Hello, my friend.

If you are a physician, coach, or high achiever who has ever wondered whether it is possible to leave a career you worked your whole life for and actually land somewhere better, this episode is for you. In this conversation, I sit down with my dear friend Dr. Manuela Powell, a former cancer surgeon turned entrepreneur and founder of Doctors Pivot, who helps physicians and professionals build online businesses without the overwhelm of figuring out all the tech and systems on their own. Manuela is also a devoted West Coast swing dancer, a mom of two boys, and someone who has built a life that is unapologetically designed around joy.

This conversation goes deep. We talk about what it actually means to feel all your emotions, why allowing sadness is the doorway to more intense joy, and how Manuela's experiences with her father's cancer and a dear friend's metastatic breast cancer diagnosis shaped her philosophy around emotional permission. We also talk about the practical side of pivoting: why putting financial pressure on a brand new business is a trap, how to use your current job as a runway, and why knowing what you want your life to look like has to come before you choose what work to do next. And we close with Manuela's most non-negotiable joy practice — partner dance — and why she considers it her antidepressant.

In this episode you will learn:

Why accepting difficult emotions is the key to feeling more joy, not less
What "don't say at least" means and why it matters for anyone supporting someone through hardship
How Manuela identified four non-negotiables that shaped the business she built after medicine
Why premature financial dependency on a new business creates burnout instead of freedom
How to use your current job as a runway while you build something new
Why dance is one of the most evidence-backed tools for mental health and how to find your own version of it

Resources & Mentions

Doctors Pivot — https://www.doctorspivot.com

Physician Coaching Summit Playback Series — https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com/podcast/

Connect with Manuela Powell

Website — https://www.doctorspivot.com

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/drmanuelapowell/

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/thedoctorspivot/

Linkedin— https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmanuelapowell/

Stay Connected

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd

Website — https://www.solvingforjoy.com

For Physician Coaches

Physician Coaching Collective — https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.com

Physician Coaching Summit — https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com

Music by Denys Kyshchuk (AudioCoffee): https://www.audiocoffee.net

What Joy Actually Looks Like: Dance, Pivoting, Entrepreneurship, and Feeling It All