Stethoscopes and Strollers
Welcome to Stethoscopes & Strollers! I'm Dr. Toya, mom of two, OBGYN, and coach for physician moms. Here, we go beyond the hospital halls, into the messy, magical early years of parenting—think diapers, sleepless nights, and figuring out how to deal with all those unexpected twists and turns.
Every episode, I dive into topics like mental health, the ins and outs of postpartum sex, sorting out childcare, and how having little ones changes your marriage. We’ll talk about getting back to work after baby, the real deal with mom guilt thanks to those tough doctor schedules, what pumping at work is really like, and how to keep all the balls in the air without dropping any. We’re here to get real about the hard choices, like deciding to stop breastfeeding, and so much more. This is a space for focusing on taking care of you, because managing scrubs and swaddles takes a village.
You'll figure out how to ask for and actually accept help, because let’s be honest, getting support is crucial for thriving as both a mom and a doctor.
Just a quick heads-up: while we're all about sharing and supporting, remember this isn’t medical advice. We’re here to connect, share experiences, and grow—together, without the medical jargon.
So, grab your coffee or tea, and get ready to dive into those parts of being a physician mom that don't get talked about enough. You're not riding this roller coaster alone, and you definitely deserve all the support you can get.
Tune in to Stethoscopes & Strollers for some real, honest insights and practical tips to make momming a bit easier. It’s time to get the conversation started!
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Stethoscopes and Strollers
128. Why I Left Clinical Medicine to Coach Physician Moms
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Hey Doc—
One of the questions I've been asked the most over the past few months is, "Why did you leave medicine?"
The short answer is: I didn't leave medicine to do something else.
I left clinical practice because I found another way to serve physician moms.
In this episode, I share the story behind that decision, why coaching became my second calling, and why stepping away from practicing as an OB/GYN wasn't about walking away from patients. It was about expanding the impact I could have by helping physician moms build lives they actually enjoy living.
When a physician mom finds her voice, strengthens her marriage, leads with confidence, creates support at home, and rediscovers herself, the ripple effect reaches her family, her colleagues, and every patient she cares for.
That's why this work matters so much to me.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The real reason I stepped away from clinical medicine
- Why coaching physician moms became my life's work
- How supporting one physician mom creates a ripple effect far beyond one family
- Why I believe this work is an extension of medicine, not a departure from it
- What it means to find a second calling without letting go of the first
Looking back, I don't think I had two separate careers. I've always been committed to helping women thrive. The way I do that has changed, but the mission hasn't.
🎧 Listen now, and if you've ever wondered what happens when your purpose evolves, I hope this episode gives you a glimpse into mine.
What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know!
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Hey, Doc. I have been asked so many times over the last three months why I left medicine. I was like, "You know what? Let me tell this story just in case some people don't know." Because what has also been quite surreal, I guess maybe is the right word, is that now I have non-physicians that tell me they listen to this podcast.
And before it was like, you know, this is our special sacred place. Not that if you're listening right now, not that I don't want you to listen. It's just I speak very plainly about things that are very physician-focused and insider knowledge, and obviously this is a public platform. So it's not like if I expected it to be secret.
But talking to people about the episodes where I talk about us as physicians in maybe not a good light is just kinda like, wow, people are actually listening and hearing about what we go through. And it's overall a good thing. It's just kinda weird, because people need to know our perspectives. Not saying they will always understand it, not saying they would care, not saying they will have compassion.
But at least to get a real view of what it is like to be a physician in this country in twenty twenty-six and what we had to go through, I think is good for people to know because people just make up stories about us and how we're counting our dollars every time we, you know, we go back to our offices or whatever nonsense.
But, yeah, that was a tangent point. I don't even know how I got there. But anyway, I have been asked so many times, " Oh my gosh, you, you're retired, but you're so young." And I tell a very abridged story. I feel like anybody who's been listening from episode one knows... Well, actually you probably still don't know the entire story.
But the short story is coaching was my second calling. And yes, I run an HVAC business right now, and People assume that I went from medicine to HVAC. That is not true. People assume that I left medicine to start an HVAC business with my husband. Also not true. I stopped practicing to serve you better, more fully, to give myself completely to being your coach, your mentor, and I would make that decision over and over again.
And it was the best decision, and it opened up my life to be able to then start an HVAC business with my husband. But it was definitely not because I was like, "Yeah, let me go into this industry that I've never been in before and follow along my husband in hot attics while he tries to explain all this technical stuff to me."
No, that, that was not it. And I literally just explained this to a homeowner in his attic while I was visiting with my husband, 'cause sometimes I like to be up there with him, and it wasn't too hot, it was me, my husband, and the homeowner up there chatting. And my husband went downstairs to check something outside, and the homeowner was like, "You know, I'm really interested.
Why, like, how did you end up here?" And I was like, "Yeah, I left medicine because I started coaching. It was my second calling." And I can help one mother, one woman anytime I go into that office. But when I help a physician mom, the best physicians, evidence-based with the best outcomes, when I help her get her life back on track, get out of burnout, stabilize her home life, love her life more, heal her marriage, enjoy her kids more, get more time to enjoy the life that she worked so hard for, level up on her finances- find confidence in her voice, ask for what she wants, dominate in leadership, and be fully unapologetically her, I am helping so many more patients than I could ever help practicing as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
So I don't see it as I left medicine, that I abandoned patients, that I am no longer a part of this community. I see it as quite the opposite. I see my reach expanded, exploded in this role because there are so many women that are continuing to practice because they have coached with me. How amazing is that?
How could I not say, "Yeah, this was one season, but this is a new one, and I am loving this new season as a coach for other women physicians, for physician mothers." Who else is focusing on us? Who else is doing this and fully committing to it? And that commitment is still there. I am still coaching, FYI. And I just think about how lucky I am to not just have had one calling, which was OBGYN, women's health, but to find two. Amazing. Isn't that amazing? But really when I look back on it, it really is just one, the empowerment of women. It just so happens that these women are physicians, are mothers, are some of the smartest, hardest working
most loving and caring women to walk the face of this earth, and I am so honored to serve them, to serve you. So that's why I left practicing medicine. It was for you, doc. It was for you, and I would make that choice again. So if anybody was wondering about that transition and was like, "This is weird.
There it is. Okay, doc, that's all I had to say. I'll see you on the next episode of Stethoscopes and Strollers.
