Re-Air Special: Mental Health Awareness Month for Healthcare Workers Featuring Dr. Stephanie Simmons, CMO, Dr. Lorna B

41min | 05/07/2026

Description

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we're bringing back one of our most important conversations — and it's just as urgent today as when we first aired it.

In this episode, host Dr. Dympna Weil sits down with Dr. Stephanie Simmons, Chief Medical Officer of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, to tackle a challenge hiding in plain sight: the mental health crisis among the very people who care for us.

Healthcare workers face extraordinary emotional demands — yet too many hesitate to seek help, fearing it could cost them their careers. Dr. Simmons shares how the Foundation is working to change that, from building more supportive workplace cultures to eliminating stigmatizing language embedded in medical licensing requirements.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

The mission and advocacy work of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation
How licensing language creates real barriers to care-seeking
The personal stories that are driving systemic change
Why seeking mental health support is a sign of strength — not weakness
What healthcare organizations can do right now to foster a culture of care

This conversation is a reminder that protecting the well-being of healthcare workers isn't just a compassionate goal — it's a patient safety issue.

🌱 This Mental Health Awareness Month, share this episode with a colleague, a friend in healthcare, or anyone who needs to hear that asking for help is an act of courage.

Thanks for listening. Your support means everything - so if you are moved to, please leave me a review and share this episode with a friend who may need the messages held here.

Don't be a stranger.

You can reach me at podcast@dympnaweil.com

Website

https://www.dympnaweil.com

Substack (or other newsletter)

https://substack.com/@dympnaweil

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/dympnaweil/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dympnaweil/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/dympna.weil

Bluesky

https://‪@dympnaweil.bsky.social‬

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About PRESCRIBING POSSIBILITY

Prescribing Possibility is hosted by physician, writer, and master coach Dr. Dympna Weil, MD. It’s a space for real, reflective conversations that inspire deep healing, bold growth, and a more harmonious way of living. Whether you’re navigating life in medicine, feeling pulled in a thousand directions, or simply searching for steadiness in a chaotic world, Prescribing Possibility offers stories, strategies, and soulful support. Settle in for your weekly dose of thoughtful dialogue and personal transformation, and the gentle reminder that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Special thanks to @Bright_Sighted Media and @creatorstudiosaratoga for this opportunity to learn & create in their warm, cozy, and welcoming Bright Sighted Studio in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY. As a Founding member of the Creator Studio, it is an honor to work with them & remind myself that I still can learn new things (albeit at a slower pace...). Shoutout and gratitude to Christine Murtagh for her supurb VA support xo

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About PRESCRIBING POSSIBILITY

Prescribing Possibility is hosted by physician, writer, and master coach Dr. Dympna Weil, MD. It’s a space for real, reflective conversations that inspire deep healing, bold growth, and a more harmonious way of living. Whether you’re navigating life in medicine, feeling pulled in a thousand directions, or simply searching for steadiness in a chaotic world, Prescribing Possibility offers stories, strategies, and soulful support. Settle in for your weekly dose of thoughtful dialogue and personal transformation, and the gentle reminder that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Special thanks to @Bright_Sighted Media and @creatorstudiosaratoga for this opportunity to learn & create in their warm, cozy, and welcoming Bright Sighted Studio in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY. As a Founding member of the Creator Studio, it is an honor to work with them & remind myself that I still can learn new things (albeit at a slower pace...). Shoutout and gratitude to Christine Murtagh for her supurb VA support xo

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we're bringing back one of our most important conversations — and it's just as urgent today as when we first aired it.

In this episode, host Dr. Dympna Weil sits down with Dr. Stephanie Simmons, Chief Medical Officer of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, to tackle a challenge hiding in plain sight: the mental health crisis among the very people who care for us.

Healthcare workers face extraordinary emotional demands — yet too many hesitate to seek help, fearing it could cost them their careers. Dr. Simmons shares how the Foundation is working to change that, from building more supportive workplace cultures to eliminating stigmatizing language embedded in medical licensing requirements.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

The mission and advocacy work of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation
How licensing language creates real barriers to care-seeking
The personal stories that are driving systemic change
Why seeking mental health support is a sign of strength — not weakness
What healthcare organizations can do right now to foster a culture of care

This conversation is a reminder that protecting the well-being of healthcare workers isn't just a compassionate goal — it's a patient safety issue.

🌱 This Mental Health Awareness Month, share this episode with a colleague, a friend in healthcare, or anyone who needs to hear that asking for help is an act of courage.

Thanks for listening. Your support means everything - so if you are moved to, please leave me a review and share this episode with a friend who may need the messages held here.

Don't be a stranger.

You can reach me at podcast@dympnaweil.com

Website

https://www.dympnaweil.com

Substack (or other newsletter)

https://substack.com/@dympnaweil

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/dympnaweil/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dympnaweil/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/dympna.weil

Bluesky

https://‪@dympnaweil.bsky.social‬

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About PRESCRIBING POSSIBILITY

Prescribing Possibility is hosted by physician, writer, and master coach Dr. Dympna Weil, MD. It’s a space for real, reflective conversations that inspire deep healing, bold growth, and a more harmonious way of living. Whether you’re navigating life in medicine, feeling pulled in a thousand directions, or simply searching for steadiness in a chaotic world, Prescribing Possibility offers stories, strategies, and soulful support. Settle in for your weekly dose of thoughtful dialogue and personal transformation, and the gentle reminder that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Special thanks to @Bright_Sighted Media and @creatorstudiosaratoga for this opportunity to learn & create in their warm, cozy, and welcoming Bright Sighted Studio in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY. As a Founding member of the Creator Studio, it is an honor to work with them & remind myself that I still can learn new things (albeit at a slower pace...). Shoutout and gratitude to Christine Murtagh for her supurb VA support xo

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About PRESCRIBING POSSIBILITY

Prescribing Possibility is hosted by physician, writer, and master coach Dr. Dympna Weil, MD. It’s a space for real, reflective conversations that inspire deep healing, bold growth, and a more harmonious way of living. Whether you’re navigating life in medicine, feeling pulled in a thousand directions, or simply searching for steadiness in a chaotic world, Prescribing Possibility offers stories, strategies, and soulful support. Settle in for your weekly dose of thoughtful dialogue and personal transformation, and the gentle reminder that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Special thanks to @Bright_Sighted Media and @creatorstudiosaratoga for this opportunity to learn & create in their warm, cozy, and welcoming Bright Sighted Studio in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY. As a Founding member of the Creator Studio, it is an honor to work with them & remind myself that I still can learn new things (albeit at a slower pace...). Shoutout and gratitude to Christine Murtagh for her supurb VA support xo

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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