The Resilient Surgeon: Brian Ferguson
In the final episode of season 1, Dr. Michael Maddaus interviews Brian Ferguson, a former US Navy SEAL and CEO of Arena Labs. From start to finish, this conversation offers thought-provoking and inspiring information about human potential and becoming the best versions of ourselves. “How do we bridge the gap between who we are and who we have the capacity to become?” Brian asks. Not surprisingly, his experience in special operations helped him better understand his own potential while also prompting him to launch a deeply personal mission of guiding others to take better care of themselves. Brian shares that his mom was a nurse, and his brother was in the US Army Special Forces. These influences further extended his incredible appreciation for those who serve others. Importantly, he examines the danger of service archetypes—teachers, soldiers, surgeons—“giving of themselves and giving of themselves until they have nothing left to give.” Who is protecting them? And how does this impact burnout in modern medicine? Considering himself a disruptor, Brian details how he took his experience—in special operations, with elite athletes, and creative arts—and rolled it into health care. He founded a company based on people doing “hard things,” offering a powerful platform designed to improve the capacity of medical teams to manage and navigate stress. He calls it “high-performance medicine.” The goal? Healthcare professionals can “better understand themselves, perform at higher levels, and ultimately do what they want to do—provide better patient care and quality.”
