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. 8H AGO

    EP217: Motherhood and Medicine: A Tribute

    Motherhood and Medicine: Burnout, Balance, and Building a Village In a Mother’s Day compilation for The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine announces her book Love Language releasing August 4 and dedicated to her mother, then shares reflections from multiple episodes on being a physician and a mother. Dr. Tom Helm notes a family legacy of physicians and observes medicine’s shift to  female trainees, while acknowledging the difficulty of combining family and career. Dr. Ilona Friedan and others describe how parenting can feel harder than clinical work, the lack of a “manual” for childcare and compromises, and the myth of having it all at once. Dr. Oksana Babenko frames burnout as widespread and individualized, emphasizing autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Guests stress self-kindness, self-care (including exercise), asking for help, supportive colleagues, outsourcing and childcare “villages,” supportive partners, and accepting that doing one’s best is necessary. 00:00 Mothers Day Intro 00:28 Generations of Women Doctors 01:25 Becoming a Mom in Medicine 03:28 Burnout and Basic Needs 04:11 Physician Mom Realities 06:40 Self Compassion and Limits 07:45 Personalized Burnout Recovery 09:01 Self Care and Exercise 09:45 Ask for Help and Coverage 10:34 Build Your Village 11:50 Supportive Partner Matters 12:40 Best Is Good Enough 13:08 Closing Thanks

    13 min

  2. APR 29

    EP216: Breaking the Silence: Navigating Fertility with Dr. Moragianni

    Reproductive Empowerment and Fertility Clarity with Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni Christine interviews Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni, a double Board-certified fertility physician and Johns Hopkins Medical Director of the Fertility Center, about fertility, infertility, and reproductive empowerment for high-performing women. Moragianni shares her personal experience of secondary infertility, miscarriage, diminished ovarian reserve, and unsuccessful IVF after having her first child, emphasizing that “control” looks different for everyone and requires information and options. She explains infertility definitions and earlier evaluation after age 35, highlights that age is the most important predictor of fertility decline, and urges patients to seek care sooner. The conversation addresses stigma and professional silence around infertility and pregnancy loss, especially in demanding careers and medicine, citing higher infertility and complication rates among female physicians. Moragianni recommends optimizing overall health, stress management, and sustainable habits while giving oneself grace. Find Dr. Moragianni on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 00:00 Meet Dr Moragianni 01:37 Her Fertility Story 04:22 What Infertility Means 06:19 Age Options And Stigma 10:44 Workplace Silence And Shame 14:14 Physician Fertility Data 15:55 Optimizing Health For Pregnancy 18:04 Stress Self Blame And Grace 19:30 Final Takeaways And Hope

    20 min

  3. APR 22

    EP215: Humanizing Dermatopathology: Embracing Error with Compassion

    Failure, Error, and Self-Compassion in Dermatopathology: Lessons from Dermpedia This episode of The Girl Doc Survival Guide shares reflections after Dr. Artur Zembowicz’s Dermpedia course in Boston on failure, mistakes, and improving in dermatopathology. Dr. Zembowicz emphasizes being prepared to fail when starting new ventures and notes that sports can build resilience by exposing people to stronger competitors. Dr. Alejandro Gru argues that error is intrinsic and unavoidable, encourages careful, unrushed case review, open discussion of mistakes with clinicians, seeking second opinions, learning from errors, and moving forward without becoming paralyzed—especially when patient management may be affected. Dr. Philip LeBoit challenges the “aura of infallibility” expected of experts and stresses balancing best effort with honesty. Dr. Yu Tse Heng explains other compassion and self-compassion as noticing suffering, empathizing/common humanity, and acting with kindness, noting small practices can strengthen both. 00:00 Welcome and Course Highlights 00:56 Meet Dr Zembowicz 01:31 Embracing Failure to Innovate 02:20 Meet Dr Gru 02:39 Handling Errors and Feedback 04:31 Recovering and Improving After Mistakes 05:33 Meet Dr LeBoit 06:06 Experts Aren’t Infallible 06:41 Self Compassion at Work 08:54 Practicing Compassion Daily 10:09 Final Takeaways and Thanks

    10 min

  4. APR 15

    EP214: Christina Stevens: The Journey from Theater to Sign Language

    DEIAB and Educational Interpreting with Christina Stevens Christine interviews Christina Stevens, a nationally certified sign language interpreter working mainly in Connecticut public schools for nine years, with degrees in American Sign Language and Theater and leadership roles in state and national interpreter organizations. She shares how she discovered interpreting in college through theater performances, later attending Columbia College Chicago, and ultimately becoming an educational interpreter despite initially thinking she would not. Stevens discusses boundaries and the central role interpreters play for students, noting that about 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents and about 50% of those parents learn sign language, affecting home communication. Stevens advocates expanding DEI to “DEIAB” (Accessibility and Belonging), emphasizing early budgeting, bringing Deaf people to planning tables, and recognizing different interpreting approaches. She encourages learning ASL from Deaf or native users through community involvement. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:01 How Christina Found ASL 01:56 Training and Career Path 02:57 Why School Interpreting Is Hard 03:58 Classroom Visit and Book Talk 04:49 Day to Day Interpreter Role 06:42 DEIAB Accessibility and Belonging 09:00 Deaf Awareness and Learning ASL 10:35 Final Thoughts and Thanks

    11 min
  5. EP213: Aquariums!

    APR 8

    EP213: Aquariums!

    In this brief episode of The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine shares that it is another week with a bit of a break and shows two aquarium photos: one of fish in an aquarium at Smilow Cancer Center and another of a manta ray seen at Atlantis in the Bahamas.

    1 min
  6. EP212: Whistler!

    APR 1

    EP212: Whistler!

    Just a quick update! Spring break travel!

    1 min

  7. MAR 25

    EP211: Personalized Wealth Strategies with John Shanley

    Defining Investing Success: Goals, Asset Allocation, Diversification, and Consistency with John Shanley, CFP On The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine interviews John Shanley, CFP, Partner and Managing Advisor at Connecticut Wealth Management, who shares how he connected with founders Dennis Horrigan and Kevin Leahy, and sought a fiduciary approach where client and firm interests align. Christine discloses Shanley is her family’s advisor and frames the episode for physicians who want to plan better, referencing Dr. Adam Rubin’s points on compounding. Shanley says successful investing starts with defining personal goals and understanding yourself, then building an integrated plan that includes taxes, estate, charitable intentions, and risk management like disability coverage. He discusses asset allocation (stocks for long-term growth, bonds for stability), diversification as accepting uncertainty, and cautions on private equity due to illiquidity and “too good to be true” promises. He contrasts investing with gambling, emphasizes minimizing downside, staying disciplined through market cycles, starting now even if late, and concludes: “Get organized before you get fancy.” 00:00 Meet John Shanley 00:37 Finding a Fulfilling Career 01:19 Fiduciary Values and Serendipity 02:58 Why Physicians Need a Plan 04:14 Define Investing Success 06:00 Personalized Planning Beyond Rules 07:11 Staying the Course 09:37 Asset Allocation and Diversification 11:47 Private Equity and Lockups 12:44 Asymmetric Risk and Consistency 14:34 Starting Late Still Works 15:31 Money Mindset and Psychology 16:42 Final Takeaways This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended as personalized investment advice. The information provided does not present a complete picture of every material fact related to the companies, securities, and industries discussed. The information provided will not be updated any time after the date of publication. The owner of The Girl Doc Survival Guide is a client of the firm. Their participation does not constitute an endorsement of our services, and all discussions are focused on business insights rather than personal financial matters. Founded in 2010, Connecticut Wealth Management, LLC (CTWM) is a registered investment advisor (RIA) that provides holistic financial planning, tax planning, and investment advice for high-net-worth individuals, including business owners, executives, and multigenerational families. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training and does not imply the endorsement or approval of the qualifications of Connecticut Wealth Management and its representatives.

    17 min

  8. MAR 18

    EP210: The Curiosity of Choice: Understanding Decisions and Fatigue

    Decision Fatigue, Perception, and Making Better Choices This compilation episode of The Girl Doc Survival Guide explores metacognition, limits of explaining perception, and how fatigue affects decision making. Dr. Claudia Mello-Thoms notes that while cognition can be studied, perception cannot be directly accessed; eye-tracking shows clinicians’ explanations often come after perception, which matters for visually based diagnosis in dermatology and dermatopathology. She suggests difficulty deciding can signal the need to step back or ask for help, and cites mammography research where cases not recognized within 5–10 seconds are best set aside and revisited with “fresh eyes.” Dr. Bulat Ibragimov reports fatigued users overlook more and make faster decisions with less information. Dr. Mary Steffel emphasizes delaying important decisions if you are not fresh, while warning that opting out is still a costly decision; she also notes decisions are social and delegation/support increases choosing. The episode closes with advice to involve others and stay curious and open-minded in complex problems. 00:00 Decision Making Overview 00:10 Perception vs Metacognition 02:21 Fresh Eyes Strategy 03:32 Decision Fatigue Signals 04:52 Don't Avoid Choosing 05:41 Decide With Others

    8 min
See All (225)

4.8
out of 5
12 Ratings

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
    225
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Girl Doc Survival Guide
  • Show Website
    Girl Doc Survival Guide