Book Dr. Mel Thacker to speak

Surgeon, master certified coach, and two-time TEDx speaker. I give keynotes and workshops to rehumanize the profession of surgery.

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About Dr. Mel Thacker

Dr. Mel Thacker is an ENT surgeon, master certified coach and two-time TEDx speaker. After more than a decade in practice, she founded Empowered Surgeons Group to give surgeons the training that residency left out: how to handle complications, conflict, anxiety and a career that can swallow surgeons whole.

She hosts the podcast Surgeons with Purpose and is the author of Scrubbing In. Her keynotes have reached surgeons, physicians and veterinary surgeons, and she speaks from experience, as someone who still takes care of patients in the OR, clinic, and hospital today.

Audiences leave with language for what they've been feeling and practical tools they can implement immediately. Her TEDx talk, “Can we end fear-driven healthcare?” was chosen as a TEDx Editor's Pick, a distinction given to a small selection of talks from TEDx events around the world.

Topics:

  • Imposter Syndrome

  • How to Create Success & Sustainability in Surgery

  • Anxiety in the OR

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Where I’ve spoken

The TEDx Stage (two talks)

American College of Veterinary Surgeons Mark W. Allam Lecture Series, Keynote, fall 2026

Physician Women's Conference, Keynote, spring 2026

Houston Ophthalmology Women, spring 2026

GI Symposium, Jupiter, Florida, fall 2026

  • "It was a pleasure having you speak. I heard nothing but amazing feedback, and the audience could relate to everything you were saying and experiencing. I just wanted you to know that you made such a huge impact on the attendees and myself. So, thank you for making me feel not so alone in my own thoughts and feelings. You truly have a gift, and I appreciate you sharing that with us. "

    — American College of Veterinary Surgeons team

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