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the resilient surgeon

In the years since I traded the operating room for the classroom and microphone, one truth has become increasingly clear to me: leadership is not about command and control — it’s about connection and belonging.

3 min read
Michael Maddaus, MD

Laurie Baedke, executive coach, founder and CEO of Growth Edge Holdings, and best-selling author, talks with Dr. Michael Maddaus about “stepping outside your comfort zone” to grow professionally and personally in this episode of The Resilient Surgeon. They address the challenges of promoting high performers into leadership roles without equipping them with critical skills like communication, accountability, and influence. Listen today.

 

1 hr

Do you ever say to yourself, “I don’t feel like doing this today?” On this episode, Tim Pychyl, PhD, procrastination researcher and author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, talks about procrastination and how to avoid it. Pychyl reveals the latest research on why people get stuck and offers strategies to "break free from self-destructive ideas and habits" and start living an inspired life. Listen today.

1 hr
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resilient surgeon

When most surgeons think about procrastination, the instinctive reaction is: Not me. I don’t have time to procrastinate. After all, few professions demand the level of discipline, endurance, and execution required in cardiothoracic surgery. But as I recently learned in a fascinating conversation with Dr.

4 min read
Michael Maddaus, MD

Host Dr. Michael Maddaus talks with Jonathan Clark, leadership scholar at UTSA and co-author of Leading Through: Activating the Soul, Heart, and Mind of Leadership, about prioritizing people, purpose and real productivity to transform an organization. Hear compelling stories that show how "the legacy model of leadership can be destructive," resulting in what he calls "organizational darkness."  Learn about a positive model focused on caring for people and helping them thrive. 

1 hr
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resilient surgeon

In medicine, and in life, we often focus on resilience at the individual level. Exercise, mindfulness, and healthy routines, are all essential. But what happens when you walk into a toxic work environment? Where you don’t feel valued, where you’re treated like a cog in the machine? 

3 min read
Michael Maddaus, MD
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retirement
All medication strips and packages carry the date of manufacture and the date of expiration. As physicians, we know our date of birth and date of retirement. It is known as soon as you enter employment and maybe a few years different in various regions. Not preparing for a relaxed stress-free post-retirement life is inviting stress.
3 min read
Dr. A. Sampath Kumar

In this episode of The Resilient Surgeon, host Dr. Michael Maddaus talks with Dr. Ross Bremner, the executive director of Norton Thoracic Institute and the department chair of the Center for Thoracic Disease and Transplantation at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, about surgeon burnout. Dr. Bremner shares his journey through burnout and how he used the 3 Cs - compassion, connection, and creativity, to recover. 

1 hr

Dr. Steven Gerndt is a cardiothoracic surgeon, speaker, and leadership mentor who developed the concept “Civilitas,” a system-wide cultural transformation focused on psychological safety and fostering of leadership by example. In this episode, Dr. Gerndt talks about his work dedicated to helping organizations and people navigate personal crises through counseling, affirmation, and empathy. He emphasizes the critical importance of allowing people in crisis to be heard.

51 min.

In this week’s The Resilient Surgeon episode, Sheila Heen, a lecturer on negotiation at Harvard Law School and co-author of Thanks for the Feedback and Difficult Conversations, talks about giving and receiving feedback and how we can be better at both. Specifically, Heen explains how to be less dismissive in the way we receive feedback and become genuinely grateful and appreciative of feedback from others. She also talks about creating a productive feedback culture in the workplace.

1 hr

Former US Navy Commander Mike Abrashoff joins Dr. Michael Maddaus for a conversation on leadership with humanity. Abrashoff shares his success in turning around a struggling ship, the USS Benfold, which became the subject of his New York Times bestselling book, It's Your Ship. Learn how to know when it's appropriate to break the rules, when to challenge your superiors, how to do so without endangering your career and how to foster learning and innovation among the ranks of people conditioned to follow orders.


 

50 mins.

Join Dr. Michael Maddaus, host of The Resilient Surgeon, for a discussion with Amer Kaissi, professor of healthcare administration at Trinity University in San Antonio and author of Humbitious: The Power of Low Ego, High-Drive Leadership, about embracing change with an open approach rather than a defensive stance. Kaissi explains that when leaders "connect with humility and elevate with ambition" they can transform organizations.

50 mins.