What made you interested in the medical field?

Byerly: I have been interested in medicine since I was a child. At age 4, I spent a month in the hospital for pneumonia, and while I was there, I befriended a student nurse who was caring for me. I used to help her fill the oxygen tents with ice every night.  She was so kind and compassionate to me and to the other pediatric patients. After that experience, I told my older sister that I wanted to be a doctor to help people the same way they cared for me.

What experiences made you realize you needed to take a step back from work and focus on yourself as a working physician?

Byerly: I experienced trauma as a child with my illness and as an adult who faced challenges as a single mother after going through a divorce when my children were younger. All my experiences added up to me facing burnout early in my career. And in talking with other female physician colleagues, I found many others experience similar feelings.

Are there specific expectations people have of female physicians that you think puts them more at risk of burnout or makes them less likely to seek help when they need it?

Byerly: Women are leaving medicine in droves around the country. There are many objective factors that lead to this, like pay gaps and decreased rates of promotion. In addition, there is a societal expectation of women to care for others. In an unhealthy work-life balance, women can sacrifice their well-being and happiness to care for others. The COVID-19 has amplified all of these issues for women physicians.

How did you begin The Physician Healer, your life coaching business?

Byerly: I loved speaking with other female physicians about the problems we face in our field, and I wanted to find an outlet where I could help even more women. After becoming a certified life coach, I began The Physician Healer in March 2020, just a few days before most businesses in the country began to shut down for the pandemic. It really was a coincidence, but I don’t think the universe makes mistakes. I am so grateful for the timing, as it is bringing to light the need for self-care and self-compassion, which are key in my coaching practice.

I am currently still on a full-time clinical schedule, so I do my life coaching when I am post-call — at night and on weekends. I work on my coaching business daily, and I send my clients educational work on regular intervals. I don’t want them to become overwhelmed with homework as they usually are already feeling overwhelmed by their daily lives. The objective is for them to discover their true desires and the life they would like to have.

Over the past two years, many physicians I’ve worked with have come to the same realizations I have about how energy-draining it is to be self-sacrificing all the time. It’s always an amazing experience when I work with a woman who at first is clearly unhappy, but then her face really lights up after a few sessions.

What advice do you have for physicians who believe they need to take more time to focus on their own needs?

Byerly: There are three main pieces of advice I would give to every physician. The first is to create boundaries between your personal and professional life, and to stick by those. When we create boundaries coming from a place of empowerment, we are taking care of ourselves.

Next, know that you are already enough and have self-compassion. A lot of times, we have negative thoughts that try to tell ourselves otherwise, but by not reinforcing those negative beliefs about ourselves, we can overcome them.

I would also advise all physicians to stop sacrificing all their time and energy for others and to take time for self-care. If you cannot take care of yourself, you cannot expect to be the best you can for your patients.