so happy to share another specially curated batch of episodes featuring some of the inspiring

women we've had on the show.

The stakes of Dr. Annalise Rodriguez's work are very, very high. As the assistant professor

of neurosurgery and director of neurosurgical oncology at the University

of Arkansas for medical sciences. Dr. Rodriguez specializes in the surgical treatment of brain

tumors and runs an independent research lab. And so I wondered when what you do is a matter of life

and death, how do you build trust? How do you stay focused? How do you lead? And what do you learn

when your work brings you face to face every day with life's biggest questions?

You know, I think parents everywhere who worry about their kids watching too much TV are going to be

happy to know

that you were inspired to become a neurosurgeon by watching television? Can you take me back

to that moment in the fourth grade? So I watched a TV growing up, but it had to be balanced

between cartoons and educational things. So I used to watch a lot of

TLC or their learning channel. There was a program about a little girl who had epilepsy. They showed her

journey. Eventually, she ended up requiring a massive brain surgery to stop her seizures.

And then they showed after how she recovered and she was able to interact and be a normal child.

And I just remember thinking, that's amazing.

Like, what type of doctor does that?

I just remember that spark and telling my mom, like, what type of doctor does that? I just remember that spark and telling my mom,

like, what type of doctor is that? That's what I'm going to do. And did your parents speed that spark?

Yes. So through various things, I always really liked math and science. So I would, in elementary

school, I actually went to science camp

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