When Fear Means You’re Going the Right Way with Dr. Brooke Stubbs

Guest Episode 5: When Fear Means You’re Going the Right Way with Dr. Brooke Stubbs In this episode, Ashlee sits down with longtime friend Dr. Brooke Stubbs, founder of Rooted Femme, a women's concierge medicine practice in Austin, TX. Brooke opens up about the dermatology residency she didn't get, the years of imposter syndrome that followed, and how a string of "failures" (a business that flopped, a stalled fertility journey) became the exact path that led her to build a practice rooted in autonomy, faith, and self-trust. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN * Why being passed over for her dream residency ended up redirecting Brooke toward the right path * How she pushed through years of imposter syndrome and the messy middle * Why "you only fail if you quit" isn't just a mindset, it's a strategy * How lifestyle medicine and stress reduction reshaped her approach to patient care and her own fertility journey * Why fear is often a signal pointing toward the next right move, not away from it * What it actually takes to raise capital and expand a service-based business Brooke and Ashlee go back over a decade, and this conversation has the ease of two old friends catching up while also unpacking real turning points: a residency rejection that felt like heartbreak at the time, an app and a business that failed, and the moment she stopped trying to prove herself to the people who doubted her. What emerges is a leader who trusts the setbacks were redirection, who invests in her own dream instead of someone else's, and who is now working toward Sante House, an expanded health spa concept in Austin. KEY MOMENTS * (00:00) The ER story, and the core memory that started it all * (00:41) The derm residency Brooke didn't get, and the heartbreak that followed * (06:02) Navigating the messy middle and imposter syndrome * (09:37) Inside Rooted Femme, and what lifestyle medicine actually is * (11:48) Her own fertility journey, endometriosis, and how lifestyle medicine changed the outcome * (19:00) Her son's health scare, and seeing the bigger plan in hindsight * (19:50) "You can't fail unless you quit" — reframing failed ventures as part of the process * (26:39) Why fear is the signal to keep going, not stop * (28:08) Raising capital for expansion, and getting twenty no's before the yes CALL TO ACTION If you're leading a team and want to build the kind of culture that protects people instead of breaking them down, learn more about Ashlee's leadership workshops here: 🔗 https://www.rxashlee.com/executive-team-workshops ABOUT ASHLEE Ashlee is a leadership strategist and executive workshop facilitator who helps teams communicate with clarity so decisions move forward and performance improves. She works with founders, operators, and leadership teams to build simple, repeatable systems that strengthen alignment, ownership, and execution under pressure. ABOUT DR. BROOKE STUBBS Dr. Brooke Stubbs is the founder of Rooted Femme, a women's concierge medicine practice in Austin, TX. Board certified in internal medicine with an additional certification in lifestyle medicine, Brooke and her team offer a one-stop approach to women's health, from primary care and hormone replacement therapy to medical weight loss and aesthetics. She is currently working to expand her practice into Sante House, a broader health spa concept in Austin. * Website: rootedfemme.com * Instagram: @brookiestubbsmd * TikTok: @brookiestubbsmd KEYWORDS women's concierge medicine, Rooted Femme, Dr. Brooke Stubbs, lifestyle medicine, hormone replacement therapy, medical weight loss, fertility and endometriosis, imposter syndrome, leadership podcast