Hey Doc,

Let’s talk about something that sounds simple… but clearly is not.

You are allowed to change your mind.

I say that, and I already know some of you are side-eyeing me like, “Okay… but it’s not that easy.”

I know. I know it’s not.

Because in medicine, we don’t pivot. We commit. We decide and then we stick with it.

Even when life changes.

Even when we change.

Especially after motherhood.

I see this all the time.

Dr. So-and-so used to want the big cases, the leadership roles, the titles, the prestige.

Now? She wants to go to work, do her job well, and be home by 3 to sit on the floor with her babies.

And instead of feeling clear about that… she feels guilty.

Like she’s betraying the version of herself who worked so hard to get here.

Like she’s letting someone down: her mentors, her colleagues… or honestly, just herself.

So in this episode, we’re getting into that tension.

Not in a fluffy “just follow your heart” kind of way.

But in a real, grounded way that actually applies to your life right now.

We talk about:

• Why it feels so hard to change your mind as a physician mom
• The guilt that shows up when your priorities shift
• The difference between “becoming a different person” vs actually evolving
• Why your old goals don’t have to define your current decisions
• And how to give yourself permission to want something different without spiraling about it

Because let me be very clear about something:

Wanting a different life now does not erase who you were.

It means you’ve lived enough to know what actually matters to you.

That’s not failure.

That’s growth.

And if you’re sitting there trying to force yourself to want the same things you wanted at 28…

Yeah. We’re not doing that anymore.

If this hits a little too close to home (which it probably does),

go ahead and press play.

🎧 Listen to the full episode.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

Hey Doc

I had a moment recently that stopped me in my tracks.

My kids were heading out for a full day—something fun, something special—and I wasn’t there. And instead of guilt?

I felt peace. Gratitude. Relief.

Not because I don’t want to be with them. But because I know they are well cared for, loved, and having a full, joyful experience, even when I’m not the one making it happen.

In this episode, I’m talking about what it looks like to build a life that actually works with support.

We get into:

• Why the right childcare supports you, instead of replacing you
• What it can look like when your kids are cared for and you can focus on your work
• The shift from “this won’t work for me” to “how could this work?”
• Why so many physician moms hesitate to invest in help, and what that hesitation is costing

If you’ve been telling yourself that getting help isn’t an option, I want you to at least pause and question that.

There may be more possibilities than you’ve allowed yourself to consider.

🎧 Press play on Stethoscopes and Strollers.

And if you know a doc who is stretched way too thin right now, send this to her.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

Hey Doc —

Doctor’s Day can feel… underwhelming.

A small gesture. A generic message. Maybe a reminder that you’re appreciated, without anything actually changing.

And for a lot of physicians, that disconnect doesn’t go unnoticed.

In this episode, I’m sharing a different kind of Doctor’s Day message. Not about what you received, but about how you see yourself inside the system you work in.

We get into:

• Why external appreciation often falls short (and what actually matters more)
• How physicians underestimate their own leverage
• What it looks like to advocate for yourself at a higher level
• The shift from waiting to be valued → to operating like you already are

This is a short episode, but it’s an important one.

Because how you think about your value shows up in your decisions, your negotiations, and what you tolerate.

🎧 Press play on Stethoscopes and Strollers.

And take this as your reminder to move differently this week.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

Hey Doc —

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Traci De Splinter, an OB/GYN here in Texas and a seasoned physician mom whose daughters are now adults.

In Part 1, we talked about what it looked like for her to have a baby during residency and navigate some incredibly difficult years early in her career. In this part of our conversation, we move forward in the story.

Dr. Traci shares what life looked like raising two young daughters while practicing medicine as a single mom—and the decisions she made along the way to make that life work.

We talk about:

• How she navigated single motherhood while practicing OB-GYN
• The childcare decisions that helped her manage a demanding medical career
• Why she chose predictability in her schedule during her daughters’ early years
• The reality of mom guilt—and how her daughters actually saw it differently
• What it looked like to prioritize being present for the moments that mattered most

Dr. Traci also shares the perspective that only comes with time: what she might do differently, what she’s most proud of, and the advice she would give physician moms who are currently raising young children while building their careers.

And we talk about the exciting next chapter of her professional life as she prepares to open a practice focused on caring for midlife women.

This is an honest conversation about motherhood, medicine, guilt, support systems, and the long arc of raising children while practicing in a demanding profession.

🎧 Press play to hear Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Traci De Splinter.

And if you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, make sure you go back and start there.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

Hey Doc —

This is a conversation I’ve really been looking forward to sharing with you.

I’m joined by Dr. Traci De Splinter, an OB/GYN here in Texas and a seasoned physician mom whose daughters are now adults. I love conversations like this because most of the physician moms I talk to in this podcast are in the thick of early motherhood—myself included. There is something really powerful about hearing from someone who has lived through those years and can reflect back on them with perspective.

And Dr. Traci has quite a story.

In this first part of our conversation, we talk about what it looked like for her to have her first baby during residency, the realities of postpartum recovery while still in training, and the decisions physician moms often have to make around timing pregnancies and careers.

We also talk about:

• What maternity leave looked like during residency years ago
• Recovering from a difficult delivery while preparing to return to work
• The importance of asking for help—even when it feels uncomfortable
• Moving to a new city with a toddler while pregnant again
• What life looked like when her marriage ended shortly after starting her attending career

Dr. Traci shares honestly about some very hard years—two babies under two, a new job, a new city, and navigating life as a physician mom. She also talks about the support systems that helped her through that season and the lessons she carries with her now.

This conversation is thoughtful, candid, and full of perspective that many physician moms rarely get to hear.

🎧 Press play to hear my conversation with Dr. Traci De Splinter.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

Hey Doc —

There’s something I see over and over again when I work with physician moms.

You’ve achieved incredible things. Medical school. Residency. Building a career. Raising children. Holding together entire ecosystems of people who depend on you.

And yet, when I ask you to name something you’re proud of?

Silence.

Or you brush it off.

Or you immediately pivot to the next thing you still need to accomplish.

In this episode, I’m talking about why celebrating yourself can feel surprisingly difficult for high achievers—and why that matters more than most of us realize.

A recent conversation with a very successful business owner reminded me just how common this pattern is. Even after building something objectively impressive, he still struggled to recognize his own success. And honestly? The mindset sounded very familiar.

Many of us were trained to keep pushing, keep achieving, keep delaying satisfaction until the next milestone.

But if you never learn how to recognize your wins now, the next milestone won’t fix it.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

• How constantly chasing the “next thing” can quietly drain your sense of fulfillment
• Why high achievers often struggle to acknowledge their accomplishments
• The connection between celebrating your wins and building real confidence
• Why modeling self-celebration matters for the way our children learn to see themselves
• Practical ways to start recognizing your wins—even if it feels uncomfortable at first

Celebration doesn’t have to mean a party or a big announcement.

Sometimes it’s simply taking a moment to acknowledge what you’ve done and allowing yourself to feel proud.

If you don’t build the habit of recognizing your wins now, you may keep achieving more… and still feel like it’s never enough.

🎧 Press play on this episode of Stethoscopes and Strollers.

And then take a moment to celebrate something you’ve done—big or small.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

Hey Doc,

I’m in the middle of launching a brand-new HVAC business with my husband. And let me tell you: starting a business from scratch, self-funded, no clients, no safety net? It will humble you real quick.

I’ve been nauseous before networking meetings.

Sweaty before introducing myself.

Mortified after asking a very basic question at a major conference.

And I still did it.

Because here’s the truth I keep teaching my clients, and living in real time:

The absence of fear is not required.

You do not need to feel ready.

You do not need to feel confident.

You do not need to feel calm.

You just need to move.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

• What “doing it scared” actually looks like in real life (hint: it’s not glamorous)
• Why embarrassment isn’t fatal (even when it feels like it)
• The myth that confident women aren’t afraid
• How I’m teaching my children that bravery includes tears
• Why waiting to feel ready is keeping you stuck

If you’ve been avoiding something — a leadership role, a career pivot, a hard conversation, a negotiation — I want you to hear this:

Being scared does not disqualify you.

Fear is not a stop sign.

It’s usually a sign you’re stepping into something bigger.

Listen in, and then go do the thing. 🎧 Press play on this episode of Stethoscopes and Strollers.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

Hey Doc,

What do you do when everything looks “successful” on paper… but you’re not actually satisfied?

In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Gina Dapul-Hidalgo — allergist, CEO, twin mom — we talk about the season that doesn’t get discussed enough.

The one where you’ve done everything right.

You trained.

You built the career.

You became the mom.

And yet… something feels off.

Dr. Gina shares what it was like to realize she wasn’t fulfilled and to invest in herself before she had proof it would work.

We talk about:

• The quiet dissatisfaction that creeps in after training ends
• Making a “scary” financial investment in coaching
• Discovering limiting beliefs she didn’t even know were running the show
• How being an IMG shaped her confidence, and how she dismantled that narrative
• Why she started taking 24–48 hours away each year (yes, with twins at home)
• And what it really means to bet on yourself as a physician mom

This conversation is about ownership.

Owning your brilliance.

Owning your dissatisfaction.

Owning your need for support.

Owning your ambition, especially after motherhood.

🎧 Listen to Part 2 now.

What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!

Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube

Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field.

If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want.

Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya