Forging Her Own Pathway
Dominique Cossari, PharmD ’20, helps others find their potential career through her podcast, Pharmacy Pathways
Story by Ryan McDaniel | Photo courtesy of Dominique Cossari | Published July 15, 2025
“If you’re a student, I want you to know that your career choice doesn’t have to feel rushed or by chance. And for my fellow pharmacists – you don’t have to feel stuck in a role that doesn’t make you feel fulfilled.”
This quote comes from the Season 1 Trailer to the podcast, Pharmacy Pathways, created and hosted by alumna Dominique Cossari, PharmD ’20. She created this podcast to help showcase the myriad career paths one can take as a pharmacist. Fifteen episodes later, she’s learned a lot about both the field of pharmacy and the world of podcasting.
“I had no experience. I didn’t know how to work a camera. I didn’t even know what camera to buy,” Dominique admits. So, she turned to her network. A close friend introduced her to a videographer who took the time to meet with her and give her advice and guidance on everything from lighting setups, to editing video, to the equipment required to do it right. “He just offered to become my mentor,” she recalls.
As Dominique’s knowledge and confidence in the technical aspects of creating a podcast grew, she needed to start reaching out to potential guests. Once again, she turned to her network. “I’m finding all my people that I’ve met through pharmacy school and residency and asking them if they know anyone who will be interested,” she says. “And people were just saying yes!”
Dominique credits her interest in this kind of work to her time at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as a Program Manager with Carla White, Associate Dean of Culture and Well-Being. She worked to connect undergraduate students with the School, get them exposure to the pharmacy profession, and foster leadership and community. This kind of work stuck with her. “That part of what I did did not feel like work. I was just so passionate that it just brought me joy to do those things,” she reflects. “When I left [the School] and was just focusing on clinical practice, I really felt like a large piece of me was missing… like I was drifting away from a part of myself that really used to make me very happy.”
Now Dominique’s work on Pharmacy Pathways makes her happy, though she concedes that it is hard and requires a great deal of sacrifice. Between producing the podcast and her full-time job as a Clinical Pharmacist, she is often working 14-hour days. But she refers to the podcast as her dream, and recognizes that the long hours are worth it. “I just make it a point to show up every single day, even if all I have to give that day is me watching a YouTube of how to edit a video or reaching out to a potential guest,” she says. “That’s me making a daily deposit into my dream every day.”
For the future of Pharmacy Pathways, Dominique is looking to launch Season 2 in the fall. Over the summer, she’s working on connecting with current and potential future pharmacy students to let them know this is a resource for their career exploration. “My goal is to increase exposure and also to provide access for free. With the click of a button people get a mentor for the hour,” she explains. “And I’m asking them the questions I wish I would have had when I was learning about different careers that would’ve appealed to me.”
To learn more about the Pharmacy Pathways podcast or to reach out about being a guest on the show, visit the Pharmacy Pathways website.
The Pharmacy Pathways podcast is available across all major platforms: