Episode #15
Giving Yourself Permission to Explore with Linda Lawrence MD
Connect with Dr. Linda Lawrence Linda Lawrence MD Founder, People Always Healthcare Consulting Executive Coach | Physician Leader | Speaker https://www.peoplealwayshcc.com/ Connect with Bryan Jepson Bryan Jepson MD, CFP® Host, The Second Shift Podcast Website: bryanjepson.com Podcast: 2ndshiftpodcast.com Financial Planning: targetedwealthsolutions.com About This Episode What if you don't need to know exactly where your career is going before you start exploring what comes next? Dr. Linda Lawrence has built a career around following opportunities she could never have predicted. An emergency physician by training, she spent much of her clinical career in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of colonel and serving in senior leadership roles. She has also served as president of the American College of Emergency Physicians and is now an executive coach and founder of People Always Healthcare Consulting. In this conversation, Linda and I talk about what it takes to build a meaningful next chapter without having the entire path mapped out in advance. We explore how to recognize the work that gives you energy, why networking should be about curiosity rather than transactions, how physicians can become more comfortable with ambiguity and failure, and why giving yourself permission to explore may be the most important first step toward a second shift. We also discuss leadership, coaching, identity, relationships, and the difference between pursuing another accomplishment and building a life around what actually matters to you. As Linda puts it: fear regret more than failure. In This Episode 00:00 – Opening: Paying attention to what gives you energy 02:43 – Linda's path from emergency medicine to military leadership 07:32 – Discovering that leadership could be energizing 11:55 – Why adding something meaningful can actually reduce burnout 14:16 – The people around us can sometimes see our path before we do 16:51 – Moving from clinician to leader 21:11 – Developing a tolerance for ambiguity 23:47 – Finding your tribe and rethinking networking 28:40 – How to discover what matters to you now 32:20 – Why physicians struggle to give themselves permission to explore 34:49 – Coaching, mentorship, and why physicians need both 38:26 – Limiting beliefs and finding your own path forward 42:44 – What if you don't want the next 10 years to look like the last 10? 45:48 – Values, clarity, and taking small steps toward change 47:49 – Giving yourself permission to explore 49:01 – People Always Healthcare Consulting and Linda's work today 52:22 – Identity after medicine and following unexpected passions 54:55 – Why there is no retirement from learning 55:55 – Linda's definition of a wealthy life 58:29 – Final advice: Fear regret more than failure 59:18 – Five take-home lessons from the conversation Key Takeaways Pay attention to what gives you energy. You don't need to know the destination before you begin exploring. Build a tribe that expands your view of what's possible. Treat failure as learning rather than defeat. And remember that a truly wealthy life is ultimately rich in relationships. #TheSecondShift #PhysicianLeadership #CareerTransition #LifeAfterMedicine #PhysicianRetirement
