Episode 38 - Our Ketamine Clinic Origin Story: From Hospital Employment to Independence
The complete behind-the-scenes journey of how Kim and Sam physicians transitioned from traditional medicine to building a successful ketamine practice while managing risks and resistance.
Making the jump from hospital employment to opening your own practice? We've been there, and we know it's terrifying.
When we first started talking about leaving our stable salaried hospital jobs to open a ketamine clinic back in 2018, everyone thought we were crazy. And honestly? Some days we wondered if they were right.
In this episode, we're sharing the real story behind Reset Ketamine and how Ketamine StartUp came to be. This isn't the polished version you see on LinkedIn - we're talking about the sleepless nights, the family members who didn't understand, the financial fears, and all the messy details that actually go into building something from scratch.
We'll walk you through our complete journey: why we left secure hospital positions, how we navigated the skepticism around ketamine therapy when it was still "experimental," the mistakes we made (there were many), and the strategic decisions that actually moved the needle.
If you're feeling stuck in traditional employment, curious about what it really takes to open a ketamine practice, or just wondering if entrepreneurship in healthcare is actually possible, this one's for you.
Fair warning: we're not holding anything back!
What You'll Gain in This Episode:
The Breaking Point: Sam's realization that he was "climbing a ladder against the wrong building" when offered a medical director promotion
The Five Types of Wealth: Why financial wealth alone wasn't enough to justify staying in traditional hospital employment
Social Pressure Paradox: Why colleagues asking "When will you open?" created both motivation and resistance
The Lean Launch Strategy: Starting with only four treatments while maintaining sustainability through minimal overhead
Strategic Risk Management: How they maintained safety nets while taking calculated entrepreneurial risks
👉 Note: Some links in these show notes are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the discussion on YouTube here.
Episode 38 show notes:
00:00 Teaser - Climbing the Wrong Ladder
00:23 Introduction
05:29 Why Leave and Start A Clinic
10:18 The Random Article That Sparked Everything
18:13 Breaking Out of the Shell
23:38 The Physician Safety Net
25:55 When Social Pressure Helps
40:35 From One Patient to Thousands
41:54 "You're Creating Competition!"
45:23 Skills That Transfer Everywhere
Thanks for listening
Selected Links From the Episode:
📙The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life by Sahil Bloom
📗The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
🍎Co-Active Training Institute (CTI)
🎙️Archetypes episode - Episode 5: Three Types Of People Who Open Up A Ketamine Clinic
📖 Blog Post - Why You Need A Strong Why To Start A Ketamine Clinic
Follow us on