Part 2: Action Brings Clarity

What happens when burnout pushes physicians toward innovative, autonomous careers?

In this Echo Episode, Dr. Andrea Austin continues her conversation with Dr. Kim Chan Co,  to speak about her journey from ophthalmology to launching Reset Ketamine in Palm Springs. Kim discusses supporting her husband Sam’s shift from ER medicine to ketamine infusions, the clinic’s focus on treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety, and chronic pain, and the business challenges of starting a private practice. She emphasizes intentional use of ketamine, collaborative care, and the importance of “set and setting” to minimize risks like emergence phenomena or addiction.

You’ll hear how they:

• Explore ketamine’s evolution from ER staple to therapeutic tool for mood disorders and chronic pain ·
• Discuss managing patient expectations, emergencies, and addiction risks in a clinic setting 
•  Share strategies for physicians considering their own ketamine clinics, including market research and business planning
•  Inspire action amid burnout through small steps, clarity on values, and trying new paths

If you’re a physician facing burnout or envisioning entrepreneurial ventures in medicine, this episode offers practical advice and motivational insights for reclaiming autonomy and purpose.

About the Guest:

“Action brings clarity.” – Dr. Kim Chan ko

Dr. Kim Chan Ko is a board-certified ophthalmologist, diplomat of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and co-founder of Ketamine Startup, an online course teaching physicians to open ketamine infusion clinics. After years as creative director of Reset Ketamine in Palm Springs, CA, alongside her emergency physician husband, Kim stepped away from academic ophthalmology to pursue a path aligned with her passions for patient education, mentorship, and innovative healthcare. Her journey through burnout and coaching has shaped her mission to help physicians find clarity and build fulfilling careers.

📍 Connect with Kim
Website: https://www.ketaminestartup.com

Instagram: @resetketamine (https://www.instagram.com/resetketamine?igsh=eDE3YnRtZXQyeDF6)  
Personal Instagram: @dr.kimberlyco (https://www.instagram.com/drkimberlyko?igsh=ZXZqdmlicDJmOGEw)

📚 Resources + Mentions

• 🔗 Reset Ketamine: https://resetketamine.com · 
• 🔗 Ketamine Startup: https://ketaminestartup.com · 
• 🔗 Free Business Plan Template: https://ketaminestartup.com/revitalizingdoctor · 
• 🔗 American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists & Practitioners: https://askp.org ·
• 🔗 PHQ-9 and Beck Depression Inventory (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25155813/) (mentioned for patient monitoring)

🔑 Top 3 Key Takeaways

• Ketamine as Therapy: When used intentionally in a supportive “set and setting,” IV ketamine infusions can effectively treat refractory depression, PTSD, anxiety, and chronic pain with low addiction risk under supervision. 
• Starting a Clinic: Research your market via directories like ASKP.org, clarify your “why,” and use resources like business plan templates to navigate administrative challenges for greater autonomy. ·
• Overcoming Burnout: Take small, actionable steps toward change—action brings clarity. Explore new paths, align with your values, and don’t fear trying (and pivoting from) ideas to find contentment.

🩺 About the Host:

Dr. Andrea Austin is a board-certified emergency physician, educator, and passionate advocate for system-level change in healthcare. As the creator and host of Heartline: Changemaking in Healthcare, Dr. Austin brings curiosity, compassion, and bold honesty to conversations with leaders who are challenging the norms and reshaping medicine from the inside out.

With decades of experience in high-pressure clinical environments, Andrea has seen firsthand the cracks in the system—and the people working to repair them. Whether she’s mentoring residents, speaking on national stages, or recording with a fellow disruptor, she centers one theme: change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens heart to heart.

💫 About the Show:

Heartline: Changemaking in Healthcare isn’t just a podcast—it’s a pulse check on what’s possible.

Hosted by emergency physician and educator Dr. Andrea Austin, Heartline features conversations with healthcare leaders, innovators, and quiet disruptors who are challenging the way things have always been done.

Each episode explores real stories of change—from redefining leadership and communication, to reimagining systems built on burnout and hierarchy. This is a space for truth-telling, for asking better questions, and for reconnecting with the reason we all got into medicine in the first place: to make it better.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress—with heart.

 

 

🎓 Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• 🔥 ⁠⁠Recalibrate: Group Coaching for Physicians⁠⁠

Starting  2026, I’ll be co-leading Recalibrate with psychologist and coach Sharee Johnson. This 6-month group coaching…