LIMITLESS Leaders Podcast Series Season Five-Confidence & Conflict

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This podcast episode from the Limitless Leaders series, supported by Allergan Aesthetics and ASPS, features women plastic surgeons discussing confidence, conflict, resilience, leadership, and mentorship. The panelists share how many were drawn to surgery because it matched their personalities: decisive, hands-on, artistic, and drawn to immediate results. They discuss the challenges women surgeons face, including misogyny, unequal expectations, and the pressure to appear confident without seeming arrogant.<br /><br />A major theme is handling complications. The surgeons emphasize facing problems directly, following patients closely, learning from mistakes, and leaning on trusted colleagues for support. They note that women often internalize complications more deeply and therefore benefit from strong peer networks and mentorship.<br /><br />The conversation also explores work-life balance, the impact of family and hormones, and the reality that career paths are not linear. The surgeons stress that leadership is not limited to high-profile titles; it also includes mentoring trainees, running a practice well, serving on committees, and supporting others. Their overall message is that resilience is built through experience, humility, collaboration, and continuing to show up even during difficult times.

Keywords

women plastic surgeons

confidence and leadership

surgical complications

mentorship and peer support

resilience in medicine

work-life balance

gender bias in surgery

Allergan Aesthetics ASPS