In this deeply personal episode of the Mindful Practice Podcast, Dr. Bertina Hooks spotlights her forthcoming memoir, From Fire to Freedom: A Memoir of Transformation, Renewal, and Resilience. Through her experience as a physician who underwent a right below-the-knee amputation in December 2022, Dr. Hooks explores disability, identity, resilience, equity, burnout, vulnerability, and the journey of rebuilding a life with intention.

The book is scheduled for release September 23, 2026. Follow Dr. Bertina Hooks and the Mindful Practice Podcast for pre-order announcements, excerpts, launch events, and conversations surrounding the book.

Get Involved:

Join the ARC Team: https://bertinamhooksmd.org/arc-team

Reserve Your Unsigned Copy: https://buy.stripe.com/fZu8wQ6tgdFR0R2dTfb3q18

Reserve a Signed Copy: https://buy.stripe.com/eVq28s04SeJV1V66qNb3q19

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

In this episode of the Mindful Practice Podcast, Dr. Bertina Hooks explores three powerful books that examine diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine: The Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, and Twice As Hard by Jasmine Brown.

Through these stories, the episode examines medical exploitation, patient autonomy, historical mistrust, systemic discrimination, representation, and the experiences of Black women physicians. More importantly, it explores how healthcare professionals can move from understanding history to taking meaningful action.

What You’ll Discover:

• How historical medical harm continues to shape trust between patients and healthcare systems.
• Why informed consent must include genuine understanding, autonomy, and freedom of choice.
• What Henrietta Lacks’ story teaches us about ethics, scientific progress, and patient dignity.
• Why representation in medicine must include meaningful power, leadership, and opportunity.
• The barriers Black women physicians have overcome throughout medical history.
• How healthcare professionals can examine bias in clinical care, research, education, and leadership.
• Practical ways institutions can move beyond DEI statements toward measurable change.
• Why lived experiences and personal stories are essential alongside data and statistics.

DEI is not a one-time training or a statement on a website. It is an ongoing practice that requires reflection, humility, accountability, and action. Reading can open the door—but meaningful equity begins when we decide to walk through it.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

In this episode of the Mindful Practice Podcast, Dr. Dixie Kidd, DO shares her journey of practicing medicine while living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, exploring how resilience, disability inclusion, workplace accommodations, and authentic physician identity can empower physicians to build sustainable and meaningful careers.

What You’ll Discover:

• How disability and chronic illness shape the physician experience.
• The importance of accommodations and accessibility in healthcare workplaces.
• Why lived experience can strengthen empathy and improve patient care.
• The barriers and misconceptions physicians with disabilities continue to face.
• Practical ways physicians can create sustainable careers while honoring their health.
• How embracing inclusion benefits physicians, healthcare teams, and the patients they serve.

When healthcare embraces disability inclusion and recognizes the value of diverse lived experiences, physicians are empowered to continue leading, healing, and making a lasting impact—regardless of physical limitations.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

In this episode of the Mindful Practice Podcast, Dr. Jessica Bunin explores how psychological safety, authentic leadership, and inclusive workplace cultures empower physicians to thrive, strengthen healthcare teams, and improve patient care.

What You’ll Discover:

• How physician identity influences career growth and leadership.
• Why psychological safety is essential for thriving healthcare teams.
• The impact of inclusion on physician well-being and patient care.
• Practical ways leaders can foster inclusive and supportive workplaces.
• Why mentorship and trusted support systems are essential for long-term career success.
• How physicians can create sustainable careers while remaining true to themselves.

When healthcare organizations cultivate trust, inclusion, and psychological safety, physicians are better equipped to lead with authenticity, resilience, and compassion.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

In this episode of the Mindful Practice Podcast, Dr. Laurie Chern shares how chronic illness, disability, and career reinvention can reshape a physician’s identity, strengthen resilience, and create new pathways for meaningful leadership in healthcare.

What You’ll Discover:

• How chronic illness can impact a physician’s identity and career path.
• The emotional challenges of becoming both doctor and patient.
• Why disability does not diminish a physician’s worth or expertise.
• How healthcare systems can better support physicians with chronic illness.
• The importance of adaptability, self-care, and sustainable career design.
• How leadership can become a powerful avenue for physicians beyond the exam room.

When physicians honor their own health and humanity, they create more sustainable careers and become more compassionate leaders and caregivers.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow: If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

In this episode of the Mindful Practice Podcast, Dr. Jennifer Lincoln shares how patient advocacy, women's health education, and compassionate communication can help address bias, improve trust, and empower patients to take an active role in their healthcare.

What You'll Discover:

• Why women are often dismissed in healthcare settings.
• How bias contributes to health disparities.
• Why health literacy is essential for better outcomes.
• Practical ways physicians can improve patient communication.
• The impact of advocacy and evidence-based education.
• How informed patients and empathetic care strengthen healthcare.

Better healthcare begins when every patient feels heard, respected, and empowered to advocate for their health.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on: 🎧

Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/ E

mail: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

In this opening episode of the Disability, Equity & Inclusion in Medicine Series, Dr. Bertina Hooks shares her personal experience of becoming a physician with a disability and the lessons it taught her about physician sustainability, inclusion, and healthcare systems.

What You'll Discover:

• Why disability is a systems issue in medicine.
• How structural barriers affect physicians with disabilities.
• Why accommodation should be part of everyday practice.
• How disability strengthens empathy, leadership, and advocacy.
• Why better support for physicians leads to better patient care.
• A preview of this month's DEI conversations in medicine.

Disability does not define capability—it challenges us to build a healthcare system where every physician has the opportunity to thrive.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

What's keeping physicians from making meaningful career change? According to Dr. Bertina Hooks, it's often not a lack of opportunity—it's waiting for the perfect time, the perfect plan, or the confidence to magically appear.

In this concluding episode of the Career Clarity and Pivot Series, Dr. Bertina Hooks introduces the Phoenix Position Pivot Roadmap, a practical framework that helps physicians move beyond reflection and begin taking intentional action toward a more fulfilling career. She shares how small, strategic steps can create lasting momentum and why building professional optionality is the key to long-term career satisfaction.

What You'll Discover:

• Why action—not waiting—is the catalyst for career transformation.
• How the Phoenix Position Pivot Roadmap helps physicians create a sustainable transition plan.
• Why understanding your values, strengths, and transferable skills is essential for career clarity.
• How building professional optionality creates greater freedom and flexibility.
• Why confidence grows through consistent action and experimentation, not certainty.
• How to create a realistic 90-day action plan that moves your career forward.
• Reflection questions to help you gain clarity, momentum, and confidence as you build your next chapter.

You don't have to reinvent your career overnight. You simply have to begin. The future you want is built one intentional step at a time, and your experience has already prepared you for what's next.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

Think the hardest part of a physician career pivot is choosing the right path? According to Dr. Bertina Hooks, the real challenge isn't finding the next opportunity—it's developing the mindset to reinvent yourself.

In this episode of the Career Clarity and Pivot Series, Dr. Bertina Hooks explores the internal shifts every physician must make before creating meaningful career change. From overcoming perfectionism and the sunk cost trap to embracing a growth mindset, she explains why lasting transformation begins with giving yourself permission to evolve.

What You'll Discover:

• Why career pivots are identity shifts, not just professional transitions.
• How physician conditioning can keep you stuck in fear, perfectionism, and self-doubt.
• Why you're not starting over—you’re starting from experience.
• How adopting a growth mindset builds confidence through action, not certainty.
• Why your medical degree is a transferable asset with skills that extend far beyond clinical practice.
• How to avoid the sunk cost trap and redefine success on your own terms.
• Reflection questions to help you gain clarity, confidence, and alignment for your next career move.

Reinvention isn't about leaving medicine behind—it's about becoming the physician and person you're meant to be. You are allowed to evolve, and your next chapter can be built with purpose, intention, and confidence.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks: Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow: If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.

Feeling trapped in medicine? Believing your only choices are to stay in clinical practice or walk away completely? According to Dr. Bertina Hooks, that mindset may be one of the biggest myths physicians believe.

In this episode of the Career Clarity and Pivot Series, Dr. Bertina Hooks challenges the idea that physicians only have two career options and introduces a more empowering perspective: physicians have choices, physicians can evolve, and career pivots can be intentional—not impulsive.

Drawing from her own professional journey—from hospital medicine and locums to private practice, utilization management, consulting, and entrepreneurship—Dr. Hooks shares practical insights on building a sustainable and fulfilling portfolio career without burning your life down.

What You’ll Discover:

• Why the belief that physicians only have two career choices is a myth.
• What it really means to pivot strategically without making reckless decisions.
• How optionality creates freedom and reduces feelings of professional burnout and entrapment.
• Different physician career pathways, including utilization management, telemedicine, consulting, pharma, coaching, entrepreneurship, and portfolio careers.
• Why physicians should test before they leap through networking, informational interviews, side projects, and exploration.
• How your medical degree is a transferable asset, not wasted education.
• Reflection questions to help you gain clarity and alignment before making a career move.

Career pivots don’t have to be all-or-nothing. The best transitions are intentional, thoughtful, and built around the life you actually want to create. You are not trapped. You have options—and you are allowed to evolve.

Learn more at:

🎧 pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

Listen on Pinnacle Podcast Network (CME credit available):

🎧 https://learnatpinnacle.com/education

Also available on:

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/MindFulPracticePodcast_Spotify

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qmFqsW

❤️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/4kfR732

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping physicians navigate burnout, gain career clarity, and redesign their professional lives in alignment with their values and goals.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe & Follow:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a physician who may need this conversation right now.