Burnout isn’t just emotional, it’s financial. Many doctors put off financial planning until they’re deep in debt, stuck in lifestyle inflation, and too burned out to pivot. In this episode, The White Coat Investor Jim Dahle lays out how to build a burnout-resistant career by making smart, intentional money decisions, whether you’re a student or a seasoned physician.

We delve into frugality (the useful and the absurd), how burnout can quietly become your biggest financial threat, what makes a solid investment plan, the waterfall method of managing your money, and why many doctors end up wealthy on paper but broke in practice. Plus: when hiring a financial advisor is the smartest move you can make—and when it’s the worst.

Guest bio:  Jim Dahle, MD, FACEP is a practicing emergency physician and the founder of The White Coat Investor. After early experiences with predatory financial advisors, he taught himself personal finance and saw firsthand how financial literacy transformed his life. Motivated to help colleagues avoid similar pitfalls, he launched The White Coat Investor—then the only unbiased financial education resource for physicians. More than a decade later, Dr. Dahle continues to lead the organization as CEO, columnist, and podcast host, staying true to its mission: “help those who wear the white coat get a fair shake on Wall Street.”

• Financial goals as the “game,” not competition with others
• Embracing frugality (and where it can go too far)
• Burnout as a major financial risk
• Strategies to reduce burnout, including working less and managing spending
• Understanding your financial “basement” (minimum monthly needs)
• Lifestyle creep and how to monitor it
• The “live like a resident” strategy post-training
• Net worth versus income, and why physicians sometimes retire broke
• The financial “waterfall” (how to prioritize where your money goes)
• Why trying to beat the market usually backfires
• Whole life insurance: the hype versus reality
• Creating an Investment Policy Statement (IPS)
• Real estate investing: REITs versus hands-on ownership
• Designing your life and shifts as a financially independent physician
• The "night shift marketplace" model
• When to work with, or fire, a financial advisor
• Case study: mid-career physician financial planning

Making a major career shift is never easy, especially when you've dedicated decades to a profession that has become part of your identity. The decision to leave clinical medicine can be fraught with self-doubt, financial considerations, and the lingering question - what comes next? But at some point, the balance shifts, and the cost of staying outweighs the fear of leaving. In this episode, we explore what it takes to walk away from a stable medical career, redefine success, and craft a life that aligns with evolving priorities. Finally, we dig into strategies for managing stress, investing in personal growth, and finding fulfillment beyond the bedside.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest bio:  Dr. Patrick O’Malley is an emergency physician with nearly two decades of experience in community emergency departments and high-acuity urgent care. Based in Columbia, South Carolina, he has recently expanded into entrepreneurial ventures, including The Laceration Course, in partnership with EB Medicine. He helps moderate the EM Docs Side Hustle Facebook group, a community of over 3,000 emergency physicians exploring side gigs and alternative careers. Dr. O’Malley is dedicated to helping physicians explore new opportunities beyond the walls of the emergency department.

We discuss:

• The Decision to Resign
• Financial Readiness and the Role of Family Support
• Looking Back on a Career in Emergency Medicine
• Redefining Work-Life Balance
• Transitioning to a New Identity
• Investing in Yourself
• Burnout, Coaching, and the Road to Change
• Finding Joy in Medicine: Small Moments, Big Impact
• Living Another Yesterday
• Crafting Your Own Path: Empowering Clinicians
• Newman and John Marks: Managing Stress and Calm

Mentioned in this episode:

🔥 New Free Resource! 🔥

Just dropped: a brand-new video + PDF on how to recalibrate your career based on our sold-out webinar, now re-recorded with the best audience questions and tactical takeaways.

Free Resources Link

Recalibrate Your Career

I work with physicians to help them flourish in medical practice. If you're feeling stuck, burned out, or in trouble at work because of communication or conflict, check out our FAQ page for more info.

Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching

UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers.

The UnBurnable Course

Delivering the news of death is one of the hardest yet most overlooked skills in emergency medicine. Many learn by watching others or through trial and error rather than structured training (or just make it up as they go). This lack of preparation can lead to discomfort, stress, avoidance, and even systemic failures in how death notifications are handled. In this episode, we explore the critical components of death communication, how to navigate these difficult conversations with clarity and compassion, and why avoiding or mishandling these moments can have lasting consequences for both providers and families. Finally, we discuss the emotional toll of secondhand grief and the importance of proactive mental health care for those on the front lines of healthcare.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest bio:  Alexandra Jabr, PhD, EMT-P, is the founder of Emergency Resilience and a leading voice in the overlooked aspects of first responder training. With nearly 15 years of experience as an EMT, paramedic, cardiac tech, EMS coordinator, and educator, she saw firsthand the emotional toll of the job—especially when it came to death communication. She went on to earn a Master’s in Death, Grief, and Bereavement, followed by a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology, focusing on how first responders can maintain their mental health while supporting grieving families and colleagues. Through her work, she’s redefining continuing education, ensuring first responders get the training they truly need—not just another CPR recert.

We discuss:

• Why On-Scene Death Notifications Are So Difficult
• Challenges in Death Communication Training
• Practical Steps for Delivering the News of Death
• A Structured and Compassionate Framework
• Handling Determination of Death
• Common Mistakes
• Secondhand Grief and Provider Well-being
• Proactive Mental Health for Providers

Mentioned in this episode:

Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.

If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Awake + Aware | May 5–7, 2025

Bend, Oregon | A 3-day, in-person workshop with world-class faculty to challenge your mindset, recharge your purpose, and connect with people who get it. 18 Hours Category 1 CME

Awake + Aware Bend 2025

Leadership impacts everyone—whether you're steering an entire organization or simply navigating team dynamics. It’s an essential skill, yet it often feels elusive, even for experienced professionals. While every leadership challenge is unique, the core principles remain universal.

In this episode, we break down eight critical leadership principles drawn from years of experience, hard lessons, conversations with seasoned experts, research, and coaching leaders at all levels. Plus, we share actionable strategies to help you refine your leadership, whether you're guiding thousands or leading a small team.

Want more? Subscribe to our free newsletter, Doctoring Done Well. Every other Saturday, straight to your inbox—strategies to work smarter, lead better, and build a career that lasts.

• Don’t Worry About Leading, Worry About Listening
• This is Not Your Dumpster Fire
• Slow Your Roll
• You Will Have to Be a Judge, Even When You Don’t Want to Be
• Model the Values
• With Behavioral Issues, Build the Pathway, Not Just the Expectation
• You Don’t Know What You’re Doing—And That’s OK
• People Do Things for Their Reasons, Not Yours

Mentioned in this episode:

UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers.

The UnBurnable Course

Violence has a cadence, a rhythm that disrupts the normal flow of life. When an act of violence erupts, the first sign is often a sudden, unexplainable shift in the environment—an eerie silence, a heightened energy, or a gut feeling that something is wrong. But when does that uneasy feeling cross the threshold into immediate danger? In this episode, we explore the critical decision points in an active violence situation in the healthcare/hospital setting, the moral and ethical dilemmas of medical providers staying versus escaping, and tactical strategies for survival. Finally, we break down the "run, hide, fight" approach and how to act decisively when every second counts.

Guest bio: Mike Shertz, MD is an emergency physician who spent 13 years as a Green Beret and a Special Forces medic. He is the founder and purveyor of Crisis Medicine, which teaches tactical casualty care to medical professionals. Check out this video that we did together in 2019 on how to place and remove a tourniquet and this one on how to pack a gunshot wound with combat gauze. 

Want more? Subscribe to our free newsletter, Doctoring Done Well. Every other Saturday, straight to your inbox—strategies to work smarter, lead better, and build a career that lasts.

We Discuss:

• Recognizing an Active Violence Situation
• Moral Dilemmas: Stay or Escape?
• Perspectives on Risk and Response
• Tactical Survival: Run, Hide, Fight
• Post-Shooting Medical Response

Dealing with an angry, upset patient can feel like walking into an emotional storm. The frustration in the room is palpable, and even the most experienced clinicians can feel thrown off balance. While medical training equips us to handle complex diagnoses and emergencies, it often falls short when it comes to managing interpersonal conflict. That’s where the Universal Upset Patient Protocol comes in—a straightforward, highly effective framework designed to de-escalate tense situations, restore trust, and protect your own emotional bandwidth. In this episode, we explore Dr. Dike Drummond’s original protocol, breaking down each step with specific language to use in the heat of the moment. Finally, we’ll add a few practical tweaks to help make these conversations even more natural and effective in real-world practice.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest Bio: Dike Drummond, MD, is a physician coach, burnout prevention expert, and creator of the Universal Upset Patient Protocol—a step-by-step framework for managing challenging interactions with upset patients. A former family physician, he transitioned to coaching to address the emotional toll of healthcare on providers. As founder of TheHappyMD.com, he’s helped thousands of physicians improve communication, manage stress, and build healthier professional relationships.

• The Universal Upset Patient Protocol: A Framework for Diffusing Conflict
• Key Principle: Acknowledgment Over Fixing
• Step 1: Acknowledge the Vibe and Name the Emotion
• Step 2: Open the Door for Them to Speak
• Step 3: Apologize and Show Compassion
• Step 4: Identify Their Need
• Step 5: Clarifying Reflection (Rob O Addition)
• Step 6: Set Boundaries and Expectations
• Step 7: Express Gratitude
• Beyond the Protocol: The Magic of Conflict Framework

Mentioned in this episode:

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations.

Free Resources Link

UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers.

The UnBurnable Course

Doctoring Done Well | Bite-Sized Wins

Every other week, a few minutes of career-elevating insight delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up for our Newsletter

What defines the unique mindset of an emergency clinician? It’s not just the fast pace or the chaotic environment—it’s the deliberate, top-down thinking that prioritizes patient safety over diagnostic certainty. This approach, though deceptively simple, often flies in the face of traditional medical training, which emphasizes comprehensive differentials and exhaustive workups. In emergency medicine, knowing what the patient needs often matters more than knowing exactly what they have. In this episode, we explore the emergency medicine mindset, the pitfalls of the bottom-up approach, and why experienced clinicians focus on acute interventions and dangerous conditions. Finally, we discuss how humility and strategic communication with patients can make all the difference in mitigating risk and building trust.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest bio:  Reuben Strayer is an emergency physician based in Brooklyn, at Maimonides Medical Center. He tweets @emupdates and blogs at EMupdates.com on a variety of emergency medicine topics. His clinical areas of interest include airway management, analgesia, opioid misuse, procedural sedation, agitation, decision-making, and error. His extra-clinical areas of interest include sweeping generalizations and jalapeño peppers. 

We Discuss:

• A Critique of Medical School Training and the Bottom-Up Approach
• Top-Down Approach and Ophthalmology Insights
• The 8 Responsibilities of Emergency Physicians
• The Wheel of Dangerous Conditions
• Top-Down Thinking in Practice
• Humility and Communication in Emergency Medicine

Mentioned in this episode:

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations.

Free Resources Link

UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers.

The UnBurnable Course

Doctoring Done Well | Bite-Sized Wins

Every other week, a few minutes of career-elevating insight delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Mastering nonverbal communication can be an elusive task, but the fact remains: what’s unsaid leaves a significant footprint in any interaction. Nowhere is this more palpable than in the medical exam room, where trust and connection between physicians and patients often hinge on subtle, nonverbal cues.

So, how can one build trust through facial expressions and tone of voice alone?

In this episode, we break down how to silently establish rapport, effective use of pauses, the curious role of your eyebrows, impact of end-of-sentence inflection, how to convey uncertainty with confidence, and why learning a patient’s eye color can pay dividends.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest bio:  Bradley Block, MD, is a private practice otolaryngologist on Long Island, New York, where he lives with his wife and three young sons. He is a partner at ENT and Allergy Associates and creator of the Physician’s Guide to Doctoring Podcast. He realized that rapport was the key to gaining trust, seeing patients efficiently, enjoying his practice, and building his reputation. He tried to find a podcast that would help him improve at doctor-patient communication, but there was none, so he created Physician’s Guide to Doctoring! The topics quickly expanded to “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s Cycle.”

We Discuss:

• The "Interest and Authority" Framework for Nonverbal Communication
• Facial Expressions: Conveying Interest
• Humor and Likability in Patient Interaction
• Making Eye Contact and Noticing Eye Color
• Attitude and Authority in Patient Care
• Effective Communication Techniques
• Addressing Patient Concerns and Fears

Mentioned in this episode:

UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers.

The UnBurnable Course

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations.

Free Resources Link

Doctoring Done Well | Bite-Sized Wins

Every other week, a few minutes of career-elevating insight delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up for our Newsletter

What’s the biggest mistake people make about meditation? Thinking they’re bad at it. Why do they think this? Because they’ve tried meditating, and their mind just won’t shut up!

It’s a common misconception that meditation means clearing your mind of all thoughts. But in reality, meditation has little—or nothing—to do with that. If your mind wanders or feels like a crowded room full of shouting voices when you close your eyes, you’re not alone. That’s exactly what’s supposed to happen!

A wandering mind isn’t failure—it’s expected, even for seasoned meditators.

In this episode, we break down the exact steps of how to meditate, what to do with a wandering mind, and why a flurry of thoughts—popping up like popcorn—doesn’t mean you’re bad at meditation. In fact, it means your mind is working exactly as it should. Ultimately, meditation isn’t about thinking less; it’s about changing how you engage with your thoughts, making it a skill you simply can’t fail.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Mentioned in this episode:

Doctoring Done Well | Bite-Sized Wins

Every other week, a few minutes of career-elevating insight delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up for our Newsletter

It started in medical school, when I witnessed the stark reality of the hidden curriculum: a transgender patient referred to as "it" by an attending physician. Over the years, I saw more subtle but no less harmful behaviors—snickers, misused pronouns, quiet biases. I often felt lost in how to respond.

Today, transgender identity feels more politically charged than ever. But beyond the politics, what’s it like simply to be transgender? What challenges do transgender patients face—physically, medically, socially, and emotionally? And how do you navigate a world that sees you differently after transitioning?

In this episode, Dr. Jailyn Avila shares her story. We cover the deeply personal aspects of transition, from conversations with her wife and kids to navigating professional dynamics as an internationally recognized expert. Dr. Avila offers candid insights into her experience as a physician presenting as both male and female, practical advice for providing better care for transgender patients, and strategies for addressing pronouns and mistakes with grace.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest bio:  Jailyn Avila is a board-certified emergency medicine physician,  transgender woman,  wife, and mother of three. She has been heavily involved in medical education with an emphasis on bedside ultrasound and runs Core Ultrasound, delivering online educational content. In 2021, Jailyn began her gender transition and “completed” said transition in 2023. Jailyn is currently Core Faculty for the UHS SoCal MEC Emergency Medicine Residency in Temecula, California where she also functions as the Associate Ultrasound Director and the Director of Faculty Development. 

• Coming Out to Her Wife
• Navigating External Frictions and Gender Identity
• Balancing Personal and Professional Identity
• The Gradual Process of Transition
• Work and Social Dynamics
• Experiences as Both a Male and Female Physician
• Managing Emotions: The RAIN Method
• Caring for Transgender Patients in the Emergency Department
• Impact of Jailyn's Transition on Her Family and Children
• Understanding Gender and Biological Variations

Mentioned in this episode:

Awake + Aware Bend May 5-7, 2025 | Our in person live event

Ready to reset, recharge, and level up?

Awake + Aware Bend 2025

Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.

If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Sign up for our Newsletter

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations.

Free Resources Link