Women Physicians Reclaim Power: In medicine, we often speak of resilience, but rarely about the silent expectations placed on women physicians—the weight of being everything to everyone. We close charts, answer patient messages at midnight, schedule wellness visits for our children, remember birthday gifts, and somehow still carry guilt for needing rest.
We’re not just doctors. We’re mothers, daughters, partners, caregivers—and often, the last ones to care for ourselves.
Guilt, Shame, and the Myth of “Having It All”
The cultural narrative tells us to strive for it all. But in private, many of us carry the same burdens:
- Guilt for resting
- Shame for struggling
- A constant need for permission just to breathe
We forget that solitude and stillness aren’t luxuries—they’re essential for our well-being. Yet we power through, assuming we’re alone in our exhaustion. Spoiler: we’re not.
Let’s name it: we are over-functioning, and no one is stopping us—not because they don’t care, but because we’ve been so good at performing that we’ve made it invisible.
Returning to the Feminine
Medicine exalts masculine energy—logic, structure, productivity. And we’ve adapted, often at the cost of our feminine knowing. Women Physicians Reclaim Power
We ignore our bodies, push through fatigue, silence our intuition. We skip meals, override our cycles, and mistake burnout for strength.
But what if reclaiming our power isn’t about doing more—but feeling more?
What if the antidote to burnout isn’t another productivity hack—but a return to the sacred feminine?
We need:
- Time to flow, rest, and cry
- Permission to take up space
- A reminder that we are not machines—we are human
Because the world doesn’t need more efficient women.
It needs more authentic ones.
We Are Not Machines
I tried being one. It worked—until it didn’t.
Autopilot helped me survive, but it disconnected me from my life. From joy. From myself.
Here’s the most radical question a woman physician can ask herself:
“Is this actually the life I want to be living?”
Many of us are trained to make ourselves smaller:
- Don’t speak too loudly
- Don’t take up too much time
- Don’t ask for too much help
Even in medicine, we’re conditioned to say yes—to extra patients, to uncompensated tasks, to emotional labor.
But here’s the truth:
A woman who knows what she wants—and isn’t afraid to ask for it—is the system’s greatest disruption.
Redefining Power, On Our Terms
Power doesn’t have to be loud. It can look like:
- Saying no, unapologetically
- Resting without guilt
- Delegating without explanation
- Leaving the group chat
- Going to Paris—alone
- Wearing red lipstick on a Monday
- Being “too much”—and loving it
means showing up as your full self: sacred, soft, bold, tired, radiant.
It means co-parenting. Saying no to guilt. Reclaiming your rhythms. Listening to your body. Trusting your intuition.
It means not waiting for permission that should never have been required in the first place.
The Takeaway
We were never meant to live inside lines drawn to keep us small. And the power we’ve been waiting for?
We’ve held it all along.
About the Author
Preyasha Tuladhar, MD is a family physician dedicated to patient-centered care, leadership grounded in authenticity, and advocacy for women in medicine. Her work focuses on reclaiming humanity in health care—for physicians and patients alike.
Ready to Redefine Power in Medicine?
At StanfordPhysicianAdvocate.org, we’re building a movement of physicians who are done waiting for permission. If you believe in reshaping health care leadership, restoring physician well-being, and reclaiming your voice—join us.
🔗 Explore more insights, share your story, or contribute your voice at StanfordPhysicianAdvocate.org.
Together, we’re not just surviving the system—we’re transforming it.
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