Episode 4: Self-reflection, Imposter Syndrome, and Trusting your Gut - Michelle Longmire, CEO of Medable

In this candid, energizing conversation, Dr. Michelle Longmire, CEO and Co-Founder of Medable, sits down with Patty to talk about what it really takes to bring new ideas into an industry that knows it needs to change but isn't always ready to. Raised among scientists in Los Alamos and shaped by years as an underdog on the soccer field, Michelle traded a faculty role at Stanford for the uncertainty of entrepreneurship, and she's refreshingly open about the resilience that leap has demanded. 

You'll hear Michelle and Patty dig into the stubborn barriers holding clinical trials back, why evidence matters so much when asking the industry to embrace new ways of working, and the quieter side of leadership: imposter syndrome, gut instinct, and the tough calls that come with building a company through uncertain times. The conversation closes with a bold vision for just how far trial timelines could shrink. This episode explores the mindset behind meaningful innovation in clinical research, and what it takes to turn big potential into real progress for patients. 

What you’ll hear about 

• Why do clinical trials still struggle to reach the right patients? 

• How do innovators win adoption in an industry wary of change? 

• What role should gut instinct play in high-stakes leadership decisions? 

• How can leaders recognize and overcome imposter syndrome in daily work? 

• Can resource constraints actually make teams sharper and more innovative? 

• What could clinical trials realistically look like a decade from now? 

This episode is intended for clinical operations and clinical development leaders, offering a clear perspective on championing innovation and leading with conviction when the path forward is uncertain. 

Timestamps 

00:00 – Growing up in a family of scientists 

01:25 – Lessons from the underdog: soccer and teamwork 

03:45 – Betting on yourself as an industry outsider 

05:15 – From Stanford researcher to startup founder 

09:50 – Taking digital research from academia to pharma 

11:55 – Why clinical trials “don’t work” 

15:10 – Pushing past industry resistance to innovation 

18:45 – Trusting your gut and the power of flow state 

22:05 – Taking out the “head trash”: confronting imposter syndrome 

25:35 – Cultivating intuition through meditation and self-awareness 

29:00 – Biggest highs, hardest lows, and leading through a downturn 

33:35 – The mission as a company’s North Star 

36:45 – One foot in the present, one foot in the future 

38:35 – The real pressure behind a multibillion-dollar valuation 

40:00 – A quantum-leap vision for the future of clinical trials 

Guest Biography 

Dr. Michelle Longmire is the Co-Founder and CEO of Medable, the clinical trial technology company she launched in 2015 to remove the barriers that keep patients from participating in research. A Stanford-trained physician-scientist who grew up in a family of scientists in Los Alamos, New Mexico, she left academic medicine convinced that technology could build a better bridge between patients and research. Driven by a mission to accelerate new therapies and ease human suffering, she has been named one of Fast Company’s 100 most creative people in business.