Brad Stulberg

How many times do we see physicians (and others) promoted into leadership roles because they are stellar clinicians/researchers/teachers, but with no evaluation of their leadership skills or support to build them? This HBR article emphasizes how frequently this happens: "In a March 2023 Gartner survey of 98 HR leaders, 79% reported that consistently high individual performance is a top factor for management selection, while only 22% prioritize high scores on pre-management selection assessments." Is your workplace one where leaders are selected due to true leadership competence (or are given support to develop it) or not? And, what's been the effect on you and your team when the answer is not really??? #leadership #physicianleader #physiciancoach #physicianburnout

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In 2004, I was writing behavior plans that targeted stimming for reduction. I wrote goals directly from functional assessments. I focused heavily on decreasing behaviors and increasing “appropriate” responses. At the time, that was what many of us in the field were taught to prioritize. But over the years, children and families changed me. Now, my favorite part of my work is observing a child closely and talking deeply with parents. Not just: “What behavior are we reducing?” But: * What is this child communicating? * What helps them feel safe and regulated? * What naturally motivates them? * What skills will genuinely improve their daily life? Today, through Thriving Souls, I thrive in creativity and entrepreneurship. I LOVE creating: * emotional regulation games, * social problem-solving activities, * flexible thinking challenges, * movement-based learning, * coping toolkits, * and individualized activities that teach skills through connection, play, and trust. The longer I’ve been in this field, the more I’ve learned that meaningful progress doesn’t come from trying to make children look “less autistic.” It comes from understanding them, supporting them, and building skills in ways that feel safe, engaging, and human.

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She scaled her practice to multiple seven figures in less than five years. In an insurance-based model. During a time when everyone says private practice is dead. Dr. Karen Kaufman is an allergist immunologist in Vienna, Virginia. She opened Kaufman Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in January 2021. Before that, she spent 10 years in the Navy, including a deployment on the USNS Comfort providing humanitarian medical care around the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. When she left the military, she took a job in a multispecialty group. She was the only allergist immunologist there for most of her five and a half years. And during that time, she started paying attention. What did she like about the practice of medicine? What didn't she like? What were patients complaining about? How could she improve upon the experience? By early 2020, she knew it was time. "I decided it was time to step out on my own and practice medicine on my own terms," she said. "And to deliver the care that our patients deserved." She called every allergist immunologist she knew who had their own practice. She took notebooks of notes. She tapped into Facebook groups and printed out volumes of advice. And she joined EBS in September 2020, before she even opened the doors. "Doctors don't learn this stuff," she said. "Unless you have a dual degree with an MBA, medical school does not provide us training in this." Fast forward to today. Her practice employs about 15 people. She has multiple physicians on the team. By year three, they had already outgrown the original clinic space. She signed a 10-year lease with five exam rooms, thinking, "Who needs that many if you're just one person?" Within three years, the waiting room overflowed into the hallway. So she moved into a new office, more than double the size of the original. "When I build team," she said, "I'm really very intentional about curating the correct combination of personalities. These are people who can understand my vision, who see my vision, who are coachable, who are teachable, and who then themselves become an extension of me." She can take her children to school in the morning. She can get to their 3:30 soccer games. She designs the schedule that works for her. And she's providing a livelihood for her team, some of whom have used the money they earn to put siblings through school overseas. "The biggest and scariest thing about delegation is the loss of control," she said. "But when you curate that team, that is the best way to extend your ability to deliver the services that you are good at." This is what's possible. Not someday. Right now. If you're ready to build a practice like this, comment "EBS" and I'll send you the details. The cavalry is not coming. It is here. It is us.

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Women physicians are rewriting their roles, balancing family and leadership like never before. Many in their 50s are juggling the duties of caring for aging parents while leading entire departments. This dual responsibility impacts their leadership journey in profound ways. Here's what you'll learn: - How this shift is empowering women to feel seen and make intentional choices - The balance between fulfilling family obligations and excelling in leadership positions - The freedom that comes with choosing how to channel one's energy The result? A sense of freedom and empowerment in choosing how to navigate these paths. How do you decide where to focus your energy in leadership and personal life? Board-certified pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney MD - Physician Wellbeing Expert discusses her article "The burden of the eldest daughter." 🩺 Search "The Podcast by KevinMD" on Apple or Spotify. #womeninleadership #womenphysicians #caregivingresponsibilities #agingparents #leadershiproles #worklifebalance #personalchoice #familydynamics

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Join me for today’s episode of the Voices in Health and Wellness podcast. I speak with Dr. Chris Deussing, LCSW, a psychotherapist and psychedelic clinician who shifted from large-scale practice to a boutique model focused on depth, presence, and meaningful care. We discuss ketamine-assisted therapy, the role of the therapeutic relationship, and why slower, more intentional practice leads to better outcomes. We also explore AI in mental health, the limits of scale, and how clinicians can build practices that protect both client care and their own wellbeing. Stay tuned for more episodes. #MentalHealth #IntegrativeCare #AndrewGreenland #GreenlandMedical

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In support of a better future for our profession, we have a responsibility to design clinics and workplaces that deliver excellent patient care AND protect the longevity of our clinicians’ careers. Many outpatient clinics are given labels - and one we hear often is ‘the PT mill’. A “PT mill” is not defined by volume alone. It’s defined by what the practice prioritizes. A mill is a model where: ❌ productivity outweighs clinical judgment ❌ speed and units, replaces thoughtful care ❌ clinicians are asked to sacrifice quality for quantity ❌ patients become appointments instead of people A practice that sustains our future is built with intention: ✅ clinical autonomy is protected ✅ care plans drive scheduling — not quotas ✅ support staff and technology elevate the therapist, allow them to Practice at the Top of the License (PATTOTL), not replace ✅ outcomes and clinician well-being matter alongside growth If we want to retain great clinicians and prevent burnout, we must build environments where people can do their best work — for their patients and for themselves. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eMnQfeBE

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Primary Care Transformation Series: Post #6 We've spent 25 years building teams—but are we measuring the right thing? Barbara Starfield defined high-quality primary care in 1992. She refined it in 1998. By 2005, the evidence was overwhelming: primary care systems built on four core functions—the "4Cs"—deliver better health outcomes, lower costs, less inequality, and better population health. The 4Cs are: • First Contact – accessible entry to care when needed • Comprehensive – addressing the full scope of health needs • Coordination – integrating care across providers and systems • Continuity – ongoing relationships over time Sounds straightforward, right? Here's the problem. A brilliant 2021 study by Jimenez and colleagues found that despite universal agreement that the 4Cs matter, we've spent decades arguing about what they actually MEAN in practice. We know First Contact is important—but does that mean seeing the same GP? Or getting access to any team member? Via phone, video, or in-person? For which conditions? We know Comprehensiveness matters—but comprehensive compared to what? Should family docs handle mental health? Minor procedures? How much complexity before referral? We know Coordination is crucial—but who coordinates? The physician? A nurse navigator? Does having shared EMRs count as coordination? What about specialists who never respond to consult requests? We know Continuity improves outcomes—but continuity with one person? One practice? One system? Over what timeframe? And here's the kicker: The 4Cs don't operate independently. They interact and overlap in complex ways. You can't optimize one without affecting others. Jimenez found that we don't even have consistent ways to MEASURE whether patients are getting the 4Cs. Which means: We're building different team based models all hundreds of community health centres, we're mandating 305 new teams in Ontario alone—and we're not even clear on what we're trying to achieve. We're measuring: attachment, rostered patients, team composition, visit volume, cost per patient. We're NOT systematically measuring: Are patients actually GETTING the 4Cs? The question isn't "Do you HAVE a team?" The question is: "Do patients GET the 4Cs?" That's the North Star. Everything else is just infrastructure that may or may not serve that goal. Reference: Jimenez G, Matchar D, Koh GCH, et al. Revisiting the four core functions (4Cs) of primary care: operational definitions and complexities. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2021;22:e68. #PrimaryCareTransformation #FamilyMedicine #HealthPolicy #TeamBasedCare #CanadianHealthcare #HealthSystemsResearch

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BIG news for the BFRB community! Two new evidence-based workbooks have been released. A big step forward for a population that has long been under-resourced. 📘 The BFRB Workbook for Teens & Young Adults by Dr. Laura Chackes, with contributions from Lauren McKeaney A 10-week, interactive program combining ComB, mindfulness, and self-compassion to build awareness, reduce shame, and support real recovery. 📗 Free to Be Me with a BFRB by Dr. Jennifer Gola, Dr. Marla Deibler, and Dr. Renae Reinardy An engaging workbook for kids (7–12) that teaches skills for managing hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting in a compassionate, empowering way. Science-based. Practical. Hope-filled. And a reminder that no one has to navigate BFRBs alone. #SkinPicking #HairPulling #Trichotillomania #Dermatillomania #MentalHealthResources #RecoveryIsPossible

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📣✨In just 15 days, NICU teams will have a new resource to help turn evidence into everyday practice. The Family-Centered Taskforce is releasing the ultimate toolkit for NICU leaders and parents - a practical guide designed to help care teams and families promote 14 evidence-based recommendations that support parent presence in the NICU. Because presence isn’t extra. Presence is care. ❤️ Join the movement. Look out for our Presence Study Toolkit on May 21 and help make parent presence possible. - https://lnkd.in/eu7_9Za6

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Further evidence of the benefit SeeInMe brings to foster care: 🧒 "CYFC (Children and Youth in Foster Care) historically have had unique health challenges that require coordinated, trauma-informed, and flexible care." 👧 "Continued investment in data, quality measures, and cross-system collaboration will be critical to ensure that delivery models evolve in ways that are responsive to the complex medical and social needs of CYFC." 🙋‍♀️ If you serve children and youth in foster care, let's have a conversation. https://seeinme.com/ #FosterCare #Children #Compassion #SeeInMe #SocialWork

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I'm diving into an important question: How do complementary and integrative modalities support conventional healthcare, and what role does prevention play in long-term public health outcomes? Integrative approaches enhance traditional care by addressing the whole person, body, mind, and spirit, supporting healing, reducing side effects, and improving quality of life. Prevention is the cornerstone, helping communities stay healthy, reduce chronic illness, and create lasting public health impact. When care is proactive, personalized, and holistic, we shift from treating disease to supporting wellness for life. #drjericholeftwich #IntegrativeHealthcare #ComplementaryMedicine #PreventionIsPower #PublicHealth #HolisticWellness #MindBodySpirit #HealthForLife

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❇️ Treating low back pain thoughtfully: (Below) great dialogue and exactly the type of conversation that is going to help us improve research, commentary, and appropriate clinical practice guidelines in our field. Would very much encourage all to read the article referenced for more context. ▶️ Bottom line is that it does not make sense to remove tools from our collective tool box, but rather, to use them appropriately, for the right patients, sequenced at the right moments along each unique patient's care journey with low back pain. #backpain #spine #evidencebasedmedicine #phenotyping International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) North American Spine Society American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) American Academy of Pain Medicine

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Grateful for this chance to share a bit more of my journey that led to the launch of GASLIT (GASLIT by Corporations/IGNITED by Community) Societally, there is still a tendency to blame and shame individuals for their choices without attention to the systems that shape their choices. Within #publichealth, there is a focus on systems and moving #upstream - but it STILL doesn't go far enough. Because even further upstream than social and structural determinants lie commercial and political determinants of health. In other words, this is a question of POWER - power over the stories we tell and those we stifle, the policies we pass and those that are dead on arrival, and the people we prioritize and those we marginalize. #CDoH #CorporateAccountability

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➡️ Suggestions in medicine often trigger defensiveness. Being open to suggestions builds trust, strengthens teams and protects patients. 🎙️ I talked about this with Kevin Pho, M.D. in my recent #KevinMD podcast and article, "How Physicians Can Turn Criticism into Collaboration." 💡 Reframe: treat suggestions like gifts. Not just with a "thank you," but with curiosity. Ask why. Listen fully. You don't have to use every idea, but you keep the door open for the moments that matter. https://lnkd.in/g-xBYpq7 #PhysicianLeadership #FeedbackCulture #PatientSafety

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"We are at an inflection point: The technology is no longer aspirational, and the question has shifted from whether AI will transform healthcare to how we steward that transformation to serve patients and clinicians," Dr. Paul A. Testa, CHIO at NYU Langone Health #AI #Technology #Healthcare #Patients #Clinicians #NYU

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Many people do some of the right things but still feel under-supported. In “The Foundational Health Stack,” Jaime Hernandez lays out a clear, practical approach to the basics that sustain long-term wellness. Thoughtful, evidence-informed guidance for clinicians, coaches, and professionals supporting clients’ health. Read more: https://wix.to/G2vT4pI #FoundationalHealth #PreventiveCare #HealthCoaching #Wellness

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