Student debt, market noise, and the psychology of investing come under the microscope in this episode of SoundPractice. Host Mike Sacopulos welcomes Ed Coburn, leader of Cabot Wealth Network, a financial publisher based in Salem, Massachusetts, that has helped investors build wealth since 1970. Coburn is editor of the Cabot Investing Guide and author of the forthcoming book Investing Without Hype.

In this candid conversation, Coburn explains how physicians can build sound financial habits in an attention-scarce world. He discusses why intelligence can become a liability for investors, why a written plan matters more than a hot stock tip, and how AI and financial influencers have added to the noise investors must learn to filter out.

Key Topics

• Balancing student loan repayment with early retirement savings
• Understanding why smart, high-achieving professionals can become overconfident investors
• Defining “investing without hype” and recognizing how attention-driven media can distort decision-making
• Separating signal from noise by watching for red flags such as absolute predictions and overconfident language
• Avoiding common behavioral mistakes during volatile markets, including loss aversion and emotional attachment to stocks
• Clarifying the difference between disciplined investing and gambling

Resource

• Know Your Investor Profile

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.

https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1026723178

In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos talks with Kardie Tobb, DO, MS, CPE, FASPC, FACC, FACOI, a board-certified cardiologist specializing in cardiometabolic disease prevention. Dr. Tobb is founder and medical director of the Cone Health Heart and Vascular Cardio-Obstetrics and Women’s Heart Health Program in Greensboro, North Carolina, and clinical integration officer for the Cone Health Center for Health Equity — a role she built not through a formal job posting, but by joining committees and stepping forward to address problems no one had officially claimed.

Her message is clear and practical: leadership does not require a title. Early- and mid-career clinicians are well positioned to identify gaps, build coalitions, and advance solutions that support organizational priorities — provided they understand the culture, frame their ideas effectively, and follow through on their commitments. Dr. Tobb speaks from experience: in her first year as an attending, she launched a free women’s heart screening event that now draws more than 300 participants each year.

This conversation is essential listening for any clinician who has noticed a problem, questioned whether it was their place to speak up, and stayed silent.

Dr. Tobb explains what it means to lead without formal authority, how it differs from holding a title, and why early-career clinicians often have a leadership advantage: fresh perspective. She also offers practical ways to begin leading informally, including joining committees with purpose, bringing solutions with problems, and delivering reliably on every commitment.

Informal leadership also requires a mindset grounded in intentionality, ownership, curiosity, data, and storytelling. Dr. Tobb also identifies common pitfalls, including mistaking an isolated observation for a systemwide problem, moving too quickly, leaving out front-line stakeholders, and neglecting personal well-being.

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.

https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.6954760958

Vidhya Prakash, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FAMWA, Chief Medical Officer and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Population Health at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine, joins host Mike Sacopulos for a candid conversation about her AAPL-published book, The Leadership Learning Curve: A Woman Physician's Journey as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Prakash traces her path from an immigrant childhood in Cincinnati through infectious diseases, Air Force service, and hospital executive leadership. She speaks candidly about imposter phenomenon, adaptive versus technical problem-solving, and leadership lessons from military service, while also describing her role in founding the Alliance for Women in Medicine and Science (AWIMS) at SIU, a grassroots initiative that has measurably improved faculty promotion and tenure equity.

Listeners will hear practical guidance on balancing clinical practice with executive responsibility; distinguishing adaptive from technical leadership; treating leadership as both an art and a practice; reframing failure; applying Air Force leadership principles of integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do; and helping more physicians, especially “accidental leaders,” step into leadership roles.

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.

https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.2882398846