229 {ENCORE} How Hypervigilance Can Ruin Your Career

Being "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.