Episode
How a Physician CMO Transformed Her Leadership by Unlearning Medicine's Biggest Lie || EP.225
- Published
- Nov 25, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 1889
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- https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/DHT8247801668.mp3?updated=1763646849
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Summary
"As a physician in training, we have been trained to believe that we are the leaders of every team. That we should know more than anyone in the room, or we must not be a good doctor. Throw that out." Dr. Saria Saccocio spent months during COVID not sleeping, trying to solve every problem herself while managing care for 1.3 million people. She was drowning under the weight of leadership until she had an epiphany that would fundamentally change how she leads: "Maybe I don't have to have all the answers myself. Perhaps I'm not the only one who comes up with solutions." That realization—that her medical training had actually taught her the wrong leadership model—became the foundation of her approach as Chief Medical Officer of Essence Healthcare. Five years later, she describes watching her team shift "from a brain drain to a recharge," becoming one of the most creative and innovative teams she's ever led. Dr. Saccocio's leadership philosophy centers on what she calls "let go and lead"—a mantra she returns to whenever anxiety creeps in. "Leading is not always directing," she explains. "Leading is inspiring, empowering and enabling everyone to sit at the table, speak up, show up, and do things. Build everyone else's confidence." After a year with Essence, she's most proud not of her own decisions but of "the work that they do, the creativity that they have now that they're working across swim lanes and doing things together." This approach hasn't just prevented burnout—it's unlocked innovation. From eliminating prior authorizations through physician collaboration to providing Oura rings to Medicare Advantage seniors, Essence Healthcare's solutions emerge from empowered teams, not top-down mandates. What makes Dr. Saccocio's perspective particularly powerful is her refusal t…