How do two orthopedic surgeons with no formal business training raise over $1 million to build a healthcare technology startup?

In this Milestones to Millionaire episode, Todd and Justin, orthopedic surgeons who trained together and are just three and a half years out of residency, share how they went from starting a small coffee company during COVID to raising $1.6 million for an AI-driven medical technology startup aimed at reducing physician overhead and administrative burden. Justin explains his decision to step back from a seven-figure hospital salary to build the company full time, while Todd continues working in full-time private practice, illustrating two very different risk tolerances within the same founding team.

They walk through how they structured the company, set up a Delaware C-Corp, used SAFE investments, and raised initial capital from friends, family, and fellowship alumni, all without an MBA or formal business background, leaning instead on AI tools, mentorship, and each other's strengths. They also discuss why physician-led startups statistically tend to outperform those built by outside innovators, since doctors understand the real pain points of practicing medicine firsthand.

Building something new in medicine takes more than a good idea. It takes physicians willing to step outside the clinical world entirely and learn an entirely different set of skills. One of the most underrated financial moves in medicine is working locum tenens. It pays significantly more on average, and you can work locums full time or on the side of your full time. When you work with CompHealth, the #1 staffing agency, they cover your housing and travel costs —which on top of higher pay, really adds up.

Locums also gives you more control of your career, allowing you to go where you want, when you want, with a schedule that works for you. It's the perfect way to get ahead financially while getting focused on what you love. Whether it's locum tenens or a regular permanent position, visit https://whitecoatinvestor.com/CompHealth and build your career your way with the power of CompHealth.

Celebrating your stories of success along the journey to financial freedom! Tune in every Monday to the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast, where we celebrate the financial achievements of our listeners and share practical tips for reaching your own milestones. We want to celebrate your milestones—no matter how big or small—and help inspire others to follow your lead. Every week, these episodes feature one listener who has recently achieved a milestone they are proud of and want to celebrate, and they give any advice they have for those who want to follow their example. Make sure to listen every Monday to be inspired by your fellow white coat investors.

Celebrate YOUR Milestone on the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast: https://whitecoatinvestor.com/milestones

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What does it actually take to recover from burnout, beyond the standard advice to practice more self-care?

In this episode, Dr. Jim Dahle talks with emergency physician, executive coach, and author Dr. Rob Orman about the realities of burnout in medicine. Rob shares his experience consulting on HBO's 'The Pitt' using real interviews from mass casualty responders, and discusses why he stepped back from full-time clinical practice to focus on coaching physicians through burnout, performance issues, and career sustainability.

Rob explains why terms like "self-care" often fail doctors, since they don't address the actual sources of stress, and he shares a pivotal moment from his own career: screaming in his car during traffic on the way to a shift he dreaded, a moment that led him to finally admit he needed to make a change after 12 difficult years. He also offers concrete, usable tools, including a simple technique for defusing conflict by choosing curiosity over defensiveness, and the concept of the "drama triangle," a pattern of hero, villain, and victim roles that can trap people in unproductive conflict.

The conversation closes with a look at medicine's historical roots in self-sacrifice, tracing back to clergy and early surgical training, and why that inherited mindset still shapes how doctors think about rest and limits today.

Burnout isn't a personal failure. It's a mismatch that can be addressed with the right tools, the right support, and the financial capacity to actually make a change when you need one.

Locumstory.com is a free, unbiased educational resource about locum tenens – it's not a staffing agency. They help answer your questions about the how-to's of locum tenens work on their website, podcast, webinars, videos, and they even have a locums 101 crash course. Locumstory.com is where you should go to find out if locums makes sense for you and your career goals. Locumstory is unique because it's more of a peer-to-peer platform, with real physicians sharing their experiences and stories – both the good and bad – about working locum tenens – hence the name, "Locum-story." See for yourself on their self-service platform with no obligation.
Learn More at: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/locumstory

The White Coat Investor Podcast launched in January 2017, and since then, millions have downloaded it. Join your fellow physicians and other high income professionals and subscribe today! Host, Dr. Jim Dahle, is a practicing emergency physician and founder of The White Coat Investor blog. Like the blog, The White Coat Investor Podcast is dedicated to educating medical students, residents, physicians, dentists, and similar high-income professionals about personal finance and building wealth, so they can ultimately be their own financial advisor-or at least know enough to not get ripped off by a financial advisor. We tackle the hard topics like the best ways to pay off student loans, how to create your own personal financial plan, retirement planning, how to save money, investing in real estate, side hustles, and how everyone can be a millionaire by living WCI principles.

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How does a fellow with no attending paycheck yet, and a spouse working as a teacher, build a $600,000 net worth before finishing training?

In this Milestones to Millionaire episode, Matthew, a newly minted transplant hepatology and gastroenterology physician, shares how a combination of frugality, consistency, and a few key advantages added up over more than a decade. A former Marine Corps infantryman who deployed twice, including to Iraq and off the Horn of Africa, Matthew used the GI Bill to avoid medical school debt entirely, while his wife's teaching salary supported the family throughout his training.

He explains how he started contributing just $50 a month to his kids' 529 plans during medical school and residency, before he was even saving for his own retirement, and how that small, automatic habit grew into roughly $60,000 over more than a decade. Matthew also discusses their approach to budgeting, living well below their means, embracing hand-me-down furniture and garage sales, and navigating their biggest ongoing money disagreement: her love of travel versus his instinct to save and invest.

Matthew's advice for anyone starting later or without every advantage: know where your money is going, live on less than you make, and recognize that everyone is building wealth with a different mix of strengths and weaknesses.

This podcast is sponsored by Bob Bhayani at Protuity. He is an independent provider of disability insurance planning solutions to the medical community in every state and a long-time white coat investor sponsor. He specializes in working with residents and fellows early in their careers to set up sound financial and insurance strategies. If you need to review your disability insurance coverage or to get this critical insurance in place, contact Bob at https://whitecoatinvestor.com/protuity today by email info@protuity.com or by calling (973) 771-9100.

Celebrating your stories of success along the journey to financial freedom! Tune in every Monday to the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast, where we celebrate the financial achievements of our listeners and share practical tips for reaching your own milestones. We want to celebrate your milestones—no matter how big or small—and help inspire others to follow your lead. Every week, these episodes feature one listener who has recently achieved a milestone they are proud of and want to celebrate, and they give any advice they have for those who want to follow their example. Make sure to listen every Monday to be inspired by your fellow white coat investors.

Celebrate YOUR Milestone on the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast: https://whitecoatinvestor.com/milestones

Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com
YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube
Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor
Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor
Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com
Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter