June 9 , 2025
Welcome to the Sustainable Clinical Medicine Podcast!
In this special episode, Dr. Sarah Smith brings together her “brains trust”—the talented team of assistant coaches from Charting Champions and Smarter Charting—for an inspiring and honest roundtable discussion. Join Dr. Jacqueline Holm-Jhass, Dr. Milene Argo, and Dr. Noelle Nelson as they open up about their personal journeys from burnout to rediscovering joy in medicine, and share their passion for helping clinicians create better clinical days.
You’ll hear firsthand stories about the real costs of working after hours, practical strategies for managing the chaos of unpredictable clinic days, and priceless reminders that you are not alone in the struggle. The coaches offer compassionate advice on emotional regulation, self-compassion, and the vital importance of finding celebration and purpose—even on the hardest days.
Whether you’re deep in the trenches of clinical work or just starting to think about how to make medicine more sustainable, this episode is packed with relatable insights, encouragement, and actionable wisdom to help you reclaim time for your life outside of medicine. Get ready to meet the coaches who are changing the way clinicians approach their clinical days and rekindling love for the profession—one conversation at a time.
Here are 3 key takeaways from this episode:
- You’re Not Alone: Every physician experiences overwhelm—even the coaches and leaders we look up to. Vulnerability and community are key to finding solutions and breaking the cycle of isolation.
- Small Wins & Self-Compassion Matter: Shifting from self-criticism to celebration of even tiny wins each day (like finishing one tough chart, or supporting a grieving patient) helps change the narrative and builds resilience over time.
- The System is Broken, Not You: The impossible demands of modern medicine make it crucial to set boundaries and redefine what “good enough” looks like for you, rather than striving for unattainable perfection.
The Charting Champions Coaches
Dr. Sarah Smith and her vibrant Charting Coach team: Dr. Jacqueline Holm-Jhass, Dr. Milene Argo, and Dr. Noelle Nelson. Get ready for an honest, supportive, and practical conversation about what it truly takes to create a sustainable, joyful clinical day as a physician or clinician.
April 11 2024
In this episode, we welcome Dr. Milene Argo, a practicing internist in Georgia with over 25 years of experience, as well as a physician coach introduced through Sunny Smith's coaching program. Known for her grounding presence, hula hooping, and salsa dancing skills, Dr. Argo shares her journey in both medicine and coaching, discussing the challenges of balancing work and personal life. She opens up about her difficult relationship with her mother and how coaching has helped her navigate these complexities. Dr. Argo delves into her personal growth, explaining how she learned to set healthy boundaries and prioritize self-acceptance while addressing the impact of developmental trauma and attachment issues. She offers practical strategies for managing challenging relationships, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, communication, and repair. With a focus on facing challenges head-on, Dr. Argo encourages listeners to seek growth and personal development, not only for their own well-being but also to better support those around them. The episode concludes with a reminder that listeners are whole, invaluable to medicine, and that their work truly matters.
February 6, 2023 In this episode, Dr. Sarah Smith sits down with Dr. Milene Argo a board-certified Internist from Athens, Georgia! They talk about how Dr. Milene shifted her mindset from leaving the charting to the weekends and after clinical hours, to focus on creating a balance between charting and her personal life instead and gaining her weekends and after clinical hours back! Dr. Milene chats with us about how she shifted from 'the patient comes first' to shifting to making sure she is putting herself first while also being the best physician she can be to her patients.Meet Dr. Milene ArgoDr. Milene Argo is a board-certified Internist from Athens, Georgia. Her passion is coaching physicians on all topics that affect their mental, emotional and physical well-being. She helps physicians create boundaries around work while bolstering their personal life to create more joy, happiness, fulfillment, and fun.
April 19 2021 A Second Marriage Fairy Tale with Dr. Milene Argo
I encourage you to reach out to me at katemangona@medicinemarriageandmoney.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!
Want a free copy of The Medical Marriage Survival Guide: An Instruction Manual For Physicians in Love E-book/Workbook? → Visit https://library.medicinemarriageandmoney.com/waitlist and I will send it to you!
Want to work with me 1:1 to take your relationship to the next level? → sign up at https://www.medicinemarriageandmoney.com and click “I AM READY” for a free 60-minute introductory coaching consult! I will do the rest!
WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE
Medicine:
- When a spouse thinks “being on-call” is something we do for ourselves
- Going through divorce her last year of residency
- Her Mother’s anti-western-medicine beliefs and how this has affected their relationship
- Why she now “skips into work” to see her patients
Marriage:
- Redefining “her type” and her definition of husband potential
- Falling in love with her personal trainer
- Knowing when to leave and when to stay
Money:
- Her new 2021 goal is to tackle personal finance!
Renewal:
- How her personal trainer Eric rescued her, his persistence, and their magical kiss
- Growing through the differences she had with her mother
- Choosing growth discomfort over stuck discomfort
TAKE HOME POINTS FROM Dr. Milene Argo
- Sometimes we fall in love with someone we would never expect. If we are constantly looking for a certain type of person, we may miss the love of our life directly in front of our eyes AND maybe they are ALREADY married to us!
- Asking ourselves, “Why would she/he say this to me?” Is NOT a helpful question. Instead, next time our spouse, mother-in-law, or friend says words to us, let’s ask ourselves instead, “What do I want to make that mean?”
- Making assumptions about what people are thinking is dangerous. AND then making assumptions about how other people are feeling is also dangerous! AND THEN making assumptions that other people’s thoughts and feelings mean something about us is the MOST dangerous of all!!!! So next time we catch ourselves in this funny mind drama, let’s ask what we would rather spend our time and energy focusing on….someone else’s thoughts and feelings over which we have no control, or our own?
WALK AWAY ASKING YOURSELF
- How do I tell my love story? Is it a fairy tale or a horror story?
- Do I allow myself to love me every day?
- Do I give myself credit for how far I’ve come?
- What are my main sources of motivation?
- Am I choosing the discomfort of growth or the discomfort of being stuck?
September 24,2020: Check out Dr. Argo's recent Interview with Brooke Castillo.
We tend to have preconceived notions about who doctors are. With so much authority, wealth, and privilege, they must all be super happy, right? The truth is that healthcare professionals are humans just like the rest of us, they experience things like burnout and anxiety, and they can immensely benefit from life coaching too.
If you’re a doctor listening in today, know that you are worthy and deserving of getting coached. So many medical professionals feel shame and guilt when they don’t need to. Physician coaching has a ripple effect; it benefits you and it also benefits your patients and their families. Seeking physician coaching is one of the best things you can do for your career—it shows great leadership skills and resilience.
In this podcast session, I chat with five physician life coaches from the School about their experiences being doctors, how they found thought work and the School, and what they coach their clients on. We discuss being women and women of color in the field, what’s missing from the culture of medicine, and how coaching can help you make a bigger impact.
One doctor touches thousands of lives. When you improve your wellness, quality of life, and mindset, the possibilities for your goals and your legacy are endless.
EMPOWERING WOMEN PHYSICIANS Episode # 24 - Dr. Milene Argo'
Click on the link to the left . Listen to my episode on Sunny Smith's Podcast.
Aug 31, 2020
Dr. Milene Argo started her journey with coaching 3 years ago, which started with 80 lb weight loss, she then applied this work to optimizing her clinical practice, to managing her inbox, finally leaving work at work, no more charting at home, self acceptance, COVID, and even recent anti-racism awareness.
She is one of the best I know in using coaching techniques with her patients during routine office visits and helping them get real results.
She is now not only a client of mine for well over a year, but is now also a colleague and coach in the EWP program in addition to having her own coaching practice.
Sunny Smith , MD and physician Coach