Shame In Medicine: What Every Doctor Feels and Hides | Ep13
What if the shame we bury in medicine is actually a signal for growth?
Dr. Michael Hersh sits down with Dr. Will Bynum to explore the role of shame in physicians' lives. Drawing from Dr. Bynum's personal journey, from a residency error and personal struggles to discovering Brené Brown's work, they unpack shame's definition, its ties to vulnerability (especially for men), and its overlaps with fixed mindsets.
The conversation offers practical tools like examining assumptions, shifting focus outward, and practicing self-compassion to navigate shame constructively. They also discuss building shame-competent cultures in healthcare. This episode is essential for physicians ready to unhide, connect deeply, and harness shame's transformative potential.
About the Show:
Created for physicians who want more than clinical competence, Better Physician Life is a space for honest reflection, reinvention, and reclaiming purpose beyond the pager.
Hosted by Dr. Michael Hersh, each episode dives into the questions we didn’t learn to ask in training, offering tools and conversations to help you live and lead with intention.
Top 3 Takeaways:Â
- Define and Examine Shame:Â Understand shame as a global self-evaluation of being flawed or unworthy, often tied to perceived judgment from others, and challenge assumptions of isolation by recognizing its universality in medicine (90-100% of learners experience it).Â
- Practice Self-Compassion and Seek Connection: Treat yourself with the kindness you'd offer a loved one, as self-deprecation can fuel shame cycles in high-stakes physician work.Â
- Cultivate Shame-Competent Environments: Stop measuring your life against others’ highlight reels on social media. Focus on your unique purpose and give yourself permission to want what aligns with your values, not what looks shiny.
Watch Now
If you’ve ever caught yourself snapping at a colleague, second-guessing every move, or hearing that inner voice cut you down harder than anyone else could, you’re not alone. That’s shame at work in medicine. And the longer we bury it, the heavier it gets.
The good news? That weight isn’t permanent. With the right support and perspective, shame can shift from something that drains you to something you actually learn from.
If you’re ready to stop carrying it alone and start feeling more in control of how you show up.
