Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why this doctor hid her story for a decade

Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
Physician
June 2, 2025
Share
Tweet
Share

I’ve had a few moments in my life where time seems to stand still.

I’m not talking about being in the flow of creativity or about a near-death experience. I’m referring to those times where a sudden realization makes you reconsider how you’ve viewed yourself or your life in fundamental ways.

After leaving clinical practice, I was dogged by guilt and shame for at least a decade. I viewed my choice as proof of weakness, that I “couldn’t hack” being a doctor. I kept to myself professionally, working quietly in my home office as a freelance writer for nonprofit organizations.

My story and my voice remained hidden. It felt safer that way.

Then, the coach I’d hired to help me navigate life as a newly divorced working mother sat me down one day. By then, we’d worked out the basics of my life. She looked me in the eye and said words that stopped time.

“Why have you never told your story about burnout and leaving medicine publicly? It could help someone.” To my stunned silence, she added, “You know, what you did was courageous.”

Her reframing of the situation transformed how I saw my life—and my subsequent career.

In 2011, I shared my story on an NPR blog. There were 26,000 views in a week, and physicians began contacting me with their personal stories. The rest, as they say, is history. In the time since, I have dedicated my career to working with physicians to create sustainable careers.

A physician client of mine recently shared that she sees coaching as “The School of Unlearning.” She has found new awarenesses and new ways of responding that have transformed her career too. Her work environment is still stressful, but she sets limits now that mitigate the stress and allow her to live a full life.

I too unlearned something in coaching. My perception of myself, and therefore my choices about my career, were limited and fixed. It was a trusted coach who opened my eyes and inspired me to reshape the trajectory of my life.

What perceptions of yourself might be fixed—and holding you back by limiting your options? How might you begin to shift them? I encourage you to ask yourself these questions today.

Diane W. Shannon is an internal medicine physician and physician coach.

Prev

Reimagining Type 2 diabetes care with nutrition for remission [PODCAST]

June 1, 2025 Kevin 0
…
Next

What one diagnosis can change: the movement to make dining safer

June 2, 2025 Kevin 0
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Reimagining Type 2 diabetes care with nutrition for remission [PODCAST]
Next Post >
What one diagnosis can change: the movement to make dining safer

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH

  • Why women doctors spend more time on EHRs and what it means for patient care

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Unexpected lessons in self-care from my backyard garden

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Unlock your freedom: Replace “should” with “could”

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH

Related Posts

  • Voting as a physician: How my parents’ story inspired me to advocate

    Halleh Akbarnia, MD
  • Why everyone needs a six-word story

    Alexie Puran, MD
  • I was trolled by another physician on social media. I am happy I did not respond.

    Casey P. Schukow, DO
  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • Be a human first and a doctor second

    Sarah Murad
  • International medical graduates ease the U.S. doctor shortage

    G. Richard Olds, MD

More in Physician

  • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

    Kara Pepper, MD
  • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

    Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD
  • How art and science fueled one woman’s path to medicine

    Amy Avakian, MD
  • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • Why being a physician mom is harder than anyone admits

    Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...