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
#39| Redefine Work To Protect Sanity And Purpose
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We talk candidly about finding work as a physician spouse without burning out, and how to design roles that move with you through call nights, relocations, and shifting seasons. Practical steps, flexible job ideas, and permission to protect family time while pursuing meaningful work.
• defining flexibility in concrete terms
• writing non‑negotiables and a to‑don’t list
• reframing the search around skills and outcomes
• exploring remote and portable roles
• examples: virtual assisting, tutoring, content, PRN shifts
• setting rules for hours, scope, and geography
• normalizing pivots and changing seasons
• community support, DMs, and resources
If this episode spoke to you, I would love to hear from you. Send me a DM or share what job you have found that really works for this physician spouse lifestyle. And if you're moving soon and need help finding not only a home, but also local connections and resources, you know where to find me or I can connect you with somebody in the new area that you're moving to.
If you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with others.
Connect with me on Instagram or email me at amanda@abtnhomes.com with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode today. This one I find is a topic of conversation quite often in just our community, questions that people DM to me, but finding work as a physician spouse and being able to do it without losing your sanity, it's tough and the struggle is real. And so that is what the topic of conversation will be about today. And I find that many physician spouses want to work, whether it's for financial reasons, for a sense of purpose, to actually have adult conversations. The problem that many people run into is flexibility, you know, especially with your partner's job. And if you're finding or looking for a job and you find that in the interview, they're talking about hours you can work. You can't really ever say, well, I need it to be flexible in case my kids get sick, in case my husband ends up getting called in and can't take them to daycare. So you have to find something that works with the call nights and vacations that shift because of schedule changes, or moving every year. Is it a job that can go with you? And again, being the default parent. So basically everything. And a traditional nine to five with limited PTO is often a recipe for burnout in our world. And we need something that is portable, adaptable, and ideally that you're going to also enjoy. So I think with this search, you kind of have to reframe what that search looks like. So instead of asking, what job can I get, try asking what skills do I have? Um, how can I package them into something that's a little bit more flexible or portable? What do I love doing? And then just as important, what don't I love doing? Because the truth is, you might find your dream job, but it may not have that flexibility. So then what you have to do is kind of create it. So maybe it's freelancing or reframe what you think counts as work. And so the tips that I would give you for when you are looking, the first would be just get crystal clear on what flexibility means for you. And so is it remote work? Is it having certain hours and you only work within these certain hours? Is it being able to step away and have flexibility with vacations? That would be the first thing. The second is I would make a non-negotiable list. So what will you not sacrifice if you are going back to work? Family time, weekends off. I would make sure you're very clear on that because that will then help you filter out other options. And so knowing what you want and knowing what you don't want, I think is just as important. And I learned this years ago, and I still create one now. And I think it really helps you make decisions a little bit faster. And it also helps with decision fatigue. But create a to don't list. What are the things that you are not going to do? I am not going to work when I'm supposed to be picking my kids up from school. I am not going to work nights. I am not going to work holidays. Again, it's going to be different for you, but I think those non-negotiables and a to-don'l list will help you with those deciding factors. The third thing is can it maybe be remote or portable? Could you take this with you if you end up moving to another state? Could you do a business from home online? Kind of creating maybe that dream job if you're not able to find it. And then also let's talk about like flexible job ideas, some options that work well for people. Um, and it can range from a creative job to a corporate job, one that I think is really becoming very popular, especially a work from home setting is like a virtual assistant or an executive assistant. And it can even be niche specific depending on your background, whether it is medical transcribing or your uh insurance or maybe a life coach. A lot of those things, though, can be done online. I have a virtual assistant that's not even in our country and he's amazing. And I don't know how I ever functioned without him. Obviously, with the growing use of social media, there's tons of content creators, copywriting and editing. If you have a background in web design or graphic design, you could maybe do some of that. I actually had a guest on who does online tutoring, and that is her business. And she's thriving and she loves it. Maybe you are a huge event planner and love an excuse for a party. Um, so you've got to kind of look into these things if you're wanting it to be remote and then maybe a little bit more flexible in-person role. So maybe you want to substitute teach and you can choose the days that you want to teach, or you're a fitness instructor, or a PRN for a nurse or a physical therapist. So you kind of create your own rules with this. You can decide what areas you're going to work in, or I'm only gonna be in my neighborhood for tutoring, or I'm only gonna be online and offering certain things specific to your skills. And then you create what those rules and what those roles look like. What I want you to hear is that you don't have to choose between your family schedule, your job or identity, that you can have them both. You just have to maybe be a little bit creative and figure out how that is gonna work into your life and the season of life that you're in. Because obviously, as your kids age, or maybe you don't have kids right now and you end up having uh kids later on, or your spouse's training schedule, that flexibility and whatever job you create is gonna need some of that flexibility. So just know that you may just have to get a little bit creative and don't feel guilty for wanting to work. I remember I was a stay-at-home mom. And when I was like, you know what? I'm ready. I'm ready for something else. And I wasn't 100% sure what it was gonna be at first before I got into real estate, but I kind of felt guilty. And just because, you know, you have a spouse that is doing their dream job, they are busy at work, doesn't mean that you don't have those opportunities and options as well. The trick is just making sure it's a career that brings you joy, that works with your current situation and your reality as opposed to working against it. You don't want to create more stress for yourself, but the idea is to actually be really enjoying what you're doing. So if this episode spoke to you, I would love to hear from you. I would love any advice you want to offer, send me a DM or share what job you have found that really works for this physician spouse lifestyle. You may just inspire someone else in our community. And if you're moving soon and need help finding not only a home, but also local connections and resources, you know where to find me or I can connect you with somebody in the new area that you're moving to. Just know I'm here. I'm here to help you with whatever transition you may be going through and how to make it a little bit smoother. And then, you know, just keep showing up for yourself, your family, whatever those goals and dreams are in the current stage of life that you may be in. And it it may mean that, you know, you're gonna take a few scenic routes to get there and try something. And if it doesn't work, it's okay to go a different route too. So give yourself grace and know that we are in this together. And until next time, 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.