Behind The White Coat - Real Talk For Physician Spouses
Being married to medicine comes with challenges—long hours, relocations, and feeling like you’re navigating it all alone. That’s where this podcast comes in.
I’m sharing the things I wish someone had told me—how to survive medical training, juggle parenting, manage finances, and actually build a life you love. We’ll cover everything from making friends in a new city to understanding insurance, finding childcare, and staying connected as a couple.
Some episodes will be just me, sharing real stories and lessons learned. Other times, I’ll bring on expert guests—financial advisors, physician spouses, and those who’ve been through it all—to offer practical advice.
Most of all, this is a place for community. A space where you can feel understood, supported, and even laugh along the way. Because being married to medicine doesn’t mean doing it alone.
So grab a coffee (or wine!), and let’s talk about the real side of life Behind The White Coat.
Behind The White Coat - Real Talk For Physician Spouses
#1| Behind The White Coat: A Podcast for Physician Spouses Who Want Real Talk and Real Connection
Ever felt alone in the whirlwind of medical training, wondering if anyone else understands what it's like when your partner disappears for 80-hour work weeks? That feeling of isolation inspired me to create Behind the White Coat – a podcast born from my own journey as a physician spouse.
When my husband and I moved to Nashville for his residency, I found myself in a new city with a six-month-old baby, desperately searching for people who understood this unique lifestyle. Who do you call when you're stranded roadside and your emergency contact is mid-surgery? How do you build your own identity when so much revolves around your partner's demanding career? These questions led me to build a local community of physician spouses – and now I'm extending that support system to you through this podcast.
From my perspective as someone who's navigated the journey from medical school through residency and beyond, we'll explore the real challenges of this life: balancing dual careers, solo parenting, managing finances after years of delayed income, maintaining strong marriages despite limited time together, and preserving your own dreams and identity. I'll share personal stories, practical advice, and bring on expert guests who understand our unique situation – including fellow physician spouses with specialized knowledge in finance, parenting, mental health and more.
Whether you're just beginning this medical journey or decades in, Behind the White Coat offers honest conversation, practical guidance, and most importantly, a reminder that you're never alone. Your experiences matter, your challenges are valid, and there's a community here ready to support you. Follow me on Instagram @AmandaBarronRealtor to continue the conversation, suggest topics, or recommend guests. Subscribe now to join our growing community of those supporting the ones behind the white coat.
Hey there and welcome to Behind the White Coat. I'm Amanda Barron, your host physician spouse and your go-to friend for real talk about this medical life. If you're juggling long hours, solo parenting or finances and feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. This podcast is your space for honest conversations, real advice and the support that I wished I'd had years ago. So some episodes will be just me sharing what I've learned along the way, and then other times I'll bring on guests to help navigate the challenges of being married to medicine. So grab a cup of coffee or wine, get comfy and let's dive in. Hey guys, and welcome to the very first episode of this podcast Behind the White Coat Real Talk for Physician Spouses. And I'm just excited. I'm really excited to have you here. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous, so thank you for being here, especially to support me on this first episode. I wanted to just share with you a little bit about the podcast, my journey, what this podcast is going to be all about, and hopefully get you just as excited as I am for this safe space for this community.
Speaker 1:So backstory I grew up in Houston. My husband and I actually were childhood friends. We just grew up as best friends and college, started dating and then dated all through college, then through medical school and through residency and then post-training. In that process I didn't really know what to expect, but it was hard Hard not only for my partner, my husband, but also for the spouse. It was very overwhelming, and I learned that pretty quick, as far as not really knowing what to expect and needing support, but not really sure where to find that support. And so when he graduated med school from Texas, we moved here to Nashville for his residency, and when we moved here, I had a six-month-old baby and did, thankfully, have a friend here. But I realized that it's different when you are living this life of training, life of long hours, needing a support system from people that actually understand what this lifestyle looks like and making sure you have not only the support but you have an outlet to discuss things with people. You have somebody that can be your emergency contact, especially if you only know your spouse. You move to a new area, they're working long hours, you get stranded on the side of the road. It's like what do you do? So I wanted to create a space where we could have real raw, unfiltered conversations about what it means to be a partner behind the physician, behind the white coat. And so this podcast I built it to be a sense of community for those that aren't locally here in Nashville. Thankfully, over the years I have built this great community of support, not only for myself but hopefully for other people.
Speaker 1:But if you're not local, that was the idea of the podcast just to remind you that you're not alone, to help you thrive in this unique lifestyle and how to create great moments and memories as you are going through some difficult times during the training and being alone. And one thing I was starting to notice I do real estate and specifically physician relocation, and I was noticing that my clients were asking the same questions, had the same concerns anxiety, overwhelming feeling and their spouses, especially once they relocate and the physician is working hours and gone that they had this same sense of I need a community, I need somebody to understand, I need to bounce ideas, I need to ask somebody that's been through this, and so I thought the best way to help more people with this support system community people to connect, no matter if you're local or distant was to create this podcast on that could navigate some conversations and questions that I couldn't, that I think we probably all have. No matter where you are in this journey whether it's med school, it's residency, it's your intern year, it is fellowship, post-training, or you're retired I feel like we all have a story. I feel like we all have something to share and we all have something to learn. So I'm excited for this place of comfort, community, safe place for all of us to just be there for each other.
Speaker 1:So, fast forward, a few things that I'm excited to share with you, some things that you can expect in this podcast. Some of it will be just me and then some will have some guests that will be sharing their expertise with this. But from balancing to careers, to parenting, to insurance, to relocation finances and preparing for the future, making up for lost time through training and now you've got to pay off loans or save for retirement. We'll also be talking about marriage and how do we keep a strong marriage during these difficult times and solo parenting. But then also personal fulfillment what do you do as a spouse to make sure that you are still being fulfilled and you are still happy, even though at times it can be lonely? We'll be talking about mental health and wellness, and then some guest speakers that I'm going to have will be other physician spouses that have expertise in certain areas.
Speaker 1:So, like I was talking about mental health, finances, fitness, parenting, and then some Q&As where I know you guys are going to have a lot of questions I can potentially answer, but then that also will encourage the special guests to come on and answer all of those questions. So I'm excited. I'm excited for this journey, excited to meet a lot of new physician spouses that aren't local and just build this community together. So please know it's a safe platform, it is our platform, and I'm just excited for this journey with you. So, moving forward, I would love for you to follow me on Instagram at Amanda Barron Realtor For more content updates.
Speaker 1:You can send me questions. If you have a suggestion of a expert or a physician spouse guest that has a great story, I would love for you to send those my way. And if today's episode resonated with you, share it with another spouse who needs to hear this. Let them know that we are in this together and we are in this to support one another, and I just appreciate you being here, taking a part of your day to support me be part of this first episode. It means a lot to me and I'm excited to go on this journey with you together.
Speaker 1:And until next time, just remember that your story matters. You are not in this alone and I look forward to the next episode. Thanks, that's a wrap on this episode of Behind the White Coat. I hope today's conversation left you feeling more understood and supported, and if you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review or share it with another physician spouse. Your support helps more of us to connect. Keep in mind this podcast is for you, so let's keep this conversation going. Dm me on Instagram at Amanda Barron Realtor with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions or even guest suggestions. I would really love to hear from you. Thanks for spending part of your day with me and remember you are never in this alone. See you next time.