Reinvention of The Physician Journey with Dr. Sunny Smith [Limitless MD, Episode 68]

Episode68

In this episode of Limitless MD, Vikram Raya welcomes Dr. Sunny Smith, a successful physician turned coach. Together, they offer some interesting insight about a controversial question – What if being a physician is just the beginning of the journey and not the final destination? Both Vikram and Sunny believe that mindset is everything when it comes to becoming limitless and exploring different paths. Or, as Sunny puts it, once you discover your North Star, you have to start moving and course-correct continually in order to fulfill your desires.

Sunny had an accident in 2017 that left her bedridden for months. At that point, she thought the world was going to stop to wait for her to recover. She had to complete her duties as a physician and as an academic, as well as take care of her child. But that just didn’t happen – the world kept spinning. Looking for entertainment with her limited mobility, she discovered The Life Coach School Podcast. She listened to ALL the available episodes. And then, she became a certified coach herself to help physicians who were looking to avoid burnout and who no longer wanted to tolerate the life they had been living. 

Vikram and Sunny share their love for coaching because they know first-hand that it really works to become our limitless avatars. Besides, they are not the only ones. Sunny mentions three different randomized controlled trials showing that physicians who got coaching got better at the workplace and also felt better in their personal lives. Her working style, the books she’s reading, and why she is living in Puerto Rico are other gems to be found in this honest, authentic, and brilliant episode.    

“What if being a physician is the beginning? What if that’s the foundation? What if this is what we build the entire rest of our futures on?” 

– Dr. Sunny Smith

In This Episode:
00:00 Welcome back to another episode of the Limitless MD podcast

00:06 Introducing Dr. Sunny Smith

03:18 Mindset is everything when wanting to become limitless 

4:25 Being a physician may be just the beginning of the journey

6:06  All the rules for working in medicine are made up by humans

7:24 Sunny’s personal story from breakdown to breakthrough 

13:07 The Life Coach School Podcast 

14:20 Losing a loved one makes you realize that mortality is real

15:03 You no longer have to tolerate the life that you have been living

17:30 Coaching for physicians 

19:19 Randomized controlled trials showing that physicians who got coaching got better

22:12 Different styles of coaching

26:10 Books that Sunny is reading right now 

28:12 Unplugging from the matrix and helping other physicians do the same 

28:28 Sunny doesn’t only work with clients who are women

30:32 Sunny’s life in Puerto Rico

32:10 Find your North Star and keep course-correcting 

33:20 Outro



Resources mentioned:

The Life Coach School Podcast 

Pediatrician and coach Katrina Ubell  

The Choice: Embrace The Possible 

The Road Less Stupid 

How to Lose Weight for the Last Time: Brain-Based Solutions for Permanent Weight Loss 

Determined: How Burned Out Doctors Can Thrive in a Broken Medical System 

 

Resources:

Watch the Video Episode