EECP is one of the most evidence-backed therapies in cardiology that many physicians still don’t fully understand, and even fewer feel confident explaining to patients. Guest & Resources: Michael Gratch - Founder & CEO, Flow Therapy Website: https://flowtherapy.com/about-us/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gratch-8557266/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/flow-therapy-eecp/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowtherapyeecp/ https://www.instagram.com/mbgratch/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlowTherapyEECP Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlowTherapyEECP/ YouTube: @TrinityHeartCare KEY MOMENTS 00:00 Introduction to Flow Therapy 01:18 Michael Atch's Personal Journey 03:06 Founding Flow Therapy 07:12 Challenges and Triumphs 21:51 The Technology Behind Flow Therapy 26:29 Flow in Life and Medicine 26:59 Exploring Healing Modalities and Rural Medicine 27:31 Incorporating Flow State into Therapy 28:50 Biofeedback and Patient Experience 30:39 The Interrelationship of Focus and Behavior 32:36 Challenges in the Healthcare System 34:51 The Role of Food and Parenting in Health 37:15 The Impact of Stress and Emotional Health 39:41 The Influence of Technology on Society 49:13 Advice for Navigating Life's Challenges 51:56 Living with an Open Heart In this conversation, I sit down with Michael Gratch, Founder and President of Flow Therapy, to talk about what it actually takes to build a healthcare company centered on EECP, or enhanced external counterpulsation, inside a complex medical system. Michael’s journey began with one patient, his grandfather, who had undergone multiple bypass surgeries, stents, and had no remaining revascularization options. Quality of life mattered, and there were few answers being offered. EECP is not alternative medicine. It is a noninvasive cardiovascular therapy supported by decades of research, offered at major academic centers, and covered by Medicare. And yet, access remains limited, adoption uneven, and understanding incomplete. Michael shares how that gap between evidence and availability became the catalyst for building what is now Flow Therapy. If you are a doctor who has ever struggled to explain EECP to a patient, questioned why effective therapies remain underutilized, or felt the strain of practicing inside a system resistant to change, this conversation will resonate. ✨ Subscribe to Open Heart with Priya Rao, MD to hear more conversations where modern medicine and spirituality meet, where we remember that healing is as much about consciousness as it is about care. Follow Priya & Open Heart: Instagram: Instagram.com/openheartthepod Website: https://openheartpodcast.com/ © 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What if the most powerful thing a plastic surgeon could say is no? In a world that rewards more, more procedures, more perfection, more transformation, restraint feels almost radical. Especially in medicine. Especially in plastic surgery. And especially when your livelihood is built on being able to change the human face. KEY MOMENTS 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Deepak Duggar 01:51 Journey into Rhinoplasty 05:56 Emotional Intelligence in Plastic Surgery 11:40 Balancing Professional and Personal Life 19:11 Acts of Kindness and Service 29:22 Gender Disparities in Plastic Surgery 29:54 The Demands and Expectations of Medical Professionals 30:52 Underserved Communities and the Importance of Medical Presence 32:05 The Emotional Impact of Plastic Surgery 34:39 The Power of Positive Change and Patient Testimonials 37:45 Energy, Intuition, and Patient Relationships 40:47 The Importance of Therapy and Self-Reflection 43:23 Balancing Professional and Personal Life 49:45 Final Thoughts and Reflections In this episode of Open Heart, Priya Rao, MD, interventional cardiologist and host of the Open Heart Podcast, sits down with Deepak Dugar, MD, a world-renowned Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon whose reputation has been built not only on extraordinary technical skill, but on something far rarer: ethical clarity, humility, and the courage to refuse surgery when it is not truly needed. Dr. Dugar specializes exclusively in rhinoplasty, one of the most complex and psychologically charged procedures in all of medicine. He spent nearly a decade training under elite mentors, studying anatomy obsessively, shadowing cases while others vacationed, and committing himself fully to mastery. Yet what ultimately distinguishes him is not just what he can do with a scalpel. It is when he chooses not to use one. Guest Links: Deepak Dugar, MD Website: https://www.scarlessnose.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrDeepakDugar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepakdugarmd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepak-dugar-05a16059 📘 Deepak’s Book: Be You To Full, So Beautiful Purchase here: https://a.co/d/9LO2KIP Follow Priya & Open Heart on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@openheartthepod (https://www.youtube.com/@openheartthepod) Instagram: Instagram.com/openheartthepod Website: https://openheartpodcast.com/ Priya Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kothapalli LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkothapallimd/ Thank you to our sponsor, Don’t Miss a Beat, for supporting this episode: https://linktr.ee/dontmissabeat © 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

There’s a moment every physician and clinician knows. If you’ve spent time in a cath lab, an ICU, an OR, or making high-stakes decisions under pressure, you’ve felt it. A tightening in the chest. A quiet pause at the table. A sense that something isn’t right, even when the vitals look stable and the protocol says proceed. And too often, we override it. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Sam Propper 01:13 Sam's Journey and Career Pivots 03:57 Navigating Challenges and Doubts 05:06 The Cath Lab Experience 12:08 Becoming an Educator 18:18 Creativity and Intuition in Medicine 24:47 Magical Synergy in the Cath Lab 26:00 The Importance of Intuition and Gut Checks 26:52 Creating Educational Resources for Medical Training 27:25 Overcoming Fear and Embracing Creativity 28:22 Challenges and Rewards of Teaching 29:01 The Impact of Visual Learning 30:55 Balancing Compassion and Professionalism 32:46 Navigating the Medical Field with Intuition 38:29 Encouraging Change and Self-Trust 41:03 Personal Stories and Emotional Connections 44:23 Living with an Open Heart 45:49 Conclusion and Final Thoughts In modern medicine, clinical intuition is rarely named, rarely taught, and often dismissed. Training rewards certainty, speed, and control. But intuition quietly informs some of the most consequential decisions we make as physicians and clinicians. Ignoring it doesn’t just cost alignment. It can cost safety, creativity, and connection to the patient in front of us. In this conversation, I sit down with Samantha Propper, a cath lab technologist turned award-winning educator and entrepreneur, and one of the earliest supporters of Open Heart. Sam’s path didn’t follow a straight line, and that’s the point. From years at the cath lab table to the classroom to founding Don’t Miss a Beat, her work has shaped how cardiac teams are trained, how they communicate, and how they advocate for patients. At its core, this is a reminder for those of us practicing medicine today. Healing is not purely mechanical. It is relational. It is embodied. If you are a physician, cardiologist, nurse, technologist, or clinician who has ever felt that quiet inner pull during patient care and wondered whether it belonged in medicine at all, this conversation is for you. Connect with Samantha Propper and Don’t Miss a Beat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmissabeat.youtube Website and Textbooks: https://dontmissabeat.store Instagram: https://instagram.com/dontmissabeat Facebook: https://facebook.com/dontmissabeat LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/dontmissabeat/posts/?feedView=all ✨ Subscribe to Open Heart with Priya Rao, MD on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@openheartthepod (https://www.youtube.com/@openheartthepod) Instagram: Instagram.com/openheartthepod Website: https://openheartpodcast.com/ © 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

At some point, the life you carefully constructed starts to feel misaligned.The work that once energized you now drains you. The relationships that felt stable suddenly feel tight. The version of yourself you have spent decades becoming no longer fits the shape of your days. And when that unraveling begins, we are quick to label it a midlife crisis, as if something has gone wrong or something needs to be fixed.But what if nothing is wrong at all?In this conversation, astrologer and spiritual teacher Liv Toepfer reframes what so many people experience in midlife not as a breakdown, but as a predictable point of awakening. A moment written into the architecture of the soul. One that arrives whether you are ready for it or not, often quietly at first, and then all at once.Liv explains how astrology reveals specific life thresholds, times when the psyche, nervous system, and soul begin asking deeper questions. Chief among them is what many astrologers refer to as Neptune meets Neptune, also known as the Neptune square Neptune. This midlife astrology transit often occurs in the early 40s and is associated with spiritual awakening, identity dissolution, and a reorientation toward meaning and truth. Illusions fall away. Careers shift. Relationships strain or end. Old coping strategies stop working. The external markers of success no longer satisfy the internal call.This is not chaos. It is initiation.Astrology, as Liv shares, is not about prediction or bypassing responsibility. It is a language. A way of understanding why now and how to work with change instead of fighting it. From Saturn return in early adulthood to North Node purpose and nodal cycles in midlife, astrology transits offer a broader context for growth that many people feel but cannot yet name.#astrology #podcast #doctor #healer #spiritual We also explore how the body participates in these awakenings. The nervous system responds before the mind has language. Energy shifts show up as fatigue, restlessness, emotional sensitivity, or the sense that something wants to move but you do not yet know what. Breath, presence, and self trust become anchors when certainty dissolves.From the perspective of Priya Rao, MD, a cardiologist and physician working at the intersection of medicine and consciousness, this conversation bridges astrology, nervous system regulation, and healing beyond symptoms. It reflects the Open Heart lens where modern medicine and spirituality are not opposing forces, but complementary ways of understanding the human experience.If you have ever wondered why everything seems to be shifting at once, why success suddenly feels empty, or why your inner voice is getting louder, this may not be a crisis. It may be your soul asking you to listen more closely.About our guest:Liv Toepfer is an astrologer, spiritual teacher, and guide for conscious transition. After more than two decades as a high level event producer, burnout became the doorway that led her into yoga, meditation, astrology, and energy work. Today, she supports others through life’s pivotal thresholds with grounded wisdom, clarity, and deep respect for the intelligence of the body and soul.Connect with Liv:Email: liv@itsavibe.earthWebsite: www.itsavibe.earthInstagram: @thevibetribetxInstagram: @livbydesign✨ Subscribe to Open Heart with Priya Rao, MD to hear more conversations where modern medicine and spirituality meet where we remember that healing is as much about consciousness as it is about care.Follow Priya & Open Heart:Instagram: Instagram.com/openheartthepodWebsite: https://openheartpodcast.com/Priya Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kothapalliLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkothapallimd/© 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

There are moments in medicine that don’t fit inside the chart. Moments where a patient’s suffering can’t be explained by labs or imaging, and the usual tools fall quiet. For some physicians, that silence becomes the beginning of a different kind of listening. Today, psychiatrist Dr. Judy Tsafrir sits with me to explore what happens when astrology, intuition, and clinical practice begin to speak to one another — not in contradiction, but in a deeper coherence. This conversation moves slowly and honestly through the questions physicians aren’t trained to ask, yet inevitably face: What is a soul wound? What makes a crisis arrive on time? And what does healing require when the mind isn’t the only thing in pain?00:00 Introduction to Sacred Psychiatry01:04 A Life-Changing Consultation with an Astrologer02:39 Embracing Astrology and Esoteric Practices05:48 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing07:54 Integrating Spirituality into Medical Practice14:37 The Importance of Energy and Diet in Healing30:39 Astrological Shifts and Spiritual Awakening38:49 Introduction to Chiron in Astrology39:11 The Myth of Chiron41:17 Chiron's Wound and Prometheus43:40 Chiron Return and Life Transitions44:52 Astrological Cycles and Midlife Crisis45:38 The Power of Authenticity48:37 Spiritual Practices in Medicine52:09 The Shift to Air Signs and Quantum Reality55:05 Physician Suicide and Mental Health59:15 Life After Death and Spiritual Experiences01:01:56 Living with an Open Heart01:07:02 Final Thoughts and ReflectionsJudy speaks from a place few clinicians are willing to name: the recognition that a patient’s suffering is often entangled with spiritual injury, archetypal patterns, and timing that feels strangely precise. She describes the moment astrology found her — during a season of profound personal crisis — and how the natal chart, the Chiron wound, and midlife transits became a map she couldn’t dismiss. Not because they were mystical, but because they were useful. Because they helped her make sense of what medicine alone couldn’t reach.But this conversation is not abstract. It’s grounded in the real costs of being a physician today — the moral injury, the exhaustion, the quiet grief of watching the system fracture while trying to remain human inside of it. Judy speaks with clarity about physician suicide, about the inner split that comes from abandoning one’s own truth for the illusion of safety, and why authenticity becomes a survival skill rather than a spiritual luxury.We explore diet, energy, intuition, trauma, spiritual awakening, consciousness, and the long arc of healing that moves through the body as much as the psyche. Judy shares how she weaves astrology into her clinical work without losing scientific integrity, and why the future of medicine may require a shift toward an “air sign consciousness” — one that values subtlety, resonance, and quantum patterns as essential dimensions of health.If the ideas in this episode move something in you, stay with it. Let it breathe. These are the kinds of truths that don’t demand belief — only curiosity. And if you find resonance here, subscribe, share, or join us for the next conversation inside Open Heart, where science meets soul and the interior life is taken seriously.🔗 CONNECT WITH JUDY TSAFRIR, MDWebsite: https://www.judytsafrirmd.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacred_psychiatry/reels/?hl=am-et@sacred_psychiatryTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sacred_psychiatry@sacred_psychiatryLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judytsafrirmd/Book — Sacred Psychiatry:https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Psychiatry-Transpersonal-Transform-Consciousness/dp/B0CB9G8699Subscribe to Open Heart with Priya Rao, MD to hear more conversations where modern medicine and spirituality meet — where we remember that healing is as much about consciousness as it is about care.Follow Priya & Open Heart:Instagram.com/...

There are places in medicine where the stakes are unmistakable, where a single decision or breath becomes the turning point in a story still unfolding. The cardiac ICU is one of those places. It asks for precision, intuition, and a level of humanity that is rarely taught. This conversation opens that world with honesty and depth through someone who carries both clinical mastery and grounded purpose. Chapters 00:00 The Hidden World of Critical Care Cardiology 01:52 Inside the CICU: Teamwork and Humanity 03:40 Systems Change and the Deferred Dream 05:35 Courage, Identity, and Trusting Yourself 07:21 Vulnerability as Power in Medicine 10:48 The Immigrant Story and Human Truths 12:04 Lessons from Cardiac Arrest and Resilience 14:17 Team Harmony and Leadership in Crisis 17:59 Breaking Groupthink in Medicine 19:31 Women in Cardiology and Belonging 21:24 Psychological Safety in the Cath Lab 24:17 Creating Energetic Safety in Clinical Spaces 26:36 The Power of Intention and Positive Words 29:40 Patients and the Second Lease on Life 32:59 Compassion, Guilt, and Caring for the Healer 41:45 Purpose, Self Promotion, and Finding Your Path 43:46 Trust, Energy, and the Unseen Layers of Connection 55:26 Final Reflections and Finding Your People Dr. Rosy Thachil, MD, MBA, FACC is a critical care cardiologist and healthcare leader whose work reflects the complexity of modern cardiac care. She understands that healing is clinical, emotional, and deeply human. Her lens invites us to look at medicine not only as a system but as a place where presence and authenticity truly matter. Rosy shares what it means to care for the sickest cardiac patients and how trust forms among interdisciplinary teams during the most intense moments. She describes how the CICU reveals both the strength and fragility of being human. Her experiences highlight the connection between technical skill and compassionate care, a balance that defines true holistic cardiology. She also speaks about her deferred dream of earning an MBA and how stepping outside the expected path gave her a new language for leadership and systems change. Her journey shows how courage grows when we let go of groupthink and develop confidence in our own direction. Rosy reflects on vulnerability as an essential part of connection and how it can soften even the most difficult clinical conversations. Her immigrant story adds another layer to this reflection. Rosy speaks about belonging, identity, and the early messages that shape how many of us learn to protect our deeper truths. Together, we discuss mentorship, representation, and the experience of women in cardiology where visibility still matters. Priya shares her own path as a structural interventional cardiologist and the resilience required to walk into rooms where few women stand. This conversation lives where medicine and humanity meet, where the heart is understood through both physiology and connection. It is a reminder that healing is a blend of knowledge, intuition, emotional intelligence, and presence. For anyone in healthcare or anyone seeking clarity in their own life, this dialogue offers grounding and a return to what is real. Guest Rosy Thachil, MD, MBA, FACC Website: https://ThachilMD.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosythachilmd Subscribe to Open Heart with Priya Rao, MD to explore conversations where science meets soul and healing is understood as both consciousness and care. Follow Priya and Open Heart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kothapalli Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openheartthepod © 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The metaphysical roots of healing often reveal themselves long before we have the language to name them. This conversation began in one of those quiet, unexpected moments, a time when pain became a messenger, alignment felt emotional as much as physical, and my body was speaking a truth I could no longer ignore. My injury forced a kind of listening I had avoided, and Daniel Castro was one of the teachers who helped illuminate what lived beneath the surface. We’ve created a yin practice guided by Daniel that reflects the same principles held in this conversation. It’s a quiet space to land, to listen, and to let the body reveal what it’s been carrying. Watch the full yin practice created by Open Heart here: https://youtu.be/gRhvHTBulU8 Key Moments 00:00 Opening reflections on injury and intuition 01:04 Yoga as a catalyst for inner shift 01:53 Daniel’s early path into teaching 08:20 The quiet healing power of yin 11:45 The metaphysical layer of disease 17:23 Energy, consciousness, and the body 24:17 Fascia, trauma, and stored memory 26:47 Emotion, tension, and physiology 28:10 Rolfing and release work 30:03 Family constellations and lineage 32:03 Soul patterns and lessons 33:09 Karma and the roots of yoga 36:24 Surfing, flow, and surrender 41:18 Vulnerability and softening fear 45:16 Living with an open heart 47:32 Closing reflections We first met in Costa Rica, long before I understood the deeper layers of my own healing. Daniel’s approach to yoga, grounded, anatomical, intuitive, opened my eyes to the metaphysical roots of healing in a way I had not encountered before. Through fascia, breath, yin yoga, and subtle alignment, he revealed how the body, mind, and emotional landscape are always in conversation. His teaching felt like ancient wisdom with modern clarity, a reminder of how deeply consciousness lives in the body. In this episode, we explore how injury can become insight, how tension often carries meaning, and how stillness through yin yoga can reveal the metaphysical roots of healing that shape our physical experience. Daniel’s understanding of the body is woven from decades of teaching, meditation, bodywork, story, and deep observation. He speaks with precision and presence, guiding us into the truths beneath pain, the layers we often overlook. For those inside medicine — physicians, nurses, trainees — who are navigating burnout, emotional fatigue, or the quiet spiritual dissonance that accumulates inside a system built on endurance, this space was created with you in mind. The heart holds what the schedule, the protocols, and the pager never ask about. Open Heart exists to name that unspoken reality and offer a place where healing feels honest, embodied, and allowed. As a physician, I have often witnessed the gap between physical healing and emotional truth. I have seen arteries open yet patients remain unwell. I have felt intuitive signals arise long before any test result. This conversation lives in that intersection where modern medicine meets spirituality, where science meets soul, and where the metaphysical roots of healing become part of the story rather than something dismissed. It is where integrative healing, consciousness, and the heart mind connection finally meet. Connect with Daniel Castro: Email: nilahastayoga@gmail.com Instagram: @nilahasta Recommended Reading: Your Body’s Telling You: Love Yourself! by Lise Bourbeau Paperback (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Your-Bodys-Telling-You-Yourself/dp/2920932437 Author’s Foundation (Bio and resources): https://lisbourbeau.com/en The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk Paperback (Penguin Random House): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/314588/the-body-keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/ Amazon (Paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748 © 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All ri...

ABOUT THIS YIN YOGA SERIESThis Yin Yoga series was created to help you soften into the deeper layers of your body, fascia, and energy system. Each practice is organized by energy center (chakra), offering a gentle way to work with the physical, emotional, and subtle spaces that are asking for attention. We move through 15 postures, each with variations so you can meet yourself exactly as you are — without force, without striving.This practice is part of a wider conversation with yoga instructor Daniel Castro on Open Heart, where we explore the body as a living memory field and the ways stillness can unlock healing, intuition, and emotional release. You can watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/axlQ-p3OdlsRather than following a rigid sequence, this series invites intuition. Your body already carries its own intelligence. Trust it.⸻HOW TO USE THIS SERIES1. Choose 4–6 posturesLet your intuition lead.You can:• Select one posture per chakra for a full-system resetor• Stay with one energy center if something feels tender, activated, or simply presentThere is no right way — only what feels true in your body today.2. Hold each posture long enough to reach the fascia• Beginners: 1–2 minutes (fascia release begins around 90 seconds)• Traditional Yin: 3–5 minutesSoften into the hold. Let the effort fall away. Give your fascia space to unwind at its own pace.3. Repeat on both sidesFor unilateral shapes (twists, hip openers, side-body work), repeat on the opposite side to restore balance.4. Listen closely to your bodyYin is a quiet conversation.Find the place where sensation is present but your nervous system remains steady — the space between ease and effort, where healing can happen without strain.5. Expect more than a physical releaseAs fascia unwinds, you may notice:• Emotions rising• Old memories surfacing• Energy shifting• Waves of relief or opening⸻00:00 Opening / Settle In00:04:44 Toe Stretch00:05:56 Ankle Stretch00:07:38 Squat00:11:16 Frog Pose00:14:34 Dragon Pose00:18:29 Swan Pose00:20:44 Shoelace00:22:46 Square / Double Pigeon00:26:15 Angel Wings00:27:50 Sphinx Pose00:30:43 Supported Half Bridge00:33:12 Fish Pose00:35:19 Open Wing Pose00:40:56 Bananasana⸻Fascia is a living, sensory matrix — a held archive of tension, stress patterns, and the emotional residue we never had words for. When the body softens and the fascia begins to release, those imprints can surface. This is normal. Often, it’s deeply healing, a quiet invitation into integrative healing and consciousness-awareness.To explore how fascia, emotion, and energy intersect, you can listen to the companion Open Heart conversation with Priya Rao, MD — where science meets soul and the subtle body meets modern medicine.⸻You can return to this series 1–2 times per week, depending on what your body and energy system need. Yin is gentle but profound. With consistency, it supports long-term fascial, emotional, and energetic release. Even a single posture a day can shift your nervous system.Above all, let intuition guide you:If your body feels tight, tender, emotionally heavy, or energetically stagnant, it may be asking for Yin.If you feel overstretched, depleted, or tired, rest is the wiser choice.⸻CONNECTYoga Instructor — Daniel CastroIG: @nilahastaEmail: nilahastayoga@gmail.comPodcast Host — Priya Rao, MDIG: @dr.kothapalliPodcast IG: @openheartthepodWebsite: openheartpodcast.com⸻MEDICAL DISCLAIMERThis video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician before beginning any new exercise practice. Move at your own pace and adapt based on your personal health. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

There are moments in medicine when a single phrase carries the weight of a lifetime. "Open heart" is one of those phrases. For many, it calls up the image of open heart surgery, the intensity of coronary artery bypass grafting, chest opened, a surgical team leaning into precision and trust. Chapters00:00:00 - Introduction and Guest Introduction00:01:20 - Dr. Mel Thacker's Personal Journey00:01:59 - Dr. Mel Thacker's Background00:05:44 - Overcoming Personal Struggles00:11:41 - The Impact of Medical Training00:12:30 - The Importance of Self-Care in Medicine00:15:13 - The Detrimental Effects of Sleep Deprivation in Medicine00:17:04 - Challenging the Norms and Overcoming the Fear of Being Judged00:17:31 - The Role of Gender in Medicine00:20:37 - Understanding and Trusting Clinical Intuition00:26:05 - Creating a Safe and Inclusive Environment in Medicine00:28:15 - The Joy and Satisfaction of Teamwork in Medicine00:30:46 - Detachment from Professional Identity and Diversifying Interests00:38:26 - Final Thoughts and Messages00:39:49 - Closing RemarksIn this conversation, Priya Rao, an interventional cardiologist and heart doctor, sits with Dr. Mel Thacker, a female surgeon who has walked through the fire of medical training and come out with a deeper understanding of what authentic healing requires. Together they explore the lived experience of women in medicine, the layers of pressure placed on a female physician, and the way those pressures can shape identity, intuition, and self worth. Nothing here is abstract. These stories are rooted in real hallways, real operating rooms, and the quiet exhaustion that so often hides behind the title of surgeon or doctor.Dr. Thacker opens her world with honesty, revealing the emotional cost of modern training, the long calls, the normalization of sleep deprivation, and the subtle culture that pushes clinicians to ignore their own bodies. Her voice echoes a reality many clinicians know well, the creeping weight of physician burnout and hospital burnout that affects even the strongest among us. These reflections touch on the wider mental health crisis within medicine, including the unspoken fear many carry when the topic of physician suicide is quietly mentioned in staff rooms and whispered among colleagues. Without dramatizing or sensationalizing, this conversation recognizes the landscape as it truly is, while also naming the possibility for something more human.Priya and Mel explore what it means to step outside the rigid expectations placed on surgeons, especially women in surgery who often feel watched, evaluated, or pressured to hold everything together without ever breaking. They discuss the fear of being judged, the courage required to challenge norms, and the liberation that comes from allowing oneself to be seen beyond a professional identity. Detaching from that single identity and returning to the full self becomes part of conscious medicine and heart centered leadership, not separate from it.They also speak to the importance of creating genuinely inclusive and safe environments, places where clinicians can voice burnout, grief, or uncertainty without fear. Teamwork becomes another form of healing, a reminder that none of us are meant to carry this work alone and that joy in medicine often returns through community, not productivity.If this resonates with you, stay close. Allow your own experiences to be part of the field we are building here. Connect with Dr. Mel ThackerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_surgeon_coach?igsh=dTNkNWpwZzhteWp5&utm_source=qrTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_surgeon_coach?_r=1&_t=ZT-91On6ZbCMsIFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BbLHQ1qXR/?mibextid=wwXIfrWebsite: https://www.melthackercoaching.com/Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@openheartthepod© 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this solo episode, Priya shares the real story behind Open Heart. Open Heart is a movement where science meets soul, bringing together thought leaders, healers, innovators, and storytellers from around the world. Through raw, unfiltered conversations, we explore the deeper layers of healing, weaving together modern medicine, ancient wisdom, creativity, and human connection. It is an invitation to reimagine what it means to live, lead, and heal with authenticity and heart. Learn more at https://openheartpodcast.com/00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:32 - The Journey Begins00:04:35 - The Birth of OpenHeart00:08:44 - Exploring Energy Medicine00:15:14 - Vision for OpenHeart00:16:09 - The Power of Openness and Curiosity00:17:14 - The Meaning Behind OpenHeart00:18:47 - Embracing Authenticity00:24:45 - The Role of Intuition in Medicine00:25:49 - The Journey of Self-Discovery and Alignment00:31:47 - Exploring Different Cultures and Traditions00:34:58 - Living with an Open HeartPriya is an interventional cardiologist and the founder of Open Heart, a podcast and creative platform where science meets soul. Her journey spans from her family’s roots in rural India to the precision of modern medicine, embodying both rigor and intuition. In the catheterization lab, amid high stakes procedures, she experienced moments of profound stillness where intuitive insights reshaped her understanding of healing. These experiences, equal parts technical mastery and meditative presence, opened the path to exploring new paradigms of healing.Today, Priya approaches evidence based medicine and ancient traditions with equal curiosity. She fosters dialogue with doctors, healers, and wisdom keepers across the globe. She shows up fully as a physician, yoga teacher, model, and host of Open Heart, inviting listeners into courageous conversations and the rediscovery that true health embraces all of our dimensions, the physical and beyond.This episode traces how Open Heart began. Priya speaks to leaving the perfectly planned, linear path and choosing alignment. She reflects on what modern medicine offers and where curiosity asks us to look further. Energy, intuition, presence, and the spaces we create for one another are part of the same conversation as data and devices. In the cath lab, teamwork can feel like a beautiful dance and intuition often arrives before language. Learning about the electromagnetic field of the heart gave words to what many clinicians call gut feeling. None of this rejects science. It expands it.We also explore what healing means now. It is not one size fits all. It is a practice of coherence, mind, heart, spirit, and body in honest relationship. Open Heart as a title carries a clinical weight and a human invitation. It honors the gravity of care while calling us to show up with authenticity. PThe roots of Open Heart are personal. Priya’s father, also an interventional cardiologist, modeled openness to the unexplainable. Patients who sensed things before they happened. The art inside the science. His example shaped how she listens and how she practices. It also shaped her conviction that safe spaces and unfiltered stories can change lives, because stories make people feel. When we feel, we move.If you are new here, expect conversations that move between procedure rooms and living rooms, journals and yoga mats, hospital corridors and creative studios. Expect candor. Expect curiosity. Take what resonates and leave the rest. Bring your own perspective. Share it in a safe, welcoming space. Together we can learn, grow, and remember our shared humanity.If this episode resonates, share it with someone who will meet it with an open mind and an open heart. Then visit the home base for more: https://openheartpodcast.com/ Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.