Book Review – Emotional Female by Dr. Yumiko Kadota

This week’s new moon in Leo highlights personal power and using your voice to set a higher standard for humanity. On that note, I just read Emotional Female by Dr. Yumiko Kadota while on sick leave. I’ve had a prolonged flu – yes, ‘healer, heal thyself’ is a theme this year!

Comment on this post on Facebook and Instagram. I’ve also recorded it as a video on YouTube (10min).

Dr. Kadota is a Japanese-Australian surgeon from Sydney, who exposed the horror working conditions of young doctors in a 2018 blog, The ugly side of becoming a surgeon. The article went viral for its account of Dr. Kadota’s 20 hour workdays, the rampant sexism and abuse she witnessed and her sheer honesty and care for the patients left behind.

I have a lot in common with Dr. Kadota, including an Asian background (my mother is Singaporean and husband is Japanese), a love of music and yoga, a selective school education and competitive nature. Dr. Kadota attended UNSW, where I studied Environmental Science (in her book, she mentions the Med revue, a production I was in).

I was a whistleblower for workplace bullying at the United Nations, which ended my government career when I was 24 years old. So I felt enormous grief and catharsis reading this book.

Here is my review of Emotional Female.

What I got from this book: A sliding doors feeling of why I didn’t pursue medicine after failing an interview – there’s no doubt I would have been bullied (especially being ‘twice-exceptional’/ having a learning disability). A new perspective of the challenges registrars face. An understanding of why doctors don’t get help for mental health – they are expected to be ‘superhuman’ and are stigmatised for speaking up (what a disastrous combination for burnout and job dissatisfaction).

What was confronting: Dr Kadota’s constant kindness to her colleagues and patients compared to the brutal way she pushed herself, the stories of harm (doctors getting away with sexual assault, a surgeon stamping on a junior doctor and breaking her foot). It’s hard to believe the arrogance displayed by those at the top. It made me think about the ‘bamboo ceiling’ and how rarely Asian-Australian women are in the spotlight. People only seem to listen to us after we have survived severe trauma (e.g. see my review of The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar).

Who I recommend this to: Anyone planning to become a doctor, pushing their children to become a doctor, interested in women’s right and racism and/ or who’s recovering from a toxic workplace. Dr Kadota is now a fitness instructor, yoga teacher and author, which is very inspiring. See her site.

Quotes: that moved me “The medical profession is one of the most at-risk in terms of mental illness. We know from a national survey by Beyond Blue in 2013 that one in five doctors have had a diagnosis of depression or received treatment for it. Both doctors and medical students have higher rates of psychological distress and suicidal thoughts compared to the general population, and the rates are even higher among female doctors aged 30 or younger.

Young female doctors scored the highest in all three domains of burnout that were assessed: emotional exhaustion, cynicism and feeling a lack of professional achievement. Troublingly, 40% of doctors felt that their peers with psychiatric diagnoses were perceived as less competent; and nearly half felt that doctors were less likely to be appointed if they had a history of mental illness. It’s clear that there is still some de-stigmatising to do.”

“A lot of people around the world seek alternative therapies and find benefit in them. I’ve always believed that we shouldn’t ‘yuk other people’s yum’….”

“…there have been some changes to the way in which we talk about burnout, which is promising. Whereas in the past, we spoke about things like individual resilience, we now know that this is an occupational phenomenon that requires institutional leadership and responsibility. ‘Moral injury’ has been proposed as a much better term to describe what is happening to doctors. Semantics aside, I welcomed the shift from blaming the individual to looking at systemic factors. The canary in the coalmine. The solution is not to make stronger canaries.”

Numerology: Yumiko Kadota has a 47/11/2 Destiny name, so her career heals the Sacral (2nd) chakra – emotions, feminine power, personal worth and inner peace. Dr. Kadota had her epiphany and quit her job in 2018, a Universal 11/2 year (see my forecast).

Universal 11 and 2 Years bring much-needed upheaval at the relationship, political and spiritual level, they force us to confront our shadows to understand our light. Stars shine brightest in the darkness, as they say.

2018 was a HUGE time for anyone with 11/2 numerology, including people like myself (I’m an 11/2 life path who writes on 11:11). Find your life path

Wow. While researching this post, I realised Dr. Kadota turned 34 yesterday, on 8.8.2021, which means she is a rare 41/5 life path Rebel – 5 life paths are having a massive year in 2021, which is a Universal 5 Year. Interesting that I felt called to review her book then found out it was her birthday – that’s a big energy shift when we change personal years.

In numerology, every name, word and address can be reduced to a vibration. Yumiko Kadota has the same 47/11/2 vibration as phrases like ‘Mental Health, ‘Mental Illness’ and Meditation.

Our name influences our highest contribution at work, so it seems Dr. Kadota is right on spiritual track. 11/2 brings double endings and beginnings to create enlightenment and inner fire for truth.

Thank you Yumiko for your incredible story and activism work. Wishing you personal wellness, global support and spiritual sanctuary in your future endeavours. You have made a wonderful difference!

Related links
Buy Emotional Female (Penguin Books)
Designing Emotional Female (explanation of the cover)
Dr. Yumiko Kadota’s blog – Mind Body Miko
8 Signs of a Good Doctor – They Always Have Patience!
8 Spiritual Ways to Stop Bullying – Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight
Class – Change for Good – A Spiritual Money Webinar (healing tips for financial abuse)
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