Stethoscopes and Strollers

La Toya Luces-Sampson MD, PMH-C

Welcome to Stethoscopes & Strollers! I'm Dr. Toya, mom of two, OBGYN, and coach for physician moms. Here, we go beyond the hospital halls, into the messy, magical early years of parenting—think diapers, sleepless nights, and figuring out how to deal with all those unexpected twists and turns. Every episode, I dive into topics like mental health, the ins and outs of postpartum sex, sorting out childcare, and how having little ones changes your marriage. We’ll talk about getting back to work after baby, the real deal with mom guilt thanks to those tough doctor schedules, what pumping at work is really like, and how to keep all the balls in the air without dropping any. We’re here to get real about the hard choices, like deciding to stop breastfeeding, and so much more. This is a space for focusing on taking care of you, because managing scrubs and swaddles takes a village.You'll figure out how to ask for and actually accept help, because let’s be honest, getting support is crucial for thriving as both a mom and a doctor.Just a quick heads-up: while we're all about sharing and supporting, remember this isn’t medical advice. We’re here to connect, share experiences, and grow—together, without the medical jargon. So, grab your coffee or tea, and get ready to dive into those parts of being a physician mom that don't get talked about enough. You're not riding this roller coaster alone, and you definitely deserve all the support you can get.  Tune in to Stethoscopes & Strollers for some real, honest insights and practical tips to make momming a bit easier. It’s time to get the conversation started!---------------------

  1. DEC 10

    96. How to Ask for What You Want at Work

    Hey Doc If you’ve ever left a meeting with leadership thinking, “Why did I even bother?” I’ve been there. Vague emails. Rambling explanations. Trying to be heard and ending up dismissed. This episode is about doing it differently. With clarity. With strategy. And without bending over backwards to be “nice” about it. You’ll learn: How to prep before the ask (so you’re not just venting)What to focus on depending on who you’re talking toThe difference between making a request vs. negotiatingHow to frame your ask so it actually gets tractionAnd why empathy for your boss doesn’t mean you give up your askThis isn’t about playing politics. It’s about getting what you need without second-guessing your right to ask — whether it’s your schedule, your inbox load, or the support that makes your job sustainable. ✨Want a quick step-by-step summary to prep for your next meeting or email? Download my free guide: How to Ask for What You Want at Work. You’ll get the exact questions I use with clients to help you clarify your ask, prep with strategy, and show up with confidence. 🎧 Listen to the full episode — especially if you’ve got a meeting on your calendar and no idea where to start. What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know! Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field. If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want. Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

    28 min
  2. DEC 3

    95. How to Outsource as a Physician Mom: Start Here

    Hey Doc — How do you manage with young kids with household duties, work, marriage…life? It’s the question I hear constantly — in coaching calls, Facebook posts, in casual conversations when someone’s hanging on by a thread. And if you have no nearby family and no reliable backup? The question starts to feel like a punchline. Most advice boils down to: Just outsource more. But if it were that simple, you would’ve done it already. In this episode, I walk you through the real answer — the one I give my clients when they’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and questioning whether this version of life is sustainable. And no, it doesn’t start with a budget or a new chore chart. It starts with values. Identity. Permission. You’ll learn: Why mindset work has to come before outsourcingHow to audit your household labor (without sparking a fight)What “paid” and “unpaid” village building actually looks likeAnd how to make space for the life you worked so hard to buildThis isn’t about becoming more efficient. It’s about building a system that supports the version of you that matters most. 🎧 Listen to the full episode — especially if you’ve been trying to survive with zero backup and a calendar that’s doing too much. And because I love to make your life easier, here are the other episodes I reference in this one: Spouse Skeptic? Navigating Au Pair Objections for Physician Moms (for when you’re on board but he’s… not quite there yet)The entire June husband series:What Your Husband Was Never Taught: The Expectation Gap at HomeHow Did We Get Here? When Modern Marriage Falls Into Traditional RolesLet Him Be Great: Releasing Control in Your HomeHey Hubby: What Your Wife Wishes You Understood About MotherhoodWhat did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know! Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field. If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want. Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

    32 min
  3. NOV 26

    94. The Holiday Episode: Ask for What You Actually Want

    Hey Doc, We’re heading into the holiday season, and I want to offer you a small but powerful reminder — the kind we don’t usually give ourselves this time of year. Between the gifts, the traditions, the kids, the family expectations, and the pressure to “create magic,” it’s so easy to slide into the background of your own life without even noticing. But what if this year looked different? What if you let yourself want what you actually want — without guilt, without hinting, without hoping people will guess? In this short episode, I’m sharing a simple, direct nudge as we close out the year. Think of this as your holiday check-in: a moment to reconsider how much you give, how often you bend, and where you’ve quietly disappeared under everyone else's needs. 🎧 Tune in to the full episode — this is your reminder to put yourself back at the center of your own season. What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know! Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field. If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want. Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

    6 min
  4. NOV 19

    93. Your Husband is like AI: Unspoken Expectations, Upbringing & “Fix-It Mode”

    Hey Doc — What if I told you your husband and AI have way more in common than you think? Not in a “men are robots” way, but in a “this explains so much about your marriage” way. In this episode, I’m breaking down the four big parallels between husbands and AI — the ones that quietly shape your communication, your expectations, and yes… your resentment. And listen, I love AI and I love husbands, so this episode is coming from a place of deep affection and deep realness. We’re talking about the stuff we all experience but rarely say out loud: The mind-reading you wish he could do (but he absolutely cannot)The unspoken expectations that turn into premeditated resentmentsHow his upbringing — just like AI training data — shapes everythingWhy he jumps straight into Fix-It Mode when you just wanted “Ugh babe, that sucks”And why you should be using (and leveraging) both AI and your husband way more than you areIf you've ever wondered “Why doesn’t he just KNOW?” or you’ve found yourself venting to him only to get a full strategic plan you didn’t ask for — this episode is for you. Share this one with another physician mom who’s ready for more clarity, less resentment, and better communication in her marriage. 🎧 Go listen to the full episode What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know! Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field. If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want. Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

    18 min
  5. NOV 12

    92. Stop Studying, Start Doing: Lessons from 2 Years of Dr. Toya Coaching

    Hey Doc — Dr. Toya Coaching is turning two! 🎉 Two years ago, I had a newborn, a burnout hangover, and an idea that didn’t make much sense on paper, but made perfect sense for my life. What started as a postpartum support concept has evolved into a global coaching brand, a thriving community, and an impact that‘s undeniable. In this anniversary episode, I’m reflecting on the year everything changed — the burnout, the baby, the business, and what I’ve learned about building boldly when the plan doesn’t make sense to anyone else. This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s about the real lessons behind the glow-up: how I certified my way into a trap, how clarity showed up when I stopped trying to be “qualified enough,” and how every detour — even the useless ones — got me exactly where I was supposed to be. We talk about: The trap of overqualifying yourself before you startWhy “just start” is more powerful than another certificationHow every misstep can still move you forwardThe mindset shift that turns fear into freedomAnd why you don’t need to see the end to take the first stepThis is a celebration, but it’s also a reminder: you can build boldly, even when you’re unsure, or a little scared. Every dream needs a starting point. Two years ago, this was mine. 🎧 Go listen now, and share this episode with another physician mom who needs the reminder that her bold move doesn’t need permission — just a beginning. What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know! Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field. If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want. Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

    27 min
  6. NOV 5

    91. The OB/GYN Who Had 5 Kids in 5 Years — Meet Dr. Candice Wood

    Hey Doc! What happens when the OB/GYN becomes a new mom and realizes everything she thought she knew about postpartum was incomplete? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Candice Wood, an OB-GYN, perinatal mental health specialist, and mom of five, for a conversation that is tender, hilarious, and quietly radical. Yes, she built a 2-day-a-week career while raising five kids under five. But what we really talk about is what happened after the babies came. When she found herself: silently competing with her husband’s ex-wifebreastfeeding through gritted teeth and unspoken anxietyresenting a partner she had trained to be helplessand quietly unraveling, while still doing everything “right” on paperThis episode is about the postpartum identity crisis no one prepares you for — and the healing that happens when you finally name what’s actually going on. We talk about: Why resentment is often a sign you’ve buried a needThe trap of trying to be both the best mother and the best martyrHow her patients helped her see her own sufferingAnd what it really takes to feel like a good mom (hint: it’s not perfection)If you’ve ever found yourself doing it all — and quietly wondering why it still doesn’t feel like enough — this one will land deep. 🎧 Listen now — and forward it to the friend who needed this yesterday. Dr. Candice Wood has spent the last 18 years providing comprehensive wellness, gynecologic, and obstetric care for women of all ages. Over the years, Dr Wood has watched her own patients struggle to achieve wellness while lacking sufficient focus on mental health. With shortening doctor visit times, only the bare minimum can be done during a typical wellness exam, excluding the opportunity for a woman’s most trusted care provider to assess her mental health – arguably the gateway to her overall health and wellness. Likewise, during postpartum visits, Dr. Wood found that there is no time to help young mothers struggling with mental health issues. Finding another mental health provider to care for a patient with perinatal mood disorders, infertility, or fetal loss is equally challenging. Following her passion and determined to make a difference, Dr. Wood obtained a certification in perinatal mood disorders, psychotherapy, and pharmacotherapy, and she started the Woman Made Well clinic with one What did you think of the episode, doc? Let me know! Subscribe to ✨Stethoscopes and Strollers✨ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube Connect with me: Website | Instagram | Facebook Join my Email list to get tips on navigating motherhood in the medical field. If you are going through a transition -- becoming a parent, leaving a job, figuring out how manage it all, schedule a strategy coaching session and get clarity and strategic next steps for the life and career you want. Strategy Coaching Session with Dr. Toya

    58 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Stethoscopes & Strollers! I'm Dr. Toya, mom of two, OBGYN, and coach for physician moms. Here, we go beyond the hospital halls, into the messy, magical early years of parenting—think diapers, sleepless nights, and figuring out how to deal with all those unexpected twists and turns. Every episode, I dive into topics like mental health, the ins and outs of postpartum sex, sorting out childcare, and how having little ones changes your marriage. We’ll talk about getting back to work after baby, the real deal with mom guilt thanks to those tough doctor schedules, what pumping at work is really like, and how to keep all the balls in the air without dropping any. We’re here to get real about the hard choices, like deciding to stop breastfeeding, and so much more. This is a space for focusing on taking care of you, because managing scrubs and swaddles takes a village.You'll figure out how to ask for and actually accept help, because let’s be honest, getting support is crucial for thriving as both a mom and a doctor.Just a quick heads-up: while we're all about sharing and supporting, remember this isn’t medical advice. We’re here to connect, share experiences, and grow—together, without the medical jargon. So, grab your coffee or tea, and get ready to dive into those parts of being a physician mom that don't get talked about enough. You're not riding this roller coaster alone, and you definitely deserve all the support you can get.  Tune in to Stethoscopes & Strollers for some real, honest insights and practical tips to make momming a bit easier. It’s time to get the conversation started!---------------------

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