You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Dr. Edwards is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM). She maintains a clinical practice in hematology at Boston Medical Center (BMC) with a specific research interest in plasma cell disorders such as systemic immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis. She is committed to improving the care of vulnerable patient populations using her translational research platform to address un...
Nov 07, 2023•31 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! As high achievers, we are driven by an automatic need to meet external expectations while balancing the pressure to prove ourselves with a NARROW margin of error. In this episode, Kemi emphasizes the importance of disentangling our intrinsic desires from the checkboxes and expectations set by others. She encourages us to embark on a journey toward a more fulfilling and sustainable career. To do this, she challenges us to ask ourselv...
Oct 31, 2023•22 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Welcome back to the show! Listen in as Kemi explores a fascinating topic—building self-trust. You may be very familiar with the tension between not wanting to succumb to external pressures and the innate desire for collaboration and connection with like-minded professionals as this is a journey that resonates deeply with many in academic medicine and public health. In this episode, Kemi offers a unique and practical strategy that is...
Oct 24, 2023•29 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! In this eye-opening episode, Kemi passionately addresses the prevalent toxic culture in academic medicine and public health. Drawing inspiration from the book "Burn It Down," she unearths how the pursuit of success often leads to tolerance of toxic behavior in the name of results, creating a cycle that normalizes poor management skills, lack of organization, and inadequate communication. Kemi challenges this paradigm, urging a shift...
Oct 17, 2023•23 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! This episode serves as a valuable guide for anyone seeking to optimize their career journey, find balance, and achieve long-term success! Tune in as Kemi delves into the concept of "patching the leaks" in your career. Using a metaphor of filling a pitcher, Kemi encourages us to examine our workloads, assess our energy drains, and make intentional choices to improve our career experiences. Don't miss this episode if you're seeking ac...
Oct 10, 2023•27 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Dr. Karlene Cunningham is a health psychologist and clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Brody School of Medicine. In the department, she wears several hats, including being the interim co-director of the Behavioral Medicine Division, the vice chair of diversity inclusion for the department, and the chair for all of the departments at the School of Medicine. But her passion lies in ...
Oct 03, 2023•38 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! In this week's episode, Kemi continues her exploration of the faculty researcher and PI journey, focusing on a critical yet often overlooked aspect—the challenging seasons. With a mix of personal anecdotes and coaching insights, she reveals the normalcy of these tough phases and urges us to acknowledge that we are not alone in facing them. The episode emphasizes the importance of recognizing these challenges as a natural part of the...
Sep 26, 2023•25 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Calling all PIs and aspiring PIs – this episode is a must-listen. Tune in as Kemi walks us through the four essential phases of executing a project. You’ll hear her discuss the importance of not letting regret lead us to disrespect our prior efforts. Instead, we explore how to honor our work like a treasured keepsake, even if it's time to put it on the shelf. Remember, the end of one project is just the beginning of new possibilitie...
Sep 19, 2023•40 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Welcome back to the show, folks! You are in for a frank and enlightening conversation about a common scenario that many of us have found ourselves in. You know the situation: a friend rambles on about someone being head over heels for them, while you can see all the red flags waving. Well, it's time to apply the same scrutiny to our institutions. It's that awkward dance when someone or something appears to be fully supportive, but d...
Sep 12, 2023•24 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Say goodbye to overwhelm and hello to focused success! In this episode, Kemi reveals the surprising path to productivity. Tune in as she takes us on a transformative journey through the power of intentional choices by sharing how this "choose less, do more" approach can lead to astonishing results, where quality work and fulfillment become the norm. And if you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of...
Sep 05, 2023•25 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Dr. Sheila Rajagopal received her M.D. at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, during which she also received an M.P.H. in quantitative methods with a focus on genetic epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her internal medicine residency training at the University of Pittsburgh, a fellowship in hematology/oncology, and an additional fellowship year focused on cancer genetics at the U...
Aug 29, 2023•34 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! On this week's episode, Kemi reflects on a recent coaching group's quarterly gameplan call, revealing how high-achieving women of color in academic medicine and public health consistently navigate setbacks and emerge stronger. Listen in as Kemi shares the game-changing approach to setting goals, aligning intentions, and achieving meaningful milestones that drive your career forward. Ready to discover the art of making tangible, irre...
Aug 22, 2023•22 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! This week we are continuing our conversation on the significance of setting standards to achieve sustainable success aligned with our career mission. Don't miss out on this empowering discussion as Kemi shares how to discover the keys to recognizing toxic mentor relationships, embracing change, and achieving sustainable success in your career journey. If you missed Part 1, be sure to catch up for even more valuable insights. Episode...
Aug 15, 2023•20 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! In this episode, Kemi discusses the significance of setting standards to achieve sustainable success aligned with our career mission. She explains that the key to effective mentor relationships lies in honesty and clear communication. By being specific about their needs and expectations, mentees can assess the quality of the relationship and ensure it supports their growth. This is also true for mentors!! Tune in and discover the po...
Aug 08, 2023•16 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! This episode is all about the intersection of motherhood and ambition, particularly for high-achieving Black women! We are so excited to welcome Dr. Tamorah Lewis to the podcast! Dr. Lewis is a physician-scientist (MD PhD), Division Head for Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at SickKids in Toronto, Canada and is a proud mother of three children, Quinton (13), Lydia (10), and Elijah (6). Listen in as Kemi and Tamorah discuss the i...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr 1 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! We are naturally in professions where the culture is that the “ends justify the means.” We actually prize people who will put their comfort, their sleep, their family secondhand, and just work, work, work, work, work. This can be a very noble characteristic, but it's not sustainable. To get to a point in which our work is sustainable and very much aligned with our career mission, we simply cannot be afraid to have STANDARDS. We need...
Jul 25, 2023•29 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Cultivating a self-leadership mindset is a crucial part of building a successful career on your terms. In this episode, Kemi revisits her concept of the CEO, the Scientist, and the Worker Bee and offers clear insight into how 1) they impact our success and 2) how we can organize them in order to make the important shifts to up-level our careers. For more on this topic check out our previous episode: Episode 02: The CEO, Scientist, a...
Jul 18, 2023•21 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! “If I achieve this, then I will have balance, enjoyment, freedom, and flexibility in my career.” Sound familiar? The sneaky underbelly of this statement is that achievement comes first, then your well-being comes after… When important things like balance, enjoyment, and freedom are nice to have but *not* required in our day to day, they will always come last or not at all. And success will always be synonymous with sacrifice. High a...
Jul 11, 2023•35 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! J. Deanna Wilson, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health. Dr. Wilson's research interests include reducing substance use-related health disparities, with an emphasis on opioid use disorders in adolescent and adult populations. This includes integrating harm reduction into primary care settings, developing low threshold models of care to improve engagement and retention of historically marginalized...
Jul 04, 2023•30 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Our struggle with boundaries is so often about using the wrong tool at the wrong time. Tune in as Kemi highlights a critical piece of effective boundary setting – our identities – and discusses how this root orientation can either enforce or dissolve boundaries! For more on this topic check out Episode 16: Creating Effective Boundaries in Your Career . And if you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women...
Jun 27, 2023•39 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! When it comes to asking for help we often do everything but actually ask. This makes sense in a passive-aggressive culture of academics. While this is understandable why it happens, it doesn't have to be this way. Listen in as Kemi offers insights on the things that we should think about when we plan to ask for help to improve the quality of our information gathering and, ultimately, our success. If you'd like to learn more foundati...
Jun 20, 2023•38 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Dr. Crooks is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, College of Nursing and an affiliate faculty at the Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science (CDIS) in the UIC Department of Medicine. Her community-engaged research program centers on protecting Black female sexual and reproductive health. She has developed a conceptual model describing the sociocultural processes and conditions influencing Black ...
Jun 13, 2023•35 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! The concept of ‘fundable ideas’ is both an important component of understanding grant strategy and a nebulous barrier rife with bias. Listen in as Kemi offers thoughts as to how Fundable Ideas applies to researchers with marginalized perspectives and topics - often the case for women of color in academic medicine or public health. If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medi...
Jun 06, 2023•37 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Today's conversation is about a very juicy topic, collaborations. And this is not going to be a surface-level discussion. Kemi and her guest, Dr. Whitney Robinson, are going all in! Dr. Robinson is an Epidemiologist whose work focuses on gynecologic conditions like fibroids, endometriosis, and unexplained bleeding. She is also a very devoted podcast listener and an amazing collaborator. If you're ready to be inspired to have better ...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! So many faculty have worked so hard for so long, created so much benefit, and poured into mentees, yet they don't get to experience the actual enjoyment of their career. This may have been your experience, or you’ve witnessed it with a colleague. Listen, we can have better. There is more available. In this episode, Kemi shares that when you want better balance and don’t see immediate improvement, this quickly turns into no longer be...
May 23, 2023•35 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Dr. Leslie Appiah is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is a fellowship-trained pediatric and adolescent gynecologist and Director of the Fertility Preservation and Reproductive Late Effects program at the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Cancer and Bloo...
May 16, 2023•43 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! There is a part of academic culture that says we do this all for the greater good therefore, if we're too focused on finances and money, then somehow, we are not pure to the calling. Don't fall for the okey-doke of the academic culture y’all. Don't fall for it. Understand that the steps that you take to improve yourself as a faculty member, to improve your own relationship with work, and to improve how you work, can have tangible an...
May 09, 2023•36 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! The truth is that for high-achieving WOC, betting on ourselves is the norm. We have gone through training programs, spent six figures of debt getting degrees, etc. But that kind of betting on ourselves is structured and normalized to the point we don’t even see it as risky. In this episode, Kemi is challenging us to think about how we can bet on ourselves in terms of choosing to want something different that takes us deeper into our...
May 02, 2023•30 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! We are so excited to welcome back Monique R. Shields to the podcast! Monique is an executive coach for women in the C suite, founders, entrepreneurs, and women of color in academic medicine and public health. Listen in as Kemi and Monique have an open conversation about some of the themes, challenges, and perspectives they’ve personally experienced or seen from coaching women of color in academic medical settings. Highlights from th...
Apr 25, 2023•48 min
You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts! Dr. Arora graduated from the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, and completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Medical Hematology and Oncology Fellowship at UT Health San Antonio. She holds the John Eiler Endowed Professorship in Cancer Research and is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, at UT Health San Antonio. As a medical oncologist, her clinical and r...
Apr 18, 2023•34 min
