Hi friends -
Purpose is a topic that comes up a lot in this podcast. Sometimes I believe in it. Other times I wonder if we give the word too much weight.
That said, I do think there are some careers that really are callings—you either have that vocation or you don’t. Medicine is one of them. And honestly, if you’re going to be responsible for life-and-death decisions every day, it probably helps if you feel like you’re meant to be there.
But even a calling can get warped when the system it lives in is broken.
What happens when the work you love starts to chip away at your values? When it forces you to show up in ways that no longer feel like you?
My guest this week is Dr. Miriam Zylberglait (a.k.a. Dr. Z), a triple-board-certified physician who knows her purpose—and has fought to stay aligned with it. She started her medical career in Peru. When she moved to the U.S., she rebuilt her life and career from the ground up—doing all the training again, but this time with more lived experience, more clarity, and more self-awareness.
And still, she found herself crying after work. Burned out. Questioning everything.
Dr. Z didn’t quit medicine. She quit the system that made her choose between her calling and her well-being. Between efficiency and empathy. Between checking boxes and actually helping people.
This conversation isn’t just about burnout. It’s about the difference between empathy and compassion. It’s about what it means to care deeply without losing yourself. And it’s about how a single comment from her 7-year-old snapped everything into focus.
We talk about:
The difference between quitting your job and quitting the parts that are breaking you
Why burnout isn’t a personal failure—it’s a design flaw
The mental health crisis inside the healthcare system
How starting over doesn’t mean starting from scratch
What legacy actually means when you stop living for everyone else
If you’ve ever felt like the world expects you to keep going, even when it’s breaking you—this one’s for you.
🎧 Prefer Spotify or Apple? Take it to-go:
(And while you’re there - don’t forget to hit subscribe and leave a rating 😁)
✨ About Miriam Zylberglait:
Dr. Miriam Zylberglait (Dr. Z) is a triple Board Certified Physician in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Obesity Medicine with more than 20 years of clinical and academic experience. Dr. Z is interested in well-being, burnout, mental health, and leadership development.
Dr. Z is the author of the #1 Best Seller Book “The 3G Cycle of Life: The Secrets for Achieving Joy, Meaning and Well-being” (NDP, Feb 2023)
🧰 From The Toolbox
Sympathy vs Empathy?
I teach design thinking and every semester I play this short video when we start talking about empathy - a good gut check for how we show up for each other.
It’s a quick, animated clip of Brené Brown explaining the difference between sympathy and empathy in a way that’s both smart and funny.
Since empathy and compassion came up so much in my conversation with Dr. Z, I thought I’d share it with you too.
🎥 Watch: Brené Brown on Empathy (3 min)
What I Learned from 2,000 Obituaries by Lux Narayan
This talk surprised me. It’s funny, reflective, and sneakily emotional. The speaker analyzed thousands of obituaries in the New York Times (famous and not) and found that the people most remembered weren’t necessarily the most successful.
🧪 Homework (But Not the Lame Kind)
Here’s a little challenge for you this week.
Pick one person — someone who’s been quiet, or strong for too long — and check in with them. Not a “how are you?” but something more real:
“Hey. You’ve been on my mind. No pressure to respond, but I’m here if you need someone.”
💖 Thanks for being here!
If this episode resonated, share it with a friend, leave a review, or hit reply and tell me what landed.
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