I am the wife of a pilot-turned-preacher and the happy mom of three terrific children. My life was transformed years ago through a heartfelt prayer. Since then, my work as a family physician turned into a ministry as I learned to care for people from the heart. I strive to care for the soul and minister to the spirit while treating the body.
Physician Coaching, Support, and Advocacy
I am passionate about physician wellness, leadership development, and Helping Docs Thrive in the midst of a broken system. I enjoy helping my colleagues develop their strengths, recapture their original calling into medicine, and embark on a path to greater joy, meaning, and purpose in medicine and in life. My latest book, Recapturing Joy in Medicine
, is NOW AVAILABLE! It is a unique, interactive, and practical resource that is helping physicians reclaim their voice in medicine and jump-start their hearts! Read more about what our colleagues think of it HERE.
Countless physicians strive daily to do the impossible with inadequate support and mounting obstacles that add pressure to an already high-stakes, complex profession. The high rates of “burnout” point to a system problem, not an individual problem. Alexander Den Heijer noted “when a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”
Exhaustion and burnout are the expected outcomes in settings that fail to assess their soil with honesty to identify the overgrown weeds and hidden thorns that keep choking those committed to excellence.
The first step in preventing burnout is to find the right soil
— a true, patient-centered environment where physicians and their teams are supported so they may care for people with compassion and excellence. Beyond this critical step, the path from burnout to thriving requires steps toward greater autonomy, personal wellness and professional fulfillment, advocacy on behalf of the physician and the entire healthcare team, practice support including EHR optimization, adequate support and appropriate staffing, and much more. Studies show this leads to more engaged and effective physicians, healthier and more satisfied patients, and lower costs for healthcare systems.
Leadership, Advocacy, and More!
I served as chief resident and as president of the Florida Association of Family Medicine Residents. I have served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) and chair the Ph
ysician Wellness initiative. I feel blessed for the opportunity to enhance physician wellness and prevent burnout throughout our state and nation. I am a graduate of the Florida Medical Association Leadership Academy and assisted the launch of the FMA’s statewide Healthy Living initiative in 2018.
Burnout and Our Need to Connect
As we care for people, our humanity is a gift that must be nurtured but is often neglected. Compassion and empathy connect us and heal; they are powerful medicine for the heart, body, and soul. Yet, in our chaotic and time-starved healthcare reality, this type of connection is increasingly elusive. Patient and doctor alike feel frustrated, isolated, and fractured.
As we seek to connect in meaningful ways, we must not neglect our souls, health, and families, and we cannot offer healing without the human connection that burnout steals. Something must change; many things, actually, one at a ti
me. It is my joy to walk alongside my colleagues as a physician wellness and leadership coach as they journey to reclaim all “burnout” steals and discover more fulfilling ways to practice medicine.
My Keynotes, Workshops, & Retreats
As a speaker, coach for physicians, retreat leader, and consultant, I partner with hospitals, residency programs, medical schools, organizations, and medical practices to equip and inspire medical leaders in their life and work.
Some of my most popular keynotes include:
- Recapturing Joy in Medicine (based on my latest book!)
- From Burnout to Thriving in Healthcare
- The Triple Whammy and Burnout Prevention
- Cultivating A Servant Heart in a Busy Practice
- Living on Purpose: Keys to contentment, peace, and effectiveness
- When Faith and Medicine Meet
VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE
A few of my recent videos, interviews, & articles published on KevinMD, Medical Economics, The Orlando Sentinel, and more:
INTERVIEW with Orlando Sentinel
ARTICLE in Orlando Sentinel about my book, Recapturing Joy in Medicine
HEALING PATIENTS SHOULDN’T BE KILLING DOCTORS
TEN STRATEGIES TO ENRICH PHYSICIANS’ LIVES
VIDEO supporting launch of Florida Medical Association statewide Healthy Living initiative
INTERVIEW on The Paradocs Show with Doc Larson on physician wellness & burnout prevention
INTERVIEW about my passion for coaching physicians & my journey to writing books & keynote speaking
You may contact me HERE for keynote opportunities or to lead a retreat or workshop for your team.
© 2012-19, Amaryllis Sánchez Wohlever, MD. All Rights Reserved.
Amaryllis Sánchez Wohlever, MD 
Thanks for sharing your gift for inspiration and finding our individual inner joy at the December 2017 FAFP winter summit. Very timely.
I’m so glad you found my presentation inspiring, Dr. Flick. I wish you joy and contentment as you use all your gifts to help, heal, and bless others!
Thank you for awesome talk at recent FAFP
in Breakers hotel, 7.23.17!
Thank you so much, Dr Johnson! So glad to know you found it helpful. Remember to be good to yourself!
Amaryllis- I really enjoyed your article. Healthcare providers also need to enhance their communication skills to increase trust, teamwork , respect and love in their everyday interactions. I hope to see you at the next FAFP meeting. Sandy Argenio
Even caregivers can be very encouraged by your inspiring words. We don’t have any of the many pressures that physicians have, of course, but we do fall into the same rut of thinking that our needs aren’t as important as those of our loved ones. One necessity I can’t live without is my prayer time. It is never a chore to take time before my day starts to center myself in the Holy One, who gives me the daily strength I need to carry on. However, I do acknowledge my need for counsel and community. This is an area that I need to explore more, God willing. In the meantime, family and friends do try to lovingly support and encourage when they can. I count my blessings everyday.