How do highly capable people become deeply depleted without realizing it?
In this episode of Better Physician Life, Dr. Michael Hersh welcomes back Dr. Kemia Sarraf for the third installment of their four-part leadership series. Together, they unpack one of Lodestar's most impactful teaching tools: the Reservoir Model.
Using the metaphor of a reservoir, Dr. Sarraf explains how capacity, resilience, energy, rest, and depletion interact in our daily lives. She challenges traditional approaches to resilience that focus solely on doing more and instead encourages listeners to examine what is draining them, what replenishes them, and how they can become more intentional about protecting their energy.
The conversation explores why rest is not a reward but a biological necessity, how spillways silently drain our capacity, the importance of identifying supportive “spotters” in our lives, and why striving for perfect balance often creates more frustration than fulfillment. Through practical examples and leadership insights, Dr. Sarraf offers a compassionate framework for helping physicians and other professionals show up fully for the people and work they care about most.
Three Actionable Takeaways:
- Audit Your Spillways: Identify the activities, habits, and commitments that continually drain your energy. Rather than eliminating everything, experiment with turning down or closing spillways that no longer serve you.
- Treat Rest as a Requirement: Rest is not something to be earned after completing endless tasks. Like the heart's preload phase, rest is essential for restoring capacity and sustaining meaningful work.
- Listen to Your Spotters: Trusted family members, friends, and colleagues often notice depletion before we do. Learning to hear their feedback as helpful data rather than criticism can prevent burnout and preserve well-being.
About the Show:
Created for physicians who want more than clinical competence, Better Physician Life is a space for honest reflection, reinvention, and reclaiming purpose beyond the pager. Hosted by Dr. Michael Hersh, each episode dives into the questions we didn’t learn to ask in training, offering tools and conversations to help you live and lead with intention.
About the Guest:
Dr. Kemia Sarraf is a board-certified internal medicine physician, founder, and CEO of Lodestar Consulting and Executive Coaching. With over two decades of experience in medicine, public health, nonprofit leadership, and trauma mitigation, she brings a unique perspective to supporting high-performing professionals. Her trauma-responsive coaching approach, informed by her clinical background and personal commitment to healing, helps physicians and others navigate chronic stress and burnout. Dr. Sarraf completed her Medical Degree and Master of Public Health at the University of Utah School of Medicine and her residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, focusing on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Dr. Sarraf lives on a farm in Central Illinois with her husband, four sons, and numerous animals.
Connect with Dr. Sarraf:
About the Host:
Dr. Michael Hersh is a full-time practicing gastroenterologist, husband, father, podcaster, and physician coach at Better Physician Life Coaching. He helps physicians rediscover joy and balance by setting meaningful goals, managing stress, and feeling more present at home and less annoyed and frustrated at work.
His mission is to help doctors who feel stuck in medicine create a more fulfilling life that they actually enjoy living. Through coaching and conversation, he empowers physicians to reconnect with their purpose and design a career (and life) they love.
Dr. Hersh is also the creator and host of the Better Physician Life podcast: How to Get Unstuck in Your Medical Career—a show for doctors who feel out of sync or stuck, and want to explore what true success can look like beyond the exam room.
🔗 Connect with Dr. Hersh:
🌐 Website: www.betterphysicianlife.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-hersh-md
📸 Instagram: @betterphysicianlife
📺 YouTube: @betterphysicianlife
📘 Facebook:facebook.com/betterphysicianlifecoaching
TikTok: @betterphysicianlife
If you find yourself walking through the door still stuck in work mode, check out the5-Minute Commute Reset for Physicians.
Work doesn’t end on its own. This is a short, structured reset you can use on the drive home to shut down work-mode, clear your head, and show up more present for whatever comes next.
You can download it for free at: https://www.betterphysicianlife.com/commute-reset
The Better Physician Life Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
