Where This Work Has Been Featured

My work at Defiance Academy sits at the intersection of medicine, burnout, motherhood, leadership, and systems that were never designed for women with full lives.

Over the years, I’ve been invited to share my perspective through national publications, podcasts, and speaking engagements that explore what it truly takes for women to sustain high-pressure careers without sacrificing themselves.

This page brings that work together in one place.

Speaking Engagements & Institutions

I’ve been invited to speak at leading academic institutions, professional organizations, and community forums on burnout, leadership, equity, and sustainable success in high-pressure careers.

These invitations reflect a shared recognition that burnout is not an individual failure, but a systemic issue that requires a new approach.

Selected institutions and organizations include:

• Harvard T.C. Chan School of Public Health

• Vanderbilt University - Flexner Dean's Lecture Series "Leading in a Hostile Work Environment"  Nov. 21, 2022

• University of Michigan

• The Ohio State University

• American Muslim Medical Student Association

• Somali Diaspora Conference

• Somali Health Board

Across these spaces, my work focuses on helping high-achieving professionals understand burnout through a structural lens and build careers that are both impactful and sustainable.

Podcast Features & Conversations

I’ve also shared this work through podcast conversations that explore burnout, boundaries, leadership, and what it means to succeed without sacrificing your wellbeing or identity.

Featured podcasts include:

• Growth Edge Leadership Podcast

• The Art of Speaking UP

• The Professional Muslim Women Podcast (Co-founder)

• HappyDoc Podcast

• Voices Unheard

• CoreIM Podcast

These conversations reflect the same themes at the heart of Defiance Academy: clarity over coping, strategy over sacrifice, and success that does not come at the cost of health or life.

Selected Publications

These pieces reflect my lived experience as a trauma surgeon, mother, and advocate for structural change in how we define success and wellbeing.

• Doximity Op-Med
  You’re the Surgeon
  A first-person reflection on responsibility, pressure, and identity in medicine
  → https://opmed.doximity.com/articles/youre-the-surgeon-56cb2f1fb6c8 

• STAT News
  Motherhood and Medicine: Why the Struggle Is Structural
  An honest look at how medicine fails working mothers and what needs to change
  → https://www.statnews.com/2019/10/18/motherhood-medicine-struggle/ 

• Halal Parenting
  A Surgeon’s Perspective on Parenting, Pressure, and Balance
  Exploring values, faith, and family while navigating demanding careers
  → https://www.halalparenting.com/surgeon/ 

Awards & Recognition

• Top 10 Somali Excellence Award for Health & Wellness (2025)
  Recognized for redefining health, wellness, and sustainability for women in high-pressure careers
  → https://globalsomalimagazine.com/2025/12/14/dr-qaali-hussein-the-surgeon-redefining-whats-possible-for-muslim-women-in-high-pressure-careers/ 

This recognition reflects the heart of my work: helping women stay in careers they love without burning themselves out to do it. 

Video Features

• YouTube Interview
  On navigating high-pressure careers, burnout, and identity
  → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTdrFyFwjR0 

• YouTube Conversation
  Speaking on systemic barriers, ambition, and redefining success
  → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaAk119c6iw

Why This Matters

Every article, talk, and interview informs the work I do inside Defiance Academy.

This isn’t theory.
It’s lived experience, refined through teaching, speaking, and working with women across demanding fields.

If you’re navigating a high-pressure career and looking for a more sustainable way forward, this is the work I bring to that conversation.

Speaking & Media Inquiries

If you’re interested in inviting me to speak, collaborate, or contribute to your platform, please reach out through the contact page.

Topics I Speak On

I speak at the intersection of burnout, leadership, medicine, motherhood, and systems change. My talks are grounded in lived experience, medical insight, and real-world strategy, not motivation or surface-level wellness.

Core Speaking Topics

Burnout Is Not a Personal Failure
Why high-achieving women burn out and why traditional solutions fail
Reframing burnout as a structural and physiological issue, not a mindset problem

Career Success Without Sacrifice
How to advance professionally without overworking, shrinking, or burning out
A new career paradigm for women with full lives and real responsibilities

High-Functioning Burnout
Why capable women keep going long after burnout begins
How guilt, invisible labor, and pressure quietly erode wellbeing

Women, Work & Invisible Load
The hidden emotional and cognitive labor driving exhaustion
How to reduce load without guilt or professional fallout

Speaking Up Without Fear or Fallout
Boundaries, self-advocacy, and strategic communication in high-pressure environments
How women protect their energy while maintaining credibility and influence

Motherhood, Medicine & Demanding Careers
The structural barriers women face in high-stakes professions
What institutions must change to retain and support women leaders

Redefining Wellness for High-Pressure Careers
Why rest alone is not enough
Building sustainability, longevity, and leadership capacity

If you’re interested in inviting me to speak, collaborate, or contribute to your platform, please reach out through the contact page.