Stressful events can hijack cognition, cloud judgment, and leave emotional residue that can fuel long-term burnout. For acute care clinicians, those moments of emotional overwhelm, when heart rate spikes and the thinking brain goes offline, can have consequences that last far beyond the shift. While long-term resilience is essential, it’s often the just-in-time strategies that determine whether we break down or rise to the moment. In this episode, we explore the physiology and psychology of real-time emotional regulation with Scott Weingart, MD, co-creator of the Beat the Stress Fool protocol. Finally, we uncover how practices like gratitude flooding and negative visualization can inoculate against burnout and offer emotional integrity in the most harrowing moments of care.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Scott Weingart, MD, is an emergency department intensivist and physician coach based in New York. He completed fellowships in Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and ECMO, and is internationally recognized for his expertise in resuscitation and critical care. As the creator of the EMCrit podcast, with over 40 million downloads, he has shaped how clinicians think and perform under pressure. Together, Scott and I co-founded Guidewire Coaching, where we create and teach tailored courses to address the real-world pain points of acute care medicine.

• Rapid stress reset with “Beat the Stress Fool”
• Breathing techniques that calm the nervous system
• Self-talk under pressure
• Mental rehearsal that ends in success
• Trigger words for fast de-escalation
• Gratitudinal flooding as a shield during emotional overload
• Real-time tools for grief resilience
• The quiet strength of negative visualization
• Teaching stress tools to trainees without pushback

Mentioned in this episode:

Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.

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UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum.

The UnBurnable Course

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death.

Free Resources Link

No one enters medicine expecting to land on a performance improvement plan, yet for many physicians, it becomes a disorienting reality. A PIP can feel like both a warning and a test, raising existential fears about career, reputation, and future. Behind the formal language is often a complex mix of organizational risk management and legitimate behavioral concerns. In this episode, we explore what it really means to be placed on a PIP, how to navigate the process effectively, and why resistance is rarely a successful strategy. Finally, we share a structured approach to coaching through a PIP that can turn even the most fraught situation into meaningful professional growth.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

We Discuss:

• Understanding the Purpose and Structure of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)
• Variability and Pitfalls in PIPs
• Why Coaching Matters During a PIP
• Common Reactions and Emotional Toll
• Structural Flaws That Undermine PIPs
• Negotiating and Responding to a PIP
• The Myth of Performance Immunity
• A Coaching Framework for Navigating PIPs
• Collaborating With Leadership
• Success and Long-Term Impact

Mentioned in this episode:

UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum.

The UnBurnable Course

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death.

Free Resources Link

What if addiction isn’t about drugs, but about pain? Beneath compulsive behaviors often lie histories of trauma, anxiety, and unmet emotional needs, hidden behind layers of stigma and misunderstanding. In medicine, addiction is still often mischaracterized as a moral failing rather than a treatable illness with deep psychological roots. In this episode, we explore the personal and professional evolution of Dr. Casey Grover, an addiction medicine physician who reframed both his own struggles and the way he cares for patients. Finally, we uncover how shifting mindset and language can transform both clinical outcomes and clinician well-being.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest bio: Dr. Casey Grover is a board-certified physician in Addiction Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Montage Health, where he also serves as Chief of Staff. He is the Physician Champion for the Monterey County Prescribe Safe Initiative, a program focused on reducing opioid misuse through education, safe prescribing, and improved treatment access. In addition to his clinical and leadership roles, Dr. Grover hosts the podcast Addiction Medicine Made Easy, where he breaks down complex topics to make addiction care more approachable for both providers and the public.

We Discuss:

• What is Addiction?
• When Food Becomes a Coping Mechanism
• The Stigma of Addiction
• The Neurology of Addiction
• Divided Views on Sobriety
• Why Some People Recover and Others Relapse
• The Reason Some Brains Get Hooked
• Addiction vs. Dependence — and Why Stigma Makes It Worse
• Building Trust with Patients
• From Frustration to Compassion: Reframing Patient Encounters
• Trauma, PTSD, and Personal Reckoning
• The Practice of Addiction Medicine

Mentioned in this episode:

UnBurnable - Our Cohort-Based Burnout Prevention and Cure Course

As physician coaches, my partner, Scott Weingart, and I have noticed a pattern: some doctors are thoroughly burned out, and some are on the path to burnout. Almost all were shortchanged in their medical training, having been molded into excellent clinicians but given virtually no tools for retaining joy and equanimity throughout their careers. This course will teach you the hidden anti-burnout curriculum.

The UnBurnable Course

Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.

If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Sign up for our Newsletter

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death.

Free Resources Link