiting for certainty before changing course? In this episode, we unpack agency for physicians, how guilt and obligation keep us small, and why shifting your brain's filter toward options opens new paths. Hear scripts, supports, and next steps to move before burnout. Press play to choose your next move.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Feeling like your life is being chosen for you? You're not alone. In this episode, we explore why identity, not willpower, drives behavior, how to break out of autopilot, and ways to choose who we're becoming as medicine advances. Press play to build awareness, set values aligned with goals, and make your next step intentional.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Is AI sharpening care or eroding our humanity? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Susan Shelmerdine to unpack responsible AI in medicine, the mental health risks of overreliance, and the skill of discernment. She shares how improv rebuilt confidence and why connection must stay central. Press play to use AI wisely without losing yourself.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

About Susan Shelmerdine, MBBS, PHD Dr. Susan is a consultant pediatric radiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and an honorary associate professor at University College London. A 2025 Roentgen Professor of the Royal College of Radiologists, she leads NIHR-funded AI research in children's imaging and pioneered the INTACT biopsy technique.

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Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Why are women physicians praised for teamwork yet penalized when we say no? In this episode, we unpack the hidden curriculum and redefine boundaries as clear rules that protect time, energy, and patient care. Press play to protect your yeses and set limits without apology.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Still trying to handle everything alone? This episode explains why "be strong" becomes a cage for women in medicine and how real support and coaching change energy, clarity, and confidence. Erin and Joanne define what coaching is and is not, and share steps to build boundaries and resilience. Press play to learn how support speeds growth.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Feeling stuck on autopilot, you didn't choose? In this episode, we reveal how tiny, repeatable habits and the right community can shift energy, protect time, and make medicine feel sustainable again. Learn why your "top five" people shape your routines more than willpower, and how simple boundary scripts and 1% course corrections help you finish notes sooner and breathe easier. Press play to see how awareness plus support turns goals into lived habits.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Feeling stretched thin? In this episode, we show how three minutes of play can reset your nervous system and protect against burnout. We unpack the brain science behind joy, then share quick rituals, between patient resets, and simple team games that boost creativity and connection. Press play to learn small moves that restore energy fast.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

What if your ADHD isn't a liability at work but your sharpest edge? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Brittney Bell to unpack how women in medicine can turn neurodivergent traits into creative leadership through simple systems, self-kindness rituals, and personalized environments. We also explore psychological safety, reframing productivity, and the courage to pivot when the old rules no longer fit. Press play to learn practical moves you can use this week. Key Takeaways To Listen For

About Britney Bell, M.D.

Dr. Brittney is a physician, researcher, and creative leadership strategist who helps women with ADHD in leadership unlock suppressed creativity as their most powerful competitive advantage. Diagnosed in her 30s while in academic medicine, she champions systems that fit neurodivergent brains, from self-kindness rituals to personalized physical, digital, and cultural environments that protect focus and wellbeing. Her work centers on psychological safety, practical structures over "work harder," and using creativity as a leadership edge. Her mantra says it best: "Creativity is the power to imagine a better future and the courage to make it a reality."

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Connect With Us

Do you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Craving a holiday that feels meaningful, not manic? In this episode, we look at how old patterns, perfection pressure, and comparison steal the season, and how reflection, boundaries, and simple systems bring back connection. Learn to delegate, trim gifts, protect sleep, and choose what matters most. Press play to design a calmer, more connected holiday.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine