Inside The Doctor's Lounge

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Leif Dahleen, the original Physician on Fire. They discuss: – The intentional trajectory Dr. Dahleen took after discovering he was financially independent – The decision to leave clinical medicine – The decision to sell his very successful side gig – What life looks like for Dr. Dahleen after retirement, and whether he has any regrets – Why financial independence is so powerful for physicians in this healthcare landscape, regardless of if you want to retire This episode is sponsored by our partners at DocUpdate, whose mission is to better connect clinicians, patients, and industry partners with intelligent tools that accelerate access to therapy. DocUpdate is a free, HIPAA-compliant app built by physicians to help clinicians move faster and get patients treated sooner with instant e-prescribing, a medical translator, and direct access to pharma support, all in one place. Learn more or download the app at DocUpdate.io or by tapping this link https://docupdate.onelink.me/j4xR/rjbcpy7c Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Alex Oshmyansky, co-founder and CEO of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs. They discuss: – How Dr. Oshmyansky started Cost Plus Drugs through the Y-Combinator startup accelerator program (and investors thoughts on investing in doctors!) – Juggling practicing as a radiologist with scaling a company, especially before the company was profitable – Advice for physicians who see a problem they want to solve, and why physicians make the best entrepreneurs in healthcare! – Looking ahead to the future of Cost Plus Drugs, and how it will continue to disrupt the pharma industry This episode is sponsored by our partners at UpToDate. Thanks to our collaboration with Wolters Kluwer, Physician Side Gigs professional members can save 15%, and resident members can save 20% on an annual or longer subscription to UpToDate.* Visit store.uptodate.com to subscribe by 3/31/2026. Professionals, use code PODP, and residents, use code PODR to take advantage of your member savings at checkout at https://store.uptodate.com/ Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Linda Anegawa, Former Chief Medical Officer of Noom They discuss: – Recognizing your worth as a physician when navigating various health tech roles, and asking for appropriate compensation – How to stay true to your role as a physician in putting the patient first, and what to do when that comes into conflict with the needs of a business – The evolution of physician involvement in health tech, from basically non existent to increasing daily – The importance of leaning into your network and speaking with experienced colleagues when exploring the space – How obesity medicine got its foot in the health tech arena This episode is sponsored by our partners at DocUpdate, whose mission is to better connect clinicians, patients, and industry partners with intelligent tools that accelerate access to therapy. DocUpdate is a free, HIPAA-compliant app built by physicians to help clinicians move faster and get patients treated sooner with instant e-prescribing, a medical translator, and direct access to pharma support, all in one place. Learn more or download the app at DocUpdate.io or by tapping this link https://docupdate.onelink.me/j4xR/rjbcpy7c Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Pedja Stojicic, Executive Director of People Power Health. They discuss: – How to move from individual frustration to collective action for real change in healthcare – How they have been able to successfully enact legislation in physician led campaigns against things like prior authorization – The pros and cons of physicians unionizing, and when it’s most effective – How doctors can get past the argument that they don’t have time for advocacy – What clinicians underestimate about their own power, and how they can use it without becoming full-time activists or political operators This episode is sponsored by our partners at UpToDate. Thanks to our collaboration with Wolters Kluwer, Physician Side Gigs professional members can save 15%, and resident members can save 20% on an annual or longer subscription to UpToDate.* Visit store.uptodate.com to subscribe by 3/31/2026. Professionals, use code PODP, and residents, use code PODR to take advantage of your member savings at checkout at https://store.uptodate.com/ Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

Inside the Doctor’s Lounge is a podcast by the Physician Side Gigs team, hosted by Dr. Nisha Mehta, which showcases popular topics from our online communities of over 220,000 physicians. We interview clinicians, healthcare innovators, and other experts about health innovation, entrepreneurship, things somebody probably should’ve taught us in medical school, and other topics that impact the future of healthcare. 

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Travis Zack, Chief Medical Officer at OpenEvidence. They discuss: Dr. Zack’s path to becoming CMO at one of the fastest growing health tech companies in the country, and the experience that made him the right fit How AI can augment the way physicians practice and the way medicine is taught (and why AI isn’t going to replace doctors) The value physician advisors bring to the table, and how to get these positions The future of OpenEvidence Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! Learn more about OpenEvidence at openevidence.com. This episode is sponsored by our mortgage lenders directory at Physician Side Gigs. If you’re a physician looking to buy your first home out of training, purchase a new home, or refinance your existing mortgage, we’ve curated a list of physician loan & conventional loan lenders who work specifically with doctors and who were recommended by members in our communities. Find lenders in your state by visiting https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/mortgage-lenders-for-physicians

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Rasu Shrestha, Chief Innovation Officer & Executive VP at Advocate Health. They discuss: – The importance of intentionality in creating a thriving innovation ecosystem, using The Pearl in Charlotte as an example – His pathway to executive leadership positions within large healthcare organizations as a physician – Using challenges in healthcare as opportunities to make impact – Running toward passion versus running from burnout – The importance of discomfort, mentorship, and disruption when seeking growth Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is sponsored by the Physician Side Gigs financial advisor database. If you’re looking for help building and executing a financial plan as you navigate your careers, we’ve built a financial advisor database based on recommendations from members of our community to help you connect with professionals nationwide at https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/financialadvisors.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Drs. Poorvi Chordia and Abraham Thomas. They discuss: – Starting and scaling their premium tea company while continuing to work clinically and raise young children – The financials of a product based side gig, including startup costs, marketing, and how long it took to break even – Navigating outsourcing tasks & liability concerns as doctors – Going into business together as a married couple, & including your kids in the family business – Lessons learned along the way, both expected and unexpected! If you want to check out their teas, go to www.herbsandkettles.com and use our affiliate code PSG15 for 15% off! This episode is sponsored by Abridge, who is also sponsoring our Clinician Innovators Program at the ViVE 2026 health tech conference in Los Angeles this Sunday. If you’re a clinician, please join us from 2:30-5:30 for dedicated networking and panel discussions with colleagues on topics relevant to clinicians in tech.  Abridge is an industry leading enterprise-grade AI platform that transforms medical conversations into clinically useful and billable documentation at the point of care, reducing administrative burden and clinician burnout while improving patient experience. For more information, please visit: www.abridge.com. Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Neel Shah, CMO, Maven Clinic.  They discuss: – How Dr. Shah transitioned from a very academic, clinical, and public health focused role to a CMO for a rapidly growing startup – What the role of a Chief Medical Officer at a startup entails, and how it changes as the startup takes off, and what skills you need to acquire – How virtual health, wearables, and direct to consumer healthcare are going to radically change the way we deliver healthcare – How a CMO sets the ethos of a healthcare company, but the importance of the expertise non-clinicians bring to disrupt a sclerotic system – Big changes he foresees in the public discourse on healthcare in 2026 This episode is sponsored by our partners at DocUpdate, whose mission is to better connect clinicians, patients, and industry partners with intelligent tools that accelerate access to therapy. DocUpdate is a free, HIPAA-compliant app built by physicians to help clinicians move faster and get patients treated sooner with instant e-prescribing, a medical translator, and direct access to pharma support, all in one place. Learn more or download the app at DocUpdate.io or by tapping this link https://docupdate.onelink.me/j4xR/rjbcpy7c Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!