​

​Read this email in your browser.​

Hi Reader!

Let’s talk about a trap many CME professionals fall into without realizing it: hustle culture.

You know the narrative: If you’re not constantly busy, you’re not successful. It’s subtle but relentless and it pushes us toward over-delivery, under-charging, and saying yes to projects (and clients, if you work freelance) that aren’t a good fit.

But hustle doesn’t support sustainability. It leads to depletion, exhaustion, or at the least, fizzle.

I see this again and again in the writers I coach and I’ve lived it myself.

The pressure to always be “on,” to respond to clients immediately, to deliver beyond scope just to prove our worth. This might look or even feel like good service in the moment, but over time it erodes confidence, creativity, and yes, our health.

So what’s the alternative? Sustainable self-leadership. Instead of saying yes to everything, protect your best yes. Align your projects with your purpose. Build in buffer zones, like boundaries, contracts, and space in your week that keep you grounded.

Recently, I shared some strategies for optimizing wellbeing as a business owner in an interview I gave to Authority Magazine. (And apologies, the photographs in this interview are enormous...).

But even if you don't have time to read the interview, here’s a quick reflection prompt you can use right now:

👉 This week I said yes/no to ___ because ___.

This tiny pause can help you generate some clarity on whether your choices are aligned or driven by hustle habits.

At WriteCME Pro, we’re building a different model of success for freelance CME professionals: one where your energy, boundaries, and wellbeing matter just as much as your craft and business skills.

If that sounds like the kind of professional life you want to cultivate, I’d love for you to join our free masterclass on September 3.

Until then, to your growth,

​

Alexandra Howson PhD, CHCP, FACEhp is a writer, researcher, and podcaster who shares her deep expertise in health care and education with new-to-the-field or CME-curious professionals to help them create educational content with confidence. She hosts Write Medicine, the premier podcast for CME/CPD professionals like you, wherever you are in the content creation process. Alex runs WriteCME Pro and teaches on the Professional Education Program in Medical Writing and Editing at the University of Chicago.

Connect with Alex | alex@alexhowson.com | 415.374.9757

​​​​

​