In this episode, we welcome Dr. Sassy Weinstein, a physician whose career trajectory is a powerful blueprint for integrating specialties and prioritizing patient well-being. Dual board-certified in Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, with a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine, Dr. Weinstein treated high-level athletes for the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets, yet found her true calling for holistic care while on maternity leave. It was then she discovered lifestyle medicine, realizing its six pillars perfectly resonated with her passion for using food and exercise as medicine.
Dr. Weinstein opens up about the frustration of working within traditional, high-volume systems that forced new patient visits into rushed 15-minute increments. Driven to offer the time and care her patients deserved, she took an entrepreneurial leap, launching her own Direct Specialty Care practice. She shares the challenges and rewards of building a clinic from the ground up, where her initial consults now run for a revolutionary 60 minutes.
Through her innovative model, Dr. Weinstein details how she blends injury treatment with deep lifestyle coaching. She explains her process of setting small, highly specific, and attainable goals—from pulling up a patient's gym schedule to mapping out exact classes—emphasizing that consistency and sustainable change are the ultimate goals. This approach shifts the patient from being a passive recipient of care to an empowered, proactive partner in their own health journey.
By the end of this conversation, you will be inspired by Dr. Weinstein’s practical model for success, learning how to leverage networking, community engagement, and independence to transform your practice. She delivers essential advice for trainees looking to confidently integrate the principles of lifestyle medicine into any specialty, proving that when compassion meets competence, it’s possible to deliver the high-quality care that both patients and physicians deserve.
Learn more about Dr. Sassy Weinstein: https://coresportsmedicine.com/
Learn more about the work ACLM is doing for the next generation of healthcare professionals: https://lifestylemedicine.org/student/
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