181: The interview question that cost me $300k | What your Chair won’t tell you

I thought I was a lock for promotion. Most papers in my department. Elected President of an international society. Twice. Highest RVUs. Leading ALL of the med school lectures. Fastest turnaround. Books. When I asked my Chair about promotion, I was stunned when she said: "Not happening. You haven't done anything we care about." I spent years using the wrong rulebook. That conversation cost me years and LOTS of money, status, and perks. Here's what most physicians don't realize: Waiting 5-10 years for promotion is the slowest way to get part-time hours with full-time doctor pay. Early promotion gets you the money, schedule, and perks NOW—without sacrificing another dinner, bedtime, or soccer game. The difference? Knowing how to coach your boss to rewrite the promotion rules in your favor. This week's podcast episode is everything I wish I had known before that meeting. Here's what's inside: 💰 The one interview question worth $1 Million Dollars—and almost no one asks it 💰 How to get promotion criteria without offending your Chair (exact script included) 💰 How to coach your boss to give you the money, schedule, and perks of promotion without waiting for the title Inside Next Level Freedom, I teach overworked physician women how to coach their boss to achieve part-time hours with full-time doctor salary in under 90 days. Most clients see results in the very first call.  One-time investment of $2,500. Weekly group coaching. Lifetime access. Join right now. Book your free call HERE: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920   Reply back and tell me everything, Christina P.S. We just made it even easier to join Next Level Freedom at no cost to you. Attached is our brand new institutional funding guide. Submit this to your chair or business manager today and join Next Level Freedom tomorrow. Our next call is just a few days away.

You give notice. You've thought about it for months—maybe years. You finally do it. Two days later, your chair calls a meeting. Suddenly there's money on the table. A new title. The schedule you begged for last year. All the things they said were impossible—the part-time hours, the pay bump, the flexible call schedule—suddenly exist the moment you try to leave. Here's what I know after coaching hundreds of physician women through this exact situation: counteroffers don't just happen TO you. You create them. And you control what happens next. In this week's podcast, I break down exactly how to create a pro-athlete level counteroffer AND how to make the smartest move for your career and life. Inside the episode: 🎯 The Silent Chair Strategy: How to create a counteroffer even when leadership goes radio-silent after you resign 🔥 The Stay-or-Go Test: The one question that instantly tells you whether to accept the counteroffer or walk away (hint: it's not about the money) 💰 Why the part-time schedule and pay raise you asked for last year suddenly appears 48 hours after you resign—and what this tells you about your next move ⚡ What to tell your colleagues when you change your mind and decide to stay Whether you stay and upgrade your job or leave for something better, your career gets better no matter what. Whether you're putting in your 90-day notice or just thinking about it, THIS is exactly the work we do inside Next Level Freedom. We coach you through creating counteroffers, evaluating better job opportunities, and coaching your boss to change your current role—all so you can work part-time hours at full-time pay in under 90 days. Weekly group coaching. Lifetime access. One-time investment of $2,500. Book your free sales call this week HERE.    Reply back to tell me everything! Christina P.S. One of my clients gave her 90-day notice last month. Her chair countered with permission for my client to write her own schedule, a $40k raise, and more PTO. Join us Today! https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920 P.P.S. Will you do me a favor? Forward this to your besties—and rate and review the podcast episode. It helps me know what you love and helps us reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!

After I turned in my resignation, things got weird. Worse. And Petty. People I had worked with for years stopped talking to me. People came to my office to ask for my books, lamps, and decorations. It felt like I was attending my own professional funeral while still showing up to work every day. One colleague finally said it out loud: You get to leave. We have to stay and protect ourselves. I got it. She was right.  Our Chair had a retention strategy and we all knew it: if she wanted you to stay, she’d call your next job and give a terrible review to block your ability to move.  It didn’t work for me because I maintained a large network of people outside of my home institution. I simply explained this to my new Chair and she totally got it. I didn’t even need a single letter of recommendation.  They weren't abandoning me. They were surviving inside a system that punishes people for being associated with someone on the way out. If you've already turned in your notice — or you're about to — this week's episode is for you. Here’s what’s inside: Why your Chair's loyalty shifts the second you submit notice — and exactly which benefits, bonuses, and travel funds to lock in before you sign anything 10 Survival Sprints to run during your 90-day notice period so you arrive at your new job energized How to handle colleagues who ice you out  The letter you need to write yourself today before the environment starts messing with your head The 90 days after notice are temporary. The clock is running and it is on your side. Reply and tell me everything! Christina   PS. Ready to make your exit on your terms? Join Next Level Freedom today! One-time investment of $2,500 (the $100k raise we help you get will more than cover it). Weekly group coaching. Lifetime access. Book your free call here. https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920   PPS. Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– it helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!!

Big mistake. HUGE mistake. Let me share it with you so you never make it: I told my chair I was exploring other job options. My intent was to be transparent and respectful.  I didn’t realize she would use it against me. Once she knew I was looking to leave, she created a new departmental policy that required 120 leave notice. She buried it inside my annual review and pressured me to sign. No announcement, no email notification, no discussion at faculty meeting announcing a new policy change. Just, “sign here ASAP or you’ll lose your bonus.” When I resigned, I was told: You can’t leave. You owe 120 days. You signed the document. And PS– Your PTO is frozen. CME is frozen. Return the laptop. The books. The atlases. Everything you purchased over the last 8 years. That was the last time I ever put my Chair above my own needs. This week's episode is the guide I wish I'd had. Everything you need to do before you tell a single soul you're leaving. Inside: The moves you need to make to protect your money, your PTO, and your options before your Chair has any idea you're interviewing Why you don’t need your Chair’s letter of recommendation— and exactly who to ask instead What actually happens the moment you submit notice (and how to not be blindsided by it) The institutional scare stories designed to keep you in your place— “a gap in experience is career suicide,” “once you leave Academics you can never return,” “you need a letter from your chair”— and why none of it holds up in the real world Your chair will not protect your family, your career, or your money. But this episode will.   Reply back to tell me everything!, xoxo, Christina   PS. Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– it helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!!   PPS. Thinking about turning in your 90 day notice? Join Next Level Freedom today. We are the only women physician coaching community focused on getting you paid top dollar on part-time hours. This program includes LIFETIME access to weekly group coaching calls, curriculum, private podcast for on-the-go listening, community, bonus trainings and guest speakers, and so much more. The investment is a one-time payment of $2500. Join us THIS WEEK by booking your free sales call here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920  

If you've ever dreaded a faculty meeting, a hard conversation, or an annual review — this episode is for you. Conflict-Free Leadership for Women Physicians covers the next-level coaching skills that get you top pay, a better schedule, and a workplace where you are genuinely respected. Here's what’s actually happening inside the hospital: We weren’t given leadership skills. Neither were our bosses.  We go to meetings full of reactive people who have an agenda to promote. Hard conversations. Pressure. Bullying.  This episode changes that. It’s a masterclass on how to be an ICONIC leader as a woman physician.  Even without a title. Even if you’re the latest hire. Even if you’re just back from maternity leave. When you have these skills, here’s what changes about your job: 📌No more dreading faculty meeting- you’ll know how to lead the conversation instead 📌Impossible colleagues become collaborative 📌Raises and schedule changes become strategic instead of emotional Here’s what’s inside the episode: 🔥 The Right Answer / Wrong Answer framework that instantly lowers conflict 🔥 The 90-day testing strategy that shuts down skepticism without escalating tension 🔥 15 Drama-Free Leadership Sprints you can implement this week These are the skills that make us iconic. We become deeply respected — whether we’re promoted or not.  We get prioritized on the schedule. We get the office space. We get the compensation that reflects our contribution. Leadership stops feeling like survival. Work starts working. Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– it helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!!   Reply back to tell me everything!, xoxo, Christina   P.S. Ready to become an ICONIC leader as a woman physician? Join Next Level Freedom today. We are the only women physician coaching community focused on getting you paid top dollar on part-time hours. This program includes LIFETIME access to weekly group coaching calls, curriculum, private podcast for on-the-go listening, community, bonus trainings and guest speakers, and so much more. The investment is a one-time payment of $2500. Join us THIS WEEK by booking your free sales call here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920 #WomenPhysicians #DramaFreeLeadership #WomenInMedicine #ICONICLeadership #NextLevelFreedom  

The clinical work is the easiest part of our job. Diagnosing. Operating. Making decisions. We were trained for that. The hard part is everything else. The politics. The passive-aggressive emails with 27 people CC'd. The faculty meeting tension. The unfair schedule nobody will talk about. The worst part is that the conflict follows us home. It wakes up up at 3 a.m. We think about it in the shower. We are rehashing old emails in our head instead of listening to our kids tell us about their day. Conflict makes an already hard job feel impossible. In this week’s podcast, we’re getting everything we need to eliminate conflict at our workplace. Forever. Here’s what’s inside: The No-Conflict Method — the leadership tool no one is teaching, because no one else has it The Dreams-to-Things Conversion — how to turn job frustrations into specific, winnable moves that get you respected, valued, and fairly treated at work The 3-Step No-Conflict Formula — how to lead and win, even without a title, even fresh out of fellowship, even if your boss doesn't like you The Marriage Translation — how the same method eliminates conflict at home and gives you the connection you actually want We DON’T need thicker skin. We’ve NEVER been difficult. We are NOT trouble-makers. We just need the No-Conflict Method. Make your physician job BETTER today. Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– it helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!!   Reply back to tell me everything!, xoxo, Christina   P.S. Ready to have a NO CONFLICT workplace, marriage, and homelife FOREVER??? Join Next Level Freedom today. We are the only women physician coaching community focused on getting you paid top dollar on part-time hours. This program includes LIFETIME access to weekly group coaching calls, curriculum, private podcast for on-the-go listening, community, bonus trainings and guest speakers, and so much more. The investment is a one-time payment of $2500. Join us THIS WEEK by booking your free sales call here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920   #WomenPhysicians #PhysicianLeadership #NoConflictWorkplace #NextLevelFreedom #TIPCT

It’s that time of year again. My clients start stressing about annual meetings — awkward coffee breaks, giving talks, what to say at lunch. Totally normal. But here’s the truth: One meeting can move your career ahead 5–10 years. It happened to me in a 10-minute hallway conversation with my chair. That single moment advanced my career by 5 years.  In this episode, I show you how to use societal meetings to accelerate your career — without burning out. And if you hate meetings? I’ll show you how to create the same acceleration without leaving home. Here's what's waiting for you inside: 🔥The hallway where careers are made — why the most important conversations at any meeting will never appear on the agenda, and exactly how to position yourself to have them. 🔥Celebrity Energy — how to go from nervous, stressed, and exhausted to MAGNETIC. Attract top opportunities, people, and experiences. 🔥How to leave every meeting with something concrete — a collaboration, a commitment, a connection, or an invitation. The one question to ask yourself before you board your flight home. 🔥The 1pm rule — why I walked out of every annual meeting by early afternoon, what I did with the rest of my day, and why that formula made me more productive, more connected, and more memorable than the physicians who stayed until midnight. 🔥The location strategy nobody talks about — how to use your CME dollars to see the world, bring your family, and turn your annual meeting into a partially funded life experience.   Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– it helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!!   Reply back to tell me everything!, xoxo, Christina   P.S. Ready to bring Celebrity Energy for Women Physicians to your career every day of the year? ?? Join Next Level Freedom today. We are the only women physician coaching community focused on getting you paid top dollar on part-time hours. This program includes LIFETIME access to weekly group coaching calls, curriculum, private podcast for on-the-go listening, community, bonus trainings and guest speakers, and so much more. The investment is a one-time payment of $2500. Join us THIS WEEK by booking your free sales call here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920 P.P.S. Celebrity Energy is the work of Whitney Uland, who teaches actors the art of becoming famous. Check her out here: https://www.instagram.com/stories/whitneyuland/

I made $125,000 in about one week. Here's what the secret was not: it wasn't sacrifice. It wasn't hustle. It wasn't working around the clock. I actually only coached about one hour a day. The real secret? Something I call Baby Girl Week. And before you think this is just an entrepreneur thing — it's not. Every iconic woman physician you admire is doing this.  This week's episode gives you the full formula — the secret recipe for becoming the most iconic, powerful version of yourself as a physician while actually enjoying your job, your family, and your life. Here's what's inside: 👼🏻The Baby Girl Week framework — exactly how to use it whether you're on call all month, drowning in residency applications, or brand new to attending life 👼🏻10 Baby Girl Week Sprints you can start today — even if you only have two minutes  👼🏻5 journal prompts to help you figure out what you actually need (and finally give it to yourself) 👼🏻How to baby yourself solo, even if you have no partner or your partner is not available to support Baby Girl Week  Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– it helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!!   Reply back to tell me everything!, xoxo, Christina   P.S. Next Level Freedom is the only women physician coaching community focused on getting you paid top dollar on part-time hours. This program includes LIFETIME access to weekly group coaching calls, curriculum, private podcast for on-the-go listening, community, bonus trainings and guest speakers, and so much more. The investment is a one-time payment of $2500. Join us THIS WEEK by booking your free sales call here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920

My department chair had a little box on the annual review form: Do you want a raise? Check yes, you meet with the chair to discuss the raise. Check no, you don't get a raise. Every single year, the white men checked yes: “because why not????” one said to me. He didn’t wonder if he’d done enough or had been there long enough. The women? Mostly checked no. Even though they were more qualified, worked harder, and were more well-liked by patients and colleagues. The gender pay gap in medicine is not an accident. It's predictable. The people who get paid are the people who ask. And by the time you're thinking about asking? You're already overdue.  In this week’s podcast, I break down exactly when and how to ask for your next $100k raise. Here's what's inside: 🔥 The exact specific moments you should be asking– The Women Doc Raise Timeline  💰 A 5-step process for making your ask so compelling your chair can't say no 🎯 10 Raise Sprints you can use this week — including The Scope Shift Ask, The Annual Review Flip, and the Maternity Leave Power Move Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– he helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!! Reply back to tell me everything!, xoxo, Christina P.S. Next Level Freedom is the only women physician coaching community focused on getting you paid top dollar on part-time hours. This program includes LIFETIME access to weekly group coaching calls, curriculum, private podcast for on-the-go listening, community, bonus trainings and guest speakers, and so much more. The investment is a one-time payment of $2500. Join us THIS WEEK by booking your free sales call here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920

I stopped sleeping. Here’s what happened: I had 20 new clients join all at once. I was ON. Inspired. Fired up. Checking Voxer after dinner. Solving problems in my dreams — literally dreaming about my clients and waking up at 2 a.m. excited to email them back. I'm a physician. I know better. And I still broke my own sleep. So I fixed it. And I turned everything I did into this week's podcast episode — because my one-on-one clients have been asking me the SAME question nonstop: "I'm not sleeping. Help." If your sleep isn’t absolute  perfection, this episode is made for you. Here's what's inside: ✅ A cognitive trick that knocks out overthinkers in minutes, one is from Oprah’s life coach ✅ The one sentence that took all the pressure off my sleep  ✅ The boring British man on YouTube who is now part of my bedtime routine (you'll thank me). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAiRjIeKN3s&list=PLari4ODEnihqJ1OJoGiiirm2Y_ob7JaeB ✅ 10 Sleep Sprints — short, tactical experiments you can try TONIGHT (including one designed for combat soldiers) You deserve to sleep.  Not in a "someday when life calms down" way.  TONIGHT. Will you please do me a favor? Forward this email to all your besties. And then Rate and Review this podcast episode– he helps tell me what you love AND helps our podcast reach more listeners just like you. Thank you!!! Reply back to tell me everything!, xoxo, Christina   P.S. Did you know that rest and sleep is an entire module inside my coaching program AND we coach on it live every week? If you're done lying awake wondering what's wrong you that you can’t sleep, book a free sales call today and join my coaching program THIS WEEK!  Schedule here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule/bd3b6a3c/appointment/33598962/calendar/5849920