When When Physicians Remember to Dream: Rediscovering Purpose with Dr. Leybelis Padilla
From Gastroenterology to Game Beyond the Game: Rediscovering Dreams, Healing, and High-Performance Living
Show Notes
In this episode of Roots of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa speaks with Dr. Leybelis Padilla, a gastroenterologist, lifestyle medicine physician, and co-founder of Game Beyond the Game. Together, they explore what happens when a physician realizes she’s stopped dreaming and what it takes to reclaim vision, purpose, and a life that feels truly aligned.
Dr. Padilla shares the moment of awareness when she realized that becoming a physician had quietly become the end point of her dreaming. From there, she takes us through her journey of self-development, mindset work, and courageous career shifts. From Navy hospital GI practice to locums, to founding Unlocking GI, a telemedicine practice rooted in her 4M framework: Medicine, Meals, Mindset, and Movement.
They also dive into her work with her husband, Prince who was once a professional athlete, through Game Beyond the Game, where they host intimate, luxury events to help high performers reconnect with their vision, values, and inner landscape beyond career achievements.
Whether you’re a clinician who feels stuck on autopilot, a high performer navigating relationship and identity shifts, or someone who suspects you’ve quietly stopped dreaming, this conversation offers language, tools, and inspiration for beginning again.
If you're inspired by our exploration on Routes of Healing, a physician-led podcast that brings forward the unique voices and lived experiences of lifestyle and integrative doctors, subscribe to get new episodes shared with you weekly.
🔑 Key Topics & Takeaways
- Realizing: “I had stopped dreaming” after becoming a physician
- The power of being given permission to dream again
- How self-awareness and mindset work opened new paths in medicine and in life
- From Navy hospital GI practice to locums to building Unlocking GI
- The 4M Framework: Medicine, Meals, Mindset, Movement as pillars of digestive and whole-person health
- Functional vs. inflammatory bowel disease, and how lifestyle and nutrition fit in
- Why culturally sensitive nutrition matters (and why rice and beans aren’t the enemy)
- Creating Game Beyond the Game and luxury mindset events with her husband
- Relationships, co-regulation, and the behind-the-scenes work of growing together
- Why physicians need spaces to be seen as whole humans, not just roles
- The cost of autopilot in medicine—and how to step off the conveyor belt
Chapters
00:00 — Cold Open: “I had stopped dreaming.”
00:37 — Welcome to Roots of Healing
02:34 — “Is that me?” Owning Your Story on Paper
03:13 — Childhood Curiosity, Nutrition, and Early Seeds of Medicine
05:49 — CTE, the NFL, and Advocating for Family Through the Medical System
09:11 — From Internal Medicine to Gastroenterology & Loving the Big Picture
14:40 — Navy Hospital, IBD Clinic, and Constraints in Federal Systems
17:40 — Tony Robbins, Landmark, Dispenza: Entering the World of Self-Development
20:42 — Visioning Exercises & The Moment She Realized She’d Stopped Dreaming
24:28 — Game Beyond the Game: Intimate Events for Mindset, Vision & Wealth
27:04 — The Power of the Five Senses, Community, and Being Seen
30:33 — Loneliness, Connection, and Community as Medicine
32:11 — Partnership, Communication & Co-Growth in Marriage
38:54 — Physicians, Autopilot, and the Hidden Toll on Relationships
43:39 — Building Unlocking GI: Telemedicine, 4M Framework, and Micro Habits
49:28 — Rethinking Functional Gut Disorders & Validating Patient Experience
53:15 — Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Medication, and Lifestyle Integration
56:02 — Asking Patients: “What Are Your Goals?” Changing the Clinical Dynamic
1:01:39 — Being a Latina Physician & Honoring Cultural Foods in Healing
1:07:20 — Whole-Person Care, Identity, and the Investment of Building a New Path
1:08:53 — How to Work with Dr. Padilla & Where to Find Her
About Today’s Guest
Gastroenterologist • Lifestyle Medicine Physician • Founder, Unlocking GI • Co-Founder, Game Beyond the Game
Dr. Leybelis Padilla, MD, FACG, is more than a physician, she’s a force of transformation in the world of health and high performance. As a gastroenterologist and lifestyle medicine physician, she has redefined what it means to heal from within.
She founded Unlocking GI, an evidence-based program that utilizes her 4M framework—Medicine, Meals, Mindset, and Movement delivering personalized and sustainable micro habits that unlock vitality, improve digestive health, and elevate overall well-being.
Her mission doesn’t stop at medicine. As co-founder of Game Beyond the Game, she and her husband, Prince, curate luxury events designed to help organizations, high performers, and physicians transform their mindset, reclaim their vision, and step into lives of deeper purpose and joy.
Whether she’s guiding patients or world-class achievers, Dr. Leybelis is on a mission to turn obstacles into opportunities and unlock limitless potential.
Learn more & connect with Dr. Padilla:
Website: https://unlockinggi.com/
Instagram: @unlockinggi
TikTok: @unlockinggi
YouTube: @dr.leybelis
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leybelispadilla
Facebook: Leybelis Padilla
🌐 Connect with Your Host
Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa, MD MS
Lifestyle & Integrative Medicine Physician • Culinary Medicine • Ayurveda
Website: drsirichand.com | Instagram: @doctorsirichand | Culinary Medicine drsirichand.com/blog
Community: https://vishuddha.com
Vishuddha: A Media Agency for Conscious Clinicians & Wellness Seekers
Vishuddha is a media and creative agency dedicated to amplifying the voices of integrative and lifestyle medicine clinicians who are transforming how we understand health and healing.
We provide media representation, book development, public speaking coaching, podcast strategy, content creation, and course development alongside classes and workshops for wellness seekers committed to intentional, conscious living.
Rooted in whole-person healing, Vishuddha helps clinicians translate their wisdom into impact, design offerings that matter, and bring conscious, transformative work into the world.
Ready to share your wisdom? Explore how we can support your vision at Vishuddha.com
⚠️ Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for personalized guidance.
Keywords
dreams, physician, gastroenterology, lifestyle medicine, goals, self-awareness, personal growth, motivation, inspiration, burnout, mindset, high performance, Latina physician, Game Beyond the Game, Unlocking GI, 4M framework, medicine, meals, mindset, movement, relationships, marriage, visioning, career transition, integrative medicine, Routes of Healing
