Lean Out Podcast: Adventure with Rachel Wood

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to drop everything and move to the opposite side of the globe? My guest on the most recent episode of the Lean Out podcast recently did just that.

Dr. Rachel Wood is an anesthesiologist with subspecialty training in pediatrics. While working hard at her “dream job” in Oregon, she got to a point where she just didn’t have the same joy for work she wanted. Her days were draining her energy to the point where she had nothing left for her husband and young son.

Full disclosure: Rachel is a past coaching client of mine. We worked through a work-life balance transition together that had her going part time with her private practice group, and it really helped her symptoms of burnout.

But do you know what happened after that?

She experienced the reflective power of having white space.

In the process of settling in to her part time schedule, she and her husband had the idea to move to New Zealand. They greatly value adventure and were ready for a new environment. In fact, she had been thinking about international locum tenens work for a while – but it just didn’t seem possible. It didn’t seem like something a fellowship-trained anesthesiologist should do.

Until she realized she could do anything with her career she wanted.

In our conversation, you’ll hear what it’s like to practice medicine in a different country, what Rachel’s schedule is like now, and how her non-working days look. Spoiler: they’re simple and glorious and full of presence. I hope you enjoy this episode!