#96 F*ck the Stigma: The Truth About Physician Mental Health with Dr. Jake Goodman cover art

#96 F*ck the Stigma: The Truth About Physician Mental Health with Dr. Jake Goodman

#96 F*ck the Stigma: The Truth About Physician Mental Health with Dr. Jake Goodman

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Summary

Join us inside Empowered Surgeons Group here.

Dr. Jake Goodman is a psychiatrist who works with healthcare professionals and has built a following of over 2 million people by saying the things most physicians are thinking but not saying out loud.

His practice started in a telling way: his first patient was a surgeon, then a dentist, then a veterinarian, then an OB/GYN. That pattern wasn’t random; it revealed something much bigger. There is a massive, unmet need for mental health support in healthcare, and most of us are silently struggling more than we admit.

Jake shares his own story of depression during intern year, when he thought he was “burned out,” but was actually depressed. Low energy. Numb. Going through the motions. And here’s the part that hits: he was a psychiatry resident and still couldn’t see it in himself. That’s how deep the stigma runs in our profession.

We talk about what it actually takes to come out of that place and why “working harder” is not the answer. At some point, the armor has to come off. And for physicians, that’s often the hardest move.

If you’ve ever felt like your life used to work—and now it doesn—you’ll recognize what he describes. The career, the family, the workouts, the expectations… at some point, something gives. His question is simple: Is what you’re doing sustainable for the next 20 years?

We also get into the stuff no one taught us:

– what to do with the stress your body is carrying after a case

– why you can’t just compartmentalize forever

– how to recognize your own “check engine lights” before things spiral

And one of the most practical tools he shares is how to separate “hot thoughts” from reality. The ones that sound like: I’m a bad doctor. I’m an imposter. I’m going to be found out. Instead of fighting them, he teaches you how to create space from them so they stop running the show.

We also talk about emotions: what they are, what they’re not, and why making permanent decisions in temporary emotional states is one of the biggest mistakes physicians make.

This conversation is real, practical, and long overdue.

If you’ve been telling yourself you’re just “burned out”… you may want to listen to this one.

Learn more about Jake's practice here.

Follow him on instagram here.

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