This Is Your Sign to Monetize What You Know: IMG Roadmap with Dr. Nina Lum
When Sharing Your Story Becomes a Whole Movement
Dr. Nina Lum began writing as a way to process the intense, isolating experience of being an international medical graduate (IMG) in the United States. The culture shock, the grind, the loneliness, the pressure to prove herself—it all poured out onto a little blog called The IMG Roadmap. No funnel. No email list. No plan to monetize. Just her voice, her truth, and a desire to help someone else avoid the struggle she went through.
But that blog didn’t stay small for very long.
In this week’s episode of The Docs Get Money Podcast, I sat down with Nina to talk about how The IMG Roadmap went from a side project to a multiple six-figure business that helps IMGs all over the world match into residency in the United States.
She breaks down exactly how she shifted from giving everything away for free to finally owning her value—and charging accordingly. What started as free content for future IMGs evolved into a powerful coaching platform that has helped thousands of doctors navigate the Match with clarity, strategy, and confidence.
Nina’s journey is proof that your knowledge is valuable.
The Business Didn’t Start with a Product—It Started with Purpose
Dr. Nina didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. She was the chief resident in her family medicine program and sharing her advice and experience as an IMG. But when people started to ask for more guidance, more support, more structure—she realized she needed to help people in a more streamlined way.
That’s when she created IMG Roadmap, and her first group coaching offer. Nina had to unlearn the guilt around pricing. She had to lean into the discomfort of being paid for what came naturally to her. And she had to trust that honoring her worth didn’t make her less generous—it made her more effective.
There’s Room for You, Too
Whether you’re an IMG, a coach, a creative, or a doctor who’s tired of giving everything away for free—this episode is your permission slip.
You don’t need another degree.
You don’t need to perfect it first.
You just need to start honoring what you already know—and believing that people will pay for it when you own it fully.
Dr. Nina’s story will remind you that there is room for your journey, your voice, and your offers in this space. You just have to stop waiting and start moving.
This Episode Is for You If...
You’ve been doing “free” for too long.
You know you’re the go-to person in your space—but you’re still undercharging or not charging at all.
You want to learn how to lead with both purpose and profit—without losing your integrity.
In this episode, we talk about:
✨ How The IMG Roadmap went from blog to six-figure business
✨ The mindset shift from “helper” to “paid expert”
✨ Pricing with purpose and creating from alignment
✨ Balancing medicine, motherhood, and entrepreneurship
✨ Why your lived experience is your intellectual property
🎧 Listen to This Is Your Sign to Monetize What You Know: IMG Roadmap with Dr. Nina Lum
📲 Available now on all podcast platforms