From Burnout to Building Dreams with Dr. Brittany Panico

If your business isn't working the way you expected, it's not because you're bad at business. It's because no one ever taught you how it actually works. We were trained to master algorithms in medicine, but when it comes to revenue teams and growth, we were never taught anything. We weren't even told to figure it out. We just assumed somehow we'd know. Like it would magically make sense. But it doesn't. The era of the seven Figure Physician CEO is here. And it's not about working harder. It's about learning entrepreneurship as a system. The same way you mastered ACLs and pals, you can master the algorithm of building a profitable scalable business. That's why I recorded the seven Figure Physician CEO audiobook. Whether you're building a medical or non medical business, and whether your goal is your first million, first 2 million, first 5 million, first 10 million, this is where the journey starts. There is no Calvary coming to save us. We are the Calvary.

So.

So go get your audiobook now. Www.entremd.com 7Figurebook. And let's rewrite the narrative for physicians starting today. Hi docs. Welcome to the Entre MD podcast where it's all about helping amazing physicians just like you embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms. I'm your host, Dr. Umna. Well, hello my friend. Welcome back to another episode of the On Tremd podcast. And as always, you are in for a treat. Now, one of the things that I believe is the greatest gift we can give the physician community is examples of what is possible. There are so many doctors who have not embraced entrepreneurship or have not up leveled their businesses or have thought like, I cannot build a seven figure eight figure business because we just don't see enough doctors doing it. And I love to showcase these examples because I know once we have enough examples, people are going to look around and say, yeah, I'm not doing that anymore. I'm not doing the status quo anymore. Like there's so much more available. And so today I have a treat because I was hosting a live workshop and Makeda, who is, you know, the one who runs my life, I just live it. She interviewed a number of doctors from the on trendy business school who are killing it and they got to share their stories in depth. Like I, there are so many things I hadn't even heard and I was so moved by it. And if I may be honest with you, I was really moved and I made a new commitment. Like what I've been saying. I'm going to say it louder, I'm going to say it bigger. I'm going to say it in more spaces. I'm going to support more people. I'm going to go out, you know, like, I'm going to go all out even more because I saw the tangible transformation in their lives on display. And so I am going to be sharing interviews with you, and I want you to, you know, lean in and listen and find yourself in the stories and hear about how they overcame difficulties and how you can do that, too. How they dreamt up something that didn't seem impossible. They did it. And you can do that, too. I want you to lean into it and just, you know, use this episode to create a big shift, like a quantum leap in your own life and in your own business. So enjoy the episode and I'll see you on the other side.

We have the amazing Dr. Pinico here to share with us. Tell us who you are and let us know more about you.

Hi. So I am Brittany Panico. I am a rheumatologist in Arizona in the Phoenix area. And I've been in EDS for a year. This is this month is my year anniversary. And I joined because of the Visibility Formula workshop as well. I kind of came across it happenstance. I think it was through Facebook or I sort of saw a post or something and recognized Dr. Una's name actually from Sunny Smith's program. So, again, kind of that coaching background. So I joined the workshop and it was sort of at a time in my life where I knew that I wasn't happy with where my career was going. So I was looking for a way to be different. I was looking for a way to set myself apart from my peers. So I followed her advice and I was working full time as well. I have three small children under the age of seven. My husband is an electrophysiologist working full time. The idea of stepping out of my comfort zone of literally showing up to work and seeing patients was very scary because of course, we all think, where can we find the time for this? Where is time going to appear? And I have a really close friend who opened his own dermatology practice and he really sort of helped me see what was possible in my own community, really understand, like, okay, I'm in an environment where private practice can be very successful. So he kind of planted the seed along with Dr. Una and EBS, to again be different, set myself apart. And that just got me thinking, maybe I could open my own practice. I was in my second Employed position. I came from Chicago, moved to Arizona during the pandemic, and was going through burnout a second time and thinking like, I can't live like this. I can't be in an environment where my ideas don't matter to my peers, my colleagues. My boss wasn't really in the picture. I think a lot of us who are employed sort of have a relationship where our physician boss is different than our clinic boss. So my clinic staff was not my own, and they didn't answer to me and they didn't really reciprocate the problems that I felt like needed solutions. So I just spun in this hamster wheel every single day thinking, how can I get myself out of this? And I was doing the public service loan forgiveness program. So I set myself a deadline. When my loans get forgiven, I'm out. I'm going to do what I want to do with my life. And that's my gift to myself. So it was perfect timing that I joined EBS while I was preparing for my last year of loan payments and use that opportunity to really practice and prepare myself for what I wanted to do. So I was employed. I had some restrictions based on my contract, but I sort of, under the surface, started a Facebook profile that is my Dr. Brittany Panico page. So not attached to my employment, but it was my platform where I did the videos, I did the work that EBS talks about. I built my brand, right, my Dr. Brittany Kiniko brand. Then went on Instagram. I got very active on LinkedIn and started building a network of people who would be able to recognize me once I decided to leave. So really worked on honing and practicing the skills that we go through in the business school. And like, I think, you know, the others have said, there aren't very many of us. There are a few, but there are not very many of us that do 100% of the work. It just is. If you work full time, part time, whatever, a lot of us will do 30% or. I was kind of one of the lurkers. I really laid low. I didn't engage very much in the beginning, but I did the work behind the scenes and I paid attention and I listened to what my classmates were doing and sort of. I have a million screenshots on my phone of posts that I've kept of like, I will come back to this. I want to remember this. So I built that data bank every month and did the work and filed it away until my loans were forgiven. And then I decided to open up my own practice. And I'M sort of in a unique position that I joined, so I am myself, but I joined two nurse practitioners to build an even bigger practice right away. So they're independent in my state, and collectively now we are a group. And it just sort of happened that that was kind of how it evolved for me. So my experience is a little bit different, but I'm still getting credentials. I'm not 100% up and running yet, but what I'm trying to say is I have the tools. I have the tools that have allowed me to be confident in building this vision that's bigger than what I could have ever imagined. And I learned that by surrounding myself with people who shared similar visions, who shared similar goals. Those people were far more important than the ones that were holding me back. And it really allowed me to separate from my colleagues who didn't want to change, who didn't want to do anything different, and just having that support and encouragement and confidence to be able to do something really daring. So I think now, when so many of us have either gone through burnout or we're in the midst of it, really understanding, okay, I'm doing something different. I'm doing something scary, and I'm not sure how to do it, but I'm in a group that will lift me up. I posted this week about tips on how to run a staff meeting, and I wasn't ashamed or embarrassed to ask that question because I knew there are so many great people who could give me different tips, and then I can take what I want from those tips and build how I want to run my meetings, right? So we talk about collaboration. We talk about ways that, you know, building something that fits your needs and using the ideas, the collective ideas of others to really build something amazing. And I think, too, as part of that, the more lives that I do, the more podcasts that I go on, the more conversations I have with people, it's really opened me up to being able to pivot in my own career, my own practice, and think, well, why am I not offering this to people? Why am I holding back? If I can offer this other service and potentially bill for it, that is revenue for me. That is something that I don't need corporate approval to be able to do. I can just decide that I want to do it. So I met with a founder from an app, a technology company, this morning about how to build an app for remote monitoring for rheumatology patients. And I never would have had the courage to seek that out or to ask, who can we come up with a solution for these patients. Just having the confidence to say, I'm a leader, I'm a thought leader in my field and I want to make a difference. Who out there on LinkedIn or wherever, Doximity, who out there can help connect me to somebody that can help? So responding to posts that I would have never had the courage to respond to, having a voice on a platform I would have never engaged in, and really just being somebody who isn't afraid to voice those things. And I think a lot of us, Dr. Una really spoke, we all kind of think like she's speaking directly to us. And it's true. Her talking about being an introverted introvert, like that was me. I was so much, I'm so much more comfortable as a listener and a lurker. But I've learned through her and through the EBS school that look at what we can accomplish if we grow, if we take those challenges and really try to, you know, practice these tools. So networking, I would have never been somebody who goes to, you know, optional networking things just to meet people and hear what they have to say. And, you know, I've really helped connect other people into fields that they had no idea were connected with their specialty. So it really is just a powerful network of helping each other realize what we're capable of. And then when you think you reach that level, we go to the next level. Right. Like, I can do even more than that. And just like how medicine is, you know, muscle memory to us. Right. You know, we heard about that as well. And so now the business stuff is starting to become a muscle memory tool. And that's even a year. I haven't even been doing it very long. And I've, you know, I'm reaching for business related books to listen to on my commute. I'm reaching for, you know, what else? What are my gaps that I can then go learn how to do this thing. So, you know, we talk about learning how to use Instagram and things like that. Like we can outsource a lot of that. Sure. But I'm not somebody who, I'm not at a place where I'm doing that yet. And I think that's okay.

Right?

We encourage that and we talk about that, but it's also okay to learn the skill yourself and be able to do it. And then when you get to a place that you can outsource it. So, you know, we're all different backgrounds, we're all different levels of our career, all different levels of building. And I think it's Just so powerful that we come together and help each other meet those goals and really celebrate those successes, but then help each other through those troughs. We've had classmates who are very vulnerable in expressing their struggles, and collectively, people have come up with ideas that help them through that. Right. So it's just so powerful to be able to be in a community that literally is no judgment, because it's all about, how can we be better together? Because we're all part of ebs. So, you know, we kind of talk about, well, where have we gone from here? So my biggest takeaway, or at least my experiences, I had the courage to leave a place that I did not feel valued, and rather than be a cog in the wheel, decided my voice is different and I no longer align with the values of this organization. I will never forget one of our topics one day, that we were one of our classes, that we were sharing things. I forget who it was, but I just remember somebody saying during the negotiating phase that no is a complete sentence. Like, I'm making this statement and I'm not negotiating. So when I sat down with my boss to give my resignation, I did it in person. And he looked at me and said, you know, I'd like you to reconsider what you're saying. And I said, no, thank you. I'm Brazil. I'm giving you my resignation. I didn't explicitly say there is no negotiation, but I did not waiver. It didn't look like I was. It was a question. I said, I vision my career going in a different direction, and I'm here to let you know that I will no longer be here 90 days from now. So having that courage to sit down and just say no, you know, we're people pleasers, I think, a lot of times, because we're helpers and caretakers, but having the courage to be confident and not let someone else in an authoritative position persuade you to change your mind. We are the authority. We're the authority of what's in here. Just being at a place where you feel you can stand up for yourself and you can determine if something isn't working and how you're going to pivot those changes. I mean, I can't even put a price tag to that feeling of empowerment. So one of my biggest things with BBS is just the empowerment and feeling that I'm worth the ideas and the decisions that I'm making. And that's, again, it's priceless, really. So I know a lot of people have a question about the price and I don't think I've really ever shared this within eds, but my trick, which is a little. My husband laughs at me. But I set aside more money in taxes to be able to get a refund. So I kind of subconsciously just stack away a little bit extra every year. So I use my tax refund to pay for ebs. So I know we're kind of in that tax period. But if you're thinking like, I would love to do this, but I just am not in a financial place to do it at the moment. Maybe just set aside an extra amount of money into your tax account every year and that way you get a nice check back and can then put that into evs. That is how I pay for evs. I don't know if that makes sense to anybody. Again, my husband doesn't exactly agree with me, but again, that's what I feel works for my decision making. For those of you that think again, I want to be a part of this community and I just don't know how to do it. I can't work extra. Right. If I'm salaried, I can't make more money. I can't make it come out of somewhere. If you can just stash it away a little bit without realizing it, then it will come back to you.

Thank you so much for sharing that and thank you for sharing your story, Dr. Pinico.

It's.

It's fabulous to know that you've had this complete transformation in a year. Like, when you see yourself, don't you see that, like, I'm a different person? Like, who is?

I literally am. I. And I had straight hair a year ago. I still do straighten it, but I literally, like, had the courage to start wearing my hair curly. So I do feel like a different person. I feel like the feeling that I have, the mindset that I have has allowed me to take chances in other areas of my life that, again, I held back because I thought other people wanted something different from me. That doesn't matter anymore. You know, it's what I want for myself and my family and. And what I envision my career to be like. Yeah. Yes.

And I'm so grateful that you are part of this community because the things that are happening in your life now, I don't want to say they wouldn't have happened, but it's.

It wouldn't have.

Yeah, it wouldn't have happened if had you not been in the community. Because the community actually supports you when you have crazy ideas or when you have ideas to do things. Outside of the box, you need a community of people that are there, like.

Yeah, you can do it.

Oh, my goodness, you were great. You know, you need that because the rest of the world doesn't necessarily feel that way. They're not feeling your vision. They're not necessarily understanding your vision, you know, so you. When you have that safe place where you can be yourself and you can be vulnerable, and when you can tell fear to take a back seat, then, like you said, Dr. Pinico is absolutely priceless. Thank you so much for sharing.

Thank you.

And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed that interview as much as I did. And so what I want you to do now is really, I want you to take action. You know, there's something some aha moments that you got some decisions that you made. I want you to take action on those. And I really would love for you to share this with the doctors in your life. You can take a screenshot of this, share your aha, put it on Facebook, tag us, hashtag ENTRE md. You can share it one on one with the physicians that you really love and say, oh, my goodness, you have to listen to this episode. Why? Because we are the Calvary and together we are changing medicine. So thank you so much for listening. Share this with another doctor and I'll see you on the next episode of the entremdy podcast. Hey, if you love listening to the Entre MD podcast, I want to invite you to join Entre MD on Demand. It is my signature subscription program that gives you access to to a library of business courses designed to help you do one thing as a physician entrepreneur, and that is to thrive. Just head out to entreand.com ondemand and I'd love to have you join us. See you on the inside.