Most people meet their doctor in an exam room. I met mine at the edge of a breaking point she didn’t even know she’d been carrying for years.

Dr. Jill Kruse grew up wanting to save lives for one simple reason: she didn’t want to lose her mother. She entered medicine the way so many elite performers do — head down, high achieving, fueled by good intentions and impossible standards. She pushed. She excelled. She endured.

And then life stopped asking politely.

Call every other night. A newborn and a toddler at home. A tiny rural town held together by two doctors, two PAs, and a pager that never slept.She kept giving.The job kept taking.And one day, her husband said the quiet part out loud:

“You’re killing yourself slowly.”

That’s the moment every physician fears.That’s the moment every high performer recognizes.And that’s the moment this conversation turns from résumé to truth.

This episode is about what happens when the life you fought to build becomes the life that’s quietly breaking you. It’s about the courage to walk away from a calling without abandoning the purpose underneath it. It’s about burnout, identity, the stigma of asking for help, and the freedom that shows up when you finally decide the cost of staying is higher than the cost of change.

But more than anything, it’s about this:

The heart feeds itself first — and you need to start doing the same.

Dr. Kruse’s story isn’t about quitting medicine.It’s about choosing herself.And it’s a roadmap for any elite performer who has forgotten that they’re allowed to do the same.

IN THIS EPISODE:

--What really pushes a physician to the edge (it’s not what you think)

--The truth about burnout inside medicine — the part nobody talks about

--Why high achievers wait too long to ask for help

--What happens when you realize a career won’t love you back

--How to reclaim identity without burning your life down

--The power of coaching when counseling feels risky

--The heart-first lesson every elite performer needs to hear

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

->Burnout isn’t failure. It’s the body calling for honesty.

->You can love your work and still decide it’s costing you too much.

->Courage isn’t leaving. Courage is telling the truth.

->The life you want won’t appear while you’re drowning in the life you’ve outgrown.

->You deserve the same care you give everyone else.

WHAT’S NEXT?

If Jill’s story hits close to home (if you’re hiding the same exhaustion behind the same smile), this is your invitation to stop doing this alone.

Join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Learn more about Dr. Jill Kruse here: http://www.flight-time-medical.com/

https://www.prairiedoc.org/

What if the version of you you're trying to fix… isn’t broken?

What if the problem isn’t your motivation, your discipline, or your job…But the story you’ve been telling yourself to survive it?

In this episode, Lon sits down with Dr. Fredric Mau, a board-certified hypnotherapist and licensed mental health counselor who left a corporate career and stepped into one of the most unexpected and effective roles in human transformation.

Together, they explore the difference between talking about change and actually experiencing it.

They talk about emotion vs. cognition, trauma vs. strategy, and what it really means to engage the quiet part of your brain that’s been holding on to the weight, the fear, and the shame for far too long.

If you’ve ever said, “I know what to do, I just can’t seem to do it..." this episode is for you.

In This Episode:

--What hypnotherapy actually is (and isn’t)

--Why your problem isn’t laziness but limbic

--The emotional truth behind avoidance, drinking, overeating, and stagnation

--How trauma and stress get stored in the body

--Why most people stay stuck in old roles for too long

--What changes when you stop telling the same story and start feeling something new

Key Takeaways:

->You’re not stuck because you’re weak. You’re stuck because you’re human.

->Hypnotherapy isn’t about control. It’s about letting go.

->Most people don’t need more insight. They need a new pattern.

->Your limbic system has been solving problems long before your resume did.

->Change doesn’t feel like a decision. It feels like relief.What’s Next?

If you’ve ever wanted to try something different, but talked yourself out of it, this is your sign to explore the path you haven’t yet taken.

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Learn more about Dr. Frederic Mau here: https://watermarkcolumbia.com/

We spend decades chasing success—with our heads down and our priorities out of balance. Until one day… you look in the mirror, or see a photo of yourself, and something doesn’t match. Your body starts telling the truth your mind has been trying to outrun.

You’re tired more than you used to be.You sleep but you’re not rested.You’re not proud of how you look, and if you’re honest, you’re not proud of how you feel either.

In this episode, Lon sits down with men’s health coach Luke DePron, founder of The Fit Men Project, for a raw conversation about what it looks like to take your power back, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

They talk about the high-achieving men who show up late to the game, burned out, bloated, and frustrated, and how simple, sustainable habits (not extremes) are the secret to reclaiming energy, confidence, and control.

In This Episode:

->What high-performers get wrong about fitness, health, and sustainable change

->Why starting slow might be the fastest way to change your life

->The real reason men drink after work (and how to break the cycle)

->Why success often comes with weight gain and how to reverse it

->Why most people overshoot and burn out—and what to do instead

->Why walking is the most underrated exercise you’re not doing

->How to think about nutrition like a strategy, not a punishment

->The truth behind crash diets, keto, and 75 Hard and why most guys quit

Key Takeaways:

--Health isn’t about perfection. It’s about ownership.

--You don’t need a complete overhaul. You need a new rhythm.

--Don’t wait for a diagnosis, a photo, or a scare to wake you up.

--The most powerful thing you can do today is start.

What’s Next?

If you’re tired of feeling sluggish, frustrated, or disappointed in the mirror this is your sign to do something about it.

If this episode speaks to you, this is an invitation to join the growing Normal 40 community to connect with like-minded individuals. Whether through a free Ramble, Lon's Insider group, or his bestselling book 'The Trade,' this episode is your call to action to start designing your next chapter.

Find it all right here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Follow Luke DePron here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fitmenproject/