Is perfectionism really the gold standard in medicine, or is it actually harming us? In this powerful conversation, Dr. Amna Shabbir challenges the deeply ingrained belief that perfectionism is necessary for high performance. Instead, she introduces the concept of excellenceism, a more expansive, growth-oriented alternative that protects well-being without lowering standards. Through personal stories of motherhood, burnout, trauma, and professional identity, Dr. Shabbir unpacks the hidden cost of perfectionism in women physicians and offers a courageous framework for change. Press play to examine your intentions, soften self-criticism, and cross the courage bridge toward a more human way of practicing medicine.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• Why perfectionism isn’t the same as excellence and how “excellenceism” protects both performance and well-being
• The three domains of perfectionism: self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed
• How perfectionism activates fear responses, sympathetic overdrive, and chronic stress physiology
• The link between trauma and perfectionism as a survival strategy
• The cognitive distortion of all-or-nothing thinking and how it limits growth

“The high standards are not the problem. The problem is what happens when you don't meet those standards.” - Dr. Amna Shabbir

About Dr. Amna Shabbir: Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, is a dual board-certified physician with advanced training in integrative well-being, performance, behavior change, and leadership development. As a high achiever herself, she understands the pressures of perfectionism in medicine and helps individuals and organizations cultivate sustainable excellence without sacrificing their health or humanity. Through speaking, coaching, and her TEDx talk, “Perfectionism Has a Solution. It’s Not What You Think,” Dr. Shabbir challenges the cultural glorification of perfectionism and introduces a more expansive framework for growth. She is also the host of the podcast Success Reimagined with Amna Shabbir, MD, where she explores how ambitious professionals can elevate their impact while protecting what matters most, their well-being.

Connect with Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD:

Website: https://success-curated.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/

Podcast: Success Reimagined with Amna Shabbir, MD

TEDxTalk: Perfectionism has a solution - It's not what you think - https://youtu.be/oNIzzM4Vg3s?si=AK6CXqMtQjBAosyh

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Do you want to hear more from the doctors of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-meaning-in-medicine/id1752701820

When reconnection creates awareness, realignment provides direction. In this episode, Dr. Joanne Sotelo and Dr. Erin Hurley explore why so many women in medicine feel exhausted, resentful, and misaligned despite career success. They unpack how “doctor programming,” outdated values, and endless shoulds quietly run daily decisions and how clarifying what truly matters now allows priorities, boundaries, time, and energy to finally align. This conversation offers practical reflection questions and simple action steps to help you move from autopilot to intentional living.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• Why your priorities, not your intentions, reveal what you are truly committed to
• How outdated “doctor programming” keeps women in medicine misaligned and exhausted
• The power of asking better questions to clarify what matters most now
• Why you can’t work on everything at once, and how focus creates ripple effects
• How boundaries naturally strengthen when values and priorities become clear

“Reconnection gives you awareness, and realignment gives you direction.” - Dr. Joanne Sotelo

Connect With Us

Do you want to hear more from the doctors of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

🎧 Want to hear more? Find us on Apple Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-meaning-in-medicine/id1752701820

Many women in medicine appear successful on the outside while quietly feeling disconnected, numb, or unfulfilled on the inside. In this episode, Dr. Joanne Sotelo and Dr. Erin Hurley explore the often-overlooked foundation of personal fulfillment: reconnecting with yourself. They unpack how emotional suppression, over-functioning, and identity built solely around productivity lead to exhaustion and burnout, and how asking better questions, listening to your inner voice, and redefining success can restore clarity, motivation, joy, and balance both at work and at home.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• Why is reconnection with yourself the foundation before goals, productivity, or change?
• How emotional suppression and over-functioning are normalized and why they come at a cost.
• The role identity plays in exhaustion, fulfillment, and sustainable success.
• Simple but powerful questions that rebuild awareness, clarity, and motivation.
• How connecting with your future self makes boundaries, alignment, and joy easier to sustain.

“Awareness is that first act of reconnection, and then you can meet that future self.” - Dr. Joanne Sotelo

Connect With Us

Do you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

🎧 Want to hear more? Find us on Apple Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-meaning-in-medicine/id1752701820

Why does everything feel urgent, important, and exhausting at the same time? In this episode, Dr. Joanne Sotelo and Dr. Erin Hurley unpack the missing skill many women in medicine were never taught: discernment. From over-documenting charts to spending type-one energy on type-two decisions, they explore how learning to pause, clarify priorities, and manage both time and energy can transform patient care, leadership, and life outside of work. This conversation offers practical frameworks and mindset shifts to help you move off autopilot and into alignment.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• Why overwhelm isn’t a time-management problem, it’s a discernment problem.
• The difference between type one (one-way door) and type two (swinging door) decisions.
• How over-documentation and perfectionism quietly drain time and energy.
• Why energy, not just time, must be treated as a limited resource.
• How to transition roles intentionally (doctor, leader, partner, parent) instead of living on autopilot.

“It's really important to use a pause and use discernment to your advantage, because if we don't, we're going to end up most of our days completely exhausted.” - Dr. Erin Hurley

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Reset by Dan Heath - https://www.amazon.com/Reset-How-Change-Whats-Working/dp/1668062097

Connect With Us

Do you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

🎧 Want to hear more? Find us on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-meaning-in-medicine/id1752701820

If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll change when life “calms down,” this episode is your sign that the time is now. Dr. Joanne Sotelo and Dr. Erin Hurley offer a compassionate but honest wake-up call for women in medicine, reminding us that high-functioning does not equal healthy. They explore the real cost of burnout, the importance of reclaiming personal agency, and how identity shifts, especially with the rise of AI, are forcing physicians to rethink fulfillment, purpose, and self-leadership.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

• High-functioning is not the same as healthy. Doing all the things doesn’t mean you’re well.
• Radical honesty matters: where are you living on autopilot, and what is it costing you?
• Why reclaiming your agency (“I choose. I decide.”) is essential for preventing burnout and disengagement.
• The rise of AI is reshaping how physicians view relevance, purpose, and identity in medicine.
• A powerful reflection question: If nothing changes in the next five years, how would you feel about your life?

“The first step is that we need to wake up to the truth. We need to have that radical honesty with ourselves and ask good questions.” - Dr. Joanne Sotelo

Connect With Us

Do you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

🎧 Want to hear more? Find us on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-meaning-in-medicine/id1752701820

Feeling stuck or waiting for certainty before changing course? In this episode, we unpack agency for physicians, how guilt and obligation keep us small, and why shifting your brain's filter toward options opens new paths. Hear scripts, supports, and next steps to move before burnout. Press play to choose your next move.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Feeling like your life is being chosen for you? You're not alone. In this episode, we explore why identity, not willpower, drives behavior, how to break out of autopilot, and ways to choose who we're becoming as medicine advances. Press play to build awareness, set values aligned with goals, and make your next step intentional.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

Is AI sharpening care or eroding our humanity? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Susan Shelmerdine to unpack responsible AI in medicine, the mental health risks of overreliance, and the skill of discernment. She shares how improv rebuilt confidence and why connection must stay central. Press play to use AI wisely without losing yourself.

Key Takeaways To Listen For

About Susan Shelmerdine, MBBS, PHD Dr. Susan is a consultant pediatric radiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and an honorary associate professor at University College London. A 2025 Roentgen Professor of the Royal College of Radiologists, she leads NIHR-funded AI research in children's imaging and pioneered the INTACT biopsy technique.

Connect with Dr. Susan

Connect With UsDo you want to hear more from the ladies of the Create Meaning In Medicine podcast? Discover more empowering content when you go to https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com!

▶️ Watch our videos: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine