April 2024 MMA Advocacy Champion

Michelle Chestovich, MD

CEO at Mamadoc Life Coaching LLC

1) Why is being an advocate so important?
Speaking up saves lives. I speak up on the importance of normalizing mental health issues and raising awareness of the high incidence of suicide amongst physicians. The more I talk about it, the more people see that they are not alone in their struggles and seek the help they need. People have come up to me saying that by hearing my sister's (Dr. Gretchen Butler) tragic story, they got the help they needed. Hearing her story made it real to them.

We are at an all-time high with burnout in medicine and it is not due to lack of resiliency (we docs are the most resilient people on the planet!). We high achievers keep getting asked to do more and more with less. Coaching is an evidenced-based solution for burnout, and I enjoy coaching physicians and teaching them to advocate for themselves.  Healthier and less burnt-out physicians leads to more job fulfillment, better retention and better patient outcomes.

2)What healthcare related issues have I advocated for over the past year?
I speak nationally on the importance of physician wellness and share simple coaching strategies that can be used to make our lives a bit easier. I am a strong advocate for taking care of ourselves and reminding all of us that we too are human.

Also, I recently had the opportunity to testify on the physician well-being bill authored by Dr. Kelly Morrison and I am excited to see that move forward.

3)What advice would you have for others who are interested in advocacy?
Follow your heart. If there is conviction within you on a particular issue, others need to hear it too. What often holds us back is fear of what other people might think. But when you remember why it is important for you to speak up, it makes it so much easier. By raising your voice, you're an example to others and that is exactly how the change in medicine happens.... the ripple effect of speaking up for what you believe in and others joining in too.

Website: www.mamadoclifecoach.com
Podcast: Re-Mind Yourself