I’m Dr. Mel Thacker, an ENT surgeon, master coach, and founder of Empowered Surgeons Group, where surgeons put down external validation and learn to reconnect with themselves so their work and lives feel sustainable, aligned, and whole
Hello, Surgeons.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Life after training isn’t what you expected.
You thought attendinghood would include more fanfare and enjoyment. But in truth, you just feel like an adult with a high-stakes job, and that sucks. I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to.
Training taught you surgery.
Not life after.
Empowered Surgeons Group gives you the playbook.
The result?
Instead of falling in step with colleagues who are languishing in their careers or striving to keep up with the Joneses, you show up purposefully and intentionally in every aspect of your life.
About the empowered surgeons program + space
In Empowered Surgeons, we set down perfectionism, comparison and competition and pick up self-trust, authenticity, and connection.
Here, we remember that life is bigger than the OR, and that being human is what actually supports you in doing this work well. What you’ll find is an earnest teacher wholeheartedly invested in your human side as much as your surgeon self—someone who understands the highs, lows, extremes, and particular challenges you face in surgery.
Empowered Surgeons is a place to practice presence, boundaries, humanity, and leadership in the hardest rooms: the OR, clinic, C suite, and at home. I can’t fix the broken system for you, but I will help you find a way to live and lead inside it—without losing yourself. In fact, you’ll find even more meaning in your work, the moments away from work, and everywhere in between.
This isn’t just about your career. It’s about the culture of surgery, what kind of colleagues we are, and how we treat each other, ourselves, support staff, and trainees. It’s about preparing you not just to survive surgery, but to have a life beyond it — because one day, whether by choice or retirement, you will.
I can’t know why you’re here until you tell me.
Maybe you’re exhausted. Maybe you recently had a surgical complication that shook you. Maybe you thought your life would feel different.
Whatever it is, I hope you’ll tell me.
xo, Mel
PROGRAMS + OFFERSLet’s explore what might be right for you, right now.
empowered surgeons, the online program + group
Empowered Surgeons is support designed specifically for surgeons who want sustainable success in the OR, clinic and beyond. It’s both a steady practice space and a reliable lifeline when things feel urgent.
It’s not a curriculum you check off, it’s something you can come back to over and over, whether for ongoing growth or in a crisis moment.
private coaching with me
1:1 is best if you want a dedicated space on your calendar with a high-level partner. It’s also for those moments when the thought of bringing your most vulnerable truths into a group feels paralyzing.
In this space, you get to practice the skills of being seen vulnerably, without pressure, without performance. This isn’t about dumping or trauma-bonding. It’s about learning how to show up as a competent, steady partner in relationship. Skills that will carry you into group spaces and beyond.
explore + expand: our twice a year retreats just for surgeons
We were never meant to do this alone.
Our retreats are our ritual against isolation. Time carved out to step away from the grind and back into connection, creativity, play, and honest conversation.
Here, you get to be more than “the surgeon.” You get to be human, witnessed by other humans who know what the work costs and what it gives.
It’s where you remember yourself, and remember that you belong.