Leadership Skills for Doctors: Closing the Gap Between Intent and Impact with Dr. Susan Ko

Christine interviews Dr. Susan Ko, PhD, a leadership strategy expert and partner at Vantage, about key leadership qualities relevant to doctors and other professionals. Ko distinguishes technical expertise from leadership competencies such as people leadership, presence, vision, communication, collaboration, and character/reputation, emphasizing that needed competencies vary by role and organization. She discusses the difficult transition from technical individual contributor to leader, highlighting delegation to reduce “key person risk” and enable others to develop while freeing leaders for strategic work. The conversation covers balancing ongoing clinical expertise with stepping back from some responsibilities to lead, developing individuals and high-performing teams, and recognizing bias in stereotypes about leadership presence. Ko stresses narrowing the gap between intent and reputation through feedback, including 360 reviews, and notes that seeking and acting on feedback is hard but promotes growth and authenticity.

00:00 Meet Dr Susan Ko

01:39 What Makes Great Leaders

03:36 From Expert to Leader

04:11 Delegation and Key Risk

06:12 Leading in Medicine

08:12 Vision and Team Growth

09:24 Presence Bias and Identity

10:42 Reputation Versus Intent

11:38 Getting Real Feedback

13:51 Final Reflections

Dana Corriel, MD on SoMeDocs, Physician Autonomy, and Building a Digital Presence

Christine interviews Dana Corriel, MD, Founder and CEO of SoMeDocs, about her background in internal medicine and healthcare innovation and what led her to build an online community and tools (including a physician directory) to promote physician autonomy amid insurance and corporate constraints that contribute to burnout. Corriel shares her career path through Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and the World Trade Center Monitoring and Treatment Program, a three-year break after her third child that sparked interest in branding and networking, and her eventual full-time departure from clinical practice, including mixed reactions to a Medscape article and initial pushback from family that later turned to support. She advises physicians to build an owned digital presence via a personal website and then use social platforms, both for career growth and patient continuity when changing jobs, and encourages questioning herd mentality, accepting criticism, and pursuing long-held dreams.

00:00 Meet Dana Corriel

01:03 Travel Tales With Parents

01:46 Why SoMeDocs Exists

04:04 Autonomy And Burnout

05:31 Stepping Away From Practice

07:24 Backlash And Thick Skin

08:56 Family Reactions And Support

12:44 Women Entrepreneurs Pushback

14:34 Seeing Healthcare Clearly

16:41 Build Your Online Presence

19:44 Stop Chasing Acceptance

21:16 Final Encouragement And Wrap

Perimenopause, Sarcopenia, and Metabolic Change: Strength Training, Protein, and Cortisol with Dr. Betyshia Belardo

In part two of The Girl Doc Survival Guide with Dr. Betyshia Belardo, the conversation focuses on sarcopenia (midlife muscle loss) and how reduced estrogen during perimenopause can contribute to declining muscle mass, lower metabolism, decreased strength, and weight gain with a shift in fat distribution toward the midsection. Belardo emphasizes that women can counter these changes with consistent strength training (even 15–20 minutes, 2–3 times per week), safe progressive overload rather than lifting excessively heavy weights that risk injury, and increased protein intake, recommending about 30 grams per meal while prioritizing whole foods and supplementing as needed. They discuss tracking body composition, adding fiber (about 30 grams/day), hydration, and maintaining enjoyable activity. Belardo explains cortisol’s role via stress and poor sleep, noting sleep deprivation can increase cravings and insulin resistance risk, and advises sleep, self-care, and social connection.

00:00 Welcome and Episode Setup

01:10 Sarcopenia Is Real

02:59 Why Weight Shifts Midlife

04:33 Strength Training Without Fear

05:44 Safe Progression and Overload

08:18 Tracking Body Composition Wins

09:51 Protein Targets and Meal Ideas

13:44 Cortisol Sleep and Stress

15:10 Simple Daily Habits Checklist

16:56 Wrap Up and Thanks