Revitalizing Through Trauma: Dr. Andrea Austin’s Journey to Thriving

Burnout and trauma can feel like dead ends, but what if they’re inflection points for growth? In this episode of Heartline: Changemaking in Healthcare, I, Dr. Andrea Austin, share a deeply personal chapter from my book Revitalized, reflecting on my recovery from soul-level burnout during the pandemic. Drawing on lessons from therapy, coaching, and vulnerability, I explore the power of “and”—embracing pain while finding joy. I discuss top-down (e.g., CBT) and bottom-up (e.g., EMDR, somatic) therapies, along with the role of coaching for future-focused growth. Inspired by Dr. Lorna Breen’s story, I advocate for stigma-free mental health support and share the power of having hard conversations to foster revitalization.

You’ll hear how to:
· Differentiate therapy and coaching to address burnout or trauma.
· Embrace vulnerability to build connection and resilience.
· Navigate life quakes with intentional inner work.

If you’re grappling with burnout or trauma, this episode offers hope and practical steps for healing.

📚 Resources + Mentions
🔗 Revitalized: A Guidebook to Following Your Healing Heartline – Available on Audible, Amazon, IngramSpark
🔗 drlornabreen.org – Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, Take Action Toolkit
🔗 If I Betray These Words by Wendy Dean and Simon Talbot
🔗 Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
🔗 Grounded Roots Mental Therapy – Anna Rainville, LMFT
🔗 Heartline Podcast, August 2023 – Dr. Michelle Wolfhouse on Burnout Recovery

 

🔑 Top 3 Key Takeaways
· Inner work through therapy (top-down or bottom-up) and coaching can transform burnout and trauma into revitalization.
· Vulnerability in hard conversations fosters connection and healing, even if imperfect.
· Stigma-free mental health support, like the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, is critical for physicians.

🩺 About the Host

Dr. Andrea Austin is a board-certified emergency physician, educator, and passionate advocate for system-level change in healthcare. As the creator and host of Heartline: Changemaking in Healthcare, Dr. Austin brings curiosity, compassion, and bold honesty to conversations with leaders who are challenging the norms and reshaping medicine from the inside out.

With decades of experience in high-pressure clinical environments, Andrea has seen firsthand the cracks in the system—and the people working to repair them. Whether she’s mentoring residents, speaking on national stages, or recording with a fellow disruptor, she centers one theme: change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens heart to heart.

💫 About the Show

Heartline: Changemaking in Healthcare isn’t just a podcast—it’s a pulse check on what’s possible.

Hosted by emergency physician and educator Dr. Andrea Austin, Heartline features conversations with healthcare leaders, innovators, and quiet disruptors who are challenging the way things have always been done.

Each episode explores real stories of change—from redefining leadership and communication, to reimagining systems built on burnout and hierarchy. This is a space for truth-telling, for asking better questions, and for reconnecting with the reason we all got into medicine in the first place: to make it better.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress—with heart.

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🎓 Upcoming Events & Opportunities

🔥 ⁠⁠Recalibrate: Group Coaching for Physicians⁠⁠

Starting in 2026,  I’ll be co-leading Recalibrate with psychologist and coach Sharee Johnson. This 6-month group coaching program supports physicians in rediscovering mindfulness, meaning, and wholehearted practice. I'm an alum myself—this program transformed my career. Learn more and enroll here.

•⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Women in Medicine Summit | Chicago, Sept 18–20, 2025⁠⁠

FemInEM is leading a full day on Women’s Health. The Gala will be a can't-miss celebration of leadership and community.

•⁠ ⁠⁠⁠AAWEP St. Lucia Retreat | March 5–8, 2026⁠⁠

For women EM physicians. Sun, connection, and reflection in a stunning setting. Details coming soon via AAWEP.

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