In our latest installment of Val-You Based Care, Dr. Kimberly Ku welcomes Dr. Julie Chang of SSM Health System for a deeply reflective conversation about mentorship, authenticity, and redefining success in medicine.

Dr. Chang is a leader known not for flash or charisma, but for steadiness, clarity, and core values. Throughout her career, she has mentored others with a simple but powerful philosophy: people are people—not titles, labels, or roles. Whether mother, physician, leader, or colleague, she sees individuals first and helps them grow into the best version of themselves—not into someone else’s mold.

Together, Dr. Ku and Dr. Chang explore what it means to communicate directly without people-pleasing, to lead without ego, and to embrace diversity not as a slogan, but as a lived reality. Dr. Chang also shares her decision to pivot to part-time work in order to prioritize family—an honest look at the tension between ambition and presence in a profession that often feels like a treadmill.

This episode is a powerful reminder that meaningful leadership isn’t loud. It’s steady. It’s values-driven. And sometimes, it requires the courage to step back in order to be fully present.

For anyone navigating career growth, mentorship, motherhood, or leadership in healthcare, this conversation offers grounded wisdom and practical insight for becoming a real person in a world that often pressures us to perform.

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction

1:12 - Julie's deep influence as a mentor

6:50 - Being authentically present for someone else

15:16 - Understanding people's boundaries and sense overwhelm

22:56 - Breakthroughs via community work

30:50 - The "other" part of our lives

39:15 - Leveraging AI within patient care

46:47 - Self-discovery throughout our medical journeys

49:30 - Closing remarks