18. When Resistance Shows Up: 3 Patterns Every Physician Entrepreneur Should Know

Ever notice how the moment you decide to pursue something meaningful, your brain suddenly launches a full-scale protest? You set a goal… and fear, frustration, or anger appears uninvited, announcing, “We live here now.”

That’s resistance. And it has a talent for turning simple tasks (like plugging in a podcast microphone…) into what feels like a NASA-level engineering challenge. But resistance isn’t always the enemy. Sometimes it’s your subconscious waving a flag saying, “Slow down and look closer,” or “This matters more than you realize.”

In this post, we’ll explore the three types of resistance that most often show up for physician entrepreneurs and how to understand what each one is trying to tell you.

Resistance Isn't the Problem… It's the Message

Most entrepreneurs assume resistance means they need to power through, that it's simply a test of willpower. But I've found that resistance is actually information. It’s a signal from your subconscious that something needs your attention.

Over years of working with physician CEOs, I've noticed three distinct patterns of resistance, each with its own emotional signature and message.

Type 1: Resistance to Risk (Fear)

This version of resistance usually shows up wearing fear as its name tag. It feels like a pit in the stomach or a heavy weight that seems to pull your entire body down. 

So when I work with clients experiencing fear, I ask them one simple question: "If fear were a person, what would it tell you right now?" The answer is almost always the same: fear wants them to slow down and assess the situation more carefully.

What's interesting is that sometimes fear is absolutely right. There is danger ahead, and you shouldn't just boldly charge forward. I believe in respecting what our emotions tell us, but also conversing with them to understand the logic behind each feeling.

Sometimes when we dig deeper, we discover that childhood experiences are influencing present-day decisions. The fear made sense then, but may not apply to the current situation. Once we unpack this, my clients can look at their situation with a fresh perspective.

The goal isn't to eliminate fear or always obey it. It's to develop what I call a "healthy respect for fear." Look it in the eye, listen to what it has to say, and then make an informed decision about whether to proceed.

Type 2: Resistance to Growth (Frustration and Irritability)

The emotion that shows up with this type of resistance is often frustration or irritability that seems disproportionate to the situation.

The message? "You're about to level up. This discomfort means you're growing."

Behind resistance to growth are stacks and stacks of assumptions and beliefs you've held for so long, they've become rock-hard parts of your foundational belief system.

Part of my job supporting entrepreneurs is helping them go through their closet of assumptions and clean it out once in a while. We examine which assumptions still serve them and which ones they want to swap out for new beliefs.

Here’s a personal example…

Five years ago, I would never have been caught dead on TikTok or doing a podcast. I had strong opinions about the type of people who went on social media, the training needed to do a podcast, and the technical skills required. It felt absolutely impossible.

But slowly, my perspective shifted. I knew I was ready when I started arguing with other people about how I shouldn't do it. There's a saying: "The darkest hour is right before dawn." That's exactly what resistance to growth feels like: peak irritability right before a major transformation.

When I started this podcast over the summer, everything was irritating. I couldn't figure out my microphone, didn't know how to save or edit files, things crashed and had to be redone. I was intolerable to be around (my family can attest). But in the back of my mind, I knew this irritability meant I was in growth mode.

It's uncomfortable growing. There I was, a midlife woman with a successful career, struggling to use a microphone to record a podcast. Part of me was throwing a temper tantrum saying, "I was done with this admin stuff a decade ago!"

But the reality was I wanted to do this work. I wanted to engage with my audience because the need is so great. So when you're stuck in resistance to growth, you have to tap back into your why. That's what gives you the energy and motivation to keep going. And eventually, you get to the other side where it's no longer a big deal.

Type 3: Resistance to Injustice (Anger)

This form of resistance shows up dressed as anger. It signals that a boundary is being crossed or a core value is under threat. It invites you to either speak up or remove yourself from the situation.

I see this show up frequently with my physician CEO clients right before they leave their jobs. Many start their own business while still working as an employee at a clinic or hospital. In the beginning, they're very attached to their job—their identity, paycheck, revenue source, and patient connections are all tied to that workplace.

But as their business grows and they start seeing their own patients, running their own schedule, keeping their own revenue, and making a direct impact the way they want… it becomes intoxicating. The trade-offs become glaringly obvious. They're irritated every day (resistance to growth), but also angry.

They come to coaching calls and describe things happening in the workplace that are simply not acceptable anymore. Things they would have tolerated when they had no other options. But now that they've created their own option, they're looking at workplace situations with new eyes.

That anger is their subconscious saying, "This crosses a line. You don't have to stay here anymore."

How to Work With Resistance

My invitation to you: Pay attention to the type of resistance showing up.

Don't ignore it. Each time resistance appears, it's telling you something is off or something needs tending. The more you lean into resistance and see it as a signal, and as a conversation with your subconscious, the less overwhelmed you feel when it shows up.

The feelings have messages for you, and when you dialogue with them directly, they're actually quite wise and reasonable. Sometimes they just need tending, or they need to hear that you understand the risks and you're taking action anyway.

A Simple Journaling Practice

If you notice anger, fear, frustration, or irritability showing up regularly, try journaling about it. It can be as simple as answering:

"Why am I feeling angry?"

That single question can start the conversation and help you unpack what's happening behind the scenes. Building awareness of these emotions brings you closer to understanding them.

The better we understand our emotions and the closer we are in relationship to them, the easier it is to do big things… like becoming the CEO of your own clinic.

Listen to the full podcast episode, where I break down each type of resistance and show how to turn fear, frustration, and anger into useful guidance instead of roadblocks.

And if you are noticing certain forms of resistance showing up again and again and you would like support moving through them, book a complimentary discovery call so we can clarify what is holding you back and map out your next steps with confidence.