Girl Doc Survival Guide

Christine J Ko, MD
  • 4.8 (12)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

Young doctors are increasingly in ‘survival’ mode.    Far from flourishing, the relentless pressure of working in medicine means that ‘balance’ is harder than ever to achieve.   On the Girl Doc Survival Guide, Yale professor and dermatologist Dr Christine J Ko sits down with doctors, psychologists and mental health experts to dig into the real challenges and rewards of life in medicine.    From dealing with daily stressors and burnout to designing a career that doesn’t sacrifice your personal life, this podcast is all about giving you the tools to not just survive...    But to be present in the journey.

  1. 5d ago

    EP237: Visible Leadership: A Conversation with Dr. Shannon Udovic Constant

    Physician Women Rising: Strategic Leadership, Visibility, and Sponsorship for Women in Medicine Christine interviews Dr. Shannon Udovic Constant, a San Francisco pediatrician and immediate past president of the largest state medical association and only the fifth woman to hold the role in over 160 years, about advancing women physicians into leadership. Dr. Constant shares a childhood story from her daughter about “boy money,” illustrating how ambition and leadership are gendered, and explains how this shaped her drive to expand women’s representation in executive rooms. Dr. Constant describes launching Physician Women Rising as coaching and education, including a weekly Substack newsletter, to teach leadership skills she learned without a roadmap. Key themes include being strategic about career direction, making impact visible, stating ambitions, and building sponsorship (distinct from mentorship) through purposeful conversations. She discusses the narrower range of acceptable leadership behaviors for women and urges intentional positioning to improve healthcare decisions. Linkd to find Dr. Constant: at her website and on her substack.   00:00 Meet Dr Shannon 00:49 Boy Money Moment 02:58 Why Visibility Matters 04:03 Launching Women Rising 06:02 Three Leadership Keys 08:20 Sponsors Not Mentors 10:07 Her Path to President 13:03 Owning Ambition 14:53 Invisible Work Trap 15:51 Leading in a Narrow Box 19:09 Taking Credit Gracefully 19:55 Final Leadership Challenge

  2. Sep 23

    EP236: Finding Your P.A.C.E.: Dr. Judy Wright on Overcoming Burnout

    Sustainable Success and Burnout Prevention with Dr. Judy Wright: The PACE Method Christine interviews Dr. Judy Wright, a physician and sustainable performance strategist, about self-leadership, burnout, and redefining success so it “elevates your life, not erode it.” Dr. Wright shares how missing mammograms while prioritizing others led to a 2019 breast cancer diagnosis, double mastectomy, and a wake-up call that she wasn’t caring for herself and her boundaries had become “a suggestion,” especially with blurred work-from-home lines; Christine relates her own 2022 breast cancer treatment experience and how it forced her to prioritize herself. They define burnout as more than exhaustion, including disconnection, irritability, loss of joy, and diminished achievement, often missed because overwork is glorified. Dr. Wright advises scheduling oneself, taking intentional pauses, and using her PACE framework—Pause, Audit, Calibrate, Elevate—to assess goals, manage decision fatigue, set boundaries, and build sustainable success, including creating one’s own “ladder” and identity beyond roles. Links to find Dr. Wright: LinkedIn and Instagram. 00:00 Meet Dr Judy Wright 01:23 Cancer Wake Up Call 04:06 Lessons on Boundaries 05:23 Scheduling Yourself First 09:23 Burnout Warning Signs 11:19 Why We Miss Burnout 12:11 Intentional Pauses Daily 13:29 PACE Framework Explained 16:43 Keeping PACE Consistent 17:18 Redefining Success Ladder 20:12 Sustainable Success Closing

  3. Sep 16

    EP235: Discovering Harmony: Nancy Williams’ Story of Hearing and Healing

    Nancy Williams on Hearing Loss, Accommodations, and Returning to the Piano Christine interviews Nancy M. Williams, Founder and President of Auditory Insight, who shares her lifelong journey with hearing loss, from diagnosis at age six and delayed hearing aid use to its progression to moderately severe loss. Nancy describes loving the piano as a teen, being pressured to quit due to stigma around disability, and returning to lessons years later, culminating in performing at Weill Recital Hall while wearing hearing aids, which helped inspire her to commit professionally to hearing healthcare and advocacy. They discuss language choices around “disability” versus “difference,” Dr. Michael Hoffman’s advice to never apologize for hearing loss, and the importance of seeking accommodations (including seat placement and Zoom needs). Nancy emphasizes that hearing loss is often invisible, urges giving others grace, and explains distinctions between hearing vs. understanding and hearing vs. listening. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:01 Nancy's Hearing Loss Story 02:06 Piano Passion and Comeback 04:39 Disability Language Talk 06:16 Never Apologize and Ask 09:14 Parents Processing Diagnosis 11:57 Hearing Loss Is Invisible 13:37 Hearing Versus Understanding 15:04 Listening and Closing Thanks

  4. Sep 9

    EP234: Reflecting on a Summer of Busy Joys and Beginnings

    Staying Grounded Through a Super Busy Season Christine reflects on an unusually busy few months that included family vacations to Paris, London, and Amsterdam; adjusting to a new work role with coaching; submitting a 100+ page grant; launching her middle grade novel Love Language; playing her first tennis doubles tournament; and teaching her second child to drive. She shares that while she still dislikes the “just get through today” mindset, she is glad she didn’t sacrifice self-care and hobbies as she has in past busy seasons, recognizing she is more than her career and family roles and that her other identities deserve attention. She notes that honoring multiple identities takes time and can increase burnout risk, but coaching has helped her streamline by asking whether a task is part of her role and, if so, what the goal is. She also mentions giving herself grace, including missing an episode, and previews continued discussions on identity, ability, coaching, and more. 00:00 Summer Busy Season 01:00 Investing in Yourself 01:12 Identity Beyond Roles 01:39 Two Coaching Questions 02:04 Hobbies and Grace 02:19 Looking Ahead

  5. Aug 26

    EP233: Final Days of Summer - August 2026

    End of Summer 2026! it’s okay to pause sometimes...

  6. Aug 19

    EP232: Bridging Silence: The Journey of Dr. Raymond Goldsworthy

    Dr. Ray Goldsworthy on Cochlear Implants, Timing, Music, and Identity In this episode of The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine interviews Dr. Ray Goldsworthy, a cochlear implant (CI) user and USC Associate Professor of Otolaryngology whose work integrates psychoacoustics, signal processing, and auditory rehabilitation to improve CI speech and music perception, especially through more precise stimulation timing. Goldsworthy shares losing hearing suddenly at 13 from spinal meningitis, receiving a CI in 1988 during pediatric trials, and shifting from physics to CI research. He explains cochlear frequency mapping with a “piano in your ear” analogy and discusses why 22-electrode arrays can still support useful pitch perception, though below typical hearing. He describes listening effort in noisy settings, the value of turning the implant off, growing identification as deaf, and emphasizes community engagement, resources for music rediscovery, workshops, and internships for students with hearing loss. Contact Dr. Goldsworthy: goldswo@usc.edu. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:04 Ray’s Hearing Loss Story 01:54 Why Cochlear Implant Research 03:27 Timing and Hearing Precision 04:14 Cochlea Explained Like Piano 05:22 Electrodes and Pitch Limits 07:47 Community and Music Programs 09:25 Life as a CI User 10:47 Advice and Building Support 12:58 Identity and Closing Thoughts

  7. Aug 12

    EP231: Echoes of Experience: Supporting Families with Cochlear Implants

    Dr. Kate Gfeller on Supporting Families After a Hearing Loss Diagnosis and Music with Cochlear Implants Christine interviews Dr. Kate Gfeller about what it means for families when a child is diagnosed with hearing loss, emphasizing that testing and diagnosis can be tricky, hearing loss may be unstable, and children’s development varies widely so “one size does not fit all.” She describes the emotional, social, and practical burdens on parents who must navigate variable professional guidance, limited incidental learning for the child, and the challenge of finding accurate information and supportive communities. Gfeller notes cochlear implant users often benefit from connecting with other users and mentions a free informational website. The host shares how conventions and programs with panels of implanted kids helped her. Gfeller also discusses music: cochlear implants transmit music poorly, but rhythm can be accessible, listening can improve skills, and interested kids should be supported by specialized teachers or music therapists. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:30 Diagnosis and Testing Challenges 02:51 Emotional and Social Burden 04:14 Support Groups and Resources 05:41 Finding Community Through Events 06:23 Kids First Care Model 07:47 Music and Cochlear Implants 09:14 Let Kids Explore Interests 09:43 Closing Thanks

  8. Aug 5

    EP230: Adapt, Migrate, or Thrive: Lessons from Dr. Val Thomas

    Identity, Endurance, and Choosing Your Path with Dr. Valencia Thomas This episode of The Girl Doc Survival Guide features Dr. Valencia Thomas, a Black dermatologist and professor at UTHealth Houston and MD Anderson, who discusses her extensive training path and how identity shifts across places and career stages. She describes growing up in Fort Worth, being the only Black student in her class, and arriving at Harvard amid racial violence and inflammatory remarks, while valuing active dialogue and trusting an inner voice for safety and direction. Dr. Thomas emphasizes being race-conscious but not race-limited, and notes that people may say off-color things through ignorance rather than malice, sharing a story from Dr. Harley Haynes about learning respect and the “us vs. them” divide. She highlights lessons on communication from Ted Lasso, explains that about 16% of people are “never adopters,” and advises endurance—“adapt, migrate, or die”—and making decisions knowing they can often be changed. 00:00 Meet Dr Valencia Thomas 01:07 Texas Roots and Moving Around 01:53 Identity and Being Black 03:54 Harvard and Racial Reality Check 05:42 Learning Across Differences 06:50 Ted Lasso and Hard Conversations 07:53 One in Five Never Adopters 09:20 Endurance and Career Thriving 10:37 Changing Paths in Medicine 12:09 Wrap Up and Thanks

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About

Young doctors are increasingly in ‘survival’ mode.    Far from flourishing, the relentless pressure of working in medicine means that ‘balance’ is harder than ever to achieve.   On the Girl Doc Survival Guide, Yale professor and dermatologist Dr Christine J Ko sits down with doctors, psychologists and mental health experts to dig into the real challenges and rewards of life in medicine.    From dealing with daily stressors and burnout to designing a career that doesn’t sacrifice your personal life, this podcast is all about giving you the tools to not just survive...    But to be present in the journey.

Information

  • Creator
    Christine J Ko, MD
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    244
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Girl Doc Survival Guide
  • Show Website
    Girl Doc Survival Guide