Perfectionism
You need to do things “properly.”
→ You over-document, put things off, and your charts follow you home.
You are not the problem.
Medicine asks way too much of its physicians, and we are feeling it.
And you have likely done what any good doctor would do: tried to figure it out yourself.
Trying new templates, dot phrases, scribes, productivity systems, therapy, self-help books, cutting back your FTE or going for the world’s best multitasker award.
You have done all these things and still work more than you'd like, chronically short staffed, carrying a staggering mental load, feeling drained and wondering how you're going to keep it up.
And the worst part is when the irritation comes home with you.
I'm not spying on you, but I do work with women doctors every day who come to me invariably thinking some version of
"Is this really how medicine is supposed to feel?"
I spent years wondering that too.
What I didn’t understand was that time management strategies are only a small part of the answer.
They can help treat the symptoms. But they don’t address a major upstream contributor to the cycle of overwhelm: our patterns of thinking namely the MD mind traps.
The six patterns I see most often that create a large amount of downstream trouble in women physicians:
MD Mind Traps
These patterns don’t just affect how you feel. They affect how you work.
People-pleasing
You don’t want patients or colleagues to be disappointed.
→ You squeeze people in, get overbooked, and your MyChart inbox piles up.
Imposter thinking
You second-guess whether you know or do enough.
→ You over-research, overexplain, over-document, and overprepare for talks and teaching.
Self-critical thinking
You beat yourself up when something goes wrong.
→ You ruminate, second-guess yourself, and carry work home in your head.
Scarcity thinking
“There’s never enough time.”
→ You keep doing things yourself instead of taking time to delegate—and end up with even less time.
Learned helplessness
“They’ll just say no. This is how medicine is.”
→ You stop asking for the schedule, support, compensation, or changes that could make work better.
Feeling a little called out?
I know these patterns because I lived them myself—and because I’ve spent thousands of hours coaching women physicians.
When you learn to shift these patterns, you don’t just feel better. You work differently.
Before I felt very stuck… now I feel more confident that I have choices in life.
Dr. Joy · OB/GYN
REAL PHYSICIANS. REAL RESULTS.
Hear it directly from the physicians who’ve done the program.
What we work on together
What if work was still work but stopped taking so much out of you?
Over eight weeks, you’ll learn these tools by applying them to the things that are actually happening in your life.
The charts you can’t seem to finish. The difficult patient interaction you’re still replaying at bedtime.
The boundary you know you need to set. The schedule that isn’t working. The conversation you’ve been avoiding.
The second-guessing, overthinking, and overdoing that quietly eat up hours of your day.
But this isn’t only about work.
We coach on your actual life, too.
Parenting. Partners. Dating. Aging parents. Family stress. Friendships. Your body and health. Your dog. The things you want to do for fun. And all the parts of your life that keep getting whatever time and energy medicine leaves behind.
Because the goal isn’t to become a more efficient physician so you can fit in even more work.
It’s to have more of yourself available for the people and things you care about.
We don’t just talk about these patterns. We practice what to do differently, with support, until you start catching them yourself.
Imagine getting to December
Medicine hasn’t magically changed.
But you’re carrying less of it home in your head.
You’re getting your work done and freeing up time.
You’re recovering faster when something happens.
You’re asking for what you need.
And you have more of yourself left when you walk through the door.
A community where you can be honest
What happens when physicians feel safe enough to be real?
Medicine can be incredibly isolating. Even around other physicians, there can be pressure to look like you have it all together.
Feel Better is intentionally different.
You can talk about the patient outcome you’re still thinking about. The mistake you’re afraid to admit is bothering you. The parenting struggle. Your relationship. The thing happening with your body. The situation at work you don’t know how to handle. You don’t have to perform competence here.
I had been very lonely and isolated. I did not have a safe space to talk about what I was feeling when I started the program. I loved that the group did not judge me.
Dr. January Hill · Surgery
Women physicians across specialties, backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences are welcome here.
Inside Feel Better
Here’s how Feel Better actually works.
You learn the tools. Then we use them on your real life. This isn’t eight weeks of information to consume. It’s eight weeks of practicing what to do differently, with support, until you start catching these patterns yourself.
Bring the charts you can’t finish, the patient interaction you’re still replaying, the boundary you’re struggling to hold, the decision you’re stuck on, or the family situation taking up all your bandwidth. That’s what we work with.
2x
Live each week
Twice-weekly live coaching
We meet live twice a week for teaching, nervous-system regulation, and coaching on the real situations women in the program are dealing with.
Sometimes you’ll be the one getting coached. Other times, you’ll have the breakthrough while you’re watching another physician work through something you recognize in yourself.
This is where knowing the concepts becomes actually using them.
And yes, we know you’re a doctor
What if you can’t make every call live?
You take call. Your schedule changes. A patient needs you. Your kid gets sick. Life happens.
Missing a live session does not mean you’ve fallen behind.
Every live session is recorded. If you miss one, you can watch the replay and come back to the next call.
Everyone misses sometimes. You do not have to do this program perfectly to get a lot out of it.
If you’re wondering what that looks like in real life, I’ll let Dr. Alana Shah, Med-Peds hospitalist tell you.
Support that goes beyond the live calls
You don’t have to figure this out by yourself.
The work keeps going between our twice-weekly calls, so your support does too.
01
Weekly small-group coaching
Meet in a smaller, unrecorded group with a physician coach for more intimate coaching, conversation, and support.
Small groups are strongly encouraged, but they are not required.
02
Private Voxer coaching with Karen
Your problems don’t conveniently happen while we’re on Zoom.
When the email lands, the conversation happens, or you’re trying to hold a boundary in real life, you can message me privately on Voxer and get coached while you’re actually in it.
03
Lifetime accessThe Feel Better Vault
Charting. Money. ADHD. Parenting. Habits. Malpractice stress. And more.
This is not another library you’re supposed to binge during the eight weeks. It’s yours for life. When something comes up months or years from now, you have somewhere to go for help.
04
Expert teaching when it matters
You’ll also learn from physician and professional experts on topics that matter in real life, including charting, communication, imposter thinking, parenting, movement, people-pleasing, and perfectionism.
You do not need to become an expert in all of it. Use what helps you.
30
CME Credits
CME + Employer Funding
Earn up to 30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Feel Better is designed to support your professional development while helping you make meaningful changes in your work and life.
Your employer may help pay for Feel Better.
You may have CME or professional development funds that can be used toward the program.
Not sure how to ask? We’ve put together resources to make requesting funding easier.
Help Requesting CME Funding🇨🇦 Canadian physicians
🇨🇦 The Royal College confirms live sessions are eligible for MOC Section 1 credit.
🇨🇦 CFPC Members may claim up to 50 Mainpro+ certified credits per five-year cycle from AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Please confirm eligibility and reimbursement requirements with your professional organization and employer.
This has been the best CME investment that I’ve made in my life. You don’t learn these things in medical school and they’re so vital for survival and to thrive in medicine.
Dr. Lourdes · Family Medicine
Also included in Feel Better
Negotiate Your Worth
Many physicians were trained to work hard, be grateful, and not ask for too much. That can get very expensive over the course of a career.
Know your value
You’ll receive specialty and geographic compensation data, plus education from me so you understand what the numbers actually mean for your situation.
Private 1:1 negotiation session with me
When you have a real negotiation in front of you, we’ll work through what you want, what to ask for, what to say, and the thoughts that might make you want to back away from the ask.
Use it when the timing is right.
Your private negotiation session does not expire. You do not need to manufacture a negotiation during the eight weeks. Use it when you actually need it. You’ll also receive follow-up support as you move through the negotiation.
Know your value. Know what to ask for. Have someone in your corner.
What this can look like
Because asking differently can change more than one conversation.
“It was incredibly helpful and empowering. Your coaching and
guidance helped me find the confidence to ask for so much more
than I would have otherwise. You were there with me when it was
uncomfortable and I was having doubt, and the tools taught me
negotiation and communication skills I’ll take with me long after
the process.”
“I hope you are well and happy holidays to you and your family!
I just wanted to update you and I actually can’t believe I’m telling you this, but I got the $240,000 salary I asked for!!! WHAT?!!
Thank you so much for your guidance and knowledge in this entire process. Your advice was invaluable during this process and gave me the confidence I needed to even ask. You are truly amazing.”
Anonymous Feel Better Member
$240,000
One physician reported receiving the salary she asked for.
+$32K
Another physician reported a $32K salary increase plus a
$20K signing bonus.
These are individual participant experiences, not guarantees of future compensation or negotiation outcomes.
What's included
-
8 weeks of live coaching
-
A supportive community of women physicians
-
30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
-
Optional weekly small groups
-
Lifetime access to 60+ coaching replays and resources
-
Direct 1:1 coaching support via Voxer
-
1:1 personalized compensation review and negotiation support with Karen
This isn’t just about getting through your workday.
We also bring in a small group of trusted experts to support the parts of your life that work tends to spill into.
Some of the expert guest coaches inside Feel Better:
Stop Charting At Night
Dr. Sarah Smith
Money Mindset
Dr. Bonnie Koo
How To Create Confidence
Brig Johnson
Relationships
Maggie Reyes
Enrollment: The full program is $6000
Choose the payment option that works best for you.
Many physicians use CME funds or professional development budgets to participate.
If that’s something you’re considering, we’ll help you navigate it.
Partial scholarships are available
for physicians who identify as BIPOC
or work in FQHC or Indigenous/Tribal communities.
Email us at [email protected]
Satisfaction
Guarantee
Attend the first four sessions.
If it’s not the right fit, just let us know and
we’ll refund your full payment.
No hoops to jump through.
BEFORE YOU JOIN
Here are the questions I get asked most often.
$6,000 is a lot of money. How do I know this is worth it?
It is a significant investment.
And it's also worth asking: what is the cost of continuing in the same way?
You have worked incredibly hard for your career. Feel Better is an investment in being able to continue doing work that matters to you while having a life outside of medicine that feels good too.
You are worth investing in.
“Am I not worth it? Yes I am and you are too!” Feel Better participant
“The cost of this program is a drop in the bucket to protect my investment in medicine.” Feel Better participant
“What is the cost of not doing it? For me I was to the point I needed change and better work life balance. I could not afford to keep doing this on my own because that was clearly not working.” Feel Better participant
Feel Better offers up to 30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and many physicians use CME or professional development funds toward the program. Payment plans are also available.
I barely have enough time now. How am I going to have time for this?
You don't have to come to every call, watch every recording, or do every exercise to get a lot out of Feel Better.
Come to the calls you can. Use the recordings when you need them. Come to your small group. Voxer me when something comes up.
If you feel like you have to do ALL of it for it to be worth doing, that's perfectionism.
You don't have to do this perfectly for it to be worth doing.
How do I know this will actually work for me?
You can't know for certain before you start.
I've coached more than 500 women physicians across specialties, career stages, and practice settings.
Feel Better is designed to help you apply the work to your own patients, job, relationships, decisions, and life.
And I take the financial risk away.
Come to the first four sessions. If you decide Feel Better isn't right for you, for any reason, email us and we'll refund your payment.
No proving you tried hard enough. No explaining yourself. No hoops.
You don't need certainty before you start.
You need to be able to feel uncertain and take action anyway.
That is courage.
I've tried therapy, books, productivity systems, and a million ways to get my charts done. How is this different?
Information probably isn't what you're missing.
Knowing what to do and being able to do it when your brain is screaming at you to do the opposite are two very different things.
That's what we practice in Feel Better.
You bring in what's actually happening with your patients, charts, work, relationships, and life, and we coach on it.
“This program was worth every penny. It has helped me make more strides on improving my self worth and mentality around work than years of therapy.” Feel Better participant
“More impactful for my work and home life than any intervention I have tried; about as life changing as starting Celexa” Feel Better participant
A few practical things
Because sometimes you just want the answer.
What exactly is included?
Feel Better is an 8-week live program with twice-weekly live coaching, optional weekly small-group coaching with a physician coach, and private 1:1 Voxer coaching with me between sessions.
You'll also get lifetime access to the Feel Better Vault with 60+ coaching replays and resources.
Your enrollment includes a private 1:1 negotiation session with me, a customized compensation report, and follow-up support. You can use that whenever the timing is right for you.
Feel Better also offers up to 30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Small-group coaching, Voxer coaching, and the negotiation session are all included. They are not add-ons.
Do I have to be coached in front of the whole group?
No.
You can volunteer to be coached on the larger calls, join the smaller weekly coaching groups, or use private Voxer coaching with me between sessions.
You can also just listen. There is a surprising amount of value in hearing another physician get coached on something you thought was only happening to you.
You never have to share anything you don't want to share.
Can I use CME or professional development funds?
Yes. Feel Better offers up to 30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and many physicians use CME or professional development funds toward the program.
I've put together resources you can use when requesting funding from your employer or institution.
Do you offer a payment plan?
Yes. You can pay $6,000 in full or four monthly payments of $1,500.
Both options include the complete Feel Better program.
I'm in Canada. Will this still be relevant to me?
Yes. Many Canadian physicians have done Feel Better and loved the program.
The details of practicing medicine are different in Canada, but the work we do in Feel Better translates across healthcare systems.
You can also receive credit for the program in Canada.
🇨🇦 Royal College fellows: Live sessions with an opportunity for discussion can be eligible for MOC Section 1 credit. Recorded sessions without discussion can be entered under MOC Section 2: Courses (asynchronous).
🇨🇦 CFPC members: You may claim up to 50 Mainpro+ certified credits per five-year cycle from AMA PRA Category 1 credits.
What if I join and realize it's not right for me?
Come to the first four sessions. If you decide Feel Better isn't right for you, for any reason, email us and we'll refund your full payment.
No proving you tried hard enough. No explaining yourself. No hoops to jump through.
Still have a question I didn't answer?
If there's something specific about your situation you want to talk through, I'm happy to help you decide whether Feel Better is the right fit.
Schedule a time to talk with meThe Fall 2026 Feel Better cohort runs October 21 through December 19.
Join the Fall Cohort
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Karen Leitner, MD. Pinnacle Conference, LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
How Physicians Get CME Funding for This Program
Work feels better, and my relationships are more fulfilling. I feel more confident than I have in years.
Dr. Frannie K · Pediatrics
December is coming either way.
By the nineteenth of December you will either be finishing the year the same way you started it, or finishing it with more work done, more evenings back, and a way of working that does not take so much away from the rest of your life.
You’ve put too much into this career for it to keep costing you this much.
Let’s make staying feel worth it.