The STS Resilient Surgeon Podcast

Epizody

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  #177, S5 Running, Recovery, and the Surgical Mind: Lessons in Endurance 06.08.2026 43min

  Host Dr. Melanie Edwards is joined by guest Dr. Andrea Wolf, director of the New York Mesothelioma Program, professor of thoracic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, chair of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Wellness Committee, and an accomplished marathoner. Dr. Wolf explores how the mindset and discipline of distance running can strengthen resilience, performance, and career longevity in surgery. Drawing from her own experiences with running and injury, Dr. Wolf discusses the value of focusing on process over outcomes, prioritizing recovery and strength training, and building sustainable habits that support both surgeon well-being and patient care. She also shares insights on workplace ergonomics, mentorship, and challenging the culture of pushing through physical limitations.
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  #176, S5 The Multitasking Myth: Attention, Errors, and the Surgeon’s Mind 06.05.2026 49min

  In a new episode of The Resilient Surgeon, host Melanie Edwards, MD, sits down with cognitive neuroscientist Daniel Smilek of the University of Waterloo’s Vision & Attention Lab to explore how attention and perception shape performance. Their conversation dives into the realities of everyday multitasking, examining how it contributes to lapses in attention, cognitive errors, and mind wandering. Smilek connects this research directly to surgical practice and surgeon well-being. Listen today. Resources referenced in the discussion:Bidelman, G. M., & Feng, S. (2025). Familiar music reduces mind wandering and boosts behavioral performance during lexical semantic processing. Brain Sciences, 15(5), 482. Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilbert, D. T. (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330(6006), 932-932. Kiss, L., & Linnell, K. J. (2021). The effect of preferred background music on task-focus in sustained attention. Psychological research, 85(6), 2313-2325. Seli, P., Risko, E. F., Smilek, D., & Schacter, D. L. (2016). Mind-wandering with and without intention. Trends in cognitive sciences, 20(8), 605-617. Watson, J. M., & Strayer, D. L. (2010). Supertaskers: Profiles in extraordinary multitasking ability. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 17(4), 479-485.  
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  #175, S5 Choosing a Life that Fits 06.04.2026 45min

  Season 5 starts here. Join Dr. Melanie Edwards, new host of The Resilient Surgeon, for the kick-off of season five with a “Live from #STS2026” episode. Hear from Drs. Jamie and Ross Ungerleider about work-life integration, and making choices that contribute to more fulfillment, joy, and authenticity in life. Listen today. 
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  #174, S4 Becoming A High-Performing Surgeon Leader 19.05.2025 50min

  Laurie Baedke, executive coach, founder and CEO of Growth Edge Holdings, and best-selling author, talks with Dr. Michael Maddaus about  “stepping outside your comfort zone” to grow professionally and personally in this episode of The Resilient Surgeon. They address the challenges of promoting high performers into leadership roles without equipping them with critical skills like communication, accountability, and influence. Listen today. 
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  #173, S4 Stop Procrastinating 24.03.2025 1h 32min

  Do you ever say to yourself, “I don’t feel like doing this today?” On this episode, Tim Pychyl, PhD, procrastination researcher and author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, talks about procrastination and how to avoid it. Pychyl reveals the latest research on why people get stuck and offers strategies to "break free from self-destructive ideas and habits" and start living an inspired life. Listen today.
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  #172 S4 Activating the Soul, Mind and Heart of Leadership 14.01.2025 51min

  Host Dr. Michael Maddaus talks with Jonathan Clark, leadership scholar at UTSA and co-author of Leading Through: Activating the Soul, Heart, and Mind of Leadership,  about prioritizing people, purpose and real productivity to transform an organization. Hear compelling stories that show how "the legacy model of leadership can be destructive," resulting in what he calls "organizational darkness." Learn about a positive model focused on caring for people and helping them thrive. 
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  #171, S4: Surgeon Burnout: A Personal Story 16.12.2024 1h 5min

  Learn about surgeon burnout and how to overcome it.
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  #170 S4: A Surgeon's Leadership Journey 23.10.2024 51min

  Dr. Steven Gerndt is a cardiothoracic surgeon, speaker, and leadership mentor who developed the concept “Civilitas,” a system-wide cultural transformation focused on psychological safety and fostering of leadership by example. In this episode, Dr. Gerndt talks about his work dedicated to helping organizations and people navigate personal crises through counseling, affirmation, and empathy. He emphasizes the critical importance of allowing people in crisis to be heard.
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  #169 S4: Mastering the Art of Giving and Getting Feedback 30.09.2024 1h 6min

  In this week’s Resilient Surgeon episode, Sheila Heen, a lecturer on negotiation at Harvard Law School and co-author of Thanks for the Feedback and Difficult Conversations, talks about giving and receiving feedback and how we can be better at both. Specifically, Heen explains how to be less dismissive in the way we receive feedback and become genuinely grateful and appreciative of feedback from others. She also talks about creating a productive feedback culture in the workplace.  
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  #168 S4: A Conversation on Leadership with Humanity 25.09.2024 56min

  Former US Navy Commander Mike Abrashoff joins Dr. Michael Maddaus for a conversation on leadership with humanity. Abrashoff shares his success in turning around a struggling ship, the USS Benfold, which became the subject of his New York Times bestselling book, It's Your Ship. Hear about his simple yet powerful approach to leading with compassion, empathy, and respect for others.
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  #167 S4: Humility - The New Superpower of Great Leaders 16.09.2024 47min

  Join Dr. Michael Maddaus, host of The Resilient Surgeon, for a discussion with Amer Kaissi, professor of health care administration at Trinity University in San Antonio and author of Humbitious: The Power of Low Ego, High-Drive Leadership, about embracing change with an open approach rather than a defensive stance. Kaissi explains that when leaders "connect with humility and elevate with ambition" they can transform organizations.   
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  #166 S4: The Third Space - Managing the Transition from Work to Home 09.09.2024 52min

  In this episode of The Resilient Surgeon, Dr. Michael Maddaus talks with Dr. Adam Fraser, leading educator and researcher on human performance and author of The Third Space: Using Life’s Little Transitions to Find Balance and Happiness, about transitioning from one role, such as surgeon, to the next role, such as spouse or parent.
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  #1645 S4: Friction: Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder 29.08.2024 53min

  Healthcare - and life- is filled with friction. In this episode, Dr. Michael Maddaus talks with Huggy Rao, co-author of The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier, about eliminating the forces that make it harder to get things done.
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  #164, S4: The Science of Failing Well 21.08.2024 44min

  Harvard Business School professor and researcher of psychological safety, Amy Edmondson, explains the difference between good and bad failures and how to think about and practice failure wisely.  She shares examples of how people and organizations can embrace human fallibility, pursue smart risks, and prevent avoidable harm.
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  #163, S4: What We Learn From Boredom 08.08.2024 1h 5min

  In this first episode of season four of The Resilient Surgeon, Dr. Michael Maddaus speaks with James Danckert, professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo, and co-author of Out Of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom, about the purpose of boredom and how it can help us find meaning in our lives.