Create Meaning In Medicine
Create Meaning In Medicine
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Nov. 3, 2026

205. From Numb to Unnumb: Stephanie Byerly, MD on Letting Go of the Mask of Perfection

205. From Numb to Unnumb: Stephanie Byerly, MD on Letting Go of the Mask of Perfection
205. From Numb to Unnumb: Stephanie Byerly, MD on Letting Go of the Mask of Perfection
Create Meaning In Medicine
205. From Numb to Unnumb: Stephanie Byerly, MD on Letting Go of the Mask of Perfection
Season 1

Numbness, perfectionism, and the drive to keep performing can look like success on the outside while masking overwhelm and disconnection on the inside. This episode centers on that tension and the question of how to meet those signals with curiosity instead of shame.


Dr. Stephanie Byerly joins Drs. Joanne Sotelo and Erin Hurley to unpack how achiever identity can become protective armor, and shares practical ways to reconnect with emotions, the body, and clearer boundaries. The conversation points toward self-authored change through small steps, safe sisterhood, and support that helps women choose what comes next.


Key Takeaways To Listen For

  • The achiever identity can serve as protective armor, but what once helped you succeed may eventually keep you disconnected from yourself
  • Criticism and social exclusion can register as threats in the body, making perfectionism and people-pleasing feel like ways to stay safe
  • Understanding how past experiences affect present-day responses can replace self-blame with curiosity and compassion
  • Reconnection can begin with small daily practices, pausing, breathing, moving, or noticing what you feel in your body
  • You can set boundaries and choose a new direction without tearing down everything you’ve built. Supportive relationships can help make change feel possible


Resources Mentioned


"When you have women by your side that are your ride or die, you become unstoppable. But they have to be safe women." — Stephanie Byerly


About Stephanie Byerly: Dr. Stephanie I. Byerly is a Neuro-Obstetrical Anesthesiologist, keynote and TEDx speaker, author, and certified coach who helps high-achieving women reconnect with their purpose and live more fully. Following a distinguished medical career as a professor and senior healthcare leader, she has served in roles including Chief of Staff, Chief of Anesthesiology, and Chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Women Anesthesiologists. Her work and publications have focused on physician wellness, burnout prevention, and advancing women in medicine.


Today, Dr. Byerly combines her medical expertise and leadership experience with trauma-informed, women-centered coaching through Stephanie I. Byerly, LLC, and her signature programs, The UNNUMB Method and The UNNUMB Collective. She helps women move beyond limiting beliefs and outdated identities, reclaim their sense of self, and create lives rooted in purpose, passion, and authenticity. She is scheduled to speak at TEDx Clovis in March 2027.


Connect with Stephanie Byerly:

Website: www.StephanieByerly.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniebyerlymd/

Instagram: stephaniebyerlymd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephaniebyerlymd



Connect With Us

Find every episode at https://www.createmeaninginmedicine.com

▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@createmeaninginmedicine

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-meaning-in-medicine/id1752701820