The Catalyst Way™: Creative Strategies for Women in Medicine to Flourish

Why do we find ourselves struggling to accept when patients ghost, leave, or don't follow our recommendations?   In this episode, I'm unpacking the number one leadership skill in medicine: learning how to care deeply without being attached to the outcome.    I'll also pull some favorite scripts from deep inside my Catalyst Studio archives, and you'll learn how you can help practice reframing so yo...

How can you rethink traditional approaches and incorporate meaningful, patient-centered strategies into your practice?   In This Episode I'm Talking About: Practitioners should encourage patients to reflect on their core values. Finding flow and fulfillment is key to overall health. Wellness is measured by how we create, not just lab markers.   Catalyst Studio Mentorship:  https://drlarasalyer.com...

When can you schedule your next invisible workday? What is going to be the first thing on that list?   In This Episode I'm Talking About: 00:00 Reclaiming Invisible Work 02:14 Transitioning from Employment to Entrepreneurship 04:55 The Power of an Invisible Workday 06:44 Steps to Schedule an Invisible Workday 08:46 Creating a Productive Environment 11:04 Organizing Tasks for Success 13:47 Measurin...

Enmeshment happens when your role as a practitioner turns into emotional over-responsibility, and suddenly your worth feels tied to your patients’ progress.   Five Strategies to Break Free from Enmeshment 10:29 Set Clear Boundaries 12:59 Encourage Patient Autonomy 16:13 Create Structured Treatment Plans 18:48 Regularly Evaluate Your Practice 23:25 Prioritize Self-Care Links Catalyst Studio Brainst...

Once I embraced group visits, they became a game-changer for my practice and my patients!   Discover how these 7 approaches can enhance community building, patient engagement, and practice sustainability! Episode Breakdown: 04:20 Lunch & Learn 09:48 In-Office Group Sessions 11:28 Virtual Group Visits 17:10 Guest Expert Sessions 24:18 Q&A Style Sessions 18:11 The Catalyst Model 26:16 Commun...

Trauma-informed care plays a critical role in functional medicine. Trauma can affect patient outcomes. This episode provides actionable insights for clinicians to create a more trauma-aware practice, highlighting the need for self-awareness and personal healing among healthcare providers to better support their patients.   Highlights: Trauma can significantly impact clinical outcomes, even with co...

Healthcare feels louder and more fragmented than ever. Patients are confused and practitioners are tired. The wellness and integrative medicine space, once a place of refuge, has become crowded with conflicting messages and pressure to practice a certain way. I see how easy it is to lose your center when everyone claims to have the answer. In this conversation, I invite you to step back from the n...

I think a lot of us silently wonder, “Am I doing something wrong… or am I just not cut out for this anymore?” Especially when we’re juggling being moms and practitioners. We’re really good at taking care of everyone else and telling ourselves to just keep going even when we’re running on fumes.  That’s why my conversation with Dr. Rashmi Schramm felt so grounding.  If you’ve been feeling depleted...

Did you know that women physicians, despite their expertise, have a shorter lifespan than the general population?   What?   Yeah, I know. I was shocked too.   This statistic really stuck with me because it's not about intelligence or access or effort. It's truly showing that the system of health care is not built to help women clinicians succeed at all. It's not built for us emotionally, neurologi...

Blah… That’s how I feel about AI-generated writing. I have become personally outraged by all the sloppy AI that I read every day in social media. (However, it's actually working in my favor because I'm not scrolling as much as I used to.) Are you also tired of seeing the same phrases and the same cliches? Let’s both be better. In this episode, I’ll teach you the FLAT mnemonic test so you can spot...

Your Apple Watch is reducing your IQ points.   Studies show that each time you turn your focus to something else, even if it's a minor eye glance to look at the pop-up on your window or your Apple Watch message that came in, you lose the equivalent of one IQ point. Eek!   As a woman in medicine, the term invisible work usually evokes highly charged emotions. But, what if I told you multitasking pr...

Do you provide a heart-centered service?   As clinicians, we are wired for compassion. However, we can fall into the habit of over-giving, under-charging and stretching ourselves so thin, all in the name of helping!   In this episode, I’m sharing 6 creative, ethical and energizing ways to help your community that doesn't cost you your peace. This episode isn't just about giving back. It's also abo...

What lights you up?   In this episode, I’m sharing how my approach to annual visits in functional medicine has changed over the years. Instead of piling on labs and long checklists, I’m leaning into something much more meaningful—creativity and personal values as part of the visit itself.   I walk through the framework I use now, touching on brain health, hormones, metabolism, detox support, struc...

The first 100 feet of your patient’s journey can determine whether they feel safe enough to heal or guarded enough to hold back.   In this episode, I’m wrapping up my four-part miniseries on how to create a trauma-informed and neurodivergent-inclusive onboarding experience. I’ve learned that the way we welcome patients says as much about our care as the medicine we practice. Every detail - the ton...

What happens right after someone says “yes” to working with me? That moment always feels small, but it’s where trust starts to deepen and patients begin to understand what it means to be cared for in my practice.   In this episode, I’m talking about the post-discovery-call window - the time after that initial “yes” when alignment, clarity, and values really matter. I’ve learned that how we follow...

Discovery calls don’t have to feel awkward or forced. They can actually be some of the most energizing conversations you have in your practice. In this second part of my Transformational Onboarding Mini-Series, I share my five-step framework for turning those calls into genuine moments of connection and clarity. I call it connect, clarify, align, invite, and detach - a simple flow that helps you s...

Discovery calls can feel uncomfortable, like you’re supposed to sell yourself or convince someone you’re worth the investment. I used to dread them too. Over time, I realized they’re not about persuasion at all. They’re about alignment. These first conversations give both of us a chance to decide if working together feels right.   This is Part 1 of my four-part series on Transformational Onboardin...

Most clinicians update their medical knowledge regularly, but when was the last time you updated the way you introduce yourself to the world?    We often think of self-introductions as something we did once - on a website, a business card, or at the start of our practice - and then moved on. But what happens when your services shift, your voice matures, or your life evolves, and the story you’re t...

So many of us assume we can’t focus because we don’t have enough discipline, but I’ve found that the real issue is often depleted capacity. Discipline works like a muscle we can strengthen, but capacity depends on the deeper reserves of our nervous system - things like sleep, nutrition, emotions, and recovery. I like to ask myself: which one am I low on right now? And what happens if I try to push...

Burnout can sneak into every corner of life - your work, your relationships, even the way you show up as a parent! I call it “grief in the brain,” because it quietly drains energy and joy while convincing you that you’re not doing enough. The real shift comes when you stop chasing discipline and start building a framework that helps you feel steady and whole again.   In this episode, I share the i...

I’ve come to believe that play and creativity can completely change the way we move through our days. For me, it started when I decided to bring Halloween back into my life and create a whimsical “crow lady” character, and that one spark of joy gave me more energy, focus, and flow than I’d felt in years.    In this episode, I share how that experience opened my eyes to the bigger question of why j...

Burnout began to lose its hold on me when I realized my practice should support my life instead of forcing my life to fit around my practice.   In this episode, I share a personal moment when the signs of burnout resurfaced as I was driving to care for my parents. That experience pushed me to look at how I had been structuring my days and reminded me that clear boundaries and intentional choices b...

AI is showing up everywhere in medicine, from symptom checkers to lab summaries, and I often hear clinicians wonder where that leaves us.    In this episode, I share how I see technology as a helpful partner while holding firm to the truth that no algorithm can replace the trust, empathy, and presence our patients deserve. My own journey from burnout to building a practice rooted in connection has...

Friction in a practice can feel uncomfortable, but I’ve learned that those moments often point to where the real growth is waiting to happen.   In this episode, I share how resistance can strengthen Membership models and create deeper healing in integrative medicine. As a physician turned entrepreneur and mentor, I’ve faced the same challenges many of you have – explaining the value of membership...

The simplest act of self-care? Saying no. It protects your time, preserves your energy, and keeps your productivity focused on what matters most.   In this episode, I’m talking about the “nope list,” a simple but powerful way to guard your time, energy, and attention. I’ll share why women in medicine are especially prone to overcommitting, how chronic yeses chip away at intuition, and why naming y...