IN CONVERSATION: Yumiko Kadota

Gooooood morning, wonderful listeners! Today on the show, we bring you the brave Yumiko Kadota. Yumiko, as you’d read in her new memoir Emotional Female, has been an over-achiever her entire life, studying medicine at university and deciding to enter the perilous surgical stream when specialising as a doctor. Only, it was when Yumiko found herself trying to become a surgeon that she encountered the true, brutal nature of Australia’s hospital culture. Yumiko was subjected to such a ridiculous work schedule, colleagues who were unflinching in their coldness, and institutionalised sexism and racism that she was pushed to a mental breakdown in her late twenties, prompting her to take extended leave from her career and spend time as an inpatient in a psychiatric facility. In this chat, we talk about the highs and the lows of being a female doctor in Australia, as well as what can be done to ensure the next generation of female surgeons aren’t pushed to a place they can’t come back from. For more from Yumiko, follow her on Instagram at @mindbodymiko. And to grab a copy of her book, Emotional Female, head here. Thank you so much to today’s sponsor, Quay Australia. Head here to use the code ‘SHAMELESS20’ at checkout for 20% off. If this is your first time checking us out (hey, you), we are an independent media company that is dedicated to telling young women’s stories. The best way to support Shameless is to click ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app, and to tell your mates about us. We will reward such good behaviour with a puppy! Not everything in this paragraph is true! To catch up on everything Shameless, head to our website www.shamelessmediaco.com. We cherish your feedback on the show, and would bloody love to hear your wonderful voices. If you’d like to weigh in on an episode - whether it be a segment in our Thursday pop culture analysis, an In Conversation guest, or this month’s book club pick, we’d love for you to call our Shameless Hotline. You miiiiight just be featured on an episode. Thanks so much for lending us your ears for this episode! Have a great day! Stay hydrated! This episode was produced by Annabelle Lee for Shameless Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices