Physician Reinvention: It's Time To Create Your Next Chapter | Ep2

Michael Hersh, MD: 

[00:00:00] You did everything right—the training, the long hours, the sacrifices. You built a life that's supposed to feel like success, but now you're wondering, is this it? If the work still looks good on paper but feels stale in your gut, you are not alone. Today we are talking about what comes next when the role you built no longer fits your life.

Hey there and welcome back to Better Physician Life. I'm Dr. Michael Hersh, and I'm so glad you're here with me today. So I'm gonna start this episode with a quote by George Bernard Shaw, which I think is really fitting: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." Today we are talking about something that might sound a little abstract or even a little woo at first, which is reinvention.

And specifically, [00:01:00] we're talking about physician reinvention. Now I get it. But when you cut through the buzzwords, reinvention is actually pretty practical. And for doctors, especially for those of us in the middle of our careers, it's extremely relevant because here's the reality: you've been at this for a while.

You've done the training, you've handled the call shifts, you've led teams, you've hit all the big milestones, and you have built something really solid. But lately it all starts to feel a little repetitive, maybe a little too routine, like you're just going through the motions and not really quite sure of what's gonna be different.

That is when reinvention comes in. Not as some grand dramatic life overhaul, but really as a way to reassess—to look at where you are now and to start [00:02:00] asking some questions like: What still fits? And maybe more importantly, what doesn't?

Reinvention does not mean walking away from clinical medicine. It doesn't mean becoming someone else. It means being honest about who you are today and what kind of life and work actually line up with that. So if you've been practicing for a while, you have followed a lot of structure—medical school, residency, board exams, call schedules, hospital system requirements, metrics, and on. For a while that structure can feel stabilizing.

It's like a framework that holds everything in place. And for a long time, it probably did. It gave you a sense of progress and maybe even a little certainty in a career where the day-to-day can feel pretty [00:03:00] uncertain. But over time, the structure starts to feel different. The thing that used to feel solid and reliable starts to feel a little rigid, and the role that once felt like a good fit starts to feel like something you're putting on—like you're playing a part that doesn't quite line up anymore.

That's usually when the questions start showing up. Not in big dramatic ways, just quietly—maybe on the drive home or when you're staring at the ceiling at 2:00 AM, running through everything that has to get done tomorrow, or wondering again how you're supposed to keep this pace up. You start noticing the disconnect.

You're doing everything right, but something still feels off. Then these kinds of questions start to surface: What part of my work still matters [00:04:00] to me, and what doesn't? Where am I just checking boxes? What have I been putting up with that I don't have to anymore? What do I actually want my life to look like outside of work?

Where am I spending time and energy on things that don't add value to my life—at least not to me? And if I stay on this same track, where does that actually lead?

Now here's the thing: these aren't easy questions, but they're the right ones. And the shift doesn't come from asking them. It comes from being willing to face them.

You don't need a full answer. You don't need a five-year plan. And you don't need to be sure. You just need to stop tuning out—stop powering through—for a second, and start paying attention to what's working, to what's not, and to what you've been avoiding. That's where change starts.

And here's the thing. [00:05:00] It doesn't have to be a giant leap. Sometimes it's just a small shift—one grounded, intentional decision at a time. You're allowed to want something different. You're allowed to make space for what matters now, not just for what used to matter. And if that thought has crossed your mind lately, you are not alone.

It's so easy to assume that questioning things means something's wrong or something's broken. It absolutely doesn't. Most of the physicians I work with are highly accomplished. They're running practices, leading teams, publishing, teaching. And from the outside, everything looks solid. But underneath, there's often this quiet thought that maybe this chapter is wrapping up.

Maybe it's time to figure out what's next. That's not a sign of failure. It's genuinely just a [00:06:00] sign that you're paying attention to your needs and your thoughts and what's going on.

The harder part is what comes after that awareness, because most of us are still making choices based on who we were years ago. We stick with jobs because they're what we trained for. We keep patterns that made sense for us when we were in college, medical school, or residency. We hold onto roles we didn't exactly choose—be it problem solver, financial provider, the one who's always okay—because that's just how people see us.

But what if that version of you isn't accurate anymore? What if the role doesn't quite fit like it used to? What if reinvention isn't about burning everything down? It's just about letting go of the things that no longer fit. Old assumptions, old roles, even [00:07:00] old ideas about success. What if you don't need to keep chasing a version of your career that stopped making sense years ago?

That's the tension I see a lot. Physicians who are restless but can't quite put their finger on why. Again, on paper everything looks solid, but deep down there's this nagging question: Is this it? Is this really what the next 20 years of my life looks like? And then the shoulds show up.

I should be grateful. I should just keep my head down. I should be satisfied with what I've built. And those thoughts sound practical, responsible, reasonable. More often than not, they're just fear in a different form. Fear of letting someone down. Fear of rocking the boat. Fear of making a move without a guaranteed outcome.

But here's the thing—living by shoulds keeps you stuck. Stuck in an outdated version of [00:08:00] yourself. And reinvention, it starts with different questions. Not, what did I want 10 years ago? Not, what made sense when I first signed on with this practice. But, what makes sense now?

For some, reinvention looks like cutting back a few shifts to actually be home for dinner. For others, it's stepping into a leadership role—or stepping away from one that's no longer worth the stress. It could mean mentoring or teaching or consulting, or finally carving out time for something outside of medicine that's been on the back burner for years.

Sometimes it's not even about your job. It's about how you want to feel in your own life. It might mean taking your physical health more seriously. Or saying no to obligations that drain you. It could just be getting back a few hours in a week that aren't [00:09:00] spoken for.

Reinvention doesn't have to be loud. It doesn't have to be a complete overhaul. Sometimes it's just as simple as doing something because it actually matters to you. Finally applying the advice you've been giving your patients for years—about sleep, about stress, about not ignoring the warning signs.

Small changes matter. They build momentum. And those quieter moves—they're often what open the door to whatever comes next.

So if you're hearing all of this and thinking, yeah, that all makes sense… but where do I even start? I get it. You are not alone.

So let's make this real for a minute. If you're wondering where to begin, I want to give you some straightforward strategies to start getting some traction.

Okay?

So the first thing that you're gonna need to do is create some white space. You're gonna need some [00:10:00] time. Not just another calendar entry labeled “thinking time,” but actual space. Go for a walk without your phone. Step away from the noise and give your brain a chance to surface something that's buried deep down.

Maybe a goal you set aside. An idea that keeps circling. Or just a gut feeling you haven't had time to follow. That's where it starts.

Then, you want to get curious. What do you actually enjoy doing? What kind of work energizes you rather than drains you? Are there things you've always been interested in doing but you've pushed them aside because it’s not what a physician is supposed to do?

What's something you've always wanted to try but dismissed because it wasn't practical or didn’t fit your life?

That's where you want to start.

Next, talk to people. Oh my goodness. Community is so important. And when you think you are the only [00:11:00] one who's interested in these things or wants to do these things, it can be so hard to get started.

So find friends or colleagues who have made shifts—whether they've scaled back, changed focus, or added something new. Ask what they learned. Most are gonna be more open than you expect. You are not the only one asking these questions.

Then comes the real challenge, which is testing things out.

You gotta try things to see what fits your life and what you like. Don't overthink it. Pick something low-risk—a committee, a side project, a new group. Treat it like R&D for your own life.

Best case? You find something meaningful that you love. Worst case? You walk away with a decent story and a better understanding of who you are and what you want.

And here's the last piece. You don’t need to have all of this figured out right now. [00:12:00] Not knowing yet—that is not a problem. It's just a part of the process.

If you’re trying to figure out what’s next but don’t know where to start, I actually put together a free guide that might help. It’s called The Five Essential Steps Every Physician Needs to Figure Out What’s Next, and you can download it at my website: www.betterphysicianlife.com/whatsnext.

It’s a short video and a practical worksheet. Nothing fluffy. Just something to get you thinking about what you’re interested in and what you want your life to look like. These are tools to help you cut through the noise and get clear on what actually matters to you.

Now, one thing that is so important to remember is that reinvention isn’t a luxury. It’s not just for people with perfect setups or endless free time. It’s for any of [00:13:00] us who have spent years putting our own priorities last. And like any skill, it gets easier the more you work at it.

So, where does that start?

It starts by giving yourself permission to ask a simple question: What do I want now?

You’re not turning your back on everything you’ve built. You’re building from it—with more awareness and more control.

Most of us worry about the risk of change. But we forget that there’s a real risk in staying the same, too. The risk of waking up years from now, realizing you’ve been stuck in motion—not actually going anywhere.

And that is a really hard place to be. And it is 100% avoidable.

Reinvention also brings up something deeper—identity. For a lot of us, being a physician isn’t just a job. [00:14:00] It’s who we are. And when that role starts to feel off or too small, it can be hard to know what to do with that.

That is exactly where this work begins.

And when the white coat doesn’t feel the way it used to, it’s natural to wonder: If I’m not just that anymore, then what?

But it’s so important to remember that identity isn’t fixed. You can still be a physician and also someone who values different things now. Leadership that looks different. More time. Less stress. Something creative or meaningful that exists outside of clinic.

You are allowed to define success in more than one way. And that definition can evolve.

What I’ve seen is this: when physicians choose to pivot—not because they’ve hit a wall, but because they’re paying attention—they set a powerful example.

They show that growth doesn’t mean recklessness. It means responsibility. That [00:15:00] making space for the future doesn’t mean you’re disrespecting your past.

That shift? It’s more than personal. It’s leadership. Leadership for ourselves, leadership for others, as we become an example of what’s possible.

So let me leave you with a few questions.

If you weren’t bound by your current job title, past choices, or a long-held doctor identity… what would become possible?

Where have you been playing it safe, just because it’s familiar?

And here’s a tough one: Are you still making decisions based on who you used to be? Or are you ready to make decisions based on who you are becoming?

Because that next version of you—he or she is already out there.

And you don’t need a crisis to meet them. Just a little space, a little clarity, and a willingness to take the next right [00:16:00] step.

Thank you so much for being here today.

And remember: Reinvention doesn’t mean losing yourself. It just means finally catching up with who you really are—and sometimes, who you’ve always been.

Thanks again. Take care. And I’ll see you next time on Better Physician Life.