173 Coaching Client Spotlight: Sarah Peitzmeier, Ph.D., MSPH

Our latest podcast episode features Sarah Peitzmeier. Dr. Peitzmeier is a is a mixed-methods social epidemiologist focusing on gender-based violence and sexual health, particularly in marginalized populations such as LGBTQ communities and sex workers. Her current NIH-funded work focuses on intimate partner violence (IPV) in transgender populations, to better understand trans survivors' experiences and build validated tools for IPV screening in healthcare settings. Dr. Peitzmeier is also developing and testing interventions to reduce sexual assault against cisgender women and transgender undergraduates on college campuses. She is committed to community-engaged research that addresses under-researched community priorities, including her work on chest binding and health in transmasculine individuals. This work builds on her prior quantitative and qualitative research investigating the role of violence in propagating risk of HIV, HPV, and other sexual health concerns. She is also is an alumnus of our Get That Grant® coaching program! 

Tune in to learn how structured coaching and self-leadership have transformed her academic career, helping her navigate transitions and build resilience. 

Highlights: 

• The importance of having a safe space where individuals can show up as their "messy" selves without judgment, allowing them to fully express all aspects of their personality. 
• How embracing imperfections can lead to growth and acceptance. 
• Why planning and structure are not just important but essential for creating freedom and reducing friction in one's work 
• The importance of owning all parts of you, including the seemingly insignificant quirks, and how this contributes to a sense of groundedness and confidence in one's abilities. 

 Loved this convo? Please go find Dr. Peitzmeier on Twitter/X show her some love! 

 
And if you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. 

REMINDER: Your Unapologetic Career Podcast now releases episode every other week! Can't wait that long? Be sure you are signed up for our newsletter (above) where there are NEW issues every month! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:00

I love this term you use of self-leadership. Like I feel like I just have so much more self-trust and even things like, you know, purpose mantra. Like I have more self-trust in terms of like, I have a North star and I know where I'm going. Also like the whole like module two productivity precision stuff, you know, like I know that I can show up for myself consistently. And so

SPEAKER_00: 0:22

say it again.

SPEAKER_02: 0:23

I know that I can show up for myself consistently. And like, that also makes like all the little setbacks that you always are gonna encounter along the way, like not a big deal, right? Cause you're like, I can have a bad day, but I know how to audit that and get back on track or this rejection, but I know where I'm going and I know I'm capable of it. So it's okay. Keep it moving.

SPEAKER_04: 0:44

What you're describing is resilience. It's like, so funny. The resilience isn't because of hardness, right? And it's not even because of like brute strength. It's so much more because of groundedness because I trust myself because I know how to show up for myself. I think that's just very different and it's way more powerful. Hello, you are listening to your unapologetic career. Being a woman of color faculty in academic medicine who wants to make a real difference with your career can be tough. Listen, these systems are not built for us, but that doesn't mean we can't make them work for us. In each episode, I'll be taking a deep dive into one core growth strategy so you can gain confidence and effectiveness in pursuing the dream career you worked so hard to achieve. All you have to do is tune in to your unapologetic career with me, your host, Kemi Dole, physician, surgeon, researcher, coach, and career strategist for an always authentic, sometimes a little raw, but unapologetically empowering word. I keep it real for you because I want you to win. Hello and welcome back to the show. I'm so excited to be here today with all of you and I'm not alone, which is very good because if I was alone, I think I might just give y'all like a very somber soliloquy today and we don't need that. Instead, I'm joined by a very bright light, a wonderful individual, somebody who's a part of our coaching community, who recently completed Get That Grant and who I think is one of the most unique faculty members in terms of what she studies and how she expresses her work in the world. that we've had, and I'm just really excited to welcome her to the show. So Sarah Peitzmeyer, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02: 2:47

Thank you so much, Kelly, for that warm introduction.

SPEAKER_04: 2:50

Absolutely. So please tell the good folks listening who you are, where are you located, and what good work do you do in the world?

SPEAKER_02: 2:57

Yeah. Hi, I'm Sarah Peitzmeyer, and I have just moved institution. So in the fall, I will be an assistant professor at the University of Maryland College Park in the School of Public Health there.

SPEAKER_00: 3:07

Yay.

SPEAKER_02: 3:08

Yes. Thank you. And I study gender based violence prevention and LGBTQ health promotion through community engaged research and intervention.

SPEAKER_04: 3:19

I love it. So what got you into studying, like using research in order to look into gender based violence?

SPEAKER_02: 3:26

Yes. So I knew I really liked health research, but I didn't really like being in the lab all the time. And the same time I was discovering this sort of twin passion for advocacy work and work around gender based violence through experiences of friends of mine who were survivors. And so I discovered the field of public health was somewhere where I could use research tools to study gender-based violence as a health problem and think about the science of like, how do we actually prevent it? So not just working with survivors, but also prevent violence from happening in the first place, which was just so exciting to me. So yeah, I haven't looked back since.

SPEAKER_04: 4:01

That is amazing. And also does feel daunting. I'm like, because people suck. And so I really struggle with this. How do we get you to... all the things. I don't want to say anything wrong because I feel like as a researcher, you're probably like, okay, we don't say that anymore. But I mean, that is a big swing when you're like, no, we're going to prevent this from happening to begin with.

SPEAKER_02: 4:24

I could talk about this all day, but the science on how to do this is actually more advanced than people think it

SPEAKER_04: 4:29

is. I was just going to ask you, what do you think is most misunderstood? So tell me, how is it more advanced?

SPEAKER_02: 4:34

We can prevent gender-based violence. We have interventions today that work. In randomized controlled trials, actually per gender-based violence. And I work on one of those, but it's not the only one. There are others. I work domestically more so, but I work on intimate partner violence across the world. There are interventions that have been shown in randomized trials to actually work. So today, we know how to prevent gender-based violence. So

SPEAKER_04: 5:01

we just don't do it. Wait, so

SPEAKER_02: 5:02

what intervention

SPEAKER_04: 5:03

do you work on?

SPEAKER_02: 5:04

So one of the interventions that I work on is a campus sexual assault prevention intervention for undergraduate women. So this is in collaboration with the College of mine, Charlene Sen, who developed the original intervention, but it's a basically a feminist empowerment intervention for underage women. Yes. I love it. It's the best. Yes. It really like we unpack like a lifetime of gendered messaging to young women. And, you know, we're so taught to like fear the stranger in the bushes that we actually find it really difficult to recognize what sexual coercion looks like from men that we know. Right. And so we unpack a lot of that We like overcome a lifetime of gender socialization around like being nice, not making a scene. Like maybe you just misunderstood what happened and all of those messages. We teach evidence-based resistance strategies as well as do some sex positive sex ed at the end that we sneak in there. So. Okay. Bonus. Yes. Does your

SPEAKER_04: 6:03

LGBTQ work intersect with the gender-based violence prevention as well?

SPEAKER_02: 6:07

It does. And I'm working more and more to kind of bring those two streams of research together. Yeah. I'm in the process of adapting this, systematically adapting this intervention for transgender students because a lot of my LGBTQ health work is about how does sexual violence and intimate partner violence look different for trans individuals and how do we do a better job screening for it clinically as well as in research settings and then responding to it and preventing it.

SPEAKER_04: 6:31

I love it. One of the reasons why I love doing these spotlight episodes is because I think sometimes when you're outside of academia, you really don't know. There are a lot of people really studying like really interesting important things I think from the outside we have this you know we can have this bad rap of like basically you're studying things that don't matter or like I don't know we're all in the on the hook of big pharma or whatever like there's kind of like all of these narratives and then like you talk to people especially women of color and you find out like what you're studying is like extremely and immediately relevant and like bringing science to this who knew that there were randomized trials that's already figured this out anyway it just it inspires me it makes me happy and thank you for sharing even just like a little bit of it with us here today. So you are very clear on this passion that you have. And like you said, like moving from being a victim advocate yourself and what you saw happening around you to, I can use science to look at this. So tell us a little bit about being a faculty member, wanting to use science to do this. And when you started to consider coaching and why was that? Like what wasn't working for you or were you looking for? Yeah,

SPEAKER_02: 7:39

so I was sort of like, entering a transformation era. And I knew,

SPEAKER_04: 7:47

I feel like it should be hashtag transformation era. Okay. I'm sorry. I'll stop interrupting you. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_02: 7:52

Absolutely. So, and I was like, I would really benefit from some structure and support and additional skill building as I navigate this sort of tricky period. So externally I was intending to change institutions. So part of that was, it was in large part personal. We had two small kids and we were like, we got to move back home to grandma and grandpa to get some help here. Amen. But there were also some issues at my former institution that I was like, you know, maybe I should look and see what other options are out there. And I also was kind of in the process that I think a lot of junior faculty go through of like, I don't know, individuating from your mentors, like learning how to trust yourself as much or more as you trust your mentors and figuring out like, what is my own North Star? And yeah, like just developing those self-leadership skills. And so I was like, obsessed with your podcast, just saying, let me get in on this GTG thing. So it's been transformational and so helpful during this period. I love it. Yeah. So

SPEAKER_04: 8:51

I hear you saying like you knew change was coming, you know, like there were some external reasons why it was coming, but you also recognize it's almost like this is an opportunity to also like revamp and, you know, maybe avoid some of the things that happened to me at my last institution, maybe learn some things I haven't learned yet about how to navigate. So I really love that. So you're like, I mean, everything's going to be chaos and transition So we might as well do it. Yes. Okay. I got it. So can you share with us something that kind of really shifted for you in a big way during your time and get that grant in our coaching programs? And what was that like?

SPEAKER_02: 9:25

Yeah. So I was trying to pare down like a short list of aha moments and revelations that I have. Y'all hear that? Short list. I love it. So two of my favorites I decided were the decision doctrine. So I am always, I perceive myself as like having been an indecisive person and having the decision doctrine framework was really helpful for me. And in particular, your concept of decision debt. So like this idea that you get stuck because you've abdicated your responsibility of making decisions. And so you have this backlog of decisions you haven't made. I had always heard about decision fatigue, which is sort of like opposite concept of like too many decisions, not stopped making decisions. So I felt stuck as I was always like, it's decision fatigue. I just need to go on vacation. Like I need to stop making decisions. And then when I came up with this decision, you know, came across your decision debt idea, I was like, oh, it's like, you know, you got to just make the decisions to get rid of the backlog. And that was just so helpful

SPEAKER_01: 10:27

for me

SPEAKER_02: 10:28

as a chronically indecisive person. That really was like a light bulb moment that was helpful for me.

SPEAKER_04: 10:33

That is a really great example. Because what you said was like, it's not like I didn't recognize that there were times where I would get stuck and I would feel tired, but I was missing misdiagnosing it as decision fatigue. So it's like, oh, if you've made too many decisions, yeah, everybody knows this. Like you got to take a break, you know, read a book, like stop thinking about it, whatever. And so I can see how you're doing that and it's not better. Like I'm back and it takes five minutes and now I'm still tired and frustrated or whatever. And so the recognition that like, no, they're just these, I actually have to take action. I need to like make choices in order to create that momentum that I can't feel or get out of the stuckness. That's a powerful insight, truly. Because I don't know how many people spend an inordinate amount of time talking about a problem and being in the problem and not realizing that like those things aren't moving them out of the problem at all. And then it just gets to the point where then you feel like the problem is reality. Right. And then your next plan is to just adjust. Yep. Because the problem has now become reality. So it's unsolvable. So I think it's such a powerful internal shift and question that now you get to ask yourself, like, wait, is this decision fatigue or decision Because maybe I just need to like say no and keep it moving or like make this, which we're going to go with A or B. It's A, let's go.

SPEAKER_02: 11:48

Yes. Because the decision fatigue folks are like, well, you should just wear a black turtleneck every day, like Steve Jobs or what, you know, like it's like. Right,

SPEAKER_04: 11:55

Sarah. She's like, that does not turn out. Here I am in the same shirt, day seven. Yeah. You know, I think too. Oh, I feel like I could go off on this, but I also feel like, you know, very high achieving driven women, et cetera, especially marginalized identities, et cetera. I don't think the issue is that we had to choose what to wear. Like, that's not the problem. It's not the problem. It's something deeper than that. And I know the concept of decision fatigue. I feel like I relate to it better not at work. I relate to it better like family, kids stuff, you know, where it's just like, maybe it's like a three or four day weekend and you're on like halfway through the third day and you're like, I have no more decisions to make about what we do. I don't care. Like, it just doesn't matter. But I think that's very different. than feeling stuck at work. So that's a great example. Thank you. Okay, what's your second example?

SPEAKER_02: 12:47

My second one was actually the last module around like the three-year plan and then the one-year plan and also the three-year vision. And so this was so cool for me because you always get advice about like, you need to make a five-year plan and you need, right? Like plan your semester. Like how many times have you heard that? And I had tried many times and it always sent me previously into like, existential crisis spiral. And like, I would put something down on paper, but like immediately get off track and then they'll be like, whatever, I'm throwing this whole thing away. But I like having gone through the whole curriculum, right? You put this at the end of the curriculum and coming into it and starting that module with the three-year vision was so powerful for me because like having worked through the whole program in such a more grounded place where you actually believe that like,

SPEAKER_01: 13:40

yes, yes,

SPEAKER_02: 13:41

Like it was so powerful to just unapologetically write that three-year vision, right? Like, cause having gone through all the coaching calls and hearing like all these amazing women of color being like, I'm going to cure cancer and I'm going to do like, I'm going to end gender-based violence. And like, that was just normal. Like, that's just what we do here. And so it just like, it gave you permission to be like, okay, I'm going to do this. And that was really helpful. Anytime I felt myself like enter the existential crisis turn off while making the plan, I just went back and looked at my three-year vision and kind of grounded myself back in that. And the other piece with creating the milestones and the three-year plan and the one-year plan was you said something in there about don't put as much as possible, put what you need to do to fulfill your purpose and attain your vision. And it was just like, what? I can do that? I don't just have to try to cram as much as possible in here out of a sense of trying to be the most and prove myself. And

SPEAKER_04: 14:43

so

SPEAKER_02: 14:43

that changes everything.

SPEAKER_04: 14:45

It does. It changes everything. I love that you said that like revelation. What do you mean? You don't have to stuff it to the brim. I'm confused. Like, what is this world? I hear you. And I'm so glad you felt that way. We definitely put it at the end because now you know what you're capable of. I feel like that definitely shifts. Also people dream bigger. You know, at the beginning, it's like my three-year vision is like, it's so small, right? It's basically like, I want to survive. Like I want to like, I want to still have the job. And you're like, we're like, no, okay. We It's gotta be better than that. So I really do like that it's at the end. I also feel like it gives people a roadmap. You know, it's like, it's coming to a close. Now you know where you're going. You know, it's not like, oh God, what am I gonna do next? It's like, no, we just made a whole plan. It's so funny because there's this like value around the individual idea of like being the best, right? Like there is that value is like, and then sometimes being the best, depending on like what you're doing is like doing the most. I can't get Simone Biles out of my head right now. which is like, she is the best for many reasons, but one of the reasons why she's the best is because she can twist and turn and jump higher than all the other girls by multiple feet. It's like a maximizing situation. They're like, none of us can do that. We cannot get that high. And she is the shortest one, so I don't know what's going on. So there's that, right? And then there's what we're trying to do in gender-based violence. And it's like, okay, so those two best, those don't fit together anymore. You can't take a maximizing perspective on purpose-driven Yes. Because it will completely destroy your ability to prioritize. And once you can't prioritize, you're done. Effectiveness is in the ground because, you know, challenges are going to come, unexpected things are going to happen, all this stuff. And if you can't, you got too much on your plate because you're trying to do absolutely everything. You can't effectively do anything and therefore you can't actually make an impact. So I think it's a hard lesson because in a lot of ways we've maximized to get here. Like I will study the most. I will like be the best. Like it's a very strong muscle and then you got to put it down and it feels weird. Like you said, like what does

SPEAKER_02: 16:49

that mean? Yeah. I mean, you're rewarded in training for like having more publications than the person next to you, right? But like you said, like that doesn't help you end gender-based violence. No.

SPEAKER_04: 17:01

My favorite moment too is when people kind of make their three-year vision, their one-year goals, and they look at those and like you've gone through kind of like the rational steps. So you're like, this makes sense. Like so far you haven't created something that's like not real right that's like what this is a pie in the sky like you said it's like this is my vision and these are the steps i would need to take to get there and this is what i need to get done this year and i love when people look at that and i'm like how do you feel and they're like i can do that yeah i'm like yes because that is that's another like critical piece is like you feel capable that's going to be so much better than like i just threw everything on this list i don't know how it's going to happen pray for me and everybody else let's go it's like that's not the energy that we want to bring into anything that is like long-term. So yeah, that's really great. So if you now think like thought exercise back to like pre-transition era, so like you're at the beginning knowing like, okay, all these changes are happening. I don't have any doubt that you would be at your new institution and like you would still be doing your work and all that. But what do you think would be different for you if you had not done this coaching journey? So, you know, kind of like, what do you have now that you wouldn't have had going through this journey without it?

SPEAKER_02: 18:07

Yeah. I like, I love this term you use of self-leadership. Like I feel like I just have So much more self-trust and even things like, you know, so it's like purpose mantra. Like I have more self-trust in terms of like, I have a North star and I know where I'm going. Also like the whole like module two productivity precision stuff, you know, like I know that I can show up for myself consistently. And so say

SPEAKER_00: 18:30

it

SPEAKER_02: 18:30

again. I know that I can show up for myself consistently. And like, that also makes like all the little setbacks that you always are going to encounter along the way, like not a big deal. Right. Cause you're like, I can have a bad day, but I know how to audit that and get back on track or this rejection, but I know where I'm going and I know I'm capable of it. So it's okay. Keep it moving.

SPEAKER_04: 18:52

What you're describing is resilience. It's like, so funny. It's not the resilience isn't because of hardness. Right. And it's not even because of like brute strength. It's so much more because of groundedness because I trust myself because I know how to show up for myself. And that, I think that's just very different. Yes. Yes. prevention

SPEAKER_02: 19:42

plan. Exactly. No, I'm like, haters cannot touch me

SPEAKER_04: 19:45

now. Yes. You know, leave your hate at home. It's a waste of time. It's just a waste of your time. Yes. It's like, I feel like you brought this up recently in the group where it's like, whatever your opinion is, I'm glad you know that about yourself. That's good. That's so good. I'm glad that has nothing to do with me. Yes. That has nothing to do with me. Okay. So what advice would you give somebody who might be listening and feel similar to you? They're like, well, I'm moving too. And I kind of feel like a tune-up would be helpful. What advice would you give them in coming into the program and making sure they get the most out of it?

SPEAKER_02: 20:18

I mean, make the leap. And yeah, like I think the people who are considering your program, they're successful people, right? Like a lot of the things-

SPEAKER_04: 20:29

Often.

SPEAKER_02: 20:30

You may be doing things intuitively really well, but I feel like having a structured curriculum helped me like be more consistent and like have a framework, right? So that like, I'm like just more confident in my decisions and I'm like, I can keep being successful because I know how to do this, right?

SPEAKER_04: 20:46

Yes. It doesn't feel like, why? I'm so glad it worked out. Like that feeling where you're like, I mean, maybe it's a combination of me and luck and this, and I'm just glad. Yeah. I think you, when you go through things systematically, you're like, oh no,

SPEAKER_00: 20:58

I'm

SPEAKER_04: 20:58

pretty awesome. And I got a lot of skills. Like it's not, it goes back to the groundedness. Like you said, this isn't by chance. So I'm going to stop acting like it is, which I do think is the root of a lot of people's overwhelm. It's like, if it's by chance, then you've got to overwork. If it's by chance, then like you can't, you know, problems come up and it's like catastrophizing. You know, it's like you're always at the mercy of something else. So I hear the groundedness in your voice. I think your work is just like super phenomenal. I know we didn't even touch on all of it, but I really appreciate you choosing to come on the podcast as a longtime fan and share your story. Thank you, Sarah. Is there anything else you want to share before we wrap up?

SPEAKER_02: 21:35

The only other thing, because you sometimes ask folks like, what would you recommend to get the most out of the program? So one thing- I did ask you that. Okay. Well, I'll elaborate on that. It's a safe space to show up and be your messy self and like messy and glorious, you know, like all the parts. So I know for me, I was like, okay, I'm going to, you know, milk this for all the advice I can get. So like I'd be on the Facebook group and be like, I have a hang up about like writing in pen in my planner when I'm doing my productivity precision. And it's so stupid, but like, I can't get over it. How do you guys do this? And And I felt really sheepish about it at first because I was like, are people going to think I'm dumb? Like, this is such a stupid hang up to have. But nobody thought I was dumb. And, you know, it was so great that I could be like, I have this stupid hang up about writing in pen in my planner. And then, you know, the next moment be a total badass. So like, it was just great. Exactly. All of that and just be really open about it all. I

SPEAKER_04: 22:33

think that contributes to the groundedness because you get to own all parts of yourself and be seen as like, yeah, you're good. You're going to be fine. Like, this is not going to be something that's going to really hold you back. P.S. Welcome to the community of people who have strong feelings about notebooks, planners, pens, pencils. I feel like I'm like, this is fine. This is exactly where you need to be. There may or may not be videos about certain apps that are or are not used in various settings. So that is right. And if I may just add one more thing, which is that it's kind of like, I know this relates to the patriarchy, but I'm just not sure the direct connection to blame patriarchy for this. But the idea that like what the work that you do in your case ending gender-based violence like these complex interventions like the planning the complexity of it the measuring of it the messiness of humans all of those things having to write it up and all like the idea that it would be not important how you plan is bullshit yeah do you know what i mean it's like of course you need to have a process that like is very smooth right in place for you so like you don't get friction around the organization and the planning and all that because you got all And so I think sometimes that prevents also people from like digging into what feels like, oh, the little details or, oh, this or, oh, that, because they're not supposed to be important. And meanwhile, I'm like, how are you even functioning without structure? Like, why would you do that to yourself? Structure creates freedom. Structure saves us all. Anyway, it's another great example. But Sarah, thank you so much. I hope you have a great rest of your day and your institution is very lucky to have you. And I'm so excited with what you're going to do with your career.

SPEAKER_02: 24:13

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04: 24:16

Thank you for tuning in to the Your Unapologetic Career Podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode and want to keep the conversation going, here's what you can do. First, subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts or whatever platform you prefer so you never miss an episode. Your support helps us reach more listeners like you. Second, I'd love to hear from you. Text us any questions you have about this episode or just to show us some love. The link to text is in the show notes. Don't be shy. If you're interested in gynecologic health, Make sure to sign up for my newsletter, Dr. Kemi Dole and the Womb at www.kemidole.com slash womb. It comes out once a month and it's packed with valuable insights. For those looking to enhance their careers, you can join our career foundation series for exclusive tips at www.kemidole.com slash foundations. This also comes out monthly and is a great way to keep your career on the right track. And finally, if you're a woman of Thank you again for being part of our community.