Stress, burnout, and their sequelae are heavy subjects. One of the things I often discuss in my talks is the “hidden curriculum” doctors are taught during medical school and residency: the one that ingrains in us a culture of self-sacrifice, self-reliance, and busyness as a badge of honor.
And this dysfunctional paradigm doesn’t only apply to medical careers. Christina Maslach, burnout expert and inventor of the widely-used Maslach Burnout Inventory for the assessment of burnout, speaks of high-paced work environments in Silicon Valley startups as “a marathon with a sprint model still being used in terms of self-sacrifice.”
The expectation of invulnerability is always palpable in the audience. Sometimes there are no questions, but afterward, I always have people come up to me to talk one on one:
- A medical student once confided in me her new diagnosis of MS and asked for guidance on how to navigate this potential disability during her upcoming training. It sparked me to write this classic blog post.
- A senior anesthesiologist, a very “guy’s guy” type, sheepishly shared with me his regular practice of restorative yoga and how much it has helped him with his stress and relationships.
- A meeting attendee told me privately how much he appreciated my discussion of self-assessment methods such as learning your Tendency, Love Languages, and other personality traits… since doing some of these had virtually saved his marriage.
THIS is the stuff. The meat of life. It’s why I love to do speaking engagements!
– Feedback from Nicole, who attended my talk “Mindfulness Through Self-Knowledge”“Thank you so much for sharing your story. This was so helpful and exactly what I needed to hear.”
With speaking, I aim to raise awareness of the dangers we work against in modern professions while providing easy to digest, practical solutions that fit into a busy schedule. Things we can all implement TODAY to practice more balance.
Do you have an upcoming event and need a speaker?
Some of the general topics I can speak on at your next event include:
- Moving beyond burnout: practical tools finding balance again as a professional
- The power of self-knowledge for physical, mental, and financial health
- How to shed impostor syndrome and find your authentic confidence
- Easy mindfulness practices for busy professionals
- Navigating infertility as a busy professional
- “Leaning out” and living a life less ordinary as a professional
Here’s what Dr. Amna Shabbir, TedX speaker and expert on perfectionism had to say about one of my talks:
Contact me for inquiries! You can also find a full list of past speaking topics here.
