Physician burnout affects 40-60% of doctors, but many don't know that coaching can be a powerful tool for burnout recovery. In this episode of the Mindful Practice Podcast, board-certified internal medicine physician and certified life coach Dr. Bertina Hooks explains how coaching specifically helps physicians heal from burnout—and why it's different from therapy and mentoring.

If you're a burned-out physician wondering whether coaching, therapy, or mentoring is right for you, this episode will give you the clarity you need to take the next step toward sustainable wellness.

In This Episode, you'll discover:

• Critical differences between coaching, therapy, and mentoring for physicians
• Why coaching is uniquely effective for physician burnout recovery
• How coaching helps doctors rebuild identity beyond productivity
• The pilot-copilot relationship: understanding the coach-client partnership
• What to look for in a qualified physician coach (ICF certification matters)
• The Four C's of purposeful coaching: Connection, Communication, Clarity, Consistency
• SMART goals framework for burnout recovery

Key Takeaways:

✅ Coaching is future-focused, therapy is past-focused, mentoring is career-focused

✅ Physicians need coaching because medical training doesn't teach self-exploration

✅ Coaching addresses burnout root causes: boundaries, values, resilience, identity

✅ ICF-certified coaches provide psychological safety and respect autonomy

✅ Consultation helps assess fit before committing

This Episode Is For You If:

• You're experiencing physician burnout and wondering if coaching helps
• You're confused about therapy vs. coaching vs. mentoring
• You're considering hiring a coach but don't know what to look for
• You need to rebuild identity beyond clinical productivity
• You want sustainable career changes aligned with your values

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Board-certified internal medicine physician, certified life and business coach, entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. After surviving severe burnout and a life-threatening illness, she rebuilt her career through coaching, utilization management, telemedicine, and locums. Now she helps physicians navigate burnout and design sustainable careers.

Ready to Explore Coaching?

📧 Email: 🌐 Website: PinnacleBusinessAcademy.org

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Email: info.pinnaclebusinessacademy@gmail.com

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Subscribe & Follow: If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a fellow physician who needs to hear this message. You are not alone.

Think you're burned out? You're not alone and you're definitely not broken. In this powerful episode, Dr. Bertina Hooks cuts through the wellness industry to reveal what physician burnout really is, why it happens, and why your yoga retreat isn't fixing it.

This isn't another "self-care solves everything" lecture. Dr. Hooks breaks down the systemic issues driving physician burnout, from moral injury to productivity pressure, and provides a practical framework for actually recovering not just surviving. If you've ever felt competent on the outside but completely depleted on the inside, this episode is your wake-up call.

Learn why burnout is about misalignment (not fatigue), how to do an energy-value audit, and the exact steps to start your burnout recovery journey today.

What You'll Learn:

• The real symptoms of burnout (emotional, behavioral, physical)
• Why healthcare systems reward self-abandonment
• The energy-value audit that reveals misalignment
• The 3-step recovery framework that actually works
• How to set boundaries without guilt

Key Takeaways

1. Burnout ≠ Fatigue. It's about misalignment between your values and your work. Rest restores tired bodies. Alignment heals burned-out ones.
2. Know the Symptoms. Dread before work, brain fog, cynicism, feeling competent outside but depleted inside, chronic exhaustion that vacations don't fix.
3. It's Systemic, Not Personal. Healthcare systems prioritize productivity over people. Documentation overload, RVU pressure, moral injury—the system is broken, not you.
4. Do an Energy-Value Audit. What energizes you vs. depletes you? Does your daily work align with your core values (empathy, integrity, patient connection)?

3-Step Burnout Recovery Framework

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE GAP Assess which values are being violated. Where's the misalignment?

STEP 2: ADJUST YOUR WORK Set boundaries, restructure your schedule, or make bigger career shifts.

STEP 3: REFLECT & RECONNECT Unplug. Clarify what matters. Reconnect with why you went into medicine.

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, certified life and business coach, entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. After nearly losing her life to Sepsis Necrotizing fasciitis and undergoing an emergency amputation, she rebuilt her career through utilization management, medical expert work, telemedicine, locums, coaching, and writing. Now she helps physicians navigate burnout, reclaim their identities, and design careers aligned with their values.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Email: info.pinnaclebusinessacademy@gmail.com Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Subscribe & Follow: If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a fellow physician who needs to hear this message. You are not alone.

In this deeply personal premiere episode, board-certified internal medicine physician Dr. Bertina Hooks shares the story that nearly ended her career and her life and why she created this podcast for physicians drowning in burnout.

In This Episode:

Dr. Hooks takes you inside the moments that broke her: working 20+ patient days on an oncology floor, delivering devastating news while running on empty, and the night in December 2022 when her body finally said "enough." After collapsing at home, she was rushed to the ER with Necrotizing fasciitis and faced an emergency below-the-knee amputation.

But this isn't just a story about survival, it's about what happens after. The silence. The identity crisis. The question every burned-out physician fears: Who am I without this?

What You'll Discover:

• The real definition of physician burnout (and why 40-60% of doctors experience it)
• What burnout actually looks like in daily practice, Missed meals, emotional exhaustion, moral injury
• How a life-threatening crisis became the catalyst for complete career reinvention
• Why your worth as a physician is not defined by productivity alone
• The career paths that exist beyond traditional clinical medicine
• How to start reclaiming your identity and building a sustainable medical career

This Episode Is For You If:

• You're exhausted and wondering if medicine is sustainable
• You've asked yourself "Is this really what I worked so hard for?"
• You feel unseen, unheard, or undervalued in your practice
• You're considering leaving medicine but don't know what else exists
• You need validation that burnout isn't your fault, it's systemic

About Dr. Bertina Hooks:

Dr. Bertina Hooks is a board-certified internal medicine physician, certified life and business coach, entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. After nearly losing her life to Sepsis Necrotizing fasciitis and undergoing an emergency amputation, she rebuilt her career through utilization management, medical expert work, telemedicine, locums, coaching, and writing. Now she helps physicians navigate burnout, reclaim their identities, and design careers aligned with their values.

Connect with Dr. Hooks:

Email: bmhooks@gmail.com

Website: pinnaclebusinessacademy.org

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bertina-hooks-046a3819/

Subscribe & Follow: If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Mindful Practice Podcast and share it with a fellow physician who needs to hear this message. You are not alone.