This Is the Best Way to Reclaim Your Energy and Confidence

Interview with Dr. Suzanne Rutherford – Episode 423

This week, John interviews Dr. Suzanne Rutherford to learn how to reclaim your energy and confidence even if you’re a busy physician.

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Dr. Rutherford started as a traditional Canadian Family Physician. However, in mid-career, she noted that a loss of energy and weight gain were interfering with her ability to enjoy life. So she focused more on her nutrition and fitness, and things changed drastically. That led her to develop a program to help other women physicians, which has become widely successful.

Our Episode Sponsor

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Our Sponsor

This podcast is sponsored by the Physician Executive MBA Program at the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business.

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For Podcast Listeners

• John recorded 70+ weekly Q&A sessions on topics related to physicians’ careers and leadership. Each discussion is posted for you to review and apply. Sometimes, all it takes is one insight to take you to the next level of your career. Check out the Weekly Q&A and join us for only $5.00 monthly.
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Creating Solutions to Reclaim Your Energy and Confidence

Dr. Rutherford’s schedule varied dramatically from 9-5 clinic days to overnight emergency shifts, making traditional gym programs impossible to maintain consistently. Her breakthrough came when she found a personal trainer, Jake Wright, BSc, who designed programs she could do anywhere: clinic, home, even call rooms during long shifts.

Jake created completely adaptable workouts that accommodated her unpredictable life as a rural physician wearing multiple hats. This flexibility became the foundation of The Fit Physician program, which now serves hundreds of women with individualized plans based on their equipment access, time constraints, and experience levels.

Business Partnership Lessons and Scaling Success

Dr. Rutherford emphasizes that medical school teaches nothing about business, sometimes making partnerships crucial for physician entrepreneurs. She credits her success to recognizing her strengths as an “idea person,” while her partner handles execution and marketing details.

Their eight-year journey from a simple Facebook post to a comprehensive six-month coaching program demonstrates the importance of knowing what you don’t know and being willing to delegate. Dr. Rutherford emphasises the necessity of detailed legal agreements, having learned from previous business partnerships that did not work out.