Women MD Leaders

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck on one more tweak… one more revision… one more thing that might make it better — I need you to know, I get you. Many high-achieving women have been taught that excellence comes from getting things just right .  From early on, we learn to manage the details, juggle all...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to fall back into old habits? Even after you’ve done so much work to move past them? Not because you’ve failed. Not because you forgot what matters. But because life changed. ·       A schedule shifted. ·       A family need popped up. ·       A season of life simply...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. I used to believe I was bulletproof.  Truly. I thought I was the exception — the one who could never burn out.  I had endless energy. I could plan events for my team, run multi-department projects, keep my family organized, and stay upbeat and enthusiastic without ever dropping a ball. Or so I thought. B...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. When I was burnt out, I hired an executive coach. One of the topics we covered was time management. And after working with him, I realized something important: he didn’t really understand a woman’s time — or a doctor’s time, for that matter. Over time, and with significant reflection, I’ve learned that t...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Burnout is a hot topic in medicine. It’s also near and dear to my heart — as a survivor, now a thriver. What I find again and again, especially in this post-pandemic world, is that many of us are still exhausted in a way that doesn’t quite make sense on the surface. The adrenaline of the pandemic is gone...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Have you ever convinced yourself you could “just push through” — because that’s what you’ve always done? I see this so often in women physicians: we spend years training ourselves to believe we can do anything — survive any rotation… power through any season… carry every load — and then we’re shocked whe...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Have you ever noticed that the people who stay the longest — and lead the best — in medicine always seem to have their person ? Their work wife. Their work best friend. Their 3am “you’re not gonna believe this consult” companion. It’s the relationship that keeps you grounded when the highs are sky-high…...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. If women physician leaders celebrated themselves and their accomplishments more often, the ripple effects could be powerful — not just personally, but for their teams, their organizations, and even the larger healthcare system. I’ve seen it firsthand — how one small tradition of reflection and laughter b...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here.  It feels uncomfortable to celebrate our own accomplishments, doesn’t it?  Especially for women — for high-achieving women — it can feel almost off-limits to own what we’ve worked so hard for.  Maybe we celebrate quietly, at home with the people who know us best. Because that feels safe.  But at work? On...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Have you ever caught yourself tolerating something — or someone — that didn’t sit right… just to keep the peace? To seem nice? To avoid the awkwardness? That was me — recently — after hosting what should’ve been a lovely dinner with new friends. It’s funny how often women, especially in medicine, find ou...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, Did that really just happen? That was me — after an interview that revealed more about bias in medicine than any research article ever could. Because when you’re the first woman in the room — or one of the few — the culture of that room is rarely bu...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Have you ever walked into work and felt that weight in the air? The kind where you hope you don’t run into anyone in the elevator? Where Sunday night already feels heavy because Monday morning is looming?  And it’s not the patients or the work you dread — it’s the culture. The unspoken tension that makes...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. I believe that most people are good. That idea isn’t just a country song lyric — it’s a motto that’s shaped how I move through life. My guiding principle? Assume positive intent. This practice of positivity can influence your brain in powerful ways. It can also influence those around you — in ways you ma...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. As women physicians in leadership, we are constantly making decisions.  Some of them small — what meetings to attend, who to call back first. Some of them enormous — how to allocate scarce resources, how to support a struggling colleague, how to protect time for our own families. The truth? We make hundr...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Do you ever find yourself “working” before work just so you can have a smoother day? Because, once the “real” workday hits, it’s nonstop. Patients.  Students and residents. Meetings.  Emails.  Fires to put out. People just asking you for things. It’s easy to feel like I’m sprinting from start to finish w...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Have you ever moved through your entire day… only to realize you barely remember it? You showed up. You rounded. You answered the emails, led the meeting, signed the forms, handled the thing no one else caught — and still, it all blurs together. You race to pick up the kids. You’re already late. There’s...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. As a pediatrician in a children’s hospital within an adult hospital within a healthcare system built for adults, I’ve learned just how steep the climb can be when you're fighting for buy-in.  Every day you need buy-in: for your patients for your team, and for what you know is right. Have you ever fo...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Physician leaders, let’s be honest, it takes a serious amount of conscious effort to carve out time for ourselves. Prioritizing sleep, movement, nutrition, in addition to the reflection that is necessary to make us strong leaders, not to mention, trying to make sure we are there for all of the important...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Anyone in a leadership role knows this: It’s almost second nature to jump to solutions before we’ve truly understood the problem. In nearly every process improvement meeting I’ve ever been in; we start brainstorming fixes before we’ve even named all the root causes. It takes a conscious effort to pause,...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Recognizing what resentment is, and how it appears in your life, is the first step to addressing it. For every woman physician leader, this shows up differently. You may have said yes to roles outside your interests, just to gain experience. You may be in a role that doesn’t allow the time needed to do e...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. Women more often than men, and doctors especially, are conditioned to adopt a self-sacrificing mindset rather than one of self-preservation. This is shaped by societal expectations, ingrained gender roles, and the culture of medicine itself.  From pre-med to practice, I was taught to give everything — my...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here. If you are listening to this, chances are high that you’re a woman physician leader juggling: people at work who rely on you people at home who rely on you a calendar that feels like a high-speed train with no brakes There is simply too much input, too many people asking for your time. Some days it feels...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here.  At what point in your doctoring career are you considered a leader? Is it always in the title behind your name? Is it always in the promotion?  I'm sure it's a little different for everyone.  In some ways, I’ve been a leader since childhood — ever since someone first called me “bossy.” I’ve al...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for Women Physician Leaders here.  As women physician leaders, we’re used to saying “yes.” Sometimes we don’t even realize we’ve said it — it just slips out automatically. We’re so efficient at getting things done that we barely pause before diving in. But those invisible yeses? They add up. They accumulate over years — into jam-packed d...

Welcome to the Women MD Leaders podcast.  I’m your host, Dr. Stephanie Yamout — pediatric hospitalist, coach for women physician leaders, and passionate advocate for building careers that feel powerful and fulfilling. Here, you'll get practical tips to thrive in demanding clinical and leadership roles — from creating more time, to overcoming perfectionism, managing doubt, and leading with tru...