What if the most powerful thing a plastic surgeon could say is no?

In a world that rewards more, more procedures, more perfection, more transformation, restraint feels almost radical. Especially in medicine. Especially in plastic surgery. And especially when your livelihood is built on being able to change the human face.

KEY MOMENTS

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Deepak Duggar

01:51 Journey into Rhinoplasty

05:56 Emotional Intelligence in Plastic Surgery

11:40 Balancing Professional and Personal Life

19:11 Acts of Kindness and Service

29:22 Gender Disparities in Plastic Surgery

29:54 The Demands and Expectations of Medical Professionals

30:52 Underserved Communities and the Importance of Medical Presence

32:05 The Emotional Impact of Plastic Surgery

34:39 The Power of Positive Change and Patient Testimonials

37:45 Energy, Intuition, and Patient Relationships

40:47 The Importance of Therapy and Self-Reflection

43:23 Balancing Professional and Personal Life

49:45 Final Thoughts and Reflections

In this episode of Open Heart, Priya Rao, MD, interventional cardiologist and host of the Open Heart Podcast, sits down with Deepak Dugar, MD, a world-renowned Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon whose reputation has been built not only on extraordinary technical skill, but on something far rarer: ethical clarity, humility, and the courage to refuse surgery when it is not truly needed.

Dr. Dugar specializes exclusively in rhinoplasty, one of the most complex and psychologically charged procedures in all of medicine. He spent nearly a decade training under elite mentors, studying anatomy obsessively, shadowing cases while others vacationed, and committing himself fully to mastery. Yet what ultimately distinguishes him is not just what he can do with a scalpel. It is when he chooses not to use one.

Guest Links: Deepak Dugar, MD

Website: https://www.scarlessnose.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrDeepakDugar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepakdugarmd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepak-dugar-05a16059

📘 Deepak’s Book: Be You To Full, So Beautiful

Purchase here: https://a.co/d/9LO2KIP

Follow Priya & Open Heart on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@openheartthepod

Instagram: Instagram.com/openheartthepod

Website: https://openheartpodcast.com/

Priya Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kothapalli

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkothapallimd/

Thank you to our sponsor, Don’t Miss a Beat, for supporting this episode:

https://linktr.ee/dontmissabeat

© 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

There’s a moment every physician and clinician knows.

If you’ve spent time in a cath lab, an ICU, an OR, or making high-stakes decisions under pressure, you’ve felt it. A tightening in the chest. A quiet pause at the table. A sense that something isn’t right, even when the vitals look stable and the protocol says proceed.

And too often, we override it.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Sam Propper

01:13 Sam's Journey and Career Pivots

03:57 Navigating Challenges and Doubts

05:06 The Cath Lab Experience

12:08 Becoming an Educator

18:18 Creativity and Intuition in Medicine

24:47 Magical Synergy in the Cath Lab

26:00 The Importance of Intuition and Gut Checks

26:52 Creating Educational Resources for Medical Training

27:25 Overcoming Fear and Embracing Creativity

28:22 Challenges and Rewards of Teaching

29:01 The Impact of Visual Learning

30:55 Balancing Compassion and Professionalism

32:46 Navigating the Medical Field with Intuition

38:29 Encouraging Change and Self-Trust

41:03 Personal Stories and Emotional Connections

44:23 Living with an Open Heart

45:49 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In modern medicine, clinical intuition is rarely named, rarely taught, and often dismissed. Training rewards certainty, speed, and control. But intuition quietly informs some of the most consequential decisions we make as physicians and clinicians. Ignoring it doesn’t just cost alignment. It can cost safety, creativity, and connection to the patient in front of us.

In this conversation, I sit down with Samantha Propper, a cath lab technologist turned award-winning educator and entrepreneur, and one of the earliest supporters of Open Heart. Sam’s path didn’t follow a straight line, and that’s the point. From years at the cath lab table to the classroom to founding Don’t Miss a Beat, her work has shaped how cardiac teams are trained, how they communicate, and how they advocate for patients.

At its core, this is a reminder for those of us practicing medicine today. Healing is not purely mechanical. It is relational. It is embodied.

If you are a physician, cardiologist, nurse, technologist, or clinician who has ever felt that quiet inner pull during patient care and wondered whether it belonged in medicine at all, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Samantha Propper and Don’t Miss a Beat

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmissabeat.youtube

Website and Textbooks: https://dontmissabeat.store

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dontmissabeat

Facebook: https://facebook.com/dontmissabeat

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/dontmissabeat/posts/?feedView=all

✨ Subscribe to Open Heart with Priya Rao, MD on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@openheartthepod

Instagram: Instagram.com/openheartthepod

Website: https://openheartpodcast.com/

© 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

At some point, the life you carefully constructed starts to feel misaligned.The work that once energized you now drains you. The relationships that felt stable suddenly feel tight. The version of yourself you have spent decades becoming no longer fits the shape of your days. And when that unraveling begins, we are quick to label it a midlife crisis, as if something has gone wrong or something needs to be fixed.But what if nothing is wrong at all?In this conversation, astrologer and spiritual teacher Liv Toepfer reframes what so many people experience in midlife not as a breakdown, but as a predictable point of awakening. A moment written into the architecture of the soul. One that arrives whether you are ready for it or not, often quietly at first, and then all at once.Liv explains how astrology reveals specific life thresholds, times when the psyche, nervous system, and soul begin asking deeper questions. Chief among them is what many astrologers refer to as Neptune meets Neptune, also known as the Neptune square Neptune. This midlife astrology transit often occurs in the early 40s and is associated with spiritual awakening, identity dissolution, and a reorientation toward meaning and truth. Illusions fall away. Careers shift. Relationships strain or end. Old coping strategies stop working. The external markers of success no longer satisfy the internal call.This is not chaos. It is initiation.Astrology, as Liv shares, is not about prediction or bypassing responsibility. It is a language. A way of understanding why now and how to work with change instead of fighting it. From Saturn return in early adulthood to North Node purpose and nodal cycles in midlife, astrology transits offer a broader context for growth that many people feel but cannot yet name.#astrology #podcast #doctor #healer #spiritual We also explore how the body participates in these awakenings. The nervous system responds before the mind has language. Energy shifts show up as fatigue, restlessness, emotional sensitivity, or the sense that something wants to move but you do not yet know what. Breath, presence, and self trust become anchors when certainty dissolves.From the perspective of Priya Rao, MD, a cardiologist and physician working at the intersection of medicine and consciousness, this conversation bridges astrology, nervous system regulation, and healing beyond symptoms. It reflects the Open Heart lens where modern medicine and spirituality are not opposing forces, but complementary ways of understanding the human experience.If you have ever wondered why everything seems to be shifting at once, why success suddenly feels empty, or why your inner voice is getting louder, this may not be a crisis. It may be your soul asking you to listen more closely.About our guest:Liv Toepfer is an astrologer, spiritual teacher, and guide for conscious transition. After more than two decades as a high level event producer, burnout became the doorway that led her into yoga, meditation, astrology, and energy work. Today, she supports others through life’s pivotal thresholds with grounded wisdom, clarity, and deep respect for the intelligence of the body and soul.Connect with Liv:Email: liv@itsavibe.earthWebsite: www.itsavibe.earthInstagram: @thevibetribetxInstagram: @livbydesign✨ Subscribe to Open Heart with Priya Rao, MD to hear more conversations where modern medicine and spirituality meet where we remember that healing is as much about consciousness as it is about care.Follow Priya & Open Heart:Instagram: Instagram.com/openheartthepodWebsite: https://openheartpodcast.com/Priya Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kothapalliLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkothapallimd/© 2025 Priya Rao Media LLC. All rights reserved.