Stand Up for Doctors!

Stand Up (for) Doctors!
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Welcome to “Stand Up for Physicians!” with Kim Downey — a podcast amplifying the voices of physicians, healthcare professionals, and patients. Each episode explores the real struggles, challenges, and triumphs in medicine, from physician burnout and wellness to advocacy and the power of the patient–physician relationship. Join us for authentic conversations, insights, and support as we build connection, drive positive change in healthcare, and champion healthier physicians and stronger communities.

  1. 1d ago

    The Medicine of Connection | Why Community Matters for Doctors

    Doctors can be surrounded by people all day, yet still feel lonely. In this episode of Stand Up (for) Doctors!, we're talking about something every physician needs but too few receive: community. 🔹 Dr. Lulu is a Nigerian-born pediatrician, author, speaker, and advocate for LGBTQ+ youth and their families. Her work centers on helping people feel seen, valued, and connected. 🔹 Dr. Nicole Perrotte is board-certified in Internal Medicine and as a Health & Wellness Coach, with more than 20 years of experience in Internal, Lifestyle, and Obesity Medicine. Medicine can be deeply rewarding, but it can also be isolating. Long hours, professional expectations, and the culture of self-sacrifice often leave physicians feeling disconnected from others and even from themselves. What happens when doctors find genuine community? What role does connection play in resilience, wellbeing, and professional fulfillment? Together, we explore why meaningful relationships are not a luxury in medicine. They're essential. The strongest doctors aren't the ones who carry everything themselves. They're the ones who know how to stay connected. 🔗 Connect with our guests: Dr. Lulu 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlulu/ Dr. Nicole Perrotte 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/nperrotte/ This episode is sponsored by Brian Case and Direct Wealth Care, providing conflict-free tools and resources that help physicians address the financial stress not talked about in medicine. https://directwealthcare.com/ If today’s conversation resonated with you, you’ll find more powerful stories like this in our White Coats book series — created to humanize medicine and amplify physician voices: https://standupfordoctors.org/books/ And if you’re ready to go deeper… 🌿 Join us at the Stand Up (for) Doctors! Inaugural Physician Retreat 📍 Windrose on Hudson 🗓 October 9–12, 2026 🔗 https://standupfordoctors.org/events/ Interested in sponsoring an episode or supporting this movement? 📩 standupfordoctors@gmail.com Because when doctors reclaim joy, everyone benefits. #StandUpForDoctors #PhysicianWellness #CommunityInMedicine #DoctorSupport #ConnectionMatters #HealingHealthcare #Episode159

    31 min

  2. May 26

    Exercise Snacks | 5 Minutes That Could Change a Doctor’s Day

    Taking care of patients shouldn’t come at the cost of your own body. But for many doctors, it does. In this episode of Stand Up (for) Doctors!, we’re exploring something simple, practical, and surprisingly powerful. What’s actually possible in just five minutes? If you had only a few minutes between patients, could you still do something meaningful for your health? Today, we’re going to show you how. 🔹 Dr. Shirish Sachdeva has a doctorate in Physical Therapy and is Board Certified in Lifestyle Medicine. He’s also a speaker, researcher, entrepreneur, and author focused on helping people build healthier, more sustainable lives. In a previous conversation, Shirish shared a statistic about how few physicians consistently exercise. The number was lower than many would expect. So what happens when we stop thinking exercise has to be perfect, time-consuming, or all-or-nothing? Together, we explore the growing science behind “exercise snacks” and how short movement breaks may improve energy, focus, physical health, and longevity for both doctors and patients. Sometimes five minutes is not the limitation. It’s the starting point. 🔗 Connect with our guest: Dr. Shirish Sachdeva 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shirish-sachdeva/ 📚 Resources Mentioned: CDC — Physical Activity Breaks for the Workplace Resource Guidehttps://www.cdc.gov/workplace-health-promotion/media/pdfs/2024/06/Workplace-Physical-Activity-Break-Guide-508.pdf NIOSH (CDC) — Physical Activity in the Workplacehttps://www.cdc.gov/niosh/bulletin/2024/physical-activity.html NIH/PMC — The Importance of Workplace Exercise (Narrative Review)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9162294/ NIH/PMC — Exercise Snacks as a Strategy to Interrupt Sedentary Behavior (Systematic Review)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12732512/ NIH/PMC — Application of Exercise Snacks across Populations (Scoping Review)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11920532/ NIH/PMC — Effectiveness of Workplace Exercise Interventions for Musculoskeletal Disordershttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7757473/ NIH/PMC — MOV'D: Peer-Supported Exercise Snack Interventionhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12371288/ This episode is sponsored by Brian Case and Direct Wealth Care, providing conflict-free tools and resources that help physicians address the financial stress not talked about in medicine. https://directwealthcare.com/ If today’s conversation resonated with you, you’ll find more powerful stories like this in our White Coats book series — created to humanize medicine and amplify physician voices: https://standupfordoctors.org/books/ And if you’re ready to go deeper…🌿 Join us at the Stand Up (for) Doctors! Inaugural Physician Retreat📍 Windrose on Hudson🗓 October 9–12, 2026🔗 https://standupfordoctors.org/events/ Interested in sponsoring an episode or supporting this movement?📩 standupfordoctors@gmail.com Because when doctors reclaim joy, everyone benefits. #StandUpForDoctors #PhysicianWellness #LifestyleMedicine #ExerciseSnacks #DoctorSupport #HealingHealthcare #Episode158

    33 min

  3. May 19

    Courageous Hearts in Medicine | Leadership, Storytelling, and Becoming Unburnoutable

    In this episode of Stand Up (for) Doctors!, we’re joined by two remarkable neurosurgeons whose work reaches far beyond the operating room. Today’s conversation is about what it means to lead with both a courageous heart and a human heart in medicine today. 🔹 Dr. Mark McLaughlin is a neurosurgeon, speaker, and author dedicated to connecting people with purpose and inspiring patients, athletes, leaders, and physicians through service. 🔹 Dr. Tony Avellino is a pediatric neurosurgeon, physician executive, and author whose work focuses on health, wellness, safety, and sustainable leadership in medicine. Both guests are also contributing authors in the Stand Up (for) Doctors! White Coats book series, sharing deeply personal stories drawn from their own journeys in medicine and leadership. Behind the precision, pressure, and performance of medicine, there are stories most physicians never say out loud. Stories of burnout. Identity. Purpose. Fear. Resilience. And healing. Every time a doctor shares their story, another doctor feels less alone. Together, we explore why storytelling matters in medicine, and how vulnerability, reflection, and connection may be some of the most important leadership tools physicians have today. Medicine does not need more invincible doctors. It needs more human ones. 🔗 Connect with our guests: Dr. Tony Avellino 🌐 www.findingpurposeavellino.com 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-m-avellino-m-d-m-b-a-aa52a536/ Dr. Mark McLaughlin 🌐 markmclaughlinmd.com 🌐 princetonbrainandspine.com 🔗 linkedin.com/in/mmclaughlinmd This episode is sponsored by Brian Case and Direct Wealth Care, providing conflict-free tools and resources that help physicians address the financial stress not talked about in medicine.https://directwealthcare.com/ If today’s conversation resonated with you, you’ll find more powerful stories like this in our White Coats book series — created to humanize medicine and amplify physician voices: https://standupfordoctors.org/books/ And if you’re ready to go deeper…🌿 Join us at the Stand Up (for) Doctors! Inaugural Physician Retreat A weekend to connect, empower, recharge, and celebrate. 📍 Windrose on Hudson 🗓 October 9–12, 2026 🔗 Register here: https://standupfordoctors.org/events/ We would be honored to have you join us. Interested in sponsoring an episode or supporting this movement?📩 Email us — standupfordoctors@gmail.com Because when doctors reclaim joy, everyone benefits. #StandUpForDoctors #PhysicianWellness #JoyInMedicine #LaughterIsMedicine #WhiteCoats #HealthcareLeadership #DoctorSupport #HealingHealthcare #Episode157

    35 min

  4. May 12

    Addiction, Bias, and the Truth Medicine Still Avoids

    In this episode of Stand Up (for) Doctors!, we’re taking on one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized areas in healthcare. Addiction medicine. We like to think medicine is guided by evidence, not bias. So why is addiction medicine still so misunderstood, even within the medical field itself? And what does that reveal about the systems meant to treat both patients and physicians? If you’re a doctor, healthcare leader, or patient, you belong here. 🔹 Dr. Sarah Nasir, DO, FASAM is an Addiction Medicine and Osteopathic Family Medicine physician dedicated to reshaping conversations around substance use, recovery, and compassionate care. 🔹 Dr. Olapeju Simoyan, MD, MPH is a board-certified specialist in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine, writer, and advocate bringing clarity and humanity to some of healthcare’s most complex conversations. Both guests wear many hats. But at the core of their work is a shared mission: helping medicine confront the assumptions and stigma that continue to surround addiction. Too often, addiction is viewed through the lens of judgment instead of understanding. Even within healthcare, physicians working in this field can face misunderstanding, skepticism, and silence. Together, we explore what addiction medicine can teach the rest of healthcare about compassion, evidence, and the courage to treat people as human beings first. In this conversation, we explore: - Why addiction medicine remains misunderstood in healthcare - The role stigma and bias still play in patient care - How physicians can approach addiction with greater humanity and evidence-based understanding - The emotional realities of working in addiction medicine - What healthcare systems still get wrong about recovery and support Addiction medicine doesn’t expose weakness in people. It exposes blind spots in systems. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/sP6RoXorAbQ 🔗 Connect with our guests: Dr. Sarah Nasir 🌐 sarahnasir.com 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gwCWxeRH Dr. Peju Simoyan 🌐 https://lnkd.in/eKE9wNtz 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gMNfR25g This episode is sponsored by Brian Case and Direct Wealth Care, providing conflict-free tools and resources that help physicians address the financial stress not talked about in medicine. If today’s conversation resonated with you, and if you’re ready to go deeper… 🌿 Join us at the Stand Up (for) Doctors! Inaugural Physician Retreat A weekend to connect, empower, recharge, and celebrate. 📍 Windrose on Hudson 🗓 October 9–12, 2026 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gaeNWzQF We would be honored to have you join us. Interested in sponsoring an episode or supporting this movement? 📩 Email us — standupfordoctors@gmail.com Because when doctors reclaim joy, everyone benefits. #StandUpForDoctors #PhysicianWellness #JoyInMedicine #LaughterIsMedicine #WhiteCoats #HealthcareLeadership #DoctorSupport #HealingHealthcare #Episode156

    34 min

  5. May 5

    The Journey to Medicine | Then vs Now

    In this episode of Stand Up (for) Doctors!, we step into the journey of becoming a physician through two very different, yet deeply connected perspectives. The beginning of the path, and the view from someone who has already walked it. We need doctors. But the question is no longer just how to become one. It’s how to sustain that calling in a system that continues to evolve. This episode is sponsored by Brian Case and Direct Wealth Care, providing conflict-free tools and resources that help physicians address the financial stress not talked about in medicine. 🔹 Dr. Jonathan Block is a urologist by training and the President and Founder of Pierhead Lighthouse, bringing a seasoned perspective on leadership, purpose, and the long arc of a medical career. 🔹 Blake Kendrick is a first-year medical student at the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, offering a real-time look into what it means to step into medicine today. What would a seasoned physician say to their younger self, knowing what they know now?And what is actually on the minds of medical students stepping into this path today? Medicine has always demanded sacrifice. But today’s generation is asking new questions about sustainability, meaning, and the kind of life this profession allows. Together, we explore the evolving reality of becoming a doctor, and what it will take to support the next generation. In this conversation, we explore:• What experienced physicians wish they knew at the start of their journey• The biggest concerns and pressures facing medical students today• How the expectations of medicine are shifting across generations• What sustainability in a medical career really looks like now• How we can better support those entering the profession The future of medicine depends on more than recruitment. It depends on whether the path is still worth walking. 🔗 Connect with our guests: Dr. Jonathan Block🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-block-md-mba-mls-mph-cpe-7327269/🌐 https://pierheadlighthouse.com/ Blake Kendrick🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-kendrick-765128384/ If today’s conversation resonated with you, you’ll find more powerful stories like this in our White Coats book series, created to humanize medicine and amplify physician voices: https://standupfordoctors.org/books/ And if you’re ready to go deeper… 🌿 Join us at the Stand Up (for) Doctors! Inaugural Physician RetreatA weekend to connect, empower, recharge, and celebrate. 📍 Windrose on Hudson🗓 October 9–12, 2026🔗 Register here: https://standupfordoctors.org/events/ We would be honored to have you join us. Interested in sponsoring an episode or supporting this movement?📩 Email us — standupfordoctors@gmail.com Because when doctors reclaim joy, everyone benefits. #StandUpForDoctors #PhysicianWellness #JoyInMedicine #LaughterIsMedicine #WhiteCoats #HealthcareLeadership #DoctorSupport #HealingHealthcare #Episode155

    34 min

  6. Apr 28

    White Coats, Human Hearts | Book Launch Special – Episode 4

    What could building systems that actually care for ourcaregivers look like? In this next installment of the White Coats, Human HeartsBook Launch Special on Stand Up (for) Doctors!, the conversation turns towardthe future of medicine and the responsibility to shape it with intention. This episode features Dr. Mary Leung, Dr. Simon Craig, andDr. Manjit Obhrai, each bringing grounded insight into what it takes to move from awareness to real, structural change. This is where reflection meets responsibility, and wherebetter systems begin with braver conversations. Together, they explore:▪ What it truly means to design healthcare systems that support the peoplewithin them▪ Why caregiver wellbeing must be built into the foundation, not treated as anafterthought▪ How leadership, advocacy, and culture shape sustainable practice▪ The role of courage and accountability in transforming healthcare from theinside out White Coats, Human Hearts is available now on Amazon,Kindle, and paperback: https://standupfordoctors.org/books/ Connect with the guests: Dr. Mary Leunghttps://www.shiningwithgratitudemd.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-leung-md-9b52331b4/ Dr. Simon Craighttps://posmed.com.au/https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-craig-49635123a/ Dr. Manjit Obhraihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/manjit-obhrai-99280555/ #StandUpForDoctors #WhiteCoatsHumanHearts#HealthcareLeadership #PhysicianAdvocacy #DoctorWellbeing #FutureOfMedicine#HumanityInHealthcare #HealingHealthcare #BookLaunchSpecial

    35 min

  7. Apr 21

    Practical Tools for Medical Stress & Trauma

    In this episode of Stand Up (for) Doctors!, we’re stepping into one of the most urgent and often unspoken realities in medicine. Medical stress and trauma are not rare, and they are not abstract. They are lived experiences for physicians and healthcare workers every single day. If you’re a doctor, healthcare leader, or even a patient trying to understand the system more deeply, you belong here. This episode is sponsored by Brian Case and Direct Wealth Care, providing conflict-free tools and resources that help physicians address the financial stress not talked about in medicine. 🔹 Dr. Matthew Mullane is board-certified in family medicine, integrative medicine, and addiction medicine, and is the creator of Ritual Medical. 🔹 Dr. Christen Mullane is a psychologist, writer, and advocate for more human-centered care, and is the creator of Ginkgo Leaf Health Services. What are the real, practical tools available to support doctors and healthcare workers facing stress and trauma? And what does it look like to move from awareness to actual healing? Too often, conversations about burnout stay at the surface. Acknowledged, but not addressed. Named, but not treated. This episode moves deeper. Together, we explore what it takes to support the people behind the profession in a way that is honest, sustainable, and human. In this conversation, we explore: The real impact of medical stress and trauma on clinicians Why traditional approaches to burnout often fall short Practical tools to support healing, resilience, and recovery The role of integrative and psychological care in physician wellbeing What it means to create systems that actually care for the people within them Healing in healthcare doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we start treating caregivers like humans, not just roles. 🔗 Connect with our guests: Dr. Matthew Mullane 🌐https://ritualmedical.com/   Dr. Christen Mullane 🌐https://www.ginkgoleafhealth.com/ If today’s conversation resonated with you, you’ll find more powerful stories like this in our White Coats book series — created to humanize medicine and amplify physician voices: https://standupfordoctors.org/books/ And if you’re ready to go deeper… 🌿 Join us at the Stand Up (for) Doctors! Inaugural Physician Retreat A weekend to connect, empower, recharge, and celebrate. 📍 Windrose on Hudson 🗓 October 9–12, 2026 🔗 Register here: https://standupfordoctors.org/events/ We would be honored to have you join us. Interested in sponsoring an episode or supporting this movement? 📩 Email us: standupfordoctors@gmail.com Because when doctors reclaim joy, everyone benefits. #StandUpForDoctors #PhysicianWellness #JoyInMedicine #LaughterIsMedicine #WhiteCoats #HealthcareLeadership #DoctorSupport #HealingHealthcare #Episode154

    36 min

  8. Apr 14

    White Coats, Human Hearts | Book Launch Special – Episode 3

    In this continued Book Launch Special of Stand Up (for) Doctors!, the conversation expands, bringing forward new voices from White Coats, Human Hearts: True Stories of Healing, Belonging, and the Courage to Stay Human in Medicine.This episode features Dr. Charity Hix, Olivia Morris, and Eva Minkoff, each offering a distinct lens into what it means to navigate medicine with humanity intact.Through their stories and insights, the dialogue moves beyond awareness into something deeper. Ownership, voice, and the courage to live differently within the system.Together, they explore: ▪ How identity and lived experience shape the way we practice medicine ▪ The quiet ways burnout and disconnection take hold, and how to interrupt them ▪ Why redefining success in medicine is essential for long term wellbeing ▪ The power of authenticity, storytelling, and self-trust in driving changeWhite Coats, Human Hearts is available now on Amazon, Kindle, and paperback: https://standupfordoctors.org/books/🔗Connect with our guests:🔹Dr. Charity Hix https://www.charityhix.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/charityhix🔹Olivia Morris https://www.veritybarrington.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviamorrisofficial/🔹Eva Minkoff https://boldbeing.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/evalana/#StandUpForDoctors #WhiteCoatsHumanHearts #PhysicianVoices #DoctorWellbeing #HealthcareCulture #MedicalStorytelling #WomenInMedicine #HumanSideOfMedicine #HealingHealthcare #BookLaunchSpecial

    34 min
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About

Welcome to “Stand Up for Physicians!” with Kim Downey — a podcast amplifying the voices of physicians, healthcare professionals, and patients. Each episode explores the real struggles, challenges, and triumphs in medicine, from physician burnout and wellness to advocacy and the power of the patient–physician relationship. Join us for authentic conversations, insights, and support as we build connection, drive positive change in healthcare, and champion healthier physicians and stronger communities.

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  • Creator
    Stand Up (for) Doctors!
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    164
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Stand Up (for) Doctors!
  • Show Website
    Stand Up for Doctors!