Mel Thacker, MD, PCC, DipABLM is a fellowship-trained rhinologist/otolaryngologist, professional certified coach, and lifestyle medicine specialist.

After two years in academics, she realized how much she valued autonomy and pivoted to private practice, serving a Massachusetts community for nearly a decade. But when panic attacks and insomnia took hold, she turned to coaching—transforming the most emotionally painful year of her life into her greatest teacher. She emerged on the other side as a better human, clinician, surgeon, wife, mother, and friend. After that experience, her work evolved from taking care of patients to resourcing her fellow surgeons.

In December 2024, she left her successful surgical career to focus exclusively on coaching surgeons. Her mission is to help them reclaim purpose, clarity, and control in their lives. An advocate for rehumanizing medicine and surgery, she has shared this message on the TEDx stage twice–check them out with below!.

She is also the host of the groundbreaking podcast, Surgeon with Purpose and the Founder of Empowered Surgeons Group, a program that will teach you everything you didn't learn in surgical training.