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

“Affiliate marketing in an ethical way not only helps patients see things from a different light, it builds relationships in the community that you live in,” says Dr. Lara Salyer. In this episode, Dr. Salyer talks about how healthcare professionals can use affiliate marketing without compromising their integrity. The key is to build trust by partnering with affiliates who truly align with your val...

“Functional medicine is slow cook, not fast food,” says Dr. Lara Salyer as she talks about the challenges of running a fee-for-service model in functional medicine. While it’s a common approach, this model can struggle to support the ongoing, holistic care that functional medicine requires. Dr. Salyer emphasizes practical strategies, like booking follow-up appointments before patients leave and se...

“One of my personal mantras every day is to try to bring love into the room,” shares Dr. Allison Becker, a pioneering naturopathic physician in Evansville, Wisconsin. Her approach centers on truly listening to her patients and being fully present to create a space of trust and connection that’s often missing in modern healthcare.   Dr. Becker’s practice is rooted in functional testing and personal...

“What we forget, and what is undertrained in our medical field, is the bottom-up processing of making a decision, where you rely on your body, your emotions, and your interoception to give you information on which of the decisions might feel right for you. That’s the art of medicine that we don’t talk about often,” begins Dr. Lara Salyer.    In this episode, Dr. Salyer introduces the “Quiet Compas...

“We all outgrow things,” says Dr. Lara Salyer. This week, she dives into the vital topic of recognizing when it’s time to move on from a mentor, teacher, or training organization. Reflecting on her experiences from medical school and beyond, Dr. Salyer emphasizes the importance of self-assessment in professional growth. She recalls realizing that the rigid teachings of her attendings were often mo...

“As doctors and clinicians in healthcare, we might have our own full moon stories. Things go a little crazy during a full moon,” says Dr. Lara Salyer. In this episode, Dr. Salyer uses the full moon as a powerful metaphor for growth and self-discovery, sharing her life experiences, including a memorable incident where a car crashed into a Nine West shoe store during a full moon, to illustrate how t...

“When something stops being fun, I advocate that you stop doing it. It’s an adage I live by, and I tell my kids the same,” says Dr. Lara Salyer. In this episode, she dives into the concept of “intermission”—those often challenging middle phases in life and career—and how to navigate them with courage and intention. Drawing from her own experience of transitioning from dyeing her hair teal to buzzi...

“I had a great job. I loved it. I had great work hours. I had a great life balance. I had all of these things, but there has to be more,” says Dr. Nneka Unachukwu, also known as Dr. Una, the founder of EntreMD—a company that empowers physicians to build profitable businesses and reclaim their autonomy in the medical field. This week, Dr. Una sits down with Dr. Lara Salyer to share her journey from...

“In healthcare, as much as I love being a physician, there are many gaps and deficiencies. Patients often have to rely on their own persistent autonomy, badgering caregivers, doctors, and providers to get attention; otherwise, details slip through the cracks because of the way the system is,” says Dr. Lara Salyer. This week, she delves into the art of transforming patient visits into home-like exp...

“The dirty little secret in healthcare is that vacations are not easy,” says Dr. Lara Salyer. This week, she shares her comprehensive checklist for ensuring a worry-free vacation. Drawing from her personal experience of transitioning to a private membership-only practice, Dr. Salyer emphasizes the importance of establishing healthy boundaries and creating systems that support a balanced lifestyle...

“What do you say when it feels like the patient is stuck, and you’re stuck, and you’re not sure it’s landing?” asks Dr. Lara Salyer. In this episode, inspired by a recent mastermind session within her Catalyst Studio mentorship, she tackles the challenging moments in healthcare when both practitioners and patients feel stuck, often referred to as “plateaus.”   Dr. Salyer shares strategies for main...

“Don't switch your tech,” advises Dr. Lara Salyer. In this episode, she shares a childhood memory of playing board games to illustrate the importance of sticking with technology that works for you, rather than constantly switching to new tools. She addresses “shiny object syndrome,” where new tech can disrupt workflows and cause inefficiencies.   Dr. Salyer emphasizes stability over novelty in cho...

“There are mundane tasks, and then there are those that are so overwhelming, detailed, and comprehensive that just thinking about them exhausts our minds. We already feel depleted and suffer from cognitive drain,” begins Dr. Lara Salyer.   In this episode, Dr. Salyer shares how to turn overwhelming chores into manageable and even enjoyable activities. Drawing from her experience as a physician who...

“I just felt a calling to support doctors,” says Kim Downey movingly. “And so that’s what I do all day, everyday. I try to find ways to support doctors.”   In a heartfelt conversation with Dr. Lara Salyer, Kim Downey, Community Ambassador for Medicine Forward and a three-time cancer survivor, shares her mission to combat burnout in the healthcare system. Triggered by the tragic loss of her radiolo...

“I see functional medicine as a great opportunity to provide psych rehab,” says Dr. Achina Stein, clinical director of the Healing Depression Project and a board-certified psychiatrist with over 30 years of experience. Dr. Stein, also a best-selling author, shares insights from her book, “What If It’s Not Depression? Your Guide to Finding Answers.”   Dr. Stein recounts her journey into functional...

Is there more joy coming into the system? Andrea Telfer-Karbo, a nurse practitioner in functional and integrative medicine, poses this question in her discussion with Dr. Lara Salyer. Drawing from personal experiences and professional expertise, Andrea champions treating root causes of illness for genuine healing.   Her journey, shaped by her sister’s childhood leukemia, highlighted the limitation...

“As a society of humans, we were bad at grace for ourselves and so you have to build that into being a peak performer to be a great leader,” says Dr. David Radosevich, a psychologist specializing in high-performance leadership. In this episode, Dr. Radosevich shares his expertise on achieving the flow state—a mental condition where individuals perform and feel their best. He explains how tapping i...

“I view social media as a long game,” asserts Dr. Lara Salyer. “When you are opening up an entrepreneurial business, you have to have a footprint online, a website, a social media profile, but it’s up to you to dial up or down your presence,” she says. In this episode, Dr. Salyer explores how to leverage natural personality traits for smarter, more effective social media engagement. She introduces...

“You are educating your prospective patients about the transformation you can give,” Dr. Lara Salyer explains as she delves into the evolution of healthcare marketing. She redefines marketing as a form of education rather than mere salesmanship, encouraging healthcare providers to view it as a tool for informing and educating about the care they provide.   Dr. Salyer urges healthcare providers to...

“Every practitioner needs to know what is the frame of their work-life masterpiece,” states Dr. Lara Salyer. “And by that, I mean knowing yourself from inside out,” she explains. In this episode, Dr. Salyer redefines work-life integration for healthcare professionals. As an osteopathic physician who has conquered burnout herself, Dr. Salyer offers insights and strategies to help medical practition...

“How do I let people know that creativity and community bring about a sense of joy that is actually a requirement and is really a life force that we all have access to?” Dr. Talissa Dorsaint, a clinical psychologist who integrates creative practices into therapy, poses this question as she discusses, alongside host Dr. Lara Salyer, the role of creativity in overcoming burnout.   Dr. Dorsaint expla...

“If you start to think of freedom as a state of mind, it has a whole different meaning in your body,” says Dr. Lara Salyer as she explores redefining freedom within the medical profession. Recounting her journey from burnout to a revitalized career, Dr. Salyer shares how she reshaped her definition of freedom to extend far beyond financial wealth, emphasizing autonomy, creativity, and personal wel...

What does “success” look like and who gets to decide? In this episode, Dr. Lara Salyer explores how customized success metrics can revolutionize the patient and physician’s work together.   Dr. Salyer recounts a mentoring session with a healthcare practitioner who is developing a program for patient education but feels it may not be comprehensive enough. This story highlights the practitioner’s he...

Finding your tribe and embracing change can enrich personal growth and lead to fulfilling life changes. In this “Friends & Family” series opener, Dr. Lara Salyer sits down with her longtime friend Jill Pyrz, mixing humor with raw truths as they look back on the moments that defined their friendship. They reflect on shared challenges in the healthcare industry and personal ventures that tested...

How does one unlock a focused and stress-free mind? Dr. Lara Salyer sits down with Dr. Romie Mushtaq, a neurologist turned wellness pioneer, who brings a wealth of experience from her journey through medicine, corporate wellness, and mindfulness practice. As the author of “The Busy Brain Cure” and a recognized leader in the field of integrative medicine, Dr. Mushtaq sheds light on the epidemic of...