Your Unapologetic Career® Podcast

Many women of color in academic medicine and public health know they want more control over their income. But what happens when creating more options for yourself also means admitting how painful it is that the institution may not pay, protect, or value you the way you expected?  In this episode, Kemi continues the conversation about agency over your paycheck and why wanting more money does not ma...

Kemi is not sugarcoating it. Building more income and agency may require a season of extra effort, but this episode helps you make an active decision about that.  Join in as Kemi talks directly to women of color in academic medicine who want more control over their income, but feel exhausted by the thought of working harder.  She pushes back on the idea that the real question is whether you will w...

Join Kemi as she talks about what it actually takes to build a side hustle while still working in academic medicine or public health.  This may not be what people want to hear, but it matters for faculty who want more say over their income, more freedom with their skills, and more options outside of a university paycheck.  Kemi also shares her own experience building a coaching business while work...

In this episode, Kemi shares the story of receiving a $6 million research grant and being asked by her corporate-based friends whether it came with a raise - only to explain that academic medicine does NOT work that way! We've gotten so used to this – that our work quality is divorced from our earnings – that we forget it doesn’t have to be this way.   Kemi pushes back on the idea that wantin...

In this episode, Kemi continues the conversation about money, agency, and what it means to build a career in academic medicine and public health that still works for your real life.  She talks about the tension many women of color feel after years of training, work, leadership, and achievement, especially when the paycheck does not fully reflect the skills, experience, or value they bring. Kemi al...

Join in as Kemi opens an honest conversation about money, career satisfaction, and the quiet frustration many women of color experience in academic medicine and public health.  She reflects on what it feels like to be years into a career, deeply skilled, highly trained, and committed to the work, while still questioning how much control you really have over your financial life. Kemi also shares ho...

In this encore episode, Kemi asks why academic medicine and public health keep treating research achievement as proof that someone can lead people .  After reading Burn It Down  by Maureen Power , Kemi looks at how demanding industries can excuse harmful behavior when the person behind it is producing results. She applies that same idea to academia, where a person may bring in grants, hold power,...

In this episode, Kemi shares her experience with holding gratitude and grief in the same breath.  She begins by sharing her experience at the Martha’s Vineyard Black Book Festival in Oak Bluffs, where she was a featured author. The festival gave her space to feel both awe and being grounded, to make real connections, and to recognize that she belonged in the room.   However, this joyful experience...

In this encore episode, Kemi talks about the skill that can immediately set you apart in academic medicine and public health: doing what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it.  Kemi explains that academic culture often normalizes people saying yes, offering to collaborate, or promising to follow through without actually doing it. She also breaks down why good intentions...

In this recess episode, Kemi talks about what it means to stay yourself while becoming more visible.  After her book release and tour, Kemi reflects on the pressure to stay on message without turning herself into a persona. She shares why it matters to be seen as a full person, not only as a physician, surgeon, scientist or even author. For Kemi, authenticity is not about being the same in every r...

In this encore episode, Kemi looks at the often-overlooked challenge of self-sabotage and how it impacts our ability to adjust to new norms in our professional lives. She candidly shares her own experiences of handling the complexities of changing environments, particularly for women of color in academic medicine and public health. And she outlines practical steps to effectively adjust to new norm...

In this encore episode, Kemi explores the concept of self-trust and how it is essential for growing your career, especially for women of color in academic medicine. She reflects on the challenges of defining our value through the eyes of others and offers practical strategies to transition from seeking external validation to fostering a strong sense of self-trust.   Tune in to discover how to shif...

In this episode, Kemi talks about the uncomfortable but necessary role feedback plays in making your career stronger.  She explores why critique can feel so personal, especially when you care deeply about the work you are doing, but no matter how strong your work is, your own perspective will always have gaps. At some point, you need input from people who can see what you cannot.  This episode is...

In this episode, Kemi explores the changing landscape of academic medicine and public health, highlighting why professionals in these fields crave more variety. She tackles a common myth that leaving academia for a new path is simply an easy escape. Kemi points out that while the temptation to find an easier route is strong, true fulfillment takes hard work and a clear understanding of your person...

Using her own childhood as a starting point, Kemi considers how emotional warmth, safety, and nurturing continue to shape high-achieving women, especially Black women.   This episode invites you to think honestly about the experiences that shaped you, how those experiences show up today, and what it looks like to build something different for the next generation.  Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible...

Many high achievers know they need to ask for help. But what happens after you've started reaching out and still find yourself feeling disappointed?  In this episode, Kemi reflects on a season that required her to ask for more support than ever before. She shares how those experiences challenged some of her assumptions about relationships, community, and what support actually looks like in pr...

As a special companion to A Terrible Strength, Kemi shares an original poem by master poet, playwright, storyteller, theatre producer, and cultural architect Hannah Hasan.  This poem was directly inspired by the powerful, personal stories and truths shared in A Terrible Strength.   Take a quiet moment and let this poem hold space for what so many Black women have carried.  Credit : Hannah Hasan |...

Fresh off her 11-city book tour, Kemi is looking back at the personal revelations and unexpected lessons she gathered along the way. With the upcoming Essence Fest and Martha’s Vineyard Black Book Festival stops, she unpacks why real-world audience connection matters just as much as hitting sales numbers.   In this conversation, Kemi answers listener questions from Instagram about how she navigate...

In this encore episode, Kemi challenges the hustle culture belief that you have to work yourself to exhaustion to succeed. Instead of a typical productivity lecture, we are looking at how to use strategic procrastination to your advantage.   Procrastination gets a bad reputation, but it can actually protect your creativity and reduce unnecessary stress. This is not an excuse to put everything off....

In this week’s episode of Your Unapologetic Career , Kemi brings you an encore conversation with Cathy Mazak of the Academic Writing Amplified  podcast about her new book, A Terrible Strength , and the journey of moving from physician, researcher, and professor to debut author.  Kemi pulls back the curtain on the writing and publishing process, from developing the book proposal to finding the righ...

Being "First, Only, Different" in academic medicine and public health forces us to stay incredibly sharp. We have to remain alert just to ensure we aren’t shortchanged on resources, pay, or structural support.  But over time, this defensive mindset creeps into areas where it doesn’t belong.  When you are constantly on guard at your institution, you naturally start fixating on what everyo...

In this week’s episode of Womb Wisdom, we bring you an episode with Dr. Stephanie Hack, MD/MPH, FACOG - host of The Lady Parts Doctor Podcast - who spoke with Kemi about reading her new book and her reaction as a Black woman and an OBGYN. They cover uterine cancer, Black women’s health, and the importance of advocating for better medical care.   The conversation challenges the "strong woman&q...

In this encore episode, Kemi looks at the nonsense fed to early-career faculty in academic medicine and public health, especially women of color, passed off as good advice. While most of it is just harmless chatter, some of these comments actually do damage. They stick with you, get under your skin, and hold you back. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of these toxic tips, consider this repl...

In this episode, Kemi sits down with Magogodi oaMphela Makhene of Madame Speaker Says for a conversation that will reframe everything you thought you knew about excellence, authority, and who gets to tell your story.  They get into why working hard and letting your work "speak for itself" is quietly costing you, and why brilliant women who stay silent about their intentions get written o...

When your career starts to feel like nothing more than a never-ending to-do list, it’s a clear sign that you’ve lost the lead. It’s draining to feel like you're just checking boxes instead of building the life you actually wanted.  In this encore episode, Kemi looks at exactly how that shift happens and why it feels so hard to break out of. She shares some practical, real-life ways to help yo...