Following This Advice Almost Made Me Quit Podcasting (And What I’m Doing To Re-Align)

Have you ever followed expert advice- even when it went against your own inner knowing? 

This is something I STILL struggle with, and in this podcast episode I open up about what's been going on for me BTS as a podcast host. 

If you've ever felt like you're forcing a path that doesn’t feel right, this real-time recalibration will resonate deeply with you.

And in this episode I also have some questions to reconnect with you, dear listener.

What do you come to this podcast for?
What do you think this podcast is really about?

What’s one episode or moment that has stuck with you — and why?”

Episodes wise- do you want 2x a week? Just one? Shorter episodes? Longer? Interviews or solo shows?

What do you wish I talked about more openly or more often?

What kind of insights, support or conversations are you craving right now?

What would make this space feel even more intimate, resonant, or helpful to you?

What would make you want to SHARE these episodes or this podcast with your coworkers and friends? How can we amplify this platform together?

Send me an email (hello@coachchelsmd.com), IG DM or telegram message- answering one (or all) of the questions!

Register for Pivot Potentials Now >> https://coachchelsmd.com/summit/

Life After Medicine explores doctors' journey of finding purpose beyond their medical careers, addressing physician burnout, career changes, opportunities in non-clinical jobs for physicians and remote jobs within the healthcare system without being burned out, using medical training.

Transcript

0:30

In this episode, you'll learn why I accidentally took a week off from the podcast and how you can keep me from doing that going forward.

Speaker 3: 0:38

Welcome to Life After Medicine, the podcast helping millennial health professionals leave the system and build a fulfilling career. I'm your host, Chelsea Turin, residency Dropout turned six, figure entrepreneur and World Traveler. I'll help you discover your unique path to making an impact without the burnout, because you were meant for more than 15 minute patient visits under fluorescent lights.

Speaker: 1:01

Okay, my loves. Welcome back to Life After Medicine. This is gonna be another one of those pretty raw, unfiltered episodes where I am just pressing play with a few notes on the notes app of my phone. Um, because I feel like we need to just clear the air. This week I accidentally took a pause from the podcast and I realized I really needed it. I kept. Being like, okay, I'm gonna post right now. Okay, I'm gonna post later today. And I just wasn't doing it. I wasn't recording, I wasn't posting. And what I realized is every time I went to like create an outline, even if I had this great idea for a piece of content and I was putting it in other places, the moment I went to turn it into. A podcast, I felt really tired, like deeply exhausted all of a sudden. And I was like, what is going on? And I realized there's something heavy for me about the podcast right now that I need to fix. I need to clear up. I need to release so that I can just record and publish more freely. And so it's possible that after this episode that. This is all I need to do and everything's clear and free. And it's also possible that I will need to take some time, even after this episode, to recalibrate, um, so that I can. Come back and produce higher quality episodes for all of you. My intention is to share what's been happening for me behind the scenes of the podcast. Then also to reconnect to you and recalibrate for the whole show. Oh my God. I just sniffed a bug up my nose. I'm staying at an eco lodge in Belize right now, like in the jungle. And literally a bug just went sniffed right up my nose. Okay, so carrying on. Um, what's been happening for me behind the scenes is really interesting because it's like at, you know, at some point I'm gonna learn my lesson. That rigid structures and frameworks just. Don't work for me, but I still think there's a part of me that is so, that still wants to just like fit into the mold of like what everyone else is doing to be successful and I wanna follow the frameworks and the formulas and I want to just be able to contort myself. Like there is still a part of me that wants to do that for who knows what reason. I guess just to prove to myself that I can. Output in a certain way, or I can like be productive or be a good student so the podcast has always been one of my favorite ways of sharing content and communicating, and it's something that's, you know, I've been doing it since 2021. I have over 250 episodes, over a hundred thousand downloads, and there's a part of me that still wants the podcast to get bigger to, to grow, to be. Reaching more and more people. Um, and partly I'm sure there's like an EO vanity thing happening there of like, oh, I just want it to be bigger and like my metrics to grow. And there's also a part of me that feels a, a bigger obligation that like, I need to get my message out there because not a lot of people have like just. Gone rogue and left healthcare in the way that I did and give such blanket permission to do the same. And there's times where somebody finds my work and they reach out to me and they're like. Like they needed me a year ago or two years ago, and I'm like, ah, I need to to be bigger. Like I need to be out there for other people. So yeah, obviously there's like ego things happening because I'm just a human with an ego, but there's also like a deep purpose thing happening of I want this to be bigger. And so with all of that, like this desire to amplify the platform, I signed up for this program. It was like a coaching program about. Seven or eight months ago. And the people on the program were so lovely and I still adore them. Um, and it's like, it's all about having to grow your podcast and we did a lot of good work. That's when I rebranded the title, um, or the cover art and like, ah, that looks so great. Um, I learned a lot about using SEO keywords and there's, so there's a lot of good things that came from it and there's a part of the process that wasn't quite working for me. Like there's some. Rigidity and like they wanted me to post two times a week. And when I first, when they first were saying that, I was like, I really don't want to, and I felt like this deep resistance inside of me of like, no, it felt like almost this stubborn tantrum, toddler being like, no, I don't want that. And so. And so I felt it and then I was like, oh, well maybe I'm just being stubborn. Like maybe it doesn't actually need to be that hard to post two times a week. Um, you know, if I really say I want to grow, then. I need to be able to do the things, like do what's required to grow. And so I, I felt this like deep resistance to it. And then I still was like, no, I'm just gonna batch all the work and then it'll be easy for it to go out every week. It doesn't, and it's really, it isn't hard to, to put the episode out. Um, but there was just this resistance and then I was like, no, I'm gonna override that. Because I think that's the part of me that's just being stubborn for whatever reason and just like not wanting to follow what they, they say. And so, so I started doing it as you guys knew it, like I was posting two times a week and being consistent with like Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of just whenever I want to, and. I don't know, like I think there are some things that are good about that. Like obviously you wanna have a podcast that's reliable and consistent and I think there is something about consistency that's important. But I think maybe I just never got ahead enough on like batching content or I don't know exactly what it was, but there's just like, it wasn't working for me'cause I just kept feeling so behind I, I always felt like I'm just behind on the podcast and I also. Feel like the podcast wasn't growing. Like, it wasn't like metrics wise, downloads wise, it wasn't actually growing. And so I was like, well, I'm doing all of this so that it can grow and it's not growing, and, and so I just, I'm starting to feel, what was it like, maybe just like I'm running on a content hamster wheel is kind of what it was feeling like. And that my reasons for doing this were not quite aligned because I was just doing it because they said I needed to and it needs to be Tuesday and Thursday and it has to be consistent like that. And I can't miss a day and I can't, you know, so all of those things I, maybe it's just because it was presented in this rigid way that I start to feel. Resentful and like want to rebel against it. But then I get annoyed at myself like, why can't you just do what you're supposed to do? So anyways, all of this internal struggle, none of this is worth it, right? Like, it's not that, that's not what I'm trying to do here. I'm not trying to create a business that feels like that. Um, now I am, it is important to me to be consistent and to be dedicated. And I need to define what that means for myself and for you guys, not based on some random metric person that's telling me what to do. Um, and so I feel like maybe that's really the answer to all of this is just to come back to you guys and have more of a reconnection. Because as I podcast, I am talking into a microphone and sometimes I have a little picture. Actually I do right now I have a picture of myself from back in residency that I look at while I podcast'cause that helps me connect to the past version of me, which is also where, where a lot of you guys are right now or what you're going through, so like. I'm connecting in that way and I get messages sometimes on LinkedIn from people who listen but what I realized is the week that I loved the most was when I shared that one episode about I don't wanna be a career coach for doctors anymore. And I got so much engagement and feedback and I just felt very connected to everyone, and I don't need. That to happen necessarily every week, but I was like, you know what? I do need to feel more connected. I need to, I need to just have more reconnection to understand. What it is that you guys want from me, like what is it you come to the podcast for? And I think just having a moment to connect back to all of you, I think is gonna help help me recalibrate to myself and recalibrate to the direction that I want to cultivate going forward. And I also just felt like I needed to have a moment of like, Hey, this is what I've been trying to do and it felt not great. And so I, I don't wanna keep doing it in that way. Maybe I do still keep doing episodes twice a week, but I just let them be rogue episodes. Oh, the other thing that, like they were saying I really needed to have, which I do agree with, um, was it's like we need to have a USP, like a unique selling point for the podcast. And so basically it's like having a segment that is, is unique and like unlike any other things. And so it could be a certain weekly segment. So I think there was a time I was trying to do. Yeah, like the hot take Tuesdays or like the career, what's it called? Millennials, hot Take on something. And I do like doing those kinds of episodes. I think those are aligned for me. Um, but yeah, I would just love to maybe even hear from you guys and I think maybe this could even help me create. My USP of like, what is it that I, that you guys come to this for? So essentially what I'm gonna ask my ask from you is that you guys send me an email or you can send me a DM on Instagram, or if you're in the Telegram group, you can send me something there, wherever you wanna reach out to me. If you're a LinkedIn person, you know, reach out to me there. But I just want, I would love. A message from you. And I'm gonna have some questions. I have some questions that I have prepared for you guys. Um, you don't have to answer them all. You could answer one of them, I'll put them in the description so that you can see them written out. I just. Want you guys to, after you listen to this, just send me a message. If the show is something that's important to you, I would love to hear from you. So some of the questions that I have, What do you come to this podcast for? Like when you press play, like what are you coming here for? Is it. You're coming for a certain feeling, is it, you just need to hear me riff on things. You wanna have a permission slip, you wanna feel, seen or connected? Like what is it that you come here for and like, what do you get out of it when you're listening to the episodes? What do you feel like this podcast is really about? Not just on the surface, but what is it really doing for you and is there one episode or one moment that really has stuck out to you, that has really like, hit you in the heart, that has shifted your perspective in some way? Why, what was it about that that was so compelling for you? Um, some more practical things is like, what is your listening vibe? Like, how do you listen to the show? Is it like, are you listening in the morning as you drive into work? Do you listen really religiously to every episode? Um, is it just only the episodes that have a person on there that you want to hear about their career? Do you want episodes two times a week? Or are you like, you know what, once a week is totally fine. We're good with that. Do you like shorter episodes or longer episodes, or you don't really care as long as they're good. I had this English teacher, Ms. Harvey, um, who said, this is in eighth grade, and she was like, we would ask her, how long does the paper need to be? And she's like, it needs to be like a skirt. Short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the topic. So is the pod, does the podcast just need to be like a skirt short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the topic? I can do that. Do you want more like interviews and like guests on there? Or do you like solo episodes or just like a little bit of both. Um, and this can be your unfiltered stuff. I mean, like, be kind because I'm creating this for you, but like you can give me your real opinions on like, what is it that you like or don't like. Um, and I'm totally here for that. What do you wish I talked about more openly or more often? Is there a certain topic? Is there a certain like point of my journey that you want me to talk more about?. What is it that you want me to talk more openly about? What kind of insights, what kind of support, what kind of conversations, what are you craving right now? What do you want more of? And, and maybe it's not more of,'cause maybe I haven't done it yet, but what are you craving and. What is it that would make this space feel more resonant, more helpful, more intimate? Like what would make you feel even more at home Here The whole point of all these questions is I just wanna understand you guys more and what, what you need, like what you're looking for. What, what helps you, what, what actually. Makes you wanna listen to one of these episodes and like, what else is going on in your life that you're like, well, I wish she would talk about this because this is huge. Like, I wanna hear more about this, I want to hear more about whatever, and just let me know. Um, maybe you want me to just have more of raw and real like, yo, this is my life, this is what life happened. Medicine is like, here I am. And like it's not so structured or educational and it's just very conversational. Maybe that's what you're craving or maybe you want it to be more like, give me the. Gimme the education, gimme the, like three types of this, or, you know, three ways you can find clarity on this thing. Like, whatever. I'm open to any of it. I would just love to take this time to connect with you and like see what it is that you want and what you're, what you're really looking for. Um, the other question I just remembered is, what would make you. Share this episode, not this one in particular. You can, but what would make you share the podcast episodes with other people? Because I think that's a huge way that we can make this spread and we can, you know, kind of create more of a, a bigger community around all of this. Like, what is it that would make you share this with people? Um, what would be, what would you find valuable? To the point that you're like, I need to share this with everyone, because that's what I would love. I want it, I want it to be that. I want it to be that level of like, you know, you're sending it to your friends.'cause you're like, you have to listen to this episode because it's so good. And I feel like we can totally create that magic together, but I just want to feel more connected to you guys and what it is that you want from me. So I guess that's what this whole thing is about. It's what do you want from me? But not in a negative way, just in a. Actually though, like, what do you want? Like what, what can I do for you? How can I help you? How can I support your journey? Because I, I don't always know who's listening to this. I don't, I don't know who you are or like what your background is, or what you need or want, or like what's gonna be most helpful for you, and that would be really important to know. So please send me a message. Answer at least one of the questions that I asked, and let me know what I can do For you in this podcast, what would be most helpful for you? Would it be helpful to do like a question answer like a call in show, right? Like would something like that, not, you don't have to actually call in, but would it be helpful for you guys to like, leave me a voice note being like, or not voice note, maybe you guys are kind of weird sometimes about. Anonymity. You know, like see an enemy anonymity. I'm literally cracking myself up. Okay. So yeah. Anyways, I know a lot of you guys like to be anonymous, so you could do a write-in where you're writing in a question and I could answer the questions like, that would be so fun for me. Um, but yeah, I would love to know just like, what is it? What is it that I can do for you? How can we recalibrate together? For the future of life after medicine and before I go see, I already feel so much better even just recording this episode, like, huh? I, I literally do feel so much more energized from just leveling with you guys about what, what's going on. Um, but I do have a really big project I've been working on that's gonna be coming out soon. It's happening like sort of mid, mid end of June and it's a big deal. It is a big deal. It's not like for the podcast, but it's for you guys and it's, I'm so, so excited about it. So there is something really big coming soon that's, it's gonna be a huge game changer for literally everyone. And yeah, the vision here is big. The project is big and. What, what it's gonna do for all of us is big. So that's exciting, that's coming down the road and I will need, I think, like a launch team of people to help me with that. So I know you guys dunno what it is yet, but I'm just planting a seed. So, so my loves. Send me a message, let me know what's up. Let's connect, let's, let's talk about what I can do for you and I'm sending you guys so much love. And I also need a, I need a sign off line. One time I was hanging out with my friends, actually Dave was one of the people, the guy who's been on the podcast now, and we were like trying to come up with a sign off for me for the podcast and he was like, what about, see you later, medicator. And I was like, absolutely not. So, so that's not it. But I do need to sign off at some point. So anyways, that's just another random thought, but I hope you guys have a wonderful, wonderful rest of your day. And yeah, send me a, send me a note.