Podcast
Your Unapologetic Career® Podcast
Hosted by Kemi Doll · EN
Are you ready to become the CEO of your career? Join Kemi Doll – physician, surgeon, researcher, coach, and career strategist – as she guides you on the journey to transform your academic life, so that you can channel your ideas, passions, and skills into a successful and nourishing career. In each episode, she’ll be taking a deep dive into one CORE growth strategy so you can gain confidence and effectiveness in pursuing the dream career in academic medicine that you worked so hard to achieve. Tune in for an always authentic, sometimes a little raw, but unapologetically empowering word. Learn more at www.kemidoll.com.
18episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
236 The Red Flag To Watch For When Leaving Academic Medicine
1w ago00:20:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Kemi explores the changing landscape of academic medicine and public health, highlighting why professionals in these fields crave more variety. She tackles a common myth that leaving academia for a new path is simply an easy escape. Kemi points out that while the temptation to find an easier route is strong, true fulfillment takes hard work and a clear understanding of your personal goals. Listen in to discover how to question traditional structures and find ways to pursue your passions both inside and outside of the medical field. This episode is a great reminder that while making a career change can be intimidating, it often leads to deep satisfaction when you take deliberate, focused action. Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →235 Mothers, Wounds, and High Achievers
2w ago00:13:54Tap to summarizeUsing her own childhood as a starting point, Kemi considers how emotional warmth, safety, and nurturing continue to shape high-achieving women, especially Black women. This episode invites you to think honestly about the experiences that shaped you, how those experiences show up today, and what it looks like to build something different for the next generation. Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →234 The Step Past Asking for Help
3w ago00:20:16Tap to summarizeMany high achievers know they need to ask for help. But what happens after you've started reaching out and still find yourself feeling disappointed? In this episode, Kemi reflects on a season that required her to ask for more support than ever before. She shares how those experiences challenged some of her assumptions about relationships, community, and what support actually looks like in practice. If you've ever wondered why asking for help can feel so vulnerable or why people's responses don't always match your expectations, this conversation offers a thoughtful perspective that may change the way you approach support, both in your career and in your life. Check out Dr. Kemi's new column: NEJM Voices Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing Join the waitlist for the January 2027 Get That Grant® cohort: www.kemidoll.com/gtgwaitlist. If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →233 {BONUS} This Womb, This Woman: Inspired by A Terrible Strength
4w ago00:08:26Tap to summarizeAs a special companion to A Terrible Strength, Kemi shares an original poem by master poet, playwright, storyteller, theatre producer, and cultural architect Hannah Hasan. This poem was directly inspired by the powerful, personal stories and truths shared in A Terrible Strength. Take a quiet moment and let this poem hold space for what so many Black women have carried. Credit: Hannah Hasan | Instagram: @iamhannahhasan Hannah Hasan is a master poet, playwright, storyteller, theatre producer, and cultural architect whose work lives at the intersection of truth, memory, and communal liberation. For over two decades, she has written, documented, performed, and archived the true narratives of underrepresented communities. Mentioned Epoch Tribe Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing Join the waitlist for the January 2027 Get That Grant® cohort: www.kemidoll.com/gtgwaitlist. If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →232 Book Tour Reflections - Audiences, Surprises, and the Problematic Tour Narrative
4w ago00:23:54Tap to summarizeFresh off her 11-city book tour, Kemi is looking back at the personal revelations and unexpected lessons she gathered along the way. With the upcoming Essence Fest and Martha’s Vineyard Black Book Festival stops, she unpacks why real-world audience connection matters just as much as hitting sales numbers. In this conversation, Kemi answers listener questions from Instagram about how she navigates talks with everyone from patients to clinicians. You will also hear about the tour's most surprising, healing moments. Ultimately, this episode shows the power of designing intentional experiences and nurturing your professional passions. Listen now for Kemi’s real-world advice on building meaningful connections in your own career journey. Mentioned Episode 230 - Preparing for the Season You Say You Want: Dr. Kemi Doll on Academic Writing Amplified Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing Join the waitlist for the January 2027 Get That Grant® cohort: www.kemidoll.com/gtgwaitlist. If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →231 {ENCORE} How to Use Procrastination Effectively
Jun 2300:31:31Tap to summarizeIn this encore episode, Kemi challenges the hustle culture belief that you have to work yourself to exhaustion to succeed. Instead of a typical productivity lecture, we are looking at how to use strategic procrastination to your advantage. Procrastination gets a bad reputation, but it can actually protect your creativity and reduce unnecessary stress. This is not an excuse to put everything off. It is about knowing exactly when to wait so you can break the cycle of last-minute panic without dropping your high standards. Tune in to learn how to handle talk slides, abstract submissions, and SOPs without sacrificing your sanity or your standards. Applications for the July 2026 Get That Grant® cohort have been extended through Tuesday, June 23 at 11:59 PM PST. If you've been considering GTG, this is your final opportunity to apply for the July 2026 cohort. Participants also receive immediate access to Writing for Excellence: Persuasive Scientific Writing, Kemi's newest training for writing clear, persuasive, and competitive grant proposals and manuscripts—giving you a repeatable process you can use throughout your career. Submit your application here. Not quite ready? Join the waitlist for the January 2027 cohort: www.kemidoll.com/gtgwaitlist If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →230 Preparing for the Season You Say You Want: Dr. Kemi Doll on Academic Writing Amplified
Jun 1600:46:05Tap to summarizeIn this week’s episode of Your Unapologetic Career, Kemi brings you an encore conversation with Cathy Mazak of the Academic Writing Amplified podcast about her new book, A Terrible Strength, and the journey of moving from physician, researcher, and professor to debut author. Kemi pulls back the curtain on the writing and publishing process, from developing the book proposal to finding the right agent, building a writing team, protecting time to write, and preparing for the full-time work of promoting the book. This conversation is a grounded look at what it means to bet on yourself, prepare for the season you say you want, and trust that big dreams are worth the hard work they require. Check out Cathy’s podcast: Academic Writing Amplified Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →229 {ENCORE} How Hypervigilance Can Ruin Your Career
Jun 900:55:26Tap to summarizeBeing "First, Only, Different" in academic medicine and public health forces us to stay incredibly sharp. We have to remain alert just to ensure we aren’t shortchanged on resources, pay, or structural support. But over time, this defensive mindset creeps into areas where it doesn’t belong. When you are constantly on guard at your institution, you naturally start fixating on what everyone else is doing with their research, funding, and careers. It is an exhausting trap. In this encore episode, Kemi breaks down why this happens and how staying in survival mode is quietly derailing your peace of mind and your progress toward a sustainable career. Applications are now open for the July 2026 cohort of Get That Grant®. The wait is over! If you've been thinking about joining us and are ready to get clear on what matters most for your career and build a strategy that reflects that clarity, now is the time. This is our final cohort before 2027. Apply here. If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Mentioned: New England Journal of Medicine Article: Structural Solutions for the Rarest of the Rare — Underrepresented-Minority Faculty in Medical SubspecialtiesText Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →228 Doctor to Doctor: A Black OBGYN Reacts to A Terrible Strength with The Lady Parts Doctor
Jun 200:34:56Tap to summarizeIn this week’s episode of Womb Wisdom, we bring you an episode with Dr. Stephanie Hack, MD/MPH, FACOG - host of The Lady Parts Doctor Podcast - who spoke with Kemi about reading her new book and her reaction as a Black woman and an OBGYN. They cover uterine cancer, Black women’s health, and the importance of advocating for better medical care. The conversation challenges the "strong woman" archetype that leads to ignoring symptoms, offering advice on how to truly listen to one’s body and demand quality care. Check out Dr. Hack’s podcast: The Lady Parts Doctor Order Dr. Kemi’s Book: A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing See Dr. Kemi on tour: Dr. Kemi is on book tour —bringing this conversation directly to our communities through live readings, real talk, and fantastic co-hosts!! If she’s coming to your city, come be in the room. Bring someone you love. ➡️ View the full tour and get tickets Text Dr. Kemi directly.
Transcribe →227 {ENCORE} Nonsense Disguised as Early Career Advice
May 2600:41:43Tap to summarizeIn this encore episode, Kemi looks at the nonsense fed to early-career faculty in academic medicine and public health, especially women of color, passed off as good advice. While most of it is just harmless chatter, some of these comments actually do damage. They stick with you, get under your skin, and hold you back. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of these toxic tips, consider this replay your reality check and your reset button. Let’s dive in. Applications are now open for the July 2026 cohort of Get That Grant®. Apply here. If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. Text Dr. Kemi directly.
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