Have you ever felt alone as a physician spouse? So has Lara. She and her family have moved six times since 2004, causing her to leave a great teaching job twice.
Fortunately, Lara has found that she is not alone and there are many physician spouses who needed to hear what she has to say.
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She has grown a large following through the launch of her podcast, Married to Doctors. Lara launched her podcast just 16 months ago and says she has learned a lot, especially to embrace discomfort.
In one of her many inspiring blogs, Lara says "When I started the podcast, I knew there would be criticism, and it took a lot of nerve to actually start the show. "
Lara knew there would be criticism because of the negative stigma people have towards those who are married to doctors and she tries to push away the stereotypical "doctor-wife" image. One of her reasons for starting the Married to Doctors Podcast was because she felt like no one was talking about the struggles that doctor spouses face and the sacrifices they must make.
In less than one and a half years, the Married to Doctors podcast has received only five star reviews on Apple Itunes, 277 five stars to date. Her listeners have left rave reviews, full of gratitude for making their journey through medicine easier.
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In the photo below, a physician is thanking Lara for helping he and his girlfriend through their tough, long distance relationship and alleviating frustration the physician's girlfriend had with his career.
I was lucky to have the opportunity to interview Lara, so I'll let her tell you more about herself and why she decided to launch the Married to Doctors Podcast.
Josh and I met at the University of Arkansas. I had actually met his sister over a year before meeting him. He moved in to the same apartment complex as me. We were married in October of 2001 and I graduated with my Master's Degree and began a wonderful teaching job, in May of 2002. Check out the timeline of our journey here: Timeline
We have 5 sons ages 6 to almost 16. Three were born in medical school and two in residency. After our first child was born, we moved for medical school and we have moved several times since then.
I wanted to create a space for physician spouses to discuss difficult topics, feel like they had a community of others who “got it” and had a place to share their own experiences and stories.
Physician families often choose to stay behind the scenes. Like many, we like privacy, and we don’t like the feeling of judgment. But, in my heart of hearts, I knew I wanted to help medical marriages in a small way. The Mission Statement is simple: Making Successful Homes Happier.
For me personally, the podcast has been a joy to put together, a huge passion project, turned small business. It has been an honor to meet so many incredible men and women supporting medicine behind the scenes.
I can only suppose the stigma comes from lack of knowledge. I don’t think many realize what an average doctor salary and debt ratio is or what demands medicine can put on a relationship and family.
After multiple requests from listeners, Lara has also began coaching physician families with her same intention of strengthening medical marriages. Subscribe to Lara's podcast on your favorite podcast player or listen on her website.
Molly was the marketing director at SDT from October 2017 through November 2020. She is passionate about connecting with people, digital marketing, and serving her community.
