NV, UNITED STATES, May 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Dr. Nikia Smith, board-certified anesthesiologist, wellness coach, and founder of She Is Fire Forged, joined psychiatrist Dr. Nicole on a recent episode of The Black Woman’s Confidant Podcast for a deeply candid conversation about physician burnout, moral injury, hustle culture, and the urgent need for Black women to prioritize rest and self-preservation.
During the episode, Dr. Smith shared her personal journey from thriving academic physician to experiencing severe burnout after years of overwork, unrealistic expectations, and chronic exhaustion within the healthcare system. After more than a decade in medicine, she realized that despite achieving every milestone she once dreamed of, she no longer recognized herself outside of her titles and productivity.
“I was living the dream on paper,” said Dr. Smith. “But internally, I was slowly dying. I realized I had built my entire identity around achievement, productivity, and being dependable — and I had completely disconnected from myself.”
The conversation explored the intense pressures many physicians, particularly Black women physicians, face within systems not designed to support their humanity or well-being. Dr. Smith and Dr. Nicole discussed how burnout in medicine often extends beyond exhaustion into what experts call moral injury — the emotional and psychological toll of working within systems that conflict with one’s personal values and ethics.
Dr. Smith recounted a defining moment that forced her to reevaluate her life and career after working nearly 22 hours of a 24-hour call shift with only two hours of sleep before returning to work.
“I remember climbing the stairs to my house at 3 a.m., setting an alarm for two hours later, and thinking, ‘How did this become my life?’” she shared. “That was the moment I realized something had to change.”
The episode also examined the unique burden placed on high-achieving Black women who are often taught to work “twice as hard” while navigating constant microaggressions, emotional labor, and unrealistic expectations in professional spaces.
“We’ve normalized surviving on fumes,” Dr. Smith explained. “But there’s a sustainable way to strive. Rest is not something you earn after productivity. Rest is a human right.”
Now through her wellness platform, She Is Fire Forged, Dr. Smith helps high-achieving women of color recover from burnout, reconnect with themselves, and build lives rooted in softness, sustainability, and self-trust. Her work combines medical insight, lived experience, coaching, and advocacy for radical rest and healing.
Throughout the episode, both physicians emphasized the importance of therapy, community, boundaries, and learning to listen to the body’s signals before reaching a breaking point.
“If I can help even one woman avoid the level of burnout I experienced,” said Dr. Smith, “then I feel like I’ve done meaningful work.”
Listen to the full episode of The Black Woman’s Confidant featuring Dr. Nikia Smith at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rewriting-burnout-fighting-back-against-the-system-with/id1434495925?i=1000744179303
About Dr. Nikia Smith
Dr. Nikia Smith is a board-certified anesthesiologist, wellness coach, and retreat facilitator. She’s also the founder of She Is Fire Forged, a transformative wellness brand that helps high-achieving women of color reclaim their peace, power, and purpose. With over a decade of experience in the high-stress world of medicine, Nikia brings a deeply informed lens to conversations around burnout, boundaries, and emotional restoration.
She guides women—especially Black women in leadership and healthcare—through the exhaustion of constantly being everything to everyone. Nikia equips her clients with the tools to say no without guilt, build lives rooted in their own values, and choose softness over survival. Through retreats, coaching, and community care, she creates spaces for women to pause, reset, and reimagine what thriving truly looks like.
Nikia has also been featured as a guest on the Docs Get Money and Free to Be Mindful podcasts.
Outside of work, Nikia prioritizes rest, joy, and connection. She loves reading, recharging with loved ones, and spending time with her niece, modeling what’s possible for powerful women.
Christina Lenkowski
Publicity by Christina
email us here
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
