Melinda Thacker, MD

Melinda Thacker, MD Surgeon, Coach, Speaker, Writer

Your brain is trying to diminish you to keep you safe. You know better.
01/29/2026

Your brain is trying to diminish you to keep you safe. You know better.

Blame is simply a way for someone to discharge dirty pain.Comment “pain” or sign up for the Pain to Power workshop at th...
01/28/2026

Blame is simply a way for someone to discharge dirty pain.

Comment “pain” or sign up for the Pain to Power workshop at the link in my bio.

01/28/2026

“I’m not in pain.”
“I’m very powerful.”

These are common thought errors held by surgeons. But if that were true, we wouldn’t be experiencing an epidemic of bullying, workplace drama, moral injury, and burnout in the profession of surgery. 🤔

Wisdom and power are waiting for you on the other side of your pain. Surgery culture needs surgeons to step into a new v...
01/27/2026

Wisdom and power are waiting for you on the other side of your pain.
Surgery culture needs surgeons to step into a new version of themselves.
We start the Pain to Power Workshop Feb 2. Comment “pain” or sign up using the link in my bio. You get immediate access to the private podcast, and I just dropped an episode on “Anger”.

01/27/2026

Do you lash out at your partner or kids? Do you find yourself trying to fix your tone in the OR so staff doesn’t write up an incident report about you? That was my baseline once too. It doesn’t have to be that way. Underneath frustration, irritation, cynicism, and anger is unprocessed pain. I’m doing a deep dive on the pain that keeps us stuck and how to alchemize it into wisdom and power in the Pain to Power 5-day coaching intensive for surgeons. Sign up at the link in my bio or comment “pain”.

I was on a walk the other day when it hit me. A shame wave.Out of nowhere, I was transported back to 2019, to that momen...
01/26/2026

I was on a walk the other day when it hit me. A shame wave.

Out of nowhere, I was transported back to 2019, to that moment when I caused an orbital injury during a sinus surgery. It felt like it had happened yesterday.

That moment will always be a deep source of pain for me. Not only the fear of harming another human being, but the dread of what it could have meant for me and my career.

I talk about that moment on my podcast.
I post about it on social media.
And now I’m emailing you about it.

Why? Because being honest and open about these moments is how we move through them. Shame grows in silence, but it cannot survive the light of day.

There’s a false belief in surgery that we must keep mistakes, complications, and failures secret. That if we talk about them, people will finally “find us out” and our careers will be over.

I believe the opposite.

Every time we speak openly about our failures, we rehumanize the profession of surgery a little more.

I go first. I go often. I go with purpose.

And because of that, I have access to new wisdom. Shame hinders our evolution. Pain keeps us small.

The first step in every hero’s journey is to look inward, take ownership of our own s**t, and clean up our thinking.

That is exactly what we’re doing the first week of February in the Pain to Power 5-Day Coaching Intensive — taking the most painful parts of our surgical identities and metabolizing them into strength, clarity, and personal power.

I was consenting a patient for sinus surgery. He follows me on social media. He knows my story of anxiety, panic attacks in the OR, and how openly I talk about mistakes, failures, and complications.

“Do you have any questions?” I asked.

“No, I trust you,” he said.

I did his surgery recently, and it went incredibly well.

Just like I believe in Karma, I also believe that when we stand in our integrity, courage, and truth, life tends to work out better for us.

The question is, do you want to join me on this journey?

We start this work Feb 2nd. Sign up today and get immediate access to the private podcast.

Sign up using the link in my bio or comment “pain”.

Comment “pain” or sign-up at the link in my bio.
01/26/2026

Comment “pain” or sign-up at the link in my bio.

Imposter syndrome is an expression of ego, not humility.Comment “pain” to join us for the 5-day coaching intensive for s...
01/23/2026

Imposter syndrome is an expression of ego, not humility.

Comment “pain” to join us for the 5-day coaching intensive for surgeons: Pain to Power.

As I plan for this course, I am realizing that this one program will be hands-down my most powerful training yet. I can’t wait to get started! See you inside the course.
xo, Mel the Surgeon Coach

I operated with a friend today: my inner imposter.She has a lot of anxieties.She’s afraid of being compared to colleague...
01/23/2026

I operated with a friend today: my inner imposter.

She has a lot of anxieties.

She’s afraid of being compared to colleagues by OR staff, and then deemed lesser than (in their minds).

She’s terrified of making mistakes.

She dreads being cancelled.

I took her with me today. She watched my hands do the work they’ve done thousands of times.

It was a lovely day.

Next time you operate, consider bringing your inner imposter with you.

Let them be there.

Tell them you’re going to focus your brain on the work at hand, not on their anxieties.

You know exactly what to do. You just have to turn the focus away from your ego/imposter/anxiety/self and onto the patients you serve.

Rinse and repeat that process every OR day.

It’s that simple.

Underneath every case of anxiety and imposter syndrome is PAIN. Open wounds. Psychological bruising and trauma. For this reason, I created my most powerful coaching intensive program yet: The Pain to Power Workshop. We start this work Feb 2nd. Sign up using the link in my bio.

01/21/2026

The Pain to Power workshop starts Feb 2nd. This is a 5-day intensive for surgeons to be witnessed in their pain stories and then write their transformation stories.

I’m calling you to be courageous, to stand in your truth and be witnessed by your peers in a brave, space safe. This is how healing happens. I know because I’ve done it. Shame cannot survive the light of day. Let’s dissolve our shame together.

I’ve seen colleagues become hardened by pain.They navigate their careers pretending, in misery and reactivity.Cynicism a...
01/20/2026

I’ve seen colleagues become hardened by pain.

They navigate their careers pretending, in misery and reactivity.

Cynicism and complaining become default.

I don’t want that for you.

I want you to go to bed at night feeling proud of how you showed up that day.

I want you to see challenges as opportunities to lead powerfully and relate competently.

I know this is possible.

And if surgeon does this work, the culture WILL change.

I’m going live today to present the first step of this process.

Join me Today at 6 pm EST to learn about a brand new offer I’ve created for you.

surgeoncoaching

Address

100 MLK Jr. Boulevard
Worcester, MA
01608

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+15087570330

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Shifting paradigms, educating and motivating people, seeking truths

I am a truth seeking physician who passionately endeavors to educate my fellow humans on the science supporting consumption of nutrient dense, fiber rich, whole plant foods to promote optimum health and wellness. Inherent in this mission are components of paradigm shattering and myth busting. This does not include selling diet plans, books, supplements, or service for profit. Pure data-driven, evidence-based information sharing. Feel free to follow and geek out over the nutritional science with me.

****Please do not contact me asking for medical advice or personal health questions. For ethical and legal reasons, I cannot provide any form of personal medical advice via social media. If you would like an appointment with me, contact my office at 508-757-0330 or click the “learn more” button. Information shared on this page is not meant to be a substitute for the recommendations of your doctor.***