A New Path to Sustainability in Medicine
The culture of medicine has long glorified overwork and self-sacrifice.
We’re trained to push through exhaustion.
To keep going no matter what.
To take pride in how much we can carry.
But what happens when the cost is your energy, your relationships, or your sense of self?
For too long, physician wellness has been framed as an individual responsibility, something to fix with more sleep, better habits, or increased resilience.
But what many physicians are actually experiencing isn’t a personal failure.
It’s the result of chronic, cumulative, toxic stress on the body, the mind, and the nervous system.
And when your system has been in constant activation for years…
it’s not something you can simply think or rest your way out of.
It requires a different kind of approach.
A different kind of space.
We’re entering a new era in medicine where physicians are starting to question the old narratives.
Where success is no longer defined solely by productivity.
Where rest is no longer seen as weakness.
Where sustainability is not a luxury, but a necessity.
And where physicians are beginning to create careers and lives that are actually aligned with who they are.
At Thrivation, this is the work we care deeply about.
Not just talking about change but creating spaces where physicians can experience it.
Spaces to slow down.
To process.
To reconnect.
To begin to come out of survival mode.
This is why I created:
Healing in Medicine: A Trauma-Informed Wellness Experience for Women Physicians
May 14–17, 2026
- CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa, Arizona
- Up to 12 CME Credits
This retreat is not just time away.
It’s an intentional, immersive experience designed to help you step out of constant activation and into a different way of being.
And more importantly…to remember what it feels like to not be in survival mode all the time.
This is experiential learning for your body where we’ll practice EMDR-informed, somatic exercises to help you gently come out of chronic activation.
And for your mind through guided coaching and reflection, we’ll begin to unpack and release the expectations you’ve been carrying for years.
You’ll experience:
• Nervous system regulation and reset in real time
• EMDR-informed somatic processing
• Curated coaching, reflection, and rest
• Meaningful connection with women physicians who truly understand
Spots are intentionally limited to create a space that feels safe, intimate, and deeply supportive.
If this is speaking to you—even quietly—I would trust that.
Because medicine shouldn’t cost you your well-being.
You deserve a career—and a life—that feels sustainable and aligned to who you are.
https://www.thrivationcoaching.com/women-physicians-wellness-retreat
Southern Medical Association designates this enduring material activity for a maximum of 12.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Southern Medical Association and Thrivation, LLC. The Southern Medical Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH,CPH, FAAFP, CEO & Founder, Thrivation Coaching LLC, is a Family Physician who specializes in career and life coaching for early career physicians around contract negotiations, burnout, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, communication, time management, and work-life balance.
