Reclaim Physician Coaching August Newsletter

Kinda chic to redesign your career one negotiation at a time

August 2026 Newsletter

Dear Community,

(Translation in case you spend less time on Instagram than I do: "kinda chic" is this summer's trend, and although I may be the last person to jump on the bandwagon, I still feel "kinda chic" using it here.)

First, I need to clear the air. I skipped July's newsletter. Oops! Did you miss it? I'm sorry! Now that I'm back, I still want to tell you what's been eating my bandwidth, because it's actually the most "Reclaim" thing I could write about.

Here's the truth about career redesign that nobody puts on a vision board: it's not one clean pivot. It's a bunch of moving pieces running at once, most of them a little uncomfortable, all of them in service of the same goal — making room for coaching and Reclaim to flourish, without walking away from being a doctor who sees patients.

So this summer looked like:

Kinda chic to negotiate your own rate. I worked with a recruiter for the first time this year — new territory for me. I'm looking for a second per diem clinical position. Why? More options for shifts. Higher pay. so I get to say "No" more, and say "Yes" with more enthusiasm. I set my rate, held firm to it, and watched a hospital attempt a bait-and-switch partway through the process. I didn't take it personally and I didn't cave. I said what I needed, restated it when they tested it, and kept moving. That's not a skill they teach in residency, but it's one every physician redesigning their career eventually has to learn.

Kinda chic to keep showing up clinically while you build something new. Staying active clinically was never optional for me — it's part of how I stay a doctor who sees patients, not just a doctor who talks about medicine. Also, I LIKE taking care of patients; I just want more control over how and when. (Side note: Did you know that poor work control is independently associated with burnout and with intention to leave one's organization?) So alongside the negotiating, I kept working per diem shifts. Honestly, it felt grounding, and I was grateful to be able to help out.

Kinda chic to get a coaching request before you've even caught your breath. I started coaching my first official cohort at Mount Sinai — and almost immediately, another department reached out asking for the same thing. I'm now building out that proposal. Two months ago this was a line item on a business plan; now it's a waitlist. That's the part that makes the rest of it worth it.

And the honest part: Some days this summer felt like hustling — networking, negotiating, holding boundaries, building relationships, chasing the version of "doctor" I actually want to be instead of the one I inherited. There were moments of real doubt. I'm making significantly less money than I used to, and I'm still working hard — some days that math sits uneasily. Did I make a mistake?

But every single hour I've spent coaching has answered that question for me. The doubt is real, but it's transient. The hustle isn't for an institution or a title anymore — it's for me, on my own terms. It's for my clients, to be fully present with them, helping doctor-to-doctor, empowering change in the healthcare system, one physician career at a time. And that has been, without exception, worth it.

Kinda chic to be resilient for yourself instead of for someone else's metrics.

That's the real theme of this newsletter, and honestly, of this whole summer.

I'll be back next month with a new article — for now, if you're in the thick of your own messy middle, hit reply and tell me what part of it feels hardest right now. I read everything.

Talk soon, Christie

P.S. If you're a physician negotiating your own next chapter — a new contract, a new rate, a new "no" — and want a thought partner for it, book a call. I have a few spots opening this fall.

Keep the conversation going

If these conversations resonate, I recently opened a space to keep them going: the Physician Sabbaticals group on Facebook. It's for physicians who have taken a break, are planning one, or are quietly wondering if they're allowed to want one. (You are.) And if you've taken a sabbatical yourself and want to share your story, my research is ongoing. I'd love to talk.

[Join the Physician Sabbaticals group →]

Reclaim Articles and Appearances

• Redefining Success in Medicine: Dr. Christie Mulholland on Coaching, Burnout, and Career Fulfillment. I recently recorded an episode of the Be Empowered podcast with two brilliant  neurologist-entrepreneur hosts, Dr. Santoshi Billakota and Dr. Shahla Moghbel--and now it's live! We talked about physician entrepreneurship, the guilt that keeps women physicians stuck, and what sabbaticals make possible. Listen here.*

• Your physician guilt may not actually be yours. I joined the KevinMD podcast to talk about the "hidden guilt" physicians carry, how medicine recruits for it, and... how the healthcare system exploits it. Keeping you from setting boundaries, from taking your vacation, from speaking up for what's right. Finally, how working with a coach (me!) can be the missing piece to recognize your own "hidden guilt." 19 minutes to get a taste for what working with me might be like 😉

*Please note that the episode description in Apple Podcasts originally incorrectly stated that I founded the Physician Coaching Institute. I have reached out to the hosts to correct the error.

This Month's Reflection: Set your hourly rate, then override it (on purpose)

This exercise is about getting more intentional with how you spend your time, and actually feeling that intentionality even in the hours that feel like obligation. It came to me in the past couple of months as I felt frustrated with all the "stuff" I had to spend time (often for free) doing just to build the space for the work I am passionate about (e.g., coaching!) Sometimes, once you can name what a have-to is buying you, it stops being dead time and starts being the thing that makes room for the want-to. And sometimes, you can decide to drop the have-to's that aren't getting you anywhere.

Exploring a change?

Book a free call. We'll get to know each other a bit, do some coaching together about your situation, and then decide if we are a good fit.

Book Now

Quiz: Ready for Your Sabbatical?

Take the free 3-min assessment! Explore your readiness across three key areas: Financial, Professional, and Emotional. Get tailored guidance based on your score.

Sabbatical Readiness Assessment

I'm honored to support your journey toward a more fulfilling medical career and balanced life. If there's anything specific you'd like to see in future newsletters or resources you need, please reach out—I'm here to help you reclaim your relationship with medicine.

With love,

Christie

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Supporting physicians, transforming healthcare