Not long ago, someone wrote an article in response to a viral tweet that claimed, “Mainstream doctors just want to make money out of you.”
The tweet was paired with a photo of Dr. Mark Hyman, well-known in the functional medicine world, and a note that his speaking fee exceeds $50,000. The article challenged the idea that only traditional doctors are “in it for the money,” especially when so many functional medicine figures profit from books, courses, and supplements. Someone from our SoMeDocs community ended up writing a response to it, in Who’s Really in it for the Money?.
I thought about the message of this article a lot, and I realized something else needed to be said. Something bigger, and more honest.
Because while our first instinct is to point out the irony, our second thought should be: can you really blame him?
No Blood, No Stool, No Screaming
Many doctors who are taking to the speaking circuit don’t have to show up to a hospital at 3 a.m.
They don’t have to worry about malpractice suits after a bad outcome.
They’re not dealing with code blues, crying families, or electronic medical record systems that crash mid-note.
There’s no pus, vomit, or needlesticks involved in giving a keynote.
No sobbing pediatric patient who reminds you of your own child.
No dealing with two dozen inbox messages after clinic, or hours of unpaid charting.
Instead, there’s applause. Book sales. Cleaner clothes. And probably, a hotel with room service.
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The Trade Doctors Are Making
We used to whisper about the doctors who “sold out” by becoming influencers or consultants or coaches. But let’s be honest: the whispering is fading.
Because the rest of us are tired. Not just physically tired—but emotionally exhausted. We’re tired of a system that demands perfection and delivers inefficiency.
Tired of caring deeply and being treated like data entry clerks.
Tired of being told we’re the problem, while the system profits off our burnout.
So when someone like Dr. Hyman leaves the mess behind for a cleaner path, it’s not betrayal. It’s self-preservation.
The Allure of the Stage
There’s a freedom to being a speaker that doesn’t exist inside traditional clinical medicine.
You can inspire without being sued. You can educate without getting paged. You can share your story without being liable for someone else’s outcome.
And when you speak well (ie your ideas resonate), people pay for that. Generously.
Does it feel unfair? Maybe.
But is it unethical? No.
And can you really blame someone for choosing a life that doesn’t include overnight shifts and patient death?
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The System Is Still the Problem
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about functional vs. traditional medicine. It’s not about who makes more money or who’s more “authentic.”
It’s about why so many of us want out.
Why the stage looks better than the clinic.
Why burnout isn’t just a buzzword, it’s an epidemic.
Dr. Hyman didn’t create that. Neither did I.
But we’re all navigating it in different ways.
Some of us stay in the trenches because we still feel called to it. Others step out to create something new.
Both paths are valid. Both paths are hard in different ways.
Who Should You Trust?
I asked this in the first article, and it’s still a hard question.
But maybe it’s not just about trust. Maybe it’s about understanding.
Understanding that the physician who leaves the exam room for the podcast mic isn’t a sellout. Maybe they’re just tired of crying in their car after every shift.
Understanding that the doctor on stage isn’t immune to the same system you’re frustrated with. They just found a loophole.
And understanding that, deep down, most of us still care.
We’re just trying to survive the system that forgot to care for us.
We used to whisper about the doctors who “sold out” by becoming influencers or consultants or coaches. But let’s be honest: the whispering is fading.
