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Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast orthopedic surgeon, doctor of education, and retired 20 year Navy veteran, Dr. Marlene DeMaio.

When you’re working as a physician, surgeon, or resident, you’re mostly focused on getting through the day and providing the best care possible. This often comes as the expense of your own wellbeing. Looking at your situation from an outside perspective, it can be easier to see the things that may be impacting performance and what needs to change.

In the military, it’s commonplace to have a “battle buddy” - someone you trust implicitly in the most dire of situations. This is the type of person who is going to catch you before you even start falling. Whether you're a surgeon, physician, or resident, what if you had a “battle buddy” to help you through the good times and the bad?

As physicians, it’s really difficult for us to be objective about ourselves. That’s why having a “battle buddy” is so important. We need someone who can see us in a way you cannot with explicit permission to tell us.

What steps does Marlene suggest we do to implement this “battle buddy” system?

• Step 1 - Find your “battle buddy.” This buddy doesn’t necessarily have to be a work colleague, but you need to trust them and have regular exposure to them.
• Step 2 - Check in with yourself regularly. If something isn’t right, try to figure it out yourself and make a plan of action.
• Step 3 - Lean on your buddy when you need to. If something is wrong and you can’t find a solution, lean on your buddy to find a path forward.

Most importantly, PRACTICE the “battle buddy” system!

BIO

Marlene is an honors graduate of Brown University and Drexel School of Medicine. She completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at Yale-New Haven Medical Center, followed by fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine at Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Her 20 year career in the Navy included hospitals, ships, deployment overseas, and remote/telehealth. Marlene says it was a wonderful balance of sports medicine practice, research and education. She then served at the VA as a clinician, orthopaedic department chief, site GME coordinator, and assistant chief of surgery. She ended her federal career as a physician consultant at the VA Office of the Inspector General. In 2024, Drexel School of Education conferred an EdD to Dr. DeMaio for adult education and leadership. An author of peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and rehabilitation protocols, she also did award-winning research on body armor and knee kinematics. She has been on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research and reviews for several journals. Dr. DeMaio is the current president of the Clinical Orthopaedic Society and a past president of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.

Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlene-demaio-b4727819/

https://www.instagram.com/demaiomarlene/

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!

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Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast Richard Boyatzis, PhD, Distinguished University Professor of Case Western Reserve University, and a Professor in the Departments of Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science.

As healthcare providers, we learn so much about helping patients, which is fantastic. However, we often don’t apply these things we learn to ourselves.

Physicians and nurses study the autonomic nervous system but often do not apply it to themselves. The sympathetic nervous system helps you focus and problem solve, but it’s not good for your overall health. It raises your blood pressure, decreases your cognitive ability, and (perhaps worst of all) compromises your ability to pay attention to other people.

We now have documentation that every time you activate the task positive network you suppress the default mode. When you’re in a helping field, you need both. You need to be able to sort things out and solve problems, but you also need to be able to communicate with people.

It’s essential that healthcare professionals treat themselves. That doesn’t mean you have to cut back or shift fields. It may just mean you adjust the rhythm of your day.

What steps does Richard suggest we do to manage chronic stress?

• Step 1 - Engage Wellness. Richard offers science-backed ways to engage in wellness that don’t have to be an hour every single day.
• Step 2 - Focus on Purpose. Goals are great, and focusing on purpose and our why is even better.
• Step 3 - Build Relationships. Being playful and laughing with others is a fantastic way to support our well-being.

Most importantly, PRACTICE wellness!

BIO

Richard E. Boyatzis is Distinguished University Professor of Case Western Reserve University, and a Professor in the Departments of Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science. He has a BS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Harvard. His more than 200 scholarly and 50 practitioner articles examine sustained, desired change, leadership, emotional intelligence, competency development, coaching, neuroscience and graduate education. He is ranked in the top 2% in PLOS Biology and the top .05% of all worldwide scientists by Scholar GPS, for 2023 - 2025. His Coursera MOOCs have over 1 ½ million visitors and enrolled from 215 countries. His 10 books include: the international best-seller, Primal Leadership with Daniel Goleman and Annie McKee; Helping People Change with Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten; and the new The Science of Change: Discovering Sustained, Desired Change from Individuals to Organizations and Communities.

Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-boyatzis-401822a/

https://www.facebook.com/richard.boyatzis

https://x.com/RBoyatzis

https://www.instagram.com/RichardBoyatzis/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fRFAIpQAAAAJ

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!

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Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes orthopaedic surgeon and surgeon-wellness advocate Alan Jones, MD, to the podcast.

Alan has been an avid runner for the last fifteen years, and typically runs one marathon per year. Recently, Alan has been training in Zone 2.

If you’re unfamiliar, Zone 2 training involves working out at a relatively easy heart rate. This type of training provides a stimulus that often increases your fitness better than working out at a higher intensity.

In addition, Zone 2 training also leaves you with more energy to do other things you love after the workout itself. As a result, it leads to an improved overall sense of well-being.

This highlights an important mantra that we, as surgeons, often overlook: more is not always better.

What steps does Alan suggest we take to try Zone 2 training?

• Step 1 - Incorporate Zone 2 training into your fitness routine. Whether you prefer cycling, running, or utilizing other equipment, this training is adaptable.
• Step 2 - Assess your physical and mental state before starting the workout, and reflect on how you feel afterward. You might discover that you have more energy than you did before the session, a notable contrast to the fatigue often following more strenuous exercise.
• Step 3 - Maintain a balanced fitness regimen by keeping other forms of exercise in the mix. Consider Zone 2 training as one essential component of a comprehensive physical routine.

Most importantly, PRACTICE Zone 2 exercise principles for well-being!

BIO

Alan L. Jones, MD is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and a founding member of Orthopaedic Trauma Associates of North Texas. Dr. Jones is on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and serves as the medical director of orthopaedic trauma services. Dr. Jones specializes in articular fractures (bone breaks near major joints), injuries to the pelvis and acetabulum, and fracture non-union and mal-union. Dr. Jones received his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston before completing an internship in surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and affiliated hospitals in Dallas, where he also completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery. He is fellowship-trained in orthopaedic traumatology at the Shock Trauma Center/Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems in Baltimore, Maryland.

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!