25. Wellness Coach and Ophthalmologist Dr. Shanika Esparaz on her experience with burnout and coaching women in healthcare to live their best lives

Moms of Medicine

"It sounds easy but it's really hard when you've worked this hard to be a physician to say 'oh I'm gonna do a little less'. What I've realized is that myself and I think maybe some listeners out there might resonate with, we often feel like our productivity and our value to society is based on how many procedures we do, patients we see, hours we put in. Usually I would be the first one there and the last one to leave and you know we wear it kind of as a badge of honor, but over time that narrative in our head can really lead to burnout."
This episode is with Dr. Shanika Esparaz, a board certified ophthalmologist and welness coach for women in healthcare.
In the first half of the episode we discuss Shani's personal experiences:
- Her experience with burnout and the unexpected ways it showed up for her
- The pivotal moment where her daughter was injured in the care of their nanny and how this made her re-evaluate everything
- Her experience getting a coah (it was great!) and how this inspired her to become a coach herself
- Getting a coach and then became a coach herself
In the second half of the episode (starting at 25:00), Shani puts her coaching hat on and gives some invaluable advice for those of you who may struggle with any of the following:
- Recognizing burnout in yourself
- Realizing you may be burnt out but being frustrated by the fact that it's your work environment that's the problem and not you
- Feeling like taking care of yourself is just one more thing to add to your plate that you don't have time for
- The factors to consider when thinking of switching to part time
- Getting started journaling (can be so quick but so beneficial!)
- Detaching your worth from things outside of yourself like productivity, promotions, etc.
- Performing a time audit
- and so much more!
Connect with Moms of Medicine:
- Instagram @moms_of_medicine
- [e-mail]
Connect with Dr. Shanika Esparaz:
- Website
- Doctorgoals podcast episode on setting up a direct care practice
- @shani_esparazmd on instagram