36: Your Nervous System Knows: Moving From Burnout to Greater Ease
Your Nervous System Knows: Moving From Burnout to Greater Ease with Dr. Rashmi Schramm
What if the problem isn't that you're not doing enough, but that your nervous system has been running in survival mode for far too long?
In this episode of Navigating Possibility, I’m joined by Dr. Rashmi Schramm, a family medicine physician, meditation and mindfulness coach, and retreat leader. Rashmi shares her deeply personal journey from practicing medicine to discovering that her own “zone of genius” was actually in coaching, mindfulness, meditation, and helping others reconnect with themselves.
Rashmi and I talk about what happens when high-achieving physicians spend years operating at 10,000 miles an hour - and what it can look like to begin slowing down enough to hear your own inner voice.
We explore why meditation can feel so difficult for physicians, why judging yourself for “doing it wrong” misses the point, and how even a few minutes of breathwork can be a meaningful place to begin.
We also dive into nervous-system regulation and the different states we can move through when we're stressed or overwhelmed, including sympathetic fight-or-flight and dorsal shutdown. Most importantly, Rashmi explains that regulation isn't about forcing ourselves to be calm. It's about developing more awareness, more self-trust, and ultimately more agency in how we respond to what life throws at us.
And if sitting still and meditating sounds like the last thing an exhausted physician wants to do, you'll definitely want to hear our conversation about yoga nidra - a practice centered around deep rest and non-sleep deep rest.
In this episode, we talk about:
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Rashmi's journey from immigrant child to family medicine physician to meditation and mindfulness coach
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What burnout looked like when the outside of her life appeared to be perfect
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Why physicians often wait until they're physically unwell before addressing emotional and mental exhaustion
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The difference between mindfulness and meditation
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Why meditation isn't about “doing it right”
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How trauma and grief can affect someone's ability to sit quietly with their thoughts
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Starting with just a few minutes of breathwork or movement
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The basics of the nervous system and polyvagal theory
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Recognizing sympathetic fight-or-flight and dorsal shutdown
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The importance of co-regulation and connection
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What yoga nidra is and why it can be such a powerful practice for deep rest
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The relationship between nervous-system regulation and having more agency in our lives
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Why intuition shouldn't be dismissed as a “soft skill”
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What happens when we give ourselves permission to explore possibilities beyond our traditional professional identity
One of my favorite ideas from this conversation is that we don't have to force ourselves into a completely different version of who we are.
Sometimes the work is simply learning to become curious again.
Curious about what we're feeling.
Curious about what we need.
Curious about what our bodies are telling us.
Curious about what might be possible.
And sometimes, that curiosity is where change begins.
About Dr. Rashmi Schramm
Dr. Rashmi Schramm is a board certified family physician, a trauma informed coach, retreat host and meditation teacher. She is the host of the Inner Peace and Power podcast. She is the CEO and founder of Optimal Wellness, Inc
Rashmi helps busy women to tap into their own inner peace and power so they can live more energetic and fulfilling lives.
She offers private coaching in addition to hosting transformational in person retreats.
You can find Rashmi here:
https://innerpeaceandpower.buzzsprout.com
https://www.instagram.com/dr.rashmischramm
https://www.youtube.com/c/drrashmischrammoptimalwellness
A question to consider after listening:
Where in your life are you operating on autopilot—and what might become possible if you slowed down enough to listen to yourself?
🤝 Work With Me
If this episode resonates, I'd love to talk about how we can work together.
I work 1:1 with women physicians who are:
- Burned out and questioning their future in medicine
- Navigating contract non-renewal or job loss
- Planning an intentional exit from clinical practice
- Exploring advocacy, leadership, or nonclinical career paths
✨ Schedule a free coaching consultation to explore what’s next.
About the Podcast Navigating Possibility — A Podcast for Women Physicians Ready to Reclaim Their Power
Navigating Possibility is the podcast for women physicians experiencing burnout, career dissatisfaction, or major transitions in medicine.
If you're a woman doctor considering leaving clinical practice, exploring nonclinical careers, or seeking a more sustainable and aligned path, this podcast is for you.
I’m Dr. Christina Adams—OB-GYN, physician coach, and former burned-out doctor. I help women physicians move from survival mode to self-trust, clarity, and empowered career decisions.
Each episode includes:
- Physician burnout recovery tools
- Nervous system regulation strategies for high-achieving women
- Conversations about leaving medicine or redesigning your role
- Coaching insight for intentional career transitions
- Advocacy conversations about systemic change in healthcare
- Real stories from women physicians redefining success
This is your space to breathe, reflect, and remember who you are beneath the white coat. You are not alone. There is a growing movement of women physicians reclaiming autonomy, identity, and possibility.
✨ Subscribe, share with a colleague, and help reshape the future of medicine.
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Keywords: physician burnout, physician burnout recovery, women physicians, physician wellness, nervous system regulation, nervous system regulation for physicians, mindfulness for physicians, meditation for physicians, polyvagal theory, yoga nidra, burnout recovery, physician coaching
