In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Dr. Lara May sits down with Dr. Brett Cordes, a physician who has walked the difficult road of addiction, recovery, and burnout. Once the picture of success as an overachieving medical student, surgical resident, and thriving practitioner, Brett shares how the pressures of perfection, people-pleasing, and tying self-worth to achievements led him into the grip of opioid addiction.
Through honesty and vulnerability, Brett opens up about his journey of self-discovery, healing, and what it truly means to recover—not only from addiction, but from the burnout that silently affects so many physicians. Together, they shed light on the hidden struggles behind the white coat, and offer hope, resilience, and inspiration for healthcare providers and anyone navigating their own path of recovery.
This episode is a reminder that healing is possible, and that sometimes, our greatest challenges can lead us to our most authentic selves.
© Light Body Radio-Podcast, 2025. All rights reserved.
This podcast features background music by ScottHolmes Music. We have obtained the necessary licenses for the use of this music. Our license was renewed on May 7, 2024, and we have been using ScottHolmes Music since 2017. Unauthorized use or distribution of this podcast, including but not limited to the background music, is strictly prohibited and may result in legal action.
For more information or to request permissions, please contact scott@scottholmesmusic.com.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com