Here’s What’s Beyond Surgery for Me

For most of my life, becoming a doctor was everything. I became a surgeon against the odds, and for a long time I believed that was the pinnacle—the place where all roads ended. But here’s the thing: life doesn’t stop at the title on your white coat.

What I discovered is that when we limit ourselves to one identity, one way of being, one track of achievement, we starve parts of ourselves that are hungry for growth, joy, and expansion. And that was me.

I tried to quiet the voice inside that wanted more—more creativity, more presence with my kids, more humanity in my work, more autonomy, more play. But ignoring it came at a cost. My hands (the tools that kept the roof over our heads) started to shake. I couldn’t sleep. I lived in a state of constant tension. Even my children picked up on it, trying to help me manage feelings that were mine to hold.

My surgeon identity felt threatened, but my spirit was begging me to listen.

When coaching found me, it felt almost too simple—being seen, heard, and not judged. No prescriptions. No referrals. Just space to witness my own mind with compassion. That was the medicine I’d been missing.

It struck me that this used to be the heart of our profession: presence, humanity, care. But somewhere along the way, it became crowded with other motives—compensation, competition, status, exhaustion. From the inside, I could see it clearly. My body knew before my mind admitted it: I didn’t feel safe within the system. I’d already seen too much.

And whether I wanted to or not, I carried the uneasy truth that even the care I was receiving wasn’t always free of agenda. I did what I was trained to do: I went to specialists, I sought advice from colleagues, I followed the system. But somewhere deep down—without fully realizing it—I’d stopped trusting us. That was the trauma talking, but it was also a result of a system that has let us down—surgeons and patients alike. A system that pits us against one another, tempts us with outside incentives, preys on our exhaustion, and offers status and hierarchy as a reward for betraying our own wellbeing.

Through coaching, I could finally see it. And from that clarity, I began to heal. I learned how to step into my power not only as a surgeon, but as a patient too—claiming both identities with honesty and compassion.

That shift—back to humanity, back to power—is at the core of Empowered Surgeons.

From that space, the ideas that were fighting to be seen emerged.

I founded Empowered Surgeons—a community and coaching program that helps surgeons reconnect with their humanity, align with their values, and practice medicine sustainably.

I co-founded The Hippocratic Collective, bringing together physicians to rethink what leadership and healing can look like in our field.

I created Explore + Expand Retreats, where surgeons step away from the OR and step into fresh air, creativity, connection and play.

Yes, surgery shaped me. But it wasn’t the final chapter—it was just the beginning.

Today, I know that my worth isn’t measured by RVUs or rigid systems. It’s measured by how I live, how I love, and how I serve. Beyond surgery, I’ve found more joy, more freedom, and a truer sense of myself. And that’s the story I want to help other surgeons write too.