In this episode we welcome Dr. Emma Presern, a GP with over a decade of experience who is a passionate advocate for the holistic well-being of healthcare staff. 

Emma shares her transformative journey from experiencing burnout to specialising in lifestyle medicine and exploring modalities such as breathwork, nature therapy. 

Through her initiative, Rebellious Health, Emma aims to encourage healthcare professionals to take time away from clinical practice for self-care and to advocate for institutional changes that prioritise mental and physical health. 

The discussion delves into the importance of recognising and addressing burnout and the need for a systemic shift towards supporting healthcare workers.

This episode is for you if you’d like to hear more about how doctors can take their career path and wellbeing into their own hands, but alongside a like minded, motivated community.

We talk about the systemic changes that we want to see in the healthcare system and the need to normalise breaks and time away from work for doctors, to allow them to rest and return to work rejuvenated.

Trigger warnings

 This episode makes references to suicidal ideation and self harm.  If you feel this would be upsetting for you, we'd recommend skipping parts of our conversation.

You may want to skip through the following sections: 

15:19 - 15:51 

20:05 - 20:17

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Fully Well Doc Pod

00:44 Introducing Dr. Emma Prezern and Rebellious Health

01:32 Emma's Journey Through Burnout

03:43 The Turning Point: A Year Out and a Solo Hike

04:58 The Struggles of NHS Doctors

08:16 Discovering Breathwork and Self-Healing

22:10 The Mind-Body Connection and Emotional Healing

31:56 Therapy Sessions and Emotional Disconnect

32:43 Expressing Emotions and the Emotions Wheel

33:07 Medics and Emotional Suppression

34:54 Journaling and Voice Notes for Processing Emotions

36:21 Introducing the Wellness Wonder: The RE Project

37:23 Book Recommendation: Permission to Feel

39:24 The Concept of Rebellious Health

41:11 The Five Pillars of Rebellious Health

42:44 Moving to North Wales and Reconnecting with Nature

46:16 Professional Rebellion and the Need for Sabbaticals

49:52 Pilot Project for Rebellious Medics

59:20 Final Thoughts and Advice for Medics

01:00:51 Conclusion and How to Get Involved

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Rebellious Health website

Connect with Dr Emma Presern:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Wellness wonder: https://www.rebelliousmedic.com/thereproject

You can apply for the RE project 2.0 by clicking the link.

Other resources:

Samaritans UK

Samaritans USA

Doctors in Distress

NHS Practitioner Health

See more episodes: thefullywelldocpod.podbean.com

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on social media:

Instagram @fullywelldocpod

Twitter @fullywelldocpod

Looking for coaching? Reach out for a free call with one of us:

Emily - www.fullybecoaching.com or Natasha - www.thewelldoctor.org

You can also connect with Emily or Natasha on social media:

Emily is on Instagram and LinkedIn

Natasha is on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn

Photography by Antony Newman

Music by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay