The Thriving Doctors Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner shares the lesson she's learned for her experience, being sued, serving as an expert in medical litigation and supporting physicians going through lawsuits. For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

Doctors know nutrition. So why do women gain weight at midlife, and what is it so hard — or seemingly impossible — to lose?In this episode of the Thriving Doctors Podcast, Dr. Vicki Rackner sits down with Heather Awad, MD, a family physician and certified coach who helps professional women navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife weight gain.Together, they explore:Why eat less, move more often fails after midlifeThe role of insulin resistance in sudden weight gainEmotional eating doctors don’t recognize as emotional eatingWhy restriction backfires — even for disciplined physiciansHow GLP-1 medications compare to a nutrition-based approachSmall, practical shifts that lead to sustainable weight lossThis is not a diet episode. It’s a physician-level conversation about hormones, metabolism, identity, and compassion — for ourselves and our patients.Here's how you can reach Dr. Awad and take advantage of her free giftsVibrant Menopause Weight Loss WebsiteVibrant-MD PodcastInstagramFacebookLinkedInYouTubeFree Gift Link: info.vibrant-md.com/breakfastFor more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

Debt doesn’t cause anxiety.The fear of not being able to repay it does.In this episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner unpacks the real reason debt triggers so much stress for physicians — and why unmanaged debt anxiety can quietly sabotage your wealth-building.Medical school loans. Practice buy-ins. Mortgages. Investment leverage.These aren’t character flaws. They’re financial tools.But when your safety brain takes over, even smart, math-backed decisions can feel like drowning.In this conversation, you’ll learn:• Why debt is a neutral number — and why context changes everything• The difference between good debt, bad debt, safer debt, and concentrated risk• Why your safety brain activates around leverage• How trauma and past financial experiences shape your reactions• The 2×2 Debt Matrix framework• 10 practical tools to regulate anxiety so your planning brain can lead• The difference between anxiety and intuitionIf you’ve ever woken up at 2 a.m. worrying about debt — even when the numbers work — this episode is for you.Financial leadership is nervous-system leadership.Anxiety belongs in the room — but not in the driver’s seat.📥 Download the companion report in the show notes to reinforce the ideas and apply them to your own financial decisions.—Dr. Vicki Rackner is a retired surgeon and founder of The TrueWealth Way — a framework that helps physicians build wealth without burning out by aligning money decisions with nervous-system regulation and long-term vision.Subscribe for more conversations about:• The Three-Brain Model• Building net worth with intention• Moving from burnout to TrueWealth• Emotional tolerance in investing• Financial adolescence → financial leadershipYou don’t need to eliminate fear to build wealth.You need to learn how to lead yourself through it.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

You can earn a high income, look successful, and still feel anxious about money.In this episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner explores the difference between acting rich and being rich—and why so many high-earning professionals, especially physicians, fall into what she calls the Looking Rich Vortex.This isn’t about deprivation or budgeting.It’s about alignment, satisfaction, and building a life that actually works.You’ll learn:– Why looking rich is often driven by pressure and comparison– What it really means to feel rich– How to make conscious spending choices without guilt or shameTrueWealth isn’t about appearances.It’s about clarity.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

How do you make financial decisions? What can money feel so hard? Learn more about the importance of actively managing your brain as the first step towards financial success.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

If you want better financial results in 2026, you don’t need a better budget, more discipline, or a more complicated financial plan.You need one skill:the ability to actively manage your human brain.Most physicians already know what to do financially.The problem isn’t intelligence or effort.The problem is that when your nervous system is dysregulated, your planning brain goes offline — and financial decisions become reactive instead of conscious.In this episode, I share the one strategic focus that makes every other financial strategy work:👉 Actively managing your human brainYou’ll learn the three essential skills that allow you to make calm, intentional money choices — even under stress:• How to choose your thoughts instead of believing every fear your brain offers• How to feel your feelings without numbing, avoiding, or self-judging• How to resist urges so short-term relief doesn’t sabotage long-term goalsFor more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

Do you feel like you’re in charge of your money—or does it feel like your money is in charge of you?Are there things you want to do with your life—but finances keep getting in the way?If you don’t understand how money decisions actually shape your life, you can work harder, earn more, and still end up with less of what you want and more of what you don’t.In this episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner lays out The TrueWealth Way--a process of making consistent conscious choices that lead to a life in which your calendar and bank statements reflect your values and your priorities. For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

How do you know if working with a financial advisor is actually helping you?Doctors often ask this quietly:**“Am I better off with you… or without you?”**In this episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner explores how doctors experience financial relationships, why uncertainty is so draining, and what ethical shared decision-making really feels like.This isn’t about returns.It’s about clarity, agency, and whether a professional relationship truly supports your life.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

Doctor, are you burned out? Here's what you need to know to break through burnout.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

Everybody faces financial losses. However, the way in which you respond to the losses can make things better--or worse.In this episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner lays out the 5 Financial Pain Personalities. This describes your innate response to financial pain and losses. Your Financial Pain Personality is like your natural tennis swing. If you know the ball pulls to the left, you can make adjustments so the ball winds up where you want it.So, too, once you know your Financial Pain Personality, you can make course corrections to create the financial results you wish.Here are the 5 Financial Pain Personalities: The Strong StoicThe Worried WellThe OstrichThe Financial UnderdogThe Ideal ResponderFor more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

In this  episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner offer three ways to assess you level of financial health.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

What would happen if , for some reason, you could no longer treat patients? In this eposode, Dr. Vicki Rackner describes 10 ways she replaces her income as a surgeon by calling on her medical knowledge, skills and experiences.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

Your skill with negotiation directly translates to the rate at which you build TrueWealth; yet most physicians find that even the idea of negotiations raises their blood pressure. In this episode, Dr. Vicki Rackner explores the reasons that only 10% of physicians negotiate their salary, and offers tips for becoming a more skilled negotiator.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors

Would you like to move closer to the life of your dreams? In this episode,  Dr. Vicki Rackner offers her advice: recruit your mind to manage your brain.For more tips and strategies about how to get more of what you want--and less of what you don't.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingdoctors/Youtube: @ThrivingDoctors