We sit down with Lauren Oschman of Vestia Advisors to demystify how to choose a financial advisor who truly understands physician life, from RVUs and contracts to maternity leave and disability. We dig into independence, credentials, and fee models so you can interview with confidence.

• What real financial planning includes beyond investments
• Why independence and conflicts of interest matter
• CFP and ChFC credentials and specialized expertise
• Fee structures explained: commissions, AUM, flat fees, hybrids
• How physician finances differ and why stakes are higher
• Risk management, asset protection, and insurance fit
• One question that reveals decision support through change
• How to connect with Lauren and find more resources

If you are interviewing a financial advisor, Lauren recommends starting with these five key questions:

1. Do you work with doctors? If so, how many?
Understand their experience with physician households and how familiar they are with the financial realities of medical careers.

2. What will you actually do for me?
Go beyond investments. Ask for real, practical examples of how they support clients in areas like contracts, compensation, loans, disability claims, maternity leave planning, and more.

3. Are you independent?
Clarify whether they provide unbiased advice or are tied to a specific bank, insurance company, or private equity structure.

4. What are your qualifications?
Look for respected designations such as CFP or ChFC, and ask about any specialized credentials that may be relevant to physician families.

5. How do you get paid?
Understand their fee structure and identify any potential conflicts of interest in how they earn compensation.

Follow Lauren on Instagram or visit her website for contact details and to learn more about her services.

If this conversation was meaningful to you, feel free to reach out or share it with a friend, your partner, or another physician spouse navigating similar decisions. Also, please consider subscribing or leaving a review to help more physician families discover the show. 

Connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

We sit with Ian Wessels, a Navy veteran and work-from-home dad, to explore the unseen labor, identity shifts, and relocations that define life as the primary parent while a spouse trains in cardiothoracic surgery. The talk blends candor, humor, and practical tools for mindset, self care, and community.

• military medicine training timeline and family milestones
• invisible labor and the emotional load at home
• pressures facing female physicians in male-led specialties
• strategies for moves and setting a positive family tone
• pandemic solo parenting and building core memories
• self care without guilt and being explicitly acknowledged
• identity loss and making fatherhood your own
• finding community as a male spouse through interests
• vulnerability, communication, and stating what you need
• practical tips for routines, resilience, and confidence

If this episode made you feel seen or gave you a sense of relief, I would love for you to share it with another medical family or physician spouse who might need the same reminder. 

And if you have not already, please follow the show and consider leaving a review. Your support truly helps us reach and connect with more families navigating this journey. 

Connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

We pull back the curtain on disability insurance for physicians, focusing on true own occupation, smart timing, and how to avoid costly mistakes. Michael Kittner shares a practical roadmap for protecting income, using GSI early, and right-sizing coverage over a medical career.

• why rates are the same across agents
• how riders and definitions change pricing
• why true own occupation matters for specialists
• the timeline from residency to financial independence
• when to increase or reduce benefits and riders
• the two questions to protect GSI access
• how group policies differ from individual coverage
• common mistakes: waiting, underwriting first, price-only shopping
• peace of mind as part of a financial plan
• how to contact Michael and get the free ebook

Download the free e-book, The Doctor’s Playbook for Disability Insurance, using the link here.

For more information, visit Money Meets Medicine to explore helpful resources and insights. You can also connect with Michael on Instagram to follow his work, stay updated, and learn more from his day-to-day content. 

I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or pass it along to someone in your circle who needs to hear this episode.

Connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

Two journeys run side by side: a physician’s career and a partner’s quiet evolution. We explore the unseen weight physician families carry, how a simple weekly call became a global lifeline, and practical steps to move from surviving to mostly thriving.

• medlife backstory across training, fellowship, and practice
• strain of transition to attending with a young family
• hitting a low point and choosing to rebuild
• origins of The Flipside and why the name matters
• pandemic-era Connect Calls and global community growth
• what the weekly calls look like and who they serve
• hidden burdens partners carry and identity shifts
• privilege and struggle coexisting without canceling each other
• micro-connections as relationship glue
• advocacy, research, and integrating partner voices in medical education
• one practical action for overwhelmed partners today
• how to find Hayley and join the community
• listener offer for membership

TFSL Membership: Our guest, Hayley, has generously shared an exclusive discount for listeners. Use the code AMANDA to receive $50 CAD off the TFSL Membership, regularly priced at $149.99 CAD. This offer is valid until February 28, 2017, so be sure to take advantage of it before it expires. 

If you would like to connect with Hayley and learn more about her work, you can find her on Instagram. You can also visit The Flipside Life’s website or follow their Instagram page for more information, resources, and updates. 

If this episode sparked something for you, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or pass it along to someone in your circle who needs to hear it. 

Connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

We share Betsy Gall’s journey through profound loss, the hidden pressures driving physician burnout, and the practices and policies that can save lives. The conversation moves from stigma and licensing fears to daily gratitude, boundaries, and real reform.

• family move, early burnout signals, identity tied to work
• depression symptoms, sleep collapse, loss of interest
• fear of licensing questions and stigma around help
• the book’s themes and physician suicide statistics
• gratitude practice as a stabilizing lifeline
• structural fixes in training, policy, and culture
• boundaries, rest, and peer support for clinicians
• Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation resources and advocacy
• practical steps for grief, burnout, and getting help
• where to find Betsy online and at events

You can call the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, and it is confidential support 24 hours a day

If you want more information, you can connect with Betsy on Instagram for insights, updates, and reflections from her work. You can also grab her book, The Illusion of the Perfect Profession, on this website. 

I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share the episode with others.

Connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

We talk with relationship and sexuality expert Courtney Boyer about burnout as self-abandonment and how military medical spouses can reclaim voice, connection, and community. Simple tools, honest language, and bite-sized steps help us anchor in constant change and feel less alone.

• slowing down to notice body signals and needs
• redefining burnout as self-abandonment not just fatigue
• speaking one truth to rebuild self-trust
• anchoring in new places and blooming where planted
• low-stakes connections that reduce isolation
• resource gaps for military medical families
• using a relationship audit rooted in curiosity
• how to connect with Courtney for coaching and support

Courtney offers a 10-question Relationship Audit that couples can complete together to reflect, reconnect, and have meaningful conversations across emotional, financial, physical, sexual, and spiritual areas. Please find the link here.

To learn more about Courtney’s expertise and the range of services she offers, visit her website for in-depth information and resources. You can also connect with her on Instagram, where she shares valuable insights and updates. 

Follow the podcast, leave a review, and send this episode to another physician or military spouse who may need it today.

Connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

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 [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

We talk with physician spouse and realtor Aditi Pemmaraju about building a steady support system while moving through training, choosing to rent or buy with clarity, and finding a home that also feels like community. Real stories, practical checklists, and a free rental guide round out a conversation designed to calm the chaos.

• Aditi’s path from law to real estate and founding Homes for Healers
• Why concierge-style help matters for medical families
• Houston’s neighborhoods, commutes and community resources
• Three filters for rent versus buy decisions
• Moving mishaps, insurance and week-one survival kits
• Rituals for grounding during chaotic seasons
• How to find community quickly in a new city
• Where to connect with Aditi and request her rental guide

For more information, you can visit Aditi’s website, Homes for Healers, and follow her on Instagram to stay up to date with helpful tips, local insights, and real estate guidance. Aditi also recommends The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living, and you can find the link to the book here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with others.

DM me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

In this episode, joined by Katie and Kendra, we share why waiting for “later” rarely works, how coaching gives physician spouses real tools, and where community fills the gaps that anonymous advice cannot. AMA resources, culture change, and practical habits for presence and parenting tie it all together.

• Kendra’s path from survival mode to certified coaching focused on physician spouses
• Katie’s residency story and how small reframes changed daily life
• Why the podcast exists and who it serves
• Coaching boundaries, scope, and value across the med-life journey
• Family systems, burnout spillover, and culture change in medicine
• What AMA offers: magazine, expert calls, retreats, and national reach
• Practical parenting in training years and beyond
• How to connect for office hours, episodes, and coaching
• Two-part wisdom: take ownership and get better so life gets better

For more information, you can visit Kendra’s website and Instagram page, listen to the Supporting Physician Spouses podcast with Katie, and also follow them here to stay connected and engaged with their community.

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with others.

DM me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.

We name the hard parts of being married to medicine during the holidays and trade perfection for a plan that fits real life. From Big Three priorities to warm boundary scripts, we share ways to feel less alone, more present, and more connected.

• expectations versus reality for physician families
• emotional load and invisible work during the season
• loneliness even in full houses
• guilt over frustration and comparison
• Big Three priorities to reduce stress
• celebrate when you can, not when you should
• planned micro-connection with a working spouse
• kind boundary scripts with extended family
• building a micro village for support
• anchor traditions that are simple and repeatable

If the holidays feel more complicated than cozy this year, you are not alone. This episode offers reassurance, practical tools, and a reminder that small, intentional moments still matter. 

Please find the PDF with the homework from today’s episode here. It includes simple steps to help you reflect, set boundaries, and create meaningful moments during a busy holiday season. 

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with others.

DM me on Instagram or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions, or even guest suggestions.