Confidence & Conflict | Limitless Leaders Edition: S16 Ep86

Hosted by: Courtney Collins, MD

Guest Speakers: Danielle LeBlanc, MD; Melinda Kimbrel, MD; Mindy Haws, MD; Caroline Glicksman, MD

Episode Summary

What does it really mean to be a resilient leader in surgery?

In this episode of the Limitless Leaders Podcast Series, a panel of accomplished women surgeons comes together for a candid conversation about confidence, conflict, resilience, and leadership. They reflect on their own paths into surgery, the challenges women continue to face in the profession, and the experiences that have shaped how they lead today.

The conversation explores the sometimes-fine line between confidence and arrogance, including the importance of humility, honesty, data, and being willing to acknowledge complications and learn from them. The panelists also discuss the value of having trusted colleagues who will offer perspective, advice, and support during difficult cases and challenging moments.

They share candid lessons about navigating surgical complications, including why leaning into a complication rather than avoiding it can strengthen both patient relationships and professional growth. The discussion also touches on career setbacks, family responsibilities, changing priorities, and recognizing that a successful career doesn't have to follow one timeline.

Ultimately, the panel challenges the idea that leadership requires a title. Whether you're mentoring a student, leading an OR team, serving on a committee, supporting a colleague, or helping develop the next generation of surgeons, leadership happens in everyday moments—and its impact is often measured by who you help succeed after you.

In this episode, you'll hear about: building resilience through difficult moments, handling complications with honesty and accountability, navigating conflict and expectations, developing confidence without losing humility, balancing career and family priorities, the power of mentorship and peer support, and finding meaningful ways to lead at every stage of your career.

The Limitless Leaders Podcast Series celebrates and empowers women leaders in surgery through honest conversations, shared experiences, mentorship, and lessons learned along the way.

Allergan Aesthetics
Advancing aesthetic medicine. Empowering confidence.

The Limitless Leaders Edition

The Limitless Leaders podcast series is brought to you by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, The Aesthetic Society and the American Hernia Society with the generous support of Allergan Aesthetics. This podcast series provides you with real-life stories of women in surgery who are tackling gender-related hurdles, large and small. The stories and topics covered will be as diverse as this group of women we represent. Listen as we discuss the demands of our careers as surgeons, our roles as mothers, and the fulfillment we need in our personal lives.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

About Enhance Your Practice

Enhance Your Practice is the official practice management podcast from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), featuring conversations with leaders in plastic surgery on practice management, leadership, innovation, and professional development. Each episode delivers practical insights to help plastic surgeons build successful practices and thrive throughout their careers.

Explore more educational resources from ASPS at plasticsurgery.org.

Leading Teams, Big & Small | Limitless Leaders Edition: S5 Ep18

Hosted by: Donna Tepper, MD

Guest Speakers: Amy Moore, MD; Andrea Pusic, MD; Vedra Augenstein, MD

About Enhance Your Practice

Enhance Your Practice is the official practice management podcast from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), featuring conversations with leaders in plastic surgery on practice management, leadership, innovation, and professional development. Each episode delivers practical insights to help plastic surgeons build successful practices and thrive throughout their careers.

Explore more educational resources from ASPS at plasticsurgery.org.

The hardest part of becoming a plastic surgeon isn’t always the operating room, it’s building a career that still feels like yours once training ends. We sit down with Drs. Ashley Amalfi and Smita Ramanadham to talk candidly about early career plastic surgery, why both started in academic medicine, and what ultimately pushed them toward private practice.

We get specific about the decision points that don’t show up in residency: board case collection, the underrated value of colleague support, and the real-world friction that can come with red tape, weak mentorship, and misaligned RVU compensation. Dr. Amalfi shares how a group practice model can create freedom through shared resources and reliable partners. Dr. Ramanadham breaks down the solo private practice reality, from HR and operations to the discipline of not discounting and instead building a boutique patient experience that matches your brand.

We also dig into plastic surgery marketing and branding, including why social media matters for modern aesthetic patients, how to stay authentic and professional, and what a thoughtful consent process looks like. From private equity trends to the idea that it’s okay to change your mind after your first job, the big takeaway is simple: your practice model should fit your priorities, your personality, and your life outside surgery

About Enhance Your Practice

Enhance Your Practice is the official practice management podcast from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), featuring conversations with leaders in plastic surgery on practice management, leadership, innovation, and professional development. Each episode delivers practical insights to help plastic surgeons build successful practices and thrive throughout their careers.

Explore more educational resources from ASPS at plasticsurgery.org.