Emotional Female

By: Yumiko Kadota

Narrated by: Yumiko Kadota

Yumiko Kadota was a young, gifted medical student - the top of her class - on her way to becoming an outstanding plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Fourteen years she'd studied and worked hard. She put in 70-hour weeks at the public hospital as a plastic surgery registrar, accepted everything her superiors threw at her because that's what you do to get on, right? Her life revolved around her work, but it was okay because it would all amount to a stellar, dream career down the track. In 2018, she walked away from it all.

Emotional Female charts Kadota's rugged journey through ambition and dedication to exploitation and eventual collapse - and beyond. Yumiko Kadota is a voice for her generation when it comes to work practices and burnout, but she's also someone other generations can look to as a symptom of what's acceptable in the workplace.

A must read for all doctors

Have just finished this book, and the micro aggressions that were evident through her experiences really triggered me, as another woman of colour in medicine. Lots of food for thought on topics such as burn out and lack of female representation in positions of leadership. There is still much work to be done, but thank you Yumiko for starting the conversation.