When the White Coat Feels Heavy: My Conversation with Dr. Camden Brown

As someone who works closely with healthcare professionals every single day, I’ve noticed a common thread lately:

So many providers are tired.

Not just physically tired, but emotionally tired. Mentally overloaded. Constantly carrying the pressure of caring for others while quietly trying to hold themselves together behind the scenes.

Many healthcare professionals, especially in dentistry, have normalized stress and burnout to the point that they no longer recognize how much they’re actually carrying each day.

That’s why I was so excited to sit down with Dr. Camden Brown for an episode of Leveling Up.

Our conversation wasn’t just about dentistry. It was about being human inside a profession that often expects perfection.

I believe there are many providers who are going to see themselves in parts of her story.

“I Thought I Was Avoiding Failure”

One of the things I appreciated most about Dr. Brown was how honest she was about her journey.

Before dentistry, she had originally planned to go into medicine and was preparing for the MCAT. But somewhere along the way, fear started creeping in. Fear of failure. Fear of not being enough. Fear of the intensity of that path.

Ironically, after believing she had bombed an interview at the University of Florida and wouldn’t get accepted anywhere, she ended up getting into Harvard.

And not just Harvard but Harvard Dental School, a program where dental students completed the same coursework as medical students during the first two years.

There’s something incredibly powerful in that.

How many times do we let fear tell us we’re incapable of something… only to later realize we were far more capable than we gave ourselves credit for?

Burnout Doesn’t Always Look the Way You Expect

One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was how burnout can slowly build over time, even for providers who genuinely love what they do.

Dr. Brown shared that years into owning her practice, she started questioning herself more clinically, even though nothing was actually wrong.

Looking back, she realized it wasn’t a lack of skill or competence.

It was exhaustion.

And I think that’s important because so many providers assume that if they’re second-guessing themselves, something must be wrong with them professionally.

But sometimes what’s actually happening is:

• Your nervous system is overloaded
• Your body is depleted
• Your brain is running on survival mode

And when that happens, confidence naturally starts to crack.

Healthcare Providers Are Carrying More Than People Realize

Something else we talked about was how difficult it can be to separate personal anxiety from professional stress.

Dentistry and healthcare in general require an incredible level of precision, emotional regulation, and constant decision-making.

You’re expected to:

• Be the expert
• Stay calm
• Make the right call
• Lead your team
• Support anxious patients
• Handle business pressures
• And somehow still have energy left for your personal life

That’s a lot for any human being to carry.

Unfortunately, many providers quietly convince themselves they should just “push through” because that’s what they’ve always done.

The Part of the Conversation I Can’t Stop Thinking About

One of the most impactful moments for me personally was hearing Dr. Brown talk about leaving dentistry for a season to work at a flower farm.

At first glance, it sounds dramatic.

But the deeper message behind it was this:

You are allowed to redesign your life.

You are allowed to pause.
You are allowed to reevaluate.
You are allowed to admit something isn’t working anymore.

I think so many business owners and providers get stuck in this mindset of:
“This is just how it has to be.”

But does it?

That part of the conversation really stayed with me because I see so many providers living in survival mode while believing there are no other options available to them.

The Difference Between Loving Your Work & Being Filled By It

Another insight Dr. Brown shared that I absolutely loved was the idea that you can enjoy your work and still recognize that it doesn’t fully restore you energetically.

For her, dentistry is meaningful and rewarding.

But gardening, painting, creativity, and slower moments are what truly refill her cup.

I think that distinction matters so much.

Many providers assume:
“If I’m burned out, maybe I chose the wrong career.”

But sometimes it’s not that you chose the wrong career.

Sometimes it’s simply that you were never meant to rely on your career to fulfill every part of you as a human being.

What Providers Can Actually Do

One thing I appreciated about our conversation was that it didn’t stay surface-level. We talked about practical options, too.

Dr. Brown shared that burnout recovery doesn’t always require a dramatic life overhaul.

Sometimes it starts smaller:

• Reducing patient load slightly
• Leaving earlier one day a week
• Hiring additional support
• Taking a sabbatical
• Bringing in temporary coverage
• Working with a therapist or coach
• Actually tracking how your body feels instead of ignoring it

One of the biggest takeaways was this:

Burned-out people struggle to think creatively.

When you’re exhausted, it’s hard to see possibilities or solutions because your brain is operating in survival mode. That’s why outside support, whether that’s therapy, coaching, mentorship, or trusted peers, can be incredibly valuable.

We Need to Normalize These Conversations

Toward the end of the interview, we talked about the stigma around therapy and mental health support in healthcare.

Providers spend so much time taking care of everyone else that they forget they’re allowed to need support too.

And if you’re reading this feeling exhausted, anxious, overwhelmed, or unsure of what needs to change, I hope this conversation reminds you that you are not alone.There is support.
There are options.
And there is absolutely no shame in asking for help.

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To connect with Dr. Camden Brown:

• Instagram: @drcamdenbrown
• Website: drcamdenbrown.com