Stethoscopes and Strollers

Hey Doc, When you become a mom, everything changes— your body, your schedule, your sense of who you are. And when you’re a physician mom, that collides with a career that isn’t built for flexibility or rest. In this conversation, Dr. Sonia Singh and I go straight into that tension — the messy middle between professional identity and motherhood. We talk about what it really looks like to become a m...

Hey Doc— This week’s episode is one of my favorites yet because it’s a full-circle moment. I’m sitting down with my friend Dr. Sarah Stombaugh —family medicine physician, obesity medicine specialist, private practice owner, coach, podcast host, and mom of three. And fun fact: she’s the reason I started Dr. Toya Coaching. Yep. You’ve heard me mention her before. The woman who looked me in the eye a...

Hey Doc, What happens when you stop following the script and start building a life that actually fits you ? This week on Stethoscopes and Strollers , I’m joined by Dr. Saumya Dave — psychiatrist, author, private practice owner, and mom of two — for a conversation that’s equal parts real, reflective, and full of permission. We talk about the seasons of life and how every one of them demands somethi...

Hey Doc, I just came out of 30 days without formal childcare — and let me tell you, it was brutal. Even with my mom’s help, the constant interruptions, scattered energy, and exhaustion left me running on fumes. I was counting down to bedtime, doom scrolling late at night, and struggling to stay in flow. Trying to hold everything together without reliable childcare doesn’t prove anything — it only...

Hey Doc, Are you the problem? Not you alone, but us. Women physicians. Without realizing it, we uphold the very systems — patriarchy, sexism, racism — that keep us playing small. It shows up in the way we react when another woman asks for more, when we hesitate to negotiate, or when we discourage salary transparency, and when we are passing down outdated advice to younger women physicians. The tru...

Hey Doc, We need to talk about something that I believe is absolutely essential for every woman physician — especially those of us juggling medicine, motherhood, and marriage. Money. Specifically, your knowledge of it. Your relationship to it. And the way you might be giving away your power around it, even if your income looks good on paper. In this episode, I’m sharing how I fired my financial ad...

Hey Doc, If you’ve ever looked into the au pair program and wondered, “Okay but… how much does it actually cost?” — this is for you. This episode was inspired by a client who asked me directly what she’d really be signing up for financially. And when I say there’s nuance? Whew. There’s nuance. The au pair program can be more cost-effective than a nanny, but only if you understand what you’re actua...

Hey Doc, This episode is about the reason I created ✨The Connected Motherhood Experience✨ — a space specifically for Black physician moms. It came out of years of being in rooms, reading books, and trying to apply lessons that were never written for me. Most of the popular resources in the personal and professional development world weren’t created with women like us in mind. The frameworks ofte...

Hey Doc, This one’s different. In format and in focus. In this episode, I’m sharing excerpts from a book that reshaped the way I think about boundaries. It’s called Boundaries After a Pathological Relationship by Adelyn Birch. Yes, it’s about toxic romantic relationships... but when I read it, it felt like it captured everything I’ve experienced while in medicine. The way we’ve been trained to tol...

Hey Doc, You’ve made the decision to leave. Now what? In Part 2 of this powerful two-part series on how to leave your job with an empowered exit, I walk you through what happens after the decision is made: Giving notice. Navigating conversations. Protecting your reputation. Gathering what’s yours. We cover: ✔️ How to actually submit your resignation (without drama or delay) ✔️ What to say and what...

Hey Doc, Let’s talk about how to actually leave your job. If you’re burnt out, disrespected, or just ready for more alignment, you’ve probably heard the fear-driven advice: “Don’t burn bridges.” But let’s be honest, that advice often keeps us stuck in situations that chip away at our confidence and well-being. In Part 1 of this two-part series, I break down the real reasons why so many physician m...

Hey Doc, We were taught to equate strength with staying, enduring, proving ourselves. But sometimes the most courageous, grounded, resilient thing you can do… is leave. Leave the job. Leave the school. Leave the situation that is breaking you down in the name of proving your strength. This episode was inspired by a homeschool thread, but it’s not about curriculum or education. It’s about the lie w...

Hey Doc, What would you do if life gave you a second chance? In this episode, I sit with Dr. Verniese Moore, a board-certified family medicine physician, a wife, a mom of two, and the CEO of the luxury handbag brand Vie Lorie, who shares her life in the most raw and beautiful way. She takes us back to Gate B3 in LaGuardia Airport, where she fell to the floor as she learned she was cancer-free, sur...

Hey Doc, This episode was sparked by a late-night convo with my husband about our current au pair (who’s on her way out) and turned into a full reflection on introversion, identity, and what it means to actually honor who we are, even when the world tells us we’re too much, or not enough. I’m sharing something personal about how my personality has always been “a lot” for people, especially in medi...

Hey Doc, If you're bringing an au pair into your home, congratulations on building your paid village! But now what? The first 72 hours are a critical window. Not for work (they can’t technically start yet), but for setting the tone of your entire year together. This episode walks you through exactly what to do and what not to do,  to help your au pair feel welcomed, prepared, and clear on you...

Hey Doc, Hiring a nanny can feel like a lot. Even after you’ve made the decision, there are still so many questions: Where do I look? What do I ask? How do I know if someone’s the right fit? In this episode, I walk you through exactly how to find and hire a nanny in five clear steps. Nothing vague, nothing fluffy,  just what you need to move forward with more confidence and less stress. I’ll help...

We’re back with Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Alexandra Stockwell, and this half of her story is just as rich and revealing as the first. If Part 1 was about identity and navigating early motherhood in medicine, Part 2 is all about intention in childcare, career, and designing a life that actually supports who you are. In this episode, we dive into: The “internal invisibility” of returning to...

This one’s for the woman navigating the messy middle of ambition and alignment. In this deeply personal conversation, I sat down with Dr. Alexandra Stockwell, physician, intimacy coach, mother of four, and one of my own mentors, to talk about what happens when your identity evolves in ways you didn’t plan for… but needed. She shares what it meant to trade hospital hallways for nesting at home, how...

Hey Doc, In this bonus episode of Stethoscopes and Strollers , Dr. Alexandra Stockwell returns to talk about one of the most vulnerable and underdiscussed parts of motherhood for physicians: inviting someone else into your home to care for your child. She shares: What it was like to welcome a 17-year-old “au pair before its time” into their small apartment How she mentored both of her early nannie...

Hey Hubby, Yep, I said it. This one’s for you. I know most of my episodes are directed toward Physician moms, but this time I’m talking directly to the husbands. Not to criticize. Not to complain. But to invite you into a deeper understanding of what your wife is going through right now. Because when you became a dad, everything changed. Not just for your wife, but for you too. And in this season,...

Hey doc, This one might sting, but it’s worth staying for. In this episode I am calling out (with love) the high-achieving physician moms who don’t realize the pattern that you’re part of: weaponized perfectionism. Not because you’re mean or controlling. But because you’re capable. Efficient. An intelligent, successful physician mom who knows how to get things done. But when those same traits spil...

Hey doc,  This one’s personal. In honor of Father’s Day (even though we don’t “do” the holiday), I wanted to take a moment to honor the man who made this podcast possible, my husband, Adé. Not because he edits the episodes or runs the backend (he doesn’t). But because of the stories I share here and the tools I teach, they come from real work, and a real partnership that wasn’t always this way. Th...

Hey doc, In this episode of ✨ Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ , I’m revisiting a live I did called: "The partner you thought you had😩 How gender roles turned your progressive hubby into a 1950s a-hole" Because let’s be honest: even the most modern, educated, emotionally intelligent men can slide into outdated gender roles once kids come into the picture. You’re a physician. A mother. A le...

Hey Doc , This month, I’m doing something a little different. Every episode of Stethoscopes and Strollers in June is for the dads. Not because they deserve a standing ovation. But because they’re part of the story. Your story. And I know, this might bring up some feelings. Especially if you’ve been carrying more than your share of the load. Especially if it feels like you’ve had to do the emotiona...

Hey Doc— Let’s talk about what it really costs to perform strength. Dr. Tolulope Olabintan is a family medicine physician, a private practice owner, and a woman of deep faith. She’s also someone who—like so many of us—was raised to be “the strong one.” The Proverbs 31 woman. The helper. The one who keeps going, no matter what. Because “strong women” don’t sit still. They endure. Power through. Ser...