Melinda Thacker, MD

Melinda Thacker, MD Surgeon, Coach, Speaker, Writer

JCAHO and OSHA miss the mark on this. Surgeons who are empowered feel safe, and surgeons who feel safe perform safe surg...
12/16/2025

JCAHO and OSHA miss the mark on this. Surgeons who are empowered feel safe, and surgeons who feel safe perform safe surgery.

Your institution will not empower you. That’s your job. And it’s exactly why I created Empowered Surgeons Group.

✨Investing in this course is investing in your own sense of safety.

Comment “empowered” to join a growing group of surgeons of all specialties.

12/16/2025

We don’t request exactly what we want because we’ve been conditioned to fawn. Fawning is a trauma response - our nervous system’s unconscious attempt to keep us safe by maintaining connections with others.

I’ve been a master fawner in my career. I know how enticing it is to make decisions in service to OR staff, just to be perceived as “easy to work with” and “not high maintenance”.

✨You know where you must be rigid and where you can be flexible.
✨You can stand firm in your request from a clean, compassionate place.
✨You can cancel cases without having thoughts about it.

We just had a discussion about this inside Empowered Surgeons Group. You don’t have to go it alone. Comment “empowered” to learn how to join us.

Dr. Taleb’s concept of “anti-fragility” is an important one to understand in surgery. You can start becoming anti-fragil...
12/11/2025

Dr. Taleb’s concept of “anti-fragility” is an important one to understand in surgery. You can start becoming anti-fragile by learning how to alchemize failure into value. Join me Dec 14th at 10 am EST for “5 Ways Surgeons Fail at Failure”. Show up LIVE and get the workbook that accompanies the class. Comment “failure” to register.

“See one, do one, teach one” is cheeky and oversimplifies the skill acquisition process, but there’s a reason it’s not: ...
12/09/2025

“See one, do one, teach one” is cheeky and oversimplifies the skill acquisition process, but there’s a reason it’s not: “See one, memorize the steps, do one, teach one”. Understanding the nuance of achieving excellence is essential. You can get there faster by pre-ordering “The Way of Excellence” by today.

I created my group coaching program, Empowered Surgeons Group, to teach you everything you need to know to create a succ...
12/08/2025

I created my group coaching program, Empowered Surgeons Group, to teach you everything you need to know to create a successful and sustainable career in surgery. You get access to the materials and community for a lifetime. Comment “empowered” to join us.

12/08/2025

How often do use the term “supratentorial” when talking to your colleagues? Why do you do it? I remember using it to signal to others that I was in this elite doctor club who knew fancy words and found it socially acceptable to judge people based on a singular interaction with them. I don’t use it anymore, but I also no longer believe patients are difficult or crazy. Comment below ⬇️

12/05/2025

Coaching changed my life. It’s why I became a master certified coach, created a process, and then tested my process for a year by applying it to my clinics and OR’s. I have proof of concept. My process works. And it’s helping surgeons like you step outside of moral injury and drama to find their personal power. Comment “empowered” to join us.

12/02/2025

It’s the one thing that has caused patients the most harm in the OR.

Deprioritize being a team player. Prioritize protecting the asset. Listen to Surgeons with Purpose wherever you get your...
12/02/2025

Deprioritize being a team player. Prioritize protecting the asset.

Listen to Surgeons with Purpose wherever you get your podcasts.

I’ve identified 5 common mindset mistakes surgeons make when facing failure. Here’s how: hundreds of hours coaching surg...
12/01/2025

I’ve identified 5 common mindset mistakes surgeons make when facing failure. Here’s how: hundreds of hours coaching surgeons all over the world and evaluating my own mindset shifts throughout a 13-year surgical career.

I’m going through these top 5 mistakes on Dec 14th 10am EST. Comment “failure” to register for Failing Forward in Surgery: Beyond “Good Hands”. No matter the stage in your career, you’ll leave this masterclass with actionable tools to face every kind of failure you face in surgery.

12/01/2025

Enough with the 🐂sh*t gaslighting “team player” nonsense. Physicians are drowning in nonessential work, and it’s quite literally killing people.

If you are at max capacity, please do me a favor: protect your energy this week. Say “no”, swap call, push back your OR start time, cancel cases, cancel a clinic, disappoint someone. And DO NOT tell yourself you’re not being a team player. You’re protecting the asset.

Listen to Surgeons with Purpose episode 74: You’re Just a Regular Human with Dr. Michelle Chestovich wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Website

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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.***