Stimulus - Learn Tools to Crush It in Your Medical Career

Rob Orman, MD

Do you work in medicine and love patient care but feel like parts of the job don’t measure up? Stimulus equips you with tools, mindset shifts, and strategies they didn’t teach you in training—so you can practice medicine like a boss, flourish in your career, and not let it crush your soul. Emergency physician and executive coach Rob Orman, MD, goes in-depth with thought leaders on how to avoid burnout, improve communication, lead without drama, and stay calm amidst the storm. Don’t just suck it up, think differently.

  1. HACE 4 DÍAS

    Boundary Rituals: How to Keep Work from Following You Home

    Ever walk out of a shift and feel like the hospital came home with you? In medicine, the mental residue can cling long after the work day is done. One way to address this is boundary rituals, deliberate actions designed to process the day and allow you to leave work at work, be more present when you get home, and possibly even sleep better. As a bonus, the ability to disengage from work is one of the strongest predictors of reduced burnout. In this episode, Mohamed Hagahmed, MD, shares how he creates this boundary—through small rituals of gratitude, stillness, and reflection. From growing up as a refugee to serving as a sideline physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dr. Hagahmed’s path has been shaped by resilience, culture, and care. He explains how he learned to stop carrying unfixable wounds home, why kindness is clinical armor, and how tiny acts of self-compassion can protect meaning in medicine. Guest Bio:  Mohamed Hagahmed, MD a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, Associate Medical Director at the Center for Emergency Medicine, and EMS Medical Director for several systems in Western Pennsylvania. On top of that, he works in high-acuity emergency departments across the region. He’s a graduate of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, passionate about resuscitation, critical care, and toxicology education. And he’s the creator and host of EMERGE in EM, a podcast focused on emergency medicine education and global health empowerment. We Discuss: Growing up as a refugee and finding purpose in emergency medicineThe toll of moral injury and why staying closed and rigid nearly broke himSmall rituals that help shed the emotional residue of a shiftUsing gratitude and stillness as tools for resilienceHow changing clothes, music, and even snacks can protect emotional healthTurning frustration into advocacy for immigrant health and systemic changeAdvice for new attendings on protecting the threshold between work and home Mentioned in this episode: 5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death. Free Resources Link Distilled Kickassery Every Other Saturday Sign up for our Newsletter

    43 min
  2. 7 JUL

    How to Stop Spiralling When Massively Stressed with Scott Weingart

    Stressful events can hijack cognition, cloud judgment, and leave emotional residue that can fuel long-term burnout. For acute care clinicians, those moments of emotional overwhelm, when heart rate spikes and the thinking brain goes offline, can have consequences that last far beyond the shift. While long-term resilience is essential, it’s often the just-in-time strategies that determine whether we break down or rise to the moment. In this episode, we explore the physiology and psychology of real-time emotional regulation with Scott Weingart, MD, co-creator of the Beat the Stress Fool protocol. Finally, we uncover how practices like gratitude flooding and negative visualization can inoculate against burnout and offer emotional integrity in the most harrowing moments of care. 💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡 Scott Weingart, MD, is an emergency department intensivist and physician coach based in New York. He completed fellowships in Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and ECMO, and is internationally recognized for his expertise in resuscitation and critical care. As the creator of the EMCrit podcast, with over 40 million downloads, he has shaped how clinicians think and perform under pressure. Together, Scott and I co-founded Guidewire Coaching, where we create and teach tailored courses to address the real-world pain points of acute care medicine. We Discuss:Rapid stress reset with “Beat the Stress Fool”Breathing techniques that calm the nervous systemSelf-talk under pressureMental rehearsal that ends in successTrigger words for fast de-escalationGratitudinal flooding as a shield during emotional overloadReal-time tools for grief resilienceThe quiet strength of negative visualizationTeaching stress tools to trainees without pushback Mentioned in this episode: Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh. If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. Sign up for our Newsletter UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum. The UnBurnable Course 5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death. Free Resources Link

    42 min
  3. 9 JUN

    How I Coach Doctors With A Performance Improvement Plan

    No one enters medicine expecting to land on a performance improvement plan, yet for many physicians, it becomes a disorienting reality. A PIP can feel like both a warning and a test, raising existential fears about career, reputation, and future. Behind the formal language is often a complex mix of organizational risk management and legitimate behavioral concerns. In this episode, we explore what it really means to be placed on a PIP, how to navigate the process effectively, and why resistance is rarely a successful strategy. Finally, we share a structured approach to coaching through a PIP that can turn even the most fraught situation into meaningful professional growth. 💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡 We Discuss: Understanding the Purpose and Structure of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)Variability and Pitfalls in PIPsWhy Coaching Matters During a PIPCommon Reactions and Emotional TollStructural Flaws That Undermine PIPsNegotiating and Responding to a PIPThe Myth of Performance ImmunityA Coaching Framework for Navigating PIPsCollaborating With LeadershipSuccess and Long-Term Impact Mentioned in this episode: UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum. The UnBurnable Course 5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death. Free Resources Link

    36 min
  4. 26 MAY

    An Insider’s Look at Addiction Medicine

    What if addiction isn’t about drugs, but about pain? Beneath compulsive behaviors often lie histories of trauma, anxiety, and unmet emotional needs, hidden behind layers of stigma and misunderstanding. In medicine, addiction is still often mischaracterized as a moral failing rather than a treatable illness with deep psychological roots. In this episode, we explore the personal and professional evolution of Dr. Casey Grover, an addiction medicine physician who reframed both his own struggles and the way he cares for patients. Finally, we uncover how shifting mindset and language can transform both clinical outcomes and clinician well-being. 💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡 Guest bio:  Dr. Casey Grover is a board-certified physician in Addiction Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Montage Health, where he also serves as Chief of Staff. He is the Physician Champion for the Monterey County Prescribe Safe Initiative, a program focused on reducing opioid misuse through education, safe prescribing, and improved treatment access. In addition to his clinical and leadership roles, Dr. Grover hosts the podcast Addiction Medicine Made Easy, where he breaks down complex topics to make addiction care more approachable for both providers and the public. We Discuss: What is Addiction?When Food Becomes a Coping MechanismThe Stigma of AddictionThe Neurology of AddictionDivided Views on SobrietyWhy Some People Recover and Others RelapseThe Reason Some Brains Get HookedAddiction vs. Dependence — and Why Stigma Makes It WorseBuilding Trust with PatientsFrom Frustration to Compassion: Reframing Patient EncountersTrauma, PTSD, and Personal ReckoningThe Practice of Addiction Medicine Mentioned in this episode: UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum. The UnBurnable Course Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh. If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. Sign up for our Newsletter 5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death. Free Resources Link

    1 h y 10 min
  5. 12 MAY

    Are You Still Lit Up by the Core of Your Work?

    What is it about your work that still lights you up inside? At the center of every profession is a core - the reason we chose it in the first place, the part that feels meaningful no matter the chaos around it. When we reconnect with that core, even amid challenge, fulfillment often follows. Sometimes, though, that spark fades. Sometimes the core of what we love evolves, shifts direction, or gets buried under layers of stress and routine. In this episode, we explore how to evaluate your relationship with the essence of your work and how small (or big) recalibrations can realign your day-to-day with what matters most. Finally, we share strategies to clear out the noise, fuel the flame, and shape a career that energizes rather than drains. 🧭 UnBurnable | Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a clear pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and many others are on the path toward it. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum. Learn more at unburnablecourse.com 🚀 We Discuss:Starting with the central question: How do you feel about the core of your work?Using the stories you tell about your job as diagnostic tools. What tone are you bringing to those tales?What is a micro recalibration, and how can it reshape your workday from within your current job?How do you recognize when overwhelm is a sign of a broken approach, not a broken you?Exploring macro recalibrations. What if you love the work, but the environment is eating you alive?Running the “look-around test” to evaluate other institutions.Identifying “gravity problems.” Which issues can't be solved within your current system?Considering a mega recalibration. What does it mean to step away from the work entirely?How identity and sunk costs keep us rooted in roles we may have outgrown.Visualizing the flame and smoke of your career. What’s burning bright, and what’s clouding the view?Defining what a fulfilling day looks like. Is that kind of day even possible where you are now?Use a five-year future vision to clarify whether your current job fits into your ideal life.Why walking away doesn’t have to mean burning it down. What might rediscovery look like instead?You don’t have to burn it all down to rediscover what lights you up. 💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

    21 min
  6. 28 ABR

    The White Coat Investor | Avoiding the Money Mistakes That Sink Physicians

    Burnout isn’t just emotional, it’s financial. Many doctors put off financial planning until they’re deep in debt, stuck in lifestyle inflation, and too burned out to pivot. In this episode, The White Coat Investor Jim Dahle lays out how to build a burnout-resistant career by making smart, intentional money decisions, whether you’re a student or a seasoned physician. We delve into frugality (the useful and the absurd), how burnout can quietly become your biggest financial threat, what makes a solid investment plan, the waterfall method of managing your money, and why many doctors end up wealthy on paper but broke in practice. Plus: when hiring a financial advisor is the smartest move you can make—and when it’s the worst. Guest bio:  Jim Dahle, MD, FACEP is a practicing emergency physician and the founder of The White Coat Investor. After early experiences with predatory financial advisors, he taught himself personal finance and saw firsthand how financial literacy transformed his life. Motivated to help colleagues avoid similar pitfalls, he launched The White Coat Investor—then the only unbiased financial education resource for physicians. More than a decade later, Dr. Dahle continues to lead the organization as CEO, columnist, and podcast host, staying true to its mission: “help those who wear the white coat get a fair shake on Wall Street.” We Discuss:Financial goals as the “game,” not competition with othersEmbracing frugality (and where it can go too far)Burnout as a major financial riskStrategies to reduce burnout, including working less and managing spendingUnderstanding your financial “basement” (minimum monthly needs)Lifestyle creep and how to monitor itThe “live like a resident” strategy post-trainingNet worth versus income, and why physicians sometimes retire brokeThe financial “waterfall” (how to prioritize where your money goes)Why trying to beat the market usually backfiresWhole life insurance: the hype versus realityCreating an Investment Policy Statement (IPS)Real estate investing: REITs versus hands-on ownershipDesigning your life and shifts as a financially independent physicianThe "night shift marketplace" modelWhen to work with, or fire, a financial advisorCase study: mid-career physician financial planning

    1 h y 9 min
  7. 14 ABR

    From Fried to Fired Up | How One Doctor Rebuilt His Career

    Making a major career shift is never easy, especially when you've dedicated decades to a profession that has become part of your identity. The decision to leave clinical medicine can be fraught with self-doubt, financial considerations, and the lingering question - what comes next? But at some point, the balance shifts, and the cost of staying outweighs the fear of leaving. In this episode, we explore what it takes to walk away from a stable medical career, redefine success, and craft a life that aligns with evolving priorities. Finally, we dig into strategies for managing stress, investing in personal growth, and finding fulfillment beyond the bedside. 💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡 Guest bio:  Dr. Patrick O’Malley is an emergency physician with nearly two decades of experience in community emergency departments and high-acuity urgent care. Based in Columbia, South Carolina, he has recently expanded into entrepreneurial ventures, including The Laceration Course, in partnership with EB Medicine. He helps moderate the EM Docs Side Hustle Facebook group, a community of over 3,000 emergency physicians exploring side gigs and alternative careers. Dr. O’Malley is dedicated to helping physicians explore new opportunities beyond the walls of the emergency department. We discuss: The Decision to ResignFinancial Readiness and the Role of Family SupportLooking Back on a Career in Emergency MedicineRedefining Work-Life BalanceTransitioning to a New IdentityInvesting in YourselfBurnout, Coaching, and the Road to ChangeFinding Joy in Medicine: Small Moments, Big ImpactLiving Another YesterdayCrafting Your Own Path: Empowering CliniciansNewman and John Marks: Managing Stress and Calm Mentioned in this episode: 🔥 New Free Resource! 🔥 Just dropped: a brand-new video + PDF on how to recalibrate your career based on our sold-out webinar, now re-recorded with the best audience questions and tactical takeaways. You’ll get strategies for micro, macro, and mega career shifts, rules for adding anything to your plate, and real stories of how others made it work. Plus: explore our full collection of free resources for getting unstuck, unburnt, and back in the driver’s seat. Free Resources Link Recalibrate Your Career I work with physicians to help them flourish in medical practice. If you're feeling stuck, burned out, or in trouble at work because of communication or conflict, check out our FAQ page for more info. Ready for real change? Book a discovery call. It’s free, low-pressure, and will give you clarity on your next steps. Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum. The UnBurnable Course

    47 min

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Do you work in medicine and love patient care but feel like parts of the job don’t measure up? Stimulus equips you with tools, mindset shifts, and strategies they didn’t teach you in training—so you can practice medicine like a boss, flourish in your career, and not let it crush your soul. Emergency physician and executive coach Rob Orman, MD, goes in-depth with thought leaders on how to avoid burnout, improve communication, lead without drama, and stay calm amidst the storm. Don’t just suck it up, think differently.

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