Life Without Burnout: Exploring Stress and Sustainable Solutions with Dr. Robyn Tiger

In this episode of Roots of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa sits down with Dr. Robyn Tiger, a double board-certified physician in Diagnostic Radiology and Lifestyle Medicine, and a trauma-informed mind-body expert. As founder of the wellness practice StressFreeMD, Dr. Tiger shares how chronic, unrecognized stress can masquerade as dozens of unrelated symptoms, even when labs and imaging are normal, and why “feeling stressed is optional” is not a slogan, but a trainable skill.Together, they explore the stress response beyond the traditional emergency box, including how thought-driven stress activates the same physiologic cascade as real danger, and how small, evidence-based practices can shift the nervous system in seconds. Dr. Tiger reflects on her personal turning point, the role of yoga therapy and iRest Yoga Nidra in nervous system healing, and the mindset shift that makes lifestyle medicine accessible for busy clinicians: becoming just one percent better every day.This episode is an invitation to stop mopping the floor and start turning the faucet off, and to remember that the most powerful medicine often fits into the minutes you already have.What We CoverWhy the stress response is bigger than emergencies and how thoughts trigger real physiologyHow chronic stress can present as wide-ranging symptoms despite normal testingThe “turn the faucet off” model of lifestyle medicine versus disease managementYoga therapy and iRest Yoga Nidra as gateways to nervous system regulationCoaching, cognition, and reclaiming agency through self-experimentationMyth-busting time scarcity for clinicians with practices that take seconds to minutesIntegrating lifestyle medicine into diverse careers and practice modelsMidlife, burnout, and the inner unlearning behind lifestyle-oriented pivotsFeeling Stressed Is Optional and why it was designed for real-life learningChapters00:00 — Feeling Stressed Is Optional and Why Stress Is Trainable00:44 — Introducing Dr. Robyn Tiger: Lifestyle Medicine and StressFreeMD09:26 — Understanding the Stress Response Beyond Emergencies13:13 — Yoga, Meditation, and the Body as a Doorway to Healing19:19 — Bridging Ancient Wisdom with Modern Medical Training25:04 — Lifestyle Medicine as Prevention, Reversal, and Treatment27:21 — Turning Off the Faucet: Root Causes vs Disease Management29:42 — Healing Thyself: Self-Discovery Before Treating Others32:03 — Rethinking Medical Education Through Lifestyle Medicine35:28 — Integrating Lifestyle Medicine Without More Time Pressure39:38 — Career Transitions: Walking Toward Alignment, Not Running Away43:44 — The Ripple Effect: How Physician Regulation Changes Systems46:37 — Writing Feeling Stressed Is Optional During the Pandemic53:49 — Agency, Neuroplasticity, and One Percent Better Every Day58:10 — Closing Reflections and How to Work With Dr. TigerGuest BioRobyn Tiger MD, a double board-certified physician in Diagnostic Radiology and Lifestyle Medicine and a trauma informed mind-body expert. As founder of the wellness practice, StressFreeMD, she uniquely combines her trainings in medicine, yoga therapy, meditation & life coaching to teach other physicians a whole person approach to relieve stress while increasing both lifespan and healthspan. Her innovative coaching, courses, presentations, retreats, podcast and book focus on creating effective behavior changes in the key topics of stress relief, nutrition, exercise, sleep, social connection, and nature while cultivating physical, mental, and emotional well-being and resilience.Dr. Tiger is the author of Feeling Stressed is Optional, a unique multimodal interactive book which combines engaging content, videos and worksheets for the most effective transformative experience. She serves as lead faculty and subject matter expert in stress management for the Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Manual, hosts the StressFreeMD Podcast, and is a Western Carolina Medical Society Healthy Healer Partner.Her strong desire to help physicians grew out of her many years in medical practice experiencing and witnessing firsthand the need for physician self-care education. She is deeply passionate about successfully guiding physicians to become the best versions of themselves and live their healthiest, happiest, most fulfilling lives!Contact & LinksWebsite:https://www.stressfreemd.net/Free Stress Relief Videos:https://www.stressfreemd.net/free-self-care-videosPodcast:StressFreeMD PodcastBook:Feeling Stressed Is Optionalhttps://a.co/d/allmuNKSocial Media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyntigermd/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stressfreemd/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robyn.frankel.tigerX: https://x.com/robyntigermdBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robyntigermd.bsky.social🌐 Connect with Your HostDr. Siri Chand Khalsa, MD MSLifestyle & Integrative Medicine Physician • Culinary Medicine • AyurvedaWebsite: drsirichand.comInstagram: @doctorsirichandCulinary Medicine Blog: drsirichand.com/blogCommunity: https://vishuddha.comVishuddha: A Media Agency for Conscious Clinicians & Wellness SeekersVishuddha is a media and creative agency dedicated to amplifying the voices of integrative and lifestyle medicine clinicians who are transforming how we understand health and healing.We provide media representation, book development, public speaking coaching, podcast strategy, content creation, and course development—alongside classes and workshops for wellness seekers committed to intentional, conscious living.Rooted in whole-person healing, Vishuddha helps clinicians translate their wisdom into impact, design offerings that matter, and bring conscious, transformative work into the world.Ready to share your wisdom? Explore how we can support your vision at Vishuddha.com.⚠️ DisclaimerThis podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for personalized guidance.Keywordsstress relief, chronic stress, nervous system regulation, lifestyle medicine, physician burnout, yoga therapy, iRest Yoga Nidra, meditation, coaching, behavior change, sleep, connection, nature, preventive medicine, healthspan, lifespan, Feeling Stressed Is Optional, StressFreeMD, Dr. Robyn Tiger, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa, Roots of Healing