Best On The Brain Ent Podcasts (2025)

1
#60 A Peak Inside the Brain of a Creative with Comic Book Artist, Dr. Ryan Montoya 1:04:07

Play Pause

3d ago1:04:07

1:04:07

Women Surgeons, click here if interested in the retreat in Cabo. Have you ever considered the creative process of your favorite artist? I, personally, will never forget the moment I found out that Jerry Seinfeld wrote his jokes on napkins! Comic book artist and family practice physician, Dr. Ryan Montoya, comes on the show to talk about his evoluti…

1
#59 The Impossible Oath with Dr. Frances Mei Hardin 53:46

10d ago53:46

53:46

Women Surgeons, click here if interested in the retreat in Cabo. Master storyteller and fellow disrupter, Dr. Frances Mei Hardin comes on the podcast to discuss the article The Impossible Oath. We talk about what the Hippocratic Oath is and, perhaps more importantly, is not. You'll learn how the system grooms us for "betrayal blindness" and why a b…

1
#58 Self-Concept Shapes Everything 32:00

18d ago32:00

32:00

Are you a woman surgeon ready for a transformative January (1/9/26-1/11/26) retreat in Cabo? Click here to book your call and see if it’s the perfect fit for you. Your self-concept is the story you tell yourself about who you are. It shapes everything: the decisions you make, the risks you take (or avoid), and the way you show up in the world. But …

1
#57 Reinvention of Self with Dr. Stephanie Pearson 1:00:52

25d ago1:00:52

1:00:52

Learn more about Pearson Ravitz here. Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here. Learn more about Hippocratic Collective here. What happens when the surgeon becomes the patient? When the body you relied on to do your life’s work… stops cooperating? Today’s guest, Dr. Stephanie Pearson, walks us through her powerful, often painful journey, from…

1
#56 Prioritizing Non-negotiables with Dr. Hannah Thompson and Chris Herring 56:44

1M ago56:44

56:44

Medicine often forgets the people who live just beyond the call room: the spouses, the partners, the ones holding it together while the system pulls physicians apart. In this conversation, we meet Hannah and Chris, a couple who turned conflict into clarity. As the husband of a physician, Chris found himself isolated and invisible during Hannah’s re…

1
#55 Supercommunication 31:34

1M ago31:34

31:34

If you enjoyed this topic, you're going to want to join Empowered Surgeons. There’s a dedicated classroom to this topic in the “Surgeon Self-Concept” module. Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here. Watch Charles Duhigg's TEDx talk here. Get his book, Supercommunicators: how to unlock the secret languange of connection here. To recap Superco…

1
#54 When ADHD Hides in Plain Sight with Dr. Femi Oyewole 57:03

2M ago57:03

57:03

*****************SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING****************** This episode contains discussion of suicidal thoughts. Please listen carefully or, if this topic is especially triggering for you, skip this one entirely. In this episode, Dr. Femi Oyewole shares his deeply personal journey of navigating medical training while living with undiagnosed ADHD…

1
#53 Finding Your Inner Wisdom like a Lion Tracker 40:41

2M ago40:41

40:41

Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here. Get Boyd Varty's book, The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life, access his courses, or retreat with him here. What if losing your way isn’t a detour, but the only way forward? In surgery—and in life—we’re taught to crave certainty. A clear path. A guaranteed outcome. But what if that very craving is what kee…

1
#52 Dr. Blair Peters on Advocating and Innovating with Authenticity 1:10:18

2M ago1:10:18

1:10:18

Learn more about Empowered Surgeons group here. Plastic surgery isn’t just about appearance—it’s about reinvention. For Dr. Blair Peters, that theme runs through every part of his story. After coming out before medical school and finding his place within the queer and trans community, Dr. Peters saw firsthand the inequities in gender-affirming care…

1
#51 The Counterintuitive Secret with YA author Dr. Tyler Beauchamp 51:46

2M ago51:46

51:46

Tyler Beauchamp is a pediatrician and children’s/YA author from Georgia whose earliest experiences with medicine came not as a student, but as a patient. As a child, Tyler spent years in and out of research clinics searching for answers. He began writing in waiting rooms as a way to cope, and eventually fell in love with both storytelling and medic…

1
#50 Toddlers in Scrubs with Psychologist Barlas Günay 1:04:23

2M ago1:04:23

1:04:23

Psychologist and reparenting expert, Barlas Günay, comes on the show to reveal why the majority of us are really just children in white coats. Toddlers in scrubs. Babies pretending to be adults. And what we can do about it. In this powerful episode, we explore why traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may fall short for high-functioning pr…

1
#49 Sky Diving, Surgery, and the Art of Trusting Yourself with Dr. Alexandra Kharazi 56:14

3M ago56:14

56:14

In this episode, Dr. Mel Thacker sits down with cardiac surgeon, Dr. Alexandra Kharazi. Together, they explore what it means to operate—literally and figuratively—from a place of purpose rather than fear. We discuss: The emotional rewards of caring for high-risk cardiac patients who have few options left The "Black Swan" framework for surgical deci…

1
#48 Mindshifting 36:32

3M ago36:32

36:32

Learn more about Empowered Surgeons Group here. In a profession that demands perfection and endurance, it’s easy to default to survival mode. But what if the real evolution happens when we shift from self-preservation to purpose? In this episode, we unpack the 6 core human needs—belonging, autonomy, mastery, esteem, trust, and purpose—and how under…

1
#47 From Institution to Autonomy with Dr. Sharon Stein 51:25

3M ago51:25

51:25

Dr. Sharon Stein is a colorectal surgeon, professor, coach, and creator of The Intentional Surgeon. In this episode, she shares her unconventional path to medicine—from outdoor education and real estate to academic surgery—and how she carved out a career aligned with her values. We explore her rise through academic leadership, the stresses of tryin…

1
#46 Don’t Mess with Little Old Ladies with Dr. Colleen Balkam 52:04

3M ago52:04

52:04

In this impactful conversation, we dive deep with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Colleen Balkam into the emotional, physical, and cultural terrain of surgical practice—particularly in orthopedics and geriatric care. What we cover in this episode: Coaching, reframing excitement as anxiety, and the importance of pausing when things get hard. Facing your firs…

1
#45 Unintentional Harm 30:44

4M ago30:44

30:44

“First Do No Harm” is an impossible oath—a wonderful intention but an unlikely reality. So how do we create safety for ourselves in this profession, knowing we’ll inevitably cause harm? This episode will teach you actionable steps to go from the “distract and avoid” type of surgeon to the “process and create” type of surgeon. The result for you? Em…

1
Webinar: Your Best Career Insurance Policy-Know, Like, and Trust 1:01:03

4M ago1:01:03

1:01:03

The best way to protect yourself in the profession of surgery is to build real connection with your patients. People don’t retaliate against physicians they know, like, and trust. This webinar will teach you how to cultivate know, like, and trust with every human you encounter. You can take this work deeper by joining Empowered Surgeons Group. Lear…

1
#44 Sex and Surgery with Master Coach Danielle Savory 50:55

4M ago50:55

50:55

"A pleasured woman is an empowered woman" - Danielle Savory In this rich and layered conversation, we explore how sex coaching becomes a powerful *pleasure* portal to self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and healing from burnout. Danielle shares how experiencing debilitating physical symptoms in her twenties—and recognizing the abusive dynam…

1
#43 Finding the Middle Way in Medicine with Dr. Joan Chan 52:18

4M ago52:18

52:18

In today’s episode, we dive deep into how the systems around us—medicine, culture, even religion—can deplete our humanity when we’re not paying attention. I’m joined by Dr. Joan Chan, who brings her unique perspective of growing up in a fundamentalist Christian household, deconstructing black-and-white thinking, and navigating her career as a famil…

1
Webinar: The ABCs to Get Back in the Current 1:06:06

4M ago1:06:06

1:06:06

It's normal to fall out of the current in the OR. We know we've fallen out when our brain sends us into anxiety, urgency, and self-doubt. Getting back into the current is as easy as ABC: A: Awareness, Allowance, Acceptance, Aligned Action B: Breathe; Get your Brain Back in your own Business C: Certainty-->Curiosity-->Creativity Now... You learned h…

1
#42 Why Your Human Animal Burns Out 26:55

4M ago26:55

26:55

Sign up for Empowered Surgeons Group here. It's not the prior auths, unfinished charts, or patient messages that are burning you out. While those circumstances need reform, they are merely symptoms of a much bigger problem—a problem that has everything to do with you, which is fantastic news because it means you can do something about it. In this e…

1
#41 Failure and Surgery 44:40

5M ago44:40

44:40

“...it is unsurprising that we surgeons are reluctant to engage the admission—or even contemplation—of failure with the exuberant rapture described by contemporary self-help print and motivational speakers.” —Dr. Eric Henderson, On Surgical Failures: Onward to Objective Evaluation of Our Less Proud Moments Failure is required for success—but failin…

1
#40 Stewarding Change with Dr. Jon Russell 53:02

5M ago53:02

53:02

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. How do we incentivize surgeons to evolve their techniques? Why hasn’t scarless thyroid surgery taken off in the U.S.? In this episode, we dive into: The disconnect between those who stay stuck in their beliefs and those who have incentive to innovate Why we often don’t offer techniques we don’t fully…

1
#39 Giftedness and Neurodivergence with Dr. Colleen Plein 53:12

5M ago53:12

53:12

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Dr. Colleen Plein, an otolaryngologist and coach for gifted adults, joins the podcast to explore the unique challenges of being a gifted or neurodivergent adult—something many of us in medicine and surgery can relate to. Find her on instagram here or email her [email protected]. She is resourc…

1
#38 Psychological Challenges and Surgery Culture with Dr. Andrew Brunswick 54:42

5M ago54:42

54:42

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Dr. Andrew Brunswick, a neurosurgeon at Kaiser Permanente in LA, joins us on the podcast to discuss the psychological challenges and culture in surgery. In this episode, we cover: The culture Andrew experienced while working on Wall Street The problem with getting stuck on the hedonic treadmill The p…

1
#37 The Surgeon Essentialist 36:58

6M ago36:58

36:58

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Essentialism is the disciplined pursuit of less, and the profession of surgery could use a hefty dose. Surgeon Essentialists do less, but better. This means we focus on the results we are trying to create, and then we reverse engineer the actions required to get us there. The primary goal of a surgeo…

1
#36 Too Much with Dr. Cindy Lee Neighbors 57:14

6M ago57:14

57:14

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Mental health struggles, self-sabotage, rock bottom, psychiatric admissions, having the "wrong" facial expressions and tone of voice, an intra-op assault accusation, grief, discrimination, bad teachers, big emotions, and creativity. In this episode, Dr. Cindy Lee Neighbors shares her experience as a …

1
#35 Trainee to Attending Self-Concept 32:17

6M ago32:17

32:17

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Going from trainee to attending requires a death and rebirth. One identity dies and another is born. Stepping into the identity of an authority, an expert, an attending IS the first step. If you are studying for oral boards or about to graduate, elevating your self-concept is the best thing you can d…

1
#34 Courage to Pivot with Dr. Rashida Vassell 52:42

6M ago52:42

52:42

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. From ambitious and intelligent young woman who fast-tracked through college and medical school to hard-working surgery resident to new mom in her chief year to attending trying to navigate life after training, Dr. Vassell tells us all about how she reinvented herself multiple times to create a career…

1
#33 Finding Your Attending Identity with Dr. Amina Farooq 1:01:14

6M ago1:01:14

1:01:14

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. We don't typically end up living the life we imagined we were going to live when we applied to our specialties. Dr. Amina Farooq shares her experience working as an academic interventional radiologist within a dehumanizing system. For many of us, this dehumanization erodes our sense of purpose. Healt…

1
#32 Blake's Story with Dr. Andrea Palmer 54:48

7M ago54:48

54:48

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. ****SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING******* ****This episode discusses suicide, which can be distressing for some. If this subject is triggering for you, please consider skipping this one. If you are going to listen, make sure to listen carefully and take good care of yourself. If you are feeling hopeless o…

1
#31 Solving for a Broken System with Dr. Wendy Dean and Dr. Matt Ramsey 52:54

7M ago52:54

52:54

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. "I think we need to stay relentlessly curious. And we need to understand what we're working in and recognize there is nobody who comes to work everyday and thinks I'm going to make somebody else miserable." - Dr. Wendy Dean When service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan were not responding …

1
#30 Your Online Presence Doesn’t Have to Suck with Steph Sheldon, M.Arch 1:04:01

7M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Nobody in your audience, including your patients, wants your CV shoved down their throat. They don't care. They want to know if and how you can help them. Steph Sheldon is a website designer, former architect, and master at helping people reconnect with their creative side. Creativity is the emotion …

1
#29 Anxiety isn’t Fear 31:16

7M ago31:16

31:16

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. As a society, we are collectively dealing with an epidemic of anxiety. And no, we can’t just calm down. In today’s episode you will learn 3 important characteristics of anxiety 1. Anxiety lives in the left hemisphere, which has been strengthened by cultural messages 2. Anxiety is contagious 3. Anxiet…

1
#28 Vulnerability is Strength with Dr. Dan Ward 54:19

8M ago54:19

54:19

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Facial plastic surgeon, entrepreneur, and life coach, Dr. Dan Ward, comes on the podcast to share his story. He offers his insights on the struggles of parenting, what makes it difficult for surgeons to show up as our best selves, and the power of understanding our human brain and human emotions. In …

1
#27 Self-Worth has Nothing to do with your CV with Dr. Jillian Rigert 53:24

8M ago53:24

53:24

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. ***SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING*** This episode discusses eating disorders and suicidal ideation. If these topics are triggering for you, please listen carefully or skip this episode all together. Take care of yourselves. And if you are struggling, please seek out professional help. A person I consider …

1
#26 Best of 2024 31:14

8M ago31:14

31:14

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Enjoy salient snippets from 2024. I left out episodes #1 and #2, which are foundational and need to be listened to from start to finish. If you haven't checked them out, go back and listen. Have a great New Year and see you all in 2025! Get on-demand, lifetime, risk-free access to the Empowered Surge…

1
#25 Doctors and Litigation with Dr. Gita Pensa 53:38

8M ago53:38

53:38

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Good surgeons get sued. That’s the hard truth. Even if you do everything right. Even if you establish “know, like, and trust”. When the stars align, patients sue. And, as surgeons, the cards are stacked against us. Dr. Pensa has experienced malpractice first hand and explains what it’s like to go thr…

1
#24 Addiction with Dr. Brett Cordes 49:10

9M ago49:10

49:10

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. ***SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING. This podcast discusses addiction and may be triggering for some. That said, most of us are addicted to something, be it behaviors like overworking, overeating, overspending, numbing out on socials, or some other substance or behavior that creates feel-good neurotransmitt…

1
#23 Surgical Mistakes 29:17

9M ago29:17

29:17

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Surgeons are humans, and all humans err. In this episode you’ll learn how to become the “architect of your experience” in the face of intraoperative mistakes. You'll also learn how fear and anxiety shrink cognitive capacity, and what you can do instead to expand your brain space. Take these immediate…

1
#22: Patient Communication Made Easy with Dr. Brad Block 36:41

9M ago36:41

36:41

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Creating connections with patients can be fun and easy...if you know a few simple hacks. In this episode, otolaryngologist and veteran podcaster, Dr. Brad Block, enlightens us on how to give patients our presence simply and easily. Use these tips and you'll create relationships in which 1. patients f…

1
#21 Planning your Inevitable Exit with Michael Johnson Jr Esq 54:17

9M ago54:17

54:17

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Physician contract lawyer, Michael Johnson, comes on the podcast to talk about protecting your freedom and your value, and getting it in writing. First, you must get clear on what you want. You may think it’s a big paycheck, but your desires often evolve, and you do yourself a service to make room fo…

1
#20 Surgeons as Performance Athletes with Author Brad Stulberg 52:05

10M ago52:05

52:05

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Author, speaker, and coach, Brad Stulberg comes on the podcast to talk about what surgeons can learn from performance athletes. He researches and writes about mental health, mastery, meaning, and excellence. He is bestselling author of the books The Practice of Groundedness and Master of Change. He r…

1
#19 The Dreaded Postop Call: Meeting the Moment 35:48

10M ago35:48

35:48

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”-Viktor Frankl. This episode is all about the space between stimulus and response, circumstance and action, event and reaction. That space is an opportun…

1
#18 Two Lessons on Anxiety from the TEDx Stage 25:54

10M ago25:54

25:54

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. If you get the pre-OR jitters or you deal with anxiety on a daily basis, these two lessons on anxiety will be exceptionally useful for you. As someone who has dealt with anxiety my entire life, standing on the TEDx stage was a pinnacle moment for me where my self concept evolved from someone who is t…

1
#17 Emotional Adulthood in Surgery 31:11

10M ago31:11

31:11

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Becoming an emotional adult as a surgeon is essential, but it's not easy. You are working in a high-stress, high-stakes industry, and it's so much easier to act out and throw tantrums like a toddler. Perhaps that's been modeled for you in training. Perhaps you think you have to throw a fit to take go…

1
#16 Reputation and Malpractice Insurance: Cultivating "Know, Like, and Trust" 55:03

10M ago55:03

55:03

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. The best way to insulate ourselves against patient retaliation is to cultivate "know, like, and trust". But how do we do that? In this episode, I'll tell you how I used to do it right, then, in a state of burnout, I did it very wrong (2 patients complained about me to the board of medicine during tha…

1
#15: Sexual Assault in Training 52:02

11M ago52:02

52:02

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. **This episode discusses sensitive topics including sexual assault** Today's episode features Dr. Francis Mei Hardin, an otolaryngologist, host of "Promising Young Surgeon", and a pioneer of culture change. She interviewed me about being sexually assaulted when I was a 4th year resident. We talk abou…

1
#14 Surgeon Self Concept 20:47

11M ago20:47

20:47

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. Short and sweet, I will give you ONE thought that can become the foundation of your surgeon self concept. Adopt this belief and you’ll remember why you became a surgeon in the first place. With a solid self concept, you can grow confidence, curiosity, creativity, and connection. I want to hear from y…

1
#13 Emotional Wealth Part 2: Rediscovering your Home 37:28

11M ago37:28

37:28

Surgeons, text topics you want me to cover here. You don’t have to hunker down in a basement bunker (your "surgeon room"). You actually have the freedom to explore the rest of your beautiful home. Consider your identity a multi-room house, and you’ve merely ignored the other parts/rooms of yourself for so long that you’ve forgotten they exist. Cons…